Jackie Miao

DAY 4 – Causeway Bay

This is the fifth part of a series of stories about my four days in Hong Kong.

After the night of boozing at Lan Kwai Fong and meeting some nice people, I headed back to Rachel’s, ate a big bowl of Korean noodles she made for me and slept and slept and slept (till 7pm)! We headed to Causeway Bay later, where for the first time I got to feel what it means to be in the densest city in the world!

Causeway Bay on that Saturday night was horrifically crowded. It was like jumping into an ocean of ants and hoping you don’t accidentally breathe in when a creature with halitosis exhales two inches from your face. It makes Oxford Circus look like a walk in the park.

Human-congestion!

I felt my hungover self being swallowed by the vastness that is Hong Kong Island’s shopping district and it made me grateful for the space we have in Malaysia. It made me question why I even sigh about waiting for elevators that are relatively empty, but most of all it made me admire the people of Hong Kong! Imagine the time they waste just queuing up, waiting for, and walking from point A to B. I wonder how they have time for anything, but they do!

It is such a luxury for Sabahans to be able to park 10 meters away from our destination and complain that we have to walk anywhere. Rachel and I had to get in the queue for 10-15 minutes to take the elevator up to the top floor of Sogo. Just trying to pay for things at Sogo was a challenge, though thankfully the salesgirl who was helping me extended some value-added service to get me to commit to a purchase. When I got what I needed from Sogo, we headed to SML for dinner!

Looking and feeling rough

SML Restaurant

Since we’ve been having Cantonese food for 3 days straight, Rachel suggested SML for a change. We had to queue in a folding row which was at least 5 folds long just to take the elevator up to the restaurant level! Being in the midst of so many people made me feel really tiny. I felt short because I couldn’t see anything but faces unless I tip-toed. There were just so many people!

When we finally made it up to the entrance of the restaurant, thankfully we didn’t have to wait to get a table. When we settled down, Rachel proceeds to explain to me what SML means. She tells me that everything on the menu comes in three sizes; S,M or L! That means that whatever it is that I feel like eating, I can either enjoy it as an appetizer, a portioned meal or a full-on feast platter. I was feeling like a hungover brat who needed variety to offset the headache and so we went on an ordering spree of S-sized dishes.

Below is a photo-diary of what we had:-

We started with a Rocket Salad dressed with Balsamic Vinaigrette, topped with a shaved hard cheese. While the salad came together nicely and was very flavorful, both of us felt that the vinaigrette was a bit overpowering. I’d order it again because I like rocket, but I’d ask for them to go easy on the vinaigrette.

Next up, we had some raw fish! I love seared sashimi. You get the best of both worlds; the raw that’s been teased with the cooked! I apologize for labeling the sauce Balsamic in the photo but that’s what I thought it was at the time. It might have just been Ponzu or something like it. This was fresh, decent and lovely for a mid-range type sashimi but definitely not a contender for The Best Sashimi Awards. The raw ham and salami silenced the little demon inside who was screaming for some decent Serrano since I left Madrid. I really loved it!

We also had Oxtail Risotto. This was hearty, full of flavor and really delicious! The cod on the other hand was edible but doesn’t do the fish justice. When I think of black cod I think of Ubon/Nobu’s (London) Miso-marinated preparation. Taste aside, the cod at SML was overcooked because the texture was rather dry. Not an interesting dish unfortunately; taste and texture!

We also had a slice of Grilled Pork Belly on a bed of creamed red cabbage. The wine-reduction gravy was tasty but I have to say (and I’m not speaking from a biased perspective), the taste and texture of the pork itself was rubbish compared to the Slow Oven-roasted Organic Pork that we sweat in the oven for 3 hours at Stone Bridge Galley. Process! Process! Rachel and I loved the U.S. beef strips of steak and you can taste that the fries were not fried in 3-day old trans-fat (a good thing!)

I really enjoyed the meal even though two out of seven dishes disappointed! For HKD $400 we got a lot more variety than the lunch at Yung Kee! After a very heavy night on Friday, we stayed in on Saturday night.

Here’s how to get your sizes on a plate:-

SML
11th Floor, Times Square,
Causeway Bay, Hongkong.
Tel: 852 2577 3444
Website: http://www.smlrestaurants.com
Hours: 11.30am to 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday; and 11.30am to 12.30am on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays.
Source: BusinessTraveller.com

Join me tomorrow morning (Wed, 9th Dec 2009) for Dim Sum, as I wrap up my trip in Hong Kong.