Sea Silver Restaurant is a small dim sum place on Fa Yuen Street, one of the busiest parts of Hong Kong’s already bustling Mong Kok area in the heart of Kowloon district.
But the place is quiet at tea time – when we arrived at 3pm, the restaurant was almost empty.
As we settled into the booth seats, a waiter left a kettle of weak bo lei cha (Chinese black tea) on the table.
The menu lists local favourites ranging from traditional dim sum to cha chaan teng-style French toast.
Double boiled black chicken soup with American ginseng (HK$48 for a small pot) was the first dish to be served.
Double-boiling is a traditional cooking technique in which ingredients are placed in a ceramic pot that is then steamed. This technique seals in the flavours while keeping the ingredients moist. The soup here tasted rich with chicken flavour, and the meat was tender. The ginseng was not too strong, making it perfect for people who dislike the bitterness of the root.
The restaurant’s deep-fried sesame paste French toast (HK$25) has been creating a lot of buzz online. Called “cream toast” on the menu, it arrived with a perfect golden crispy coating, and as we cut it open, black sesame paste flowed out like lava. Unfortunately, the sesame flavour was weak and overpowered by the strong oil from the toast.
Disappointed, we moved on to the next dish: steamed black custard buns with sweet yolk cream filling (HK$23 for three). The custard inside the buns – which had been dyed black with bamboo charcoal – was smooth and delicious, its sweetness balanced by hints of salted egg yolk.
Savoury dishes were served after the sweet ones. The shrimp in the shrimp dumplings (HK$32) was fresh and bouncy, while siu mai topped with crab roe (HK$31) had a good mix of pork and shrimp.
We enjoyed the deep-fried spring rolls wrapped in steamed rice flour rolls (HK$32), which delivered contrasting textures of crunchy and soft with each bite. The rolls were filled with shrimp and vegetables, and the steamed rice-flour skin was smooth.
To end the meal, we ordered milk tea served in bottles shaped like light bulbs. In classic Hong Kong style, the drink, rich with milk, had a strong tea flavour with a light sweetness. As the tea had been refrigerated it didn’t need any ice, which would have diluted the texture and flavour of the drink.
Sea Silver Restaurant, 108 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, tel: 2267 0089. Open: 10.30am-midnight
While you’re in the area:
Chongqing noodle shop in Mong Kok is no frills and all flavour
Delicious Korean grilled meats at The Charcoal Room in Mong Kok
Baba Nyonya Restaurant brings Peranakan delights to Hong Kong
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Delicious dim sum in the bustling heart of Kowloon
