PLEASANT SURPRISE
Admittedly I’m addicted to hotpot so I may be slightly biased here but ‘Calf Bone King’ was a chance meeting gone good. I’m a keen hot potter and usually venture into Central for quality fare. On a cold and wet Wednesday in Tai Po however, I needed something a little closer to home and to be honest I can’t be happier with what I’ve found almost on my doorstep.
Calf Bone King is no frills hotpot just when you need it most. There was only 2 of us so we couldn’t order much but here’s what we did have: Soup – a good selection, we chose straight maa laa and were not disappointed – no worse that any maa laa broths I’ve had at so-called ‘reputable’ hotpot restaurants in Wan Chai/Kennedy Town. Good selection of beef ranging from cheaper cuts up to a decent premium. Hand made balls – again as good as many other places. And then vegetables mushrooms, noodles etc. All nicely presented, healthy portions and decent quality.
As I’ve said the décor is no frills (I sort of felt I was in a cha chaan teng in Guangzhou) but the staff were efficient, friendly and helpful. They helped us muddle through the mostly Chinese menu and were happy to swap a plate of noodles when I’d mistakenly ordered the wrong type.
I will most definitely be returning there on other midweek nights when I get the pang for hotpot but probably because I’m an addict and there is nothing else closer. I wouldn’t take friends new to hotpot or my squeamish mother but I would suggest it to other hotpot loving comrades who wanted something more convenient or something more $200 a head than $400. Calf Bone King – thank you for making my Wednesday and no doubt many more Wednesdays to come!
Just a quick iPhone snap.
Lady Má Là Regrets... 