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Hong Kong (Chinese cuisine)  $$

 9
JaT Rating

2650 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, 94040  (Directions)


650.948.7728


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Genuine Cantonese restaurant attached to the San Antonion Inn


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 11/29/2006
Rating: 9
My photo gallery 		Hong Kong restaurant is located in a peculiar location attached to the San Antonio Inn. On the busy El Camino Real in Mountain View, finding the restaurant is easy and there's plenty of parking spots. For people staying at the inn, they have it made. Walk next door for great chinese food, overeat, return to the room, and go to sleep.

The pictures don't show how busy the restaurant was but it was hoppin'. Browsing the tables I noticed numerous people ordering their specialty Salt and Pepper Crab. The aquarium looked kinda dirty but I still went ahead with the crab. Service is excellent and I'm not sure if the lady is the owner/manager but she made our dinner visit fantastic. She was helpful and made ordering and delivery of items smoothly.

house special soup (image 5) - lotus root with pork. This is the 1st time I've had this. Over 80% of chinese restaurants serve hot and sour soup and after awhile, it gets boring. I love Hong Kong for serving a different soup and it tasted great.

baby bok choy (image 8) - steam veggies with garlic sauce. Perfect cooking technique with a glaze of the stinking rose. Good job on removing the flowering buds and keeping the vegetables clean. Easily a repeat order.

chicken cashew (image 7) - I never order this dish but Julie hinted towards a poultry dish. I went the easy route and went with an americanized dish. Sliced chicken breast so tender with chinese gravy. Plenty of chicken and cooked oh so good. Mixed in was mushrooms, carrots, celery?, and roasted cashews. Great tasting dish and repeat order.

Salt and Pepper Crab (image 6) - the messiest and greasiest dish of the night and the favorite. Look at image 9 and you'll see the fun we had. Any cracking of the crab had bits and pieces of the batter flying all over the place. Batter lands on the paper and leaves oil marks. The crab was fresh and pulled straight from the tanks. You'll know you're eating a fresh crab when it tastes like the ocean. The batter was flaky and salty while the crab was moist. It's an expensive dish at $22 but tonight's dish was 101% worth it. I order the Salt and Pepper Crab at one of my favorite restaurants, Joy Luck Club and I can say without a doubt, Hong Kong does a much better job.

Red Bean dessert - served warm with lotus seeds and red beans. Very sweet and a good way to end the night of grease and salt.

Tonight's dinner was excellent and looking forward to the return visit. Portion sizes were large and had 2 togo boxes after the feast. The meal is on the pricier side at $25/person with tip. Bargain hunters might think this is expensive but remember, taste ALWAYS comes before price.
 
9.5
Agent Rating


Reviewer: Julie
Total Reviews: 46
Reviewed: 11/30/2006
Rating: 9.5
My photo gallery		 I have come out of agent-retirement due to the deliciousness that was my dinner last night at Hong Kong restaurant. I really couldn't improve on anything about last night's dinner.

Jason and I needed to catch up, so as usual, we used it as a new restaurant opportunity. I was a bit skeptical when we pulled in to eat at a Chinese restaurant attached to a hotel -- sketchy. We were met with a friendly receptionist who seated us immediately. I didn't have much time to ponder the menu as Jason quickly told me what I would be ordering. But, he knows his stuff, so I let him choose. That was one of the better meals I have had in a long time.

First, we received complimentary soup. It was a broth with pork and some vegegatble in it. Tasty, but beware, because I burned my entire mouth on my first bite. Ordinarily, that would ruin the meal, but soon a huge plate of fried crab was delivered to our table. The presentation was spectacular and once I learned how to find the meat, I found it to be delicious. It was just the right amount of salty and the crab was very fresh.

We also had baby bok choi and cashew chicken. The cashew chicken was above average. It was very light and flavorful. Same for the bok choi -- though standard dishes, this restaurant did them proud.

We also received some complimentary sweet bean stuff for desert. It was good, but after an hour of dystroying a crab and filling up on cashews, I didn't have much room left. All this, for only $44.

The servers were friendly and prompt. The food was excellent, and for the price, you almost can't beat it. Don't be scared away by the 49.99/night hotel attached to this authentic restaurant. Hong Kong kitchen is definitely worth a visit. and return visit. and a return visit. and ...
 
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Sweetness ate...

salt and pepper crab

“to lineman. Not sure how often you eat this dish but it's the norm. I assure you most places will either cook with light batter or do a stir fry. Give R&G or Koi Palace's a try if you don't believe me.”

1/24/2007 8:58:08 PM

lineman ate...

Salt and pepper crab

“It was deep fried and breaded, which was kind of wierd since you can't eat the shell, so you don't really eat the breading or taste the fried taste. It also didn't have much of a crab flavor. It was certainly big, but I was not impressed.”

1/24/2007 2:48:02 PM