Chinabites

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 just a hint of British colonialism and the result is the menu at many Hong Kong eateries known as the "Afternoon Tea" set.

This past Sunday I cultivated an appetite all morning waiting for the "golden hour" of 2:30pm when the lunchtime crowd dissipates and the lower prices for afternoon tea kick in. I had a tip from some locals that there was a good afternoon tea menu at Chuen Cheung Kui in Causeway Bay.

The interior was slightly yellowing, looking old but well-loved. The seating area was spacious and at 2:30pm on a Sunday it was not crowded. We ended up sitting in one of a nice series of booths on the seventh floor overlooking Percival Street.

One point of note is that this restaurant was introduced to me as a good location to get Cantonese dim sum. After thoroughly questioning two members of the wait staff in Cantonese, my dining companion assured me that this particular restaurant does not serve dim sum at any hour of the day, it is strictly a Hakka restaurant. Ordering is nevertheless done Hong Kong dim sum diner style, by checking your selections off on one of a number of tickets stacked on your table.

The meal itself was one of the most affordable and pleasant of my entire stay in Hong Kong so far. We ordered salt baked chicken, greens, fried wudong noodles, sweet and sour pork and two beverages. The bill was a scant HKD 81. Although breathtakingly low, the real centerpiece of the meal was not the price, but the consistent quality of the simple dishes.

Salt baked chicken is perhaps the most easily recognized constellation in the starry night that is Hakka cuisine. The chicken is chopped into strips (with bones-in) and steam baked on a bed of rice. The combination of the cooking chicken and moisture render the rice underneath moist, tender, and savory.

A less traditionally Hakka, but no less excellent dish was the pineapple pork, perhaps better translated to English as sweet and sour pork. The surprising innovation on the dish at Chuen Cheung Kui was the addition of not cucumbers, but pickles to the mix, which brought the sour level with the sweet.

In summary, the combination of economy, ambience, and culinary competence have made this restaurant a top Chinabites recommendation for Hong Kong. I have no doubt that I will be making this restaurant a weekly fixture on my culinary itinerary.