Tag Archives: seafood

Crowd Restaurant

May 30, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Being in Hong Kong a country surrounded in water you are guaranteed to have some amazing fish. We had to find the best seafood in Hong Kong and I’m pretty sure we have come close to it.

In the back streets of the Wan Chai district is a little restaurant where you see the integration of the expats and the locals over the fruits of the seas.

Crowd Restaurant on Gresson St is a small local restaurant with no frills so expect to be seated shoulder to shoulder to strangers.

As we sat down to feast our expat friends started doing the most unusual things which we now understand are standard practice in places like these for good measure.

The waiters gave us our chopsticks and crockery and a teapot of green tea. One of our friends proceeded to wash the chopsticks and crockery in the green tea to clean them. We noticed the other tables were also conducting this process. We found out that even though establishments like these washed their utensils people preferred to re-wash them for hygiene assurance.

We ordered the famous Hong Kong hairy crab that everyone kept telling us about. We also ordered: razor clams, Thai seafood soup, scallop and prawn stir fried vermicelli noodles and sticky rice.

The hairy crab is covered in fried garlic which is lovely with the crab meat. It was the most expensive dish on their menu costing 200 HKD but so worth it. The crab is covered in batter and deep fried which makes you keep licking the shell. Damn, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The razor clams look so odd, almost like small pieces of bamboo that have been split open. They are coated in black bean sauce so go great with the rice. The meat in the clams isn’t the perfect oval we are used to so prepared to pull something stringy looking out of the shell. Don’t worry, it tastes better than clams.

Our favourite dish was the scallop and prawn stir fried vermicelli noodles. I for sure couldn’t stop eating it at all. The noodles we so light with a generous helping of scallops and prawns fresh from the sea.

The Thai soup had a different range of fresh and tangy flavours which you naturally associate with Thai food.

The food came to a grand total of 680 HKD between five people were we’re stuffed. Paying £13.60 each for the amount of fresh seafood we consumed feels like we were almost stealing.

If you don’t mind a tight squeeze in a charming local dine then definitely visit Crowd Restaurant.

Crowd Restaurant
14A Gresson St, Hong Kong

Japanese

Tonkichi – Tonkatsu Seafood

May 25, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Our first eat in Hong Kong and what a feast it was. We met our friend and her fiancé for dinner on our first night and they had already decided that this was the place for us to try. Located in the World Trade Centre building it over looks the harbour. If you love fried food and love your katsu then you will love this place as they have ‘katsu-fied’ everything from pork to scallops. For a halal eater like myself I had to be uber carefully and asked them to separate the pork katsu from the rest of the meal.

Tonkatsu Seafood is a lovely intermit dining experience. Diners can sit in the main hall or opt for a cosy booth. The soft lighting adds to the uber relaxed atmosphere which make you forget the hustle and bustle and soaring temperatures outside.

The meals came with sticky Japanese rice and a range of condiments. What was fascinating about this meal was that once you have ordered you are given a bowl of roasted sesame seeds and a number of oils. You are required to crush the sesame seeds with a pestle and mortar and then add the oil which you like the taste of the most to create a paste which you will use as a dip for the rest of the meal for the rice and the katsu.

You are then served a platter of fried goodies which you can dip in the paste you have made or the other condiments on offer.

A meal for four came up to 650 Hong Kong dollars costing you £52 which is incredibly cheap given the location and the fact we were eating fresh oysters and scallops. Great experience for our first meal.

Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood

Shop 412, Podium 4, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

Seafood

Scott’s

April 8, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

For those that don’t know – Scott’s restaurant in Mayfair is famous for fish and finest oysters. This restaurant with buzzing atmosphere is great for celeb spotting, recently made famous by Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson. It’s main feature is a grand champaigne and oyster bar, which is truly an eye catching piece.

We came here on a Sunday night and got a table in the corner, away from the crowds we thought but they quickly caught up with us. As it was very busy night, service was a little on the slow side and it was difficult to catch waiters attention. Not that we were in a hurry to eat, but a bit more looking after would have been a plus.

We kicked the meal off with a dressed crab. It arrived out of the shell, which was a little dissapointing as you know I am a huge fan of getting messy (See here). But never the less it was seasoned perfectly, the meat retained all the moisture and sauce was very elegant.

Next up was yellowtail and salmon sashimi with honey and yuzu dressing. This is a raw dish, with zestly sauce and fish that melts in your mouth – absolutely splendid!

Quickly followed by tuna tartare with soya dressing and potato crisp. This starter, with lime squeezed over it, was quite delicious.Compared to yellowtail, tuna felt quite fatty and deep fried potato crisp didn’t do anything for the overall flavour so I have left mine on the side.

We have buttered our breads in the anticipation of the famous Jersey Rocks oysters!

Rock oysters are a cheaper oyster variety but don’t let that scare you off. They are a good option to go for because they are in season pretty much all year around. Rock oysters are also very succulent but don’t have that firm texture that some other types have, that I personally don’t like. These six were fresh, crisp and very satisfying!

To end the meal on a sweet note, we got a little procecco, a few macarons and an irish coffee…decaf….with a little sugar..just the way I like it.

Great meal, but quite pricey, so I will keep in my little black book for an occasional treat.

Scott’s
20 Mount Street
London W1K 2HE
http://www.scotts-restaurant.com

Seafood

Lisbon, Portugal: Cervejaria Ramiro

December 8, 2014 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

When our hotel porter informed us that there would be a long wait for this seafood extravaganza we thought he was exaggerating a tad. However, he insisted that if we were in Lisbon we had to try Cervejaria Ramiroo which was according to him and other recommendation the best place for seafood in the whole of Portugal.

When we arrived on the street for the restaurant we saw the queue and growled a tad but never the less attached ourselves to the end and watched the tank of langoustines they had placed in the window for the ques entertainment. We waited for 45mins in total and we can confirm it was worth it.

This place is not about the frills but truly about the freshest seafood Portugal has to offer at a ridiculously cheap price. The restaurant is cramped and the service is manic but you soon forget these things once you finally taste the fresh seafood.

We ordered clams in garlic sauce, edible crab, oysters and garlic bread. Cervejaria Ramiro blew our minds and souls, the crab was the juiciest crab we have ever tasted and fellow customers didn’t mind my crab shells flying onto them, it was a whole lot of fun. You may start your meal trying to be dainty but five minutes in you are up to your elbows in ripping meat and deshelling, DEFINATELY not a sexy dine but a fun experience with friends or if you don’t mind getting down and dirty with a loved one.

I originally thought garlic bread could only be made well by an Italian but boy were we wrong. Cervejaria Ramiro had the best garlic bread we have ever tasted. An odd combination as it sounds with seafood but it worked really well with the flavours.