Lamingtons & Lasagna

So yes, Lamingtons and Lasagna has been missing in action. She went to Hong Kong and Cambodia on holidays, and she wanted to post while she was away but the combination of her innate laziness and the glory of vacationing in a land where the average price of a cocktail is $2.50, meant she never got around to it. She’s back now, but before she can resume with her usual food history-esque babble, and start writing in the first person again, she feels the need to share a few photos. Like this whole cow on a spit:

Yes, that’s right, so it was a skinny cow, but in Siem Reap this outdoor restaurant was a car wash by day and a barbecue joint by night. It served us up two tasty plates of barbecued beef, one rotisserie duck, an assortment of vegetables and condiments, and a litre of the local beer for the princely sum of $8. At that price, Luggage Boy (LB) and myself spent the entire meal contemplating our imminent retirement to Cambodia.

Yumi

Still in Cambodia, I couldn’t resist this description of  a Japanese izakaya run by an English chef in Phnom Penh. So LB and I headed away from the bright lights of the city’s riverside – where most of the tourists can be found – to the small but chilled out Yumi where we enjoyed excellent pumpkin gyoza, finger lickin’ ribs and a deconstructed banoffee pie made with the fantastic local bananas which I am still thinking about. Good doesn’t describe it.

Australian Dairy Company

In Hong Kong now, the Australian Dairy Company in Kowloon has nothing to do with Australia and everything to do with what Hong Kongers like to eat for breakfast. There’s a queue outside and the place is packed with white-shirted men seating and serving at a furious pace. The macaroni soup with industrial ham is really blah but the scrambled eggs are beyond awesome. And while I shouldn’t admit my love of peanut butter and condensed milk on thick slices of over-processed over-white bread, I think I just did. Also, the Hong Kong tea will put hairs on your chest. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Wang Fu & Dumpling Yuan

There are so many decisions one needs to make in life. Work or Uni? Marriage or singledom? Children or carefree happiness? But, for me, the really important question is: Beijing dumplings or Shanghai dumplings? In Hong Kong, I confronted this dilemma at Wang Fu for Beijing and Dumpling Yuan for Shanghai, conveniently both located on Wellington Street in Central. In conclusion, Shanghai wins – the wrapper is that bit thinner, that bit more delicate, which means you can really taste the superb pork-based fillings. However, the Michelin Guide, which led us to these establishments, is wrong on one count – under no circumstances should you ever eat a mutton dumpling because there’s a reason nearly nobody eats that anymore.

Tim Ho Wan (Mong Kok)

Speaking of Michelin, like every so-called foodie worth his or her salt, LB and I waited outside Tim Ho Wan – the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant – for about two hours. The hype around this place is big, so by the time we got in there we were expecting the seventh heaven of dim sum. Not surprisingly, it could not deliver – the food was great, but not amazing, although the Chiu Chow style steamed dumplings were outstanding. I ordered way too much, though all this meant was that we got to eat Michelin-starred barbecued pork buns for breakfast. Not a bad way to start a day at all.

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Alright, so it’s touristy and it’s kitschy and properly rich people would never ever do it, but afternoon tea at Hong Kong’s Peninsula is just fun. So I recommend it. Especially the macaroons at the end.

Yung Kee

And, on our last night in Hong Kong, the roast goose at Yung Kee. With LB taken down by a stomach bug, it didn’t look like we were going to make it. But, brave soldier boy that he is when it comes to his belly, he rallied and did not regret it. Gamey, fatty and so full of flavour, all stomach bugs were forgotten as we finished our trip on what can only be described as a roast goose high. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten. .. ever. The way all trips should end, really.

Tags: Australian Dairy Company, Cambodia, Dumplings, Dumplings Yuan, Hong Kong, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan, Wang Fu, Yumi, Yung Kee