Tai Ping Koon - Old school western charm

Despite having visited Hong Kong several times, one popular local food item remained elusive to me for a long while - the roast pigeon. It featured ever so often in the TVB dramas I watch and I kept making mental notes to try it. I guess I never got down to it because one of the most recommended places to have the dish is so out of the way - Lung Wah Hotel in Shatin.

I decided that there must be alternatives. Google threw up Tai Ping Koon and after reading a few reviews, I was sold.

Off we went to the Tsim Sha Tsui branch, located in the trendy streets of Granville Road.

 

Tim Ho Wan - Singapore edition

Only three posts ago, I was lamenting how I still had not gotten the chance to try out the Singapore franchise of Tim Ho Wan since its opening in April. The opportunity presented itself soon enough, when a friend who knew I worked nearby invited me to join him and his family for lunch. They'd queued for about half an hour and were nearly at the front of the queue. Of course I said yes!

I arrived to a long, snaking queue in front of the outlet. I'd kind of expected it but nonetheless was surprised that so many people had the luxury of time to stand in line on a working weekday, before lunch hour. There were tourists for sure, but much of the crowd appeared local.

By the time our party of four got seated, the waiting time totalled an hour. Not too bad, I reckon, given that queues went up to two or three hours at the original Mong Kok branch in Hong Kong.

We'd already filled in the order form while in the queue (similar to how Tim Ho Wan in HK operates), and didn't have to wait long before our food was served.

I'd dined at Tim Ho Wan HK eight times now - four at Mong Kok, and four at Sham Shui Po. I'll get down to business straightaway about how the Singapore counterpart fared against the original.

First item of the "Big 4 Heavenly King Dim Sum (四大天王点心)" promoted by Tim Ho Wan Singapore - baked bun with BBQ pork (酥皮焗叉烧包).

Ichiran - My favourite ramen chain opening in HK

When I was contemplating my holiday plans for the second half of this year, I was seriously thinking of Tokyo. I'm a huge fan of Japanese cuisine, and I needed my fix of Ichiran ramen. Ichiran is, hands down, the best hakata style ramen I've eaten till date.

Hui Lau Shan - Heaven for mango fans

I cannot believe I have yet to dedicate any post to Hui Lau Shan (许留山), considering how big a fan I am.

If you love mangoes like me, this dessert shop will be like heaven to you. And the good news is that heaven is readily accessible as Hui Lau Shan is literally all over Hong Kong!

Tim Ho Wan - Sham Shui Po branch

By now, I believe everyone who intends to visit Hong Kong would have heard of Tim Ho Wan, the famous one Michelin starred dim sum eatery that started out as a hole-in-the-wall set up in Mong Kok.

The eatery has even set up its first international branch, right here in Singapore. Unfortunately, the queues have been so horrendous since the opening in April 2013 that I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself. Ahh, the irony, when the shop is practically a stone's throw from my office. But I don't have much patience to queue for food except when on holidays.

Anyway, the original Mong Kok branch has moved out in end January 2013 due to increasing rents. Alternative locations are at Sham Shui Po, IFC Mall, North Point and Oympian City. However, only the Sham Shui Po and North Point branches have been awarded the Michelin star currently, so I usually head to Sham Shui Po for my dim sum fix now.