During the latter part of my trip to Hong Kong where we stayed in North Point, we pretty much ate at places that were not too far from our hotel. The couple in our group previously dined at and spoke highly of CHUT HAY JOOK MEEN (CHJM) SIU CHUY. This cozy restaurant (which literally means a joyous, small kitchen serving noodles and congee) was a little out of the way but as a foodie, you'll probably agree that you don't mind traveling a distance for good food.
CHJM is a small Cantonese restaurant that specializes in noodles and congee (rice soup). They also serve Cantonese dishes so this restaurant is ideal to come and order family style to share.
One member was a little under the weather so she ordered rice soup and won ton noodles but that didn't stop us from ordering popular dishes such as dried scallop egg white fried rice, sea bass braised with tofu and sautéed pea shoots with dried scallops. These three dishes were amazing and executed very well.
All members of my group knew that when asked what I wanted to eat, my reply was "steamed chicken." So we also ordered that. However, little did we know that the chicken would be prepared "twice cooked" so the chicken came out over cooked and sadly, a disappointment. The soy sauce over the dry, bone-in chicken couldn't save the dish and was a flop.
My cousin and his buddies are also foodies who appreciates "Chinese soul food" so they also ordered pre-cleaned book tripe where the coloring turned me off. I'm used to eating "bleached" book tripe and had a hard time embracing its natural state. I also had a hard time with boiled goose intestines. It had a chewy and rubbery texture with no distinct flavor. The ginger, green onion and soy sauce dressing couldn't elevate the dish for me. Just not my cup of tea.
We also had steamed whole fish that I passed that evening. After my horrific "fish bone stuck in my throat" incident several weeks ago in China, I now tend to pass eating whole fish if the bones are small. But from what my dining mates reported, the fish was cooked well and they polished it off.
Because the restaurant is small, it's quite cramped and you need to "huddle together" while eating so remember to have good hygiene. Eat a breath mint prior to coming here and/or remember to use deodorant. :p
Overall, a pleasant meal that night with the exception of over cooked chicken and exotic dishes. Highly recommend CHJM as we generally found the food tasty with decent service. read more