Cafe de Hong Kong: A Piece of Hong Kong in Balestier
Double Braised Winter Melon Soup $70 (preorder)
Our Makan Kakis are a passionate lot. When they find something good to eat, they go crazy and start organizing dinners for all the other kakis to share in their latest find. When I say crazy, I mean visiting the same restaurant 4 times in week, crazy. This kind of thing does not happen all that often but when it does, it usually means that a visit to the restaurant is in order.
Don't be misled by the name of the Restaurant. This is not just another Hong Kong Cafe. They do sell very good French Toast and I am told by Liverpool that their Tomato Baked Pork Chop Rice is about the best there is around. But if you just came here for those items, you'd miss out on some pretty authentic Hong Kong cuisine. The restaurant is run by Hong Konger, Francis who did start out with the Hong Kong cafe concept. But soon they found that they were attracting more families looking for dinner type menus. So it has become more like a little Hong Kong Kitchen rather than a Cafe.
When I think of authentic Hong Kong cuisine, the Double Braised Winter Melon Soup always comes to mind. My sister-in-law's family is from Hong Kong and whenever we visit them in Sydney, her mom would inevitably pre-order this from their favourite Chinese restaurant. As with a lot of prized Hong Kong dishes, this takes a long time to prepare as the soup needs to be slowly cooked in the melon for many hours. The result is a very sweet Cantonese style clear soup with a very soft flesh of the winter melon which is scooped out just before serving. 4.25/5
Nam Yu Crispy Roast Chicken $32 (preorder)
The one dish that all the kakis were raving about was the Roast Chicken which you also have to order one day in advance. The Nam Yu was a nice little twist over the more common five spice seasoning and I was told this was very popular in Hong Kong. It was perfectly cooked with the bone marrow was still bright red, but the flesh cooked through and very tender. I felt the skin could have been more crispy though. Instead of salt and pepper, it was served with a sweet and saltish Nam Yu dip which is very good, though I thought it would be nice to also have the salt and pepper dip which is what I was accustomed to. 4.5/5
Egg Wrapped Treasure Bag $5 per piece (preorder)
We Asians often spend many hours on labourious food preparation. Perhaps this is due to the cheap labour costs. I remember in Thailand, you even have ladies sitting around peeling the shell off the legs of the local mud crabs (legs not the pincers). They then serve these on a platter with a dip. I just couldn't stomach it as I thought about how they might use their teeth to crack open the legs before extracting the meat.
Anyway, this particular Egg Wrapped Treasure Bag is another labour intensive dish which I suspect might have been concocted by Chinese Chefs in the past impress the Emperor. I am telling you all this because I feel some dishes you eat for the taste and others you eat because it is unique and takes a lot of effort to make. I wouldn't say the taste of the dish is die die must try, it is good, but if you gave me the same stuff wrapped in ordinary crystal dumpling skin, I would have derived almost the same amount of taste satisfaction. The value add really is in the thought that the skin is made from just egg white with a bit of flour. 4/5
Lup Mei Fan $32
This is essentially Hong Kong style Claypot Rice with homemade Lup Cheong and preseved meats. I think most Singaporeans will say that they would like some salted fish and thick black sauce with the dish as this is the version we are accustomed to. The Lup Cheong is made by a Hong Kong chef who has specially flown into Singapore and is one of the best Lup Cheong I have tasted. It has a wonderful floral fragrance with the flavour of a sweet wine. The preserved pork belly was marvellous with the rice. 4/5
For those looking for a nice Lup Cheong, they are available at $30 per packet (600g)
Fa Chai with Dried Scallops $20 per portion (Photo shows 1.5 portion)
With CNY just round the corner, the restaurant has started preparing the traditional CNY dishes. The Fa Chai with dried scallops was very good, the scallops were huge and my M-I-L gave her left thumb of approval (She's left handed). 4.25/5
French Toast and Tea/Kopi set $4.50
If you are a fan of Hong Kong Cafe style food, you should check out their French Toast. It is very good. The bread is fluffy and the crust is thin and not soggy. One of the best that I have tried in Singapore. 4.5/5
Conclusion
You'll have to try it yourself to find out why the kakis are making it the restaurant of the month.
Read and see their photos here
Cafe de Hong Kong
586 Balestier Road
#01-01 Eastpac Building
S329898
62553865
jkcintl@yahoo.com.sg
11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 12mn
Closed on Mon (except on PH)
48 comments:
Certainly one of my favourite eateries and their name is totally a misnomer. Serves one of the best seafood fried rice around. Gotta try the lup mei fan soon
When Champagne (one of our makan kakis) first told me that the food at Cafe de Hong Kong was good, I was a bit skeptical as I had tried many Hong Kong cafes in Singapore but found the food to be mostly mediocre.
I happened to be around Balestier Road one day and popped by to have dinner there. The Supreme Tofu and Diced Seafood Fried Rice were very nice and left a deep impression.
The eagerness to try their other dishes there had lured me back time and again. Among the many dishes that I had tried there, my favourites are the Roast Chicken, Fortune Seafood Roll, Supreme Tofu, Steamed Bamboo Clams with Garlic, Kurobuta Pork Chop, Prawns with Superior Soy Sauce, Fried French Beans, Beef Bee Hoon with Black Bean Sauce, Diced Seafood Fried Rice and Baked Tomato & Cheese Rice with Pork Chop. The French Toast and HK Milk Tea were very nice too. Click the url below to view the photos that I have taken:
http://ieatishootipost.proboards50.com/index.cgi?board=foodtalk&action=display&thread=1029
Besides the yummy food, the good service of the friendly boss, Francis, and the cosy atmosphere of the place were the other reasons that brought me back.
ieat, the photo of the Egg Wrapped Treasure Bag was very well taken. Good shot!
Franis did say Lup Cheong will be sold out b/f CNY.
did you try the dessert there?
i always knew ijeff is a foodie monster....you dun see him tall tall fit fit slim slim handsome handsome(like cactus)....he is the person mentioned in the blog that goes there 4 times a week...
champagne is another one....thanks for organising the many makan sessions....
come to think of it....many of us are the same..ieat is right....mooohahaha
back to the food, i actually like their lup mei fan best. Its the closest to those found in hong kong, except it can do with a bit more "fan chiew".
you didnt feature their crocodile palm and lamb stew ?those are cooldudes favourite..makes you feel very sexy after eating.....
i do not find the food exceptionally good but i am impress that Francis and team are always willing to come out with new dishes, that alone is enough to bring me back....i like surprises :)
moooahhahahaha
Haha, wahcow, I also lost count how many times I have been there liao (may be Taukwa will know). I just went into the "cafe de hong kong" thread in the forum to do a count - OMG, 10 times in 1.5 months!! :P
We went there once and found the prices reasonable and the variety of food served is the kind you can almost eat everyday without getting jaded.
The stewed beef brisket was very well cooked such the meat was succulent and soft. The pieces of radish inside were very tasty, having absorbed the rich beefy flavours after long hours of cooking. The dish was served in a claypot wrapped in an outer layer of aluminium foil so that the dish stayed piping hot throughout the entire meal.
Even the simple brinjal with minced meat was superb. They have removed the brinjal's skin prior to cooking so that each piece is evenly stewed until it has that melt in the mouth texture. Besides the minced pork, I found some tiny pieces of salted fish in the gravy. No wonder it was so fragrant and tasty. This must be the best eggplant dish I have ever tasted.
Wahcow, you feel sexy after the lamb stew? I shall remember that if we ever dine together at Cafe de Hong Kong.
Had our family Christmas dinner there...see my blog report:
http://shiokhochiak.blogspot.com/2009/01/cafe-de-hong-kong-singapore.html
$70 for e double braised winter melon soup?? wat goes into e soup? abalone? sea cucumber? king prawns?
i've been there once wif e makan kakis rite after our dinner at siang hee e other time.. too bad din managed to try these dishes..
anyway, their food r ok lar.. i like their milk tea though.. very smooth..
ieat, how come all dishes come wif price except for fa chai with dried scallops?
based on e prices i see here, i feel tat e prices r too expensive for a location like balestier..
btw, francis' daughter is such a fantastic artist! those paintings on e wall r drawn by her! very talented gal! =)
Been there once but will be back to try more. I had the roasted chicken too. It was good but not the accompanying nam yu dip. Maybe they have modified the sauce after Champagne gave feedback to Francis.
I also find the melon soup expensive at $70.
ijeff, I have given up counting the number of times you have eaten there. I simply cannot catch up with your multiple visits.
Their seafood and fish roe fried rice are excellent.
The soup of the day, claypot tofu with fish slices,supreme tofu and seafood roll are worth trying too.
Would have love to have an English mustard dip with the roast chicken though :)
Yes I was also quite surprised that the winter melon soup was $70. I basically ordered the menu through the phone so did not know the price before. Would have thought it would be something like $40. But I guess for people who are used to ordering this particular soup, $70 might not be expensive considering the amount of work that goes into the preparation.
I think when we look at a dish, we always consider the price of the ingredients but not the labour cost that goes into preparing the dish.
yes, labor cost should be factored in certain dishes, i dun deny..
dishes like ayam buah keluak which is tedious to prepare.. i have no issue paying a slightly higher price (i'm beginning to like e dish! ;p)
but $70 for e "dong gua zhong" is definitely way too expensive.. unless there's "treasures" in it..
by "treasures", i meant marine produce like sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, etc..
Today is my 6th visit there since 3-4 weeks ago. Cannot match Ijeff's passion. Another satisfying meal I must say. Went with Toothfairy and his wife. They also enjoyed tremendously.
So what was good today Cactuskit? Anything else to recommend aside from the ones I already blogged?
70 bucks for winter melon soup ?? i never knew that....but it serves 10 comfortably..so i guess its ok. Wonder it the soup all comes in standard sizes....
yes, after lamb stew confirm become very sexy...watch out for my sexy lamb dance next time. you can ask cooldude and champagne also, he made many slurping sounds during and after.
but really, the lamb stew is nice. we know sometimes lamb has that overpowering smell ? over here, its done just nice and francis gave us something like lemongrass(am guessing, dunno what it is) for toppings. The dish is wonderfully transformed, really heighten the senses and bring out the flavours of the spices.
Hi All Forumers,
Thank you for your feedback.
For Wahcow : please let me know next time when you order the lup may fan, I will ask my chef to make more "fan chiew' for you.
Damien : I tried to look for english mustard in NTUC, but fail. Maybe I try other supermarket then. So next time you visit us, the enghish mustard will be served.
As for the Double Boiled Winter Melon Soup : The ingredients are : diced Seafood (prawn, scallop, crab meat), good grade fish maw,dried scallop and chinese ham. In additional, there are lot of time and effort we put into it.
Francis Mak
francis, u can try cold storage for english mustard. i'm sure they sell them
Hi Francis,
Good to see you here! Coleman's mustard will definitely be complimentary to your roasted chicken :)
Thank you khim and Damien.
By the way, if you have any dishes you like our restaurant to add on, please let me know. We'll try our best. Recently cooldude and 2 walkin customers ask for Braised Pomerol Skin with Prawn Roe. I have checked with my chef. It take a long and timing consuming preparation and a lot of hidden material cost to do it. Anyways we need your suggestion to start with.
Francis
Roast chicken with English mustard dip...interesting, must try next time
Do you do Salt Pepper Spare Ribs?
Ieat, those dishes I tried today all reviewed by Ijeff the Champ lah. Enjoyed the kurobuta pork chop and deep fried japanese oysters. Lots more to try. But I enjoyed the dried vegetable soup (菜干汤。 soup of the day) the other day.
Francis, your chef is a genius. Do explore more new dishes. Next time make new menu make sure take better pictures. ; )
Think $70 for the winter melon consomme is already quite reasonable, considering it serves one table and with surplus. The other time I had at another restaurant, it costed around there too.
The roast chicken is fantastic!
And yes, the lup mei fan can do with more "guo ba".
Will definitely return to try the other dishes. =)
the roasted chicken, chew the bone slightly tasty, but the meat part require slightly longer time to prepare, meat aka tasteless, or bone portion too tasty,
蒙古猪扒
Mongolian Pork Chop
picture look good, but actual too dry.
热杏仁露加银杏果
Hot Almond Paste With Gingko Nut
the ginko nut require cook longer, slightly too hard.
Hi,
Again thank you for your feedback.
I will take note of your comment. Certainly we need more quality control especially when we serve 7 tables together.
Currently we have salt and pepper pork chop but not spare rib.
Cactuskit, for sure I will look for you when I need to take photo on my dishes. Beware it will be soon! No excuse will be accepted!!!!
Francis Mak
yup will certainly go back for the baked rice! liverpooldarling enjoyed the hot almond paste with ginko nuts, the steamed fish with spicy sauce was good too!...must thank TTC for planning the menu for the makan session....
The roast chicken could have been crispier, I need to go back another time as he was serving 70 of us the other night! :)
How much is the salt and pepper pork chop?
Do you have black bean sauce beef hor fun?
I like a dish i tried in hongkong called tie ban tou fu sian yu ji ( hot plate tofu salt fish chicken) - tik pab tao fu ham yu gai.
Do you have a website to see your menu and pricing?
WOW Francis, nice to hear from you too.
I wud vote the best HKG cafe in Singapore and with the homely feel with your son's artistic drawings, it's certainly very a plus point. Cheryl and kids and all makes the difference as we get to know your family too. Well I will be back for more and I simply like the Baked Rice with Tomato and cheese. The chicken was superb and best of all Fish Skin was such a starter but I have been to this place in KL I simply forgotten which restaurant where they too have this in their menu for a cheap $5 but when you ask for it its not available. Lup Cheong still available? Best I have tried.
JENCOOKS
i agreed with khim, the food does seems expensive from what i see here. the cafe de hong kong name does makes me skeptical since i'm not a big fan of the-hong-kong-cafes in singapore. haha
Hi ladyironchef, that was the first impression I had when I first went there. However, my impression changed after trying the food there. This is not your typical Hong Kong cafes although they do serve very good Hong Kong cafes food like the Baked Tomato & Cheese Rice with Pork Chop and French Toast. It is more of a Hong Kong kitchen/restaurant serving very good Hong Kong cuisine as mentioned by ieat and the makan kakis here. Their roast chicken is one of the best I have tried to date.
Pricing is relative, it depends on what you are comparing with. If you compare to typical Hong Kong cafes or cze char, it does seem a bit expensive. However, if you compare to restaurants like Crystal Jade and Imperial Treasure Kitchen, I would say their pricing is pretty reasonable. Some of the dishes that I have tried are even better than Peach Garden. Don't let the name mislead you, try the dishes that are recommended here and let us know whether you still hold the same view.
Suffice to say, the food will not look out of place when served on more expensive chinaware in a posh setting. Agree that the name Cafe De HK was rather deceptive. Was expecting food to be run of the mill sort of HK cafe whenever I drove past the place before I set foot in the restaurant.
Take pixs no prob. We have Ijeff ready with his Nikon D300 as well. We also have some Canonites with big machines. : )
how u compare to crystal jade? different class. this is a cafe, so price should be also cafe price. coz the cafe ambience should take away the extra overhead.
might as welll compare to tung lok and tell yourself it is very cheap!
Hi,
Thank you for your feedback.
The sale and pepper pork chop is $10 per std portion. Yes we do have Stir Fried beef hor fun with black bean sauce. Instead of hot plate, we have Diced tofu with Chicken and Salted fish.
You are right, perhaps I should have a website to display the menu and pricing.
Cafe de hong kong is no way to compare with the big groups like Crystal Jade and Tung Lok, at least not at the current moment. We are small and unique, but we are always trying to do our best, like listening to the customers' feedback. Apart from the pre-order labour intensive items, I think our pricing is reasonable.
I remember what my mother used to say, "for a table of 10 persons, there is hardly any chance all with agree with the taste of the food. Some might say salty or too sweet, some might say just right, some might say not salty or sweet enough."
Francis Mak
yup, you don't have to please everyone. In fact, you can't. There are already many who felt that you have done a good job. Carry on the good work.
I will definitely return for more.
as for pricing issue, it should be the least of your worries if your food delivers great, if not exceptional standards. many food places' prices are high yet packed to the brim with customers. likewise to those grouchy food owners, people will just return for good stuff. =)
Hello Francis,
My favourite HK dish is actually roast pigeon, which I ate like about 30 during my 2 week stay there. I'm not sure if Singapore allows the importation of these though.
Tried the Lup Mei Fun today. The Lup Cheong was really fresh, fragrant and yummy, one of the best I have tried to date!
ijeff, what is the tally on the number of times you visited cafe de Hong Kong so far? You quite full on man!
ieat, today is the 11th time. :P
Today I came with a friend to try this Cafe, because of the recommendation here. We're quite satisfied overall with the pricing ($40/3 dishes/3 pax) and the prompt service, even when it was during busy hour (830pm). We hope to see the Cafe with bigger space so as to accommodate more people, esp those walk-in customers who had not placed a reservation, and had to wait for their tables. Just some of my opinion. Keep it up!
Hi tj han,
Both Roasted goose and pigeon are the signature dishes of Hong Kong. I have been asking around for supplier for the 2 products. There are supply only that as for pigeon it is very expensive, and AVA only allow 1 factory from Australia. Perhaps there is not strong demand , it is very expensive. For goose, there is supply from taiwan. Again it is not cheap. We have tried it, the texture is very tough ( maybe we dont have the skill and equipment to do it. So I dropped the idea to put these 2 products into my menu.
Francis
If you're adventurous enough, do try the crocodile claw! The meat is really tender and it goes well with the herbal base :)
Thumbs up to cafe de hongkong! Would love to return back to try out other dishes.
That's a pity, regarding the pigeons. We should just catch those on the street and eat them. Screw the histoplasmosis.
Anyway even if Francis were to import the pigeons, it'll be frozen pre-slaughtered ones I suppose. I wonder if there's a big difference from the fresh ones in HK, which presumably hail from China.
It seems that there is no longer any livestock importation into Singapore, only frozen and chilled meat. I never knew that until just now :(
I agree with Leslie's review that the french toast is really one of the best I have tried to date. But of course, that's not all there is to the place. Personally I liked the kurobuta pork a lot.
Hi Francis,
Your food and service speaks for itself and that's why your customers, both regular and newly converts keeps going back.
Keep up the good work!
Bought the lap cheong. Steamed and sliced them. Very nice.
Yes, keep up the good work.
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