Cafe de Coral
IFC Building

If you’re ever going to consider a restaurant in Hong Kong, I suggest understanding the local taste. Café de Coral, the largest Chinese fast food restaurant, has done a great job. They have been able to implement modern design, value pricing, and consistent food and this has resulted in scaling to numerous restaurants.

After a grinding workout at posh Pure Fitness, I hip hopped my way toward the MTR (subway) and tried Café de Coral located on the ground floor of IFC (International Finance Center).

Firstly, food temperature is a major element targeting the local taste. Despite being in warm weather, the Chinese like their food served hot. For instance, a restaurant serving only salad will not reach critical mass or mainstream.

Americans crave hot comfort foods such as macaroni ‘n cheese, and in the local taste comfort food is a piping hot soup, congee (rice porridge) or bowl of rice, something that “hugs” the stomach. Glancing at its modern signage and simple to order menu, I shouted,

“One order minced beef rice bowl.”

Priced at around $3USD, the piping rice bowl arrived within three minutes. Minced beef mixed with a sweat tomato base sauce served over rice. A few cherry tomatoes and a fried egg added character. The dish can be mildly compared to Sloppy Joe’s over rice.

The first thing to note was the texture of the rice, which lacked the pillowy consistency but instead was a bit mushy. Noticeably, the tangy tomato base sauce whets the appetite.

Often, I am asked … “What is good Chinese food?”

In this case, great Chinese food has “wok-air.” A beef chow mein dish should arrive piping hot and aromas of soy sauce would create nutty notes. Instead, my minced beef dish came out “flat” tasting, similar to air plane food.

For a quick budget meal, the dish overall is on par.