Hong Kong: A Whirlwind Affair, Part 3-1

Day 2: Central Hong Kong (Part 3-1)

Last Wednesday, I made an “impulse” trip to Hong Kong for the first time. What started out as my soul’s plea for new landscapes became a whirlwind adventure that opened my eyes, challenged old perspectives, and shifted personal paradigms. This is a 6-part story about my 4 days in the most densely populated city in the world.

The next morning, Rachel took me to Central Hong Kong. Seeing the market scene for the first time felt like I landed on the mother of all Chinatowns, the one that most all others I have depended on in the West were modeled after.

There was a sense of wonder that ran through my veins as I imbibed in my virginal experience of the market scene in Hong Kong. Everything from the stalls to store signs, atmospheric chatter to the sound of exhaust fans from nearby restaurants added to the magic of Chinese people selling and buying in a marketplace. I just couldn’t believe that it took me this long to come here, especially since I love Chinatowns!

I felt Chinese, I felt foreign. I felt like a half-cast banana being given a pass to explore my Chinese side and it switched my exploratory mode on. Though I would have loved to shop for groceries like a local, we were there for a specific reason and that is to have a typical Hong Kong breakfast at Lan Fong Yuen.

Lan Fong Yuen

Purported to be endorsed by Anthony Bourdain, Lan Fong Yuen‘s road from Dai Pai Dong (food stall) to shop lot is a story of blood, sweat and tears over 50 years.  Though you see the sign on the food stall behind me (in the main photo above), the unit we went to was the new shop; a few lots down from the original stall. 

Lo-Ting
Rachel insisted that I have Lan Fong Yuen’s signature Pork Chop ‘Lo-Ting,’ which is kind of like an Indomie on steroids, à la Hong Kong-style. This simple dish uses a base of instant ramen noodles that has been boiled, drained, and dressed with a fried pork chop, fried egg, some boiled carrots and a ginger-spring onion condiment. The pork chop was succulent and tender, and it went well with the noodles. This is not a bad dish to have once in a while though it isn’t something you would want to indulge in on an everyday basis if you’re health-conscious.

Chu Bao Bao & Condensed Milk Toast
What I really enjoyed at Lan Fong Yuen was the pork sandwich the locals call Chu Bao-Bao.

Chu Bao-Bao is a fusion burger made with a Chinese-style pork fillet sandwiched between a Western-style hamburger bun. The marinated meat which had a hint of five-spice was really juicy, flavorful, and tender to the bite. I’d say that it tastes like a Sino-cized steak sandwich but it is not so ethnic that non-Chinese people would find difficult to accept. That said the tenderized pork is definitely characteristic of Chinese attitudes toward meat so if you like yours tender, you would appreciate the extra work that has gone into the treatment of the meat.

To complete our spread, we added hot lemon tea and a condensed milk bun toast. Though the latter sounds unconventional, it made me go “mmmmmm.” I think it helped that the texture of the hot toasted bun was like a round version of a really “crispy-on-the-outside” and “chewy-on-the-inside” baguette from Paris.

Bastard-Jazzing the Right Way
What was really eye-opening about this experience is how unafraid Hong Kong food operators are in bastardizing favorite foods from other cultures (i.e. Japanese ramen, French rolls, American buns). By reworking the originals into fusion combos, Lan Fong Yuen had created items that appeal best to the tastebuds of Hong Kong diners.

If there is anything to be learned from this outlet is that the taste vote doesn’t always go to cuisine purists but sometimes to those whose desperation to survive pushes them to invent tasty mongrels from the use of food items from other cultures. Perhaps this may serve as a light at the end of the tunnel when you run out of ideas?

For a good brekkie in Hong Kong, go to:-

Lan Fong Yuen
Gage St. 2, Gage St, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 2544-3895
Hours: 7am-6pm

Still to come is a kitty with an unknown fate, the best egg tart in Hong Kong, a Michelin-star lunch, and an exotic dish from my nightmare…

The next half of Part 3 will be published at 11am, Fri 27th Nov 2009.