Serendipitous Lunch near Tin Hou station, Hong Kong Island

Culinary Award for Shek Kee 

           Along Ngan Mok street very close to the Tin Hou MTR station is a small eatery, called Shek Kee. I chanced upon it last week when I had a lunch meeting with a long time friend Alvin Low who is based in Hong Kong.

      From exit A1, just head up the street and it is on the left hand side ; no outstanding displays of food exhibits, just a nondescript menu, some Michelin recommended food guide stickers and a bustling high turnover of eat and go patrons who typify the "sit, eat, chat and go" crowd from around the area.

Its within the circled area in the map 

        I do not pretend to be a foodie, not by any long shot, but I do enjoy good local food especially if its tasty, the ingredients are fresh and the four key elements of sight, smell, taste and touch are adequately satisfied.

       We entered this unpretentious place thanks firstly to the Club Lounge lady staff on the 29th floor of the hotel where I stayed, Metropark Causeway Bay, which is just 200 metres from the MTR station, in the gritty Tin Hou Hong Kong suburb. She pointed out this food Hub area just next to the station around Ngan Mok road where I could get cheap and good Tim Sum, Thai and other International delights at a fraction of the costs at Central or Tsim Sha Tsui areas where rents are so much higher.

     

 Briased Beef with Tomato Sauce and Rice 

             Be warned, English speakers and writers, the menus are all in Chinese, with a smattering of English posters only at the entrance, so its more like asking the waitress who has an attitude when you ask her to recommend, she will retort  "everything here is nice" . So either point and hope for the best, or (like me) resort to my lousy Chinese and look out for 'key words' like 'niu rou' (beef), 'ju rou' (chicken) or 'yu (fish) and then see what the establishment serves you.     

          Cut a long story short, by the time we reached there, the place was full, so be prepared to share a table, like we did, with a tourist from Europe. I believe that the Michelin guide is useful for both people from the Eastern part of the world to sample fine cuisine in the capitals of Europe and vice versa, Western tourists come and sample good fare in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo for example as the Michelin guide generally is a good review of quality food. 

         

Vegetable Soup

 

      My braised beef was very tender and flavourful though I would have liked some spice into the dish, I believe Hong Kongers do not take too well to spicy food, judging from the food I have tasted every single time I have been there. The vegetable soup was good using fresh vegetables and I had a 'ying yong' drink or mixed coffee and tea concoction which is a signature drink in Hong Kong. You can either have it in cold (with ice) or hot version like your normal beverage.

     My verdict, well the place was 90% patronised by locals, many working class folk judging from their attire. The food was good and the price was amazingly affordable ('duh') ; I remember the bill for the 2 of us came to HK$ 98 or S$ 18 (USD 13) for 2 which is quite unbelievable for an air conditioned cafe,  passable service and above average food.

     Will I return ? Certainly. But only If I stay near the same locale when I am next in Hong Kong island.

     Will I actually make a food trip specially to visit to eat ? No. There are so many other types of great food in Hong Kong, I would be doing a disservice to my taste buds if I neglected trying out the other food types  during my short trips.

  

     

Fewer Birthdays Left so Treasure each one

Water-colour painting gift from Mr. Chia Kwek Fah  

            Last year I had a grand surprise when my karate instructor, Mr. Chia Kwek Fah had a surprise birthday party for me after my Sunday training class in November. As it was attended by about 20 odd trainees, I was very touched and humbled that he and the other karatekas had remembered my birthday. I have been training at the Tanglin CC dojo (class_ since June 2002, or 15 years. My attendance has been pretty regular, and although age is catching up with me, I patricipate in 95 to 100% of the intensive exercise and sparring. 

            He presented me with his water-colour painting of a rose, as well as 4 first day covers of stamps from his secondary school Bukit Batok Secondary which the school had commissioned him to paint for their 150th anniversary. We had a cake, the obligatory birthday song and some drinks. I was overwhelmed and grateful to say the least. 

       Bukit Batok Secondary School First Day Cover Stamps commemorating 150 years 

           I do not want to 'fish for compliments' I am comfortable within my own skin and whatever I have done in this life is not for me to judge, if anyone is. If people appreciate me for what I have done for them, then good for them, if not, it does not matter. Some friends, business partners and even relatives I have crossed swords and do not want to meet again. Most times I never take the matter personally as those incidences are in the course of business, and my standpoint is based on a value of fairness in business practice - it has to be going both ways, so there must be a give and take.  

          I do not bully (intellectually or morally) people, it is not a trait of mine. 

          There remain few birthdays in my life, so each passing year, I must make the point to reach ever higher and never settle for anything less. 

Keong Saik Road - One of Lonely Planet's Top 10 Places to Visit - in Singapore !

A juxtaposition of old and new ; the former Chattel House Ya Tong now a restaurant, and in the background, the ulta-modern Build To Order Housing Development Flats, the Pinnacle at Duxton

This is a place I have recently visited, even though I am a born and bred Singaporean, Keong Saik Road. Flanked on one side by Neil Road, and the other by New Bridge Road, it is now a 'happening' place for the artsy and foodies. I recently 'discovered' the place after I went to Bukit Pasoh to lend my support to my karate instructutor who is also a talented artist (water-colours). Mr. Chia Kwek Fah recently had an exhibition of his water-colour works at the Grassroots Book Club during the month of May this year. So I went there recently to view and also bought a piece.

After those visits, first to view and secondly to collect the art piece, my interest was piqued that only now, in my 50s, there are many places of interest in my home city, which I have never stepped foot on. The reason was probably due to personal safety and the area around Keong Saik road was linked with unsavoury news and dubious people in the past.

You see, Chinatown and Keong Saik road in particular was a hotbed of gangster related activity, as well as vice. There were prostitutes plying the streets in the 60s and till the late 70s and the place was darkly lit, controlled by gangs and run down. Fast forward 25 years later to the early 2000s and the place has reinvented itself. The myriad of shophouses and death chattels (places where the old people were placed to live out their last days, even sometimes morgues) have all gone. No more gangsters and street lights abound every 10 meters or so. 

In its place are the facade of the buildings which echo still of names of the past, they are mainly Clan Associations, boutique hotels, food establishments, architects, shipping firms, legal firms and of course up market artisan coffee shops.  

Tourists and locals alike live around Chinatown area, and there are 5 star service apartments along New Bridge Road, just around the corner. There is a major Mass Rapid Transport Station or underground (Outram) about 100 meters away from Keong Saik road. 

The 1929 Hotel along Keong Saik Road 

True, the place is no longer the 'exotic' and 'exciting' like some tourists or even expatriates complain. However, these folk are exercising shallow and wishful thinking. Better to have the facade of the old buildings with world class food standards (1 Michelin starred Chef Chan Soya Sauce Chicken Rice is at the neighbouring Smith Street) than to have the 'exotic' and 'exciting' (read dangerous) experience.

Koeng Saik Street (and vicinty I must add) has been ranked in the top 10 of Lonely Planets World Guide for 2017 as a Must See.

So the Must See, Eat and Do places (in my opinion) are :

- Frog Porridge (at Tong Shian stall) at New Bridge Road entrance to Keong Saik

- Read some books at GrassRoots Book Club along Bukit Pasoh Road  

- Have a coffee or aperitif at the numerous Bookshops cum Bistros

- Nicholas (French Restaurant) at  10 Teck Lim Road.

- Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle or Rice at Smith Street (1 Michelin Star)

- Photoshoots of old buildings with new facades (chattel houses like Ya Tong) 

- Indian temple at the end of the Keong Saik road and Telok Ayer Road  

To get there, take the MRT to Outram station and then follow the signs up to New Bridge Road. 

Quan Le Yuan - Superb Teochew Cuisine in Coffeeshop at Henderson Road - a reprint from 2010

                                       Cold Crab - Signature Teochew Dish

Tucked away on Henderson road, are several top class Teochew coffeeshops converted to Restaurants. I have been to 1 such restaurant, called Quan Le Yuan, it is as 21 Henderson Road and it is next to the famous neighbour at 19 Henderson Road, called Mu Liang Zai Liang Kee. According to my friend and lunch buddy, Stanley Wong, these restaurants have been around for more than 25 years (!) since he was a young teenager. Although the estate has changed tremendously, what with new condominiums sprouting up every year around the Bukit Ho Swee and Bukit Merah neighbourhood, these restaurants cum coffeshops are still doing a roaring business.


                                                  Great lunch for 2 at decent price

3 weeks ago I had lunch with Betty, a friend from Hong Kong,and although I wanted to try the No. 19, , it was closed on a Monday so popped over to No. 21 and it was a serendipitous (pleasant surprise) occasion. The signature dish of Teochew Cold Crab, was sweet and went well will the red chilli padi sauce. In Hong Kong, they serve it with Worchestire sauce from Lea and Perrins. Ever mindful of my cholesterol level, I limited my intake to 2 pieces of the small but excellent tasting crab.


                    Braised Goose - as good as the one we had in Hong Kong last year

Next, the braised goose.Soft and easily digestible, it was also very tasty and the side of tau kwa (bean curd cake) made it all the more a complete nutritious dish with tau yoo sauce. It was a personal favourite of mine.



                                 Sambal Kang Kong (Morning Glory with sambal chilli) - Yummy

The sambal kangkong was a very nice surprise too. Fresh and crunchy, it had an aromatic smell to it and just the right amount of sambal not burning one's lips and making one eat it like a healthy snack. I almost ordered a second plate - it was that tasty.

The restaurant name is also very unique, Quan Le Yuan which means, 'Every One is Happy Garden'. So for the price of $49.00 and the quality of the food, I must say we both left the coffeshop restaurant satiated :)

Why we have Central Banks (in US its called the Federal Reserve in Singapore we call it Money Authority of Singapore)

The Problem with Bankers

This is based on a TRUE STORY.

      Faisah the fisherman was dozing on his hammock between 2 coconut trees next to the beach. It was Monday afternoon at about 3.30 pm. His wife Fatimah was cooking what he had caught in the morning, some ikan kuning and some shrimp. The kids were in school and it was a warm lazy afternoon after a morning's fishing.

     Bob (banker) : " Good afternoon, Sir"
     Faisah (awoken) : "Uh ? Yeah Good afternoon"
     Bob : "I'm from HongKong Chartered Bank and I have a great plan for you !"
     Faisah (uncertain) : "Uh, OK, what you got ?"

      Bob went on to explain the benefits of Faisah upgrading his old fishing boat and with a small loan, could expand his fleet to 3 boats,hire more fishermen to catch more fish and make more money. With the money, he could get a bigger house near the city and buy the SUV to replace his old beat up Proton to ferry the wife and kids. Macham Lawa (Showy).

     Faisah : "And then what ?"

    Bob : "After we'ved evaluated your business, with a turnover of S$ 1M you could apply for     our SME or Small and Medium Enterprise Package of S$ 200K and you could put up some collateral (maybe your house or car) and then you can grow your fishing business to cover outside to International Waters. All you need is to pay back with a low nominal interest of 5%. You can afford to take the wife to Holiday in Australia with the kids, enjoy some life."

    Faisah : "Wow, so I got to work even harder to bring in then S$2 M, buy 4 ships and hire another 50 fishermen and expand to include sport fishing for tourists as well as deep sea fishing."

     Bob : "That's Right ! You will Have The Good Life !"
     Faisah : "Eh How, long you think I need to do all this before I Have the Good Life ?!"
    Bob (sneaky smile) : "Well, if you are hardworking, my calculations say 20 years. 25 
    years tops."

    Faisah : "What is The Good Life ah ?! "
    Bob ( now in full BS mode) : "Your business will be running smoothly, you just occasionally check on it. You need not work so hard and best of all, you can have a nice house by the beach and take it easy. "

   " Relax and enjoy life ".

   Faisah : I am already doing that ! I was relaxed until you came and wake me up ! 

  " Take your $$ and shove it ! " 

   Bob : ..............

   Moral : See picture above.

  Bankers rent you an umbrella during a sunny day PAYMENT WITH INTEREST. When it 
  rains, they  take it away.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1980 team

                                      Wolverhampton Wanderers 1980 at Molineux 
   Top L to R : John Barnwell (Mgr), Kenny Hibbit (Winger), John Richards (Striker),                        Paul Bradshaw (Goalkeeper), Andy Gray (Striker), Richie Barker (Asst Mgr.)
    Front L to R :  Mel Eves, George Berry, Peter Daniel,                                                                                     Geoff Palmer, Willie Carr,Derek Parkin 


        This is the apex team of Wolverhampton Wanderers ; the boyhood and teenage team I followed fervently in the 70s till the late 80s.I know most of the players names by heart and they have fallen from the top flight (English Premier League) since 2011 or so. 

       During my primary school days and all the way till pre - University, I would spend 
S$ 1.20 (then a princely sum) to buy the SHOOT magazine from the mamak (Indian) shop along Middle Road and flip over fervently to read any news at all about My Team. Those pre internet and mobile smart phone days are a lifetime away, but the magazines arrived approximately 2 to 3 weeks after the print date, so I would buy the magazine after the big matches were done. I would pore over every inch of the magazine and look for any news or photo spread of the tea and if there was I would take the pullout and paste it up on my bedroom wall. 

     It was a simple pleasure those days, and I had great times debating our teams with fellow classmates and friends Eddie Cheng and Andrew Lee. Eddie supported Liverpool and Andrew supported Arsenal so we had numerous good times rooting for our respective teams. Those days, Wolves, Leeds, Arsenal and Liverpool were all playing in Division One
or the top flight of clubs. They were a striking team, with their colours old gold and black and had a very good strike rate, with top class strikers in John Richards and Andy Gray (who at that time was the most expensive signing in the League of GBP 1 million pounds). 

     Wolves never attained many cups in the 80s, the last time they won anything significant   was the League Cup in 1980 (against Nottingham Forest as I recall) but since then they have not won anything and were relegated and bobbed up and down from Premier League to Championship and below and back up again Back then, I had a soft spot for the team and even went to Molineux (in the Midlands) to view the stadium in 1987. Nowadays, I hardly check up their results and would not say I am 'hardcore Wolves fan' more like a 'fair weather' fan. 

     Those precocious years of teenage joys and angst I shall always remember.