The legendary Tai Cheong egg tarts.
The one that draws queues like this (and I think this is on a less busy day).
The one that Chris Patton loves.
Well, I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. Maybe it's due to expectations caused by the hype, or the fact that I ate them cold. I hear they are better when eaten warm, right there on the spot. Guess I should try them again next time for a fairer estimate, but I can't help but feel there are plenty of egg tarts in Singapore that are almost as tasty, if not more.
They also have coconut tarts and other items.
This was pretty good. Then again, how can it not be? It's deep-fried dough coated with sugar.
Tai Cheong seems to have gone on an expansion spree. It now has 15 outlets throughout Hong Kong and Macau, but this is the original branch at Lyndhurst Terrace. I didn't know it then, but the Tao Heung group seems to have acquired the bakery, so that might explain it.
Also, I can't believe their egg tart recipe is publicly available! It's also on CNNgo's "behind the scenes" feature on Tai Cheong Bakery.
Update: The recipe, as expected, doesn't quite turn out the same kind of tarts. Check out The Little Teochew's experiment on it.
TAI CHEONG'S EGG TART RECIPE
Ingredients
Pastry:
Flour 450g
Sugar 110g
Evaporated milk 2 teaspoons
Margarine 110g
Butter 110g
Egg Custard Filling:
Water 450ml
Evaporated milk 200ml
Sugar 450g
Egg 4pcs
Pre-heat the baking oven to 300°C
Method
Pastry:
1. Mix all pastry ingredients and knead it into a dough
2. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours, re-knead it before use
3. Roll out the dough and cut it to small dough balls, then press the balls into the tart shells.
4. Pour the egg custard filling into the shells. Bake it 5 minutes until the pastry turns gold brown, then bake for another 15 minutes at 150°C
Egg Custard Filling:
1. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, set it aside to cool down
2. Stir in the egg, evaporated milk with the cold sugar water
3. Sieve the mixture and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before pouring it into the shells with pastry on
TAI CHEONG BAKERY
35 Lyndhurst Terrace (main branch)
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 544 3475
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT the original Tai Cheong Bakery. The original shop was on the opposite side of the street, and closed due to soaring rent charged by the landlord. This shop and all the other branches are new and re-branded.
ReplyDeleteYou don't usually see a line in front, since there are many branches now and people don't need to come to Lyndhurst Terrace for it. I work around the corner and have never seen a line...
The great debate about egg tarts in HK will continue till the end of time: pie crust or flaky pastry crust. If you prefer pie crust then Tai Cheong is for you. If you like flaky pastry crust - which I do - then off to Honolulu Cafe you go... just a stone's throw away
Hi Peech! Glad you're still reading, and thanks for the info! Yes, I heard the original shop moved just a few doors up, but didn't know this re-opened one was part of the rebranded set.
ReplyDeleteHonolulu Cafe was also on my HK "to eat" list, but a pity I wasn't able to check it out. Too little time, too many eateries!
Now that I've moved out of HK to Taipei, I'm really missing all the places I used to frequent in HK, which I took for granted because they were just around me and I could go anytime...
ReplyDelete