Dim Sum Run Down: Lippo Chiu Chow

Back to dim sum! Chiuchow is a type of cuisine from China. I'm not familiar with it, but I certainly got a glimpse of it when we had dim sum at Lippo Chiu Chow (力寶軒). It was a fine dim sum experience. The restaurant is in the interesting looking skyscraper in Admiralty called Lippo Centre (力寶中心). In fact, the building is listed in most travel books on Hong Kong. We even had a celebrity citing there (in all honesty, it was someone from my parents' generation).

Above, the Lippo Centre in Admiralty

The tables here are more tightly packed than other restaurants I've been to in Hong Kong. Because of the space issue, it goes without saying then that there were no push cart service. So, everything was made to order. We had the usual dim sum items here like shrimp dumplings ("ha gau" 蝦餃) - they make a fine version of it - and steamed custard buns ("lai wong bao" 奶皇包) . Below are some of the other noteworthy items:

• Turnip Pastry (蘿蔔絲酥餅) - It was flaky and easy to bite into. Inside the pastry is filled with shredded turnip that was warm, moist and tasty.
  

• Roasted Diced Abalone and Chicken Pie (鮑魚雞粒酥) - These luxurious bite size pies were wonderful. At first bite, you get the flakiness of the shell, then flavorful pieces of abalone, chicken and onion inside.

• Chiuchow Congee - Congee is a porridge made of rice. There are many varieties of congee; rice can be boiled with fish, meat and/or thousand year old egg. The rice is boiled to a point where it breaks down in a traditional congee. Apparently, in Chiuchow cuisine, that's not their style; the rice is left whole.
  

Above, bits of sliced fish, mushroom, scallions and rice in Chiuchow Congee

The restaurant can be easily reached by subway. Give it a try when you're there!

Lippo Chiu Chow (力寶軒)
Shop 4, Ground Floor, Lippo Centre, 89 Queensway (香港金鐘道 89 號力寶中心地下 4 號舖)
Hong Kong