Ever since returning to Hong Kong, some of my experiences with local Claypot Rice has been slightly disappointing on each occasion! They used to be better in the past but seems to have deteriorated! Some either aren’t cooked properly to retain the almighty grainy bite, or have little to no rice taste, and on most occasions the ingredients inside just somehow seem to live a life of its own from the bed of rice underneath. They just can’t seem to integrate together peacefully somehow and compliment each other!
Local Hong Kongers have all imprinted into their minds the 3-4 main shops which does respectable Charcoal Grilled Claypot Rice, namely 新翠華小廚, 四季煲仔飯, 坤記煲仔小菜, etc, with a couple more lesser known shops which also utilise charcoals but with too little media or foodies coverage (which might also be good too, who knows!!). Only 1 other non charcoal-grill edClaypot Rice Specialist 永合成餐廳餅店 is equally respected and ever mentioned. Siu Wa Kitchen (紹華小廚) is one of the late comers as the boss and the cook Ar Dee used to work at 新翠華小廚 before it’d moved premise, before that also became sold to a new owner. Let’s face it, Hot Pot Claypot Rice is not the most sophisticated dish on earth, but once you start exploring this Hong Kong Specialty Dish with its specialty toppings, the possibilities become almost endless as long as you respect general basic rules. The exact measurement and timing required needs to be spot on, it probably leaves enough room for a Molecular-Wannabe Chef to explore this area in finer details and making it a precise science 1 day! And surprisingly, here at Siu Wa Kitchen (紹華小廚) they pulled off the feat much better than its predecessor 新翠華小廚 in every single aspect.. Only 坤記煲仔小菜 comes close in the final result.
Real Charcoal,
not just normal Coal pretending to be charcoal used here…
The Charcoal induced fire and aroma here,
is much more intense than 新翠華小廚..
Daily Soup -
Of Lotus Root, Pone Bones and Black Eyed Pea (眉豆) included for free.
No MSG influence, very good.
Iced Lemon Tea -
Good and flavourful. Encore ~ 8/10
Beer, Claypot Rice’s best friend -
Once you receive the Claypot, Pour in some Thickened Soy Sauce and please let it sit a few more minutes.. this method really works.
Taro Mash, Minced Mushrooms and Pork with additional Liver Sausage Claypot Rice -
芋茸肉碎膶腸飯 ($53). Done very well, with the rice absorbing the sauce from the mince and integrating together like a good marriage. The Liver sausage was also of good quality. Even though I had EXACTLY the same dish in its previous shop, this was just so much more better than that version!! ~ 9.5/10
Rice grains were al dente, well defined..
飯焦 (Dried Rice Layer, like a Socarrat),
was formed perfectly without being too wet or too nastily burnt. Highly aromatic.
This thickened soy-sauce is addictive.
Add some in early on, to give it that extra caramelised taste and aroma!
Beef and Raw Egg Rice with Added Lap Cheung Sausage -
渦蛋滑牛肉臘腸飯 is one of 2 alternatives here, the other being minced rather than sliced beef. The version at 永合成 has better beef taste, but the egg here was still runny and the rice was again superb. Lap Cheung was a bit too fatty/chewy to my liking ~ 7.5/10
Cheese Pork Neck Noodles -
A carbon copy of the famous dish at Sun Kee (新記), this equally lacked any cheesiness in the base sauce, it was just cream as well, disappointing. The Pork Neck even more so, as it lacked the char-grilled aroma of its competitor. There’s also too much dried Westernised herbs on top which spoiled the balance even more. Why can’t any shop do a perfect version of this dish?
Is it really that difficult to achieve? ~ 4/10
Surprisingly, this food stall on its own takes up the whole floor
within this Cooked Food Centre. No competitors within range.
Price: $60 per person
Score: ★★★★★☆
Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun - 06:30pm - 22:00pm
Address: 筲箕灣愛秩序灣愛東邨熟食中心CF3店
(3 Minutes walk from Shau Kei Wan Station B3 or D2 Exit:
Shop CF3, Oi Tung Market, Aldrich Bay, Shau Kei Wan)
Ph: 8199 8188
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