Last week I hopped on the MTR and headed out to Quarry Bay. My mission was to try out the new pizza place, NYPD (New York Pizza Delivery,) which just soft-launched their first branch in Hong Kong.

I had high hopes for NYPD. The owner had commented on Hong Kong Hustle after reading our post about the city’s lack of New York style pizza. As I walked towards the place I wondered if this could finally be it.

Getting off at Quarry Bay, I took exit B, and rode the escalator down to Finnie Street. From there I took a sharp left, ending up at the far end of a dead-end street. Here, surrounded by auto shops was the low-key NYPD storefront.

Originally founded in Shenzhen, the company recently decided to expand into Hong Kong. Their location in Quarry Bay is a good, low-rent spot, perfect to test out their formula. As Hong Kong Hustle readers know, it’s wise of them NOT to open a place with seating, since the ratio of profit would be tiny considering the city’s exorbitant rents.

Walking into the place, which consists of a counter and a kitchen, I looked up at the menu on the wall and selected the first choice, a 16″ cheese pizza.

Just outside the door is one small table and a few chairs. Since it was an off hour, and no one was there, I decided to try out the pizza on the spot. The pizza was freshly made and only took around ten minutes to come out.

With high hopes I took my first bite. Verdict – pretty damn good! Although the cheese could have been a little saltier, and the tomato sauce a little tangier, overall it was a very enjoyable slice! The crust was a good consistency and the fact that they make normal sized pies (real 16″, and not those sissy gourmet pizzas,) is a huge plus. So far, NYPD is the best Hong Kong has to offer if you’re looking for N.Y. style pizza.

In addition to taste, NYPD also offers a good value compared to other pizza places in Hong Kong. A large 16″ pie is a reasonable $138 HKD. Pizzas also come in 9 inch, and 12 inch varieties. Toppings are reasonably priced as well. A 16 inch “edge to edge” layer of pepperoni goes for just $148 HKD.

If you’re sick of ordering a pizza, only to eat the whole thing and still be hungry, NYPD is for you! (I was stuffed eating just half the pie!)

If you think of a giant slice of pizza on a paper plate with a stack of napkins and a Coke as the perfect meal, you’ll love this place!

Let’s hope that NYPD can stay consistent (hire and retain decent workers,) and can quickly roll out a second location in another low-rent area such as Sai Ying Pun (to start delivering to Central.)

Still in soft-opening…
Right now NYPD is operating in soft-opening mode with reduced hours. Soon it will be open from 10:30 to 10pm at night. I believe they currently close at 8:30. On our initial visit, the staff was friendly and helpful.

I only tried the regular cheese pizza. Most toppings will only cost you $10 HKD to $20 HKD more, which is a bargain. (However, a mixed (50/50) pie goes for $178 HKD.)

NYPD also delivers! Call their number below to find out what their delivery range is.

There’s currently a single table to dine out, so don’t assume that you can sit and eat. (Perhaps a counter that allows people to stand outside and eat would be a good idea.)

This first branch of NYPD is ideal for ordering pizzas ‘to go’ or for pick ups.

Recommended!

NYPD Pizza (New York Pizza Delivery)
G/F, 15 Finnie Street
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
2668-NYPD or 6973

After taking Exit B of the Quarry Bay MTR station, you will proceed down an escalator that drops you off onto Finnie Street. This will be your exact view. Take a left on this street and walk down into the dead end. NYPD will be on your left. Enjoy!

Will the city’s most exclusive address finally be able to enjoy a fish-ball fish-cake noodle at 3:30 am? Perhaps not, but a new branch of Tsui Wah is currently under construction on The Peak.

The restaurant chain, known for their local delicacies, is essentially a diner, offering a large menu that includes Western and Chinese favorites alongside many uniquely Hong Kong-style dishes. Tsui Wah is also well known to the city’s nightlife denizens as their branches are both conveniently located and open late.

But can Tsui Wah succeed in what must be an extremely pricey location?

The Tsui Wah group seems to know a thing or two about juggling expensive rents and making the numbers work. You’re talking about a restaurant chain with six branches alone in Central and Causeway Bay. The Wellington Street location for example, is a three-story behemoth that even manages to get filled to capacity during weekday lunch hours.

Location, location, location!
The new Tsui Wah is opening directly in front of one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, the Peak Tram. Taking up a prominent corner of the Peak Galleria shopping center, the restaurant is perched in what may be the most prime location.

Potential customers will be able to see into the ground-floor restaurant as they take their first look at Hong Kong’s scenic panorama from high above. Tourists will also be within reach as they make their way back down via the Peak Tram. There’s often a wait, which leaves crowds curled up directly in front of the restaurant.

A line is forming for the Peak Tram in the background

A branch on the Peak is actually a brilliant idea for Tsui Wah. It could be turned into a flagship location, offering tourists a true taste of Hong Kong, and perhaps even do a small merchandising business. (Tsui Wah has dabbled in merchandising over the last few years with some success.) They could promote their ability to allow tourists to try real Hong Kong favorites in a relaxed, multilingual setting. (Come on, who doesn’t love their ice lemon tea or the crispy bun with condensed milk?

A branch on The Peak not only boosts the Tsui Wah name with tourists visiting Hong Kong (who may return to one of their other branches in the city,) but it’s also a good strategy as the group expands into Mainland China.

If you ask a transplanted New Yorker, what’s the best pizza in Hong Kong? They’ll surely answer: there isn’t any!

Not all pizzas were created equal
Though pizza originated in Naples, Italy, it was popularized, internationalized and significantly innovated on by Italian immigrants who settled in New York. Selling pizza by the slice for example, is a New World creation. The standard New York pizza of today is sort of a larger, more affluent cousin to the pizza from Naples.

While endless varieties of pizza exist, the measuring stick of modern pizza is New York pizza. And it is New York pizza that is astonishingly absent from Hong Kong.

You call that pizza?
The type of pizza offered in Hong Kong won’t even fit a New Yorker’s standard definition of pizza. If they see it, they’ll begin to rattle off a string of adjectives just to help them classify the limp, ultra-thin, Italian-style pizzas, or things like the “personal pizza”. To them, this is not real pizza.

New Yorkers think of pizza either by the pie or by the slice. Typical pies come in either small or large sizes and are at least around 18″ inches round in diameter. Slices are derived from these pies.

There’s even a special way to eat it – by folding a slice in half and holding it in one hand. Want to eat two slices at once? No problem! Have a look at John Travolta doing just that in the opening sequence of Saturday Night Fever! (Fast forward to 50 seconds if you want to skip to the point!)

The jerks took away the music… “Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk…”

While Hong Kong has numerous chains and individual restaurants that offer “pizza”, there’s not a single place in town that can satisfy your craving for a decent slice. (While a few of them look the part, they fail miserably with poor quality cheese and sauce.)

What’s the secret ingredient to New York pizza?
The judge of a real pizza is a basic Margherita slice with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and a little basil – none of this Peking duck or gourmet stuff. Pizza is simply dough, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, olive oil and a few seasonings. Again, it’s like with burgers, you don’t need all sorts of fancy stuff if you use good quality basic ingredients.

So why is it so difficult to replicate? Let’s take a step back into time. Traditionally, the pizzeria was a family business. The name of the place was usually the name of the proprietor – i.e. Sal’s, Carmine’s, Joe & Pat’s etc. No Italian wants someone saying bad things about them or their family, so they had to do a good job!

In contrast, restaurants offering Italian food in Hong Kong exist mostly as “concepts”. This means the owner is a restaurant group looking to open a new space. They don’t actually have a commitment or deep knowledge of the type of cuisine they’re offering.

I’d say that the two missing ingredients are the invisible qualities of pride and love. There’s no love or pride that goes into the pizza here. Restaurants peddling Western food such as pizza are simply broken down into a formula to make money, and as a result of that, you lose the hidden qualities that often accompany a business carrying a family name. Soho is rife with concepts that just apply the same formula to different ethnic cuisines. The result is often mediocre food, with little authenticity, and people hovering over you asking “still or sparkling?”

Pizza by the slice – the perfect urban food?
The slice actually fits Hong Kong’s on-the-run lifestyle perfectly. Like the hot-dog, it can be eaten on-the-go. To open a successful pizza place, perhaps the strategy should be re-engineered. Selling pizza by the slice in a take-away format could emulate the recent success of “bubble tea” stands, and match how places like Ireland’s Potatoes do business.

One could open up a counter in a high foot traffic location such as Causeway Bay or Mongkok, and instead of offering a sit-down, eat-in restaurant, just have take-out. If your pizza is good enough, people will drive to your restaurant just to pick up their pies. Unless you’re in a neighborhood with cheap rent, it’s hard to justify the square feet for the price of a slice. Switch to the take-away equation, and you may find an easier road to profitability.

An opportunity for entrepreneurs?
While all the copycats were busy opening up burger joints around town last year, how come no one thought to open up a new pizza place? Pizza is actually conducive to building a business around. It’s a several ingredient food, that can be broken down into a simple menu. This allows restaurateurs the ability to streamline the process, and to buy ingredients in bulk. You can also create pies that will meet multiple tastes. Toppings allow customization at the final stage and are relatively easy to do.

Slices of pizza are also marketable in ‘sets’. I can imagine something like two (real) slices and a Coke for $78 HKD.

Life without good pizza…
For people in H.K. that have been exposed to good pizza and grown accustomed to it, this is a major flaw in the city’s quality of life. In fact, there are some who say that until this pizza problem is resolved, Hong Kong can’t claim to be an international city.

If you think that the arrival of Din Tai Fung in Causeway Bay is no big deal, think again. Taking up the entire ground floor of the former Delay No Mall, the restaurant alone has turned a place where people hardly tread into a prime dining destination. Stopping by last week, thirty minutes before last-order, there was still a ten minute wait to get in!

What’s their secret?

In one word, consistency.

It’s not all about just offering great food

How many times have you went to your favorite restaurant and ordered dishes that you love, only to be disappointed at how they turned out? Perhaps the meat wasn’t cooked properly, the dish was too oily, too salty, or simply not as flavorful as before. Consistency is a major problem with restaurants. This gets amplified exponentially once a good restaurant starts to expand. It’s even more complex once those branches span the globe. (Din Tai Fung has over forty restaurants!)

What Din Tai Fung has that most restaurants lack is consistency. Having just dined at the original Din Tai Fung in Taipei a few weeks ago, I can tell you that there’s not much difference in quality between the two branches.

Din Tai Fung was originally known for their xiao long bao, however there’s much more worth sampling on the menu. Apart from being consistent, the food is superior in flavor to most restaurants of the same ilk. Even small things stand out such as the egg in the fried rice with shrimp.

Unlike many Hong Kong restaurants, Din Tai Fung doesn’t just shine through expensive dishes, but even the small choices are noteworthy. For example, the spicy cucumber for $28 HKD is particularly delicious.

Din Tai Fung’s menu contains many smaller dishes, which means that even two people can select a range of food. On my last visit, between two people we enjoyed a good variety including noodles, rice, two vegetables and two dumplings. That’s six dishes for slightly less than $300 HKD in total.

Sorry for all the half-eaten photos! It was too difficult to restrain myself!

Considering that everything we ordered was way above average, Din Tai Fung is also strong value for the money.

Recommended!

Din Tai Fung – Causeway Bay
G/F, Shop 3-9, 68 Yee Wo Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
3160-8998

Din Tai Fung – Tsim Sha Tsui
3F, Silvercord Shopping Center
30 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
2730-6928

BLT Burger started appearing on friend’s Facebook updates over the last few months, so I decided to check it out for myself.

Doing a tiny bit of research, I found out that BLT doesn’t stand for bacon, lettuce, and tomato, as in the sandwich. Instead, the name is derived from the originator, chef Laurent Tourendei. The acronym stands for Bistro Laurent Tourendei.

I had high expectations. How did BLT Burger turn out?

The first BLT was opened in New York, with additional branches now in Las Vegas and Hong Kong. In addition to BLT Burger, there’s also a BLT Steak restaurant by the same chef located nearby on the ground floor of the Ocean Terminal complex.

BLT Burger is more of a casual eatery, serving American comfort food such as burgers, chicken wings, nachos, and several varieties of fries. Another attraction are their multiple kinds of milkshakes. They offer standards such as vanilla and chocolate as well as more complex concoctions like Rocky Road and PBJ (peanut butter and jelly). Also on the menu are “spiked” milkshakes that include alcohol. (These are similar to ice cream drinks.)

Once seated, the menu also doubles as the place-mat which allows you to browse before and during your dinner – a good way to discover new items or add something to your order.

How did the food stack up?

The first thing to arrive was my chocolate shake. Though it tasted good, there wasn’t much of a chocolate taste.

Over the years shakes seem to have lost their identity. In many places there’s not much a difference between chocolate and vanilla – and there should be! (My favorite milkshake in town is Gusto’s dark chocolate shake!)

When the burger arrived it looked great. I couldn’t imagine a better picture of a burger and fries! BLT offers several combos that include a burger, fries and a drink, which is what I opted for.

Aside from the classic burger, it appears that other items are not available as combos. For example, you can’t even order a specialty shake and pay extra – their sets appear to be structured in a rigid way. Perhaps this could be adjusted in the future.

To do a review, I figured I’d order the most basic item – “The Classic”, a 7oz. burger to which I added cheese for $8 HKD extra. I ordered my burger cooked a certain way, however when it arrived it wasn’t done as per my request, so I had to send it back. Hungry, I began eating my fries, which were good.

Though it didn’t take long to get my burger back, between the thick shake and my fries, I sort of lost my appetite. I’ll have to go back again to give the place another try. I’ll probably sample other items on the menu next time such as the chili, nachos and mozzarella sticks.

The service was good. Water glasses kept being refilled, which is more considerate than most places in this city.

BLT Burger isn’t cheap. The standard burger is $78 HKD (around $10 USD) and doesn’t come with anything. The most basic combo is $128 HKD and includes a choice of fries and soda. Higher up the rung is a set that includes a basic milkshake for $148 HKD. There are toppings such as cheese or bacon that you can add for an additional charge. To put things in perspective, BLT Burger comes in slightly more expensive than the Pressroom burger or twice as expensive as a combo from White Spot Triple O’s.

Part of the cost factored into the food must be the high rent for the premium location and private seating. You’re not sitting in a food court, but tucked away at a table or booth. BLT Burger is a stand-alone restaurant located in one of the dividing hallways between Harbour City and Ocean Terminal.

Have a look at our earlier post, Burger Wars, for more information on Hong Kong’s burger landscape!

BLT Burger
Shop 301, Level 3, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
852 2730-2338

I don’t know, I like Combos as much as the next person, but they’re not exactly the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of Christmas delicacies! I had to laugh and take a quick snapshot when I spotted them sitting alongside the Christmas offerings in the basement level of Times Square (just outside of City Super.) They even had pepperoni pizza flavor!

Last week while walking through Yau Ma Tei, I discovered I Love Cake, a new shop that’s sort of like a mad scientist’s laboratory for baking!

Located in the middle of Shanghai Street’s restaurant supply area, it’s filled with interesting cake-making tools, accessories, and embellishments.

Browsing the shelves you can spot cake-molds of all shapes and sizes. A good part of one wall is filled with patterned cookie cutters and a large selection of edible toppings.

For those of you into making your own cupcakes, the place features dozens of different cupcake wrappers to choose from. Refrigerators in the back stock additional ingredients such as fresh cream and butter to get everything you need all in one shop. (Don’t even get me started! Usually cooking something in Hong Kong requires trips to three different grocery stores!)

The selection at I Love Cake is enticing to the point where it makes you want to bake something. In case you have the enthusiasm, but not the skills, I Love Cake has created videos that explain different recipes (in Cantonese.)

If you’re up for trying to make a birthday cake for a friend, this seems like the ideal place to visit!

I Love Cake
G/F, 338 Shanghai Street,
Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon

Open daily from 10am to 8pm
852 2671-2671

To get there by MTR, take exit B2 from the Yau Ma Tei MTR station

If you don’t know what bubble tea is, we’re talking about something you need to try! It goes by various names in English and usually includes a few of the following words: frothy Taiwan-style pearl tapioca milk tea! In Cantonese, there are a couple of names, but the most common is pronounced something like ‘zun (rhymes with gun) ju lai cha’. (Say it fast enough and it won’t make a difference!)

Ten years ago there were bubble-tea places all over the city. Walking around Hong Kong, a few could be found in every major neighborhood. But last year when I had a craving, I had to criss-cross the city just to get a tea. What happened?

As a business, tea houses which serve bubble tea and side snacks (such as the delicious pillow toast,) have had a difficult time maintaining profitability. Once again, Hong Kong’s high rents are a spoiler of our collective good time. You can still find branches of Saint’s Alp and RBT, (two popular chains,) but the sit-down type locations aren’t anywhere near as common as they once were.

The plot thickens…
At the beginning of summer, I started noticing long lines forming on the street in new places. Taking a closer look, people were walking away holding cups with fat straws – a tell-tale sign of bubble tea!

This time around they’ve changed their format and have come back as drink stalls. Selling bubble tea from drink stands appears to be more efficient. Now they can fit into smaller, pedestrian-heavy ground-floor locations, rather than rely on space in expensive shopping centers. Gone are the seats and kitchen, which drag down the ratio of profit per square-foot. Neighborhoods such as Mongkok, Wanchai, and Causeway Bay all boast several new outlets.

Besides an increase in locations, another positive for consumers is that the prices for drinks seem to be slightly lower than before. Perhaps this is just an introductory offer to get people hooked again!

Quick tip: go with the most basic flavor. (In winter, try a hot one!) Stay away from the fruit choices, which seem to lean heavily towards artificial colors and flavors.

Bubble tea is definitely one of small pleasures of life in Hong Kong! Welcome back!

I’ve wanted to try the desserts at Xiao Tian Gu (小甜谷) for a long time, but until last weekend, I’ve never had the perfect occasion. Every time I pass by, the place is bustling with people.

Located along the back alleys of Tung Lo Wan Road, in the Tai Hang neighborhood, Xiao Tian Gu is sandwiched between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau.

Until recently, this area’s been a backwater filled with small auto repair shops and not much else. Because this neighborhood’s been left out of the massive high-rise development that’s reshaped much of the city, it has a special quiet charm.

Along narrow streets you’ll find small ground-floor shops and eateries that are impossible to open in other neighborhoods (due to the astronomical rents). It’s got a vibe like Soho had ten years ago – the places are run by individuals and have their own unique character. This year the secret seems to be out and the cheaper rents and quiet disposition may be a thing of the past. Even so, the neighborhood is still worth exploring.

I stopped by Xiao Tian Gu on a crowded Saturday night. It was already past ten and the place was totally packed. We needed to wait five minutes before two seats opened up. (During these busy hours, shared tables are a must.)

Once seated, I began to browse their menu. Curious to see if their was anything on the back, I turned it over and discovered several large looking fruit-based ice desserts. I opted for the watermelon ice.

If you want to make the other tables jealous, or make an impression on your companion, order one of these. It’s actually a six-inch tower of flavored ice with juice in the bottom of the bowl and a large straw. Mine came with a salty dried plum on top. If it’s a hot humid night, as it was when I visited, the lengthy process it took to consume it was worth the wait. For most, it’s definitely a two person job!

I liked the novelty of it, but it would taste much better if it was infused with more fresh watermelon, similar to an Italian ice.

The real standout on the menu was the cold, creamy lychee pudding. My friend and I had never experienced anything like it.

The flavor and texture complimented one another, and the wooden spoon was a great touch. Though it’s served in a plastic cup, it didn’t take away from the experience. (Serving something in a plastic cup makes it seem like it’s not fresh, and not made on the premises – which of course, detracts from the perceived value. With the lack of space, and the large turnaround, I can see why they would opt for a plastic container. Washing all those dishes would be a huge enterprise.)

My suggestion would be to try Xiao Tian Gu on a week night. You’re much less likely to run into crowds, except for now and then when the place gets featured in a magazine or on TV. Speaking of TV, Xiao Tain Gu was opened by an actress, and colorful photos of her famous friends (creatively appearing as restaurant workers,) dot the walls.

Xiao Tian Gu 小甜谷
G/F, 10-11B School Street (near the intersection of Tung Lo Wan Road and Brown Street)
Tai Hang, Hong Kong

Just in time for summer, there’s a wave of new frozen yogurt places opening around town. The snack / dessert has been experiencing a revival in other big cities around the world, lead by Red Mango and Pinkberry. Though neither of these chains have made it to Hong Kong yet, frozen yogurt stores are multiplying from Shatin to Soho.

What’s with the new craze?

Frozen yogurt isn’t anything new. The snack has been popular since the 80′s and has experienced surges of growth since then. It’s usually touted as a healthier alternative to ice cream. In the advertising for their yogurt for example, Yo Ma Ma mentions that yogurt is “virtually fat free,” a “good source of calcium,” and “good for digestion”.

But there’s another secret to frozen yogurt’s success – toppings! Let’s face it, toppings are fun! The ability to customize your dessert makes the whole process of ordering frozen yogurt interactive. It also keeps something mundane interesting. (Most of the places only offer between two and five flavors of yogurt. In contrast, they offer around twenty toppings!) On a return trip you can try a different combination of yogurt and toppings. The varieties are endless, even if the yogurt flavors are few.

Toppings seem to fall into two categories, healthy stuff such as granola and fruits, or more sinister pleasures such as gummy bears and other candy options. (Eating frozen yogurt for being fat free and then loading on candy is sort of like people ordering a diet soda and a bucket of fried chicken!) Oh well, it tastes great!

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is ice cream. Ask for a sample if you’re unsure about which flavor to go with. What I’ve tried so far tastes like yogurt which is slightly tart (it tastes healthy!) Several of the stores change flavors daily, keeping an original flavor, consistent.

Enjoy!

Berrygood
G/F, 41-43 Graham Street (just below Hollywood Road)
Central, Hong Kong
2543-8393

Yogurtime
G/F, 46 Elgin Street (close to the escalator)
Soho
Central, Hong Kong

Yo Ma Ma
G/F, 16 Wing Fung Street (intersects with Star Street and borders Pacific Place Three)
Wanchai, Hong Kong
2865-5600
IFC Mall branch coming soon (at the former location of Ben & Jerry’s near City Super)

Best Berry
2/F. Shop 217-218, Metro Plaza
223 Hing Fong Road
Kwai Fong, New Territories

Best Berry
5/F, Shop 509, New Town Plaza, Phase 1
18 Shatin Centre Street
Shatin, New Territories