HONG KONG: Lei Garden Restaurant Houston Centre. Very family friendly with a cool waiter... Crab yum!

This Lei Garden is located just across the amazing Shangri-La hotel.  Thank goodness my client is a foodie and a regular to Hong Kong... always picked the best places.

It was just so nice and casual.  There were private rooms and several groups of families celebrating something... just very local and down to earth. 

You gotta order this crispy pork dish... great texture.

Oohh... Had trouble eating this fermented egg.  Sure took a while.

The best part of the dinner was the super flavorful crab!  

But this crab didn't have the standard shaped shell... first time for me to see it.

When in Hong Kong baijiu Chinese alcohol.

If you are lost in Hong Kong you really can't go wrong with the Lei Garden restaurants. Seems the food differs from location to location as they try to meet the flavor needs of that community.  Oh, this Houston Centre Shopping Arcade was all but abandoned... almost like a ghost building.

Restaurant: Lei Garden Tshim Sha Tsui East Branch

Trip Adviser: Lei Garden Restaurant Houston Centre

Address:  B-2, Houston Centre, Mody Road, Tsimshatsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/E8SBCZ5y3Bz

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HONG KONG: SHANG PALACE for a wonderfully balanced Chef"s Signature Tasting Menu... 2 Two Michelin stars!

How I end up at the amazing Kowloon Shangri-La hotel?  In town for a sales meeting and the generous president of that brand took us all out for dinner... lucky.

I've used chopsticks all my life but I had no idea why they provided 2 sets of chopsticks.  Later to realize that its a sharing culture in China so I think the black is used to pick food from the shared plates then the white to consume it.  Neat.

I found this little tea cup fascinating... there are little sections in the cup that let thru light.  Not sure how this is done.  Ceramic and glass?  

We were all treated to the HKD 1,388 course or about $200.  Wow.

Barbecued suckling pig , crispy foie gras glazed with honey sauce served on toast and deep-fried shrimp paste ball coated with shredded pastry.   WOW... I didn't realize I was eating so many things in this tiny dish.

Ordered Baijiu and it was poured out of this cool silver pot with a chicken head for a spout.  Very nice attention to detail. 

First time ever to try birds nest soup... it was so mellow and just yum.

Steamed spotted garoupa 

Probably the highlight of the dinner for me... Stir-Fried Kagoshima Wagyu Beef Cubes with wild mushrooms in homemade XO chili sauce.  So tender and perfectly fatty.

Probably my least favorite the wok fried rice vermicelli with Alaskan crab meat.  Maybe its unique to Hong Kong but the noodles were a bit too al'dente for me.

And then this silver dessert tree arrives... nice thing very few people had a sweet tooth.

At the end of the meal Chef Cheung Long Yin stopped by...  A rate treat for me as I've only experienced this a few times in my life.

A very nice dining experience in a wonder restaurant with an added plus of high ceilings.  Service spot on extremely attentive.

And of course I spot the most beautiful color combination Bentley Mulsanne I have ever seen... those I spotted in Tokyo tend to be solid single colors.

If in Hong Kong and not on a budget this place sure was enjoyable.

Restaurant: Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel Shang Palace

Homepage: http://www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/kowloonshangrila/dining/restaurants/shang-palace/

Trip Adviser:  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294217-d2428744-Reviews-Shang_Palace-Hong_Kong.html

Address E:  64 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/eboz1wccixn

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