Dungeon Dining at its finest - Mott 32, Hong Kong

Finding Mott 32 in the base of the Standard Chartered building is a challenge.  The foyer is so brightly lit that it doesn't seem possible that it's the right place. Keep walking, up the stairs and veer to the left and there's a door.  It's not the door to the restaurant.  It's the door to a room that leads nowhere. But it will, eventually, lead to one of the best meals in Hong Kong. 

There's a lot of service.  Apparently, it takes three to move you from the mystery reception desk to the secret stairs. Down the elevator. Into a mirrored spiral staircase, down, down, down and then down some more. So down that you start to worry about making it back up again.

And then you emerge into a vault, perhaps the original vault of the bank.  It's spacious. It's full of nooks with pools of light over tables, and walls of bottles and art.

The char sui here is a must.  It's jamon iberico basted with the sticky marinade that is char sui but the fattiness of the meat delivers a just cooked pork, an evolution from the traditional warmed drier version. It falls off the fork. And the smell! Sweet. Smokey. Porkey. 

Shu Mai with lobster. 

Extraordinary tofu with pork floss.

A delicately balanced bowl of fish in chilli broth.

Drama, great food, and an impressive wine list.

Mott 32 - you delighted.

At the tip of Lantau Island is Tai O. A stilted fishing village often postcarded as Hong Kong's Venice, Tai O is at the end of the Bus Route 11. If you're lucky, one of Lantau's water buffalo will be shambling along waiting to welcome you through the hanging stench of the fish paste and dried fish that this community is famous for. (It's also famous for its pink dolphin tours.  The 40 minute boat ride is great fun but in all the years I've been doing the tour I have never ever not once seen any dolphins let alone a pink dolphin)

You arrive to narrowing lane ways with drying fish set out to bake in the sun. Tin roofs. Tin walls. Rooms open to the street full of women clacking majong tiles. Rice steaming in wide bamboo curves. 

Fish carcasses streaming down from the ceiling majestically. On a hot day, the stench is overwhelming. The shops, the homes, the displays clatter on top of each other, the sounds, the smells, the colours ricochet and reverberate. It's overpowering. Cats are everywhere, in control and well fed. Normally i succumb to the boat ride to "see" the famous white dolphins but in twenty years of 40 minute tours I have never seen one. Not to say that it's not a pleasant diversion but do it for the peace and quite not for the prospect of positive sighting.

Push through the stalls of drying fish and sesame sweets and salty plums, past the public toilets and to the left and follow the signs to the Tai O Heritage Hotel.

there's nothing like the waft of drying fish on a hot day to enliven the senses..

It's a longish walk on a hot day but it's worth it.  You pass tin shack after tin shack impossibly fashioned and supplemented with second stories and air conditioning and satellite tv. 

It was a stinking hot day and, after 20 mins of walking, it was well and truly time to be there. The Tai O Heritage Hotel is on the point, away from the fluster of the fishing village. Set on the hill, overlooking the harbour, the former police station provided a crucial vantage point for authorities trying (vainly) to police wide-spread pirating.

It's a majestic, pillared building, speaking of the grandeur of extinguished days. Restored in 2009, the 9 room boutique hotel had so much potential in the conversion.  Alas,not realised but it is air conditioned and enthusiastic and the best culinary choice in Tai O (but don't get too excited.  this is extremely basic food. but the wine and beer are cold,and the views are a welcome chance to sit back and survey).  

In short. Tai O is a must. Visit the Buddha and then escape the tourist trap to Tai O.  Unless you've bought your own food, Tai O Heritage Hotel is the best choice. Other options - catch a cab or bus to Mui Wo and eat there before catching a ferry back to Central or just hold your hunger and head back to Tung Chung as quickly as possibly before heading back into the cacophony of central HK for the smorgasbord of food options that exist.


PS one of the most beautiful temples in Hong Kong is a cab ride away from Tai O. The Kwun Yam Temple, hidden in amongst the trees on the side of the steep hillsides of Lantau, is majestically, joyously exuberant. There are rarely more than 5 other visitors there and the opportunity to sit quietly and centre is always welcome.

foie gras, truffle oil and chocolate... hello heaven

it's a simple wooden cigar box.  two chocolate truffles. a single flake of salt sits on top, with a drizzle of olive oil brings helping each shine under the spot lit drama of Cataluyna in Hong Kong's Wan Chai. At just $3 aussie dollars for two "foie gras truffles" it seems to good to be true.

The foie gras has been whipped. It's rich but light, and heady with truffle oil.  The dark chocolate robe highlights the woodiness of the foie gras. It's decadent, it's deviance and it's a wonderful entrance to an amazing menu from a head chef who spent considerable time working in one of the best restaurants in the world, El Bulli.

It's post the lunch rush. The darkly wooded room is quiet. Staff emerge from their staff lunch.  The Bar is empty and prep is underway for a full dinner service but even with all of that the attention is persuasive.

Deconstructed olives burst like the best martini ever.

Ordered pressed squares of braised shoulder

Artichoke three ways - the confit artichoke cubes a stand out against the texture of fried shaved artichoke heart, smothered with creamy pureed artichoke.

Slow cooker tender octopus, a little overwhelmed by the aerated potato whip.

This is a place i will revisit.  It's moody with very fine service and I can't wait to see it in full swing

Shui Hu Ju - the big 3 (great food, ambiance, and price)

Just around the corner from where our previous favourite Hong Kong eatery used to nestle (the old Watermark aka Yi Jiang Nan with it's great pork dumplings, and jade), up the steep hill towards the dead end, on the left hand side, under a rustic carved plank with kanji, is Shui Hu Ju (68 Peel Street Central ph 2869 6927 ).

Yet another successful outreach from the very successful Aqua Group, Manager Elsa Wong (who was at Hutong when it first opened) is again working her magic.  It's dark, it's cosy, it's special.  And so is the food.

This is one of the few places we have EVER been able to find a vegetable dish called Jade.  Served here with ginger oil, it's a bit like an asparagus-flavoured melon.   It's fresh and the perfect starter.

 just by way of comparison, here's the original Yi Jiang Nan version

served with one of my favourite, artery clogging deliciousness, crispy skinned mutton.

Shui Hu Ju's is just as good, crunch through the crackling, into succulent braised meat (or enjoy it in a little pancake like Peking Duck)

The shredded beef tongue with scallions is salty, sweet, and spicy.  The earthiness of the beef tongue is offset by the crunch of the scallions and joy of coriander.

The pork and fennel dumplings are plump, served with soy and vinegar.

And, i do love the salty egg prawns, perfectly cooked and a wonderful waft when set down on the table.

 Another perfect night out!  Make sure you book ahead though - it's popular and you won't get through the door as a walk-in

ps tell Elsa LJ sent you ;)

A ferry trip to Cheung Sha Hong Kong getaway May 2010

 A ferry ride from the bustle of Hong Kong lies a wealth of experiences.  this is becoming a bit of a favourite.  Come out of the ferry once you land, past the bikes and around the corner til you come to buckets and tanks piled up under a tented restaurant.  Try not to look at the turtles (trying so hard to escape) and focus on the goodness that lies ahead.

excellent "clockles" in a black bean sauce

salt and pepper squid, tender and with a slight coffee taste but it works!

perfectly steamed broccoli with garlic

steamed fish with ginger and shallots which just falls apart it's so delicate and the soy and sesame dressing highlights the freshness

and then the fried rice - smokey, balanced, and perfect - so even though we're full, we find ourselves inexplicably piling up our bowls for more...

helped by a cold Tsing Dao (or 3)


All that for HKD400 - it's criminal

is this the best crab congee in hong kong? may 2010

 a last minute change of plans saw a client conference shift from Bangkok to Hong Kong!  not much time but this place came highly recommended from the good people at Langham (was thoroughly impressed by Tang Court btw).

It's in the shopping centre right above Mongkok MTR, adjoining the Langham, set in under the stairs in the most unlikely of places, but it's good, very very good.  People with determination in their eye, focused on nothing more than savouring. 

I wait, impatiently, as smells waft their enticing way promising tastebud heaven.  it arrives, whole crab shell, reassuring visible signs that yes, crab meat as well as shell is there.  i taste, i sigh, i am in heaven.