where jess ate

Located in the New Territories of Hong Kong, the fishing town of Sai Kung is a popular destination for those looking for a seafood feast.

From Central Station, it takes around an hour and 15 minutes by public transportation to get to Sai Kung. Unfortunately the MTR doesn’t take you all the way there. You’ll have to hop onto a mini-bus to get you to this fishing town.

Walking around Sai Kung, we noticed an endless number of seafood restaurants. We decided to dine at Chuen Kee, the largest restaurant along the promenade facing the water. It actually occupies two separate buildings on the promenade.

A meal at Chuen Kee is quite the experience. The first thing you’ll notice is the aquarium of fish tanks at the corner of the restaurant – tanks upon tanks of fresh seafood including a variety of fish, eel, shrimp, lobsters and crabs to name a few.

Just flag down one of the people manning the tanks and pick whatever catches your eye. You can choose the quantity of each item as everything is sold by the weight (plus a cooking fee). Once you’ve been seated, a server will come by to ask you how you want each kind of seafood prepared.

In terms of seating, you have the option of sitting inside or outside overlooking the water. It was a very mild evening with a pleasant breeze so we chose to sit outside on their patio. Oh, and I should mention that you can bring your own wine with a small corkage fee. We found a liquor store down the block called the Bottle Shop to pick up a bottle of wine.

The first dish to arrive was the Razor Clams with Black Bean Sauce which turned out to be my favourite of the evening. I’ve never seen razor clams this large before! In Toronto, we get these realty itty bitty ones which don’t contain much meat.  These razor clams were plump, not too chewy and I loved them with the black bean sauce. A must order!

Up next was the Steamed Abalone. They were served with soy sauce and topped with green onions and ginger. I’ve never had abalone prepared this simply before and I was thoroughly impressed. The simplicity of the preparation really allowed the flavour of the abalone to shine and its texture was surprisingly tender! So often, it can be unpleasantly chewy and rubbery.

We also ordered some Steamed Scallops with Garlic & Vermicelli which was another big hit. The scallops were perfectly cooked and I loved the combination of it with the thin vermicelli noodles and garlic bits. It’s a must-order for scallop fans!

Between the four of us we ordered two Deep Fried Mantis Shrimp with Spicy Salt since they were on the pricey side. These large lobster-like shrimp, also known as “pissing” shrimp, are quite popular at the restaurant. Most tables seemed to have an order of these.

I don’t think I’ve ever had them before but I don’t get the hype. The texture is quite similar to lobster but I found it a little tough for my liking. But the salt blend they used was quite tasty.

For some carbs, we asked for our Prawns to be prepared with E-Fu Noodles. The giant prawns were cooked well and sat on top of a pile of e-fu noodles which soaked up all the saucy goodness. This dish gets a thumbs up from me!

To supplement all the seafood, we ordered Stir Fried Morning Glory with Shrimp Paste. Delish!

Overall, I really enjoyed our meal at Chuen Kee. The seafood was undeniably fresh and deliciously prepared but it doesn’t come cheap. I don’t recall the amount of the final bill but I think it may have been a couple hundred Canadian. If you’re looking for more reasonable alternative, my friend recommends eating at a restaurant located on the smaller side streets.

At a glance:

• Located in Sai Kung (New Territories of Hong Kong); about an hour outside of Hong Kong Island
• Specializing in fresh seafood – take your pick from the tanks and choose the cooking preparation
• Enjoyed our seafood feast but the prices are definitely on the high side
• Must order: razor clams with black bean sauce, steamed scallops with vermicelli
• Bring your own wine for a small corkage fee

Ratings (out of 5):

• Food: 4 stars
• Service: 3 stars
• Atmosphere: 3 stars