[HK 17] : Stomach matters

Of the questions people from home have asked me since being here, one of the most frequent ones is, "So, what have you eaten??"  Food is one of the things I looked forward to when planning my summer, since HK is a great place to find just about whatever you'd want to eat, from the super cheap eateries and street food to the high class dining rooms.  (Although, their southern BBQ is left wanting... should just leave it up to their American grillin' counterparts.)

Some recent eats:

• Mak Siu Yee's Traditional Wonton Noodle
  My mom loves this place and had us trek over to this little shop, in Central near Lan Kwai Fong, for a bowl of their well known wonton noodle soup.  It's gotten a lot of press and reviews and is used to the attention, especially given the press and awards photos under the glass table tops.  It's still an unassuming shop, with good service and v. tasty noodles.  The serving size is pretty small, though, especially given the price of $27 for the bowl above.  The wontons themselves were the best part, although the noodles were still firm and finer than many others you'd try elsewhere.  The soup had an MSG after taste, which made me like it less.  We also got an order of shrimp egg noodles, which had a slight fishy but quite pleasantly savory taste.
  
  _ 77 Wellington St. _ MTR: Central _ 28543810

•  MOS Burger
  Thomas had told me I had to try this Japanese burger chain when I was in Tokyo, but I didn't end up seeing one.  Funny how I now got a second chance - and third, fourth, and fifth if I want, since there's one right across the street from my apartment building.  Their motto, "Making people happy through food," already makes me fond of the place.  I tried their straight up classic MOSBurger, with a thickly sliced tomato and dripping with what looked like a mix of mayo and a chili-bbq sauce.  The first few bites were underwhelming, which made me wonder what the hype was about.  Then I realized - it's all about the sauces.  I'm really not a sauce person, but they definitely made the burger.  Made it.  It's still probably not the best one I've had, but I'm looking forward to trying some of the rice burgers (rice patty instead of a bun).  This site gives a nice breakdown.

• Santouka Ramen Shop
  When my mom and I don't feel like going far to eat, we go downstairs to Jusco, the super-supermarket on the first three floors of our building.  Besides the grocery store itself, you can also find ready-made foods (like yummy "lo sui" eggs), fresh squeezed juices (favorite: carrot and pear), and more.  There are also a few restaurants on the perimeter, including this ramen shop.  It's by no means the best ramen I've had, but its miso-based soup and their fatty pork are pretty good.  I've also been craving a lot of soup noodles lately, so it's been satisfying.
  
  2 Kornhill Rd. _ MTR: Tai Koo

• Cuisine Cuisine
  This polished restaurant on the top floor of the IFC tower podium has a great view looking out to the Victoria Harbor, although the food didn't quite match the atmosphere.  My mom had come here previously with friends and really wanted me to try it.  The service was smooth and efficient, although the dishes we ordered were presented very simply and were often quite salty.  (Above, deep fried fish fillets with spring onions in soy sauce.)  Maybe we picked the wrong dishes to sample, but ah well - good experience nonetheless.  Their fresh squeezed watermelon juice is at least worth tasting.
  
  3101, podium level 3, ifc mall, Central, Hong Kong