Siu mei shops can be found all over Hong Kong. These places specialize in Cantonese-style roasted meat – they have everything from plain steamed chicken to roasted goose. They also serve up a gamut of pork dishes – I’ve even seen an entire pig being displayed at one of these restaurants.
It was a rainy night when we stumbled upon one of the best siew mei (roasted meat) places in Hong Kong. We weren’t really hungry, we just wanted a place to sit down.
We had spent the best part of the night browsing at Temple Street and I noticed this hole-in-the-wall place which is dirty, slightly dodgy, very loud, and thronged by locals.
It serves waxed meat (lap mei) as well! I’m quite fond of the stuff so I decided to check it out.
The interior had a couple of tables and chairs thrown together and it’s full of old men. There’s definitely no English menu – it’s a place catering to locals. Perfect, that’s just the way I like it. 🙂
Anyway, we ate about five meals a day while on vacation in Hong Kong so we decided to order a braised pigeon to share. The pigeon (squab is the proper name for a young pigeon like this) is served whole so you can see the small head and beak perpetually frozen in a mid-squawk of dismay. 😉 It doesn’t have a lot of meat on it, but it’s very tasty. The meat is slightly tough but the flavor is excellent. I absolutely loved it.
The lap cheong (waxed Cantonese sausages) in Hong Kong is pretty good too. The flavor is almost neutral. I know, that doesn’t sound very appetizing but it’s great! It’s not as salty as the usual lap cheong we get over here – this one is slightly sweet and has a good ratio of pork fat and meat.
I had worked up an appetite eating the pigeon so I ordered a plate of siu yoke as well. Besides, it was still raining outside and I got the distinct impression that you’re supposed to leave when you’re finished with your meal coz there were people waiting and the tables are shared. Heh.
Now, Hong Kong siu mei shops takes great pride in their product and although I was pretty full by then, I couldn’t resist eating it all. The siu yoke tends to lean towards the fatty side (
) and has a crispy layer of skin on top. You get the whole experience of crispy skin, fat and meat and it’s very tender and juicy – positively orgasmic when you eat it with the mustard it’s served with.
Hell, it was so good I ordered a portion to take away and eat in the hotel for supper.
I also noticed that they serve steamed fish with rice, which a lot of people ordered. It’s an unassuming shop specializing in roasted meat, waxed meat and the odd fish somewhere near the fringes of Temple Street. It’s one of the best discoveries we made in Hong Kong, totally loved the pigeon and siu yoke. I wish I had tried the fish though, it looked very promising.
However, it wasn’t very cheap – the dinner and takeaway cost HKD 340 (about RM 142) for the two of us. You can’t say much about the presentation but it’s the best siu mei we had in Hong Kong and it was worth every single red cent. 🙂
i see the pig!!! lol
mahalnya eating in hk. 70++ per person for just that.
Heh! It’s hard to miss eh?
It’s an entire roasted pig, whole from snout to tail. 😀
Yeah, food can be cheap in Hong Kong but the pigeon is not and siu mei generally is a bit more expensive. Siu yoke minimum order was HKD 60.
oh gawd im salivating!
It’s good stuff bro! I love Hong Kong siu yoke, the shops really do take pride in their work.
I’ve gone to a couple of places, but this one is the best. I even ordered a portion to go. 😀
heh but some say malaysian stalls have in recent days out rank hong kong’s?
Well, I reckon the best of Hong Kong can still beat the best of Malaysia. It is after all their forte. 😀
siu mei in HK is really miles ahead from those in Malaysia, damn yums
Indeed! I’ve noticed the difference too, it tastes a whole lot better in Hong Kong. 🙂
They have a wider variety too…goose, pigeon etc.
craving for siu yuk now! YOUR FAULT!!!!
Haha! Oh this reminds me, should really get to eat your cooking before you’re too busy with wedding preparations and all that. 🙂
I’ll invite myself over someday. #shameless
i only had one at yung kee! a roasted goose ooh lala omg i am craving for one now
Nice! I had goose in Hong Kong too but at a different place, it’s at the first shop in the first photo (the one with the whole roasted pig).
The shops are quite small with limited seating coz a lot of people order it to go. 🙂
i am going to yut kee for goose thighs in noodles. will blog about it when i get there. hehehe.
Nice! I haven’t had goose since the Hong Kong trip!
I’ll love to read about it. I did not know Yut Kee had that on the menu and I once attempted to eat every single thing on their menu. Haha! 🙂
Omigawd!!! So expensive… I think I’ll pass and settle for what we can get locally – never mind if they’re not as nice.
Yeah, it’s more expensive than the siu mei over here but then again I had pigeon and two orders of siu yoke, one of them an extra large one to go. The minimum order is HKD 60 and that wasn’t a lot. I can eat a lot of siu yoke.
However, it’s really good stuff though, their siu yoke – goes very well with the mustard they serve with it. 🙂
Dude, them meat sure look spanking delicious 🙂
Indeed bro! 🙂
It’s delicious stuff, love the siu mei in Hong Kong.
HB, yes it can be costly but food is great. My friends and I had just wonton soup and just a few wonton in soup should order with mein. Price with not cheap also. Certain places are prices in food some are not. Try to check out where the local go.
Yeah, but there is cheap and delicious food in Hong Kong too. 🙂
I guess it’s just the city, on average it’s more expensive, like even the McDonald’s is more expensive than the ones over here.
I always prefer to eat where the locals eat. 😀
The lap cheong looks quite good from your picture…fairly large too. Unlike the shriveled ones we get here. I should really visit HK. Been putting it off because I can’t speak proper Cantonese. ~_~
Yeah it is larger than the skinny and shriveled lap cheong we usually see over here. There isn’t as much salt in it either. 🙂
No worries, you can easily get by with broken Cantonese. My Cantonese is *really* bad and I used that and English to get around. Of course, my ex did a lot of translating but I reckon I could get around myself if I wanted to.
Have fun! 😀
these meat shops kinda freak me out. the façade, i do mean. but who could ever resist siew yoke!!! 😀 😀 😀 such a yummy photo!
Heh! Yeah, it doesn’t look like much on the outside but what impressed me was that entire roasted pig. I was tempted to order the head. Haha.
Indeed, the siu yoke over there is really good, especially this shop. I ended up getting some to go for supper at the hotel. 🙂
Wow you can eat a lot! Salute! 😀
Yeah, I can eat a lot at times. You’ll be surprised at how much I can eat coz I used to binge eat all the time last time. Haha. 🙂
wow that’s quite expensive for 2. Last time when I was there, a few years ago, the wantan me also costs almost RM10 a bowl compared to KL only RM5. haha
Yeah, I think it’s the stuff we ordered too. Went with a huge portion of siu yoke to go. 🙂
Hong Kong food generally more expensive, but there are some places which are cheap. Char chang teng serves good and cheap food. 😀
That picture of the Siu Mei (Roasted Meat) Restaurant makes me so hungry. I wish I could go to HK soon.
I live in France. I go to Hong kong in march.
Where is this restaurant you are taking picture. I would like to go.
Can you give the adress.
Thank you.