In response to my early posts about this recent trip to Hong Kong, some commenters expressed concern that I wasn’t eating at any Chinese restaurants. Rest assured, I did eat a good amount of Chinese food while there. One of the best meals was my final dinner, enjoyed at a Shanghainese restaurant called Modern China.
Located in the Olympian City Mall in West Kowloon, right above the Olympic MTR station, Modern China blends in among all the other glass-fronted restaurant in a mall that, frankly, could be any other mall in Hong Kong.
The waiting queue is very modern, with numbers posted on an LED monitor along with a map of tables and their status. On a busy Sunday evening, Big Michael and I only waited ten minutes for a table.
The interior of the restaurant is clean and spacious, although tables are packed pretty close together. The wait staff was professional and attentive, although in typical Hong Kong style were not overly friendly. The menu is accessible, offering lots of pictures and clear English descriptions.
A small dish of sweet dried shrimp were served as a complimentary appetizer. Very flavorful, although when I lived here it took a while to get used to eating shrimp with the shell still on.
On the autumn special menu was an intriguing sounding dish: braised seafood in pumpkin.
Sure enough, a beautiful orange pumpkin arrived on our table and upon removing the lid, we discovered a medley of fresh seafood in a rich pumpkin broth. We also scraped the sides of the pumpkin to dislodge some of the cooked, but still firm flesh. Very tasty.
Can’t go to a Shanghainese restaurant without some Xiao Long Bao! Very tasty, too, with delicate wrappers. Really, though, will I ever like any XLB better than those at Din Tai Fung? On the menu, these are rather cutely described as “Mouthful Small Steamed Meat Buns”.
Braised noodles are always a favorite, especially these fried noodles with twice-cooked pork.
Our final dish were these fried pastries filled with chopped beef and preserved vegetables. They were kind of like turnovers, with a very flaky crust and a savory filling.
There was a lot of juice inside and trying to cut them open neatly proved to be a chore. But this will give you an idea, at least.
Overall, I give Modern China good marks for tasty, reasonably priced Shanghai style food served in a convenient location. Good enough to be added to my Google Map of Hong Kong. If you are looking for a break from the Cantonese food while in Hong Kong, head over to Olympian Mall.
christao408 
I was talking to my guy (ro_ad808) on skype tonight and I saw this post – I said to him, “Oh, Chris put up food porn. I’m going to go need to get something to eat.” You never disappoint.
OK I need some of that pumpkin seafood stuff. It looks so very good!!
Oh, those juicy little bao’s really tickled my appetite for Shanghainese food! You do need to replenish your hiking trips with a few of these dishes!
@Passionflwr86 – He has a very interesting post (which I know you’ve already responded to) about the challenge of finding a church that speaks to his demographic. Worth breaking away from Shanghainese food porn to read.@murisopsis – I tried doing a soup served in pumpkin like that before and managed to overcook the pumpkin. It ended up sagging and threatening to split!@CurryPuffy – With as many calories as I burned on the hike, I certainly had no compunctions about enjoying a nice dinner! =D
Mouthful Small Steamed Meat Buns – strangely erotic. That pumpkin dish looks very interesting. A week without a food blog from you would be very unusual.
I could never get use to eating shrimp with the shell on. It’s like chewing a plastic straw to me. I seriously think some guy with a pica disorder had people convinced it tasted good with the shell.
The food looks yum!
You convinced me I am going to our local Chinese Restaurant for supper. It is not one of the tourist places but off the beaten path. It does help if you speak Chinese – no I don’t. But they do know me.
Oh my, she wasn’t lying when she said it was food porn. I think I may have to go get something to eat here soon even though it’s still a few more hours till I would normally eat. Thanks for dropping by and sharing your response.
XLB is the must have item whenever I go for Shanghainese food too….yummy
Great food porn once again. That pumpkin looked so healthy and all the sea food in it… mouth watering.
A good post. Lunch time here. I feel so hungry after seeing your post. Haven’t tried to restaurant. Seems can’t miss it. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week ahead 🙂
wouldn’t mind trying that braised seafood in pumpkin. it’s definitely a east-meets-west dish. didn’t expect to see it available in china.
The braised seafood in the pumpkin sounds absolutely amazing!!!
*drools*
that looks and sounds delicious! mm… when i go back to hawaii i’m definitely going to get some good chinese food!
that’s one of my favorite things to eat in the world..that last one..
@iskrak – I’m not surprised. It was very tasty!@kunhuo42 – Nothing like some home cooking. Speaking of which, I’m supposed to go to Hawai’i in late March for a wedding. Will be on Kauai for the wedding but may spend a few days on Oahu, too. If you have any must-eat suggestions for either of those, please let me know.@yang1815 – Eeeew!@TheCheshireGrins – @rudyhou – @ZSA_MD – That pumpkin dish was the perfect autumn combination!@MichellelyNg – I think they have two other locations, too. Was looking for the business card but misplaced it. You probably know some better Shanghainese restaurants, but this one is pretty nice, too.@Ro_ad808 – Sorry you suffered! There should be a warning on all food porn sites so those who are hungry do not enter on an empty stomach.@agmhkg – A little XLB place opened near my house but has closed down after just a few months. A shame, except their wrappers were thick and dry. Bleh.@Fatcat723 – Did you end up going there for dinner?@let_the_right_one_in – “Plastic straw” is actually a pretty apt description. While I like my shrimp cooked shell on for more flavor, I haven’t figured out the benefit of eating the shell.@foggysunnymorning – Looks were not deceiving! =D@ElusiveWords – Who doesn’t love a mouthful of steamed buns? Ha ha…
Darn you, Chris! It’s bedtime but now my mouth is watering! Hope I dream of eating this food and enjoying it! Would love to taste that pumpkin dish!
“looking for a break from the Cantonese food” *gasp* unfathomable!
@AppsScraps – Oh, there’s a lot more worth eating in Chinese cuisine than just Canto!@Gma_Joyce – Pleasant dreams.
I had dinner there and was served the choice of mom who was in the kitchen. I can’t pronounce the food but boy was it delicious. Yes, I over ate.
It all makes me so hungry… aaaaaaah
@Fatcat723 – Always best to let the chef choose the food for you!@secade – Warning! Food Porn! Warning – do not read on an empty stomach!
I would love to try that braised seafood in pumpkin. It looks really mouth-watering.
@icepearlz – It was pretty good although I think a little more salt would have made it perfect.
@christao408 – Have you tried Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui? The one at basement. So yummy 🙂
@MichellelyNg – Haven’t heard of that. Should I add it to my “to visit” list? Where in TST is it?
@christao408 – I like it much. Check out this link for more information. http://www.wukong.com.hk/ Try it next time when you are here. Sure will not disappoint you 🙂