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NEW AND NOTED
with Adele Wong
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Hor Hor Deem ( 可 可 店 )
★★★★★
Cha chaan teng. 136-142 Belcher’s St.,
Kennedy Town, 2818-3658.
We suppose it’s time we (very grudgingly) tell
you to go to Hor Hor Deem. This cha chaan teng
has been a late-night favorite of ours for ages.
HIT The menu’s large and in Chinese, and
it’s full of classic snacks. Curried fishballs had
a good give and the curried pig’s stomach
(both $12) was agreeably tender. A big plate
of dry-fried beef ho fun ($27) was easy on the
soy sauce which made it feel lighter, and the
beef was well-velveted. Beef brisket noodles
($25) came in a fishy broth with properly
cooked noodles. Iced lemon teas were
served in large mugs—always appreciated
after a late night. The real standout was the
fried cheung fun ($13), which came at the
server’s suggestion with an egg that had been
scrambled into the mix. Smooth and rich with
a touch of crispiness: we spooned on the chili
sauce and dug in.
MISS When it’s late and you’re hungry,
everything tastes good. Shanghainese fried
noodles ($27) were perhaps a little lacking
in meat.
BOTTOM LINE Cheap and delicious: this
Kennedy Town favorite has the perfect latenight
eats.
Open daily 4pm-3am. $
Star Street gets its gourmet on
Tail Spin
Get ready to slurp on some trendy strands
courtesy of Foxtail & Broomcorn (G/F,
84 Jervois St., Sheung Wan, 2415-2555),
a noodle bar that serves signature recipes
from all over Asia—but with a contemporary,
European twist. For instance, a bowl of
Taiwanese five-spice pork noodles might
be served in a thick sauce instead of the
traditional broth, or a bowl of fish noodles
could be topped with parmesan chips. Enjoy
it all in light-and-bright Scando-cool (aka the
new Industrial-chic) surrounds.
Fou for Fofo
On the subject of light-and-bright interiors,
Fofo By El Wily (20/F, M88, 2-8 Wellington
St., Central, 2900-2009) has re-emerged
from its makeover with even lighter, brighter
walls and a new menu to boot. On top of
lip-smacking signatures such as Barcelonan
“Bikini” sandwiches stuffed with Iberico,
black truffle shavings and melted mozzarella,
diners can now also enjoy lobster croquettes,
cod-mousse-stuffed peppers, and slowcooked
Iberico pork jowl. There are many
other new creations: hearty paellas, seafood
sharing platters, and creamy desserts.
It’s a High Steaks Game
London steak chain Gaucho (5/F, LHT Tower,
31 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2386-8090) has
earmarked Hong Kong as its next port for
expansion, setting up where Mario Batali and
Dining Concepts’ Carnevino used to be. The
Argentine steakhouse will hopefully fare better
than its American steakhouse predecessor.
The draw here—besides the cowhide walls
and leather chairs—are of course the cows
themselves, which hail from the Argentine
Pampas and are brought up on no fewer than
17 varieties of grass. Spoiled beasts!
Star Street Gazing
Star Street and co. would like to remind
you that they’re still cool and relevant, so
they’re organizing a Gourmet & Wine Walk
on October 25 to showcase the shops and
restaurants in the area. Buy yourself a $395
ticket to try out different treats from places
like 3/2 Dolci, Chez Patrick Deli, Beef &
Liberty, and Oolaa Petite. Retail boutiques
are participating too, offering 10-30 percent
discounts on the day. Get your tickets at
events.scmp.com/starstreet.
Sweet Surrender
Get the sugar rush of your life at Mr Simms
Olde Sweet Shoppe (37 Lyndhurst Terrace,
Central, 8192-6138), which brings quaint
British candies straight from the UK to
nostalgic oldies longing for their youth—
or for one more Sherbet Fountain (don’t ask
me what that is—I grew up on Jawbreakers
and Sour Patch Kids). The candies are
displayed in rows and rows of large glass jars
sitting on endless wooden shelves—good
luck choosing.
Email me at adele.wong@hkmagmedia.com
or follow me on Twitter: @adelewong_hk.
Thai Basil
★★★★★
Thai. Shop 001, B/F, Pacific Place,
88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2537-4682.
This Maxim’s Group establishment is one
of Pacific Place’s mainstays, and on any
given night you’ll find it filled with patrons—
especially Amex cardholders, who get up to 50
percent off. The basement venue is amicably
communal, straddling that very fine line
between buzzing and downright noisy.
HIT The space is nicely laid out, and great
for a casual meal before the movies. The
grilled sliced beef curry ($118) was, although
much milder than any Thai curry you’ll ever
find in Bangkok, appropriately smoky and
juicy. Thai fish cakes ($80)—again, more of a
Hong Kong creation than a Thai staple—were
delightfully meaty and crisp on the outside.
Hon Kee Noodles
★★★★★
Chiu Chow noodles. G/F, 6 Hillier St.,
Sheung Wan, 2543-9282.
This unassuming noodle place carries on in
the midst of all the hot openings and trendy
eateries in Sheung Wan—you’d never it give a
second look. Presumably there’s a secret to its
continued existence?
HIT Hon Kee’s signatures are the beef
brisket and squid balls. We tried the former
tossed with thin noodles ($54). The brisket
was soft, with a marbled texture that melted
in your mouth. Not bad.
MISS The fresh beef noodles with soup
($34) was like disappointment swimming in
a bowl—bland and harrowing. The meat was
pinkish in that baking soda-enhanced way.
We were annoyed that all the plain mixed
noodles, regardless of toppings, were a full
MISS Our mixed vegetable green curry
($110) came with barely chopped (and
cooked) chunks of potatoes and carrots, plus
beansprouts. The pieces were so large there
was no chance for them to soak up the mild
sauce. It was about the most generic curry
dish you could imagine—there was nothing
Thai about it, from the ingredients to the
bland flavors.
BOTTOM LINE Go with the right
expectations, and a value-for-money meal
will be had.
Open daily 11:30am-11pm. $$-$$$
$20 more than soup noodles. How does
souplessness warrant such a price jump? A
side of “Four Treasures” (squid balls, fishballs,
fish dumplings, and fish wrapped in pig skin)
in soup ($33) had well-seasoned squid balls,
but everything else was just a mishmash of
textures, not tastes.
BOTTOM LINE We headed into Hon
Kee hoping for a gem, but left with our lives
unchanged. Perhaps we can swap it out for
a trendy Sheung Wan hotspot?
Open Sun-Fri 7:15am-7:45pm; Sat 7:15-4pm.
Closed Public Holidays. $
Ratings
★ Don’t go ★★ Disappointing ★★★ We’ll be back ★★★★ We’ll be back—with friends ★★★★★ You MUST go
Price Guide
$ Less than $200 $$ $200-$399 $$$ $400-$599 $$$$ $600-$799 $$$$$ $800 and up
Price per person, including one drink, appetizer, main course and dessert. Prices do not include bottles of wine unless stated.
Fofo gets a delicious makeover
Our Policy
Reviews are based on actual visits to the establishments listed by our super-sneaky team of hungry reviewers, without the knowledge of
the restaurants. Reviews are included at the discretion of the editors and are not paid for by the restaurants. Menus, opening hours and
prices change and should be checked. New restaurants are not reviewed within one month of their opening. Reviews are written from a
typical diner’s perspective. Ratings are awarded in accordance with the type of restaurant reviewed, so the city’s best wonton noodle stall
could earn five stars while a fancy French restaurant could be a one-star disaster.
HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, October 24, 2014 27