Hong Kong Diaries I: Hong Kong Gastronomy

Hello guys! Welcome to the first installment of my Hong Kong Diaries. In this first entry, I'll show you some of the restaurants I've been to, and the meals I ate during my vacation. Enjoy! :D

OOTOYA JAPANESE RESTAURANT (Nathan Road)

Ootoya is Imperial Hotel's resident restaurant. (the hotel we stayed in) Sorry, wasn't able to take pictures of the place. Ootoya is a Zen- inspired restaurant with a very ambient interior. It's nice, quiet, and the perfect place to go to if you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.

I ordered this Pork Tonkatsu- ish kind of dish, but the difference is, the meat and egg were immersed in broth. It can be eaten on its own, or with rice. It wasn't extraordinary, but good enough to keep me satisfied. Ootoya's meals are fairly priced. If you want a Japanese fix when you're in Nathan road, but you're too lazy to look for one, head over to Ootoya. It's right across iSqaure Mall.

THE CORNER CAFE (Main Street, Hong Kong Disneyland)

The Corner Cafe is HK Disneyland's resident restaurant. They serve good Western dishes and Mickey Mouse waffles!

You guys know how much I love vintage stuff and places, and this cafe really amazed me! It's so beautiful! This is the indoor area, which is very reminiscent of Victorian interior. The British influence is so strong in the place since HK was once under Great Britain.

And this is the outdoor area with air-conditioning. Those elaborate thick steel posts scream "Vintage"!

Free bread!

Main Street Platter- Deep- fried goodness! It has Buffalo wings, fries, and potato wedges.

Mickey Mouse waffle! It's so cute, I almost didn't eat it! It comes with a side of fresh berries and a scoop of Vanilla ice cream.

EMPIRE CITY ROASTED DUCK (3rd fl., K11 Mall, Mody Road, Hong Kong)

Perhaps it's my not-so-good HK food experience. We blindly went for Empire Roast Duck for lunch because we had to run back to the hotel to catch the bus going to Disneyland.

The interior is a thing of beauty but unfortunately, that beauty didn't live up to my expectations. The food is expensive, but the servings are pretty small and the selections are limited to Duck Meat because it's the restaurant's specialty. They also serve chicken, pork, and beef, but the dishes aren't that impressive.

Appetizer: A great way to make cucumber enjoyable. They made it garlicky and tangy!

Braised Tofu with Minced Meat- Too spicy for my liking, but the overall dish goes so well with rice.

Duck Meat with Celery- It's good if you love Duck, but not me. Biase aside, it's flavorful and good enough.

Chinese Fried Rice with Kidney, Ham, and Vegetables: Perhaps this is the highlight of our meal. It's so good, you can even eat it on its own.

Spicy Stir- Fried Beef: It's okay but not noteworthy.

Another bummer is, almost all of Empire Roast Duck's meals are spicy! Wish they would improve on their meal sizes and selections.

TSUI WAH RESTAURANT (Tsim Shat Shui, Hong Kong)

Tsui Wah Restaurant is one of Nathan Road's finest, not to mention one of Tsim Shat Shui's affordable authentic Chinese restaurants.

It truly is a hit, as you can see in the pics. At night, this place goes alive as shoppers from K11 and all over Nathan road flock to Tsui Wah to get their cheap and tasty Chinese food fix. Another reason why people love it here is because the service is effin' fast! AS IN! We only had to wait for 3 minutes for our orders! Awesome! :D

TIP: If you're not sure of what to get, go to the page of the menu with the TOP 10 food list for an overview of the restaurant's best- sellers. Here are 4 out of the top 10 best dishes:

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Malaysian Beef Curry (Best- seller)

Bun with condensed milk

Soup with fish and squid balls.

If you want to eat a hearty and hefty meal after wandering around Nathan road, drop by Tsui Wah. Great place, great food, and most especially, affordable! Tsui Wah is located near K11 mall. :D

TIP: A majority of the locals have limited English comprehension. So whenever you're ordering in a restaurant, it's better to order by making gestures, and point at the dishes you want to purchase, or else, the waiters will end up serving you the wrong meal!

Hope you like this entry! Upcoming entries: Hong Kong City attractions and Hong Kong fashion and beauty stores!