The last night we were in Hong Kong we saw the light show (quite overrated) and took a couple pictures by the Science Center and on Nathan Road. Even though we spent only a few days in Hong Kong, it was so much fun and made me realize that 1. I am a lucky girl to travel all over the place and 2. I have a great travel companion and partner, Taro. The whole entire trip, Japan and Hong Kong, was everything that I could expect it to be and I hope that one day, very soon, we can do it all over again. It is goodbye for now – a world that seems so far and in a dream – but I know we will be back soon…
Before we left Hong Kong, I really wanted to have squab, which I am a huge fan of. I could only remember one place that had it and luckily, it wasn’t too far from our hotel and it was open late. When we reached the restaurant (sadly I cannot remember the name), I then remembered how I wanted to try their egg tarts when I ate here with my mom, but was not able to because they sold out. I made a huge mistake again and instead of snatching the few that were left outside, I waited until the end of dinner and they were ALL GONE. I was so sad – thwarted again by the infamous egg tarts! Despite not trying one, Taro and I instead decided to try the crispy bun.
What is a crispy bun? Essentially it is just a piece of sweet bread cut in half with butter and condensed milk on top. It was disgustingly good. It was warm, buttery, and crunchy on the outside with the soft goodness of the inner part of the bread. At first I thought Taro would think it was just plain fattening and excessive, but he loved it. He enjoyed it so much that we ordered another one. This time it had butter, condensed milk, and peanut butter. We demolished it – and were really curious to see what the other versions of the crispy buns tasted like, but we just could not do it. I could feel the pounds adding up and was thankful that we had to walk back to our hotel.
The crispy bun was a treat, but next time…portuguese egg tart!
When I got back from Hong Kong (the trip I took with my mom), people would ask me about the food and whether it was like Monterey Park. I would immediately say no, but for the most part I could tell most did not believe me. There is something different about food in Hong Kong, but I have to say that San Gabriel Valley really provides an array of Asian cuisine and it comes close…yet Hong Kong is still better. Even Taro didn’t quite believe me and I was quite sure that dim sum overseas surpassed restaurants close to home. The closest I have come to finding a stellar dim sum place was Triumphal Palace, now known as Lunasia Chinese Cuisine, in Alhambra (which I have not gone to since the name change). There are no carts and you order off a menu; the food seems to taste fresher and the quality is just that notch more. So I had to show Taro that Hong Kong is a place to eat and to get great dim sum.
I figured the best place to go was the dim sum restaurant my mom took me to. I had to dig back in my brain and trace the steps – literally, the steps from the hotel my mom and I stayed at and recalling the landmarks because that is how I find my way around sometimes – and I also used the power of the internet. By some magic, I was able to recall nearly everything – One Peking and the way there. However, I could not recall the name of the restaurant so Taro and I went to every single one and I poked my head out of the elevator. However, I then realized the restaurant changed! Isn’t that so typical of an Asian restaurant? One minute it is…oh, let’s say, Triumphal Palace, and the next it is…Lunasia! Despite the name change, we decided to try the restaurant (which was on the same floor as the one my mom and I went to) anyways.
The view from Prince Restaurant is great because you can see the bay, the buildings on Hong Kong Island, and the cargo ships and boats that pass by. You can witness the start of the day and the busy city life of Hong Kong. This is just one aspect of Prince Restaurant that stands out. The most important element, though, is their food. The dim sum was nothing short of superb; everything was just so fresh and cooked perfectly. Both Taro and I thought the har gow, sui mai, char sui bao (barbeque pork in a steamed bun), beef cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) and fried lo bak goh (turnip) were one of the best that we have had – and really just that notch above the rest.
I was bummed that I did not have room for don tot (egg custard tart). Regardless, we both thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Prince Restaurant and hopefully, when we return back to Hong Kong, it will still be there…or perhaps a restaurant equal to it.
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