Where to eat in Hong Kong: Day 1 Dimdimsum Dim Sum Specialty Store, Good Hope Noodles

We took an incredibly early Jetstar flight at 6:30am to Hong Kong and reached the Hong Kong airport at around 10 plus in the morning. For some reason, autumn started late this year and it was unexpectedly hot in HK when we reached. In fact, the temperature was roughly similar to Singapore's which was hardly a respite.

We took Bus E23 to Jordan where our apartment was. We booked an apartment through Airbnb with Joyce. The apartment was centrally located and near to Kowloon Airport Express, Austin Station, and Jordan Station. The new Elements mall was also within walking distance. The location of the apartment was splendid and we were very pleased with the location. Furthermore, there were numerous food stalls in the neighbourhood serving awesome dimsum and desserts. Temple Street and some famous eateries along Parke Street was also located within the vicinity. I would strongly recommend this apartment if you wish to save some money on accommodation in HK. They also provided towels and someone came in to clean the room on the 3rd day which ensured the cleanliness of the apartment.

We were famished when we arrived so we headed immediately to the neighbourhood dimsum place called Dimdimsum Dim Sum Specialty Store. It was really crowded with people from the area and the dimsum was honestly good! I was especially fond of the cheong fun wrapped around deep-fried crispy prawns and the steamed pork ribs. The steamed pork ribs were so juicy and tender! The pig-shaped custard buns were cute but they weren't exceptionally delicious. The shrimp dumplings were super good too with the thin skin and fresh crunchy prawns.

Jordan: 21-23 Man Ying Street, Jordan, Kowloon (Tel: 27717766)
Mong Kok: 112 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon (Tel: 23092300)
Wan Chai: 7 Tin Lok Lane, Wan Chai, HK (Tel: 28917677)
Shatin: Shop 108, 1/F, Citylink Plaza, Shatin (Tel: 22858149)

We headed over to the Mongkok area to stroll around and do some cursory shopping. I say cursory because we were really quick about it and we finished the usual Argyle Centre, Fa Yuen Street, and Ladies Market at an astonishing speedy. We did in fact come back with a few purchases so kudos for our efficiency!

We were hungry in the late afternoon so we went into Good Hope Noodles for some food. We heard that their congee and noodles were awesome so we decided to order their tea set which included a big bowl of porridge and a small bowl of wanton. The porridge was pretty good even though I did not eat the pig intestines and liver. The small bowl of wanton was nice! However, I have to say that the wanton noodles which I tried in the next few days definitely triumphed Good Hope's wanton. So you could give Good Hope Noodles a miss if you are in a hurry.

146 Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

We roamed around the Mongkok area till nightfall and proceeded to Temple Street which was within walking distance to our apartment. We had claypot rice at a tourist trap which was completely not worth mentioning. Temple Street was exactly how I remembered it to be. Bustling area with many small shops selling random items. Temple Street is really long and stretches from Yau Ma Tei all the way to Jordan. Take a nice stroll along Temple Street at night and you might be able to find some goodies in the maze.

Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5 coming up next!

Koh Grill and Sushi Bar, Wisma Atria Food Republic

My friend at office strongly recommended Koh Grill and Sushi Bar at Wisma Food Republic. I was curious about the place since I've heard many awesome things about it and I really wanted to try it out. So I decided to drag the boyfriend here on a Saturday for dinner.

I was told I should make a reservation but reservations were full by the time I decided to make the call. So we had to join the long queue in front of Koh Grill and Sushi Bar. We reached shortly after 6pm and the queue was already crazy. It stretched from the door to the escalator and there were about 20 people ahead of us in the queue. It took us 45 minutes to get two counter seats and we were so hungry by then.

I ordered Grilled Salmon with salt. The salmon was well-grilled, crispy and lightly charred on the outside and tender within. I also liked the small portion of greens with sesame dressing at the side.

We ordered pork with enoki mushroom yakitori. The yakitori was indeed good! Very tasty, grilled to perfection and incredibly juicy. The yakitori was grilled for just the right amount of time such that the pork was crispy yet the enoki mushroom wrapped within was still juicy and crunchy.

The salmon sashimi. I was not too impressed by the salmon sashimi at Koh Grill and Sushi Bar. I felt that the slices of salmon sashimi were not as chewy, juicy, and thick as those at Wasabi Tei.

The shiok maki was indeed super shiok!! This was easily one of the best dishes at Koh Grill and Sushi Bar and definitely one of the highlights of the meal. I am craving for it now as I'm typing this post. The maki was just that good. The salmon slices rolled on the outside were lightly seared so they had a distinctive smoky flavour. The side of the salmon slices which was not exposed to the flame remained soft and juicy like how sashimi would taste. When you combine both together, it was just perfect. Topped with the mayonnaise and tobiko on top and yummy avocado and unagi inside, the Shiok Maki is indeed legendary. This dish alone is worth the long wait.

The boyfriend ordered Tempura Udon but the udon was rather meh. I gathered that noodle dishes are not exactly their forte and it would be wise to steer clear of them when you are at Koh Grill and Sushi Bar.

The only little grouse I have about Koh Grill and Sushi Bar is the order in which food is served. I usually prefer to have my sashmi and sushi first before my mains. However, due to the large number of people ordering the Shiok Maki, the sushi counter was moving slower than the cooked food counter. Thus my grilled salmon, yakitori, and the boyfriend's udon arrived and we finished them before our sashimi and maki came.

Other than that, this place is really a gem.

#04-21 Wisma Atria Shopping Centre

Platypus Kitchen, Bugis Junction

I was always keen to check out Platypus Kitchen but I did not have the opportunity for a long time. The amusing thing is, when I have the opportunity to check out Platypus Kitchen, I ended up having it twice in one week! Once for dinner with my family and the second time with my friends from office for lunch.

Platypus Kitchen at Bugis Junction takes the place of the previous V8 cafe. I expected it to be relatively crowded but it was rather empty for both lunch and dinner. In fact, there was only another two tables on the night I was there.

The set meals are divided into the $16.90 sets and the $19.90 sets. Both sets come with a salad or soup, a drink, and the main.

The salad which came with the set was very average. The rocket leaves and tomatoes were fresh but the dressing was very bland.

My mum chose the V8 Chicken Roulade. The chicken thigh was very tender and well-marinated. However the sauce was a little too salty. The mash potatoes were pretty good and smooth.

The Angry Chicken Pasta which my Dad ordered was average, nothing much to rave about. It tastes like how average Arrabiata pasta would taste.

My brother's Squid Ink Scallop Ragout. This pasta dish was below average. I felt that the taste of squid ink was really faint and the pasta was quite bland.

My crispy salmon. The waiter asked if I was ok with the salmon being 70% cooked because the crispy salmon would taste better if it were crispy outside and slightly raw and tender within. I agreed but when the salmon arrived, it was definitely thoroughly cooked. That said, the crispy salmon was indeed good. The skin was very crispy and tasty, and the salmon was fresh. The sauce was kind of salty though, but it went pretty well with the salmon.

The bruschetta was very ordinary. I dare say I make better bruschetta with fresher ingredients.

The truffle fries were fantastic! I'm always super fond of truffle fries and the fries at Platypus Kitchen were awesome. The fries were thick and chunky just the way I like it and the fragrance of truffle oil was enticing. The smell of truffle oil was in fact the first thing I noticed when I sat down and the smell lured me to order the truffle fries.

I came back for lunch with some friend from the office and decided to go with the soup this time since the salad was quite meh previously. The mushroom soup was thick and substantial with bits of mushroom inside.

I ordered the Lemon Prawn Parppadelle and this pasta dish was really good. The prawns were fresh and crunchy and I liked the combination of prawns with chewy parppadelle and sweet tomatoes. It was indeed one good dish, I would recommend this if you are heading to Platypus.

Service was decent. My only grouse was the small tables. When I visited Platypus Kitchen with my family and we ordered 4 set meals with a couple of sides, our table ended up being completely cluttered. There was hardly enough space to place everything and we were all just crammed together. It would be good if they purchased larger tables for 4 people. But other than that, Playtpus Kitchen is definitely a place for good value for money set meals.

#03-29 Bugis Junction