Did not find love at Home Town's Kitchen

I tried to love this place, but you just can't force it...

If Perth in Western Australia is not your home town, you probably wouldn't be familiar with the ongoing feud between 'Northies' and 'Southies' about the better side of the river to live on. There's a great sense of pride for your own side of the river, but I (a lifetime North dweller) am one who often wishes I lived down under in our Land Down Under. There seems to be a severe lack of great local eateries up my end!

(If you think that's complete rubbish, or you know some neighbourhood gems, or you ARE the neighbourhood gem, please for the love of good food let me know!)

Home Town's Kitchen

As a complete case in point, I spied an advert for Home Town's Kitchen in the newspaper which immediately piqued my interest. I had high expectations as they gained a finalist position in SBS Feast's 2012 'Taste Global, Eat Local' Food Awards, a celebration of international cuisines. Last year's focus was to nominate the best places to find famous international dishes such as pho, gyoza, pad thai, baklava and a favourite I had to try here - curry laksa.

To cut straight to it, it was a disappointment. Every dish on the menu looked promising and the restaurant's furnishings were tastefully dotted around yet while I slurped the last strands of noodles into my mouth, I felt that this meal at Home Town's Kitchen was definitely not worth venturing 45 minutes away from home for.

Chicken Satay Sticks (2) - $4

I requested satay sticks, thinking this was a good way to test the waters of authenticity. It came halfway through our main dishes, and frankly they did not make me want to throw down my chopsticks and claw at these with my hands. The chicken satay sticks are fleshy, but here's a good example where quantity wins at the expense of quality - they're visibly dry and sadly not cooked via grilling as I had crossed my fingers and toes for. Sadly, not very impressed with the deep-fried batter, or the overall run-of-the-mill tasting satay chicken.
The satay sauce is not even its saving grace.

Hainanese Chicken Rice - $10.80

Home Town's Kitchen's Hainanese chicken rice is not on its normal menu and is only available to order on weekends. I was really looking forward to a plate of smooth, juicy serving of chicken only to be presented quite a dear plate of Hainanese chicken rice which fell direly short of my expectations. You are able to select either chicken breast or thigh with your order but even my thigh pieces were not succulent, and I found myself dreaming of biting into the chicken from Tak Chee (If you haven't heard the gossip, Perth's best Hainanese chicken rice probably resides here!)

What adds to the dish's mediocrity the most is the chilli sauce, which I feel more inclined to call a dish of water with chilli colouring added to it. Bland and flavourless; I'd regard it as being there purely for aesthetic appeal, not taste.

Tom Yum Mee Fun Soup - $9.80

The Tom Yum rice noodle soup that we ordered was a good level of spiciness with just the right acidity to make me keep drinking it. Home Town's Kitchen uses thin rice vermicelli, chicken, baby corn and tinned mushrooms, which I actually adore. However in comparison to the memorable Tom Yum that I ordered from the Malaysian Hawker store at the Cambridge Forum International Food Court, that certainly comes out as the victorious one of the two.

Seafood Curry Laksa - $12.80

The moment the curry laksa was set on the table was the moment my anticipation had been building up to the entire meal. The vibrant, vicious looking colour of the soup was a good indication of the spiciness factor of the laksa, which was setting off alarm bells for Andy, who orders Lemon and Herb basting from Nando's, because even the Mild option is too much for him. Even I had tiny beads of sweat on my nose as I slurped up the egg noodles, with minimal soup intake.

I'm used to a milder laksa, but I'm sure this would be a winner with chilli fiends who can't get enough of the stuff in their food. I enjoyed the variety of ingredients used in the laksa; an assortment of seafood including prawns, squid, fish, fish paste, deep-fried tofu and a hard boiled egg.

Claypot Yee Mee - $10.80

Being overwhelmed with the extensive choice of dishes available from the menu, we asked our waitress for her recommendations and suggestions on their specialty dishes, or the dish that was most popular with the customers. We went with her suggestions and ordered the claypot yee mee, which came out boiling hot, the sauce spitting and bubbling in all its glory.

Immediate thoughts: How big is this thing!

We gave the egg yolk a good stir into the noodles and sauce, which was quite abundant. Another thing we thought there was a lot of was salt - the sauce was slightly salty and we couldn't get away from it as a thick layer of it coated every strand of noodle in the claypot.

The noodles ended up being unfinished, but I did scoop out every piece of chicken, mushroom, baby corn and broccoli that were all liberally coated with the brown sauce. I have to admit, the sauce got sickening towards the end of the meal - too much of something is not always a good thing!

On the walls in this home town

Upon stepping into the restaurant, the first thing that striked me besides how spacious the interior was, were the walls. There was a comforting, cluttered feel about them, being decorated with different sized picture frames, paintings, shelves with flower vases and empty wine bottles and a beautiful vintage looking clock that I would much rather have in my own room!

What wasn't particularly striking was the food, which to me had more misses than hits. There are other places for good tasting, good value Malaysian dishes if South of the river is your preference, especially with the popularity of Malaysian cuisine in Perth in general.

I spied their dessert selection, which seems to be full of yummy options such as banana/pineapple fritters, red bean pancake and bubur cha-cha, a Malaysian dessert consisting of coconut milk, sweet potato, yam and tapioca pearls. My brain shouted YES but my belly cried out no, so if you get around to trying it, I'd love to know your opinion :)

Ample seating

Before we left, we were given a card which works like their loyalty system: Collect ten stamps to get 10% off your 11th bill. But the catch is, you must spend over $50 to receive a stamp, meaning you would have spent over $500 to get $5 off - a considerable amount spent on dishes if you ask me!

I tried to love this place, but you just can't force it - love's got to come in the form of great food.
My opinion aside, Home Town's Kitchen seems to be doing well on the foodie forefront, serving up Malaysian dishes that's winning taste buds over. To me, Malay cuisine is my go-to happy food; it's good, it's value and most importantly it's delicious, and it's enough to put a smile on my face :)

Home Town's Kitchen, Parkwood

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Home Town's Kitchen's Facebook page

Lunch: 11am - 2.30pm

Dinner: 5pm - 10pm

Closed Tuesdays

Chinese tea $1 per head, minimum charge $3.50

BYO Beer and soft drinks: $1 per head

10% surcharge on public holidays

(08) 94578889

Parkwood Shopping Centre, 6/78 Vellgrove Avenue, Parkwood WA 6147

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Spencers Village Food Court

If you can't pick, pick them all.
Whether it be food, clothes or places to work (I just do not learn).

There's one little trusted place in Perth that cures all (Asian) cravings, that brings a small slice of Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, [insert any other country here] here to Australia in the form of delicious, authentic tasting food.

All in the one central location, under the same roof, spans this global village of hawker food galore to take your pick from, similar to Cambridge Forum. Located just metres away from each other, it has never been more convenient and cheap to go country-hopping from one to the other.

Durian Smoothie - $5

Most international food courts have a token drinks stall residing in the food court, with no other stalls selling any beverages. The Panda drinks stall at Spencers Village sells a delightful range of drinks for both the Western and Asian palate - there's smoothies, then there's Asian smoothies.

Durian smoothie...tasted real, and definitely smelled as real as stink.
A pleasingly real stench that wafts of durian.

Chee Cheong Fun - $4.50

Entree is always the same no-brainer choice, and is always delivered up by the ever busy Fook Kee store selling good value for money Chinese eats. Keeping a small menu and offering less choice works to their advantage as the customer does not need to bombard the brain with overwhelming choice.

It is always exciting to prance around with a $20 note in hand, and be googly eyed at the vast range of options to satiate yourself with.

Ooh, the way that skin gleams with liberal coats of sticky sauce...

A favourite at the Fook Kee stall is its beautifully simple chee cheong fun dish, its popularity evident from its presence on just about...every one of our visits.

All their menu items are small sized dishes and tastily priced, as are these soft rice flour rolls topped with beancurd skin, and bathed in coats of sweet soy sauce before the finishing touch of sesame seeds.

Yong Tau Fu - $6

Another essential dish is the yong tau fu (stuffed tofu), which will give you a pleasant surprise if all you are expecting is stuffed tofu.

It is a collective name for a plate that brings you not only tofu blocks stuffed with pork paste, but also eggplant, capsicum, fish balls and fried tofu skin. If sharing, be prepared to share intimate bites, since you don't get many of the same food item in one dish.

Assorted dipping sauces

The yong tau fu is delivered with a trio of dipping sauces to dab or drench your food in. It includes a sweet soy sauce, a chilli sauce as well as a thin garlicy, chilli sauce.

Penang Fried Kuey Teow - $8

A satisfied his noodle craving with a plate of Penang fried kuey teow, complete with bean sprouts, eggs, chicken and beef amongst the charred aroma and flavour of flat rice noodles.

I love being able to taste that recognisable wok hei flavour in this dish, achieved by stir frying the contents in a wok over a high-heat but controlled flame.

Curry Laksa - $7.50

I was forced to order laksa from another stall when I was told that the Izyam Malay stall's laksa had finished for the night. I knew laksa was the only thing that plagued my mind that night as I shop-hopped, determined to get my soupy fix for dinner.

Curry laksa, up close and personal

This laksa was a very worthy substitute, evident in the way that I scooped and scoured my way further and deeper into the empty bowl of soup at the end of the meal, full of false hope, like I was never ever going to eat a bowl of laksa ever again.

I made sure not a single strand of noodle was left alone in that sea of fragrant coconut milky soup. Life would be a lot easier if noodle dishes came with strainers...

Laksa - aerial view

A very satisfying bowl of laksa with all the familiar goodies - your fish balls, fried tofu, chicken strips, prawns, bean sprouts and 2 different types of noodles; a mix of the standard hokkien egg noodles and rice vermicelli.

The tempting call of a ridiculously flavoursome soup is just so easy to succumb to.

Nasi Ayam - $9

I fell in love with a meal I once ordered from the Izyam Malay store that has left a deep imprint in my mind with its DELICIOUS rice, infused with particular spices that I could not identify.

I have ordered a few other dishes from them in a blind attempt to find that dish I ordered again, but with no luck. This nasi ayam dish had slightly overcooked chicken with fried shallots, and disappointing yellow rice (disappointing only because it wasn't the rice I was trying to find).

I would probably go with one of their many other chicken dishes.

Bak Kut Teh - $8.50

If there was an addictive substance that can get me hooked, it is definitely the ingredients inside a pack of bak kut teh spices. A must have, if spotted by my bak kut teh prone vision.

What's not to love?

Bak Kut Teh is a very generous offering from the Penang Cuisine store, consisting of meaty pork spare ribs, tofu skin, fried tofu, plump Chinese mushrooms and champignon mushroom buttons in a clear, hearty broth.

It is absolutely perfect when eaten over a hot bowl of steamed rice or, with my way of doing things, by emptying the bowl of rice into the goodie-laden soup instead.
That way, you are more likely to fit more in the one mouthful :)

Yong Tau Fu - $6

On a more recent visit to my favourite foodcourt, we couldn't resist another plate of yong tau fu (again).

Chai Tow Kway

Not to be confused with Char Kuey Teow, Chai Tow Kway is a different dish despite having a similar appearance and letters in its name. It is similar to fried radish cake that you can get at dim sim, with the main difference being these flour cubes are tossed with egg and bean sprouts.

Chai Tow Kway is a true hawker food and a popular, nostalgic way to eat them is by ditching all conventional cutlery and simply pick them up using a toothpick.

Chinese Donut

I have fond memories of the excitement that these would bring to me as a child, when dad would bring them home. They had absolutely nothing in them, but its chewy, golden, sesame crusted exterior would be the most satisfying treat.

Straits Cuisine has a warmer filled with these baked and fried Asian pastries, and they are all really worth a try. This particular one had a sweet filling inside and is great for sharing.

Roti Tisu - $3.50

Suzie's Prata House is nestled next to Fook Kee in the corner of the food court, and can be easily overlooked if you don't pay attention. Despite always keeping a look out, the store is always shut as their business hours do not follow the other stores. I finally had the chance to try their food on a Saturday morning.

I normally love eating roti and jumped at the sight of $3.50 roti tisu. What I didn't expect was the delivery of the Great Pyramid to the table! The eye-catching roti cone is paper thin and shattered at a delicate touch. It is served with a pool of curry gravy, but as it is dusted with sugar I preferred mine as it was. A must try :)

Penang Fried Kuey Teow - $8.50

 Same dish different day, again from the ever busy Penang Cuisine stall.

Oyster Omelette - $13

The Ya Kwang Singaporean Hawker Delights stall offers similar dishes as its neighbours, but one item that caught my taste buds' attention were their omelette versions. There is the choice of either oysters or prawns and the omelette is freshly cooked to order.

The omelette looked more like a mess rather than an omelette, but it smelled delicious with no lack of flavour. Some mouthfuls did have an unpleasant, chewy gooey texture to them which I suspect is the result of unthorough flour mixing. We also found ourselves hunting around for more oysters, believing that some were hidden somewhere (when there were actually only about 5 altogether).

Baked Pork Buns

The Straits Cuisine stall serves up Malacca and Chinese dishes and along with the chinese donut, we buy half a dozen or so of these baked pork buns to take home. As delicious as (or probably more) their steamed counterparts, these baked barbeque pork buns come with a buttery, flaky pastry; making them much more sinful.

The ball that takes the crown is a deep fried glutinous rice ball filled with a sweet red bean paste. Its other name is jian dui, literally translating to "fried heap". Indeed it is a heap of fried glutinous rice flour, but you have to taste it before you judge the name with a scrunched up expression on your face.

Tom Yum Fried Bee Hoon - $8.50

Somehow we are still not satisfied at this point and go order a plate of fried bee hoon from the Singaporean stall. I'm a sucker for the intense hot and sour flavour of tom yum, which is quite well distributed in the stir fried rice noodles.
I don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would; most likely because I've ignored the obvious sign that I was actually already full.

Soybean Milk

Soybean milk from the Panda Cafe is refreshingly cold and goes down real smooth :)

Kuih Dadar

The abundance of Asian cuisine stalls at Spencers Village means numerous Asian desserts and delicacies being sold. Kuih dadar is a rolled pandan crepe stuffed with grated coconut and palm sugar. The green tinge is a result of pandan juice that has seeped through the batter that should give it a wonderful sweet fragrance.

Kuih Dadar interior

Despite the promising shade of green on the crepe rolls, the lack of fragrant and taste of the pandan rolls is a big disappointment. The crepes themselves are very bland and hints at the use of food colouring to give it that deep colour.
A look on the label lists only three ingredients; these being flour, coconut and sugar. Hmm...
I'll have to get my authentic fix of kuih dadar elsewhere. Anyone with recommendations?

Panda Cafe (drinks stall) and Miss Saigon (Vietnamese cuisine)
The tables are sticky and there is a high chance you need to share your table with strangers, but Spencers is definitely my favourite food court.

Spencers Village food court (next to IGA)

I'm hanging out for the next visit to Spencers Village, which probably won't be for a while since the drive there costs an arm and a leg's worth in time (even though this is a compilation of 3 visits haha). I envy those who live nearby, who can get cheap, authentic and fast meals whenever they please, without losing an arm or a leg.

It may be a food court, but service is personalised a little by every stall's ordering procedure. Ordering and paying is standard, but then having your food delivered to your table is a nice touch that saves your bottom leaving the wooden bench seating (even if they are uncomfortable)!

Don't expect flashy surroundings, or even an average ambiance at that. Spencers has built up quite the reputation over the years, but in the opposite direction, attracting negative publicity regarding its food health and safety violations.

Once dubbed "the food hall from hell", it could not be any more misleading.
If this here is hell, I would love to go to hell.

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Lunch & Dinner: Wed - Sun
(Imagine my rage fit when I turned up nice and early on a Tuesday after a 30 minute drive)

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Big Bowl Noodle House

Yep, these guys sure do have big bowls.

And big spoons to match.

I think they have shrunk in size though, to more accurately reflect the amount of noodles you get inside that oversized porcelain bowl. It's not an under serving by any means, but things just look so much smaller when you place them next to bigger things...or into bigger things.

In the same way, Big Bowl becomes quite a small one among the big eating strip along Albany Highway. It doesn't really stand out as a place you'd really crave to visit all the time. Admittedly I end up in here only when other restaurants are closed, closing or closing down.

However, it is always a very trusty fallback option, albeit not being first choice. Noodles never disappoint, especially when they are the fresh homemade kind.

And even if they aren't - Noodles. Still. Never. Disappoint. How many lives has 2 minute noodles saved?

Pork Meat Balls Noodle - $9.80

On this occasion I felt like something simple, which is what this place caters for perfectly. Something light, soupy and not too big of a serving is just what anyone needs for breakfast. But then again, a huge delicious filling buffet of eggs, mushrooms, toast, muffins, sausages, etc etc etc would probably be a more tempting invitation to WAAAAKEEE UPPPPP!


A selection of noodles gives you the choice to select from thin, thick or wholemeal noodles. Above is a freshly cooked, steaming hot bowl of wholemeal noodles, bok choy and pork balls (the G rated kind) floating in clear soup.


Wholemeal noodles from here are reminiscent of pasta. They have a bit of a grainy texture and provide a satisfying mastication :)

Prawn & Pork Wanton Noodle - $9.80

Wantons are something we always make and eat at home but don't really make it into our food choice when we venture out to eat. Wantons at Big Bowl are worth a try though, with plump crinkly centres full of minced pork but limited prawn content.


Thin noodles have a lighter texture than their thick counterparts. A cloudier soup, but in terms of taste I don't think it's any different to the other soups used in most of their noodle dishes. A richer taste is always desirable but then again, you're just desiring more seasoning and good food doesn't rely on that. After all, they do pride themselves on Natural ingredients, Natural flavour, No preservatives & Healthy gourmet food. It's pretty good that you don't feel like you haven't drank for a whole week afterwards.


Usually people follow Eat First, Remorse Later.


Pffftt. I follow Eat First. Who Cares!


...


Big Bowl comes with big bowls, big spoons, big dining space and a big menu. It's got its menu creatively made into wallpaper on some of their walls as well as on their tables, shielded under a clear glass panel. Makes things easier as everywhere you look you are bombarded with WORDS. MUCH LIKE THIS BLOG. WORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDS


On the menu, you get something close to 60 choices revolving around noodles and the like. Different variations of noodles (ho fun, rice noodles, RICE...) within multiple methods of cooking (soup, stir fry, baked, braised) and you're spoilt with choice. Serving sizes are quite alright and is really good for a quick stop fast food noodle shop, minus the excessive calories. Fast food, meaning your food comes out in about 5 minutes flat. Seriously. That s#!^ is crazy.


Efficiency is top here: walk in, find a table, perve on the menu, order at counter, pay at counter, get table number, sit down, wait 5 minutes, food served, eat food, go. Quick and easy, but as expected with such a system to dining, table service is minimal. Staff are there, but you only sort of notice them at the beginning when you walk through the door. First impressions count... but then the second, third, etc don't, it seems!


Having said that, the place has made a niche into the noodle market and does not really serve up Chinese food as such. There's none of your typical Sweet n Sour porks or Chilli Pepper squids or any other of those dishes Chinese food is predictably associated with (probably thanks to Billy Lees!). These noodle nutters are big on noodles, made from scratch in house. Dumplings are the other stars here, so if you want wantons or want tons of noodley goodness, Big Bowl should be your first choice. Not your 2nd...or 3rd...or "just as a fall back option".


The interior of Big Bowl, like I said, is big. It's spacious, clean and rather...big. The large space extends to the back, as does the open kitchen. It will really remind you of food court style dining no doubt, with the table numbers, limited service and a capacious area featuring rows of ample seating.
This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm here for noodles, not a cup of tea.
So I'm cool with that.

Hong Kong BBQ House Chinese Restaurant

When you're suffering with a bad dose of jetlag, you don't realise your hunger creeping up as your normal
eating and sleeping pattern is so wildly messed up.

But then when you're back to your senses and re-adjust yourself to your so called normal life,
you realise, shit. I haven't eaten in about 18 hours. Why am I not that hungry?! And because 3 krispy
kremes for breakfast at 3pm doesn't even count as food. Crap, that's why...


We got back home to country town Perth way too early, at around 8am - the perfect time to get straight back to sleep. No doubt that is exactly what happened, only waking up in the afternoon to suppress my grumbling
tummy with about a day's worth of calories of KK donuts. Then it was straight back to bed until my stomach
told me it was time to get up again for dinner.


-Sleep til' you're hungry, eat til' you're sleepy


Yeah, life advice doesn't get any better than that. And that is why I swear my life by it.
Hence, life doesn't get any lazier than that. Blah!


Between 7 of us, 6 dishes were demolished. Fair teamwork effort, but with me working harder than
everyone else, it hardly seems fair.

Barbeque Ribs - $35 

"Can we have some roast pork?" - "Sorry, we're sold out."
"Some BBQ pork then?" - "Umm we're out of that too."
"...What DO you have?" - "There's BBQ Ribs?"


And that is the only reason why this plate of BBQ ribs made an appearance at our table. We arrived at such a devastatingly wrong time, where everything was already sold out for the day! When this came out it looked SO much like BBQ pork that I thought the waiter was nuts for saying they had run out. Like psshhh, run out my ass. And then when I bit down hard on a bone, crap why did I think he was nuts?!


So as you can see, it bears a great resemblance to the normally shiny and red BBQ pork except this has bones within it. It tasted pretty much the same, with a little bit of inconvenience added due to the bones. The pinkish red flesh was sweet, juicy and fragrant from perfect cooking. The natural fats in the meat coupled with the shiny glaze of oil over the top is enough to give you an oily film across your lips and a little bit of regret :)


The oiliness of these delicious ribs made me stick to the peanuts underneath all the meat, which were also drenched with oil anyway. Who am I kidding.

Chicken Sweet Corn Soup - $7

Hot sweet corn soup would have been a nice addition to the oily meal, if you have the mindset that hot stuff has the ability to melt the fats that are already inside you. This was what it was, no better nor worse than what sweet corn soup usually tastes like.


Nothing that really stood out for me, except the memory of there being little chicken.

Roast Duck (whole) - $40

You go to a BBQ house, you can't forgo the roast duck. For me, I'd say the roast duck is the staple dish of an Asian roast restaurant. And this place does it better than well, with 3 tiers of golden brown crispy skin, fat and juicy tender duck flesh, sitting in a pool of its own juices.


Sooooo good. Duck meat may be fat. ...REALLY fat, as the way it is roasted seals in all its fats and juices, and none of that good stuff gets released out until inside you. The sight of these you see behind the restaurant's glass windows may put you off as you see its juices sliding off and drip, drip, dripping into its own fat collection pool. But then eat them, and your now guiltless sense of taste will take you for a ride past all those thoughts about dieting, aka self torture.

Spinach in 2 Egg Sauce - $22

Just to help a tiny bit to counteract an already super healthy, nutritional meal like this, some effort has to be made to stay healthy. We went with the waiter's suggestion of spinach in 2 egg sauce and actually, this turned out to be my most touched dish of the night.


It wasn't particularly a stand-out dish that made me dig around hungrily for sunken bits at the end, or reach for it so much that the whole dish ended up being positioned right in front of me, but because it was pretty much the only thing that wasn't FAT LADEN, or DEEP FRIED, or BATHED IN OIL, or LEAKING OIL FROM ITSELF. All the delicious qualities that my dining companions look for in a satisfying relationship with food.


Boring spinach is otherwise made more exciting with the inclusion of salted egg and century egg cubes, along with whole caramelised garlic cloves. Century eggs are a matter of hit or miss with most people, and admittedly they smell a bit like urine. And even though I just put myself off with that comment, I encourage you with all my heart to still go and try them. They have their own distinct characteristic, and smelling like piss isn't what I'm referring to.

Plain Noodle Soup - $4

Noodles are a winner with most, so $4 for a big bowl of noodle soup plus vegetables is definitely a champion. Just eat these quickly before the hot broth excessively overcooks the noodles and turning them soft and mushy. Taking too long will cause the strands to become dull, lifeless and losing their original bounciness, much like hair. Mmmmm!

Panfried Toothfish - $30

This dish is almost always scrumptious, with its golden crispy fried skin and smooth, flaky white flesh. Usually being served a small proportion ensures that it leaves you wanting more, and for $30 this was indeed quite a small serving.


Given too little of something breeds lust, given too much of something breeds indifference. Life and food: why so damn hard to find balance in it?!

Combination Roast Noodle Soup

If you can't decide on one type of animal, you can satisfy your greed and ask for a mix up. Soya chicken here has a just-cooked texture, tender meat that is never dry or overcooked. The darkened chicken skin doesn't taste oily or even look visibly fatty, seems like they use quality chicken here!


Prices and portions are a bit of a two way street here, one goes up and the other has seemed to head in the other direction. This was around the $14.50 mark from memory, which is considerably higher than the general prices of an average bowl you can find from other restaurants. But people don't seem to care paying a higher price for the good stuff, as ratings on Urbanspoon suggest!

Roast Duck Noodle Soup

This is the one choice that is always ordered without fail through rain or shine, regardless of whether we even feel like it or not. The restaurant used to place the chopped up duck on a separate plate to the noodles, which I reckon was a better idea. If the serving size wasn't bigger that way, at least it gave the illusion that it was!


...


The things you'll probably notice most about this newly refurbished (by new it's probably been like over a year) are the slow but steady price inflations and, well, the newly refurbished insides. It looks majorly different from its facelift, and the renovations and decor are minimalist but stylishly simple. Dark and white contrasting coloured furniture with different textured walls is the running theme throughout.


It's not all about oily roasts at a BBQ house, as you're greeted with live swimming seafood awaiting their fatality in large glass tanks as you step through the entrance. This forms part of the animal decors this restaurant displays! One of the "decorations" that are evident in every BBQ house are the masses of poultry and pork mannequins hanging on display, showcasing what Chinese BBQ is all about. It definitely looks a bit cruel, but it's a delicious sacrifice.

Asian cuisine restaurants usually holds the concept of quick in, quick eat, quick out. As such, staff service is very swift, even in times of traffic in peak eating hours. Hong Kong BBQ House sees a range of different customers and it gets very rowdy and busy at times with queues for takeaway and dining in. But you definitely won't be kept waiting, as it is in the best interests for the customer and the restaurant itself to kick out serve diners ASAP so that new ones get in.


It is by far NOT your usual cheap go-to Chinese feed, with prices being very much higher than what you can usually find in Chinatown or other Asian eating establishments. Does higher prices translate to higher quality eats? Not definitely for all dishes on the menu, but yes for some. You'll find your usual dishes on the menu plus BBQ roast meat options. Takeaway for duck is considerably cheaper than dining at the restaurant, which is a bonus if you prefer your own service at home and some more $$$ saved.


And then spend those saved funds at an even MORE expensive restaurant!