One of the most treasured Asian culinary creations is Cantonese BBQ Pork. Known as Char Siu叉燒, this is a common dish from a Siu Mei 燒味, a small hole-in-the-wall Hong Kong style Chinese deli, which also specializes in Duck, Goose, Pork, and Chicken. You can easily recognize these little restaurants with the meats hanging in the window of the restaurant kitchen. In the US, you can find them in Chinatown’s in large Metropolitan cities. The prominence of these deli’s in the US, is a result of the early immigrants from Southern China or the Canton/Hong Kong area. Cantonese cuisine is one of the most popular of the different Chinese variations, which also include dim sum.
When I used to live in Hong Kong, it used to take great strength and discipline to just walk by without strolling in a order my favorite meat on rice dish. The sheer succulence and tenderness of this sweet moist pork was difficult to ignore. I’ll post about one of my favorite Siu Mei’s in Wanchai, a little later this week.
Strangely enough, one of my other favorite places to eat BBQ pork was at the Hong Kong International Airport. On the 2nd floor, there used to be a restaurant called King’s Palace Congee & Noodle Bar. But unfortunately it choose not to reopen when the new recent renovations and expansions.
But recently, on a short trip, I was able to find King’s Palace, online, at another location at Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong. Though, Festival Walk is a bit far from Hong Kong island and even Kowloon, I knew I had to go. I often make decisions based on the idea that if I don’t buy, attend, or eat what I initially wanted – I know it will eat me away.
. . . if I don’t buy, attend, or eat what I initially wanted – I know it will eat me away
So this trip to the Festival Walk shopping mall was a must. . . even if I had to go alone, which I did. As I found the 3rd floor location, just off the indoor skating rink, I found King’s Palace – which wasn’t crowded on a mid-afternoon Saturday. The menu included lots of nice colorful pictures, as most nicer Chinese restaurants do. But I had a conundrum – a slight hesitation in ordering depended on the egg or roast pork – which would accompany the requisite BBQ pork.
I ended up with roast pork and bbq pork on rice with a ice lemon tea to wash it down. Not waiting for more than 4 or 5 minutes, my bowl of goodness arrived. The angled cut of the slices produces an appearingly larger piece. The against-the-grain reveals a glistening sweetness of the jiggly fat. I would have liked to have more fat for the moistness. The brunt edges would prove to be the contrasting crunchy texture needed for each bite.
EGG OR ROAST PORK?
But I also remember there was something else in my bowl other than rice and BBQ pork. Ah, yes. . .there was some roast pork. Idea roast pork requires a crunchy, no chewy pork rind or skin. You need the suckling pig to be young and not old (with thick & chewy thereby undesirable skin). Though it is unfortunate that these young pigs are slaughtered for this desired texture, it is for a good cause – my tummy. The meat, the white tenderness, is usually salted heavily to provide some sort of taste.
This cantonese comfort dish, with both the bbq pork and roast pork, is my personal favorite. I know King’s Palace make a wonderful, yet slightly overpriced compared to hole-in-the-wall Siu Mei’s. . .but nonetheless, it was a great treat to bring back HKIA memories (while waiting for my trip home). I have to be honest – King’s Palace was really really good. . .but it wasn’t the best I’ve had. . in fact, later on this trip – and hopefully in a day or two, I will post up the best place I had BBQ pork . . .EVAH!
Check out more pictures at http://wp.me/p12aCk-1aI
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