When I told friends I was going to review The Farm House Restaurant in AIA Plaza in Causeway Bay, there was a squabble over who would get to accompany me.
They know about the great food, from soups to desserts. They also know there is no connection between this place and the like-named chain of restaurants that served food that was popular in the West 50 years ago (borscht, chicken a la king and chicken kiev).
This Farm House makes home-style Cantonese food, but nothing like the kind you get in dai pai dongs. The quality is on a par with some of the better hotel restaurants. There is nothing fancy about it, just well-prepared dishes rushed to the table by attentive waiters.
If anybody decides to make homemade stuffed chicken wings, they could do no better than to use these as an example. The chickens must be on steroids because the wings are enormous and are so popular that when you phone to book a table, the receptionist asks if you will be ordering them.
At $45 each the wings might seem expensive, but it is worth it when you realise the work that goes into them. The bones are taken out of the middle joint, which is then stuffed with savoury sticky rice.
The resulting crisp, brown wing is well worth the 10-minute wait. They are served as a first course, so the diner can give them the full attention they deserve. Some may wish for a bigger appetite and a second helping.
Another excellent choice is Steamed Egg White with Seafood ($80). It is absolutely beautiful - a light, delicate custard topped with shrimp, pork, vegetables and fresh and dried scallops. I've never tasted better.