A pastry chef’s favourite Hong Kong pastry shop, and his tip for the best durian fatty crab in Malaysia
- Hotel Icon chef Danny Ho is looking forward to seeing his family in Malaysia, and eating steamed fish with Bentong ginger, known as the ‘king of gingers’
- In Hong Kong, he likes the authentic flavour of dishes at a family-run restaurant in Jordan, and the passion of a former JW Marriott pastry chef
Danny Ho’s nickname is “the prince of durian”. The executive pastry chef for Hotel Icon in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, Hong Kong, is originally from Malaysia and is presenting his popular durian high tea at The Market until July 31.
I miss my family and my children in Malaysia. I haven’t seen them since Lunar New Year. I love all the street food [in Malaysia].
I started cooking with my mum. That’s where I developed an interest. But my family couldn’t afford to send me overseas to cooking school, so I just worked very hard. I was lucky.
When I can go back to Malaysia, I want to get some Bentong ginger. Bentong is a small city, and they grow the ‘king of gingers’. Most hawkers will use this for cooking. It has a strong ginger aroma and a spicy kick. Try it at Restaurant Lan Je (F-51G and 52G, Jalan Teknologi 3/9, Bistari De Kota, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, tel: +60 3 6150 1382). They are famous for their steamed fish with Bentong ginger. They also raise their own fish.
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant (7 Jalan Desa 2/7, Desa Aman Puri, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur 52100, tel: +60 16 237 3794) serves the best Musang King durian fatty crab, with toasted bread and a durian dipping sauce. The chef is only 30-something. It’s like Singapore-style crab, but they cook durian and salted duck egg with it. I told our Chinese chef at Hotel Icon he should try to cook this – people even order it for wedding banquets.
The best durian cendol (an iced sweet dessert with green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup) is at Durianman (Lot 7680, Jalan SS 2/24, SS2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, tel: +60 12 234 5619). Perfect after dinner for a cooling and authentic taste. The SS2 district is full of durian shops.
In Hong Kong, I like Ho Kee Restaurant (257 Temple Street, Jordan, tel: +852 3482 0982) for authentic Hong Kong flavours. It’s a very small shop run by a husband, wife and daughter and the dishes are fresh and the prices are reasonable. The first time I went there, I was a little sick so I asked if they can make something simple and clean. The lady made a clear soup that was really delicious. I always bring overseas chefs here.
A pastry shop I like is Thomas Trillion (Flat B, 13/F, Luk Hop Industrial Building, 8 Luk Hop Street, San Po Kong, tel: +852 2086 2128). The owner, Thomas Lui, is a Hong Kong pastry chef and formerly with JW Marriott. He’s very passionate about his creations and he has interesting ideas. He inspires me.
