finally, roast pigeons!

(watch out, photos galore~~!)

yay! after some time of talking about trying roast pigeon, we finally had it tonight! =) did some research online, found that the supposed best place to have the dish is at lung wah hotel at sha tin. though it's called a hotel, it's actually just a restuarant now. apparently, they stopped providing guest rooms since 1970s. this place enjoys a history of more than 55 years, and it was a popular filming site for movies back in the 50s and 60s. stars like bruce lee, chen bao zhu and xiao fang fang all filmed there before (they should pay me PR fees =P) COOL. =) its history is actually reflected in the setting of the place, it's super old-school...i think it's been kept very much the same. =)

wah but i tell you...we had to walk a bit before finding the "elusive" pigeon. LOL =P i think we asked...3 people? and walked the wrong way once or twice? before finally arriving at the restaurant. the way there was actually quite scary cos it was pretty dark. though many houses line the way there, it's not brightly lit...

where is it ah?
yes finally, the hotel signboard! we are there!
but ehhhh how come still need to walk some more!
haha. i cant rmb who said that this is their strategy to make customers hungry by the time they reach so we will order more food. -_- i think it was jinli or cuiyi who said that... =P

we settled down and dint take us long to decide on a 4-person set meal - i dint even get to look at the menu! LOL =P and guess what was the first dish? yup, here comes the highlight of the evening!
finally, ROAST PIGEONS! weren't quite used to seeing such poultry served fully with the head still intact. LOL =P i helped jinli break the head / neck from the rest of the body. yes ouch i know. -_- the pigeons tasted similar to chicken / duck, but i think it's a little more tender, and the skin was nice too! haha =P dun think it looks kinda small okay, cos it's actually quite meaty! =) fat, juicy, and tender - how yummy! LOL.

and of course, having ordered a set meal there are the other side dishes - the reviews i read all said this place is only known for their roast pigeons, and maybe their sha tin chicken congee and "mountain-water" tao huay. haha =P but actually, the other dishes werent too bad also! =)

the one on the left is prawns (and something else) with celery - which only jinli ate. and the one on the right has...cashew nuts, xiao bai cai, mushrooms, chicken (i think) and....ABALONE! yes abalone! WOOHOO! haha, like nv eat before like that =P

this one has carrot, celery bits, with pork floss and i-cant-rmb what...supposed to wrap it in the lettuce then eat it. i made a super big mess out of it. haha. would rather not talk about it. LOL =P

and the one in the bamboo container is the tao huay! actually, i cant really taste its difference from the others i've had so far lor! LOL =P and believe it or not, a portion like this can cost HKD$48 leh! and it's really just a bowl for everyone hor... =X by the way, the pose they strike ah...really look like food gourmets reviewing some delicacy.

the remnants of my feasting. LOL =P yum yum!

some more (pretty) photos of us... =)
yes they "insist" that i put this photo here. okay, more like it's the only picture they sort of gave me full permission to post it up. LOL. cos the rest a bit tak-glam... =P like this:
jodi: i'm fighting a battle with the pigeon. very difficult to tear the meat out leh!
cuiyi: hahaha. (to the pigeon) sorry ah, i got to eat you....
erm these are not the exact words they used, but you get the idea =P

different lighting got different feel! i like the one without flash more. haha =P and hor, can i just say that i think i am putting on weight?! OMG. should go and compare to the photos i took at the start of the trip. haha =P

check out the darting glares these 2 drama-mama girls shot me when i tried to take (yet another) candid shot of them. their eyes ah...really very fierce leh. TSK.

yes, this is not a good photo cos cannot see their faces (but can still tell who is who!), but the main point is the phrase behind lah...means "chicken fat pigeon tender" literally, or "tender pigeon fat chicken", depends on how you read it. haha =P

a couple more parting shots of the restaurant filled with feelings of nostalgia and a very good / comfortable / at-home atmosphere...
edit: the meal costs HKD$693 in total - which works out to be about HKD$173 per person i.e. around SGD$33 lah. quite reasonable for a meal like this i guess. =)

before the sumptuous meal, we actually walked around for a while cos it was still early for dinner. and we found ourselves at the park...(watch out, more photos!)

this is supposed to be a art gallery - literal translation - of some sort that's only opened on weekends and public holidays (strangely). but then hor, we walked in and found it to be just like any other park leh! -_- or...we dint walk far enough is it? haha =P

we were watching some uncles and aunties singing old cantopop, cantonese opera and dancing - line dance and sth like ballroom dancing (is it?) . i like this kind of retired life...so relaxing. =)
the bridge in the background is called lek yuen bridge, it's a very long bridge, longer than the one we have in chinese garden. and i have no idea what river / stream / canal is that behind us, but in any case, i think every neighbourhood in hong kong, esp those in the new territories, really has a unique feel and landscape to them. and hor, every time we take group photos like these ah, i always feel that i'm sticking out like a sore thumb! =X
us on the bridge. it's really those kind of tourist must-take shots leh...every new place we go to, oh must take a photo to rmb kind. haha =P
jinli, dun do anything silly ah!! okay yes i know, LAME -_-
anyway, i was walking around the admiralty / wan chai area yesterday when i came across a demonstration of some sorts - "long live democracy". something like that....but on second thought, i think it's staged cos they were filming some stuff. dunno what it is exactly, but thought it was quite interesting.
and i accidentally found the stall famous for their 鸡蛋仔, which looks like this:
good ones are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. =) yummy! haha =P

phew, finally got to the end of the entry. and can i just reiterate the point that in hk, you can really bump into stars quite easily? i was walking aimlessly in pacific place - this atas shopping mall at admiralty, when the guy in front turned and it took me just a split second to realise he's jacky祝帆刚! well, he's not that big a star, he's part of 183club until he got kicked out late last year due to negative press about drugs and girls and all...yup. but no, i dint ask him for a photo or signature cos....i dint dare. LOL =P

okay, going to stop here...and we are going for macs breakfast again tmr! it seems to have become our sunday morning routine! =)