China
Think most of you will notice this retail chain of shops appearing almost everywhere from MTR stations, airport, shopping malls, etc. Definitely popular and don’t need any reviews. But to some tourist, especially those non-Chinese, they might not know WTH this shop is all about. Writing this also because of my muslim friends who frequent HK often and they may wanna try this.
I have membership card for this because I love their Herbal Jelly (Kwai Leng Gou) which is very strong in herbal taste. It is said to be made from the ‘gel’ from the insides of the turtle shell… But I believe they don’t use that anymore… where got so many turtles for you to scrap the ‘gel’??? Nevertheless, I’m still taking it because of the medicinal benefits as Chinese believe in having a balance between heatiness and coolness in the body. Ask the ladies over the counter, they are more than willing to introduce you what to drink or consume at their stores!
This is the shop at Futian Customs which I frequent
Be prepared to stand and eat, if not take away. Behind me is the fridge full of pack soups, snacks, etc. Some with pork, some not.
A big bowl of Herbal Jelly. Not cheap at HKD$40+ but what you pay is what you get. Quality!
Sugar syrup is provided but if you are the gungho type, go ahead without!
Tea Eggs... HKD$8 for 2. Full of taste and very fragrant. Can't get this taste back home in SG or anywhere else.
Siew Mai... Can't remember how much... HKD$8 for 6 pcs or something like that. But no pork inside. Only fish and flour.
Teochew Kueh... Something like our soon kueh but this one not so nice.Was catching a cold so I was recommended this drink for HKD$20. They have warm or chilled ones for all their drinks. Price range for drinks around HKD$12-$20. All filled to the brim, so becareful when you're opening the caps!
The drink was so bitter that the lady gave me a traditional orange peel sort of like candy. It helps a lot!
Looks like this...
Rating: 5/5. Service is good and food is of high quality and hygiene.
Taste: Very good.
Portion: Average.
Price: See pics.
RTE: All the time.
Location: All over Hong Kong and some parts of Shenzhen! For more info for branches, please check out http://www.hungfooktong.com/shop_delivery.php.
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January 18, 2011 | Categories: China, Herbal/Medicinal | Tags: chinese, delicious, dessert, Eat, eatwithroy, 鸿福堂, Food, fook, good, Health, Herb, Herbal, hong kong, hung, jelly, lim, Medicinal, MTR, nice, Roy, shenzhen, shiok, Singapore, soup, tasty, teochew, tong, yummy | Leave A Comment »
This is one of the many chains of steamboat in China which is very popular but affordable at the same time. Tried it sometime late last year and it was really good. Didn’t snap pics of simple stuff like potatoes and radishes. Think you can figure it out. ;P Check it out.
Very nice ambience inside although the surrounding outside is an industrial area.
Thermo stove
Ordered clear broth but it will come with loads of condiments inside... the broth is excellent!
They are famous for their lamb...
And beef as well...
Di Wang Veg... very nice crisp and great for steamboats.
Other veg and fungus
Mongolian Pan Cakes
With mutton fillings
Lamb skewers... can skip... not very nice
Golden Big Biscuit... Looks plain but surprisingly very nice!
Bill.. About SGD$30+
Rating: 5/5. Service is not bad and food is good.
Taste: Really tasty!
Portion: Average.
Price: See last pic.
RTE: Most likely… when I have company. you can’t do streamboat alone! 
Location: 福田区八卦一路工业区. Tell the cab driver Xiao Fei Yang, they will know what to look out for.
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January 17, 2011 | Categories: China, Steamboat | Tags: beef, broth, chicken, China, chinese, cuisine, delicious, Eat, eatwithroy, fei, Food, good, hot, lim, nice, pot, Roy, shenzhen, shiok, Singapore, soup, Sour, steamboat, tasty, xiao, yang, yummy, 小肥羊， 火锅 | Leave A Comment »
I passed this restaurant a few times already so I decided to solve the mystery if its the same as the one back in Singapore along Middle Road. Was there around 2.30pm so it was not very crowded. Found out that this is the first flagship retaurant before this became a chain of restaurants.
Signage
Ambience
Stove at every table with air vent... surprisingly, after the meal, no food smell on the clothes!
Check out their branding
Sake bottles for sale...
Frying over a grease paper which you can request to change many times... no need to use oil for cooking!
Squid came first... the lower deck has a grill!
Disposable apron for you!
One of their popular beef with egg
Grilled Squid... very tender but lack of taste... They have a lot of sauces on the side for dipping though.
Unagi with teriyaki sauce... after grilling very nice
Pork ribs... very tender and tasty
Oysters
This is the time for you to change the paper
Mushrooms grilled are nice...
Wings came! Grilling time
Done
Sign spotted on the wall
The outlets
Rating: 5/5. Not only food is good, the service is tip top as well.
Taste: Very nice. Great for families with kids cos not spicy. Best thing is, all the meats are seasoned differerntly. This is definitely different from the buffet style one back in SG. I suspect that one is a copy.
Portion: Above average
Price: Total bill came out to about RMB$250… About SGD$50. Can eat 3 persons.
RTE: Yes definitely!
Location: 福田区八卦一路十栋首层5号
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January 17, 2011 | Categories: BBQ, China | Tags: Baidu, bbq, beef, chain, chinese, cuisine, delicious, Eat, eatwithroy, Food, good, lim, nice, pork, restaurant, Roy, shiok, Singapore, tasty, yummy | Leave A Comment »
Another regular dessert place I always try to go to whenever in Guangzhou. This place boast their award winning 双皮奶 as well as their 姜撞奶. But other than their many traditional desserts, they have meals like noodles and steam rice as well. They also deliver to anywhere within the vicinity of Haizhu Square. So if you’re staying at any hotels within this area, you can give them a call and order in to save you to hassle of squeezing with the crowd.
Very crowded all the time...
Wan Ton Noodles with Oyster Sauce. Noodles cooked to perfection and texture is springy... only thing is, it has a very strong yeast smell. RMB$12
Beef Brisket Noodles RMB$13
Braised wings for RMB$10 for 2pcs
Ginger Vinegar Pork Leg RMB$15. Famous for this as well
Fried Milk RMB$8... Milk with flour and deep fried. Kids love this.
Ginger Bang Milk (Jiang Zhuang Nai) If you're having a cold, ask them to add more ginger syrup
Address and tel numbers of the place
Rating: 4/5
Taste: Cheap and good. Not fantastic for the meals but good for their desserts.
Portion: Average
Price: See pics.
RTE: Many times already.
Location: See last pic for address for the 2 outlets. The one I frequent in the first one.
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January 3, 2011 | Categories: China, Dessert, Economical | Tags: beef, Braised, Braising, Brisket, China, chinese, Chinese noodles, Cooking, delicious, eatwithroy, Food, fried, good, Guangzhou, Mee, milk, nice, Noodles, Oyster Sauce, pork, Renminbi, Roy, shiok, Singapore, soup, with, yummy | Leave A Comment »
This is a regular place I would go for my dim sum and my fix of siew yoke when in Guangzhou. Very popular with the locals and you can see from the crowd… they are crowded almost every hour from the time they are open in the morning for yum cha, lunch, then afternoon yum cha again, dinner, then evening yum cha again. Reason is the variety is there, food is good and nice, price is reasonable. Try it when you are in Guangzhou the next time, just be prepared to wait like an hour.
See all the chairs outside for waiting customers... I was there for late lunch so not so bag cos China people eat super early.
Ambience... as hard as GZ is trying to snuff out smoking in aircon places, this place is still filled with smokes.
Ambience on another side, be ready to share tables
Menu...
Pork Porridge... nice and light.
Translucent fatty layers which burst in your mouth and the skin is crispy! Awesome!
Refreshing and nice you tiao with prawns and mango salad
Spinach with handmade fresh fish nuggets
Steam pork ribs
Siew Mai with shrimps inside
Looks like polo buns right? Not!
It's Char Siew baked buns with polo on top... served piping hot and very tasty!
Our bill... only RMB$150 for 2 pax
Rating: 4.5/5. If not for the smokes, it would be a 5.
Taste: Delicious and tasty.
Portion: Slightly above average.
Price: Total for RMB$152.50… with chinese tea, towels and etc.
RTE: Everytiume
Location: 广州市起义路2号广州宾馆3楼。Tel: 020-8334 1456
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January 2, 2011 | Categories: Cantonese, China, Dim Sum | Tags: Asia, bin, China, chinese, delicious, dim sum, Eat, eatwithroy, Food, good, guan, Guangdong, Guangzhou, nice, Roy, shiok, siew, tasty, with, yoke, Yum cha, 广滨 | Leave A Comment »
If you are in Guangzhou and you would like to try something that locals have on daily basis, you might wanna check out this place. It’s famous among locals for its roast goose and it’s economical rice. Located just opposite Guangzhou Hotel, at Haizhu Square, the place is very easy to find as it’s along the main road.
Very friendly girl who takes orders and payments first before proceeding to collect your food.
They sell loads of these roast goose daily
So after taking your plate of rice, find a seat, they will serve you a cup of super diluted tea and people will just eat loudly around you.
My plate of roast goose with char siew and some side vegetables. RMB$20 only.
Rating: 4/5
Taste: Could be better but this is kind alike economical rice. So cannot compare with those retaurant type where you pay like RMB$88 for a small plate of meat. So to me, it’s good enough.
Portion: Above average.
Price: RMB$20
RTE: Yes if I’m around the place again.
Location: Opposite Guangzhou Hotel, Haizhu Square.
October 28, 2010 | Categories: Economical | Tags: Asia, char siew, cheap, China, delicious, Eat, economical, Food, Guangdong, Guangzhou, Haizhu Square, Home, rice, Roast goose, Roy, with, 大塘 | Leave A Comment »
When you come to Beijing Lu of Guangzhou, a shopping haven for most people except me (cannot find my size here lah), you have to try this famous roasted pigeon place more popularly known among the locals. I remembered the first time trying roasted pigeon at another place in Guangzhou, I was like why must I eat a pigeon?!?!?! I have chicken, duck and goose already, why pigeon?!?! After trying, then I know why. I thought, so small, where got meat? No lor, the meat is quite substantial when you have one whole pigeon yourself. And the best thing is, if done properly, it’s very tender and juicy.
It wasn’t difficult locating this restaurant which is on the 4th level of one really old and dirty building. Just have to ask around the locals or the security guards who are around the whole of Beijing Lu. the lift is on the 2nd floor and when you take the lift to the restaurant, the door opens to the restaurant immediately. As expected, it was crowded, so I had to share a table with a mother and daughter. I looked around for food samples and then ordered what I presumed to be good for my taste buds.
The signage inside the restaurant
See how crowded the place is... This is only on one side..
First up, order the tea of your choice. I just love making my own tea in a little tea pot and small cups. So traditional.
The main dish appeared first. A roasted pigeon cut into 2 halves. These are farmed pigeons btw. Not roadside ones. ;P
Succulently juicy and tender... love it much much... ;P
Xiao Long Bao... One of the other attraction there. Skin was thin and loads of fillings.
The way to eat Xiao Long Bao is, bite of the side and let the soup flow out onto the spoon, slurp up the soup, dip the bao into the black vinegar, add some of the ginger strips on top and whack the whole thing into your mouth!
Next up, steamed Carrot Cake.
See the amount of white radish strips inside. Quite a big serving which I had a hard time finishing it...
Lastly, Chan Chun Fun with pork ribs. Chan Chun Fun is like our Cheong Fun or hor fun... a bit mix in between lah. But it does not have taste on its own. It absorbs the sauce which it's cooked in. So usually in restaurants, they cook with XO sauce and in this case, steamed with pork ribs.
yummy!
Rating: 5/5
Taste: Very suitable for Asians. Cantonese cooking is usually quite heavy in taste. Hence this is pretty well done.
Portion: Above average.
Price: All that including the tea came up to RMB$66 only. Which is about SGD$13.20.
RTE: Yes, this coming November I’m bringing a group there. ;P
Location: Very near Lido Hotel. At the beginning of Beijing Lu on the right side. They ran out of cards when I asked for it.
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October 24, 2010 | Categories: Cantonese | Tags: Beijing, Bird, bones, cake, cantonese, carrot, chinese, cuisine, culinary, delicious, dim sum, Eat, farm, Food, fun, good, Guangzhou, Home, nice, pigeon, pork ribs, restaurant, roast, Roy, spare, tasty, tea, with, Xiaolongbao | Leave A Comment »
I think this joint is worth mentioning in this blog reason is their milk tea is really good. At the same time, their Tako Balls are really good as well. Found this little joint just below the hotel when I was in Guangzhou. I believe they have many joints in the whole of Guangzhou.
Long queue waiting for your tako balls.
Packed in this box instead of the styrofoam ones cos will melt the foam.
Yummy!!! Tako Balls! Quite well done.
Milk Tea. Very awesome in taste. Right milk used.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Very nice and good snack.
Portion: Above average.
Price: RMB$8 for a large cup of milk tea. Tako balls at RMB$8.50 if I remembered correctly.
RTE: Yes if I come across this same franchise store.
Location: All over Guangzhou.
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October 22, 2010 | Categories: Bubble Milk Tea, Japanese | Tags: Asia, balls, bubble, China, delicious, drink, Eat, good, Guangdong, Guangzhou, milk, nice, Roy, snack, tako, tasty, tea, wtih | Leave A Comment »
Ok I know you must be thinking why should I review such a popular dessert chain of stores right? Reason is, what they have in HK is different from the ones in China. In fact they have some other interesting items which distinguish them from their HK parent chain of stores. I was putting up at Lido Hotel on Beijing Lu in Guangzhou last month and this dessert store is just downstairs! Apart from other many great food places lah…
The Store
The Ambience
Deco
The guy took out a ciggy to smoke and was asked to go out of the shop! LOL!
All thanks to the new non-smoking law in public places in Guangzhou! Woot!
Soy Beancurd with mango and pomelo.
Durian Pudding RMB$22 per piece
Very soft skin and lovely durian puree inside.
Tried this also
Baked and served hot!
Baked sago custard on top and yam paste inside! Damn nice!
Rating: 4.5/5. Prices a tad too high.
Taste: Was really nice and addictive especially the durian thing… I had 2 servings!
Price: A bit on the high side but still affordable to us.
Portion: Below average for the price paid.
RTE: If I see them in Shenzhen, I might just pop by.
Location: This one is below Lido Hotel, Beijing Lu, Guangzhou. They have many branches in HK, SZ and GZ.
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September 27, 2010 | Categories: Dessert | Tags: Asia, Beijing, Business, China, delicious, dessert, durian, Eat, good, Guangzhou, kee, mun, nice, Roy, Sago, shenzhen, Singapore, tasty, with | Leave A Comment »
A HK friend of mine discovered this place which is just opposite the Futian Customs from HK. I’ve probably passed that place for like more than 10 times already but never really noticed. ;P So one day when I was coming back form HK, I decided to go try the mini baguettes which I heard was super good and fresh.
Menu
Other menus on the table... must always look for the best set meal deals on the table!
Ambience
Kitchen and Roast Meats display... their roast goose looks good... will try another day
Polo (Pineapple) Butter Bun! Damn sinful... but it's super nice...
Soft and fragrant... nice...
Mini Baguette with choice of chicken or pork chop or commonly known as 鸡/猪扒包
The baguette is hot and crispy... made and served fresh! Nice!
Rating: 4/5. Would be a 5 if smoke free and also one of the waitresses smelt really badly.
Taste: Pretty good… a good substitute for the ones in Macau… at least the baguettes are fresh and hot!
Portion: Average
Price: RMB$20+. Can’t remember but it’s ok priced.
RTE: Yup! Wanna try the other stuff and I think their wan ton noodles are pretty good cos many people ordered.
Location: Directly opposite Futian Customs main entrance/exit.
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September 26, 2010 | Categories: Cha Can Ting | Leave A Comment »
Hi folks,
It’s been months since I last updated. Apologies as things got busier since in China. Anyways, this is one of the popular bubble tea chain of shops in Shenzhen. It’s totally affordable and taste is quite alright.
Standard Store Front
My Order Of Wu Long Milk Tea
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Pretty good. But don’t like the choice of milk. Look out for another review of mine later in this blog.
Portion: Big cup.
Price: RMB$10 for charcoal roasted Wu Long Milk Tea.
RTE: If there is a craving… I think the other one I’m reviewing later is a lot better.
Location: All over Shenzhen. This one is at Hua Qiang Bei.
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September 13, 2010 | Categories: Bubble Milk Tea | Tags: beverage, bubble, China, drink, Eat, eatwithroy, good, milk, nice, Roy, shenzhen, tasty, tea | Leave A Comment »
Checked out a huge shopping mall quite near where I’m staying in Shenzhen… It’s quite a high class mall with a lot of the big brands. Then there’s Jusco which is a huge supermarket with many groceries available for me to buy but I was there for a different purpose. I was there to check out Sushi Oh… a sushi chain of stores, which is located at the super back part of the mall on same level as the supermarket.
There it is! Quite hard to find the restaurant but I manage to find it nevertheless. Just ask around, this place is well known. The benches outside are for you to wait till seats are available.
Menu
Ambience of the place... The problem with China still is the smoking problem... They smoke everywhere... even in here yes... I would usually fart back to counter but this time I lost badly... too many were farting through their mouths... sigh...
Imagine this is at 9pm and people are still streaming in...
First Up, Salmon Sashimi. Quite thick slices but not as thick as those in Yuen Long. 2 portions here, each portion 5 slices. RMB$33 each portion. Quite fresh though. You can see plates and plates of these coming out from the kitchen. I suspect they have a Salmon Lake back there... ;P
Unagi Rolls. These eel rolls are very well done. Succulent and tasty. RMB$38.
Scallop Rolls. Not a big fan but quite fresh indeed. Forgot how much.
Salmon Sushi... didn't like the cucumber on top... better with a strip of mayonnaise on top but it's fresh and quite tasty overall for the sushi. Forgotten how much also.
Rating: 4.5/5. Service was good but they didn’t allow me to take pictures of the food… which I’m paying for… hmmm…
Taste: Pretty good. But Yuen Long one’s better.
Portion: Slightly above average.
Price: Total bill was RMB$180, which is about SGD$38.00 for 2 persons.
RTE: Maybe when I’m at Jusco again for grocery shopping.
Location: 深南中路中信城市广场商业楼底层JUSCO友谊百货L-318号. Tel: (0755) 2594 0928. You can also check out their other outlets at www.sushi-oh.com.
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May 29, 2010 | Categories: China | Tags: big, China, delicious, eatwithroy, Food, Japanese, Jusco, lim, nice, oh, Roy, salmon, sashimi, shenzhen, Singapore, sushi, tasty | Leave A Comment »
Some of my friends are wondering what I eat during my time in Shenzhen especially after reading reports on recycled sewerage oil that is being reused in cafes, eateries and restaurants. Well I must say I choose the food pretty carefully. But sometimes you just have to try to know. For example, after eating from an eatery or restaurant, if you get stomach upset, high chance they are using the recycled oil or worse case scenario, their kitchen is unhygienic. So let me show you some of the meals that I get here which I can eat without tummy aches!
版面 (Ban Mian for RMB$4) - Just noodles with sesame paste sauce and salted vegtables... very nice light meal and cheap some more.
Wan Ton Soup RMB$6 for 25 Wan Tons!!!
Steam Rice with Steam Pork Ribs RMB$12. This is one of the cleaner ones as most of their food is steamed. Quite a healthy choice.
The pork ribs below the veg...
BBQ fish stuffed with Ku Chye RMB$6
BBQ Oyster RMB$3 - Fresh and succulent!
BBQ Lamb Skewers RMB$1 each. This one very well done... the fire control is super good!
BBQ Bean Skin with Ku Chye inside RMB$1.50
Of course I cook my own meals whenever I can also lah. This is Braised Chicken Drumsticks with egg and bean curd.
My world's best Olive Fried Rice
Have been eating a lot of things but some of which is not worth mentioning. Will try to display more of the dishes of my own cooking when I can find more free time. Gotta sign off now, super tired. Nite world!
Big Roy
eatwithroy.wordpress.com
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May 25, 2010 | Categories: China, Home Cooking | 1 Comment »
Ok think most of my friends know that I love durians. So I was walking by the fruits stall the other day just below my apartment, I saw durians!!! So I bought one since I was craving for it and it costed me almost S$10 for one!
Check out the durian... looks good right? Looks like those bitter sweet durians we find in Singapore right?
It was good until I opened up the durian... see the colour... boring one half... Took a bite, boring one whole... No taste, no smell, not sweet, it's like eating raw tapioca!!! Wah lau eh!!! Pui!
Dunno why I did this... thought the other parts of the durian might taste better... but to my dismay... it sucks totally... This whole lot, down the rubbish bin...
So I wasted $10 on the lousy Thai durian… In Geylang buy the $1 ones I believe still a lot better than this… Now I really miss the durians back home…
Really pui chao nua… no more Thai durians for me unless I can taste it first! Pui!
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May 18, 2010 | Categories: Durian | Tags: bad, China, durian, durians, Food, shenzhen, Singapore, Thai | 2 Comments »
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