My second visit to Seafood Thai

When it comes to seafood, Sai Kung springs into mind but there are actually lots of other places that have great seafood such as Tuen Mun and Lei Yue Mun.

This time we ventured into Tuen Mun's again for Seafood Thai 泰海鮮.

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蒜蓉粉絲蒸元貝‏。Steamed scallops with garlic and glass vermicelli

As well as the lobster and cheese, the steamed scallops were really nice because they were fresh and springy with a sweet garlic taste from the finely chopped garlic.

I purposely ate the glass vermicelli last so that it would absorb the scallop and garlic flavours.

Yummy! 

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Seafood at Tuen Mun's seafood street

When it comes to seafood, Sai Kung springs into mind but there are actually lots of other places that have great seafood such as Tuen Mun and Lei Yue Mun.

This time we ventured into Tuen Mun's Seafood Thai 泰海鮮.


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Here is the latest episode of 食得招積 that was filmed there and what we tried.

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青山灣芝士焗龍蝦。
Baked Castle peak bay lobster with cheese


The lobster was fantastic because there was a fragrant cheese smell when it was served and the surface was golden and crispy.
It was a gorgeous layer of cheese on top with meaty lobster beneath it, the cheese was divine because the texture was firm but not gooey which made it appetizing without being too heavy.
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避風塘炒蟹
Typhoon shelter crab

Next we had the Typhoon shelter which is a signiature dish in most seafood restaurants.
The crab was fresh infused with delicious fried garlic and chili flavour, whilst the crispy pieces of garlic complemented the crabmeat nicely.
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白酒忌廉煮花甲
Clams cooked in creamy wine sauce

The clams were cooked in a delicious cream and white wine sauce which was Chinese and Vietnamese fusion with herbs and onions.
Each clam was fully flavoured and creamy balanced by the sweet onions and herbs.
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NEW AGE style depurated seafood

This restaurant specializes in depurated seafood served in a tasting menu where people can share and enjoy more different dishes.

“Seafood Depuration (purification) is a technique applied in many parts of the world for the removal of microbial contaminants from light to moderately contaminated bivalve molluscan shellfish by placing them in tanks of clean seawater such that they undertake their normal pumping activity for a period of time that may range from several hours to days. It is usually undertaken because it is required by regional, national or local legislation but may also be applied at the discretion of the industry to protect their customers, demonstrate due diligence, or to satisfy the requirements of legislation in other regions or counties in order to be able to export to these.”

source: United Nations FAO, 2008

At TABLE they serve ingredient-based cuisine, with highlights on depurated seafood from their 12,000 square feet fish farm in Shatin where they ship live seafood to their restaurants daily.

They serve daily small dishes on the tasting menu, (all items at $158 or $580 for four items).
Cold items served first followed by hot items.

Here was what we tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rolled filo:


Usually you are given bread, but here you get rolled filo that was so light and crispy which must have taken so much effort to roll it up.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Amuse bouche:

Delicious springy octopus on a crispy baguette slice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Eel:

Smoked eel on rock, fromage blanc, caviar, potato salad with vinaigrette.
I loved the creamy tart cheese on top of the brussel sprout.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mixed Manila, Tua Tia surf clams:

Mixed clams cooked in 24 hours which was served in delicious rich lobster broth.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Kanjang gejang:

Korean soy marinated fresh baby mud crab.
I knew this was going to be delicious but I was quite afraid of getting food poisoning at the same time.
However I can reassure you that it is 100% clean because it is depurated and I did not get any ill effects the next day!! AMAZING!!!
Finally a place where you can have delicious and safe seafood.
The crab was divine soaked heavily in soy marinade which had a strong tastes just like alcohol.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
lobster medallion:

Lardo crudo, citrus-white miso sauce.
I loved the paper thin lardo crudo which complemented the springy lobster with saltiness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
french spring chicken preserved in lemon tagine:

Moroccan style preserved lemon, green olives with cous cous.
As well as seafood, I was amazed with this because I love mediterranean dishes too.
The baby chicken was cute and tender in delicious lemon gravy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Flower crab chunky crab cake:

egg yolk kofta, umeboshi aioli.
Crab lovers will love this with a huge pile of crabmeat paired with molten egg yolk croqueete.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
mud crab:

pesto rice, runny crab roe and pesto.
This was just as delicious as the Korean crab earlier because the rice was al-dente covered in delicious pesto.
After mixing it with the runny crab roe, the taste was just heaven.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Korean baby abalone: 

This was soy butter panfred abalone but there was also fried abalone in vodka batter.
I am definitely going to try the battered one next time.
The abalone was tender evenly coated in butter with a rich soy taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Fine seafood and huge mantis shrimps

Imperial (Kwun Tong)

Thanks to Imperial for inviting me to this tasting.

When I first heard the name, it reminded me of Imperial College.

Imperial is located in an industrial building in Kwun Tong.
This was my first experience dining in one and it is becoming a trend for restaurants to move to industrial areas because of the spacious kitchens and lower rents.

When I got there, it was no different to other restaurants but it was more spacious.

They even have their own fish tanks.

Apart from dinners they also do lunches which you can see on OpenRice for their menu.

Here was what we tried, it was for 7 people (approximately $300 per head):

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Spicy platter:


It was a platter of apetizers and the spicyness can be adjusted to your requirements.
There were beef stomachs, julienne cucumber and chicken, eggs and pork intestines.
I do not normally eat the beef stomachs but the spices they used were really nice and the beef stomachs were very clean and it had a nice meaty texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spare ribs in strawberry sauce:

The spare ribs were really good because they were meaty and had a lot of meat attached to the bone.
The pork was fresh and supple and the strawberry sauce was not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Typhoon shelter style crab:

This was my first time trying the Typhoon shelter style crab because I do not normally order crab or even eat it because it takes too much effort.
The crispy pieces were delicious and it was deep fried garlic and other goodies which is their secret recipe.
The delicious crispy pieces were wonderful with rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salt and Pepper Mantis Shrimp:

These were the biggest mantis shrimps I have ever tried in my life, they were the size of my lower arm!
I could see the resemblance of a preying mantis claws hence the name Mantis shrimp.
The taste of this was interesting, it was similar to lobster but the texture of it was not so springy.
The shell is nice and crispy which makes it easier to remove the shell than a lobster.
These mantis shrimps cost $2XX each, so getting the set meal is a good deal, as there were three.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried noodles and beanshoots in crab oil:

The portion of this was huge and each strand of noodle was uniformly coloured.
It would be great of the crab oil taste was stronger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vegetables with crabmeat:

The vegetables were covered in lovely crabmeat gravy and the vegetables were naturally sweet.
The crabmeat gravy was also delicious with the noodles.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steam rice with 龍躉 Giant grouper fish:

The size of this was huge!!
This was steamed fried rice with big fish slices, fried garlic and spring onions on top.
The rice at the bottom was really nice because it has absorbed all the fish essence on top.
The fish slices were chunky and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dessert:

Not a fan of Chinese dessert but I actually had more than I usually do because it was not too sweet.
It was loaded with all sorts of pulses from chickpeas, black eye peas, kidney beans to peanuts.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Sing Kee sings victory from the rest

Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant (Sai Kung)

To be honest I never eat seafood in Sai Kung because I don't know how to look for good ones.

Sing Kee is located near Lakeside gardens so if you get off at Lakeside Garden bus stop, it is only a few footsteps away or you can walk along the seafront from the minibus terminal.

The restaurant stands out from the rest and it is a separate building itself.

There was so much seafood that night and heres what we triied.
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Preserved ginger, preserved egg and handmade squid patties:
I was surprised they had these as starters but I liked the squid patties because it was crispy on the outside and soft and springy on the inside.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sashimi platter:

This was a really nice treat, I loved the delicate pieces of translucent lobster, but it was slightly disguised in the bed of ice below.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed scallop with wine:

This was my favourite, I loved the burgandy colour of the glass noodles.
The scallops soaked up the rich flavour of the chinese wine and the glass noodles were deliciously flavoured by the dried prawn roe.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried razor clams with Thai basil:

The clams were fresh and springy with a delicous hint of basil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Abalone delights:

I have not been to Loaf On, but the fellow foodies said it tasted the same.
The braised abalone was sweet and delicate and the gravy was rich which goes deliciously with rice.
The salt and pepper one was interesting because the crispy coating on the outside was delicious.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fish with sweet corn sauce:

The fish was really nice that it tasted nice with or without the sweetcorn sauce.
I liked the way it was served separate so you can try the fish without sauce and the fish remains crispy.
The breadcrumb coating reminded me of Western fish filets in crispy coating.
I wouldnt mind having a plate of chips on the side
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crab:

The crab was delicious especially the crab roe which was a thick orangy yellow mass.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spareribs in honey and hawthorn sauce:
The spareribs were sweet and fruity.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crispy chicken:
The chicken was tender with crispy chicken skin attached.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Premium fried rice:
The rice was nice and not too greasy loaded with lots of goodies.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Congee with lobster head:

This was a luxury as it was made with lobster head.
It was light and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Yakult pudding:

I really liked this pudding because it was creative!! No other place in Hong Kong serves it so far.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The average spending per person is about $700 but if you have a budget you can discuss the items you would like or specify your budget so they can arrange accordingly.

Appauling food and customer service at the Golden pond

I have always wanted to try this place because they specialise in seafood and lobster with E-Fu noodles.

 

 

I was intending to try their E-fu noodles with lobster and the crabs.

Anyway when I got there the service was not particularly welcoming and when I asked about how their noodles were cooked they were really rude and just regurgitated the menu.
I did not know the difference between 燴伊麵 and 湯伊麵.
The answer I got was "燴就係燴羅, 湯就係湯伊麵羅," so as I did not know if the 燴伊麵 had sauce, so I asked if it had sauce and she answered in a sarcastic way, "of course it has sauce".
In English I was roughly trying to ask the two different methods they used to cook the noodles and the answer I got back was roughly "stir-fried means stir-fried and boiled means boiled" so if you don't know what boiled means they do not really help by repeating the the word boiled, it would be more helpful if they explained the process.

Apart from their atitude, I loved it the way the menu had atitude too, it states clearly there are no free drinks or soups included after lunch time!

 

In the end I just ordered two noodles and skipped the crab because I might as well spend the money elsewhere.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lobster with E-Fu noodles 燴伊麵 [wui style]:

 

When it came the E-Fu noodles were covered with clear gravy topped with slices of lobster.
I was expecting the lobster to come in its shell! Perhaps only the baked version comes in its shell.
There was not much lobster meat, luckily the noodles were not rancid, but the gravy was quite salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Scallops in black bean garlic sauce with E-fu noodles

 

This was really nice because the steamed garlic sauce went on the noodles but the scallops were extremely tiny and I was expecting them to be bigger according to previous reviews.

 

 

The ovaries/roe part was almost invisible, after they were removed you could see how tiny the scallops were.

 

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
For both noodles, the amount of vegtables were amazingly stingy if you look at the previous reviews.
I chose this place because the picture showed lots of vegetables which led me to think you could get a balanced meal here.