Street of Deals
Valerie Lee and Angie Wong track down the fantastic foodie deals on Electric Road
You probably wouldn't peg Tin Hau for a foodie paradise. At the eastern end of Causeway Bay, you might think this little old district would be packed with office workers and casual diners, but so far it’s been a hidden gem. But we're about to blow the secret - we went in with hungry bellies and came away with some great dining recommendations.
Beef Brisket
A great start, The Sister Wah Restaurant (G/F, Shop 13A, Electric Rd., Tin Hau), located at the very beginning of the street, serves fabulous traditional beef brisket soup. Though tiny, it enjoys an excellent reputation not only in Tin Hau, but in all of Hong Kong Island. The price is right: For only $20, you get a big bowl of beef brisket soup and $22 for a noodle soup. No worries about the quality - it’s guaranteed. The slowly braised beef tastes like a mixture of sweet and savory; it wakes your taste buds and fills your stomach. And the staff is very friendly; they give customers big, genuine smiles throughout your (albeit short) dining experience. The kindly attitude and friendly service are part of why it’s been a local favorite for over 10 years.
Country Home Cooking
Also chugging along after more than 10 years, Poppy’s Restaurant & Wine Bar (G/F, 1A Tsing Fung St., Causeway Bay, 2887-2826), located at the intersection with Electric Road, offers a country-style atmosphere with vintage paintings and handcrafts. The dishes taste damn great (they also look absolutely fantastic). It features a large selection for seafood- and meat-lovers, such as shrimp salad ($88), prawns sautéed in garlic with grapefruit, and Mesculis salad with lemon olive and oil dressing. The rib-eye steak ($145, grade A), made from New Zealand beef, is fantastic value with potatoes and steamed vegetables. We also recommend the king prawn risotto served in lobster sauce ($138). A bit further on, Eos Thai (G/F, 39 Electric Rd., Tin Hau, 3579-2486), a Thai-home-cooking restaurant, employs Thai chefs and waitress, providing an authentic homestyle experience, using original Thai cooking methods and ingredients – and pretty close to Thai prices, to boot. The garlic chicken turmeric rice ($52) and curry chicken rice noodles ($52) are great deals and packed with plenty of flavor. Traditional Thai desserts such as mango pudding, coconut juice cakes and rice pudding are also available for just $28 per set.
Homemade Soya
Fancy a light breakfast? Grab some soya milk. This little spot is extremely tiny, situated in the gap between two large residential buildings, the kind of place you would walk right past if you didn’t know exactly where it was. But it’s worth your time; The Fresh Soya Shop (G/F, Shop 1C, 74-78 Electric Rd., Tin Hau) sells a homemade soya drink packed plastic bottles. Soya drinks are $12 per bottle, sweet dumplings and red-bean bowl-cakes go for under $10; and delicious, traditional Chinese sweet buns and dim sum are under $10 each.
Te Se Kitchen (G/F, 69 Electric Rd., Tin Hau. 2887-8312), specializes in sweet dumplings in flower-jelly bases. Especially recommended are the tasty Chinese sweet puddings. Go on, bust a gut - they all cost less than $20.
Laksa and Curry
A newly opened Malaysian curry house, Tin Hau Laksa (Shop L, G/F, 81 Electric Rd., Tin Hau, 2806-2683), has the street’s best atmosphere with chic surrounds. They are also creating fresh new tastes, taking traditional Malaysian cuisine as a starting point. Their twist on traditional curry leaves it tasting similar to sweet and sour sauce. They also serve a large variety of laksa, such as pan-fried white carrot cakes with black fungus ($39), South American razor clam shell laska ($54), Muslim lamb ribs laksa ($48 for two), and prawn with southern Thai hot and sour soup ($33 each). But don't think fusion's their only thing - their traditional laksas also hit the spot. Next up, there's Akuk Curry (G/F, 88 Electric Rd., Tin Hau, 2508-0122), a traditional Indian curry restaurant that serves tandoori chicken and Indian curry salad for under $100.
Hot Pork Chops!
Shun Fung Noodle Restaurant (G/F, 87 Electric Rd., Tin Hau, 2566-6375) is pretty small - it only serves up to 10 tables. It takes longer to queue at this place than to eat at it, so what’s the big draw? Definitely for the crispy deep-fried pork chops ($12), also served with noodles or veggie-rice ($30-40). It's one of the top spots in the city for a good pork chop. Also try the Chinese wine-chicken for $40 and duck-kidney for only $14. Put simply, it's delicious food with great prices, but be ready to line up.
Back to the 50s
Fancy some authentic old-school breakfast? Cheung Lee Restaurant (G/F, 120 Electric Rd., Tin Hau, 2570-6655) has served generations of customers, establishing itself as one of the most popular places on Hong Kong Island for breakfast, lunch and tea. Since opening its doors in 1957, it has seen a steady flow of customers with a combination of amazingly cheap food at a high quality (thanks to its extremely high turnover). It's a trip to the past too: the antique appearance, green walls, ancient furniture, overhead ventilators and vintage décor is like a time capsule back to the 1950s. It's a part of our history and a prime example of local food culture. The food is as good as the atmosphere - they serve a daily special set, includes satay beef noodle soup with sausage and egg and a traditional Hong Kong-style milk tea for just $23. We’d also recommend the minced-meat sandwich for $12 and breakfast sets for $19. The good service and unique décor make it well worth visiting.