Still need restaurant recommendations for Hue and Hong Kong
 

All of you were very helpful in recommending restaurants for Hanoi, Hoian and Saigon, and we have plenty of recommendations for Siem Reap.

We also have two days in Hue and 3-1/2 in Hong Kong, so could use recommendations there too. In Hue we are staying at La Residence (which is "in town") and in Hong Kong at the Salisbury Y (Kowloon, next door to the Peninsula).

We like all kinds of food, but not necessarily "exotic" (sheep's head would probably not be my first choice, for example). We do like "finds" -- moderately priced establishments with terrific food and a nice ambiance (which can mean a dive, too....we love the Camellia Grill and Johnny's Po Boy in New Orleans, but also loved Emeril's!). We do not "dress" for dinner. We've looked at the websites for some of the other places you've recommended, and places like Morning Glory and Secret Garden in Hoian look right up our alley.

Our trip is in March.

Thanks in advance!!

Cant help with Hong Kong but here is a list I put together for Bob for Hue:

Lac Thien
This is my favourite place in Hue. Nothing to look at from the outside and certainly not luxurious but really great food, freshly cooked. The place (and the two either side) are run by a deaf and dumb family. The main man Trung is an amazing character and surprisingly easy to communicate with – he tried to sell me a motorbike tour of the imperial tombs. I wish I had taken him up on the offer as he would certainly have done a better job than most speaking guides I have met! – You have to buy one of his trademark bottle openers as a souvenir (a piece of wood with a bolt through it – it works!

Ancient Hue http://www.ancienthue.com.vn/
Not sure how authentic it is but a good place to sample the Hue Imperial cuisine. Good buffet and set menus in a nice setting. Downside is that it is sometimes frequented by tour groups.

La Carambole - Pham Ngu Lao St
This gets rave reviews but really, I can’t see why. I was disappointed but probably the place to go if you feel the need for western food
Mandarin Cafe
Not far from the Saigon Morin hotel. A budget, one dish type of place but good for lunch. The owner sells his photos of rural Vietnamese life which make nice souvenirs.

La ResidenceHotel - www.la-residence-hue.com/

I would not normally recommend a hotel restaurant but this is such a special hotel I will make and exception. Built in Art Deco style it was once the French ambassadour’s residence ). Beautiful surroundings – having a drink in the bar is like stepping back to the 1930’s. Excellent a la carte and buffet menus and great view as it is right on the perfume river. I think they also do dinner cruises on the river.

I see you are staying at la residence - Good choice!

Thanks crellston -- at least we won't starve!

You can look at my trip report for places to eat in HK; it is not finished but I did report on a number of meals already; I also asked a million questions on a thread here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...of-arrival.cfm


http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...yssey-2010.cfm

eks, I read with interest (much) your detailed reports on Hutong, Lung King Heen, and Fu Sing. You mentioned these restaurants as well, but didn't comment on them -- was any of them worth going out of your way for?

Tim's Kitchen
Tasty Congee and Noodle (IFC mall)-lunch
Guangdong Barbecue, Kowloon ( lunch)
Lei Garden, IFC mall

We stayed at La Residence Hue in November. Beautiful hotel and we can recommend their restaurant also.
For good cheap drinks in the late afternoon try the Book Cafe for a beautiful setting on the river.

Thanks!

SF: I also ate in those places that you mention but did not yet get around to writing about them in the trip report. Tim's Kitchen has moved since we ate there. The food was excellent--you have to order almost all of your dishes in advance. I thought it was a unique experience that was well worth it. If you decide to go there, you MUST research the various dishes so that you choose well. It is BYOB.

http://www.timskitchen.com.hk/file/T...n-Menu(HK).pdf




I went to Guangdong Bbq for the roast goose; it is a bare-bones eatery in Kowloon that I would visit only if I were in the area. Same with Tasty Congee.

Lei Garden is an elegant restaurant serving HK Cantonese food; recommended for an upscale meal.

Thanks eks. We have a pretty good list now for everyplace we're going. Lots of choices. My son and his fiance return to their home tomorrow night (in school back east), my daughter is working in Lake Tahoe, so starting Sunday, I get to focus on US!!

For the Hong Kong restaurants mentioned above, my main comment is that they are all Cantonese. That could get kind of dull. Hong Kong has the best food in the world, of all cuisines, so to limit yourself to Cantonese only seems like a waste. One of my favorites in town is a Spanish restaurant call Fo Fo Willy. Haaka is the true “local” cusine, and there are several Haaka restaurants in town.

Tim’s Kitchen is good and offers a little bit of variety, but is quite Cantonese-based. Lei Garden is very good, there are several outlets so you don’t necessarily have to go to the IFC Mall one, esp as you already have 2 meals planned at IFC Mall. (And the IFC Mall branch is not one of the branches which was granted a Michelin star; those are the Elements Mall, Mongkok, North Point, TST, and Wan Chai branches). Tasty Congee and Noodle is fine, personally I would go to the original branch in Happy Valley so that you can get a chance to see a different area than the tip of Kowloon and a small area of Central which contain all of the above. Lung Keen is excellent and very expensive, it is Cantonese dim sum with a modern twist, so don’t expect old regulars. I assume you are going for dim sum lunch/brunch which IMO is the one worth paying for, as paying that much for a Cantonese dinner is not; but in either case if you don’t like to dress up, this may not be the place for you as lunch is a lot of business types and dinner can be dressy. Hutong is fine, quite touristy at this point I am sad to say, but as a tourist you will probably get the best treatment. (In March you may have to contend with fog with regard to the view.) It offers some different dishes than just Cantonese; however IMO the best of that chain’s restaurant is Yun Fu (Shanghainese).

I have put together my own list of personal favourites for Hong Kong which I would be happy to send you if you want to send me an e-mail at [email protected].

La Residence offers a cooking course which includes a trip to a local market, which you might enjoy. However, with only 2 days there you may not have time for it. But see there website which I believe has info.

Well, I think that is a personal choice, obviously. I would much rather eat Cantonese food in Hong Kong and Shanghainese food in Shanghai, and Basque food in the Basque areas. I planned my meals accordingly, with the exception of the touristy Hutong.

If I lived in HK, I would no doubt feel differently.

Anyway, one thing we can agree upon is that it is a fabulous eating city!

Ha ha - we ate Mexican and Chinese in Prague, so I guess I'd say we're more along the lines that Cicerone speaks of :-)

Just remembered, we had Tex-Mex in Cairo, too LOL