Rainbow Seafood Restaurant in Hong Kong

Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (Lamma Island, Hong Kong)

When I think of Hong Kong, I immediately think of it as filmed in Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. I envision being transported by a small fishing boat and passing by junks like John Saxon's character in the movie arriving in Hong Kong for a martial arts tournament. Well, obviously Hong Kong is an ultra modern collection of islands now and much of that 1970s look is gone. My mom and dad went to Lamma Island, home of Chow-Yun Fat, and ate an incredible seafood meal Rainbow Seafood Restaurant. When I went to Hong Kong with my mom, she was determined to take me there. As we ferried over to the island, I felt an inkling of 1970s Hong Kong as we departed from Kowloon and drifted away from the sky rises of Hong Kong Island.

Rainbow Seafood Restaurant is the first building once you dock on Lamma Island. Pretty awesome when you're hungry! You order the catch you want from the tank, and tell the waiter how you want it cooked. You have the choice of having your order steamed with ginger, scallions, and soy sauce, pan fried with salt and pepper, or braised.

Pick what you want to eat from the tank

Mom said that lai4 niao4 xia1 (pissing shrimp or mantis shrimp) is a must-have here. I love shrimp so I did not protest. However, I just learned from wikipedia, that mantis shrimp is neither mantis nor shrimp...hmmmm...not for the faint of heart. We ordered it pan fried with salt and pepper. Awesome. Just don't remind me that it's not shrimp.

Salt and Pepper Pan Fried Mantis Shrimp

Next we had the steamed South African abolone. Shellfish this big shouldn't be tender, but these babies contradict that rule of thumb-Juicy, firm but not rubbery, sweet, fresh, xian1. Best dish I had in Hong Kong. Best seafood I had anywhere.

Steamed South African Abolone with ginger and scallions

Since we were leaving Hong Kong that afternoon, we decided to indulge ourselves with a huge lunch, and continued with a whole steamed fish. I don't remember what kind of fish we ordered, but the meat was buttery sweet. Always have fresh fish steamed rather than fried, pan fried, or braised. Food this fresh shouldn't be masked by other culinary accoutrements.

Steamed Fish

We ordered lobster while at the tank, but the waiter, the son of the owner, forgot to bring it out, so when we reminded him, he gave it to us free! Wohoo for free live lobster! My mom ordered this steamed, but I would much prefer if we ordered this pan fried to spice up the preparation of our lunch.

Steamed Lobster

I don't think I can have another seafood meal that will top this one. We'll see. I'll be heading off to Miami and the Florida Keys in May. Let's see if Floridian seafood restaurants impress.