Victoria City Seafood & Yung Kee, HK.

As mentioned in my previous post, my wife and I were in HK over this past week. We arrived on a Sunday around noon - my sis-in-law and her husband, Mich and Ron, picked us up at the airport we were finished checking and settling in at our hotel by a little past 1pm. Longtime friends Danny & Cecilia, together with little Vanessa (she's such a smart, cute little girl), took us all to a huge dim sum (among others) lunch at Victoria City Seafood Resaurant - the Gateway branch since we were staying in TST.


Danny & Cecilia (during the dinner they hosted for us at Yung Kee)

As usual, the xiao long bao was excellent (3 orders at least) and I really liked the crispy fried pigeon as well (unfortunately, I left my camera in the hotel). Danny ordered a ton of stuff, all of which could not fit in our table. Incredible. I knew he and Cecilia were taking us all out again for dinner that evening at another old favorite, Yung Kee, so, at first, I tried not to stuff myself - but, later, I figured "what the hell" and proceeded to pig out. After all, I had come prepared with a stash of Alka Seltzer.


Mich, Catha & Ron

So, on to dinner. Because we finished our huge lunch barely 4½ hours before, I begged Danny to go easy on the ordering. Hey, I'm no slouch at pigging out, but, for health reasons, I try to exercise some semblance of restraint (albeit grudgingly). Danny, ever considerate and the complete gentleman, understood and accommodated my request...in a manner of speaking.



Yung Kee's famous Thousand-Year-Old Eggs with Pickled Ginger on the side - Creamier and cleaner tasting than anywhere else. I never get tired of it. Simply the best I've had. Period.



With some Fresh Sliced Jellyfish, how can one go wrong?


Catha, Ron & I



Roast Suckling Pig - Be still my heart. I eat this dish often, but in controlled amounts. The dish itself is hard to resist, especially when it is particularly crisp and not-usually-as-fatty/oily as Yung Kee's rendition.



Yung Kee's Signature Roast Goose - What can I say? This is one of the dishes that made Yung Kee a dining landmark in HK, and I'm sure it had something to do with earning the restaurant its Michelin star a few years back. Juicy, tender, always a treat. You simply must.



Even Manny Pacquiao would be hard-pressed to deliver a one-two combination this good.



Danny did make concessions, though, make no mistake. We also had some nice, Sautéed Fried Garoupa on Chinese Broccoli...



...and some seasonal, healthy, guilt-supressing Dao Miu. Naturally, we had to have a few desserts as well - which we shared since we were already so stuffed.


Clockwise from left: Mango Pudding, a Black Herbal Jelly, and Sweet Red Bean Soup.

Whew! Thanks to Danny & Cecilia, we certainly hit the ground running on that first day. Two great meals with close, longtime friends and relatives. What more can one ask for?

Nice report, Noel. When I ate at Yung Kee, a few years back, I ordered their fried rice and it was amazingly good.

Thanks, Jeff. I'm sure it was really good. You should try more of their dishs though, if you do not mind me saying. Next you go to HK, e-mail me and I will gladly recommend many restaurants and dishes to order in each one.

Best,

N

Wonderful writeup (and photos), Noel and thank you. I regret that in the four years I spent in Hong Kong when I was in high school, I went to Yung Kee only on a couple of occasions. That said those pictures - particularly of the goose - do bring back some great memories. (And I remember the dim sum there was absolutely superb - if I hadn't enjoyed some very good xiao long bao today for lunch I'd be very jealous.)

BTW, have you been to Lee Garden yet while in the city?

BTW, have you been to Lee Garden yet while in the city?

The Lee Garden Hotel? Is that the old one in Central beside the former Ritz Carlton? I'm not sure if that's the one, but, if so, that's been under construction/renovation for quite a while. Ever since the Ritz Carlton closed (I always used to stay there) to move across the harbor, I've not passed by that area. Sorry.

Thanks, Jeff. I'm sure it was really good. You should try more of their dishs though, if you do not mind me saying. Next you go to HK, e-mail me and I will gladly recommend many restaurants and dishes to order in each one.

I'm sorry; I may have confused you. I also ate the Century eggs, goose and Superior soup... not just the rice.

We were in HK 3-4 years ago and ate at Yung Kee, a memorable evening. I forget exactly what we ordered but half way through the meal we added another order of the roast goose and our waitress at first couldn't comprehend what we wanted. Oh to have a restaurant like that in Napa.

We were in HK 3-4 years ago and ate at Yung Kee, a memorable evening. I forget exactly what we ordered but half way through the meal we added another order of the roast goose and our waitress at first couldn't comprehend what we wanted. Oh to have a restaurant like that in Napa.

I know that "problem" well. Once (also in Yung Kee), we were only a table of 3, my wife, a friend (big fellow, 6'1 and 245 lbs. and myself) and we ordered one whole roast goose among other dishes. Our waiter refused to give us one - insisting ½ goose would be enough. We relented, and within 10 minutes of the first half goose, had to order another half. The Cantonese don't order much food compared to my friends and I. When eating out in HK, the waitstaff usually winds up watching us eat with obvious amusement. Once, in a restaurant named Dim Sum (63 Sing Woo Rd., Happy Valley), my friends (I didn't join them that trip) ate so much the staff gave them free Dim Sum T-shirts and key chains in appreciation.