HKG: Harbour Kitchen

Award-winning pineapple buns!

Today is 29 February 2012, and for no other concrete reason than just for fun, I should write a review since the next time I'll get to write on 29 February will be in 2016! Anyway, I only have one lesson on Friday: CHEM4620 (Organometallic Chemistry) from 3.00pm to 4.20pm. Thus, on one of the Fridays, I went to visit the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and the Golden Bauhinia Square in the morning.

Located inside HKCEC, Harbour Kitchen is a restaurant which tries to capture the essence of cha chaan teng (lit. tea food hall), but with Chinese and international dishes having a local twist. Oh, there's no service charge! :)

Harbour Kitchen Pipa Duck (Regular) HK$65.00 (~S$10.80)

Taste: 7.5/10

I guess by now you know that I love to order food with the name of the eatery attached to it. Pipa is a traditional Chinese musical instrument with a half pear-shaped body and a neck like that of a guitar. The dish is named so as the duck is traditionally spread out into a shape resembling the pipa. Since I ordered the regular size, the neck of the duck wasn't there haha... Anyway, the duck meat was flavourful although it seemed to be slightly lacking in firmness, but I have to say that the skin was really exquisite: crispy and well-marinated. The hoisin sauce (Chinese sauce made of starch, soybeans, vinegar, etc.), or perhaps combination of it, wasn't that delightful though, so I skipped it.

Handmade Meatball Congee HK$48.00 (~S$8.00)

Taste: 6.5/10

The congee did achieve the consistency I like: velvety smooth, but not watery. The chopped spring onions also gave out appetising fragrance. Actually, the pork meatballs were tender and cooked till no longer red, but  they had a somewhat repulsive raw smell, although only very slightly. Hmm, they should also give us sesame oil for the congee.

Pork Patty Curry and Fried Egg with Rice HK$46.00 (~S$7.65)

Taste: 7.5/10

Two yummy pork patties were laden in curry sauce which was pretty thick and tasted somewhat better than the ubiquitous prepacked ones that I usually eat (although it's possible that they also used prepacked curry sauce, perhaps of a better quality). The broccoli and cherry tomatoes were fresh, and gosh, the cherry tomatoes were really sweet! Moreover, the egg yolk was still runny! :D

Pineapple Bun HK$6.00 (~S$1.00)

Taste: 8/10

Note that this kind of bun (traditionally) doesn't have anything to do with the pineapple fruit. It's called bo lo bao (lit. pineapple bun) due to the sugary top crust with checkered pattern which is cooked till golden-brown. It's strange that the one I bought didn't have the distinctive checkered pattern, but it was good. The sugar crust was crispy and crumbly, and it easily melted in my mouth. This provided a good contrast to the bun which was also slightly crispy outside, but soft inside. Pika's advice: If you prefer pineapple buns with fillings, you can try those with kaya, luncheon meat, etc. Oh, I used to eat bo lo bao with chocolate filling in Indonesia, and now I really miss it!

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

Ambience: 7.5/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 7.5/10

I guess the cooked food wasn't that fantastic, but I'd love to go back for the pineapple buns!

Harbour Kitchen

1 Harbour Road

G/F Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Wan Chai

Hong Kong

(Daily: 8.00am - 9.00pm)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)