Yue Hing - Hong Kong

Revisiting the Racist Chinese Toast Man
Two years ago I met my girlfriend-to-be at a boring meeting in Hong Kong. She was offering to bring a colleague of mine to a classic charcoal street stall for food and I invited myself along. I was interested to try some street food but was more interested in her. In my mind, Yue Hing was our first date. She'll laugh at this, no doubt - I was just an arrogant New Yorker that she had no interest in but I knew I was going to win her over.

Tong Pak Fu - Hong Kong

Taiwanese Snowflake Ice
If you don't know, it's hot in Hong Kong. That special kind of funky, swampy, dirty, NY in summer type heat. So, when you get a chance to have something icy and cool, you jump at it. Puffin saw someone eating a mound of this shaved ice dessert from the street so we decided to check it out.

Farm House - Hong Kong

Knowing Someone Who Owns Something, etc.
Puffin's colleague's uncle owns this place, a Cantonese classy restaurant with a special meal that really got me excited. It doesn't look like much does it? A chicken drumstick with a bit of tin foil so your fingers don't get greasy. But, hang on, it's not all about skin-deep beauty, there is something special on the inside....

Tai Cheong Bakery - Hong Kong

Egg Custard Tarts - So Good, they Gotta Be Bad...
Wow! That is all I can say. These little suckers are truly addictive. I've had three or four since I arrived. Luckily for me I'm close to a branch of the famous Tai Cheong bakery, where I can load up whenever I feel like it. They're deceptively simple: eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and a bit of vanilla baked in a flour-based pie shell. They're best eaten right out of the oven - you can barely pick them up without their breaking into pieces.

Se Wong Yee - Hong Kong

Snake Soup and Liver Sausages Anyone?
I was promised roast goose, was hoping for roast goose and had a taste for roast goose. So, when we arrived and I learned that Se Wong Yee's signature dish is snake soup I felt torn. Not because I like snake soup but because I've never had it. Haven't had roast goose either. Coin toss! Ok, actually, it wasn't that close - I went for the goose. Sorry folks. I think I made the right choice, tastebuds-wise.

Lan Fong Yuen - Hong Kong

Birthplace of Pantyhose Milk Tea
We didn't intend to come here but the "racist chinese toast man" was closed due to holiday. More on him in a coming post. So, what's pantyhose milk tea? Well, the tea is strained through a long sock-like netting and mixed with milk. I'm a coffee guy so I didn't order one but I had a sip of Puffin's and it was pretty good. This place supposedly invented this way of brewing the tea, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Pesky Lil Sis's GF is giving the HK-style peace sign photo pose next to the bo lo yau (buttered pineapple bun.)

Tasty (IFC) Congee & Noodle Wontun Shop - Hong Kong

The HK Welcome Lunch
One of the nice things about being in Asia is not having to select or order food. Unlike Paris, where I have to translate and describe the menu, here in Hong Kong I lay back in the cut like a mafia don and have the Puffin take care of everything. Oh, and if I keep eating like I've been, I am going to be fat like a mafia don soon. Anyway, I will worry about that later, back to the food. I'd not tried Zha Liang before but man am I a convert! It's a fried dough cruller wrapped with wonton skin and dipped in soy sauce. A really nice contrast in texture and an instant "add to my global favorite food list."

Le Céleste Gourmand - Paris

This is Sichuan, Bitches!
Who comes to Paris and eats Chinese? Me, that's who. Forget that bland French food once in a while and take a walk on the spicy side. I talked three of my colleagues into it and they sweated their way to happiness. One is a doubting Indian who mopped his brow and smiled at me as he chewed. Top, for me, were these juicy chunks of chicken - maybe the juiciest chicken I've ever had. These were only mildy spicy, which was a good way to start off the night.

Bark - Brooklyn

Thanks for Wasting My Time!
Oh, and you owe me $4.25 as well, but I won't hold my breath! Dodomode, I don't know where my anger comes from - I wanted to bash in all the windows of this place. I was so damned hungry and their menu made me salivate - bacon, egg and cheese on a roll, side of hash browns! They were supposed to open at 9am, but nope, not open - still dark. I even waited for 15 minutes, nothing. Hello, guys - this is New York Fucking City, there are 700 other places I can get breakfast, ones that pay attention to the small details like opening on time!! A round-trip subway ride for this bullshit? I went right back to the Heights, back to my local deli, which is open 24 hrs a day and got a bacon, egg and cheese whipped up in 30 seconds. Locavore that!

Kuti's - Harlem

Middle East via West Africa?
The best meals are the ones that teach, take me out of my comfort zone a bit and taste great. Puffin, you remember Abdul from Korhogo, right? No? Perhaps if I remind you of the bacon-wrapped scallops that you called "orgasmic?" Yeah, well, he's back. He's opened a small take-out spot in Harlem named after Fela Kuti. They offer shawarma, West African style, and some other intriguing fare. Shawarma was brought by the Lebanese to West Africa and now Abdul's brought it to NY.