Review: Yat Lok | Hong Kong
Yat Lok is a Michelin starred restaurant and they won’t let you forget it. With signs practically covering their window as well as the walls inside the restaurant, you can tell they are proud of that honor. Another stamp of approval comes from Bourdain who ate here during one of his trips to Hong Kong. This is why tourists flock to the small shop that serves roast goose and other meats.
Did you hear it has a Michelin Star!?
I arrived just before 10AM, the time Yat Lok opens, and there was a line down the street and around a corner. It was intimidating but we somehow all managed to fit inside once the doors opened, though we did have to share tables with strangers. This part I loved, sitting with other solo travelers who came, ordered a goose, finished, paid and left. They came to do business, just like me. We would wish each other a good meal and a great trip. Yat Lok is a place that brings traveling souls together, just for a moment.
Line before it even opens
Upon sitting down, a waitress would ask what I wanted and I, of course, wanted the goose. Specifically, I got a roast goose drumstick with rice – a meal for one. This differs from the half goose I got at Kam’s, and I think because of this, the flavors were a little lesser at Yat Lok.
Yat Lok is small and you will sit with strangers
The goose came quickly, along with the bill so patrons could eat and leave quickly by paying up at the front. This goose was less fatty and succulent compared to the goose at Kam’s, but it was still delicious (as all goose is). It was almost as if this was a true roast, a barbecue, which cooked meat but let some of the flavor and juices escape during the process. The portion size was better for the solo traveler as the they had many combinations to choose from but I think there’s just something about ordering an entire plump, whole goose that this place doesn’t fulfill.
Drumstick with rice: $118 HKD
While the prices were cheaper than Kam’s, the price I paid (remember, I split the larger goose amongst three people) was actually higher at Yat Lok. I think, if you are a true foodie or traveling solo, you should definitely go to Yat Lok for the experience – it won’t break the bank. However, the better goose and the better deal still sits with Kam’s.
TOTAL COST: $118 HKD ($15 USD)
CASH ONLY
Hong Kong, Central, Stanley St, 34-38
號HK 香港島 中環 士丹利街34-38號 金禾大廈地鋪
Conwell House
