A Big, Big Chinese Restaurant in Hong Kong & The Soy Sauce Options

by Freddy Santamaria

The restaurant is famous for its "Roasted Goose." It is, in fact, the best in town. So let's go now to the menu.

Here are some recommendations from the 14 Pages:

Famous Roasted and Soya Dishes:

# Roasted Goose, whole = 320.00 HK$  half = 160.00HK$
# Crispy Roasted Goose in 2 different ways, whole = 440.00 HK$
# Sliced Goose Skin with Chinese Pan Cake
# Stir fried Minced Goose Meat Served with Lettuce
(served only at dinner, one-day advance order required)
# Roasted Goose Liver  60.00 HK$ (served only at dinner)
# Soya Goose Wings 80.00 HK$
# Barbecued Suckling Pig 100.00 HK$
# Barbecued Suckling Pig with Assorted Meat 320.00 HK$
# Chicken Marinated in Dark Soy Sauce, whole = 190.00 HK$ half = 95.00 HK$
# Soya Chicken Giblet 80.00 HK$

With these dishes you can have a famous Cantonese starter:

# Preserved Eggs ("100 years old") and Pickled Ginger  5.00 HK$  (per person)

Shark Fin: (the 2nd most expensive dishes of the restaurant)

# Braised Superior Shark's Fin in Brown Sauce  420.00 HK$ (per person)
# Shark's Fin Bouillon  765.00 HK$ (regular)
# Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Cream  780.00 HK$ (regular) 260.00 HK$ (pp)
# Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat  600.00 HK$ (regular)  200.00 HK$ (pp)

Bird's Nest:

# Bird's Nest Soup with Crab Meat or with Shredded Chicken or with Minced Chicken  450.00 HK$ (regular) 225.00 HK$ (per person)

Abalone: (the "most" expensive dishes in the restaurant)

# Braised Superior Abalone (from Oma, Japan) in Oyster Sauce 1,200.00 HK$
# Braised Superior Abalone (from Oma, Japan) with Goose Webs  960.00 HK$
# Braised Abalone (from South Africa) in Oyster Sauce  380.00 HK$
# Braised Abalone (from South Africa) with Goose Webs  300.00 HK$

If you are not into big expenses and want to try the Abalone, you can have the house Abalone:

# Yung Kee Imperial Abalone with Wine 150.00 HK$

Seafood:  
(items among the specialties I recommend - the menu has two pages of seafood)

# Sauteed Fillet of Garoupa  200.00 HK$
# Braised Garoupa Head & Belly with Spring Onion & Ginger  160.00 HK$
# Sauteed Scallops or Sauteed Prawns  150.00 HK$
# Pan-fried Prawns (with Shells)  140.00 HK$
# Sauteed Prawns & Chicken Livers  112.00 HK$
# Sauteed Prawns with Green Peas or Walnuts  90.00 HK$
# Sauteed Fresh Squid (alone) or with Peppers in Black Been Sauce 72.00 HK$
# Deep-fried Fresh Squid with Spicy Salt  72.00 HK$

Or for the adventurous:

Chicken, Duck and Pigeon:

# Baked Chicken in Rock Salt, whole = 240.00 HK$  half = 120.00 HK$
# Soya Chicken with Spring Onion & Ginger, whole = 240.00 HK$ half = 120.00 HK$
# Deep-fried Crispy Chicken, whole = 220.00 HK$  half = 110.00 HK$
# Braised Duck with Mixed Vegetables "Lo Hon" Style, whole = 300.00 HK$
# Stir-fried Minced Pigeon Served with Lettuce  120.00 HK$
# Baked Pigeon in Rock Salt  90.00 HK$
# Sauteed Sliced Pigeon with Bamboo Shoots  90.00 HK$
# Grilled or Crispy Roasted  85.00 HK$

Beef & Pork:

# Sauteed Shredded Beef & Bean Sprouts  83.00 HK$
# Sauteed Sliced Beef & Peppers in Black Bean Sauce  68.00 HK$
# Sauteed Shredded Pork with Asparagus  93.00 HK$
# Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish  75.00 HK$
# Sweet & Sour Pork (Boneless)  68.00 HK$
# Deep-fried Spare Ribs with Spicy Salt  68.00 HK$

Other Interesting Dishes:

# Scrambled Egg with Barbecued Pork  70.00 HK$
# Stewed Bean Curd with Shrimps  94.00 HK$
# Dried Scallops Soup with Assorted Meat  88.00 HK$
# Hot Pot of Chopped Garupa & Bean Curd  125.00 HK$
# Hot Pot of Goose Webs & Bitter Melon  84.00 HK$
# Fried Rice, "Fo Kin" Style  98.00 HK$
# Fried Rice, "Yeung Chow" Style  88.00 HK$
# Noodles in Soup with Crab Coral & Crab Meat  180.00 HK$
# Congee  with Abalone & Shredded Chicken  88.00 HK$
# Congee with Salty Pork & Preserved Egg  22.00 HK$

As you can see, I can go on and on about the menu. But, just keep in mind, Yung Kee Restaurant is to Hong Kong as "La Tour d'Argent" is to Paris. If you visit Hong Kong, you must eat, one time at least, in Yung Kee.

YUNG KEE RESTAURANT  (since 1942)
32-40 Wellington Street
Central Hong Kong
Tel: (+ 852) 2522 1624 - Fax: (+ 852) 2840 0888
Website: www.yungkee.com.hk

After dinner, don't forget to take the "cheapest" and one of the best sightseeing bargains in the world.

Take the Star Ferry (the colored fleet, now 12 units, has been plying the harbor for more than a century) between Central & Kowloon, for just around "20p" of HK$ fare in the upper-deck of the ferry. Grab a seat either at the bow or the stern for the best views of the Hong Kong harbor. It runs from:
6:30 AM to 11:30.PM, every day of the year.

The money you save on the taxi ride, you can invest in a drink at the "Top of the View" Bars; at the  Peninsula Hotel (the most snobbish) or the Sheraton Hotel (the most intimate) or the top of the Hankow Centre (the new "In" place) in Kowloon. The views are breathtaking.

For a light lunch on the go, I recommend the "Yunyan Szechuan Restaurant" on: 132-134 Nathan Road, 4/F Miramar Shopping Centre, Kowloon. They have a very inexpensive set lunch.

Or try the "Sweet Dynasty" on 88 Canton Road, Kowloon, a Dim Sum restaurant, the Cantonese tidbits that can be, breakfast, lunch or simply a snack. Try the likes of "ha gau" (shrimp dumplings) or the "cha siu bau" (barbecued pork buns), or pick whatever you want from the trolleys paraded around by the team of waitresses. Dishes cost around 25 HK$ each and the atmosphere is boisterous & cheery.

After lunch, have a stroll at Kowloon Park: (34.5 acres of greenery next to Nathan Road), formerly a British Army barracks, now a magnet for joggers, strollers, lovers, photographers or anyone in need of fresh air.

Other points of interest include:

# Ladies' Market (inexpensive fashion)
# Temple Street night market
# Jade Market
# Yuan Po Street Bird Garden
# Goldfish Market
# Aberdeen
# Stanley main Street & Murray House
# Peak Tower with the Peak Tram
# Repulse Bay
# Giant Buddha on the Po lin Monastery in Lantau Island

Or, by the ferry services from Central, visit the Islands of Hong Kong Bay: Cheung Chau, Peng Chau, Lama Island, etc.

And if you have time, visit Macao with its "Casinos," Portuguese restaurants, and beaches.

With more than 110 hotels of international standards, the choice is difficult, but since "space" is a main factor in Hong Kong, I will recommend a place where the rooms are very spacious in comparison of to the normal standard in the other hotels.

The Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel
(formerly The Hong Kong Hotel)
Located in Kowloon Harbour City
Canton Road
Tel: (+852) 2113 0088 - Fax: (+852) 2113 0011
Email: hongkong@marcopolohotels.com
Website: www.marcopolohotels.com

Only reserve a room "facing" the Hong Kong Harbour View - with great views of Hong Kong Island & the Ocean Terminal where all the "Big Liners" arrive. The other rooms are of no interest - spacious, but with no views. Prices will start at 1,350 HK$

Transportation from Hong Kong International Airport in Lantau Island:

A) Airport Express Train to Kowloon or HK Central (every 10 mins.) (a 23-minute trip), but after you need to take a taxi to your hotel, 100 HK$ One Way per person
B) Airbus: goes to most of the hotels from 6:00 AM to Midnight = from 17 to 40 HK$
C) Taxis: Aprox.  300 -335 HK$ to Central or Kowloon

Exchange Rates: 1$US is approximately 5 to 6 HK$ at Banks, Hotels or Money changers

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At a blind tasting, William Mark, President of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurant Owners, rated six regular soy sauces. Mr. Mark was skeptical of labels claiming the sauces were naturally brewed because of the costs involved in the process. Therefore, he dismissed all, but the Kowloon, Yamasa and Lee Kum Kee brands as: "soy sauce plonk."

Enclosed is a mini survey of the "Top Soy Sauces" courtesy of:
Food & Drink Notebook by William Mark, Edited by Susan Jung in Hong Kong.

(As a "tip" for your next Chinese or Japanese cooking experience)

# Kowloon Soy Sauce Gold Label: 
(Product of Hong Kong)

This is the best. It has a natural taste & smell. It has the flavor of fermented soy. This is what soy sauce is all about, how it should be.
** Sold only at: Kowloon Soy - 9 Graham Street, Central
Tel: (+852) 2544 3695
(100 ml. = 7.84 HK$)

# Yamasa Organic Shoyu: 
(Product of Japan)

Rated as second best. It's richer & heavier in flavor. It would go more ideally with Japanese (teriyaki & other cooked dishes) - but not for sushi & sashimi - and also with Taiwanese cooking. This one with the Kowloon Soy taste like naturally brewed products, all the others taste artificial.
** Sold at delicatessen stores in Hong Kong
(100 ml. = 14 HK$)

# Lee Kum Kee Premium Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce:
(Product of China)

It's close in flavor to the Japanese, but tastes more artificial, trying to imitate the more expensive soy sauces on the market.
** Sold at delicatessen stores in HK
(100 ml. = 1.50 HK$)

# Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce: 
(Product of Singapore)

Very uncharacteristic, very different from the others, just salty, watery, no other flavors. It's artificial, inferior to the Kikkoman made in Japan, and is only capitalizing on the brand name.
** Sold at delicatessen stores & supermarkets in HK
(100 ml. = 3.65 HK$)

# Kimlan Sang Chau Grade A Naturally Fermented Soy:
(Product of Taiwan)

It has more Japanese flavor, similar to the Singaporean Kikkoman.
** Sold at delicatessen stores in HK
(100 ml. = 2.02 HK$)

# Amoy Gold Label Dark Soy Sauce:
(Product of Hong Kong)

No good, just sour & salty, just more expensive than the regular Amoy Soy Sauce.
** Sold at delicatessen stores & supermarkets in HK
(100 ml. = 3.16 HK$)

Now you have the "tips" you need from the experts in Soy Sauce for your next Japanese or Chinese cooking

Bon Apetit!

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Freddy Santamaria "The Smooth Operator" - Paris, France - October 24th 2004