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2013-11-06
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Hong Kong Sheng Kee has quite a range of Hong Kong style desserts from Red Bean Paste ($2.90) to Mango Sago ($4.90) and snacks such as Siew Mai ($3.90 for 3). They also have a selection of noodles and rice, but the main highlight seems to be their snacks and desserts. I wanted to to try their Yolk Custard Pau so we went there for an early dinner.The place was small but there wasn't many people when we were there so we could choose our own seats. However, I noticed that the seats at the corner ha
Hong Kong Sheng Kee has quite a range of Hong Kong style desserts from Red Bean Paste ($2.90) to Mango Sago ($4.90) and snacks such as Siew Mai ($3.90 for 3). They also have a selection of noodles and rice, but the main highlight seems to be their snacks and desserts. I wanted to to try their Yolk Custard Pau so we went there for an early dinner.The place was small but there wasn't many people when we were there so we could choose our own seats. However, I noticed that the seats at the corner had litter strewn on the floor and no one came to clear it even though the place wasn't packed. Otherwise, service was decent and the counter lady even took the time to recommend a few dishes when she noticed us looking at the menu when we went up to place our orders.
The first item we got was the Oriental Chicken Sausage Rice ($6.90). It was served in a bamboo container and looked visually nice. The chicken was soft and the sauce was tasty, which added a dash of flavour to the meat and rice! I liked that the dish wasn't too oily like a few other similar dishes I've tried before elsewhere. I would definitely have this dish again in future!
We also upgraded the meal to add on two sides, the yam cake and black sesame paste ($1.90). I've also previously tried their carrot cake and almond paste. I found their yam and carrot cake to be pretty good, especially the carrot cake which was quite fragrant and was also a little crispy on the outside. However, both were a tad oily for me. The pastes were both thick and certainly not lacking in flavour. I think these would make a nice dessert to complete your meal with or even to have on its own!
Of course, we also got the Yolk Custard Pau ($2.90). The pau was regularly sized and there were two pieces of it, which made it good for sharing. Just be careful when biting into it because the 'custard' inside is kind of runny and will drip/squirt out once you open/bite into the pau. I kind of expected it to be more custard-like though. There was egg yolk mixed in with the sauce inside and it seemed to be the kind from salted egg. Overall, the pau was pretty nice but wasn't really my cup of tea.
Finally, I got the Rice Balls in Osmanthus Soup ($3.30) to try as I thought it looked pretty good in the picture on the menu. It was rather a disappointment as it didn't look as nice as the photo and I didn't detect any tinge of osmanthus in the soup; it tasted more like sugared water. The rice balls were quite smooth and chewy though. The filling inside was black sesame, which I thought was okay as I preferred having my rice balls with peanuts filling instead.I have also previously tried their Gold Dust Chicken Cutlet Rice ($6.90) and HK Wanton Noodles Soup ($5.90). The chicken cutlet was crispy but somewhat salty due to the seasoning. I preferred their wanton noodles more. The soup base was mild and the noodles was quite QQ. The wanton was meaty and I liked the wanton skin which was quite smooth. However, for the price, I think the dish is a little expensive considering it only came with wantons and some veggies and you could get local wanton noodles with char siew for cheaper elsewhere.
Overall, I think Sheng Kee is a decent place to have a meal or just to have their desserts once in a while. Their paste desserts are also quite tasty although a few of the other desserts and snacks are kind of a hit or miss for me. The prices for some of their dishes, snacks and desserts can also get a little pricey. If you are getting the rice or noodles, I'd recommend upgrading your meal with a choice of yam/carrot cake and one of the paste dessert as $1.90 for both is quite value for money considering that the dessert alone can set you back by about $3.30 if you get it ala carte. But then again, the entire set meal would end up costing around $7.80 to $9.80, which might be still be considered a tad expensive depending on the main dish you choose.
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