Eat Drink Hong Kong

1/F, Foremost Building
21 Jordan Road
Kowloon
Tel 2721 0099

23 Tak Ku Ling Road
Kowloon City
Kowloon
Tel 2716 6269

5/F The Mira HK
118 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 5999

3/F Stanley 11
11 Stanley Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2834 7223

U G/F Central Park Hotel
263 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 2820

W Place, 52 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 6768 5252

Shop G7-8 Tsimshatsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 7050

31/F The Hennessy
256 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2893 6960

4/F Ying Hong Mansion
Yee Wo Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2881 6981

Podium 2, 280 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2894 8844

15-17 Fung Tak Road
Wong Tai Sin
Kowloon
Tel 2726 3818

18/F Sheraton Hong Kong
20 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2369 1111

G/F 26 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2869 9958

7/F, 502 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3428 2862

LG/F Hollywood Commercial House
3-5 Old Bailey Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 1438

Weinstube has one of theose mirrors that are designed to make the place look bigger than it really is. It works very well. “Can I sit over there?” I said. The waitress gave me a very puzzled look. I looked back towards where I wanted to go but the perspectives were shifting. Then I saw a familiar face; it was me.

“Oh it’s a mirror!” I said, involuntarily as the penny dropped, and much to the amusement of a group of gents sitting at the bar. I plonked myself down in front of it and hid behind the menu.

There are some Interesting dishes, the spit roast pork knuckle and spit roast spring chicken ($160) both looked great. They do, however, require 50 minutes to prepare. The waitress delivered a glass of Erdinger dunkel bier (dark beer) and I made a quick mental calculation to work out how many dunkel biers I would drink before the food was delivered. I decided against it.

There are plenty of other things to choose from, including a range of german sausages, veal and a mushroom goulash for vegetarians.

I ordered the sausage platter. I was just about to order a main course to follow it but I was told “You may want to see the sausage platter before you order anything else, the small is a hearty meal for one person, the large will feed two.”

I was a little disappointed at first but when it was delivered I understood. There were three large sausages, a Vienna, a ham with cheese and a grilled pork. There was also a generous portion of French fries. I did order a side of saurkraut. Sausages and beer just wouldn’t be right without it

There were no desserts on the menu which was probably a good thing. “Would you like another beer?” enquired the waitress. I thought about it but in the end I declined. The sausages really were filling.

I’m not at all fond of elevators on the outside of buildings. I’m not sure why, I don’t suffer vertigo but I’ve never been completely comfortable with the floor receding beneath me at quite such speed. So, if I had been left to my own devices I would have made my way up to the Food Forum of Times Square via the escalator.

But it was not to be, I bumped into one of my dinner companions on the way in and she insisted on using the lift. I acquiesced quietly, I didn’t want to appear a wimp. Fortunately the lift was crowded so I didn’t have to admire the view and I arrived at the twelfth with my appetite unimpaired.

There are a lot of interesting restaurants up here so we did a quick tour of the menus, while we waited for the third member of our group, before heading into Water Margin. This is one of a growing number of restaurants that are looking back to Chinese history and traditions to create a new kind of ambience in which to enjoy the country’s cuisine.

In the past so many Chinese restaurants have been decorated with a modern and, too often, rather bland feel. Stepping into Water Margin is almost like stepping back in time. At the entrance a waterfall and a large dark wooden counter covered in dried chillies set the tone. The main dining area continues the theme. Large wooden tables and chairs on a flagstone floor, wooden paneled screens line the walls and paper lanterns provide subdued, but dramatic lighting.

The cuisine is northern Chinese with a few modern flourishes. We ordered drinks. The lychee, rose, cinnamon and honey ($38) and the bamboo with vodka and lemon ($48) were both delicious and refreshing.

The menu is in both Chinese and English. In keeping with the theme of the restaurant it is bound between two pieces of carved wood and offers a wide, tantalising range of dishes. As usual, I wanted to try everything but my companions were a little more practical. We agreed on three dishes; Crispy de-boned lamb ribs ($158), Wok fried fish cake with salted egg sauce ($108) and Winter melon puree with poached egg white ($78). To go with it we ordered a very pleasant chinese rice wine called Nuer Hong which translates as “the blush of the daughter”.

There were some Sichuan dishes I would love to have tried but I decided it would be better to save them for another time. The food we did order didn’t disappoint. Indeed the de-boned lamb, which is served with pancakes and a soy and spring onion sauce, and the fish cakes were both excellent. The only slight criticism was that the winter melon in poached egg white leaned a little too much in favour of the egg white at the expense of the winter melon.

My companions didn’t seem so enthusiastic about dessert but agreed to share a pomelo with black sticky rice and sago.

It was a delicious meal in a very pleasant environment, the only real down side is its in Times Square. But then, I hate shops and shopping, a sentiment that didn’t seen to afflict my two friends.

If you’re Australian you might want to skip this paragraph, everyone else repeat after me “Woo-loo-moo-loo” … out loud please. There, now can you say it without smiling? Of course Australians don’t pronounce it like that, it’s more like Wullah-maloo which is still fun, but not as good as the former. For those that don’t already know, Wooloomooloo is a district in Sydney.

It is also an Australian themed restaurant an bar at the top of Lan Kwai Fong and I wandered along there the other evening to see what the menu had to offer.

The bar on the ground floor was very lively with music pumping out into the street. Upstairs, in the restaurant on the first floor, it was not so busy but it was still early. The music from the bar was still audible but not too loud. The dining area is quite spacious and modern with aboriginal art on the walls. One of the walls proudly displays three huge oilskin coats and leather hats. It’s an unusual decoration but it works well.

I settled down and studied the menu. At first I was a little disappointed that there were no ‘roo or crocodile steaks on the menu but my mood softened at the thought of Baby Barramundi in Saffron butter sauce ($220).

But first I needed a starter. The menu offers various options for oyster lovers starting at $138 per half dozen. There were also numerous salads and prawn dishes but I plumped for the Broiled Scallops wrapped in Bacon ($120). It was a good choice. They were deliciously fresh, plump and juicy, and served with a tangy mango salsa. To go with it I ordered a glass of Sauvignon blanc ($65).

Barramundi are one of those types of fish whose life cycle goes from salt water to freshwater. The eggs and larvae develop in the coastal areas of Northern Australia. They then swim up-river to mature before swimming back out to the estuary to spawn. They are also said to be quite difficult to catch.

Mine arrived sealed in a bubble of foil which the waiter opened, releasing a puff of steam and revealing the fish, studded with lemon. To go with it I had ordered spinach and mushrooms and kipfler potatoes with rosemary and sea salt ($45 each). The foil proved to be a little in the way but it was a small price to pay for what was a delicious meal. The barramundi has quite a delicate flavour and the saffron butter complemented it perfectly.

I resisted the obvious Australian dessert, instead I was torn between the apple crumble with ice cream and custard ($65) and the Wooloomooloo lemon lime pie ($60). The waitress suggested the lemon lime pie so I opted for that, and a coffee to finish.

The restaurant had filled up a bit more by now and the bar was still very inviting. I was very tempted to stop for a beer on the way out but alas I had work to finish.

Site 8 Whampoa Garden
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2128 7440

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

G/F Shop 3, The Centrium,
60 Wyndham Street,
Central, Hong Kong LKF
Tel 2525 8805 2525 8803

1/F 1 Hillwood Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2377 0989

1/F Lee Gardens Two
28 Yun Ping Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2882 2110

5/F The Toy House
100 Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3428 3345

Shop 1, 51-59 Bonham Strand
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 6663

G/F 54 Jaffe Rd
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2861 1621

G/F 65A Kimberly Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2368 8974

Unit 128, Level 7
East Hall
Hong Kong Int’l Airport
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 2261 2999

G/F 442 Prince Edward Road
Kowloon City
Kowloon
Tel 2716 0099

G01B The Plaza
Discovery Bay
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 2987 8202

12/F Food forum, Times Square
1 Matheson Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2506 1018 / 2506 1143

G/F, 11 Lan Fong Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2895 0331

Basement, Shing Yip Building
8-12 Fenwick Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2528 2560

G/F & 1/F Onfem Tower
29 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2894 8010

1/F, 30-32 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 6102

6/F 33 Sharp Street East
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2506 0133

5-6, G/F Mirror Tower
61 Mody Road
TST East
Kowloon
Tel 2369 3718 / 2366 1945

21-23 Tai Wong Street East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2527 5870

Basement, Alpha House
27-33 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui (entrance in Peking Road)
Kowloon
Tel 2366 7244

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

G/F 2 King Kwong Street
Happy Valley
Hong Kong
Tel 2573 9082

Shop A303-305, New Town Plaza Phase 3
Shatin
New Territories
Tel 2601 3232

1601-2 Kelly Commercial Centre
570 Nathan Road
Mongkok
Kowloon
Tel 9289 2098

13/F Times Square
1 Matheson Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2506 0009

71 Choi Hung Road
San Po Kong
Kowloon
Tel 2320 6920

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

22/F East Point Centre
555 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2831 8989

5/F The Goldmark
502 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2836 6788

The Kowloon Hotel
19-21 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2929 2888 Ext 3333

1/F Theatre Lane Shopping Centre
Theatre Lane
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3157 0781

B2 Hong Kong Regal Hotel
88 Yee Wo Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2890 6633

Shop G01B, G/F, Block A
Water Margin
Discovery Bay
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 2987 8202

1/F Dragon Rise
9-11 Pennington Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2576 7229

Shop 1205, Times Square
1 Matheson Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3102 0088

1/F Central Ferry Pier 7
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2167 7251

9 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2724 1333

2/F Murray House
Stanley
Hong Kong
Tel 2813 6161

One Harbourfront
18 Tak Fung Street
Whampoa Gardens
HungHom
Kowloon
Tel 2996 8455

G/F 2 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2523 3123

1/F, 22 Ashley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2376 1800

Harbour Plaza Hong Kong
20 Tak Fung Street
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2996 8439

2 Knutsford Terrace
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3690 1598

G/F 33 Wun Sha Street
Tai Hang
Hong Kong
Tel 2890 1230

Shop 208 Cityplaza 2
Tai Koo Shing
Hong Kong
Tel 2885 4478

13 Bonham Road
Mid-levels
Midlevels
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2540 6669

The Kowloon Hotel
19-21 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2929 2888 Ext 3722

G/F The Broadway
54-62 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 4244