Restaurant Review #3 – Jumbo Kingdom – Top Deck
JUMBO KINGDOM, ABERDEEN HARBOR, Hong Kong, SAR, China – Situated in the middle of Aberdeen harbor is the world-famous floating restaurant known as Jumbo Kingdom. This boat is also one of the staples of Hong Kong. It has four different floors each housing a different restaurant. Upon arrival in Aberdeen this was my first stop. There are two ways of reaching the restaurant and both are by ferry service. One of the boats leaves from the Aberdeen Promenade and it is marked by a large archway that simply says “Jumbo” on it. The second ferry departs from the Shum Wan Pier near the Aberdeen Marina Club. The ferries are constantly shuttling people between the mainland and the restaurant and depart approximately every five minutes. After a quick five minute boat trip, you arrive at the restaurant. Along the way, make sure to take in the numerous fishing vessels that clutter the harbor and are reminiscent of Aberdeen’s past. The floating restaurant is extremely popular with both tourists and locals.
Each restaurant is fairly large and has a good number of seats available. The first three restaurants serve various types of Chinese food. One specializes in Dim Sum. The third restaurant is fairly expensive. The restaurant located on the top of the restaurant is called Top Deck, this is where I ate. Upon first entering the boat, I found the decorations within the floating restaurant to be extremely ornate. Yet the Top Deck restaurant had an extremely laid back feel. I went on a Sunday, which is when the Top Deck holds their brunch buffet. For $440 HKD (approximately $55 USD), you get all you can eat from the buffet until they close. You also receive your choice of sparkling wine, champagne, rosé, or various juices. Whichever drink you choose, you will receive unlimited refills, however, any other drink you order, you will be forced to pay additionally by the glass. While this may seem expensive for a student living on a budget, it is definitely worth checking out at least once.
The food available here ranged from various cuisines. I stuck with breakfast foods. I started with the eggs Benedict and ham with a side of naan bread, unlimited bacon, a Peking duck burrito, and the lamb. This food was unbelievable, it was also the first time that I have had eggs in four months, and bacon has never tasted so good. For my second helping, I again went with the eggs Benedict, but I also piled on some of the asian cuisine offered. They had fresh hand rolled sushi and sashimi, as well as all you could eat oysters on the half shell. There were many other aspects to the raw bar, including queen crab legs and New Zealand mussels. There was also a desert bar with fresh made crepes. Aside from the food, the Top Deck also had a full bar, serving jumbo sized drinks. I honestly cannot recommend this restaurant enough, everything I had was delicious and it was definitely worth the price.
The Top Deck operating hours:
Tuesday – Friday:
5PM-12AM
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays:
11AM- til late
Monday:
CLOSED
You can find this restaurant by taking bus #70 from exchange square three in central (exit D out of the Hong Kong station). Get off of bus #70 at the Aberdeen promenade and walk along the water until you reach the archway that says Jumbo.
Location:
Middle of Aberdeen harbor
Jumbo Kingdom
Jumbo Kingdom #2
View from Top Deck Restaurant
Top Deck Restaurant
Interior of Jumbo Kingdom
Interior of Jumbo Kingdom #2
Jumbo drink
Round #1
The End of an Era…
YAU MA TEI, Hong Kong, SAR, China – Today is a sad day for exchanged students everywhere in Hong Kong. There once was a great establishment named Mr. Wongs that I along with my fellow exchanged students would frequent before a night out clubbing. This restaurant offered sub-par food and unlimited beer for 50 HKD (approximately $6.25 USD). As of last saturday, Mr. Wongs was raided by the Hong Kong police and his liquor license was revoked.
*Moment of Silence*
I’ll be honest, I clearly didn’t go here for the food as it tasted horrible, but it was nice place to drink before going to clubs and if I drank here I wouldn’t have to buy a drink at a club and ultimately get ripped off while all of the girls in our group get free drinks, every week. Lets be real, I am definitely not about to go back there just for the food. So I am issuing a challenge to my few readers out there – does anyone know of a place in Hong Kong that offers unlimited beer and sub par food to replace Mr. Wongs? If you know any place you will be a hero to exchanged students all over Hong Kong.
Hot Pot
FU TAI, HONG KONG, SAR, China – Hot Pot is a traditional Chinese meal. It consists of a large pot of boiling soup broth. There is usually one pot of spicy soup and one that is mild. Once the soup is boiling, raw thinly sliced meat, raw seafood, dumplings and vegetables are placed in the soup. The soup is brought back to a boil and the food quickly cooks. Once the food is cooked it is ready to be enjoyed with various dipping sauces. This meal is very similar to Shabu Shabu in Japan. Being a college student, especially one studying abroad, a meal like hot pot is ideal because it is usually all you can eat for a set price. In the case of this particular restaurant it was $98 HKD (approximately $12.25 USD) all you can eat and drink (beer included) for two hours. Not a bad deal.
Plate of beef, dumplings and vegetables
Hot Pot
Bamboo Skins
Mr. Wong’s
MR. WONG’S, YAU MEI TAI, Hong Kong, SAR, China – Mr. Wongs, located a short walk from exit A2 of the Yau Mei Tai MTR has become a favorite place for out group to dine at. We have decided to frequent this less than glamorous establishment on Thursdays before making our way to LKF. The reason is it is cheap. For $50 HKD (approximately $6.25 USD) we get a plentiful helping of food. In fact, it is all you can eat and drink (beer included) with no time limit. Now I will be honest this place looks like a sketchy shack, but Mr. Wong caters toward international students. The food is sub-par to average at best and the menus is always the same. He serves Pearl River Delta Beer from China and if he likes your group he will occasionally throw in a bottle of spirits (either vodka or whiskey). However, for the price and the ability to have a fun meal with a friend, you can’t beat it.
Center: The Man, The Legend….Mr. Wong
The Lost Traveler 