Wah Kee food porn

Sometimes I get a big craving for sweet-and-sour pork and only Wah Kee's will do. The chicken with cashew nuts is my concession to Buffalo Wilbur who doesn't like pork.

Lantau Taste opens

Lantau Taste has opened at the site of the short-lived Brazilian restaurant. It had been the target of much speculation before the sign went up.

It specialises in "Hong Kong food," says the owners. Which basically means roasted meats and snacks like curry fishballs.

One-plate meals (meat of your choice, rice, veg and soup) cost about HK$40ish. The roast goose costs more but is super tasty.

 You know the place is good when locals start crowding on the very first day. Spot the ferry crew.

K's chippy opens!

K's has opened at the cooked food centre. Buffalo Wilbur was so excited he made me get there on the dot of 12.30pm, when it opened its doors.

 Chips!!

Cod is HK$158 for a large, HK$98 for a medium. Pollock is HK$80. But the portions are generous. And the side dishes are value for money at HK$18 for mushy peas or coleslaw.

As they were doing takeaways only, we had ours by the beach. It felt just like a beach holiday in Britain, complete with rain.

The cooked food centre is certainly going upmarket, especially after the opening of Como Lake, which is getting lots of rave reviews. Buffalo Wilbur was their first customer and he came back gibbering with delight.

Some days, the bear gets you...

China Bear's refurbished kitchen and toilets look nice.

But...

The food prices have also gone up.

We went there for our usual breakfast and found that most items were about 50 percent more expensive than before. Ouch!

Going by the crowd, I doubt it will matter much to the Discovery Bay exiles and the pilot families.

Not for us poor villagers, though.

I think I'm going to have to persuade Buffalo Wilbur to go for yum cha more often instead.

Nom-y updates

For those wanting a change from the usual Tsingtao, Deerhorn has brought in some Nepalese brews. Buffalo Wilbur is hooked on the new lager (HK$30 a bottle).

While I have been going to Nitaya's Thai Kitchen almost daily. I'm glad to see that it is getting lots of regulars, both locals and expats.

Nitaya's Thai Kitchen

Our first trip to Nitaya's Thai Kitchen (Tel: 3489-1282) didn't get off to an auspicious start. The welcome was warm enough but when we tried to give our orders, the waitress couldn't seem to get it right (never mind that it was just F2 + D2 from the lunch set). 

After we finally got through (or so we thought), we sat down and waited...

... and waited. I got bored I started taking photos of everything in the place while staring enviously at the table next to us as they were served dish upon mouthwatering dish. I think they had about seven dishes between the two of them.

There was another waiter and waitress there but no one paid us any attention. Finally, after about half an hour, I asked the waiter what was happening to our order.

And, no surprises there, our gormless waitress hadn't put in our order. But strangely, the other two didn't think to check why two people were sitting at an empty table looking hungrier (Buffalo Wilbur) and grumpier (me) by the minute.

So we had to have our orders taken again. And waited some more.

But here's where the restaurant redeemed itself. The food was extremely good. So good we ate ourselves into a food coma.

The bill was extremely modest, even by Mui Wo standards. The lunch set was HK$43 for one dish plus a drink. And though we really shouldn't have, we had the mango and sticky rice (HK$39) for dessert and it was good enough to bring on eye-rolling ecstasies (me). Sorry, I was too busy rolling my eyes to take a photo.

Its location doesn't do it justice, tucked away as it is behind the pizzeria, next to the Bank of East Asia branch. But this is one restaurant that is sure to give the others in Mui Wo a run for their money -- provided it sorts out the service first.

Tap Tap at Pui O

As promised, we tried out the new tapas bar in Pui O, opened on the site of the former Pui O Delicious. 

They're still in the midst of fine-tuning their menu. Here's a look at what's available. It's a pity that they don't have paella for two because that was the one we were most attracted to.

 The quality was good but prices a bit steep.

 The olives and water were free. The bread and homemade tomato sauce was HK$25 a serving.

I wish I could say we tried more of their tapas because lots of things on the menu looked yummy - but that's all we could afford. It's probably the kind of place that's best frequented in a group so you can share more of the nibbles.

The bill came to HK$210. We had to go back to Mui Wo and fill up on bread from Kit's Village Bakery.

New restaurant in Pui O

A new tapas restaurant is taking over the premises of Pui O Delicious. I do miss Pui O Delicious' cheap and good bento meals but most of all, I miss having a reason to go on our usual walk to Pui O.

Hopefully Tap Tap (that's what the new restaurant is called) will be able to provide me a new destination. More to come later.

Mui Wo restaurants up their game

Lately, there have been quite a number of new eateries popping up. And that is great news for diners because it means that the existing ones have had to upgrade their offerings to keep the clientele coming. 

The Kitchen seems to have gotten over their patchy hump with a new chef. Pedro looks like he knows what he's doing... although service is still a bit hit and miss. That's Pedro's special: beef cubes in wine. Quite yummy but I'm not sure it's value for money at HK$78,

China Bear has added a whole new juice menu. You can have freshly squeezed juice with your breakfast too.

Other changes:

• Gordon's has a new TV screen showing what he has to offer (the lamb briyani's always good). 
• Deerhorn has included more stuff in their menu. The prawn curry (HK$95) is to die for!
• Village Bakery is now serving coffee, along with deli stuff such as olives, prosciutto, feta-stuffed peppers (Buffalo Wilbur's favourite) and sundried tomatoes.

Resort tea

Silvermine Beach Resort is looking better under new management so we decided to give the restaurant a second try. The prices are slightly higher than cha chaan teng prices in the village. 

But the atmosphere and view is definitely nicer. 

The food was okay, better than when we were first here two years ago. But still, a word of caution. Go for the local stuff because the chefs are obviously local.

Don't bother with the more exotic Southeast Asian food because they simply can't get it right here. This is supposed to be char kway teow, a Malaysian specialty. Instead, it was just rice noodles fried with curry powder, the way they do the spurious "Singapore noodles" everywhere in Hong Kong. It tastes weird, to say the least. 

 Their black pepper beef hor fun, a local specialty, tasted so much better.

Service still leaves a lot to be desired. We had to go and call our waiter and when he turned up eventually, he gave us only one menu to be shared between us. The food took half an hour to arrive.

I must say though, they were consistently slow throughout - the bill took forever to come and we could have walked off for all the staff cared.

Farewell, Pui O Delicious

It's been our last stop on our hikes for the past two years... the thought of momoyaki and sesame sliced beef set has kept us going during our weekend walks.

So we were shocked to hike there today and find out that it was Pui O Delicious' last day of operation.

Owner Louis said it was because of rising rents and the fact that the chef is leaving for the mainland. He himself is taking a few weeks off to regroup and consider his next step.

Hopefully, it might mean Pui O Delicious II – perhaps in Mui Wo?

Sob sob... now where would we go after our hikes?

What's for Xmas dinner?

Christmas really does sneak up on you, doesn't it? Usually, we forget all about booking dinner anywhere and by the time we get round to it, all the restaurants are fully booked.

But this time, we're going to be organized and check out the menus way in advance. So if any of the local (Mui Wo, Pui O, Tong Fuk) restaurants want to send me their festive menus, the email is lantau.waterbuffalo(at)gmail.com.

I'll gladly put the menus up in this post so others can make their plans too.

**********

From Deer Horn

Christmas Lunch/Dinnner at Deer Horn On 24th & 25th Dec 2011

Soup
Minestrone Soup

Starters

Chicken Lollipop

Asparagus with Smoked Salmon

Main Course

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Pork Belly

Lamb Curry

Mash Potato

Brussels Sprouts

Mix Vegetable

Glass of Sparking Wine

Desserts

Panna Cotta

HK$ 250.00 Per Person

HK$ 180.00 Per Child

Specially Offer HK$120.00 Malbee Red \ Chardonnay White Wine

Advanced Booking required at 3484 3096, 51773324, 62555769 or email us deerhornlantau@gmail.com

**********

From China Beach Club

Christmas Day

Overlooking the Beach,
at the Chi

na Beach Club.

A Welcoming Glass of Mulled Wine

Santa Hats & Tangerines

-
Mixed Crudités with a Blue Cheese Dip,
Hummus & Kalamata Olives

-
Roast Turkey & Baked Ham
With all the Trimmings

-
Mince Pies & Fresh Cream

$275 + 10%
Advance Bookin

gs Only

We do have some tables still available, f

or 1pm and 3pm but people must be quick as we are nearly up to our limit for this year. Email thechinabeachclub@hotmail.com or call 93266402 for bookings.

**********

Pui O Delicious

Pui O Delicious isn't having any fancy menu – Lewis said the last time they tried, it didn't get a good response – but their Set Course B looks pretty festive. Or you can just go for their teppanyaki ala carte. Their phone umber is 2984-2298.

Al fresco weather

We got all our winter clothes out but today turned out to be perfect al fresco weather instead – a crisp clear 27 C with humidity at a low 50 percent.

It was too good to stay indoors, which explained why all the restaurants with outdoor seating were full.

Non restaurant review

Buffalo Wilbur and I love to support the local restaurants.

But I'm afraid you're not going to be getting a review of Casa Brasil anytime soon – not if these are the prices they're charging.

Wine is about HK$65 a glass. That's almost as much as some Soho restaurants are charging.

I'm sure the food is good and will probably justify those prices but we don't have that type of money to spend on a non-special occasion.

Pity really because I do like the idea of a hearty Brazilian meal. (And in case you're thinking this is some pathetic attempt to eat for free or something, no, I don't do that. That's why I prefer to stay anonymous and write about stuff I genuinely like.)

If you want to know what the food tastes like, Lantau Link has been there and posted their comments.

Pizza party

We thought pizza would be a perfect lazy Sunday lunch and what better place to get it than at the newly opened restaurant, The Kitchen?

The place is so laidback that you can basically order the pizza you want and, if they don't have the ingredients, someone – most likely Avi – will pop over to the supermarket to get some.

They make the dough themselves so it tastes really fresh. I love the thin crust so much I can eat just that on its own.

Our meal of two pizzas and a coffee came to HK$185 (there's no service charge – and no cash till yet for that matter).

Be warned, though: each is slightly more than 1 foot in diameter and can easily feed two.

We over-ordered so now have enough for dinner with something for tomorrow's lunch pack too. But it was good pizza so I'm not complaining.

The Kitchen is open

After months of drilling and weeks of looking like it was ready for customers but wasn't, The Kitchen, the restaurant in Scenic Crest Tower 1, is finally open.

Mark and Avi have been selling their trial breads to us curious wannabe customers for the past week or so and Buffalo Wilbur have been hooked on the ciabattas and French loaves.

It's lovely to get freshly baked goods in Mui Wo. The baguettes are so crisp and smell so good I can have a whole loaf plain, dunked in milky coffee, for breakfast.

We haven't tried the other stuff yet but if the bread is anything to go by, I predict The Kitchen will soon find its own niche of customers.

Mark and Avi say they are serving salads, pizzas and pastas (from HK$68) and brunch on weekends. Just no liquor yet, until they get their liquor licence.

Cool acts

The staff at the China Bear are always so friendly and fun. We got a special ice sculpture with our drink today.

Meanwhile, some daytrippers create some cool art at Park N Shop. I managed to catch it before it melted away. Sometimes, art is ephemeral.

More eats coming our way

Things are progressing in Mui Wo. The restaurant beside BEA now has a name – Casa Brasil – while the Italian one on the ground floor of Scenic Crest has a bar and is painted a nautical blue.

Looks like they're aiming to open in time to catch the summer crowd.

Can't wait. Hopefully, we will be tucking in to churrascaria and pizza soon.

Support your local Japanese place

I sent Buffalo Wilbur an article from a local newspaper about how Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong are hurting because of the radiation food scare.

He emailed back: "Let's go support Pui O Delicious."

I never turn down an offer to visit the restaurant because I love the food there so today, we did our usual Mui Wo-Pui O hike and were there by lunch to have our favourite sukiyaki and stir-fried beef rice.

In case you're wondering, Pui O Delicious gets all its stuff from places outside Japan, including the US and Australia.

The only food items they import from Japan are the scallops and ice-cream but the stock is pre-quake so most of it has sold out anyway.

It has also added a new snack menu, which I was too full to try. But I am definitely eyeing that deep-fried Japanese cheesecake (which I'll bet won't be from Japan). Yums!

Restaurant updates

A visiting friend once noted" "Mui Wo does have many restaurants!"

As far as we're concerned, the more the merrier. If it begins to resemble Stanley (which is what the official plans for the town was inspired by) then so much the better.

And it looks like we're getting more.

The Italian restaurant below Scenic Crest has already applied for a liquor licence, so hopefully that means it's on target for opening soon. And the gossip in town is that the place beside BEA is going to be a barbecue restaurant (yums!).

The existing restaurateurs are not resting on their laurels.

The newest kid on the block, Deer Horn, has tweaked its menu so it has interesting new stuff like the Nepali Khana Set (HK$95 I think) – which is a little like an Indian thali (curry, rice, dhal, veg) but with a totally different taste. The sharpish and salty mango pickle really perks up this dish.

Can't wait to see what the new places will be offering.