Crystal Jade - 翡翠拉麵小籠包

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It's been about 2 years since I've been in Hong Kong, so I've been happy to re-eat some of the great stuff around here that you can't really find back home. One of my favorite spots is Crystal Jade in the Harbour City mall, which since my last visit has actually expanded a lot and become a semi-chain (they've got locations in Shanghai, Singapore and Jakarta now I think, maybe more). I loved the place so much on my last HK visit that I actually went twice during that trip. The place is as popular as ever, and it's running like clockwork too. Luckily, the food quality isn't faltering.

xia long bao - HK$22 The signature item is of course the xiao long bao, and they're damn good here. The skin is thin and light, and the filling is perfectly soupy. Absolutely delicious. We also got a bowl of ginger scallion la mian, which isn't pictured because we ate it too damn quick. The two are must-orders though if you go.

fried scallion pastry - HK$20 This dish is a variation of the scallion pancake we find so commonly back home, and I think I like this one better. The pastry is flaky and a bit more starchy, sort of like a turnip pastry if you've tried that before. The thing has just enough flavor.

braised mandarin fish in chilli and broad bean sauce - HK$68 This braised fish was a notably good deal. My dad kept pointing out that it is quite similar to fish that you could pay HK$1000 for. I guess it's because mandarin fish is generally considered cheap. Despite that, it tastes great, and the meat is tender and flavorful.

sauteed minced pork with preserved vegetables, sesame pastry buns - HK$48 Another fairly typical dish, this is a nice tangy mix of ground pork and salty veggies. They give you a ton of filling for the amount of bun, and even though we stuffed each one to the brim, we had some extra. The Crystal Jade menu is huge, and there's a ton of stuff that we couldn't get with just two of us eating. I'd go back again but we just don't have time. The freshly pulled noodles and the xiao long bao are just awesome. It's food like this that makes me miss HK...