Golden Bull Vietnamese Restaurant, Hong Kong

A day before my trip with Elaine and Aaron to Lin Heung Tea House (蓮香樓) in Central District. I met up with my aunt (Elaine's mum) in Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui for lunch. We went to Golden Bull Vietnamese Restaurant (金牛宛). I still remember that my aunt brought me and my sister to dine at the same restaurant when we were visiting during 1998.

The restaurant now has shifted to a shop with a great view of Victoria Harbour. It is good to make reservation when eating in Hong Kong, especially popular eatery like Golden Bull. Hence, we were able to get a nice windows seating.

Victoria Harbour

I had pear tea to sooth my dry throat. The air in Hong Kong can be very dry.

Pear tea.

Even though Golden Bull is a Vietnamese restaurant but I think there's a bit of French influence in the cuisine. Hence, there's the monthly special avocada and crab meat salad. As, I've blog before, I can't resists avocado. :p

Avocado with crab meat salad.

My aunt ordered some of the Golden Bull popular dishes, such as

Fried net spring roll.

The fried net spring roll is very good.

Roasted chicken.

Sorry, I forgot what's the name of the dried vegetable under the roasted chicken. The roasted chicken got the taste from this dried vegetable. Lovely.

Lemongrass Pork Ribs.

Ah, the lemongrass pork ribs is a bliss. Nicely marinated.

Sugarcane prawn.

One of the signature dish in Golden Bull and I personally recommend this to you all. The sugarcane prawn is very good. The minced prawn meat absorb the natural sweetness of the sugarcane, combined with the prawn taste. Such wonderful combination.

Season vegetable on sheung tong.

Have to eat some green to balance the meaty feast lol.

My beef pho.

Personally, I think the beef pho here is so-so only. If in Malaysia, I'll go to Pho Hoa for a bowl of beef pho goodness.

Cold chicken mee hoon. (I just simply blast a name)

Vietnamese kuih. This is very nice too.

Thank you Aunt Flora for such a great lunch. Oh, by the way, there were 4 of us that finished the food if you are thinking how can two people able to finished all those food.

Golden Bull Veitnamese Restaurant is really a very good Vietnamese restaurant in Hong Kong that's been operating for 25 years. I think that's why it's my aunt's favourite Vietnamese restaurant. The price here is a bit high due to the nice location in Harbour City I guess. (Nice location means high rental) Still, it's nice to dine here once in a while.




Address:

Golden Bull Vietnamese Cuisine
1/F Ocean Centre
Tsimshatsui
Tel 2730 4866

Other branches:

Golden Bull Vietnamese Cuisine
11/F Food Forum
Times Square
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2506 1028

Golden Bull Vietnamese Cuisine
Level 7
Grand Century Place
Prince Edward Rd West
Kowloon
Tel 2628 9288

Pho Hoa, Tropicana City Mall, Petaling Jaya

Just two weeks before Chinese New Year, KampungBoyCityGal, Christine&Chris, Ai Wei and I went to Pho Hoa at Tropicana City Mall to try out the Vietnamese food there. This is the first time I've been to Tropicana City Mall and also the first time eating in Pho Hoa. Broke two of my "virginity" in one day :p

I used to think that Pho Hoa is some Vietnamese franchise. How wrong was I when the manager explained to us that Pho Hoa is actually an American franchise but their food is quite authentic. Especially the pho (flat rice noodle) used, which is imported from Vietnam.

I ordered Vietnamese Drip Coffee with Milk & Ice (RM 5.95). Which will be served hot first to let the coffee drip before transferring it into a glass of ice.

From this:

To this:

Vietnamese Drip Coffee with Milk & Ice

CityGal ordered Six Treasure (RM 7.95) I think.

Six Treasure

We started off with a few of their signature appetizers. According to the manager, these are made specially for the Malaysian menu. The American menu is much simpler with only pho. The first appetizer is Lemon Grass Chicken (RM 7.95). These are not bad at all. Marinated minced chicken meaton a lemon grass stick, grilled to perfection. The minced chicken absorbed the taste and aroma of the lemon grass, which is really appetizing. This is after all an appetizer lol. This dish reminds me of the sate serai that I had during MAS Saya Nak Cuti dinner.

Rating: 3.5/5

Lemon Grass Chicken

Next up is my favourite of all the appetizers, Fried Spring Roll (RM 3.25 per roll). Friend to crispiness outside while inside the fillings of minced chicken, vegetables and yam is still fluffy hot. The combination is perfect. My personal recommendation for a must order appetizer in Pho Hoa.

Rating: 4.5/5

Fried Spring Roll

Sugar Cane Prawn (RM 7.95) is not too bad. The minced prawn grilled to slightly burn and absorbed the sweet taste of the sugar cane. I'll call it a smokey sweet affair.

Rating: 4/5

Sugar Cane Prawn

Last but not least, something to take the heat of from the grilled and fried stuff, Summer Roll (RM 3.25 per roll) is a very welcoming ending to the appetizer. It's kind of bland if eating it on its own, so dip a bit of the special prawn paste sauce and voila. There's shrimp, chicken, salad and rice Vermicelli inside.

Rating: 3.75/5

Summer Roll

Ai Wei does not eat beef, so she ordered Pho Do Bien Chua Cay (RM 13.95 for regular; RM 15.55 for large portion). It means, Hot & Sour Seafood Pho. You can very quickly differentiate Vietnamese flat rice noodle with our local's in term of the width. The latter is wider.

Ai Wei's Pho Do Bien Chua Cay

There's a few choices of beef pho that one can choose from. The different is the type of beef and parts that you wanted in your beef pho. I of course likes everything in my bowl of beef pho. So, I ordered Pho Tai, Chin Nac, Nam, Gan Sach (RM 16.95 for regular; RM 18.55 for large) from The Adventurer's Choice. It contains Steak, Brisket, Flank, Tendon, Tripe Pho. I also asked for beef balls to be added in.

If you like beef, then you must order a beef pho that comes with steak as in the pic below.

Steak

In Pho Hoa, one can have three different level of tasting the beef pho. First is to taste it with adding anything to it.

Second is of course the add in the raw bean sprout, basil leaves, chilies and lime. It's a whole new taste. I can't get enough of the basil leaves, it's so good with the soup and beef.

The third level of tasting is to add in the special sweet sauce and chili sauce. Mixed these into the soup, and you'll get a taste of spicy sweet. Be warn that the chili is quite spicy, don't try this if you can't take spiciness.

Rating: 4/5 and 4.5/5 for the 3 levels of taste.

WeiZhi ordered Com Ga Buong Cha Trung Hap (RM 15.95) Grilled Chicken and Egg Cake, she's a rice person?

One thing for sure is that the portion served in Pho Hoa is very American, it's big. Don't order the big portion unless you are so hungry that you can eat a horse. WeiZhi was nice to be the model for us to compare the small bowl and the big bowl.

Even the small bowl is bigger than her face lol

A perfect meal is not perfect without dessert and desserts we had.

Cha Gio Re Kam (RM 5.95) Net Spring Roll (Sweet Potato/Yam/Mung Bean) with Vanila Ice-cream. My personal recommendation again. A must have dessert in Pho Hoa. One bit into the crispy net spring roll then into the soft and warm yam and sweet potato then into the cold vanila ice-cream. OMG. How can one resists?

Rating: 4.5/5

Chocolate Banana Tower is the fried banana with ice cream (RM 6.95)

Coconut Flam with Caramel (RM 4.25) is a bit like tao foo fah except for the coconut taste in it.

Cendol Kem (RM 6.95) A twist of Cendol, Red Bean with Coconut Milk, Gula Melaka and Imported Coconut Ice-cream. Yes, the coconut ice-cream can only be found in Pho Hoa.

Pho Hoa is now one of my Vietnamese food place that I'll revisit. The price is fair and the portions is value for money. The food is of course, good. If you want a good bowl of pho, this is the place to come.

Address:

Pho Hoa
Lot L-52, First Floor,
Tropicana City Mall,
3, Jalan SS20/27,
47400 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7728 1714

My Makan Kaki's View:

Christine & Chris
KBCG
Ai Wei

P.S.

Good news for chocolate lovers, I saw this in Tropicana City Mall.

Yes. ROYCE Chocolate will be opening an outlet soon in Tropicana City Mall. PJ peeps don't have to brave through the traffic jam to Isetan KLCC supermarket to buy ROYCE Chocolate anymore. It's about time that ROYCE expand their business in Malaysia.

Ka Hing Special Vietnamese Flat Rice Noodle Restaurant, Segambut

Simon Says: This post will be published in KLue Blog too. ;) Look out for my face in their April edition too. Kekeke.

Warning: Tidak Ditanggung Halal

At the current economic situation, most of us will try to look for more economical or affordable food when we are eating out to save the money for the unforeseen future. When it comes to Vietnamese food, those that were found in the shopping mall, the price is more of the mid and upper market that will cost us RM 20 and above just for a drink and a main.

Luckily for me, I found an authentic Vietnamese restaurant near my place in Taman Sri Sinar that is nice and affordable at the same time. If fully translated from the Chinese name of the restaurant, it will be called Ka Hing Special Vietnamese Flat Rice Noodle Restaurant. So, this Vietnamese restaurant specialized in flat rice noodle. The boss and staffs were Vietnamese. Only the boss and one of the waitress there can commune in Cantonese or simple English. There other, only speak in Vietnamese. I heard they talked to each other in Vietnamese.

Your typical kopitiam setup, if you don't look closely, you won't know that it's a Vietnamese restaurant.

This is my second time here, so I ordered my usual, the Braised Trotter Noodle and Vietnamese Spring Roll. As for drink, continue reading...