ASIANish

On Friday, I met up with Eleanor, one of her co-workers Paula, and an expat friend Sandy in Sheung Wan, where they work. Paula wanted to take us to Kowloon City for some Chinese Islamic food; so we took a brisk 20 minute walk to a "red" mini-bus stop to catch a bus that would drop us off right in the heart of Kowloon City (九龍城). Normally we would have taken the MTR (subway), but Kowloon City doesn't have an MTR stop, and the normal large buses take a different route that would have taken twice as long.

Kowloon City (九龍城), Hong Kong

Aside from not having an MTR station, Kowloon City is unique compared to the other places I've been, because it's has a low density residential area. One of the first things I noticed was that there aren't as many tall skyscraper apartment complexes in or surrounding the city. It might also have to do with the fact that the old airport used to be in Kowloon City before they moved the airport to the outskirts of Hong Kong. Since it's not as convenient and there are fewer lights and shops, Kowloon City is more for the "locals" and less for the tourists.

Chinese Islamic Food

We got to the restaurant around 7:45 PM, and by then there was a long wait. There had to be at least 6 or 7 parties ahead of us, and another 4-5 people waiting in nearby cars for their "to go" orders. There are a ton of different restaurants in Hong Kong, so you know when people are willing to wait a long time, it's got to be some damn good food.

We waited almost an hour and half, but it was definitely well worth the wait. We ordered most of the popular dishes that were featured in all the news articles that were plastered on the store front.

• Curry Mutton / Lamb
• Stir fry beef w/ green onions
• Beef meat pies
• Chinese green onion pancakes
• "Kong Ching Tsai" (a type of chinese veggies)
• +a couple bowls of rice and soda

The curry was to die for! The meat was tender and flavorful, and it was just spicy enough where it had a nice kick but the burning didn't linger. The dish of the night was the beef meat buns. I'm not sure how they make them, the "skin" of the bun is thin, light, and crispy, but the inside of the meat pie is juicy and full of flavor like Shanghainese xiao long baos (XLBs). I only wish we had ordered more of them, because I'm still salivating from thinking about them.

All in all, it was the best meal I've had in Hong Kong; and at HK $60/person ($7.60 USD/person), I only wish I lived closer to Kowloon City so I could go everyday. If you're ever in Hong Kong, and you're itching for some good Chinese food, I'd HIGHLY Recommend 清真牛肉館 ("Ching Juhn Ng-ow Yok Goon")