During our Hong Kong trip last month, hubby and I decided to have dinner at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao located in Times Square, Causeway Bay.
Like most restaurants in Hong Kong, Crystal Jade in Times Square isn’t a big place. There’s a queue during major mealtimes like lunch and dinner, but it’s pretty easy to get seats on off-peak hours. Since Crystal Jade here in the Philippines is always full, we decided to make a quick stop when we saw that we could be accommodated right away.
I decided to order La Mian with Shredded Pork and Preserved Vegetable (HK$35 or P195, pictured above). I was shocked by how big it was when it was laid out on our table.
The noodles were firm and chewy, unfortunately I found the dish to be bland and tasteless in general. I also couldn’t see, feel, and taste any pork. Perhaps if I had ordered some tasty viands or side dishes it would’ve been easier to eat this.
Meanwhile, hubby chose La Mian served with Double-boiled Chicken Soup (HK$48 or P269, pictured above). It was very good. We agreed that the Double-boiled Chicken Soup was one of the best soups we’ve had — ever.
The rich amber color is indicative of its depth in terms of flavor. It tasted very clean and was a pleasure to sip. I could tell that they must’ve boiled the chicken for hours on end to achieve this level of goodness. I wish I had ordered this instead. :p
The La Mian that accompanied the soup was the same perfectly al dente noodles I got with my order.
Of course, no visit to Crystal Jade is complete without an order of their famous Xiao Long Bao, or Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumpling (HK$28 or P158, pictured above). The dumpling wrapper was made of chewy steamed dough and filled with tasty ground pork and leeks with lots of soup inside. I made sure to lift the dumpling off the container carefully so I could put it on my Chinese spoon. This is to catch the soup when I bite into the dumpling. The Xiao Long Bao was good, but not so phenomenal as to make me queue up for an hour or more back home in the Philippines. I found the HK prices to be very fair though considering the serving sizes and the food quality.
If you ever find yourself in Hong Kong and want a bite to eat during off-peak hours, this is a good place to stop by. I’ll compare with Crystal Jade in Manila when the crowd thins out a bit. 🙂
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Shop B224, Times Square Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
+(852)2506-0080
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