Eat Drink Hong Kong

Shop R008 3/F Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2810 8585

Shop 1028C, Level 1, Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8100

W Hongkong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 3717 2848

W Hongkong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 3717 2848

W Hongkong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 3717 2848

R001, 3/F Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8126

I was back over in Elements again this week. I decided that this time I would stay away from the roof garden area and see what else I could find. There are plenty of other restaurants in there so I wasn’t worried about getting too hungry.

I didn’t have to search too hard. From the outside Sala Thai looks relaxed and inviting and there is an enlarged version of the menu by the entrance to tempt anyone who is not entirely certain.

I really like Thai food so it didn’t take much to tempt me at all. The interior is pleasantly wooden. Some booths, some parts raised a little and they seem to be able to pack a lot of people in without actually appearing to be too crowded.

I was lucky. When I arrived there were not too many other guests but the place filled up quickly and by the time my food had arrived the place was buzzing with life.

The menu offers all the Thai classics, green and red curries, tom yam soups and spicy salads. Although it is divided into appetisers and mains I never really expect the food to arrive according to that order. It never does in Thai restaurants. So it came as no surprise that the the dish I ordered last, stir fried mixed vegetables ($58) arrived first. Shortly before the rice.

The dish I’d ordered from the appetiser section did arrive next. This was a green mango with soft-shelled crab salad ($68). The Mango is julienned in the same way that papaya is in the famous som tam but the flavour is more tangy and complements the crab rather well. It is mixed with cashew nuts, chillies and a dash of lime juice.

To go with the vegetables I had ordered the salt encrusted grilled mullet ($118). This is very popular in Bangkok and is one of the chefs specialities. It is also quite big but it was moist and tender. The fish is stuffed with lemon grass, galangal and lime leaves before it is grilled and these impart a delicate fragrance to the fish. But be careful of bones. They are not particularly small in a mullet but there is always one that sneaks in and stabs your gum.

For dessert I chose the ever popular mango and sticky rice. The black and the white rice were shaped into two halves of a heart with coconut cream poured all over. Mmmm delicious.

One of the great things about travelling around Southeast Asia is that you rarely go more than a few metres without finding something wonderful to eat. Often it is being cooked right there before your eyes, and costs very little to taste.

I must confess, very often when I’m down that way I don’t get to sit down for dinner in the evening because I have spent the whole day snacking.

There is, of course, no shortage of Southeast Asian restaurants around Hong Kong but Husk is the first one that I know that is dedicated to bringing together a wide variety of those tasty morsels from all around the region. And while Husk may be in a fancy shopping mall, with fancy overheads to contend with, the prices are still very reasonable.

It’s a fairly large restaurant with huge tables rather like a dining hall. It would be great for large gatherings but is still good if there is only the one of you.

There is a wide range of curry and rice dishes including fish head curry. I was tempted but I’d made up my mind I wanted to try some of the smaller dishes. First up was Gai Yang ($48), grilled marinated chicken with a dip called nam jim. The main ingredients in the nam jim are fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar.

This was followed by marinated beef wrapped in betel leaf. The dish is called Bo La Lot ($38) and is served with the more familiar sweet chilli sauce.

Both dishes were really delicious and I was very tempted to order seconds. My third dish arrived in the nick of time. This was grilled Vietnamese eggplant ($38) slices and served with prawns and shallots.

The last dish I had ordered had been the Lime Cured Tuna with green mango, rose apple, mint and dried shrimp ($48). The problem with this was that the tuna was out of stock so the waiter offered to either have it prepared with crispy salmon, or change to the crispy salmon and cucumber salad.

I opted for the former. The salad itself is a Vietnamese variant of the famous Thai som tam though not usually as spicy. I guessed that the salmon would probably work just as well. I was right, the tanginess of the mango was a wonderful counterpoint to the salmon.

The eggplant had proved to be quite filling but I was just able to round off the proceedings with sago gula Melaka ($28). This is pearl sago with coconut milk and palm sugar.

With drinks added, the bill came to less than $300 and I ordered easily enough for two people. Good food, great value. What more could you ask for?

Shop 2133 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8170

Shop 2068-70 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8133

Shop 2103-4 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2204 3268

Shop R002-3 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 3743 1421

2/F Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8696

Shop 2009 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8488

Shop 1086 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8209

Shop 1079-82 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2382 0101

R009 3/F  Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8123

Shop 2100, Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2736 9771

Shop 1028D Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 3691 9168

Shop 1079-82, Elements Mall
Kowloon Station,
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8121

Shop 1028B Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2955 5113

Shop 1028C, Level 1, Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2196 8100

2060-62B. 2/F Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 2382 2323

Shop 1028A Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2609 1898

Shop 1044-5 Elements Mall
Kowloon Station
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2810 7575