Ho Lee Fook 口利福: Oh My * !

23:33 7.5 Emptyplates , Chinese , Western 0 Comments

Oh my *! As soon as you step in the restaurant, you’ll see barbeque meat hanging on the walls replicating the design from local cha chaan tengs (茶餐廳), and a wall of flashy golden money cats (招財貓) waving at you in their mischievous smiles. Ho Lee Fook has become one of Carly’s favorite hangout spot now. What more can I say? Spectacular food, vibrant and upbeat ambience, pioneering Chinese X Western fusion food menu, reasonably priced, fun and helpful staff. We nearly scrapped everything from the menu, dining with 9 people, ordered 14 items, tried possibly all the notable dishes from Ho Lee Fook and to my surprise, each dish had its own sparkle to it as in a very unique character which embellishes so much style over substance. First off, I will have to say that I might be biased as I do have a strong liking for heavy flavors. Ho Lee Fook, Oh my *, this IS the place to be and the food will NOT let you down.

Quoting the chef of Ho Lee Fook, Jowett Yu, “I love honest food and decor”; very innovative yet down-to-earth chef whose inspirations come from local cha chann teng, American bold upbeat street style, and gimmicky character pushing standards to another era for fusion cusine. I grew up in North America whereas my roots lie deep in this international city Hong Kong. Dining at Ho Lee Fook gave me the same thrill, feeling connected with my former past as I try hard to read their menu under the very dim reddish golden tone of houselight and trendy hiphop rap music. 
口利福，在food blogger與飲食界火速冒起的廣東餐館，一聽名字，就知道絕對非等閒之輩—一間玩味十足的餐廳。他們的叉燒早就聞名已久，誠然，我卻沒有太大期望。
生日來了一趟之後，就愛上了這個中西合壁的匯聚點。食物有很大驚喜，環境佈置也甚有格調，服務照顧周到。一開始不太清楚菜餚的份量，侍應給了些意見，建議不夠吃的話之後可追加。不得不提，還有這裡有名的Breakfast 2.0, break down and build up，將你夢寐以求的甜品和水果結合，讓你吃完還想吃更多。

位處於香港的蘇豪區，卻彷如置身於北美某一處的唐人街，華麗創新，味道非凡，價錢公道。適合一大班朋友聚會，在新派的中餐館喝一杯清酒，攀談暢飲，還有美國嘻哈Hiphop音樂墊住個底，這一頓生日飯，不亦樂乎。
甫進門，就見到一行行吊掛在玻璃前的出爐燒味，還有一幅牆滿佈的金色招財貓向你微笑招手。口利福的大廚Jowett Yu與G.O.D老闆份屬好友，餐館的室內設計盡見其一貫風格，新潮但又保持傳統中式的復古風。深灰石地板，暗紅帶黃的燈光，深啡木色餐桌和木椅，紅紅綠綠的餐牌，我的肚子早已準備就緒，要開動了！

“Prawn toast X okonomiyaki” kewpie mayonnaise, bulldog sauce, shaved cabbage, aonori HKD108 

It’s not common for you to find prawn toast in Hong Kong anymore but this used to be one of the most fingerlicking cha chaan teng food.  This combination of pan fried batter and crispy prawn toast was heavenly good and made the perfect appetizer to start off the meal as the abundant mayo and bulldog sauce (Japanese favorite tonkatsu sauce that goes well with breaded pork cutlet). The toast was exceptionally thick, crunchy and golden crispy and the intense sweet and savory flavor of bulldog sauce made this so fingerlicking good.
蝦多士，無錯，是一道帶有日式風格的蝦多士。今時今日的香港，已經很難找到地方吃蝦多士。厚多士烘得金黃鬆脆之餘，喜歡街頭小吃的我，立刻愛上了口利福這個看似簡單卻又極其可口的前菜。重點是鋪滿面的木魚碎，濃郁可口，味道帶酸甜的日式bulldog醬汁，一般都是用來送炸豬排飯吃的，和這款蝦多士可說是一拍即合。
Fusion就是這樣的一回事，把不同地方的特色食品元素結合，又出奇地美味有驚喜。

Wagyu Steak Tartare, Yunnan Style, hot and sour, herbs HKD148
Had a lot of steak tartares in life and the flavor for this one did come out quite bold as the spicy and acidic sauce was quite stunning as soon as you have one spoon of the steak tartare to go with crisps on the side. Not my personal favorite as the taste was rather too intense, but people who love a heavy taste of raw beef to begin with. This might your dish!
生牛肉他他吃得多，但調味這樣濃的卻是第一次試。個人不是特別喜歡，因為偏辣的雲南酸辣汁蓋過了生牛肉應有的鮮甜，但作為前菜，確是頗開胃的。上碟時，還配有炸得薄脆的蝦片，口感上，讓人一試難忘。

Shredded chicken salad, lettuce hearts, beansprouts, Sichuan pepper, strange flavor dressing HKD88
Strange flavor dressing was not as profound as the steak tartare but the meaty shredded chicken was silky enough to make this a hearty salad. Hints of Sichuan pepper was added to enhance the spice level. I definitely though Chef Jowett has a strong liking for spicy food.
怪味雞的醬汁味道沒有生牛肉他他這樣濃，但四川辣椒的香味是有吃到的。吃到第三道菜的時候，已經開始覺得大廚放的調味都頗重手。白雪雪的雞絲吃上口很滑嫩，啖啖肉。

Stir-fried asparagus, broccoli, sugar snap peas, garlic, Shaoxing HKD98
You could see the oil glaze and smell the garlicky flavor of this stir-fried mixed veggie dish. Loved the crispy and natural sweet sugar snap peas which added extra textural complexity to the palate for a seemingly ordinary dish.
普通的一道炒雜菜，炒出來沒有一般大排檔的鑊氣，一上碟就見到薄薄的油光，所以吃上吃很美味。最喜歡是炒起身卻仍是爽脆清甜的蜜糖豆，盡顯大廚的炒功。

Fried cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, maple bacon chilli jam HKD88
Maple bacon chilli jam! Because you only have this at Ho Lee Fook, the sweet and savoury flavor on a stir-fried veggie dish was rather exhilarating, the bite-size cauliflower absorbed the sweetness and spiciness and you could even taste the hint of savory ham flavor on plain vegetables.
椰菜花和椰菜苗是我最喜歡的蔬菜之一，配上自家製創新的楓蜜煙肉辣椒醬，煙肉的咸香、蜜糖的甜，與點點的微辣，結集成一籃子的享受。非常惹味的一道炒菜，一上桌就聞到香噴噴，吃的時候，醬料平均地炒到每一棵椰菜花和椰菜苗上，下飯一流！



Soy Chicken (half) HKD168
Not bad. The soy sauce glaze was well-marinated into the chicken skin without being too salty. The chicken was tender, soft and moist. Without being as heavy tasting as the other appetizers, the overall quality of the barbeque meat was decent and tummy filling. 

豉油雞沒有過份的鹹，還有微微的甜，形合大眾對一般豉油雞的要求。口利福的雞都很嫩口，雞味還算是可以，只因甜豉油的調味沒有蓋過風頭。燒味質量方面，算是不俗。

Kurobuta pork Char-siu HKD168
Kurobuta pork being the heritage breed of pork that offers more intense meat flavor and succulent moist, it is considered to be premium over your regular supermarket chop. I have nothing to complain about the texture of the char siu as it was very soft and moist, pink-hued and beautifully marbled, flavor-wise it would have been even better if they honey glaze can be crunchier on the edges as they roast the pork skin for a bit longer.

來口利福就一定要一嘗他們的叉燒。選用了日本黑毛豬，可見豬肉的紋路非常均勻，粉紅嫩口，肥瘦適中，比一般的豬肉嫩口多汁得多。食客可以自選叉燒的肥瘦，形合個人口味。略嫌叉燒外皮燒得不夠香脆，叉燒醬多點蜜糖味會更加好，但口感上這叉燒是「無得輸」吧。

Grilled pork belly, red cabbage salad, roasted chilli and almond salsa HKD158
The chilli and almond salsa was a refreshing collaboration for grilled pork belly but I would have preferred a braised version of pork belly as the grilled pork belly did come out a bit too dry and lean. Think I am too used to fatty melting-good pork belly from ramen or authentic Cantonese cuisine restaurants, this pork belly did not quite match my expectations. The heavy flavoring of the salsa did not compensate the shortfall of dryness of the pork belly.
有點辣的豬腩肉可惜烤得太乾，吃上口有點柴身。那麼多道主菜中比較遜色的一碟，下一次光顧會嘗試其他主菜。廣東菜一般會把豬腩肉炆至腍身和起膠質的狀態，放入口中就會立刻溶掉，可見煮法和豬種也很影響食物的味道和口感。

Prawn lo mein with shellfish oil, grilled shallot, crispy garlic HKD108
The grilled shallot flavor was rather outstanding and was well complimented with the shellfish oil which turned this rather ordinary lo mein into another impeccable modification of Ho Lee Fook’s fusion dish. The shellfish oil elevated the seafood freshness, grilled shallot added a mild natural sweetness of onion, and of course garlic as one of the most commonly used herbs in Canto cuisine. This was simply delightful to munch on as you get that oil and goodness all in one bite.
一上桌，看似平凡的蝦球撈粗麵就香氣四濺，味道上亦甚有驚喜。用心的菜式是這樣被發掘的，加入大廚個人的一兩項心思，再普通的麵食也可以給你不一樣的體驗。貝殼類的香油把蝦的鮮味昇華了，而且點點的油香平均地沾滿了每一條粗麵，海鮮的鮮和蔥蒜的香都能夠品嘗到口利福大廚的功架。Shallot是一種平常家中煮菜也會用到的乾蔥之一，長長圓身的紫色乾蔥，味道會比一般洋蔥濃和清甜一點。證明一道菜只要配料用對了，再平凡的食物也可以帶給你驚喜。

Roast Wagyu short ribs, jalapeno puree, green shallot kimchi, soy glaze HKD448
Everyone would recommend you this dish at Ho Lee Fook for its boldness, flavor, and creativity that elevates one’s experience of enjoying wagyu beef to another dimension. The beef was both supple and tender, nicely marbled; the slight savory soy glaze was well-marinated into the beef. Jalapeno puree and the shallot kimchi gave the beef a kick of spiciness emulsion for the flavor, making this a rather profound palate experience, and heightening the meaty experience of juicy short ribs which is a must-try if you ever visit Ho Lee Fook. Chef Jowett undoubtedly does good beef.
首選推介！欣賞這和牛肋骨的創意，賣相，和味道。一大碟的和牛，肉和骨分開了，好像有二食的功能。一片片厚肥瘦適中，鬆軟多汁的牛肉，看見肉紋的緊緻綿密，連著骨附近的肉很有咬感嚼頭。加上鋪滿面的韓式泡菜絲和蔥絲，提高了豉油醬汁的咸香，亦有一定程度的辣感。不喜歡一大堆蔥絲的話，也不打緊，因為伴碟的還有磨得軟滑，濃稠適中的墨西哥青辣椒醬汁，另類的辣度和刺激，增加了牛肉的調味和口感。

Kimchi fried rice with edamame and crispy lap cheong HKD118
Not a fan of fried rice ever in my life but this kimchi fried rice blew my mind! The edamame was exceptionally fresh crispy even after cooked and stir fried, fiery spicy kimchi made this fried rice more than enjoyable as the hot savors explodes on your palate, bits of lap cheong spiced up the mild sweetness and accentuated the smokey savory pork flavor. I had two bowls just to get more of that edamame too!
鑊氣十足，口感層次極其豐富的一道炒飯！由細到大，從不喜愛炒飯但口利福這碟看似簡單的炒飯讓我改觀了。色、香、味俱全的形容最貼切不過。一粒粒的珍珠米炒得分明，香口。配上炸得香脆的臘腸，炒得爽脆的枝豆，微辣的泡菜碎，紅紅綠綠的，非常惹味，肚子已開始吃到飽飽的，但我還是一口氣吃掉了兩碗！
“Breakfast 2.0” Horlicks ice cream, cornflake honeyjoy, oats, dried longan, cocoa coffee crumbs HKD78

It definitely takes some fine art skills to create inspirational desserts by adding the exact kind of components combining with profound culinary skills. I am not surprised that some people spend a lifetime to master pastries and desserts. Ho Lee Fook’s dessert menu is considered to be astonishingly innovative, flavor-wise it was not mind-blowing but rather decent. Highlight of the night - Breakfast 2.0 combines all your favorite items in one bowl of delish delights. Loved the horlick ice cream and crispy honey-coated cornflakes, dried longan gave a milder sweetness rather than a usual raspberry/summer fruit choice. The horlick ice cream was not too rich so the other ingredients of honeyjoy or coffee crumbs gets you to the gateway of the sweetness heaven, leaving you feeling guilty yet craving for more.

眾人的甜品首選！Breakfast 2.0把你最喜愛的香料和甜品都結集起來，一個人已經可以吃掉一碗。不太濃味但奶香十足的好立克雪糕、蜜糖粟米片、大大粒新鮮酸甜的紅苺、朱古力餅碎、少許的龍眼乾 —一匙Breakfast 2.0甚有早餐的玩味，又極其美味可口。這款口利福自創的甜品成為大家的心頭口，是實至名歸的。
Matcha cake, chocolate ganache, liquid hazelnut praline, toasted milk, strawberry HKD78

Not going to recommend this matcha cake as the green tea flavor was slightly bitter and did not blend too well with the slightly overly sugary dark chocolate ganache. Cake was considered dry and the toasted milk did not save the flavor or texture of this dessert. There are many better matcha desserts in Hong Kong such as Via Tokyo and Cha-no-wan which are hard to beat.

相反，綠茶蛋糕則有點遜色，綠茶味不夠濃，做不到回甘，而且沒有蛋香還有點偏乾。黑朱古力醬甜得來卻有點太苦，不知道是故意的還是意外。在香港做綠茶甜食做得份外出色的有太多，這樣比較起來，就顯得口利褔這款甜品質量不夠高。想吃綠茶味濃的甜品，還是去Via Tokyo或Sweet House Cha Cha吧。



Mandarin granite, mascarpone sorbet, maple-candied kumquat, sablée biscuit HKD78

Cup full of surprises as the complexity of the texture and flavor of mandarin sweet, citrusy sorbet, and aromatic biscuit makes this dessert unique. I would have preferred to add a bit or orange, lime or lemon to this dessert so it gives a right zesty kick but appreciated the effort and originality of this dessert. Not a particular fan of tangy citrusy sweets as the kumquat gave a subtle bitterness which was not very appealing.

這一杯橘子味甜品口感很多元化和富有層次感。柑橘味甚濃，冰沙有自然的果味，微甜。吃過一餐味道甚濃的晚飯，清新冰涼的甜品可以讓人精神一振。一匙下來，有柑橘冰沙，香滑奶味不太濃的忌廉雪葩，咸咸脆脆的餅碎在最底層。另一果味較濃和清新甘香的口利福自家製杯裝甜品。


Expats would love this place, not so much for diners like my parents who crave for traditional luxurious seafood kind of Cantonese restaurant, but this is exactly why I love Ho Lee Fook. Another vibrant, upbeat choice for you to understand and experience what does it mean by modern style of Canto fusion cuisine. The Gang will come back for more – gonna have to try out their crispy skin chicken and mom’s dumplings! Another round of Breakfast 2.0 and sake to wake me up a little after all the comforting good food please. I was a bit eased to feel connected with my North American roots again.


I always thought that fortune cookies were lame, but having that on a birthday in Hong Kong was a different thing – it wished me good fortune and luck in the coming year.
Thank you, with all the good food, I am sure it is going to be another splendid year on my food journey.
值得一提的是，口利福的大廚Jowett Yu的煮食靈感來自全世界四方八面，五湖四海。生於台灣，畢業於加拿大溫哥華的廚藝學校，在澳洲住過一段時間，贏過些廚藝獎項，喜歡穿著美國街頭品牌Stussy的服飾，你說，在口利福的餐牌上會有幾多種fusion菜？非常欣賞Jowett Yu大廚都食物的創意和誠意，在餐館的菜單上盡見其心思，在食物味道上亦見其功架。吉碟幫The Gang一行五人一定會再回來，不單是因為美味的食物，用心的製作，型格新潮的氣氛，口利福絕對值得一讚的。

幸運曲奇，不單猜對了我那一夜的心情，還圓滿地滿足了我有點想念加拿大的思鄉情懷。


Ho Lee Fook 口利福
G/F, 1-5 Elgin Street, Central
中環伊利近街1-5號地下
Tel: 2810 0860

*Book few days in advance 要打電話訂位
*Only opened for dinner 只開晚市
*Advance booking needed for crispy chicken 脆脆雞要提前預訂
*Best to come with gang of more than 4 適合一行四人或更多人來用餐