Dear Steemit friends:
My travels have brought me many wonderful and enriching experiences, but looking back, there are a few places which stand out. Without a doubt, the first that comes to mind is my travels to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the centre of modern lifestyle living infused with a complex fusion of cultural influences. A true paradise for those yearning for a diverse and captivating lifestyle.
There are endless points of interest, from markets galore to night clubs a many. Food stalls by the street, to 3 Star Michelin restaurants.
Of course, being an ultra modern metropolis in the heart of Asia, it also has perhaps the very best skyline in the entire world, a direct result of it's ultra growth in the business sector in the last few decades.
Travellers to Hong Kong will no doubt leave Hong Kong with an everlasting impression, but more than that, they leave Hong Kong harbouring a desire to return again, and again.
Hong Kong offers a modern city life but never strays too far from it's cultural heritage. It's like two worlds synergised into one. Even better, you can experience the best of both all in one place.
Of course, a large contributing factor to my fond memories of Hong Kong is my chance meeting with Ned and our food adventure at Din Tai Fung.
Today, I'd like to show everyone what a local and authentic spit roasted meat restaurant is like. In doing so, trying my best to capture the authentic taste of Hong Kong.
This restaurant is a popular choice for workers finishing work late after over time, or just night owls looking for a night time meal. At half past one in the morning, when the streets are dark, and the lights are off, this one restaurant shines brightly and seems unfazed by how late it is. It's popularity evident by the lack of available tables.
In Hong Kong, the climate is warm all year round, and therefore night time is an opportunity to cool off. The tables outside are not surprisingly, all full.
Aside from serving delicious spit roasted meat, restaurants of this category usually have one thing in common, which is the transparent windows in their front kitchen, through which you can see the chef as he/she prepares the spit roasted meat. After the meats are cooked, they are usually hung up on display, looking incredibly succulent as the honey sauce and oils slowly drip from the meats.
At first inspection, I noticed this restaurant has a few extra things on offer that I don't usually see, namely the red coloured King Crabs and the red coloured fish below it. I suspect these unusual additions will serve as an extra point of attraction for people passing by.
Surely any one who see's the display of food will instantly feel hungry. I certainly did!
The floor space of this restaurant is quite limited, there the numbers of diners will be limited to just a few dozen. When I came in, the tables were fully occupied.
On the walls, you can see some of their signature dishes as well as their special offers on drinks and alcohol.
There is one particular custom common across nearly all restaurants in Hong Kong, and that is the shrine for worshiping various gods of wealth. In the southern provinces of China, people believe that gods of wealth are responsible for managing all the money under heaven, if you receive the blessing from a god of wealth, then you are due good fortune (literally). Even in a very westernised Hong Kong, this superstitious custom remains at large, and most business owners will place at least one shrine on the premises to clear their conscience. Here on the ground, you can see the Landlord God of Wealth.
On the wall, there is another shrine for worshiping the Military God of Wealth Guandi. Even though most restaurants in Hong Kong are quite small and limited in space, they will rarely forego placing a shrine in the restaurant.
I find this superstition quite interesting, especially as it's not a common practice in cities further north like Beijing.
Below let's take a look at the menu. As you can see, they open in the evening from 5pm and close at 2am.
Night time restaurants such as this one often favour foods which complement the consumption of alcohol. This is because people in Hong Kong tend to favour drinking at night time.
Let's eat!
Spicy Tofu with Fermented soya bean paste. The sauce is quite thick, and the tofu is perfectly supple. A great companion to rice.
Mixed Vegetables. Not only is it a light dish, it's also very healthy. This dish has a mixture of Pak Choi, Carrots, mini Sweetcorn and is served in a soup base. It's important to order at least one dish free of oil. It can make the whole meal much more refreshing.
When speaking of the taste of Hong Kong, it is usually in reference to Cantonese Spit Roasted Barbecue meat.
Cantonese spit roasted barbecue meat is the staple meat dish of the Guang Dong province but was popularised by Hong Kong.
This style of meat has actually existed for well over 700 years. It first appeared in the Song Dynasty and was consumed mostly by the upper class and royal family in the Imperial Palace. However, today, this dish can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone at very reasonable prices.
Cantonese spit roasted barbecue meat's include : Roast goose, roast duck, char siu pork, and white cut chicken.
Below is the White Cut Chicken that I ordered. Sometimes it's also called Cantonese Poached Chicken.
White Cut Chicken is actually very simple to prepare. Even though it is considered a Cantonese spit roasted barbecue meat, it is in fact not roasted. The chicken is marinated with salt, and then cooked entirely in hot water. When the water boils, the heat is turned off, and the chicken is left to cook with the residual heat for about 30 minutes. The chicken's skin remains lightly coloured whilst the meat is tender, moist and flavourful.
Usually the chicken is cooled and then cut before serving.
And that concludes our food adventure for today. Isn't Cantonese food so alluring? No wonder so many restaurants in China town are Cantonese.
Have you tried white cut chicken before? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below!
As always, please follow, resteem, and vote if you liked my post. There will be plenty more food adventures to come!
要说今年最让我难忘的旅行是哪里？我不得不说是香港。香港是一个很生活化的天堂，它集合了各种各样的欢乐和享受于一地。有美食，有市集，既可以观赏到美丽的自然风光，又可以体会商业文明带来的种种享受。让你在感受繁华都市喧闹的同时，一样也可以重温到旧时代的纯朴生活方式。当然最令我难忘的，还是在香港见到了Ned，一起探索了香港的美食天堂。今天我想带大家走进一家香港地道的街边夜宵烧味店，探索一下香港的味道。这家餐厅开在路边，为加晚班的上班族和夜猫子们提供了很大的方便，半夜1点，当大街变得安静，各家都准备结束营业的时候，这就店里灯火通明，热闹极了。夜晚是一年四季都温暖的香港最凉快的时候，餐厅外面的桌子已经坐满了客人。
烧味店除了好吃以外，最独特的香港风情应该就是门口的透明橱窗里，师傅在忙着斩鸡，而他头顶上挂了一排滴着油水肉汁蜜糖浆的鸡鸭肉卤味，这家不同的还挂着鲜红的大螃蟹，盘子里放着红色的鱼。我相信这道亮丽的风景线，也是不少旅客迷恋它的地方。我相信无论是谁看到这些鲜美的食物，都会流口水了。店面积不大，客人已经坐满了。墙上挂着店里的特色菜和特价酒水。这是香港餐厅有一大特色，就是餐厅供奉着财神爷。在中国南方传统民间观念中，认为财神是掌管天下财富的神。如果得到财神的保佑眷顾，就可以发大财。就算在今日相当西化的香港，餐厅仍然保存了传统的习俗，人们为求心安理得，往往会摆放财神求好的兆头。地上放着地主财神。墙上摆着关帝——武财神。虽然香港的每一家街边餐厅都不大，但是餐厅再小，都少不了财神爷的供奉台，让我觉得好有意思。夜市大多都是下酒菜，毕竟人们在晚上喜欢喝酒。
下面快一起来尝尝菜。辣酱豆腐，酱汁味道很香很浓，非常下饭的一道好菜。汇菜很清淡健康，里面有萝卜，白菜和小玉米，吃起来真清爽。说起香港的味道，我觉得就应该是烧味的味道了。烧味是粤菜中最经典的菜之一，发源地是广东，后来由香港发扬光大，有700多年的饮食文化历史。在宋朝期间就已经有烧味的出现，当时专门供应于皇宫，这一特色饮食文化一直延传到今天，才终于可以被每个人享用。烧味包括了烧鹅、烧鸭，叉烧、白切鸡等。下面这个就是白切鸡了。油光锃亮的鸡肉沾沙爹酱吃，又鲜嫩，味道又很足。香港街边的食物是不是非常诱人呢？希望大家喜欢我今天的美食之旅，之后还有更多有趣的食物要分享给大家。