Hong Kong
Chinese Fare

Hong Kong Restaurant, in Hillcrest, has a word-of-mouth reputation frequented by an uber-cool following. A popular diner to go to after a night out in the city, come here after 2 AM and risk a long wait for a table. I like to get the Complete Dinner special, which includes a small bowl of wonton soup, three eggrolls, and an entree of my choice (for this dinner, I selected sweet and sour shrimp). Beware that the fine print of the Complete Dinner special details that if you opt for a second bowl of soup, there's a hidden charge of $1.50 tacked onto the $2.50 cost of the soup.

The wonton soup was delicious, and the filling was a very reasonable size, not too small or too big. The soft wrapping was cooked perfectly, and I liked that the wonton skin did not disintegrate in the soup broth. The eggrolls were extremely crispy, the center filling was very measly, and eggroll itself was very small.

Although the crispy vegetables scattered throughout the sweet and sour entree were crunchy and delectable, the breading that encased the shrimp was very thick, so much so that I couldn't taste the shrimp. The sauce was very tart, very acidic, but I liked the pieces of shrimp breading that were doused in sauce, as this softened the breading quite a bit. I wish that the contents of this dish were physically sauteed in the sweet and sour sauce, and not simply spilled over it as an after-thought. My last visit here, I dined on the honey-walnut shrimp, which was very delicious, and which I should have ordered again this time. Overall, I am not unhappy with Hong Kong Restaurant, and I will definitely pay this diner a visit again in the future.

 

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