We could not quite recall the exact name of the street, so armed with only a vague sense of direction and very basic Cantonese vocabulary, we hopped into a taxi and instructed the cabby to take us to "the street in Tin Hau with lots of good food". Thankfully, the driver knew exactly where we were referring to ("Orrrhh Tsing Fung Gai?!?" he exclaimed) and we soon found ourselves back in front of Kin's Kitchen where we went last time.
We were tempted to go back to Kin's, for it was the classiest place on the strip, and we did have a very satisfying meal last time, but I persuaded S to go for the grottier but just as crowded place next door, just for a change. After all, the picture of the braised fatty pork in the window looked absolutely scrumptious, and in my book, one cannot go wrong with braised fatty pork!!
So this place we ended up at doesn't have an English name nor English menu, is at least as raucous as the loudest bar in Lan Kwai Fong, and looks like it needs a complete furnishing overhaul (think plastic stools and formica tables with bright white flourescent lights). In short, ambience wasn't really a selling point.
But heck, we were here for the food. And excellent food it was. We had that beautiful braised pork, which I initially thought was the southern version braised in soy, but it turned out to be the Shanghainese version braised in Zhejiang vinegar - tangy, sweet, salty and fatty all at once. We also had a very interesting century egg dish which consisted of a whole century egg wrapped in cuttlefish paste and then breaded, deepfried, sliced,and dipped in sweet chilli sauce. Sounds bizarre, but it is a great beer snack. We paired these with a palate-cleansing stir-fried garlic chives.
The most outstanding dish however, was to our great surprise, the frog and mushroom congee. Now we ordered this just as aside "by-the-way" kind of dish, in place of the usual white rice because we just didn't feel like rice today. Cantonese congee is, if you are unfamiliar with the dish, simply rice grains simmered in lots of stock with the said ingredients (pork, chicken, or frog in this case) until the grains break down, release their starch, and turn into a gooey mush. It is usually, as it sounds, quite bland, and most often served to convalescing patients. The congee that we had tonight was none of the above. It was absolutely, incredibly delicious, full-bodied and flavoursome, with the right silky texture that a good congee should have. It came with side helpings of sliced scallions, some minced preserved vegetable (THE secret ingredient i think!!), and crisps. I do actually believe it is the best congee I have had in a long time (possibly the best ever). Even S, who is usually not a big fan of congee, was asking for seconds.
It was a great meal, hearty and delicious, the best comfort Chinese food one can ask for. The best part was, for 4 dishes, 1 huge (1L) can of beer and a bottle of water, the bill came up to only HKD208 (SGD40, USD27)! Who says good food has to be expensive?
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