Hong Kong 2006: Yung Kee

This was the day that we decided to splurge on food so we had set aside a budget of $30 USD per person for dinner. We met up with two other friends in front of Yung Kee Restaurant, one of Hong Kong's most famous restaurants. Their clientele is odd a mix of tourists, family, and corporate professionals. Yung Kee is famous for their Chinese Roast Goose. I love Chinese BBQ and I've never had roast goose before, so I was super excited about tonight's meal.



Rona and I arrived at the restaurant a little early so we spent the time admiring all of the beautiful roasted meats hanging on display behind the front window. Yung Kee prides itself on their roast meats, so instead of putting their kitchen in the back where no one can see, they designed their restaurant so that the kitchen is in the front to tantalize all the passerbys.


Fast hands preparing roast goose for plating

Once inside we had to wait an additional 30 minutes to be seated, even though we had made reservations days before. That was kind of frustrating, considering the fact that we could smell all the tasty dishes passing by us.

finally, we were seated. Immediately, we were offered a plate of Preserved Duck Eggs with Pickled Ginger, one of my most favorite dishes. The only other person at the table who was brave enough to try the dish was Rona. She only had a bite, so I had the whole dish to myself. YUM!


1. Preserved Duck Eggs with Pickled Ginger - Definitely an acquired taste. The brown jellied part of the egg has no taste but the flavor is all in the yolk. The yolk is the color of a dark emerald green. The center of the yolk is a little runny. It looks like it's rotten but it's actually been preserved for several months in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw. The taste is a little difficult to describe. It's kind of like a very mild soft cheese with a slight metallic aftertaste that sneaks up your sinuses like wasabi does. I love it!
2. Roasted Goose - Man, this was cooked so wonderfully. The meat inside is juicy and the skin is thin and crispy. Goose tastes similar to duck, except not as gamy or fatty in flavor. Goose meat is extremely mild in flavor. Although, this dish was very good, I still prefer duck over goose. I missed the intense flavor of duck.
3. Seasonal Vegetable with Mushrooms - This season's vegetable was Baby Bok Choy with Enoki Mushrooms.
4. Sauteed Fillet of Garoupa and Vegetable.

Overall I thought the meal was good but not particularly mind-blowing. They have a separate menu that offers some of their award winning dishes but this option had to be ordered at least two days in advanced. Besides, it was way out of our price range. I will definitely try this menu the next time I visit Hong Kong when I have a little more cash.

After dinner, Rona and I had a craving for some sweets and headed over to XTC Gelato. Gelato is apparently the new dessert craze in Asia. XTC Gelato serves the best.


1. XTC Gelato Shop.
2. I had Hazelnut and Chocolate Gelato.
3. Rona had Guava and Passionfruit Gelato

A perfect way to end the evening.

Next up: Lan Tau Island.