Ho Lee Fook

I've been wanting to give this place a shot for a while since there's been so much buzz about this playfully-named restaurant. I never quite mustered the patience since they usually have a long line, and only take reservations for a party of five or more but I finally found the determination to come here when my family from out-of-town insisted on it. Turns out, the wait actually wasn't too bad. 15-20 minutes for a Monday night.In short, yes, the food was good. But with prices like that, one is definitely paying more for the experience of dining at a restaurant called "Ho Lee Fook" than the actual quality of the food. They have many interesting choices on the menu, and prices did not seem exorbitant... But when the food arrived, Ho Lee Fook... the portions are tiny. Honestly, $68 for a small bowl of Lu Rou Fan?? And this was categorized under "not a small plate"! How deceptive. My favourite dish of the night was the Wagyu Steak Tartare. It was served with what I assume was deepfried beancurd skins. The tartare was flavourful, and had just the right amount of sour and spiciness. Eaten together with the crispy beancurd skin, the "gooey" and crispy textures complemented each other very well. Another dish that I surprisingly liked was the very simple Stir-fried Asparagus, Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas, Garlic. Shaoxing. It looks like any regular Chinese vegetable dish, but to have so many different vegetables all perfectly cooked so that none were under or overdone is quite a feat. The vegetables were sweet, fresh, and tender and went very well with the simple sauce. Other items we ordered were the Mom's "Mostly Cabbage, a Little bit of Pork" Dumplings. This dish was average, and severely overpriced. You can get much better dumplings for less than half the price anywhere else in Hong Kong. Same can be said about the Grilled Pork Belly. Again, pretty average. Some parts of the meat were a little dry. Not something I would order again.In short, too expensive! People who know Chinese cuisine well would know where else to get better food for lower prices. Ho Lee Fook feels very much like a restaurant for expats or tourists who want to have Chinese food, but prefer to dine in an upscale and contemporary environment, rather than a dingy street-side stall (where all locals know that's where the best food's at). While the decor was very contemporary and edgy, it was't very practical. Since the dining area is in the basement, it was cold and poorly lit. And in an enclosed area like that, sounds were bouncing off the concrete walls, making it extrmely loud. I could barely hear my family and boyfriend though they were right in front of/ beside me. Service was fine, nothing to complain or rave about. Although if I'm really nitpicking, it's impossible to identify who was a server. Some were wearing black t-shirts and pants, one lady was wearing a blazer, a couple were just wearing jeans and a top... we had to be careful not to to misidentify the servers to avoid offending anyone.All in all, it was an experience but I probably wouldn't return unless friends or family visit Hong Kong and make me take them here again. …Read More

With a name like Ho Lee Fook, I've been wanting to try for a while now so I came here to celebrate a friend's birthday since they only take reservations for 6+ ppl. Unfortunately we did not have a good experience here. Firstly, they screwed up our reservations as they thought we were coming on the following day. Luckily there was still a table available but we just had to return the table early to them. The table they gave our party of 6 though was very weird as it was a large square-ish one where 3 of us sat on one side while the others sat on the opposite side but the distance between us was like 3-4 ft long so we couldn't talk to each other especially with the loud music which defeats the purpose of gathering with friends. Towards the end we kept getting rushed even though we haven't finished eating yet let alone cut the cake because the other party arrived already, so they had to kick us to a smaller table so we can eat our friend's birthday cake in a hurry. Kudos to the service manager who tried to rectify the situation by comping our drinks and cake cutting fee but sometimes what's done is done especially since we were there to celebrate an occasion. I've since heard from others that they had the same experience even though the restaurant had called to confirm days earlier so perhaps a better reservation system could solve this service issue. Cooler ($88) - oolong infused vodka, apple and maple syrup. It looked like a bubble tea drink and tasted like a fruit tea which was decent. Gimlet ($98) - lemongrass infused gin and lime. It was not a bad drink per say but it was only half full so certainly not worth the price for the amount of liquor you get. Hamachi ($168) - cucumber, lemon jam, horseradish and puffed buckwheat. It was a very refreshing dish as a starter with its acidic flavors. Mom's "mostly cabbage, a little bit of pork" Dumplings ($88) - sacha soy dressing. The dumplings were pretty good but also not as amazing as it was hyped up to be. Fried Cauliflower ($88) - brussels sprouts and maple bacon chili jam. This dish took me by surprise with its contrasting textures and complex flavors! Roast Platter ($358) - with roast goose, soy chicken and Kurobuta char siu. The soy chicken was the best with its soft and moist meat while the other two was disappointing. The char siu was over-seasoned and salty without any charcoal aroma while we were given a cut of the goose in turkey style so we had pieces of lean meat as big as our hands - not sure how we were supposed to eat that with chopsticks. The skin was also not crispy enough as well. There are better places for roast items elsewhere. Grilled Pork Belly ($158) - red cabbage salad, roasted chili and almond salsa. Not bad but nothing special either as it was not a memorable dish. Roast Wagyu Short Ribs ($448) - jalapeno puree, green shallot kimchi and soy glaze. Hands down the best dish we had that night! The short ribs were crispy, tender and bouncy while the jalapeno puree was a show stealer as it definitely made the dish. Kimchi Fried Rice ($118) - edamame and crispy lap cheong. #FAIL. The fried rice was spicy yet overly salty (to the point where my face was cringing) which was too bad because I quite like the crispy lap cheong. Verdict - the food in general was decent with a few hits and misses while the service could use improvement. The environment was also very crowded and noisy so it's not a place I would go if I wanted to talk with my friends. At the end of our meal, we each got a fortune cookie which to be honest I haven't seen in a long time. Most legit Chinese restaurants in the bay area don't serve this anymore so it was fun to see this American invention in Hong Kong actually. At least I got a good fortune from my fortune cookie - "Super Lucky - you may meet benefactor."Follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/supertastermelFollow me on Instagram @supertastermel …Read More

Located in the basement of lower Elgin Street, this Chinese fusion restaurant welcomes you with a whole wall of golden fortune cats and mah-jong, both of which in the Chinese culture are believed to bring one with prosperity and luck.  What a good start on a Friday evening after a hell's day at work with the Wicked 2-faced Devil.You can be sure to get a peace of mind from bombarding group messages in your Whatsapp and work emails from your BB because mobile signal here wis very weak, especially towards the back where we were sitting.  The industrial, rustic and slightly orientally artsy decor of this Chinese restaurant was what made the ambience different from the usual noisy and bright family-friendly Chinese cuisines.And...cheers to TGIF and a break from the Wicked 2-faced Devil, we had the mule, lemongrass mix and some kinda cold tea mix.Apparently Missy Leona and I were still pretty stuffed from the lunch at Bread St Kitchen so we went easy on the ordering this time.  Many dishes here were spicy so if you're not a fan of it, you should confirm with the server while making your orders.  The two appetizers arrived first - Yunnan style wagyu steak tartare and shredded chicken salad.  Although I felt that having the wagyu beef completely raw defeated the purpose of having wagyu, I still highly recommend the dish which had a dynamic flavor from the sweet and sour marinate and herbs ($138).  The cracker was so crunchy and good that I could not resist from having more.  The shredded chicken salad was also a slight twist from the traditional dish.  Marinated with sesame sauce and slightly hot, lettuce heart was used as the base of this salad ($88).Since we couldn't have the pork belly at Bread St Kitchen during lunch, I've ordered the grilled pork belly here to make up for it.  Thick-cut and tender, this dish was served with roasted chili and roasted almond ($128).  The soy chicken was another highly recommended dish.  Came in generous half chicken portion, this poultry dish was cooked to the right tenderness and flavor.  I don't usually go for the breast in Chinese chicken dishes but this was done so well that us three girls kept digging into it ($160).A very satisfying dinner with good food and company at a good price - truly a "blessing."  Look, we even had fortune cookies.  Left the restaurant as a happy soul.…Read More