I wish I were a kid again, when the only things I have to worry about were exams, grades and homework. I miss the sleepovers, the field trips, summer vacations, and my allowance.
I wish I could turn back time.
But I can’t.
So I go to a familiar place.
My Happy Meal: Fillet-o-Fish, Potato Wedges, Green Tea Sundae
A Happier Meal would be: Fillet-o-Fish, French Fries, Chocolate Sundae
I go to Ronald.
When I need to feel like a child again.
McDonald’s: outlets all over the world
November in Hong Kong.
Hairy crabs are in season.
But it’s a crazy 10oC outside.
So I’m staying in.
And I have prepared well for it.
My Dinner Army
Playing with my food. E.T., is that you???
I cook two of them first, so that the other two can watch while I massacre their friends. Mwahahaha!!! Because I am using an electric steamer, the crab vendor instructs me to cook for 25 minutes, 3 minutes longer than the usual cooking time. And look what happens, the precious golden juices ooze out! I go ballistic. Hysterical. Berserk. Violent. Mental. Neurotic. And then I calmly take my seat and start enjoying my meal.
Not too bad, actually. At least not as bad as I expected.
A closer look
I heart yellow gunk!
Batch # 2, you’re up!
22 minutes this time
See that sticky translucent paste on top? That’s my favorite!
Awww… isn’t this just too beautiful?
Let me tell you, a delicious and messy meal like this can only be enjoyed with someone you love, someone you are totally comfortable with, one who doesn’t mind the not-so-cute slurping and sucking sounds you make and actually finds them cute, who thinks your crab roe tainted cheeks and fingers are just adorable. He must be someone who loves you more than you will ever love him. And how do you know if he is that someone?
He lets you have all the roe.
I am truly blessed to have that someone tonight.
My Someone.
More crab legs, Brad?
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to congratulate myself for my very important discovery that is Ebeneezer’s. Please, people, a big round of applause. Thank you, thank you.
Oftentimes way past midnight when people are already sound asleep in their beds, my stomach is still working overtime, growling and churning and begging for food. What must a fair leader do but to reward her most hardworking body organ.
My search for an all day all night eatery ends when I found Ebeneezer’s. Open until very late (or very early in the morning), and with the Wanchai branch never closing at all, this is vital information for all the tummies working the graveyard shift.
So many hungry hardworking people in Hong Kong!
Donar Kebab
My first taste of this lamb kebab and I know there will never be another like it. The tastiest lamb pieces, bunched up with tomato, lettuce, onions, and generous squirts of the killer Ebeneezer’s sauces, all rolled up into a tight bundle of lamb joy. Ask for extra garlic sauce and medium spicy sauce and you’ll have, hands down, the best-est kebab ever!
Greek Salad with Roast Lamb
We are not pretending to be health conscious people here, but the salads in Ebeneezer’s
are really so good they make carnivores like us venture to the healthy greens. Shades of purples and greens, white creamy feta cheese, black olives, drizzled with magical sauce. And those little brown things peeking out, you know what they are.
Yes, we love Ebeneezer’s lamb that much!
Chicken Tikka Biryani
As if it isn’t already getting the best rating from me, Ebeneezer’s surprises me yet again with it’s great biryani. A generous plate of very tasty spiced fried rice and chicken pieces, big in serving, big in flavor.
Mango Lassi
To complete the whole “we are health conscious people” pretension. It is yogurt, after all.
With cousins Mikey and Monica. See, it’s not me! It’s the genes!
Having workaholic bellies runs in the family.
Fast forward 2 days…
Greek Salad with Roast Chicken
Hello again, delicious salad! You taste so good you even got us Perezes, the most hardcore carnivore clan in the world, in humble submission.
Chicken Tikka Makhani with Chips
It is only because I am out in a restaurant that I am patiently and painstakingly scooping up with fries, little by little, this rich and creamy curry. In the comfort of my own home, I will be gulping this down straight from the bowl and smacking my lips with contentment.
Falafels
The only miss in this honest to goodness meal. Or maybe it is because I don’t like falafels that much to really appreciate these Lebanese balls.
We also order a Donar Kebab and a Chicken Kebab. Sorry, no photos this time. Jill’s chicken kebab is very good, but the lamb kebab is still the greatest on my list. And on Danny’s list too, as affirmed by the moans and other unintelligible sounds that escape his lips.
Extra plate of lamb
Because we just can’t get enough of it.
The Perezes: Monica, Me, Jill and Danny
Ebeneezer’s: Shop 1C, G/F, Astoria Building, 24-38 Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Tel: +852-2114-0999.
With more branches in Central, Wanchai, TST, Gold Coast and Discovery Bay.
See website for details.
We have to buy some roast geese to bring home to relatives in Manila, or else we wouldn’t be in Yung Kee for lunch. There are many other restaurants that make better roast goose than this tourist trap Hong Kong institution. But since we are already here, we give in and order the famous goose.
Trivia time! Do you know that Yung Kee packs their roast goose in nice boxes for traveling guests and calls it The Flying Goose?
Roast Goose 金牌燒鵝
Some pieces are delicious, some pieces are dry. Overall it is good, but not that good to be hailed The Holy of Holies for roast goose. Personally, I think it is overrated, but I haven’t been to the members only Yung’s Club, which I hear serves excellent food as Mr. Yung reserves his best geese for the VIPs who can afford. Average Joes and Janes like me eat at the average Yung Kee and get average fare. Oh well, that’s life. The average life.
Salt Baked Chicken 正宗鹽焗雞 – Again, average chicken fare.
Sauteed Garoupa with Vegetables 菜遠斑球 – Tastes as boring as it looks.
Seafood Ho Fan 海鲜河粉 – The less oily and less brown version of any Hong Kong cha chan teng hofan. Okay fine, Yung Kee’s has bigger pieces of seafood, but it’s definitely not bigger in taste.
Pea Shoots 上湯豆苗 – My favorite vegetable and the best dish of the meal.
Preserved Eggs and Ginger 糖心皮蛋
Now this is what Yung Kee should be famous for. Yolks are smooth and creamy, a bit runny even, mildly pungent, but good pungent. The ginger slices are pickled pink (hehehe), sweet, and are the most excellent complement to the thousand year old eggs. Simply the best I’ve ever had.
Yung Kee 鏞記: 32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong.
中環威靈頓街32-40號. +852-2522-1624
I am an indecisive person. Having too many choices baffles me. I do not like standing up to get food in the middle of a meal. I have the need to try every single thing laid out on the spread. I prefer quality over quantity. These are the reasons I do not like buffets. But Sabatini weekend lunch buffet, now that’s a different story.
Go light on the antipasti, one serving of main course (because that is all they give you), then go all out on dessert. ALL OUT, you hear? That is my Sabatini buffet eating plan.
The Antipasti Buffet Spread:
The Antipasti Plates of the Person Who Doesn’t Like Buffets:
I told you, it’s a sickness! I just NEED to try everything on the spread. So shoot me. The antipasti are good, I especially like the perfectly cooked prawns, mozzarella balls, sundried tomatoes, and the salad loaded with shaved parmesan cheese, grated parmesan cheese, walnuts and pine nuts (my very own creation, of course!).
For my main course,
Rack of Lamb
Medium rare. This is my usual order at Sabatini, and it is very well executed each time. However, today’s lamb is a bit overcooked, a medium perhaps, but still very good and most importantly, with flavor bold enough for my taste. After all, without that distinct gamey taste that I love, lamb is but mere second rate beef.
After doing all the damage I can to the lamb with my fork and knife, I put down the utensils and continue the assault with my hands, tugging and sucking at the best bits until each bone is shiny as new.
Chilean Sea Bass
I steal a bite of the sea bass from Matthew’s plate. This favorite fish of mine is tender but firm, with slight flavor of fish fat and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Yum.
Seafood Bouillabaisse
As if I do not already have too much on my plate, Shirley gives me almost a third of her Seafood Bouillabaisse. This is quite tasty and the seafoods are cooked perfectly.
The dessert spread is the reason Sabatini is my favorite for buffets. Their St. Honore and Tiramisu are just. to. die. for.
St. Honoré
Sabatini’s signature cake is a giant cream puff with mini cream puffs circling it. The only thing I don’t like about the cake is the caramelized layer on the mini puffs. I love chocolate-sweet to death, but not sugar-sweet. This does not really pose as a problem though as everyone seems to be more than happy to have my share of these sugar coated balls. Without the puffs, I can easily eat 3 slices of this cake, and 3 more slices worth of that yummy chocolate and pastry cream. Yes, it’s me! I’m the culprit, the one who takes the best parts of the cake when no one is looking. Mwahahaha!!! I smile sheepishly at the manager who catches me stripping his St. Honoré display down to its crust.
Tiramisu
Sabatini’s tiramisu is the real thing, not those fake whipped cream or ice cream filled ones. Real mascarpone cheese is used here. The cake layers have been soaked to seep up the right amount of coffee and amaretto to keep them moist and wet but not dripping. One of the VERY few good ones in Hong Kong.
Bread Pudding Berries Napoleon
Assorted Cheeses
My Dessert Plate, the first of many
The privileged few who know exactly how many: Shirley, Kristen, Me (+ 5 lbs.), Matthew
Sabatini: 3/F, The Royal Garden Hotel, 69 Mody Road, Tsimshatsui East, Kowloon. +852-2733-2000
