HKG: Asia Pacific Catering @ HKUST [Main Menu]

Fried vermicelli Singapore style!

Meal time was something that I'd always look forward to during the exchange programme (well, even now...). With dishes rotated on a daily basis, I was spoilt for choice every single day. Alright, I guess it's kinda impossible for me to show all the stuff I tried, so I've picked 10 dishes to write this review.

Combo Rice with Salted Egg Set HK$23.00 (~S$3.80)

(set includes a choice of coffee, tea, soft drink, orange juice or soup of the day)

Combo Rice - Taste: 8.5/10

Watercress Soup - Taste: 7.5/10

Who'd be able to resist the temptation of this colourful dish, consisting of chicken wing, barbecued pork, sausages, half salted egg and blanched bok choy (Chinese cabbage)? Topped with minced ginger which added mellow heat, the dish was bursting with flavours. I especially enjoyed the barbecued pork with the marinade not only lacquering onto the surface of the meat, but also penetrating into it. The soup of the day was watercress soup which had quite a lot of watercress leaves.

Shanghai Style Ribs Set HK$26.50 (~S$4.40)

Taste: 8/10

Let's move on to another visually appealing set comprising ribs, Chinese preserved vegetables, spring roll and vegetable rice. The ribs were juicy, and it was a delight to dip them into the brown sauce which was sweet and slightly sour. The cold vegetables were crunchy, and the egg was marinated well. The spring roll wasn't excessively oily.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Peach Set HK$31.00 (~S$5.15)

(set includes soup of the day and Chinese tea)

Sweet and Sour Chicken - Taste: 8.5/10

Lotus Roots and Pork Soup - Taste: 7.5/10

I really enjoyed the sweet and sour chicken which was bursting with flavours. The intensity of the sweet and sour sauce (almost) sent me to cloud nine, with the onions and bell peppers enriching the taste further. The set came with lotus roots and pork soup which was somewhat hearty, although there were only one or two cubes of lotus roots, as well as a glass of Pu-erh tea.

Two-Dish Rice Set HK$23.00 (~S$3.80)

(set includes a choice of coffee, tea, soft drink, orange juice or soup of the day)

Fried Garoupa in Lemon Sauce - Taste: 8/10

Deep-Fried Spare Ribs in Preserved Red Tofu Sauce - Taste: 8/10

From the list of six to eight dishes, I chose the fried garoupa which was pretty delectable due to the sweet and sour balance of the lemon sauce. Besides that, I picked the not-so-oily deep-fried spare ribs which was marinated in preserved red tofu sauce, but they weren't that meaty. Cooked cabbages were given as well, but they were, sadly, kinda bland.

Baked Thick-Cut Pork Chop Rice Set HK$29.00 (~S$4.80)

(set includes a choice of coffee, tea, soft drink, orange juice or soup of the day)

Baked Thick-Cut Pork Chop Rice - Taste: 7.5/10

Peanut Soup - Taste: 7.5/10

Accompanied by potatoes, carrots, bell peppers and a bit of green peas, the pork chop was thick indeed. It was pretty tender, but not entirely juicy. In my opinion, the tomato sauce would taste better if it could be sweeter. The soup of the day was peanut soup which would be better if a bit more sugar were added into it.

Yin Yang Fried Rice Set HK$28.00 (~S$4.65)

(set includes a choice of coffee, tea, soft drink, orange juice or soup of the day)

Yin Yang Fried Rice - Taste: 7.5/10

Milk Tea - Taste: 8/10

As if the plethora of dishes wasn't interesting enough, another creative dish appeared towards the end of the exchange programme. The Chinese style fried rice came in two different toppings: chicken in tomato sauce, as well as shrimps and mushrooms in cream sauce. The taste was, sorry to say, not as appealing as it looked, but I don't mean that it wasn't delicious. I enjoyed the tomato sauce better since the cream sauce tasted kinda monotonous.

Taiwanese Minced Pork with Rice HK$26.00 (~S$4.30)

Taste: 8.5/10

The Taiwanese minced pork was really good with its moist quality, as well as the sweet and salty sensation it gave to the tongue. The beancurd was well-marinated with the juice bursting out as soon as I sank my teeth into it. The fish fillet was alright, and the bok choy retained its crunchiness as it wasn't overly blanched. Pika's advice: Mix the minced pork with the rice while it's still hot. I assure you, it'll be damn nice!

Vietnamese Delight HK$26.00 (~S$4.30)

Taste: 8/10

It was indeed a delight (to borrow the word from the name of the dish) to have a Vietnamese dish comprising tomato rice, fried sunny-side up egg, lemongrass pork chop, spring roll and luncheon meat in the canteen. I didn't notice it until I saw a lot of students here and there gobbling up this particular dish. Anyway, the lemongrass pork chop was really aromatic and juicy. I also enjoyed the crumbly spring roll with ground pork inside, dipped into the sweet and sour fish sauce, although it was too small for my big appetite. Say yes to runny yolk!

Fried Vermicelli Singapore Style HK$24.00 (~S$4.00)

Taste: 8/10

Alright, a Singapore style dish! Fried with curry powder as one of the primary ingredients which made it spicy and aromatic, the moist vermicelli was tossed with barbecued pork, luncheon meat, shrimps, eggs and bell peppers. To be honest, I rarely eat this here in Singapore.

Fried Rice Noodle with Beef HK$24.00 (~S$4.00)

Taste: 8.5/10

The flat rice noodle might be kinda oily, but it was delicious. The rice noodle with its nice, chewy texture was fried with adequate amount of dark soy sauce and beef slices and generously topped scallions to give it the extra aroma. The wok hei, or 'breath of the wok', was there for sure.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 6.5/10

Overall: 7/10

Some of the dishes, especially the seasonal ones, are not reflected in the menu given in the link below. Sigh, I really miss the food there.

Asia Pacific Catering @ HKUST

Clear Water Bay Road

LG7/F HKUST

Kowloon

Hong Kong

(Mon-Sat: 7.30am - 9.00pm; Sun: 9.00am - 9.00pm)

https://www.ab.ust.hk/cso/res_jpnthai.htm