Tai Cheong Egg Tarts, Hong Kong

Tai Cheong Bakery :)))

the original store at Central

these days any popular establishment have been bought over and turned into a corporate business

Tai Cheong has boomed to 14 branches today

thanks to Mr. Chris Patten, the very last British Governor of Hong Kong, who's a HUGE fan for Tai Cheong's egg tarts.

Tai Cheong has been baking for 6 decades
though this current shop is not the original one, they tried to maintain its old nostalgia feel with interior.

The original bakery once stood along Wellington Street
This street has got Mak's Noodle, Tsim Chai Kee, Yung Kee roast goose.....and the famous market *u can practically hang out here the entire afternoon*
Tai Cheong was here until they had to relocated all thanks to property growth and high rental
well in fact they were forced to shut down....
but I kinda like its current location now :)))))))))

Baby K, u want some eggie eggie tarts????
hmmm she's thinking hard....coz not too long ago she had mango pudding at Yung Kee
she must be thinking these adults have been eating non stop since breakfast, what's wrong with them?? maybe they need formula milk like me :P

well again....if u are locals, u'll know when to come
hahahahha
best time would be 9am or 3pm
coz that's when the pipping hot wobbly eggie tarts are outta the oven
:)))))))))))))))

and to enjoy these babies
we bunk ourselves 2 doors away at Pacific Coffee
it's pretty much OK to have ur egg tarts there as long as u buy coffee/drinks

they were so delicate and wobbly and soft and HOT
and FRAGILE

depending on the time of the day at purchase,
if it's pipping hot then it's really good
coz its crust is crumbly and buttery

there's been pretty much mixed reviews on egg tarts..
some lurve the crust pastry like this one
some like it flaky like Honolulu egg tarts
both has got their own unique crusts

when u look at this pic...u'll know how crumbly it was
it's impossible to cut it
the idea is to shove the whole tart into ur mouth
which was almost impossible unless ur mouth has got a diameter equals to mine


on-going debate of the BEST EGG TARTS in Hong Kong
hahahaha
with Baby K bz key-ing the minutes of the meeting on Mommy's iPhone

sorry we are just food convicts who lurve to analyse stuffs and have controversial discussions
we should just be food critiques lar......so serious and passionate about it
hahahahhahahahahhahah

Hello??? Dear Secretary of the meeting...u got all the notes of our debate????
>.<

Pushed her hair aside and tucked it behind her ear...
Baby K are u listening????

Is that Elmo u are looking at???
iPhone is such an important tool....
one gadget for all from Mommy, Daddy and Baby
for work and play
L.O.V.E.

Anyway if u are looking for an egg tart recipe...here u go....
Disclaimer: I dun guarantee if it works...hahahhaha but if ur baking skill is as bad as mine...pls don't bother...

Tai Cheong's egg tart recipe

Ingredients

Pastry:
Flour 450g
Sugar 110g
Evaporated milk 2 teaspoons
Margarine 110g
Butter 110g

Egg Custard Filling:
Water 450ml
Evaporated milk 200ml
Sugar 450g
Egg 4pcs

Pre-heat the baking oven to 300°C

Method
Pastry:
1. Mix all pastry ingredients and knead it into a dough
2. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours, re-knead it before use
3. Roll out the dough and cut it to small dough balls, then press the balls into the tart shells.

Egg Custard Filling:
1. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, set it aside to cool down
2. Stir in the egg, evaporated milk with the cold sugar water
3. Sieve the mixture and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before pouring it into the shells with pastry on
4. Pour the egg custard filling into the shells. Bake it 5 minutes until the pastry turns gold brown, then bake for another 15 minutes at 150°C

Ho Hung Kee, Hong Kong *One Michelin Star*

this place has got A STAR!!!!!
Ho Hung Kee was awarded ONE MICHELIN STAR on Dec 2011

well I will definitely blog about it again...coz we came here like ermm...
almost everynite for supper????
so today's posting will only consist of a few pics...
more to be edited...*GAH!!!!*

mis-en-place on every dining table
Ho Hung Kee is your usual casual fuss free won ton noodle shop
with uncles and aunties in white uniform serving u yummy food in a loud atmosphere

since it's like walking distance fr our hotel....
it's like a bedtime prayers thingy....must do before we zzzZZZzzzz

this place is famous for Congee and Won Ton noodle
from its ONLY Chinese menu, Herm C deciphered like 30 types of congee to us
by the time he's done and catching his breath...we kinda forgotten the list only remembering the last few and got him to repeat again.
*Sorry*

they have congee ranging from ABALONE to pig's liver & kidney
to fish and shellfish, to other spare parts and meats

the combination of different ingredients were endless hence the 30 over types
and for the first nite, we tried the usual traditional pork and century egg congee
congee was superb silky smooth
we were contemplating only a bowl after our HUGE dinner at dai pai dong
but after the first bowl......came the next
and ended up with 3
>.<

since we can't load anymore carbo, we had dumplings instead
well guess it's just excuses....sigh
notice the spring-onion-looked-alike greens floating on top
those are chinese chives....HongKies tend to use this a lot in their cooking

Dumplings were yummy with crunchylicious prawns
and julienned crispy wood-fungus
it gives the dumplings really good texture

then we saw next table having dry fried noodles
and.......
heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
so much for a token supper

we were chow-ing food like prisoners again
initially we ordered the famous Sliced Beef Fried Rice Noodle

but they ran out of rice noodle and substituted with mee hoon

nevertheless it was SUPERB
highly recommended
must try this fried noodle

Coke!!!!
best drink to pair with any fried noodles
heeeeeeeeeeeeeee

so if u are in Hong Kong, make ur way to Ho Hung Kee
coz if I can go there to chomp my way every nite...u can too.

Ho Hung Kee
2 Sharp Street East,
Causeway Bay,
Hong Kong.

Tel: +852 2577 6558

Tung Po Seafood Dai Pai Dong, Hong Kong

Beautiful sunset overlooking Elements Hong Kong
it is the tallest building in HK now
with a few 5 stars hotels attached to it....office suits and a huge mall downstairs

Elements derived the chinese feng shui of 5 elements
Fire
Earth
Water
Wood
Metal
so the design of the entire place was based solely on these

it's wonderful when u catch sunset at different parts of the world
:))))))))))))))))
each city is unique with its scenery and silhouette of buildings

we were invited over for dinner by LVMH Pat and her family at this Dai Pai Dong at North Point
located at Java Road...it is on the top floor of a market catered for this area

upon reaching this Dai Pai Dong area....the scene were as busy as any market early in the morning

customers calling for orders, staffs yelling to speed things up
all in a very organised chaotic manners
and I must say pretty polite for a place like this
:))))))))))))))


Helloooo My name is spotty....wat's yours???
or is tat a mirror I am looking at???


We headed to Tung Po at the other corner - the famous restaurant along this stretch of Dai Pai Dong on the 2nd floor.

the term Dai Pai Dong literally translates to Big Signage Shop
in Hong Kong, Dai Pai Dong refers to cooked food stalls
in today's modernised Cosmo Hong Kong, Dai Pai Dong are pretty scarce...
yes SCARCE esp good ones like this...

so now back to my post
and please hold ur breathe...
if u are hungry dun blame me....blame the Dai Pai Dongs
*hiak hiak hiak*

Prollie we have the "tourist" face/look...once we were there....
the staffs whisked us into a special room
one and only at Tung Po

the gang already hungry-ly waiting
hahahahahhaa

YAYYY there's ENGLISH on its menu
:))))))))))))))
savior~~~~~~~

we were quickly fed this cold appetizer of yummy crunchy cucumber and blanched squid with wasabi mayo
topped with toasted sesame seed
simple and good...
think this will make a yummy starter for our next dinner party :)))))

before we know it...

the owner came over to "kanpei" us

Tung Po has got all sorts of beer...from dry to sweet
made in China to Japan and even Singapore
so we had beer from Harbin to Asahi
hahahahahaha

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!
bottom's up!!!!

next on the table was this huge bamboo tray of steamed clams with ginger
all wrapped in lotus leaf

when unveiled~~~
the nose was....
WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

gone in seconds
sorry, we just got out fr the jail
:P

sweet juicy and succulent
think we could have gone for a 2nd tray

homemade fishballs and toufu soup for the kids
but somehow the adults whacked everything meant for the kids
poor kids...no wonder they had to resort to cookies at the end of the meals

a very good Squid Ink pasta
yea pasta at a dai pai dong

since this place specialised in seafood, they used really fresh squid ink to make these
not many places can do a good squid ink pasta these days
either they used processed ink or smellie few days old ink
the color came fr the black ink sac of a squid
with tomato base and crunchy sauteed squid :))))))))))

it was still Winter in Hong Kong

so any pot of soup is welcome

LV Elaine was craving for sweet and sour pork again
this dish is very GuangDong
and each restaurant we went to has got their own signature style
first the belly pork are alwiz used
deep fried to golden brown in their secret recipe flour

just like any good steak.....it has to be treated with respect
so SAUCE alwiz on the SIDE!!!!

but then the hungry prisoners aka US didn't want the hassle

of dipping the crispy fried pork belly on the side elegantly...
so the whole bowl of sauce went in

wooohooo HAPPY DAYS!!!!!
this is like comfort food
anytime anyday
alwiz welcome :)))))))))))

OMG wat is he cooking I WANT!!!!!

these days, very seldom u see cooks chop this ferociously with 2 choppers!!!
hey mate.......chill....it's just chives...

chop-chop....chop-chop-chop....cho-chop-cho-chop-cho-chop-cho-chop.....chop-chop-chop

such rhythm only a drummer can understand
the beat was so contagious...and before I knew it..i was bz chopping to his beat at the back of my head -_-

chop-chop....chop-chop-chop....cho-chop-cho-chop-cho-chop-cho-chop.....chop-chop-chop

WAHHHH wat's that???? I WANT!!!!
well lucky Monkey.........watever I want........me get :)))))))

the grilled chicken was TO DIE FOR!!!!!! served on its own with a squeeze of a lemon
slow grilled on open amber fire
its meat was moist and juicy with fats oozing out ocassionally
while its skin was thin and CRISPY
JS!!! u missed out big u know....must learn to eat poultry ok???

during a cold winter....the sight of hotpots are like Monkey spotting that limited edition of a handbag
hahahahhhahahaha

ohhhhhh ecstatic!!!!
Mixed Waxed Meat cooked with Taro = yam
it's a different type of yam with the thick fluffy-ness innit
it also thickens up its gravy
so appetizing :))))))))))))))

there's really a lot of waxed meat innit :))))))))))
u dun get this often coz only during Winter, there's waxed meat for sale

Baby Pok Choy cooked with golden garlic
thickened with egg yolk only sauce
with a few dash of chinese wine
I was bz drinking its gravy :P

the STAR DISH of the nite was this....
so beautiful and so strange coz I've never eaten this

ooooo wat is this???
garnished with all the ferociously chopped herbs
hahahahhahahaha

then we inspected and admired this dish for a while
Big Head Prawns with crispy fried noodles cooked in onion sauce

my Lord~~~~~~~ it was the yummiest thing ever!!!!
the big head prawns were sweet and got even sweeter coz they were cooked with a lot a lot a lot
and tonnes of onions
the sauce were so sweet with the loaded caramelised onions innit
and the Cook had to add more onions, those that u can see coz the rest were caramelised...GONE

on its based was crispy fried bee hoon
the Cook was sure that customers would fight for it...so he actually cut the base like a pizza
so each person has got a portion of fried bee hoon *the size of a slice of pizza*

*smacking lips*

and lastly to feed those Hungry Carbo Prisoners/ ex-convicts
*food convicts*

steamed rice with a lot of goodies innit, wrapped in lotus leaf

so cozy to dine here
and my first time dining on a typical Square Chinese table like this

on a stool :))))))))))))))
drinking beer from a bowl
hahahahhahaa

before we know it....Tung Po's owner pulled Herm C for a Harbin Beer challenge on the outside
with the other patrons
:)))))))))))))))
and he WON!!!!!
this guy is a beer chugger!!!!
so a small bowl is nothing...
nothing!!!!!

Dessert was so yummy...one bowl ain't enuff
boiled sweet potatoes in freshly grated ginger juice
there's so much of ginger juice that u can feel the heat as u eat
definitely yummy and comforting for winter day like this
:)))))))))))))))))

Baby K couldn't have it...
it's too spicy for a 18 month old :))))

she kept on asking: "Nice?? Nice?? Nice??"
she's such a darling and made me sayang her so much
pointing to my dress and say..."NICE!!!!!"
yea I'm easily bought over -_-

after hours of dining, it's time to head .....
nope...not home
but SUPPER!!!!

hahahah as the saying goes...Hong Kong is a City that Never Sleeps
so were our stomachs
hiak hiak hiak

Must go whenever u are in Hong Kong ok :))

Tung Po Seafood Dai Pai Dong
2/F Java Road Municipal Services Building,
North Point,
Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2880 9399