[Goolo 咕咾] Sweet and Sour Pork Specialist

Being raised in UK, most of my so called Chinese foods that I've eaten come from Takeaways and Chinatown.
It's a shame that Hong Kong being the home of Chinese food doesn't serve good Chinese food unless you fork out at expensive places or hunt for it at some smaller joints.

Since coming to Hong Kong, I have rarely had sweet and sour pork because restaurants get away with coating rubbish fat and meat with flour and thinking they can get away with.
Theoretically they do as for some strange reason people do eat crap and they can't even taste foods that have gone wrong or rancid,

Hence ordering sweet and sour pork is a waste of money as you are just biting into pieces of fat and crap, whereas you get pieces of real meat in other countries.

The main issue is the meat because it is not fresh and often the chefs just use too much oil and seasoning.
I am so glad that some Western restaurants have set a good standard such as Madame Ching and Yum Cha.

At Goolo, I was impressed that you could choose the pork for the sweet and sour.
You get to choose from Pork shoulder, Pork Jowl and Pork Brisket.
I liked the way the sauce is served separate and they have 5 different sauces for you to choose from.
In UK , the sauce was always served separate in some takeaways so that the pork can remain crispy by the time you  take it home.
Another item I had to try was the sparkling sugar cane herbal tea so I had that as a set with the sweet and sour pork.

I chose the pork shoulder as I wanted lean meat. It was coated in corn starch which is the same as the coating used in takeaways so I found it comforting already.
After taking a bite, it was just like the sweet and sour pork in UK with a decent piece of meat in the middle.
The pork was so tasty as the frying oil was fresh which didn't ruin the crispy coating.
THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT WAS THAT IT WAS FRESH AND IT DIDN'T HAVE WEIRD BITS OF FAT AND GRISTLE SO I WAS PLEASED.
I know HKD39 is a bit much paying for a few pieces of pork but paying HKD50+ for crappy sweet and sour pork with only one piece of pork that is edible is a bigger waste.

As for the sweet and sour sauce, I liked it as it was more tart than sweet but frankly it tasted like tomato ketchup mixed with vinegar.
But technically the Sweet and sour sauce recipe in UK does have vinegar as I have seen it being made before.

For the sides you can choose from Fried Luncheon Meat, Crudites, Fried Mushroom, Potato Wedges, Calamari, Pigs Ear, Salad and meatballs which I thought was boring except the mushrooms and luncheon meat.

I regretted not ordering the Luncheon meat as the mushrooms were half nice.
You get two type of mushrooms, Shimeji and Trumpet mushrooms.
The Shimeji mushrooms tasted nice but the trumpet mushrooms were too chewy.

Last but not least, the sparkling drink was so damn good that I wish I could get this drink more often as it wasn't too sweet.

[Bombay Kitchen] Astounding Indian Fare in Kowloon City

Spotted this Indian joint a few days ago and I wasn't sure whether to try it or not as I was worried it would be localized especially in Kowloon City.
On one side it was English and the other side was Chinese so I thought it was two restaurants.
I have always heard "mangmai" on the Chinese weather forecast but never knew that it was Bombay until now when I was told the Chinese name of this restaurant.

Anyway, decided to try it after browsing the menu as it had almost everything but they said the menu would be changed soon which is why I had to try it now!

They even had Bhurji and Momo on the menu!

Every dish we had was fantastic so I would definitely recommend this if you are in Kowloon City.

Started with the fried rice which I usually order because it always tastes better than Chinese Salty Oily fried rice.

Although they used Jasmine rice and not Basmati rice, it was still good.

To accompany the rice, had it with egg bhurji and lamb sagwala.

The egg bhurji was slightly drier than the one I had at Noble Spice but still tasty with lots of spices.

The sagwala was also as good as Chautauri but had a super fiery kick to it.

Also had some plain rice to go with the curry and my favourite jeera aloo.

I was so pleased with the Jeera Aloo potatoes as they were fluffy in the middle with a crispy exterior laced with herbs.

Definitely will be returning to try the Aloo Gobi and Butter Chicken!!

[Bombay Kitchen]

72 -74 South Wall Road

Kowloon City

[Animojo] Possibly the first reptile restaurant in HK

Went here a while ago after seeing celebs posting themselves with snakes etc.

Food is rather exxy so only had a drink but I have to admit the menu is really good as the food offered is very creative and I like the way they have food for omnivores, carnivores, herbivores etc.

My picks are the morning glory with blue cheese which should work as the fermented tofu is replaced with blue cheese in a similar concept.
Had the seasonal ginger latte which had a good bitter aftertaste but less on of a gingery kick.

Will return if they launch some lunch menus because I doubt people will come during the day which is why it is so empty.

[Potato King] Potato King takes his spuds seriously

I love Potatoes, be it fries, chips, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes I'm in.
Potato King specializes in two types of fries: Japanese long fries and Belgian fries which are very different to each other.
When I got there, the signs were encouraging as I could smell potatoes and the the oil in the air wasn't that strong but then I specifically went early in the day so that the oil should be fresher.

There is an English menu by the side which is split into two sections.

Clearly for the Belgian fries, it has to go with mayonnaise.
As well as mayo, they have bolognese and cheese but I secretly wish they had gravy for poutine or curry sauce like the English Chippies.
I was so excited about the Japanese Long fries as they only cost $28 which were $50 at the Japanese Fest at PMQ.
There are various of sauces as well but to be safe I went for the mayonnaise and seaweed.
I was tempted on the ketchup but it depends which brand they use as some brands like Delmonte are just sweet.
Potato King reminded me of La Cornet Belge in Central as they have Frikandel and chewylicious Stroopwafels.
Will try the Frikandel next time so that I can compare it to the one I tried before.

Stroopwafels:

Drinks at the counter:

Condiments on the table:

While I was waiting, you could see them cut the fries from whole peeled potatoes.
They take their frying professionally as they measure the oil using a temperature gun.

Here were my Belgian Fries which were much better than the ones at La Cornet Belge except that it wasn't served in a cone!!
The fries were how they should be crispy yet starchy in the middle, the best thing is that it comes with real mayonnaise.

Next were the Japanese fries which are a must try as well because they are freshly extruded to order with mashed potato mixture and topped with a sauce of your choice.
As well as the Belgian fries, these satisfied my cravings too because they were fluffy in the middle with light crispy coating!!

Definitely coming back because it is really impressive to come across something that is inexpensive yet the real deal in MK.
So let's hope they can keep it up!

[Potato King 一薯]
www.instagram.com/potatokinghk



Supersupergirl

[Ask for Alonzo] Hearty and Cosy Italian fare in Quarry Bay

Quarry lacks good Italian food and Ask for Alonzo just hits the spot with Southern Italian dishes in a trattoria environment.Discovered this joint after going to the Tong Chong Street market.
There is an alfresco table where you can have drinks before dinner.

The menu had a good choice of variety.

Started with the bread with was accompanied with basil puree rather than the usual olive oil and balsamic.
I loved the basil puree as it complimented the bread very well.

For starters, had the burrata cheese with extra parma ham for +HKD60.

Basically all my favourites on one plate on a bed of colourful Heirloom tomatoes in all colours which were juicy and umami taste to the max along with the creamy burrata.
The extra ham gave it the salty flavours and goes very well with tomatoes and the burrata too.
Next were the meatballs which were topped with chunky grated Mozzarella cheese. 
Each meatball was big and tasty loaded with herbs which accentuated the flavour as well as the chopped tomato sauce.

As well as the meats, the Zoodles are the best because they were juicy and crunchy without any grassy taste and the hazelnuts gave it a nutty balance to it.

For pasta, had the mixed mushroom and truffle fettuccine served with poached egg. It was good how it was not too creamy so you could taste everything from the truffles to the delicate egg.

Finished with the panna cotta and tiramisu which was a perfect ending complimented with aromatic coffee.

The panna cotta was creamy and sinfully delicious as it was made with double cream while the tiramisu was equally as good spiked with liquer.

Will definitely check it out again for the other dishes.

[Ask for Alonzo]
18 Hoi Kwong Street
Quarry Bay
Hong Kong
http://www.askforalonzo.com/

Singmalay Series

I love Singaporean and Malaysian food so decided to make a record of all the Singmalays foods that I eat.
Some are authentic and some are just Singmalay inspired.

More to come

OTHER Singaporean and Malaysian reviews that you might like to read:

Singmalay part 30: Cafe Malacca

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2275820

Singmalay part 29: Pork chop curry at Lazat:Laksa

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2269080

Singmalay part 28: The Three Wishes at Lazat:Laksa

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2216960

Singmalay Part 27: Mandarin Chicken Rice

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2200614

Singmalay Part 26: Sam’s Noodle

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2167403

Singmalay Part 25: Sam’s Noodle

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2129218

Singmalay Part 24: Hainan Shaoye

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2126795

Singmalay Part 23: Good Satay

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2124922

Singmalay Part 22: Pappa Mia Coffee Restaurant

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2089083

Singmalay Part 21: Sabah Malaysian Cuisine

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2065657

Singmalay Part 20: Singma Deluxe

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2064175

Singmalay Part 19: Bak Kut King {Tai Hang}

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2056665

Singmalay Part 18: Prawn noodle shop{Wan Chai}

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2052198

Singmalay Part 17: Katong Laksa Prawn Me {Pandan toast}

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2046049

Singmalay Part 16: Katong Laksa Prawn Me

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2044479

Singmalay Part 15: Satay Inn

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2043695

Singmalay Part 14: Fishing Bay

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2040133

Singmalay Part 13: Eat Garden

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2007800

[Singmalay Part 12 ]
Date Dined: 2009-Sep-02
Restaurant: Toast Box 土司工坊

[Singmalay Part 11]
Date Dined: 2009-Sep-09
Restaurant: Relish Noodle 狀元麵館

[Singmalay Part 10]
Date Dined: 2009-Jul-03
Restaurant: Ma Thai 馬泰

[Singmalay Part 9]
Date Dined: 2009-Sep-28
Restaurant: Malaymama 馬拉媽媽

[Singmalay Part 8]
Date Dined: 2009-Sep-21
Restaurant: King Laksa 喇沙王

[Singmalay Part 7]
Date Dined: 2009-Feb-22
Restaurant: Malaysia (Port Klang) Cuisine Limited 馬拉盞星馬美食

[Singmalay Part 6]
Date Dined: 2008-Oct-15
Restaurant: Prawn Noodle Shop 蝦麵店

[Singmalay Part 5]
Date Dined: 2008-Jul-04
Restaurant: Pasar Singaporean Flavour 巴沙新加坡小品

[Singmalay Part 4]
Date Dined: 2008-Jun-20
Restaurant: Katong Laksa Prawn Mee 加東叻沙蝦麵

[Singmalay Part 3]
Date Dined: 2008-Jun-18
Restaurant: Katong Laksa Prawn Mee 加東叻沙蝦麵

[Singmalay Part 2]
Date Dined: 2008-Jun-10
Restaurant: YEOH'S BAH KUT TEH (楊氏肉骨茶)

[Singmalay Part 1]
Date Dined: 2008-Jun-10
Restaurant: Sing Ma Restaurant

The Chinese Princess' wardrobe

Went here to celebrate a friends birthday!!I didn't know it was Sichuan fare but it turned out to be great.
Be sure to get the early as they have a wardrobe where you can dress up in Chinese Dynasty clothing!
Dishes were great too especially the Kungpao prawns which were huge and crispy in a tangy sauce.

The fish topped with crispy bean bits was comforting as the fish was tasty and similar to the fish and chip quality.

Finished with the stir fried glass vermicelli which was loaded with egg.