更多
2014-09-19
3638 瀏覽
I am blessed to have very like minded friends who are not just opened minded when they travel, but they actually want to experience what the local life is like. When they were in town for a short visit, even I surprised myself by asking him if he wanted congee again at Mui Kee, or "yum cha in the 'hood!".Somehow this place immediately came to mind, in the heart of the old district of Sham Shui Po, also a mini food crawl (street sweeping) heaven.Perhaps it was because this restaurant was featured
I am blessed to have very like minded friends who are not just opened minded when they travel, but they actually want to experience what the local life is like. When they were in town for a short visit, even I surprised myself by asking him if he wanted congee again at Mui Kee, or "yum cha in the 'hood!".Somehow this place immediately came to mind, in the heart of the old district of Sham Shui Po, also a mini food crawl (street sweeping) heaven.
Perhaps it was because this restaurant was featured on many blogs due to sentiment, as well as media coverage (including Eat Man Drink Woman). I'm sure all you locals have heard the fascinating stories and history behind this restaurant...and how a busboy worked his way up the chain to become the cashier (corporate America would laugh at this, but if you grew up and will die in the neighborhood, this is considered a huge advancement).
Prior to visiting, I had walked by and noted that the demographic consists primarily of locals, and most of them retirees, and regulars. There is nothing wrong with that. Just a stone's throw away are other eateries for really nitty gritty blue collar (calorific delights of steamed various items over rice in tin pots, delicious to the core), so in that regard, 信興酒樓 would be considered upper class for the neighborhood.
Now granted my roots originally came from HK, but I have left a long time ago. So coming back and here for the first time, even with my friends, went over my head a little. Quick thing is to observe what others do.
After you request the tea, any required hot water would be self help from the tap. Learning to operate the tap and bringing the pot back to your table would need this process to quickly become 2nd nature to you.
The dim sum, that is easy. Look for a stack of bamboo steamers concentrated in one area. Bring your marker sheet with you and find out what's inside. Beware of even trying to be curious and open up the lids, some of the grannies might not like it so much. Consider it part of the atmosphere!
But no matter...this was a strange amusing foreign yet quaint local and enjoyable experience for all of us. Overseas, dim sum/yum cha is overblown, overrated, and frankly lacks soul and substance. Everything is pre-made, frozen, then re-steamed, if you are lucky (otherwise pre-assembled in a factory then delivered to the restaurant for reheating, such is life), and if you come from Los Angeles, you will never see bamboo steamers...all metal tin types (hey we are not in prison!). But here, even something so fundamental and reduced to something so blue collar and accessible, and to retain that old flavor, is something to be treasured and appreciated.
Yes we know, this is not Luk Yu. But if you try to pretend that you are part of the crowd, this is a very fulfilling breakfast.
We ordered ha gow, some item I can't even remember what was inside, pork stomach siu mai, meatballs, large chicken bun. I have to say that as average as the ha gow was by local standards, it was so much better than the so called "best dim sum restaurants" in San Francisco Bay Area.
Our favorite was the pork stomach siu mai. The initial supply disappeared very quickly, but we were lucky to get a new batch that came out. As Chua Lam would say "Long Live Cholestrol!" but F**K it, it was awesome.
The large chicken bun is a typical very old style yum cha item, and maybe 3 times the size of my friend's fist. Not our bag, but it was fun to try once.
The Eat Man Drink Woman video clip for this restaurant mentions that they carefully blend the Pu-Er tea leaves. There is something about drinking this type of tea at this restaurant, or other places including The Chairman (or even 3 minus 1 in Pokfulam) where this flavor is unique, but you try drinking Pu-Er in the USA and it tastes like crap.
While eating, we saw the roasties section. BBQ pork over rice and soy sauce chicken over rice orders flew out from that section back and forth. It is nice to see this untouched part of Hong Kong still around, but who knows for how long.
Grateful for the experience. My out of town friends enjoyed it very much, even though we slightly felt the calorific attack. Nothing that getting on your feet and walking to the next eating destination won't fix.
張貼
