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Megalopolis asia

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore

By Nathan Tsai

June 6^th, 2019

hong kong

Hong Kong is a bustling metropolis filled with extreme changes in perspective.

I fight my way off a tightly crowded street bathed in hazy cigarette smog and into a bright and cavernous mall filled with sunlight and shrubbery. A few short steps and a brutally quick elevator ride later, I'm suddenly 103 stories and 1,394 feet above a sea of concrete and glass.

If you can handle the crush of people, the constant thrum of business, and the unending dynamism, Hong Kong is a wonderful city to thrive in.

veggies - dimsum - fries

I don't carry my camera with me often when I'm in Hong Kong. It's a combination of family, friends, and business around the city that pulls me away from being able to wander around, eat, and photograph. However, I was able to snap a few shots of food—here and there.

From left to right (or top to bottom on mobile):

芥兰 (chinese broccoli) at Tin Lung Heen — Tin Lung Heen is a restaurant nestled at the top of one of Hong Kong's tallest skyscrapers. Though there's plenty of ritz and glitz, the real shining star is the amazing food. Chef Paul Lau manages to exemplify some of the best aspects of Cantonese cuisine. The double-boiled scallop soup I had was probably one of the best—if not the best—soup I've ever had in my entire life.

The Chinese broccoli was clean, crisp, and crunchy. The cubes of ginger were bright and fresh. There was a light chicken-ginger broth that the vegetables were dipped in and it really didn't add much at all. I would have preferred to either enjoy the natural sweetness of the vegetable or have it dipped in savory oyster sauce for even more flavor. The thin, watery broth straddles the middle and didn't really accomplish much.

烧卖 (siu mai) at Prestige House — 点心 (dim sum) is likely one of the most famous Chinese culinary traditions in the world today. In a history that spans back to the days of the Silk Road, drinking tea (yum cha) and eating small plates of food were always intertwined. Many tea houses and a few thousand years later, the intricately constructed plates of steamed and fried food came to be known as dim sum. Literally translated as touching (点) one's heart (心), dim sum is characterized by intensely flavorful small bites of food with a wide array of flavors and textures. This allows a group of friends to share dozens of different dishes — effectively being able to sample a smorgasbord of Asian treats without getting too full.

The siu mai was standard Hong Kong fare. The skin was thin and slightly chewy and the pork and shrimp filling was salty and flavorful. The siu mai was topped with a baby abalone and some oyster sauce. The abalone was soft and sweet and along with the salty-sweetness of the oyster sauce, it really did add to the dish as a whole. This was the first time I'd ever seen abalone mixed with siu mai, and I can say that it is a good combination.

Beef Tartare at Kommune — One would think that a tartare made from pricey Wagyu beef would do its best to showcase the meat. However, between the off-putting texture and the flavoring decisions, this tartare missed the mark. The tartare was too chewy and gristly — I'm not sure if it was because the beef was not chopped finely enough or that the Wagyu was just too fatty, but the texture of the tartare was just not quite right. Flavor-wise, the dish was done "Korean style" which essentially meant that the chef used a galbi (Korean grilled rib) marinade to flavor the dish. The strong sweetness and sesame-oil flavors detracted from the central ingredient — the beef. Additionally, the bread on the bottom was a bit stale tasting and quite thick. In this case, the strong marinade detracted from the flavor of the beef while the soft, tasteless bread added to the mushy feeling of the whole dish.

I'm going to be a pedant here and mention the garnish on top and the fries on the side. Adding a few flowers and a sprig of succulent on top of the dish trades flavor for presentation. Biting through a perfumed leaf or watery aloe takes away from the meaty goodness that makes a tartare desirable. Also, what precisely is the point of adding fries to tartare? Not only were there no condiments included and ignoring the fact that tartare isn't really a dippable or saucy dish on its own, the tartare was served on thick bread already! The fries ended up being an ugly garnish and grew cold and oily.

To end on a more positive note, the uncooked quail egg yolk broken onto the top of the tartare was a lovely touch; it added a nice creaminess and bound the beef together wonderfully.

Shanghai

China's rise in global economic power over the last three decades have been nothing short of meteoric and Shanghai is an exemplar of the constant growth, forced innovation, sprawling administration, and nouveau riche that form the identity of modern China. Since 1980, Shanghai has increased its population by 705,000 every single year. For perspective, Denver in 2019 is only 703,000 strong.

It's been many years since I found my way back through Shanghai and while I spent only a few frantic days seeing friends and attending to business, all I can say is that it's a city that I wouldn't mind spending a few more days...or months exploring.

Taoyuan village

Luwan District, 150 Hubin Lu — near Xintiandi

The history of Taiwanese food is fascinating simply because almost all of its current culinary culture has been directly influenced by contemporary, region-defining history. In the past five hundred years alone, Taiwan has been conquered by several Chinese empires, the Dutch, the Spanish, the Portuguese, and the Japanese. Most recently, in 1949, following the chaos of the Chinese Civil War and World War II, more than two million Chinese — faithful to the defeated regime — landed on the shores of Taiwan. This resulted the the formation of hundreds of 眷村 (millitary-dependant's villages) where veterans and their families were housed. These makeshift concrete-block villages were crammed full of Chinese from many different provinces. They became cultural and culinary melting pots as families mixed and soldiers (and their wives) tried to replicate the flavors of home using local Taiwanese ingredients.

As a result, the food that Taiwan is most famous for comes from many different provinces from the Chinese mainland. For example, 红烧牛肉面 (Red-braised beef noodle soup), has a fascinating history that stems from American tins of canned beef. This beef was provided as food aid to the refugee-laden Taiwan, but the beef was bland, mushy, and made from the less-desirable cuts of beef. Families tried to boil, fry, and even wash the beef before eating, but the most effective technique of making the canned awfulness palatable came from using a Sichuan-style red-braise to add color and flavor back into the beef. They then paired the revitalized beef with traditional hand-pulled noodles, and voila, Taiwanese beef noodle soup was born*. Take a look at pictures and recipes of the Sichuan original and the Taiwanese innovation if you'd like to compare the ingredients and the final results.

Soy milk (豆浆) and fried doughnuts/crullers/fritters (油条) are yet another Chinese original improved upon by the Taiwanese. Soy has a history in China running back for thousands of years, but soy milk didn't become a standard item of fare until the early 1900's. Shanghai became the epicenter of the soy milk craze and in the 1930's, it was the site of the first two soy milk factories in China. In 1955, after the war and the exodus to Taiwan, a veteran from the mainland Chinese province of Shandong named 李雲增 (Li Yunzeng) opened a 24-hour restaurant called 世界豆漿大王 (World Soy Milk King) in the riverside district of Yonghe. This restaurant was originally was meant to serve the thousands of construction workers who were building a bridge to connect Taipei City with New Taipei City. Soon, word spread throughout Taipei that Li's small shop was churning out perfectly fried fritters and huge bowls of soy milk that tasted authentically Chinese. From the early morning and through the night, Li kept the stoves lit and the oil hot so millions of veterans could come by and enjoy a flavor of the home that they had left behind. His legacy remains — to this day, "Yong He Soy Milk" is unanimously known throughout Taiwan and China for being high-quality, flavorful, and affordable*.

It's important to have an understanding of the history of Taiwanese cuisine in Asia because it provides a contextual perspective for the surprising surge in popularity of that cuisine in mainland China.

Taoyuan Village (桃园眷村)

咸豆浆 (savory soy milk) at Taoyuan Village — This cafe/tea-house is a perfect example of how well accepted and integrated the Taiwanese food culture is in China. The name of the restaurant alone — a reference to the military refugee villages in Taiwan — is a brazen statement of Taiwanese pride. In spite of the not-Chinese-ness of the brand and food, they have been wildly successful. In the past few years, they've opened over 35 stores in Beijing and Shanghai and serve authentically Taiwanese interpretations of Chinese cuisine.

When fresh soy milk is mixed with acid, the mixture becomes curdled. The liquid becomes watery and fluffy curds begin to form. If the curds are filtered out and pressed into a mold, the resultant is tofu! With a little less acid (vinegar typically), the process is halted halfway and loose clumps of tofu float freely in mildly flavorless milk. Sesame oil, salt, pickled vegetables, green onions, and chili oil are then added to the mixture to provide a wonderful explosion of textures and flavors. This is the basis of one of my favorite dishes — savory soy milk.

I had a wonderful bowl of savory soy milk at Taoyuan Village. The soy milk still had plenty of body, and the tofu curds were light and fluffy. The crunch of the vegetables and seaweed were perfect complements and provided bursts of flavor along with a variation of texture. After sucking down a mouthful of the soup, the chili oil left a tickling burn along the back of my throat. This was quickly assuaged by a large bite of a perfectly fried fritter — the slightly sweet dough and the fresh oil quickly mopped up the spice and provided a reason to ladle another fat spoon of milk into my mouth. Amazing.

singapore

If Shanghai is an example of chaotic order, Singapore is a paragon of perfectly ordered chaos. It is home to a hugely diverse population, four nationally-spoken languages (English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil), and a population of 5.8 million all crammed into a city smaller than Austin, Texas. As a result, the food is wild and showcases the best of European, Indian, Chinese, and Southeast Asian cuisine.

singaporean nibbles

The best sort of food in any country is the local street fare. This is especially true in Singapore where large community food courts called "Hawker Centers" dominate neighborhoods. Chefs toil in open kitchens with roaring flames, pots of bubbling soups, and a continuous flow of people from breakfast through dinner. Patrons huddle with friends and coworkers under parasols and whirling fans while filling up on "hawker fare". The food in influenced heavily from Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian cuisines with a dash of British imperialism thrown into the mix.

From left to right (or top to bottom on mobile):

Kaya Toast at Coffee Break — Kaya, a thick marmalade made with coconut milk, eggs, and palm sugar, is a household breakfast staple in Singapore. The palm sugar gives the spread a warm caramel flavor while the coconut milk and eggs add a layer of velvety fat and flavor. Combined with crispy toast and thick slabs of cold butter, kaya is magnificent as a part of a larger meal or as a standalone snack!

This particular piece of toast innovated on tradition in two ways. In addition to the kaya and butter, the folks at Coffee Break added a dollop of sesame paste as part of the filling. The nutty and mildly savory flavor of the sesame paste really balanced out the fatty sweetness of the toast. However, what really made this piece of toast amazing was the fact that each piece of "toast" was actually only made up of a single slice of bread. They toasted each individual piece, then cut a pocket through the middle of the crumb, then filled this pocket with butter, kaya, and sesame paste. The result was a thin, golden slice of heaven that oozed with rich flavor.

Hainanese Curry Rice at Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice — If kaya toast is luxurious and light, curry rice is the absolute opposite. Eaten for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner....and snack), curry rice is a simple dish consisting of pork served with rice slathered with curry and gravy. Its origins can be traced back to the Hainanese cooks who served in the British colonial households. They took the sauce flavors of Hainan and Malaysia and combined it with a British favorite — fried pork chops. Served with rice, it became a substantial meal that was fit for governors and servants alike.

Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice is something of a special restaurant. For more than 70 years, this shop has been in the same location, churning out plate after plate of curry rice. Mr. Loo, son of the founder...Mr. Loo, took over almost 40 years ago and is still there on most days. The curry itself takes several days to slowly simmer to perfection and when it's eventually done, the fragrant smell alone is something to be treasured. The flavor of the curry is lightly spiced, mildly hot, and full of savory and umami goodness. The pork is prepared in two ways: the traditional fried cutlet and slow-braised belly. The deep fried cutlet was pounded thinly, very lightly breaded, and fried to a juicy crisp. The fatty pork was sweet and tender with just the faintest hint of smokiness. An egg, sunny-side-up, was beautifully runny in the middle and bound everything together.

Bak Kut Teh at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh — If there's a single Singaporean dish that I had to pick as my favorite, it would be bak kut teh (肉骨茶). 肉 (meat) 骨 (bone) 茶 (tea) is a mildly opaque broth made with pork ribs, garlic, pepper, herbs, and water as its core components. It's a dish that supposedly gives its consumer strength and vitality. I like it because its both a soup and a main meal packed full with flavor and salt. Cooked right, the meat falls off the bone yet still retains a mild crispness and texture. The peppery and herbal flavors of the soup infuse into the pork and softens the pungent gamey-ness that comes with freshly farmed pork. The bones of the ribs soften the soup and adds a layer of smooth richness as the marrow and gelatin slowly leach out.

If I'm being very picky, the bak kut teh at Song Fa was a little sub-par. The pork meat was just a bit dry and the texture was too rough. The soup and the flavors were bang on and amazing.

Haute cuisine

Singapore is home to a large European and American expat population and as a result, its fine dining establishments are well developed. While I prefer the diversity and casualness of Singaporean street food to it's stuffier and haughtier cousin, sometimes, it's just good to sit down and enjoy eating through the creativity and technical skill on display.

corner house

1 Cluny Road, E J H Corner House Singapore Botanic Gardens

Corner House is a lovely restaurant nestled inside the national botanic gardens. Its dining room overlooks acres of groomed trees, flowers, and animals. When the weather is good and the windows are open, the thrum of birdsongs provide a natural soundtrack to the meal.

While the service and the food were both great, the stand-out star of the meal was the scallop dish (pictured directly below). Fresh scallop was served with kosho, fennel, mint, and caviar. The kosho (fermented yuzu and chili pepper paste) paired unbelievably well with the scallop and its sour-spicy tang offset the sweetness of the scallop.

les amis

1 Scotts Road, #01-16 Shaw Centre

Les Amis is a showcase of spectacularly precise technical French cooking. While the whole meal was well executed, dessert was impressive. From the most perfect mille-feuille I have ever seen, to crisply fluffy soufflés full of flavor, I could have eaten a full meal of just desserts.

Timing and the future

I've been a bit busy this past year and these pictures and this trip are more than a year old at this point. I have a large backlog of photos that are waiting for me to upload and over the next few weeks, I'll be steadily pushing out new stories. Thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoyed this post!

As a special note, I spent one of my final days in Singapore seated in front of the television watching the Golden State Warriors narrowly defeat the Houston Rockets in the NBA Western Conference Playoffs in 2018. I'm a nervous eater and by the end of the game, the whole mass of hawker fare in front of me had been consumed.