hong kong

Cha Chang Teng in Hong Kong

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char chang teng

Cha Chang Teng (literally tea houses) is the equivalent of mamaks in Hong Kong. They’re everywhere and they cook up a fusion of East-meets-West cuisine. The waiters are loud, the place is packed and the locals all wind up eating there at some point or another.

chinese tea

You’ll be served with Chinese tea (complimentary) as soon as you sit down and since I can’t read Chinese, my ex patiently narrated the daily specials for me.

tea counter

I later found out that they have an English menu. It is a significantly abridged version of the Chinese menu, but it’s available.

char siew noodles

I went for a HKD 24 (RM 10) noodle dish which contains slices of char siew (barbecued meat), bak choy and pickled vegetables. It came in a thin broth but was surprisingly good. You can choose the noodles you want โ€“ I went for the ramen-like instant noodles.

pork macaroni

My ex had the bizarre macaroni meets pork slices in soup. It costs HKD 36 (RM 15) and comes with a side order of…

buttered toast

…buttered toast and a deep fried chicken wing.

people-eating-hk

I didn’t quite like her dish though. The macaroni fusion idea wasn’t executed very well. It sounds like an intriguing dish but it tasted rather bland.

tea house

However, I highly recommend their milk teas (nai cha). It’s brewed strong and tastes a little like our teh tarik minus the bubbles.

hong hong tea

There is a very popular evaporated milk brand called Black & White which they use liberally in their tea. The cup and saucer even comes with the brand of the above mentioned milk embossed on it.

hong kong food

I highly recommend going to a char chang teng when you’re in Hong Kong. The food can be hit and miss but you’ll have plenty of options โ€“ both inane and out-of-the-ballpark weird. There’s also something very appealing about the ambiance โ€“ the loud conversations, the shouted orders, the waiters jesting with you.

eating hong kong

It’s the definitive Hong Kong epicurean experience. You can’t get more local than this. ๐Ÿ™‚

Posted: 9:12 PM Hong Kong time.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

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hong kong jockey club

Betting is legal in Hong Kong for certain sports like horse racing (not sure if this qualifies as a โ€œsportโ€ per se) and football. I passed by The Hong Kong Jockey Club with barely a look at it. I wasn’t really interested but my ex wanted to check out horse racing…

…which is apparently a religion here.

I got some tickets and saw there was a Manchester City football match going on. It was halfway though and I decided to put some moolah on it.

You can actually place your bets mid-game in Hong Kong. The odds change accordingly but you can still wager on a variety of situations. I couldn’t read a single word of Chinese and my ex didn’t know football so the people at The Hong Kong Jockey Club helped me to place my bets. The pioneer of the professional sports casino websites technique may be money, nonetheless users typically neglect this specific part, thatโ€™s not very beneficial. You have got to risk the scene which the money you, yourself are increasing believe functions raised possiblity to possibly be damaged. Be sure you please donโ€™t take chance around you can. Located in safety ํ† ํ† ์‚ฌ์ดํŠธ people make sure you break-up what kind of money to get bets starting from real cash, and you also utilize to help you conduct the house you and your family, In turn for those who reduce these gamble, extra moolah and that is damaged shouldnโ€™t impinge on somebody utilizing your routine workouts anyway.

betting in hong kong

I went for score forecast and wanted HKD 200 (RM 83) on 1-0 to Manchester City (which is the current score) and another HKD 200 on 2-0.

The payout for 1-0 was 1.90 and it’s a staggering 3.05 for 2-0. Pretty fucking good odds considering they’re the home team and they’re already up 1 goal.

We went for dinner and headed back to check the final score. It was 2-0 to Manchester City.

That means you’ll get HKD 610 (about RM 254) for a HKD 200 bet.

Now, if the betting slips are correct and I managed to convey my wishes without the significant language barrier, I would have won HKD 200 (about RM 87), after deducting the loss of the bet placed on 1-0.

hkd20

Unfortunately, the stub for 2-0 was HKD 20 instead of HKD 200. It was missing that all important additional 0.

I wasn’t familiar with the currency so I didn’t check the change I got back when I handed over a HKD 1,000 bill (which is apparently very out of vogue due to counterfeiting concerns). I also neglected to check the betting slips.

FML, I ended up winning HKD 61 instead, from the HKD 20 bet. That means I had a NETT LOSS of HKD 159 (RM 66) when you take into account the HKD 200 I slapped down for 1-0.

Oh well, it was all in good fun. I’m not going back again. I just wanted the experience of betting in Hong Kong.

football betting hong kong

I still wish the communication mistake didn’t occur though. I’ll have won HKD 200 (RM 87) instead of losing HKD 159 (RM 66), which would nearly be enough…

…to take a cab to the airport. smirk

Seriously, cabs here are expensive. I just got back from Lan Kwai Fong early this morning for about HKD 120 in a taxi.

Posted: 8:20 PM Hong Kong time.

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng Hong Kong Restaurant

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mongkok teahouse

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng (Mongkok Teahouse) Hong Kong Restaurant is yet another HK food franchise in KL. It seems that ever since Kim Gary took off, HK style quick service restaurants has been sprouting up like mushrooms in KL. This particular establishment comes with the tantalizing tag line “Taste to Feel Hong Kong”. Hmm…

mongkok teahouse montage

Wong Kok Hong Kong Restaurant is nestled in a quiet alcove in 1 Utama and features a warm ambiance with a heavy emphasis on diffused spot lighting. I did not attempt to count the incandescent spot light fixtures both embedded into the walls and in stand alone lantern style versions but I can assure you that there are quite a lot of them.

kwok chun on

This restaurant is apparently endorsed by a Mr. Kwok Chun On – a pretty boy chef with a forced smile and a unenthusiastic thumbs up. It comes with a lot of Chinese characters on the side, which I can’t read, but I gather he’s the establishment’s ambassador for a reason.

mongkok teahouse drinks

Doris had the Salted Lemon Sourplum Juice (RM 6.80) while I had the Chocolate ice-cream milk shake (RM 7.50). Salt with sour bases makes it sweet so her drink is quite pleasantly saccharine. The latter is coated with chocolate and crushed peanuts on the side of the glass, much like a frozen margarita is lined with salt.

mongkok shanghai rice

This is the Shanghai sauce roasted pork with mixed vegetables and rice (RM 9.50) which Doris ordered. It looks a little bit on the plain side, but it tastes good.

hong kong bak chang

I had the interestingly named Hong Kong waxed meat rice wrapped with lotus leaves (RM 9.50). Doris reads Chinese and told me this is a bak chang of sorts. I love the way it came out though – it’s like a tall, slim pyramid that’s almost phallic in nature.

hong kong bak chang open

It unwraps to reveal glutenous rice marinated in soy sauce with little treasures of pork, mushrooms and other ingredients inside the rice. It’s served with Taiwan sausages and a complete shiitake mushroom on the side. It tasted pretty good, and it’s novel.

mongkok french toast

We also ordered French Toast (RM 4.20) – it would be heresy to not check out the quality of the French Toast in a HK eating establishment. HK style French Toast has peanut butter inside and is deep fried with batter before a slab of artery clogging butter is put on top. I found Kim Gary’s French Toast to be much better than the Mongkok Teahouse version.

mongkok simmering

Mongkok Teahouse also has a premium menu – this is the Seafood and Vegetable in Paper Pot (RM 21.80) which we ordered from that menu. It seems to be one of their signature dishes from the prominent placement on it’s premium menu and comes simmering to your table courtesy of a small boiler beneath the pot.

mongkok premium

The Seafood and Vegetable in Paper Pot is filled with prawns, fish, seaweed, rice vermicelli and other Chinese herbs and vegetables. It tasted rather bland and we both felt it wasn’t worth the premium price tag.

mongkok teahouse us

I am so juvenile sometimes…

mongkok teahouse end

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng Hong Kong Restaurant is one of the less popular HK style eatery chains out there but it’s worth checking out the phallic Hong Kong waxed meat rice wrapped with lotus leaves.

…if only just to take a photo of it. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Shanghai 10 @ Sungai Wang Plaza

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shanghai10

Shanghai 10 is a Hong Kong style eating establishment located at Sungai Wang Plaza. There was a promoter passing out 10% discount vouchers at the escalators so we decided to check the place out. The full color brochure is printed with tantalizing photos of the dishes, some of which were quite unique.

shanghai10 interior

Shanghai10 is a direct English translation of the Chinese name, which actually means “Shanghai Sky”. 10 and “tien” (sky) is phonetically similar. The interior of the place is plastered with ancient Chinese scrolls and paintings – all in a contiguous length covering the perimeter of the enclosure, which is pretty impressive.

shanghai10 drinks

The place is packed with patrons having brunch and we got ourselves a seat and decided to binge a little since we were famished from not having breakfast. My girlfriend went for the Iced Honey Lemon Jasmine Tea (RM 3.20) and I ordered Guinness Stout (RM 10.80) that still came in the old skool cans containing the proper 8% alcohol. ๐Ÿ˜‰

shanghai10 shark fin

Double Boiled Seafood Soup Dumplings with Shark Fin (RM 12)
This is one of the signature soups of the place. It’s served with a rather generous portion of shark fin on top of the soup, which contains fish maw, crab sticks and several huge peeled prawns. The broth is hearty and delicious, especially with a dash of pepper after the shark fin has been consumed.

shanghai10 montage

Shanghai Special Fried Bean Sheet (RM 7.80)
This tasted really good, with generous portions of seafood. I love the fried bean sheet and was enthusing about it to my girlfriend. We don’t get that over here in Sarawak. The texture and size of the bean sheet is really nice.
Kei Chi Fried Rice (RM 5.80)
Kei Chi is the red bead thing that always goes into double boiled chicken soup. I don’t know what it’s called in English but its supposed help you with your eyesight. *shrugs* I didn’t find this dish particularly interesting.
Shanghai Double Boiled Soup Dumplings (RM 6.90)
This is the famous “xiao long pau” (small dragon buns) which is made with the chicken broth still inside the paper-thin wrap. Shanghai 10 does a good version of this. It’s topped with fish roe – a very nice touch.
Shanghai 10 Jade Shrimp Dumplings (RM 4.20)
This is the Shanghai 10 signature version of the popular dim sum. The har kaw comes with a huge, succulent prawn inside and it’s juicy and tender. Nice!

shanghai10 dragon

The Shanghai Double Boiled Soup Dumplings is supposed to be pierced first to let the chicken broth drain out before consuming. The ritual has a pragmatic rationale – the soup is scalding hot, as Doris found out when she accidentally scalded her tongue on it. Probably ruined her taste buds for the day, that. ๐Ÿ˜‰

shanghai10 avocado

This is the house specialty dessert – Avocado with Kataifi (RM 5.20). It’s a Greek dessert originating from the Middle East, where it is known as Kanafeh. The crispy exterior of the Kataifi in Shanghai 10 goes well with the avocado paste inside. It’s a bit too oily for our tastes though.

shanghai10 durian

The other dessert we ordered is the Durian Pancake (RM 4.80). This dessert is served cold and comes in a durian skin wrap and a filling made of fresh durians. It’s absolutely fabulous! The sinfully delicious dessert is creamy and rich, and it comes highly recommended from me. ๐Ÿ™‚

shanghai10 end

Shanghai 10 is an agreeable dining experience for shopping mall standards. The bill came up to RM 62.80 for the two of us, after the 10% discount voucher that was passed to us at the elevator. I highly recommend it for the durian pancake. It’s heavenly!

(pun not intended)

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