Chinabites

A Korean Dinner in Hong Kong

posted: Mar. 22, 2009

I've never been to Korea to partake of authentic Korean cuisine in its natural habitat. I have, however, lived for many years in a heavily Korean neighborhood in Beijing. It was there I learned to first tolerate, subsequently love, and finally crave Korean food, becoming familiar with a few ...

Silly Names Getting Panned

posted: Mar. 21, 2009

With a brand name that ranges from mildly to patently offensive depending on your sensibilities, The Flying Pan is a Hong Kong diner specializing in western-style breakfast with just a hint of cultural insensitivity.

At best I would say that it's not particularly generous to mock folks who speak ...

Pastas of Our Lives

posted: Mar. 14, 2009

Last night I had dinner outside of my usual stomping grounds with a local friend who wanted to celebrate the end of the week. He had been eager to try a new Italian restaurant that opened recently near his neighborhood, Café Roma.

The menu was slightly more upscale than the ...

Coffee in the Library

posted: Mar. 13, 2009

Libraries in general have always been favorite places of mine. Every time I visit a new city I make a point of visiting the library of the largest university in town, or the municipal library if there is one.

My first visit to the Hong Kong central library six years ...

A Little Too Much Dive

posted: Mar. 12, 2009

This afternoon I visited Lan Fong Café in Causeway Bay during its lunch hours.

Lan Fong is about as working class as any restaurant in the neighborhood gets. This small diner has daily lunch and tea specials that are served in disappointingly shoddy thin aluminum service reminiscent of college cafeterias ...

Dueling Noodles in Causeway Bay

posted: Mar. 09, 2009

One of the challenges of making a restaurant directory site is that prices do not stay stable and are therefore not terribly useful even one or two years after they are published. After spending about two months in Hong Kong I can at least offer what I think is a ...

Lebanese in Central

posted: Mar. 08, 2009

Over the weekend I happened to be in Central two nights in a row. The first night, before coming back to Causeway, my friend suggested that we stop by a Lebanese cafe for a late snack. And so I was introduced to the Beyrouth Cafe.

Beyrouth serves up staple Middle ...

The Mullet Theory of Cantonese Cuisine

posted: Mar. 07, 2009

Tonight I met up with two friends at a noodle restaurant in Wanchai called Wing Wah Noodles. It was a relatively small place on the north side of Hennessey Road, which is one of the big main drags on Hong Kong Island. I got there late, so sadly they had ...

Dog Rescue Sandwich at the Brunch Club

posted: Mar. 05, 2009

I had heard the Brunch Club in Causeway Bay mentioned often enough as a possible destination for, yes, brunch on Sundays. I thought a pre-Brunch scouting mission for lunch during the week might be in order, so I walked over today at lunchtime to check it out.

The neighborhood, which ...

Skipping Lunch and Getting Away With It

posted: Mar. 04, 2009

Part of daily life in Hong Kong, I am assured by veteran expatriates, is bargain hunting. Time-sensitive discounts, micro-value up selling, and all manner of garden-variety nickle and diming have long since graduated from marketing tactic to full-fledged way of life for businesses of all stripes. Restaurants of course are ...

"Irasshaimase!" Or, A Tale of Two Ramens

posted: Mar. 03, 2009

I met a friend for dinner in Windsor House Mall this evening in Causeway Bay. He had some errands to run upstairs and I was absolutely, positively, ravenously hungry. I wandered around the surprisingly Apple-heavy technology shops for half an hour waiting, literally in pain from hunger. I was seriously ...

Hakka Afternoon Tea in Causeway Bay

posted: Mar. 02, 2009

The population size and density of Hong Kong more or less dictate that a significant number of folks will be looking for a meal or a snack at any hour of the day. Mix in a culture of small delicate dishes served individually, add a dash of entrepreneurial spirit and ...