Food Central

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Food Central...Central food...the idea is that there is plenty of interesting foods to explore and restaurants to visit in Hong Kong, more specifically in Central.

This morning, I went to the Happy Valley Hong Kong Jockey Club clubhouse for a swim. Felt kind of bad about all the eating and drinking from last night. It was a really refreshing swim. Hands down, the Jockey Club is one of the best clubs...great facilities, relaxing and quiet atmosphere, and really good customer service. I've realized that from my past experiences as a mystery shopper, I've developed a subconscious tendency to "evaluate" the quality and service of a venue even if I'm not doing a mystery shop. It's almost like i fill out an evaluation form in my mind. Is this what they call a workaholic? Haha just joking. Mystery shopping is like an occasional "gig" for me, I sign up for the assignments I like.

And then begins my adventures in food. I went to Central to meet up with my grandpa and uncle. They took me to Luk Yu Tea House for a traditional dim sum lunch. It doesn't get any more authentic than this. Luk Yu has been around for many many many years and they serve traditional dim sum. The decor of the restaurant consists of wooden planks, old paintings, and vintage furniture. Actually, the tea house use to house some very valuable painting artifacts, but years ago (not sure exactly when), there was a heist and the paintings were stolen. Unfortunate. Recommendations? Steamed ribs, lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice, jong/zongzi (chinese tamales) and the crispy-battered-syrup dessert are all exceptional. And if you can stand the bitterness, their tea (served in mini cups...I think they call it Kung Fu tea) made from high quality tea leaves is a must-try. Not a lot of places serve such flavour-rich teas.

The bad thing about Luk Yu is that it's always a full house. It's also somewhat of an indication of social status. For locals who dine there, they are usually well acquainted customers. Elite customers are seated on the first floor, while other customers (tourists or locals) are seated on the second floor.

Talking about traditional and renowned restaurants reminds me of Leen Heung Lau, which is also in Central. It is definitely an "old school" restaurant, which also makes it really famous. It's featured in tour books and also on a local HK culinary show that explores the island. I'm not much of a fan of the food there, but it's an interesting experience to dine there because of the atmosphere. It's a loud restaurant, filled with big big tables, people share tables, people yell over one another, and it's just a very big bustle. But that's all a part of it. They used to have these bowls on the ground for people to spit into! And old grandpas would bring their birds in birdcages there to socialize with other old men. I don't think they're allowed to bring birds anymore...but once upon a time, that used to be a normal tradition.

As much as I love HK, I've decided that it's time for me to come home. I just booked my plane ticket through EvaluateIt and I will be returning next Tuesday. At first, I thought only business class seats were available..and that was badd! I can't afford to pay for such expensive seats, even WITH 50% off discount, it's still a hefty price to pay. But good thing, I was being silly and read something wrong. So I won't be traveling in luxury, but at least my economy class ticket didn't cost me a leg and an arm. I'll be doing a mystery shop, which makes it even better because I'm only paying for half the price of the ticket. So with the 50% saved, I'm going to do a LOT of just about everything possible in HK. Brace yourself!

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