ASIANish

Over the weekend, Abby, Danny, Sandy, Eleanor, and I were craving some fresh seafood. Of course since Hong Kong is a series of islands, one can find seafood at almost any restaurant. But we wanted something unique and very fresh. Both locals and tourists alike know that Lamma Island is one of those places you can find some of the freshest seafood in Hong Kong.

Lamma Island (南丫島) is one of the many small "outer" islands of Hong Kong. Like many of the outer islands, it has a very small inhabitance and much of the surrounding flora and fauna are well preserved. Although, there are hiking trails and other outdoor activities to partake in, we decided to forgo the nature hike this time, since we were heading out there in the evening and it's blazing hot in the summer.

The Avenue of the Stars (星光大道)

Typically if you want to visit an outer island, you'll have to charter a boat which can cost a pretty penny. However, the restaurant we were going to has their own water taxi service and one of the berths is Tsim Sha Tsui pier (尖沙咀碼頭).

The pier is a leisure 25 minute walk from our apartment, which takes us along the harbor boardwalk the whole way. It was a beautiful day, so I took quite a few pictures of the harbor, boats, and people along the boardwalk. As we walked from Hung Hom and got closer to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), we passed by The Avenue of the Stars, which is Hong Kong's equivalent to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If you're ever in Hong Kong, this is a great place to come for a buzzing atmosphere and one of the most picturesque views (that's why they film all the romantic movies / soap operas scenes here).

Rainbow Restaurant on Lamma Island (南丫島)

The TST pier was packed with people when we got there. Many of the locals travel to Macau or board "gambling cruises", which is essentially a floating casino that drives out in to international waters, because gambling (other than betting on horses) in Hong Kong is illegal. The Rainbow restaurant boat wasn't huge or as nice as the other water taxis, but it was air conditioned and fairly spacious seating. After a 35 minute, semi-smooth, ride across the harbor, we had arrived at Lamma Island.

There really isn't much to do in the evening except for eat, so we headed straight for the restaurant. The first thing that struck me was the large tanks filled will various shellfish and sea creatures, all of which were going to be in my stomach in a few minutes, heh. While we waited, I noticed the restaurant had pictures of famous people that had eaten there; lo and behold, a picture of Chow Yun Fat.

The Chow Yun Fat Rating, More Reliable than Zagat

Normally, I wouldn't care that a celebrity had eaten at a restaurant, but as the story goes... Chow Yun Fat, who is based in Hong Kong, is a connoisseur of Hong Kong cuisine and eats at A LOT of restaurants. An expat we met told us that for the longest time she had only eaten at restaurants that had a picture of Chow Yun Fat with the owner, that way she was guaranteed to have a great tasting meal. Also, if he's throwing 2 thumbs up or looks very happy in the picture, you know you're in for a special treat.

Since the Rainbow Restaurant had a picture of Chow Yun Fat, I knew it was going to be a good meal. We ordered:

• Steamed tiger shrimp (老虎蝦)
• Scallops topped with garlic and vermicelli: HK $35/piece ($4.45 USD)
• Sautéed clams in black bean sauce
• Stir fried jackknife clams aka razor clams: HK $30/piece ($3.82 USD)
• Steamed baby abalone: HK $20/piece ($2.54 USD)
• "Kong Ching Tsai" - Chinese veggies
• Quahogs topped with garlic and vermicelli: HK $25/piece ($3.18 USD)
• Steamed tiger grouper (老虎斑)
• +3 bottles of Asahi

The scallops were SO GOOD, mid-way through, we ordered up another serving! Total cost: HK $280/person ($35.65 USD) ... not bad considering the boat ride was included (normally HK $36 = $4.60 USD).