Malaymama

> Location : Shop 11A, Mercer Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Malaysian noodles
> Tel. # : (852) 2542-4111
> Website : http://www.malaymama.com/

Malaymama is hidden in the alleys of sheung wan , very near the grand millennium plaza where fitness first is. voted as the best laksa and prawn mee by "eat and travel weekly," malaymama provides not just those two malaysian highlight, but also kon loh mee, ipoh ho fun, klang bak hut teh, different types of vegetables, side dishes, drinks and even toast. pricing wise, this place is no joke. ranging from $23 hkd to $55 hkd for the main dishes, it really isn't a lot for something that is rated the best laksa and prawn in hong kong by a magazine!

so here's the question for some people who are asking: what is laksa? well, laksa is an infamous spicy noodle soup from the peranakan culture. check out wikipedia for a definition of what peranakan is. so malaysian laksa is actually malaysian and chinese cooking style mixed together. laksa is not only famous in malaysia but also in singapore. the word laksa itself actually means "many," referring to the dishes usage of various ingredients. laksa comes in two forms. the first is the more popular type which is curry soup base and the second is a sour fish soup base.

okay, so what did simon had at malaymama? i had #6 the "traditional laksa" ($35 hkd). this laksa dish contains chicken slices, prawns and tau pok which is essentially fried bean curd tofu. you have the choice of egg noodles or rice vermicelli. the most popular way of eating this laksa is requesting them to use both at the same time! other ingredients that are in the dish not mentioned in the menu are eggplants and bean sprouts. the soup is just superb! it is slightly spicy therefore it won't make you think about how hot it is and not be able to concentrate on the flavors. the soup is the curry base laksa so every bite of noodle and soup is full of sweet curry aroma and taste! the soup reminds me of thai panang curry and i believe it might be something similar to it. you must remember, although we're talking about curry here, the soup is still liquid and not slightly thick or anything. it's really neat eating both noodles at once. you bite into a thiner noodle in vermicelli and a thicker noodle in egg noddles. it's a unique sensation in your mouth along with the delicious curry soup. simply excellent! i concur with the magazine until further experiences with other malaysian laksa!

the next dish is the bak kut teh in ho fun. ho fun is a flat and soft type of white noodles. it has a slick texture to it. the main highlight of this dish is the pork spare ribs. the dish also contains tau pok. the soup of the dish has a light yet define taste to it. the soup tastes like the pork spare ribs, a light sweet flavor. this dish definitely is the reverse of the laksa soup. the taste isn't as strong but still very good in its own way. on the side, a small plate of thick sweet soy sauce with red pepper is given for the dipping of the spare ribs. this helps heighten the flavor of this whole experience. good dish if you want a lighter and more refreshing meal.

lastly, i ordered the day's special appetizer! it is the curry beef brisket. the dish comes with bean sprouts, potatoes and of course your beef brisket in curry. the curry is a heavy type of curry (i know it is some type of chinese curry usually use for beef). the curry is slightly spicy and strong in curry flavor. the beef brisket is nice and soft and not too much fat. this is a very heavy, kinda oily dish but the combination of the two is just undeniable. extremely tasty if they had rice!

before i end this, lets talk about structure of the place. malaymama a smaller type of restaurant. holding about 20-30 people max. the kitchen is wide open and you can clearly see it. the service is helpful and friendly overall. i definitely fell in love with the laksa! if you're in hong kong, you must try this place! anyhow, what's my verdict? well, lets see, with what i had so far...

< 4 1/2 out of 5 >

Jack's Terrazza Ristorante

> Location : Shop 8, 1/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Rd.,
Sanlitun, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Italian
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

Located within the sanlitun (name of a a place with all sorts of restaurants circling causeway centre), jack's terrazza ristorante serves a full line of italian cuisine. before i go on, i would like to add also that jack's will have another location opening at soho east soon! so this meal i'm having is right after going to yat tung heen which is really close by, haha. so i won't be commenting on anything too big this time =( what i'll be reviewing today from jack's is their spinach salad and the lumache alla terrazza.

so jack's spinach salad contains pears, walnuts, onions and honey mustard vinaigrette as the dressing served in a stylist round and clear plate. the dressing is slightly sour since it's vinaigrette, however, the touch of honey mustard flavor along with the pears makes this whole salad a great blend! the walnuts on the side gives your mouth something crunchy to bite into which also helps neutralize any heighten sweet and sour flavors from the salad. the same goes with the onions. a good salad overall. other salads i recall are insalata caprese which is a tomato and mozzarella cheese salad and also the greek salad.

next, i ordered the lumache alla terrazza as a snack. lumache alla terrazza in italian, literally means "snails to the terrace." knowing this, i bet you can pretty much guess the restaurant name's translation! yes, it means jack's terrace restaurant, haha. this is supposedly one of their highlight appetizer. the dish comes with a half dozen of snails sauteed with white wine, artichokes, tomatoes and black olives. finished with fine herbs and garlic butter on top. the sauce reminds you of pasta with red sauce. however, all the extra ingredients such as the white wine and artichokes gives the sauce an extra "kick." mixing this with the snails or as most americans would call it, escargot, makes it taste pretty interesting. the escargot reminds you of swiss brown mushrooms that's cooked for a long time. they're pretty big in size unlike the small type and already out of the shell. the escargots are easy to bite into and slightly rubbery like. this is one of those delicacy dishes that most will need to get use to. yet with the delicious red sauce, it doesn't take long!

still a lot i need to try like i say with every place, haha. let me point out a few other things besides food. the decoration and style of the place is pretty neat. a lot of paintings are hung on the wall. there are even some that are sticking out with moveable parts to it. the most eye catching thing has to be the seats right next to the window. the seat (fits like 2 to 3) are held up high with ropes. so basically, it's like a swing from a playground! there are two sets of these things at the restaurant. there's also outside seating area very much like most of the sanlitun restaurants. lastly i want to mention, jack's terrazza ristorante's menu is what i'm talking about in the lanna thai review. using the cuisine's native language and official name/terms instead of simply words describing the dish, it gives that extra appeal and sense of adventure to the reader. maybe it's just me, but how about you? ^^; anyhow, to conclude this, for now with what i've tasted so far, i give this place...

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Yat Tung Heen

> Location : 2/F, Great Eagle Centre, 23 Harbour Rd.,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Canton, Shun Tak (Chinese)
> Tel. # : (852) 2878-1212
> Website : N/A

Yat tung heen is located very near hong kong convention center. it has a second location in kowloon at eaton hotel. yat tung heen at wan chai is a fairly big chinese restaurant with great service. next time you go to the wan chai chain, look for "peter." he's a great guy if you get to know him and he provides excellent service. my primary purpose of this review is to talk about the "purple clay" dishes served here. before i rant on and on, here's yat tung heen's description of what "purple clay" is:

"Purple Clay, pronounced as "Zi Sha" in Mandarin, has been using in China for thousands of years. Cooking in Purple Clay cookware can help to minimize the fat in food, reduce cholesterol content, and has wonderful effects on health. It also enchances the delicate flavor and original taste of food and soup. To satisfy the discerning taste of food connoisseurs, Yat Tung Heen is pleased to deliver tempting and healthy "Zi Sha" dishes."

ultimately, zi sha is a type of clay made into various things here in china from tea pots to cooking pots. here at yat tung heen, they have a full menu of zi sha items for you to choose from! they have purple clay casserole dish, double-boiled soup, casserole rice, and casserole seasonal vegetables all in purple clay pots. each section of the menu provide about 3 to 5 items for you to choose from. i'm a fan of potted rice so i went with the "chicken and black mushrooms with rice in purple clay casserole." besides the obvious from the title, the top of the dish has several green onion ends. on the side like most potted rice dishes, sweet soy sauce is provided to mix in with the white rice.

taste wise, the chicken is nice and tender (the skin is attached). the black mushroom is nice and juicy. these two things were strong in taste and were nice and lean. not very oily overall. i guess the purple clay really works eh? the rice inside is nice and hot with the rice sticking to the pot harden (which is normal). this is very much like korean tofu. the rice on the bottom of the stone pot is harden due to the extreme heat. in literal cantonese translation, this is called "rice fried" or "rice burnt." or just say "rice" and "banana" in cantonese and it's exactly the same, haha. this part of the rice is very good because it's slightly crispy and you can dip it into the sweet soy sauce or even come chili sauce. usually, it isn't the most healthy thing to eat anything too fried or burnt, however, it's good once in awhile!

if you actually go, i would like to recommend lettuce with preserved shrimp sauce in the purple clay menu. served in a burning hot pot, the lettuce and the sauce is still sizzling when it came. the aroma fills the area and just captures you. shrimp sauce has a salty flavor to it but a very unique one like bean curd paste. the lettuce with the sauce is very tasty with every bite. this is best with more rice! to me, it tastes better when it's hot and still sizzling because the sauce's flavor is heighten. this is the same type of shrimp sauce used in stir fried morning glory in chinese or even thai cuisine. besides preserved shrimp sauce, you can choose from belachan sauce or xo sauce to go with the lettuce. other available vegetables from that menu includes white cabbage shoots and kale.

yat tung heen is a good chinese restaurant with a lot of specialities to choose from. they also have a seperate menu for their shun tak, maindland china dishes. is shun tak the same as shun de? that's correct! shun tak is basically the cantonese pronouciation and shun de is mandarin. anyhow, i've had a good amount of experiences here in yat tung heen from their dim sum to their speciality items to their regular dishes. they're all overall done consistently good. so if you're ever in the area wan chai area and want chinese cuisine, go check them out!

< 4 out of 5 >

Ho Ho Congee & Noodle

> Location : G/F, Two Chinachem Plaza, Central, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Chinese style congee, nice, noodle
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

Throughout hong kong, there are a lot of these "hole in the wall" restaurants which serves simple rice, congee and noodle dishes. when we say "hole in the wall," it means the place isn't very big or fancy and sometimes it doesn't look very comfortable to sit at because it seems unclean. yet, if you visit the right places, these "hole in the wall" places can be extremely good! if you think about it, not everybody wants to cramp into a small place to eat or some just simply don't feel comfortable with these places. so this is where ho ho congee & noodle comes in. having multiple locations in hong kong, ho ho serves the same rice, congee and noodle dishes as a lot of the "hole in the wall" places without the unpleasant atmosphere. built to run like the fairwood restaurant chain, ho ho is designed to serve simple, good, fast yet cheap meals. ranging around $20 hkd to $40 hkd for set meals, it really is a good deal if you don't mind about having the best quality and quantity. seriously speaking, first timers wouldn't even get the fast food chain feeling when you enter this place (the central store). the style and decoration of the restaurant is done nicely for a place that sells cheap food. so okay, enough with all the random stuff, so what's the food like?

so it was lunch time on a weekday in busy central district. most 9 to 5 empolyees are rushing to eat there lunch on their very limited lunch break. so much work and so hungry, you want to get the most yet get the most out of your money. so you would go with the set meal that comes with a drink, a plate of vegetable of your choice with regular fish balls and pre-fried fish balls and of course choice of you congee, noodle or rice dish for about $45 hkd. here's the kick, anytime starting 12 pm (my apologies, i'm not 100% certain if it's before or after 12 pm, so please check if you actually go!) if you can sit down, eat your meal and get the heck out within 15 minutes, they will reduce the cost down to the amount of the main dish you ordered (congee, rice, noodle which ranges around the 20's). so you save like $20 bucks! that's like $2 dollar something in the states. not much, but hey! you can get like 4 apple pies at micky dees with that! =)

okay okay! onto tasting. i went with one of their popular rice dish which is the salty fish and meat pie with rice. you get about two small pices of salty fish and yes, they are salty, haha. usually, salty fish (it's not a type of fish if you are clueless but basically it's fish prepared in such a way it becomes dry and salty) is a compliment to congee and even used in fried rice and pot dishes. in our case, it compliments with the white rice because it is a contrast to it (saltiness helps the bland flavor of rice). as for the meat pie, they used pork to make literally a pie that fits the whole bowl. within it i also tasted some squid. this meat pie is strong in flavor holding a somewhat sharp saltiness to it. of course it is not as salty as the salty fish, but for good amounts of asia people, this can be very salty already. however, to balance things out, they also give you some sweet soy sauce which helps balance out the saltiness a little bit. the sauce is mainly for you to pour and mix in with the white rice. this is common with potted rice dishes here in hong kong. ultimately, the sweet soy sauce and the salty fish does the job with hightlighting their respective flavors. i don't think the meat pie needs to be marinaded too much. just make it slightly milder for a more balanced taste. lastly, out of three types of vegetables, i picked morning glory. it's pretty much bland in taste. i'm sure it's boiled in some type of light broth and that's about it. on the side, fish balls are served to give the simple dish some flavoring.

lastly, i ordered a deep fried fish ball. it is different from the ones i mentiond above because it has a lot more ingredients in each ball. the dish comes with an oyster dipping sauce. yes, sodium high isn't over yet, haha. the sauce is pretty salty but that's normal for a sauce like this. the fried fish balls had a pretty nice flavor to it and with this sauce, i think it is just a tad bit overboard.

anyways, places like this isn't design for top notch quality. like i said before, it's basically like most fast food in america, where it's cheap, fast and good enough for you to swallow. like i mention plenty of times, every remark i make can differ each and everyday. restaurants like probably don't have that consistency with every minor detail. so if one day it's negative, the next could be positive. plus, so much more on the menu i need to try! but for now, with what i've tried so far, i give it a...

< 3 out of 5 >

Lanna Thai

> Location : Shop # 1101, 11/F, Times Square, 1 Mantheson St.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Thai
> Tel. # : (852) 2506-3303
> Website : N/A

Wow simon, thai cuisine again? haha. well, i wanted to try this neat place where they serve malaysian food and you eat it on a banana leaf. however, my brother brought up this new thai restaurant inside times square so i decided on that! wow simon, still, it's thai! see, the thing is, this place only opened for like about 2 months and hell, i haven't found any english friendly reviews online of it, so i have to be the first one to put one up!

lanna thai is located within times square on the 11th floor. yes, one above modern china restaurant! speaking of "modern," when you first enter lanna thai, the decoration is especially modern yet you get this very high class feeling as you walk to your seat. the atmosphere is slightly dimmed with different colored lighting on certain walls giving it a very layback mood. high class indeed, the menu tells you that this place isn't particularly cheap. here's a good comparison. their appetizer costs just as much as a regular dish at most standard chinese restaurant. about ranging around $60 to $80 hkd. their entrees are around $100 (some are a bit less) all the way up to $200 hkd so. usually cost justifies the quality and at this place, it definitely does that! yes, the cliche, "you get what you pay for" comes to mind. food wise, the following on the different sections of the menu: grill, sharkfin and soup, meat and poultry, seafood, curry, vegetable, noodle, rice, salad and dessert.

first up, hey what's new? haha, it's tom yum kong with chicken (this place spells it with the "k" and some places use "g"). the last three thai places, the menu only indicated with prawn and this place, you had the choice of both! tired of prawns, i went back to the old fashion chicken tom yum kong. one thing i must say is, the waitress' will warn you with specific orders, that the item is originally spicy unless request to lighten the spiciness. this place's "normal" spiciness is hotter than the last three places i went to (thai simple kitchen, chili n spice, cafe siam). it's not too bad if you eat spicy stuff once in awhile. for people who don't too often, it will be somewhat difficult. so request them to lighten it if you can't take the heat! besides the replacement of prawns with chicken, the ingredients within the tom yum kong are pretty much the same. the one thing that was different from what i usually experience is the addition of bean sprouts. it makes the soup more crowded but i don't think it does much to the taste. essentially, an additional vegetable for you to eat. soup wise, spicy as i've hinted. it doesn't seem to be very sour. perhaps the extra spiciness neutralizes your senses to make you think it isn't too sour. still, you can definitely pick up the sourness from the lemon juice and lemon grass. the chicken was nice and soft, easy to eat. this tom yum kong definitely has its own unique position from the other reviews i've done. these exceptions are rather hard to explain until you really try it yourself! $48 hkd for chicken per person and $52 hkd for prawn per person.

next up, we have the green papaya & beef strip salad with chilli & fresh coriander ($75 hkd). this thai papaya salad is like a fusion between thai beef salad and thai papaya salad. one thing that catches your attention is the rawness of the slides of beef. seemingly not cooked long enough, the beef is about medium rare or about a tiny bit less and just cooked just right. it has the roasted flavor to it which is really good. fried wanton strips (the like) is added giving this salad a chinese chicken salad look to it. with lettuce as the base, the green papaya is set on top of. the papaya is very crisp and fresh. the sour, slight sweetness from the lime juice and fish sauce (fish sauce is added in a lot of these sour tasting thai dishes) within the green papaya along with the roasted sensation of the beef with the crispy fried strips give every bite a mouthful of sensation. forgetting to mention, crushed peanuts are also spread slightly into the salad giving another thing for your mouth to register. an extremely well put combination. it is not your usual thai papaya salad with carrot strips and cherry tomatoes (the traditional version can be ordered), but it is still a very well done dish!

satay chicken! no, i lied. haha. but it's a fusion dish up next. hai nan chicken in bangkok style ($128 hkd). so basically, hai nan chicken is a malaysian highlight. it is steamed chicken served with chili or grinded ginger and onion oil sauce along with rice that is cooked with garlic, oil (or chicken fat) and some chicken broth. definitely a simple yet really good experience. so what's different with bangkok style? according to the waitress, the chicken is spiced with thai style ingredients and on the side, served with this sour and spicy sauce. usually, hai nan chicken steamed is a pale yellowish texture on the skin. lanna thai's bangkok style holds a golden brown texture on the skin most likely due to its marinade and spices. the taste difference is that, i think the bangkok style has more define taste to it and not extremely dependent on the chili or ginger sauce in malaysian style. along with the spicy and sour sauce provided, lanna thai's hai nan chicken was definitely very unique. i think this dish is a good twist but not superb. the chicken itself was done very well, holding a tender texture. cucumber and red pepper base/decoration was used along with some side lettuce garnishes. overall, the tenderness of the chicken, the more define taste due to the spcies along with a hot and sour sauce makes this dish a definite order choice.

you can't leave a thai place until you have some sauteed thai vegetables! i got a good kick out of thai baby cabbage from chili n spice last time so i had to go with more cabbages this time! at lanna's, they didn't have any baby cabbage. however, their cabbage still isn't huge and not too far from baby size. one of the cabbage dish they have is the sauteed bamboo fungus, mixed mushrooms & cabbage sprout ($85 hkd). like always, you get the usual thai sauteed vegetable flavor like with morning glory. however, this particular dish is designed to be more light and refreshing so the sauteed flavor isn't as strong but still noticeable. usual sauteed flavors come with shrimp paste or bean curb paste so it's more salty. in the end, this is a standout dish from all the spicy, sour and sweet flavors.

last but not least, is my favorite dish next to the papaya salad dish. cod fish with red curry ($118 hkd). of course not just curry and fish, there's also red and green bell pepper, onions, thai green eggplants and squash along with some spices that look like vegetables, but are just there for the taste and looks. just a little additional information, when you think eggplants, it isn't just the long purple looking vege. egg plants also come in small round shapes like a golf ball! thai green eggplants is a green and golf ball size vege. sorta reminds you of a cherry tomato but green. anyways! there's about three good size cod's in this dish so don't worry about the lack of meat in this dish, heh. the red curry is nice and rich holding a very pleasant sweet taste. the dish isn't as spicy as the other ones i mentioned, just having a mild spiciness to it. if you've eaten cod fish before, you know it's really hard to cook it wrong. cod fish has a very easy to bite into texture in short or longer cooking time and usually holds a very distinct taste even with little marinade before cooking. due to the eating friendly nature of this fish along with the rich and tasty red curry, these two things end up going hand in hand making this a very wonderful and visual friendly dish (colorful, contrast). definitely three thumbs up if i had a third thumb. haha.

so finally, the end of this review! let me take a breather now, haha. before i give a score, i also want to mention about service. the waitress' and waiters were overall very helpful. the manager that night was also very helpful with various random questions i asked him about the restaurant. price wise, i must say it's not cheap. the taste, decoration, presentation of the dishes does justify the price for the most part. i just believe if you pick the right places, you can probably find matching quality dishes for a cheaper price. chances of doing so are probably slim and even if you do, not every dish you order can be as consistent as a place like lanna thai. one thing i want to bring to light is that, a lot of thai restaurants i go to around hong kong don't use the official thai name for some of the dishes. i mean, i understand it is hard to know what exactly it is if you've never ordered it before or don't read the language. however, you can always put the description right below it to clarify things. it is more friendly to experienced and native people to the cuisine and also adds an informative/intriguing look to the menu for first timers and such. on the side, i also got one of their desserts. it's a coconut jelly dessert which comes in six pieces. not much i can say beisdes that, it's a nice addition to the lineup! anyhow, so what's my final take?

< 4 1/2 out of 5 >