Hong Kong - Queen's Garden at Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mongkok (皇后冰室)

Queen's Garden is a new addition along the famous Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mongkok, Hong Kong. It is right opposite Wah Sing Cafe (華星冰室) and proves to be a strong contender to the well-established cha chaan teng.

We were attracted by the big, tantalizing breakfast menu in front of the cafe, and the dark, mysterious interior.  We decided to deviate from our original plan of having our breakfast at Wah Sing Cafe as these photos and the interior proved too hard to resist (told you Queen's Garden is a strong competitor).

I was in love with the setting and decor the moment I stepped into Queen's Garden. Major difference from the other cha chaan tengs- the booth seats were covered with lush, soft cushions. No handwritten, loud menus on the walls, but cool cement grey, with whimsical decorations all over. And boy, I loved the table top. They were covered with the most insanely beautiful tiles and it instantly perked my morning up.

Now, doesn't this just perk you up like to the moon and back?  This is how breakfast should be like everyday! Everything on the table was just so bright and cheery, and with the beautiful, beautiful tiles, they were so pretty that we almost couldn't bear to eat them. We were literally taking a morning stroll down the pretty Queen's garden!

We ordered the breakfast noodle set at Queen's Garden. Not only could we choose the mains that come with it, we even had the option of the type of noodles and the soup! We decided on spaghetti in cream pumpkin soup with bacon and luncheon meat. The soup was a sweet delight in the morning and was a good balance to the processed meat that were a lil sinful but oh so good. Very hearty and very wholesome!

And wait, that was not just all, the noodles set also came with a big slice of fried fish too! We liked the batter, and the fish was so fresh and soft, it melted right in our mouths. Delectable, everything was delectable!

I really, really adored these gorgeous tiles that lined the table tops at Queen's Garden. It made me want to stay in there forever. And it also helps that Queen's Garden makes some mean Hong Kong milk tea. Thick but still very smooth and fragrant. Everything that you see here completes the breakfast noodles set at Queen's Cafe and it only cost us HKD32! Such great value, in such great atmosphere!

We were really glad that we stumbled upon Queen's Garden and made the choice of trying it out even though the lure of the well-received Wah Sing Cafe was very intense. Queen's Garden is the new kid on the block worth watching out for. If you are looking for a different breakfast experience in Hong Kong - no scrambled eggs, no screaming waiters, no screeching metals chairs - Queen's Garden is the place to be.

Hong Kong Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Queen's Garden (皇后冰室)

194 Sai Yeung Choi Street

Mongkok Hong Kong

7am to 1130pm daily

goo.gl/F7EkO3

ps: Check out our ultimate food guide to Kowloon for more goodies in Hong Kong!

Hong Kong - Kum Wah Cafe at Bute Street, Mongkok (金華冰廳)

Long queues are perpetual in front of Kum Wah Cafe at Bute Street in Mongkok. The locals love Kum Wah's polo bun- be it in the morning, afternoon or evenings.

The polo bun at Kum Wah had such contrasting texture that worked so well together- the bun was so soft and fluffy while the top was such a crispy delight. And as if it was not the ultimate yet, the thick piece of butter - which was not too salty or heavy- melted and resulted in such a heavenly bliss. Ultimate comfort food, we would say.

Milk tea is the best companion to polo bun, and Kum Wah does it well too. The tea was smooth and the froth very fragrant. Like any other cha chaan teng in Hong Kong, the milk tea did not come with any sugar and we could add according to our whims and fancies.

Also like any other cha chaan teng in Hong Kong, there were many many handwritten menus pasted all over the walls and menus slipped under the glass on the tables. Our adventurous side prompted us to order the Baked Pork Chop Curry Noodles. Boy, we were blown away by this unique creation. The cheese was wonderfully baked to perfection with the well-flavoured pork chop, and the curry sauce was rich and yet not too spicy or overpowering. It was a good, hearty combination.

It is not difficult to realise why the crowds keep coming in and leaving with a white paper bags in their hands. Warm, fluffy bun topped with a sweet, brown crust with a melting piece of butter in between- the Kum Wah polo bun is such a comfort food. There were also many locals crammed into the booths in Kum Wah itself, eating rice dishes and slurping hot bowls of noodles. And they would almost always finish their meals with a Kum Wah Polo Bun, accompanied with hot milk tea or yuan yang. It is undeniable that the locals love the polo bun at Kum Wah, and in fact, we do too.

Hong Kong Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Kum Wah Cafe (金華冰廳)

47 Bute Street

Mongkok Hong Kong

630am- 12am daily

ps: Check out our ultimate food guide to Kowloon for more goodies in Hong Kong!

Hong Kong - Mui Kee Congee at Fa Yuen St Market, Mongkok (妹記生滾粥品）

Not unfamiliar to Singaporeans is the concept of a hawker center- many independent food stalls are housed in the same complex and seats are free for all regardless of the stall you patronize. We were pleased to find such an establishment at Fa Yuen Street in Hong Kong, and even more pleased to join the crowd gathered at the fourth storey of the market. Everyone, amidst the buzz of the place, was cuddled around a bowl of hot, steamy congee from Mui Kee Congee.

Mui Kee Congee is located on the fourth storey of the Fa Yuen Street Market. The first two levels are for fresh produce, the third for cooked food. Mui Kee Congee offers many combination of meat and seafood in its thick, white congee, freshly prepared only upon your order. Menu comes in English and Japanese too, but the crowd at Mui Kee was definitely not just tourists. Locals were also here for their breakfast- the working class, the retirees with the newspapers- and we were sharing table with an OL and an elderly couple.

We had the pork visceral congee that was recommended by the stall owner. The congee was a beautiful, pure white paste- we could not longer see the rice grains in it. The texture of the congee at Mui Kee was very, very smooth and the taste was amazing. Mui Kee was very generous with the ingredients used in the congee. The pork liver and meatballs were among the nicest we have ever tasted in pork visceral congee or soup. The pork liver was still crunchy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, and the meatballs had the right proportion of lean meat and fats in it, and was very well-marinated. If pork visceral is not the thing for you, then the pork meatball congee at Mui Kee is a must-try.

What is congee without some youtiao (fried dough stick)? These crispy little things were amazing with the hot steamy congee. We would have loved the youtiao to be a little more crispy and less dough-y in the middle.

The portions at Mui Kee was generous but so hearty and yummy that it did not stop the elderly couple sitting opposite us to order a third bowl to share among themselves. Mui Kee was a delight to both locals and us alike, and Mui Kee warmed both our tummies and our hearts.

Hong Kong Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Mui Kee Congee (妹記生滾粥品)

4/F Fa Yuen Street Market

Mongkok Hong Kong

7am to 3pm daily

ps: Check out our ultimate food guide to Kowloon for more goodies in Hong Kong!