Old Hong Kong

As with many of the places reviewed, we have only been to Old Hong Kong once for dinner, thus, our experience and knowledge is quite limited. Nevertheless, as they seem dog-friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening, it definitely warrants a review. We are not 100% sure about the dog policy as we just asked “is it OK to come in with the dog?”, but they seemed totally OK, and we did not get the impression they were making and exception for us.

The food and atmosphere at Old Hong Kong are more authentic and as you would expect compared to the modern take experienced at Chedi in Tallinn, and it was just what we were looking for during our trip to Riga. The food was similar to Spicy Temptation in Rotterdam, but as it is more Cantonese than Szechuan, not so much spice. While the food did not “blow us away”, it was all delicious, and as good as some we have had in places like in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

First, Old Hong Kong offers an extensive list of delicious sounding options, with the menu being divided into Snacks, Soups, and Hot Meals (Pork, Beef & Lamb, Chicken, Fish and Seafood, Duck, Hot Plate, Noodles, Vegetables, Rice, and Dumplings), and there are many vegetarian options available.

We did not really eat in stages as such, instead we just got overwhelmed by all the delicious offerings and ordered away, then gleefully tucked into what was served. First off though, we shared (maybe fought over 😊) the Crispy Chicken with Salt & Chilli (€12.80), Green Beans with Garlic Sauce (€6.50) and Fried Rice with Egg and Vegetables (€4.90), all of which were lovely. The chicken and green beans were possibly not quite as good as the versions we had at Spicy Temptation in Rotterdam, but were delicious, nonetheless. The chicken was flavoursome and crispy with a nice salt level and a hint of spice (we like spicy, so this is probably why Spicy Temptation’s wins out a bit). The green beans were nice, and the “healthiness” made us feel less guilty for overindulging, but not the best we have had by any means. The rice was also not the best we have had, but still very tasty, and a strong point was that it was not too greasy like so many fried rices we have had over the years.

The final dish to arrive (on request if memory serves) was the half Peking Duck with Pancakes, Cucumber, Spring Onions and Plum Sauce (€26.50) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. While we prefer our duck a little crispier (but that is a slightly different dish), the duck was quite tender and very flavoursome, the pancakes were very good (pretty sure they were home-made and were not too floury as they can be sometimes), and the vegetables very fresh. A big plus here was that the pancakes were plentiful, and there was a really decent amount of meat, especially as we only ordered the half duck. Often the ratio is wrong for us; we are either not given enough pancakes to go with the amount of meat, or there is not enough meat for all the pancakes (so at Old Hong Kong we did not have the usual annoying mathematical calculations going on; we could just eat with merry abandonment 😊)

Next, in terms of drinks, we stuck to a few glasses of cold and well served local beers. I cannot remember the price of the beers but by looking at the total bill and doing some basic mathematics, they were about €4 each, so very reasonable.

Finally, as for the service and atmosphere, we have zero complaints and enjoyed the evening very much. The ambiance is comfortable and suits the food, the place was very clean, and the staff were friendly and efficient.  

The total bill was just under €68, which, given the amount of tasty and food and cold drinks we enjoyed, seems extremely cheap! Overall, if you and your furry companion(s) find yourself in Riga hankering for some solidly decent Chinese food, served in a nice atmosphere at very reasonable prices, we happily recommend Old Hong Kong.