Chiu Chow (Teochew) Food @ Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

cold crab

One is still tweaking the design - cutting back on the colour and making it more "clean cut" for the pictures and the text to be easily seen. I've also geotagged a few of the recent blog posts so just click on the link below it and it'll open up to the location map. Very much WIP so please bear with me? Anyway, back to the very overdue Hong Kong posts. This particular one, I remember with a heart (or more likely a tummy) ache as the food was so incredibly good and introduced by my guide, J from Elegant Inn. Hong Kong's Teochew or Chiu Chow food is so much better than the fare we have here plus they also have a variety of old style dishes not commonly found in restaurants nowadays. Everything I tasted at this famous eatery was top notch even though it was very simple fare.

salt and pepper fish slices

Frequented by many including the well heeled (in Hong Kong, these are the ones that come in their luxury cars as they line the road in front of the restaurant), this place is also nicknamed the "rich man's canteen". The eatery is spread around a few shophouses along the street and booking especially during the weekends is a must or else, forget dining here.

window action, chewier prawn omelette, goose and flower crabs in window, o chien

We start off with the cold flower crab, a Chiu Chow specialty and a simple dish, which allows you to enjoy the sweet taste of the crabs. The meat is so fresh that it comes out in beautiful chunks - literally a crab-lover's heaven to eat. How I wish more places do this cold crab dish here.

decadent braised goose liver slices

Braised duck is a must here but in Hong Kong, it is a little special as its braised goose. Our dish of braised goose slices come topped with decadent thick slices of goose liver. Yummy to the last tenny weeny bit (even though one can feel the arteries clogging up!).

oyster soup, fluffy tofu, Tsingtao beer to wash it all down

Even a simple tofu dish tastes awesome here - puffed into golden ingots that you dip into a salty spring onion dip to give it flavour. I couldn't resist the chicken dish - boneless pieces pan fried in a delectable sauce served on a bed of crunchy fried leaves (I think they look like mulberry ones?).

tau suan for dessert

As usual, there'll be oysters lurking around a Teochew meal and here they are served in two ways - first in a soupy (another rare one here for me even though I've eaten this before in Kelantan and Melaka) kind of porridge where cooked rice grains are used and cooked with spring onions, minced pork, preserved radish and sliced mushrooms. Incredibly comforting for the tummy. The second way was the oyster omelette or o chien style. Here it is wetter and less crispy, where the oysters are hidden underneath an innocent looking omelette. We also have a flatter and chewier version but with prawns and a type of green colour gourd.

divine yam pieces

Last but not least, desserts that is a must for any Teochew place. They had the very rarely seen Tau Suan - a dessert made with split green beans and of course, the ever famous yam dessert, Or Nee. We had to wait for a while to get our desserts as there was a mix up in our orders but it was well worth it - fluffy yam paste with lard and topped with gingko nuts.

the must-have or nee

I was also introduced to another dessert not usually seen here - deep fried yam pieces that are coated in a candy like sugar coating. Light fluffy yam is paired with a sweet coating that tasted so incredibly good that I had a few pieces. Do make it a point to drop by if you're in Hong Kong as its definitely great to taste these old styled dishes which are fast dissapearing from the menus.

Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant

29 and 37, Queen's Road West

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong

Tel:+852-2854 4557

(Non Halal. Open from 11am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 11.30pm. See this link for a map. For more pictures see my Flickr set)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Chiu Chow Food