06.25.08
Posted in Food, Hong Kong at 22:23 by Mul
Finally, some movement on the elusive Hong Kong Fatburger. A few weeks ago (yes, it took me a little while to get around to taking a photo) they put a wrap on the increasingly frayed construction barrier announcing that renovation was in progress and the shop would be “opening in this summer.” English grammar aside, I interpret this to mean they will open before the end of August. Judging by my recent walk-bys on Queen’s Road East, there hasn’t been a lot of movement on the renovation. Time is running out.
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06.03.08
Posted in Food, Industry, The Second Tier, The Wenchuan Earthquake, Wuhan at 13:11 by Nator
The earthquake donation roll call extends from the largest companies in China down to the smallest. This photo is from a poster on Hubuxiang, an alley in Wuhan famous for its dozens of stalls selling tasty snacks. About 80 stalls are listed, with individual donations as small as 10 RMB mentioned. Most of the snacks here cost 1-3 RMB, and thousands of people eat on Hubuxiang every day, so 10 RMB isn’t exactly a generous donation, even for these small-time proprietors. I wonder whether those in the 10 RMB group are proud or ashamed to have their name and donation amount listed like this — probably a bit of both.
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06.02.08
Posted in Environment, Food, Law and Order at 17:45 by SHTig
Ever think you blogged about something, then went back to find your old post, only to see that you never wrote it? Well, a few months back, a regulation was issued in China that stores could no longer give out plastic bags for free. I was looking for my write up about it then, but it appears that was done in my imagination, or in one of my private love notes to nator. Anyway, the reason is because the cheap flimsy bags clog landfills and drains, etc. So now stores must charge for plastic bags, and they may not bundle the price into other merchandise, i.e. there must be a line item on the receipt. It went into effect on June 1, and sure enough, I had to drop 0.2 yuan (US 2.9 cents) for a bag. I think this is a good measure and support it.
NATOR ADDS: If they’re going to force a policy onto merchants, I’d rather they require that the bags be biodegradable.
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05.18.08
Posted in Food, Hong Kong, Rumors at 21:12 by Mul
I posted with excitement a few months ago (back in February) about stumbling across a soon-to-be opened Fatburger on Queen’s Road East, across from the Hopewell Centre. This is, or was, to be Fatburger’s first outpost in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Fatburger was originally announced back in November last year.
Here we are, it’s mid-May and … nothing. No change whatsoever. Timeout Hong Kong, which by the way just began publishing in Hong Kong this month, informs that there’s been a snag with government approvals. When will the Fatburger open? No one knows.
SHTig Adds: Wikipedia says the Fatburger is still “upcoming” for Hong Kong. But personally I’m more interested in Wikipedia’s mentions that there is already a Fatburger in the Venetian Macau. Ever been to the Venetian? I don’t know if it’s exactly like the one in Vegas or not, but either way it’s tacky despite its grandeur. A Fatburger there fits in perfectly. Win a bunch of money, celebrate at the Fatburger. Lose your shirt, and hopefully you still have enough dough for a Fatburger.
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05.09.08
Posted in Chinese Nationalism, Food, Industry, McDonald's in China, Olympics, Rumors at 16:16 by SHTig
China’s chip over the monks (and Coca-Cola’s LIES about China)
True to our name, Truth from Facts weighs in on the Coke controversy sweeping the Chinese blogs.
Read the rest of this entry »
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04.04.08
Posted in Beijing, Food at 17:28 by ODB
Huajiayiyuan was one of those restaurants that was always on my list of places to take visiting friends, colleagues, and clients. When I first “discovered” it, based on a recommendation by Nator, I had a fabulous time. I took visiting relatives and it was a huge success. The restaurant is located at Guijie and used to offer a wonderful atmosphere, good food, and excellent service. However, every time I visited after that I was more and more disappointed. Here is a list of reasons why you will likely never see me there again.
- The place is always packed and there is always a line. If you want to go there on a weekend you need to book weeks in advance. I went there on a Tuesday, I was told a table is to free up withing 10 minutes, there was no line. I ended waiting at the door for 53 minutes.
- Service is getting worse. I am not sure why this is, but my guess is because they just can’t deal with the sheer amount of people trying to order food. Food came to the table very very slowly.
- They no longer serve their owned brewed beers. I thought their green beers were a nice touch, you’ll have to settle for Tsingtaos now.
- A few of my favorite dishes have disappeared off the menu, others seem to have gone up in price.
- Frankly, the food is not that great for the price they are asking for right now. The duck was bad, the duck soup was awful. The heizhao niuliu was uneatable.
There are over 100 restaurants within walking distance (after all it is Guijie) serving anything from huoguo to shaokao. I suggest you stop at one of those instead.
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02.10.08
Posted in Awesome, Food, Hong Kong at 21:43 by Mul
What better way to inaugurate TFF’s first Hong Kong-related post than this little nugget? I was strolling this evening in Wanchai by the Hopewell Centre on Queen’s Road East and was almost knocked on my behind by the “opening soon” sign on the building across the road. That’s right - Fatburger. Hong Kong has a few solid burger places, among them Triple O’s White Spot (a Canadian chain), but this is something to be excited about. Fatburger ranks up there with In-N-Out. Not sure when it is scheduled to open, but I will be there . . . with a pair of Zubaz to accommodate my soon-to-be expanding waistline.
Update: Shangahiist tells us a second location will open in Causeway Bay and future locations in Beijing and Shanghai.
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01.19.08
Posted in Food, Law and Order at 23:04 by Mul
Apparently the neighbors got fed up with the stink. Led to a residence by the strong odor, Chinese police arrested four people and seized 16 endangered pangolins. Another 37 dead pangolins were found in the fridge. Also in the fridge: a bear paw.
Pangolins, an endangered nocturnal anteater-like animal, are prized for their meat as a delicacy and scales for hangbags, shoes and Chinese medicinal purposes. The Chinese authorities have been cracking down on smuggling endangered animals - case in point, two pangolin smugglers were recently given death sentences.
Any guesses where the residence was located? Ready to be shocked? Guangdong.
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01.15.08
Posted in Beijing, Food, McDonald's in China at 19:55 by uncleronald
Picked up my new breakfast discount card today. The card for lunch and dinner isn’t coming out until February. No price changes from the last card, which was valid the last four months of 2007.
The coffee had a strange taste–almost like a chemical flavor. I’m not sure if it’s something new or if this is how it always tastes, and I am only aware of it now because I just returned from three weeks in the US. I can’t remember it tasting different after any of mt other trips home, though.
In other McD’s news, the constantly changing “third pie” is now red bean. Ugh.
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12.08.07
Posted in Beijing, Food, McDonald's in China at 16:12 by uncleronald
A few weeks ago I noted the new peach pie at McDonald’s. Thankfully, the “limited time offer” is over, I suspect due to weak sales. One employee told me it had stopped on December 3. I still don’t understand why they don’t bring back the apple pie–on two separate occasions recently I heard customers request it.
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