Chinese Restaurant Kowloon
Dec 2nd, 2008, 04:01 AM
#1
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Chinese Restaurant Kowloon
Hi,
We are visiting Hong Kong in Jan on the way to Laos & Cambodia. On the way out we have one night in the Intercontinental Hong Kong. The plane arrives at 4pm ish so we only have time to have a quick wander, a drink & some dinner. Can anyone recommend a Chinese restaurant close(ish) to the hotel? The more interesting & authentic the better. Not interested in anything too swanky (we've blown our money on the hotel!).
Thanks.
We are visiting Hong Kong in Jan on the way to Laos & Cambodia. On the way out we have one night in the Intercontinental Hong Kong. The plane arrives at 4pm ish so we only have time to have a quick wander, a drink & some dinner. Can anyone recommend a Chinese restaurant close(ish) to the hotel? The more interesting & authentic the better. Not interested in anything too swanky (we've blown our money on the hotel!).
Thanks.
Dec 2nd, 2008, 08:41 AM
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The IC has a Chinese restaurant, the Yan Toh Heen, but if you want a less swanky one close by, you can try the Serenade at the Cultural Center right next to the IC. It serves classic Cantonese cuisine.
Dec 2nd, 2008, 06:18 PM
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Some suggestions would be as follows. You did not specify a type of Chinese cuisine, so I have tried to include some non-Cantonese. I also assume you are not arriving during Chinese New Year in January which would dramatically change everything below:
1. <i>Consider room service in your room as you will have The View that everyone standing outside has traveled so far to see</i>. May not be as expensive as you think, and you can wear those nice bathrobes and relax. You can watch the 8 pm light show. Also, the Harbourside Restaurant in your hotel has some Chinese offerings as well as other Asian and western dishes and also that great view. You can see the menu and prices when you check in. Or consider doing a take-away from one of the restaurants in the shopping mall in the New World Centre next door to your hotel like Hang Heung’s Kitchen (see http://www.hhkitchen.com.hk/main/, from one of the restaurants in Habour City Mall (see below) or the grocery stores there, or from the Food Paradise food court at the Sogo Department Store, which is in the basement shopping mall across the street from hotel (this is mostly Japanese).
2. Since the weather here is generally nice in January, esp early January, you might try the outdoor terrace on the 4th floor of Harbour City Mall, where there are a number of recently opened restaurants with outdoor dining space, including a quite nice Cantonese one:
House of Jasmine
Shop 401, Level 4
Ocean Centre, Harbour City Mall
Tel: 852-2992-0232
This has good western harbour views, which will offer a different prospective than you will get from your hotel room which looks north and east. If you want an outdoor table, call for a booking, there is also indoor space if you want, not sure what the views are. I would call it moderate in terms of price. There is also an Italian restaurant here and some others as well as a huge number of restaurants in the mall itself of varying price ranges (actually two malls), see the mall guide at http://www.harbourcity.com.hk/dining.php. There is also two grocery stores, including the more gourmet – which has a big take-away counter which you could take back to your room.
3. Hutong Restaurant has really lovely views from high floors and good food, a mix of northern Chinese and other regions as well.
Hutong
One Peking Road
Kowloon
Tel: 852:3427-2288
www.aqua.com.hk
I call it moderate, but without a budget range in your post, it is hard to say what you might consider “swanky” (which I take to mean “expensive”). As with all Asian restaurants, the dishes in Hutong are served family style, so sometimes this is harder to judge cost, as you end up splitting everything rather than paying per person. Prices around HK$300 for entrees and around HK$220 for appetizers. The view is excellent and I think the food is quite good.
The aqua group has several very good restaurants in Central which are a bit pricier, but might be what you consider more “interesting”, especially the excellent Yun Fu, for Shanghainese food. Take a look at the website.
4. If you want interesting, and don’t care about views (which you have from your room), and don’t want Cantonese (not my favourite anyway), I would suggest Hakka Ye Ye in Central:
Hakka Ye Ye
2nd Floor
Parekh House
63 Wyndham Street
Central
Tel: 2537-7060
http://www.yeyegroup.com/
This is Hakka food, one of the only places I know of in Hong Kong to have Hakka food, and served in a nice ambience in the Hollywood Road area. Hakka means "guest family" and refers to people who are not native indigenous people to Hong Kong, nor are they native Cantonese, although they are in fact ethnically Han Chinese (as with everything in China, it's a complicated history). Food tends to be braised and deep fried and chicken and pork feature in the menu. Not particularly spicy, sweet and sour is a staple. Excellent pork belly, stuffed tofu, drunken chicken. The website shows dishes and prices.
5. With a 4 pm arrival, you do have time, as long as you have the inclination, to get over to the Hong Kong side, and go up to the Peak on the Peak Tram, where you can get the “other” View. Try the Peak Lookout there, and have the Hainan Chicken, one of the most “authentic” dishes going for Hong Kongers of a certain age, IMO…. No views, but a lovely back terrace, and you can get the views before and after dinner by strolling around. Moderate price.
Peak Lookout
121 Peak Rd
Tel: 852/2849 1000
http://www.thepeaklookout.com.hk/
6. A good place generally for Cantonese food at a moderate price is West Villa Restaurant.
West Villa Restaurant
18B Austin Ave
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Tel 2368-8709
This is a local chain of about 3 restaurants. I don’t believe they have English menus and the English of waiters is limited, so if you are not familiar with Cantonese dishes, this may not be the best place to go. I have not been to the Austin Road branch, and it may have more tourist clientele, so they may have English menus. You could have your hotel write down your preferences in Chinese on a card and bring it with you.
7. Finally, if you want “authentic” (whatever the heck that means), go to McDonalds, where all the locals will be for dinner….just kidding, sort of….go to any small local noodle shop, cheap and cheerful. The outdoor “dai pai dong” stalls also work too. I cant recco any really on the Kowloon side (although you will certainly find them at the Temple Street night market), but if you come over to the Hong Kong side, go to Wan Chai and try Landale Street or any of the streets beyond Landale between Johnston Road and Queen’s Road East you will find plenty; these streets are good for a wander as well, although the street markets close at 7 pm. Wellington Street and that area under the escalator in Central is also good for these.
1. <i>Consider room service in your room as you will have The View that everyone standing outside has traveled so far to see</i>. May not be as expensive as you think, and you can wear those nice bathrobes and relax. You can watch the 8 pm light show. Also, the Harbourside Restaurant in your hotel has some Chinese offerings as well as other Asian and western dishes and also that great view. You can see the menu and prices when you check in. Or consider doing a take-away from one of the restaurants in the shopping mall in the New World Centre next door to your hotel like Hang Heung’s Kitchen (see http://www.hhkitchen.com.hk/main/, from one of the restaurants in Habour City Mall (see below) or the grocery stores there, or from the Food Paradise food court at the Sogo Department Store, which is in the basement shopping mall across the street from hotel (this is mostly Japanese).
2. Since the weather here is generally nice in January, esp early January, you might try the outdoor terrace on the 4th floor of Harbour City Mall, where there are a number of recently opened restaurants with outdoor dining space, including a quite nice Cantonese one:
House of Jasmine
Shop 401, Level 4
Ocean Centre, Harbour City Mall
Tel: 852-2992-0232
This has good western harbour views, which will offer a different prospective than you will get from your hotel room which looks north and east. If you want an outdoor table, call for a booking, there is also indoor space if you want, not sure what the views are. I would call it moderate in terms of price. There is also an Italian restaurant here and some others as well as a huge number of restaurants in the mall itself of varying price ranges (actually two malls), see the mall guide at http://www.harbourcity.com.hk/dining.php. There is also two grocery stores, including the more gourmet – which has a big take-away counter which you could take back to your room.
3. Hutong Restaurant has really lovely views from high floors and good food, a mix of northern Chinese and other regions as well.
Hutong
One Peking Road
Kowloon
Tel: 852:3427-2288
www.aqua.com.hk
I call it moderate, but without a budget range in your post, it is hard to say what you might consider “swanky” (which I take to mean “expensive”). As with all Asian restaurants, the dishes in Hutong are served family style, so sometimes this is harder to judge cost, as you end up splitting everything rather than paying per person. Prices around HK$300 for entrees and around HK$220 for appetizers. The view is excellent and I think the food is quite good.
The aqua group has several very good restaurants in Central which are a bit pricier, but might be what you consider more “interesting”, especially the excellent Yun Fu, for Shanghainese food. Take a look at the website.
4. If you want interesting, and don’t care about views (which you have from your room), and don’t want Cantonese (not my favourite anyway), I would suggest Hakka Ye Ye in Central:
Hakka Ye Ye
2nd Floor
Parekh House
63 Wyndham Street
Central
Tel: 2537-7060
http://www.yeyegroup.com/
This is Hakka food, one of the only places I know of in Hong Kong to have Hakka food, and served in a nice ambience in the Hollywood Road area. Hakka means "guest family" and refers to people who are not native indigenous people to Hong Kong, nor are they native Cantonese, although they are in fact ethnically Han Chinese (as with everything in China, it's a complicated history). Food tends to be braised and deep fried and chicken and pork feature in the menu. Not particularly spicy, sweet and sour is a staple. Excellent pork belly, stuffed tofu, drunken chicken. The website shows dishes and prices.
5. With a 4 pm arrival, you do have time, as long as you have the inclination, to get over to the Hong Kong side, and go up to the Peak on the Peak Tram, where you can get the “other” View. Try the Peak Lookout there, and have the Hainan Chicken, one of the most “authentic” dishes going for Hong Kongers of a certain age, IMO…. No views, but a lovely back terrace, and you can get the views before and after dinner by strolling around. Moderate price.
Peak Lookout
121 Peak Rd
Tel: 852/2849 1000
http://www.thepeaklookout.com.hk/
6. A good place generally for Cantonese food at a moderate price is West Villa Restaurant.
West Villa Restaurant
18B Austin Ave
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Tel 2368-8709
This is a local chain of about 3 restaurants. I don’t believe they have English menus and the English of waiters is limited, so if you are not familiar with Cantonese dishes, this may not be the best place to go. I have not been to the Austin Road branch, and it may have more tourist clientele, so they may have English menus. You could have your hotel write down your preferences in Chinese on a card and bring it with you.
7. Finally, if you want “authentic” (whatever the heck that means), go to McDonalds, where all the locals will be for dinner….just kidding, sort of….go to any small local noodle shop, cheap and cheerful. The outdoor “dai pai dong” stalls also work too. I cant recco any really on the Kowloon side (although you will certainly find them at the Temple Street night market), but if you come over to the Hong Kong side, go to Wan Chai and try Landale Street or any of the streets beyond Landale between Johnston Road and Queen’s Road East you will find plenty; these streets are good for a wander as well, although the street markets close at 7 pm. Wellington Street and that area under the escalator in Central is also good for these.
Dec 2nd, 2008, 06:23 PM
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Sorry, the gourmet supermarket in Harbour City/Ocean Centre mall is City’Super, see http://www.citysuper.com/contactus.php
Dec 2nd, 2008, 11:26 PM
#5
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Many thanks for the very comprehensive suggestions. I like the idea of getting room service or a takeaway and enjoying the view from our room. We have 3 nights in Hong Kong on the way back from Cambodia but at a cheaper hotel. We have time to try some of the other suggestions then.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
Dec 3rd, 2008, 06:49 PM
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Spring Deer is a good suggestion as well, I had kind of forgotten about that place. I still like my room service or take-away idea for the view and the fact that you can eat in your bathrobe, take a hot bath, use the gym or have a steam before hand (You could theoretically use the pool too, but you may find it cool in Jan at night). IMO room service is one of the greatest inventions of all time; I believe you can order from the restaurant menus at the hotel, which would include the Chinese restaurant and Nobu and Spoon. If you do a take-away, call in-room dining and ask for a room service trolley with a table setting for two and candles, etc. You should be able to find wine/liquor in the supermarkets in the New World Centre so you can buy your own. Wineglasses and tea service should be in the room. But no need to eat off paper plates and use plastic cutlery when at the Intercon!!!
