ho's kitchen

I have a soft spot for egg tarts. Something about the warm, eggy custard and the flaky buttery pastry just gets me (I am, as previously mentioned, a flaky egg tart person as opposed to a sweet pastry egg tart person). And the promise of a freshly baked, flaky, warm, eggy egg tart has been the drawcard of many a yum cha for me. It is hard getting to yum cha though. And not always worth the hassle & wait when all one wants is a bit of this and one of that.

My mother discovered Ho's Kitchen down Pitt St. And by "discovered", I mean got speaking to other asian mothers who love to eat (don't all asian mothers?) and was told about the frozen dumplings "So convenient - just boil and then you can have a quick lunch!" and the freshly made baked goods.

six pack of fresh pork buns

Since then, we've made numerous trips, walking down from Market St "It's only one more block mum. Promise. Come on!" "One more block?! You one more blocked three blocks ago! I'll one more block you!" and more recently, especially after that exchange, driven down and popped out of the car to pick up goodies "Should we get chicken? I think we should get chicken" whilst dad waited patiently for us (and his treats) to return.

happy hot foods cabinet

My personal favourites? Well, let's see.

Well, clearly, there's the egg tarts. And at the grand price of $1.00 each, you'll be ordering six and scoffing them all before they make it home (though I don't recommend this. You will almost definitely feel not-so-good afterwards).

Then there's the char-siu-so. A melange of red porky goodness ensconsed in a flaky triangle of pastry. Sweet, and not savoury as you may originally imagine. When we first started our adventures at Ho's (which sounds more like a low-grade movie than it actually is), these were always (always) on the menu. And then we had to think of our cholesterol. And then one week the flaky pastry was a little crushed. And then we found other exciting things. They are good though, and I'd recommend you try them.

ham sui gok / combination dumpling $1.00

The ham-sui-gok (combination dumpling) is a football shaped, deep fried dumpling-thing filled with a moist mix of crunchy veges, mushrooms and pork mince. This is what we traded the char-siu-so in for, and now pick up one (or three) every time.

char siu bun $1.50

Also in the honourable mentions is the char-siu bun. Soft, fresh and fluffy with a crunchy butter-and-sugar hat. Ahhhhhh!

frozen foods menu (part one)

For the more traditional (and also for those who don't cook) there are fresh and frozen char-siu bao (steamed pork buns) that just need a quick whiz in the microwave for a delicious and speedy lunchable. There's also three (count'em - three!) different freezer cabinets filled with frozen siu mai (not bad), as well as (personal favourite) the six treasures vegetarian mix (bung in a pot, add a little bit of water and heat gently), nyow-lam or braised beef (ditto) and dumplings of assorted shapes and fillings that you can buy frozen by the 50-pack. Even easier to manage the pre-cooked cold chicken boxes (the one with chilli oil is a fantastic buy). Add rice and eat.

one more egg tart shot - indulge me

I'm still eating my way through so haven't yet tried the mango pudding (though I've seen it sell like hot cakes) or the biscuits and lotus fileld moon cakes that sit in the shelf next to the freezers. But I will get to them soon, and when I do, you'll hear about it.

Ho's Dimsim Kitchen
429A Pitt Street
Sydney 2000
Phone: (02) 9281 2725