OFF THE LEASH IN HONG KONG

In Hong Kong to set up two new Greyhound Cafes recently, executive chef Torsit Sarisdiwongse spent his free time strolling the vibrant city and grazing anything that caught his eye, from street food to high-end fare.

But his walking tour was work as well as pleasure. Torsit grabbed the best street-food ideas Hong Kong had to offer and is sharing them with Bangkok via special menus at all branches until June 30. 

Born more than a decade ago, Greyhound Cafe has grown into a sleek animal serving a smart mix of Western and Asian dishes with modern twists. The new menu follows that old recipe for something different. 

“Chinese people are good at boiling, braising, steaming and stir-frying and we just selected some of our favourite dishes and twisted them a bit to offer some fresh and delightful ways of eating. Some dishes have a strong kick with a bit of spiciness to cut the oiliness and please Thai palates,” says Torsit. “To keep the street-food feel, nothing is made too fancy.” 

At first glance, our appetiser looks like traditional Chinese fried radish cake, but a fork-prod reveals fried fish paste served on a hot plate (Bt150). The ground fish is mixed with turnip, shitake mushroom and Chinese chives for a slightly sticky and chewy texture before being sauteed and served with spicy roasted chilli paste in oil. 

Fired up by Hong Kong’s ubiquitous dumplings, and steamed fish in soy sauce, Torsit has forged wonton stuffed with minced pork, shrimp, shitake mushroom and chives served in spicy soy sauce and sprinkled with chopped ginger, spring onion and red chilli (Bt150). The chef uses Hong Kong soy because it’s “aromatic and not too salty”. Fisheterians can swap the pork for octopus for an added Bt40. 

Torsit also has a different take on zongi, or traditional glutinous rice dumplings stuffed and wrapped in bamboo leaves. His Emperor steamed rice (Bt300) in a bamboo basket is nine parts jasmine rice to one glutinous, with fillings of abalone, kaibashira scallop, ginkgo, shitake mushroom, served with soft-boiled Chinese kale in oyster sauce. The “Emperor” goes well with lotus root soup simmered with mushroom, kaibashira, dried cuttlefish and peanut. The larger Chinese lotus root offers mouthfuls of flavour in a simple, wholesome soup that tastes like home-cooked fare.

Dumpling addicts can follow up with tender braised pork or beef wontons in gravy with Chinese kale (Bt250). Or for something different, try fried rice noodles with string pork (Bt200) and brace for the kick from the roasted chilli in the soy sauce and sesame oil. 

To quench summer thirsts Torsit has chosen green mango frosty with Chinese plum (Bt120). Nam dok mai mango is blended with salted plum and syrup for just the right mix of tangy, salty and sweet tastes.

Bump up the bill to Bt1,000 before June 30 and you receive a lottery ticket to win a four-day tour of Hong Kong with business class returns on Kenya Airways, accommodation and a chow-down at the local Greyhound. Flash a Citibank card and you get two tickets plus a 10-per-cent discount on the bill.

 

PEKINESE WITH PEDIGREE

Greyhound Cafe is at Siam Centre, Central Chidlom, the Emporium, J-Avenue, the Crystal, La Villa Phaholyothin, Major Avenue Ratchayothin and the Circle Ratchapruk. Call (02) 260 7178-9 or visit www.GreyhoundCafe.co.th.