Hong Kong Seafood

Our next-door neighbor told me about a Chinese restaurant that had reopened a little South of us, that she and her kids used to frequent and were excited to visit again. It's been reopened awhile, but tonight Dan & I finally made it down to the Rainier Beach area to try out Hong Kong Seafood. And boy, were we glad we did.



After settling into a window table and getting some tea and Tsingtao, our waiter popped back by to take our order - and make helpful suggestions. Our meal started out with the best Salt & Pepper Squid I've ever tasted.



They looked a little like pork rinds, and were light and crispy and packed with flavor from the hot peppers and salt. I couldn't stop eating them, and imagined they'd be perfect for snacking on during a movie - like spicy seafood popcorn.



Next up, we had the Hot Pepper Chicken - which our waiter jokingly asked "Extra spicy, right?". Dan deadpanned back "Yes", but I don't think our waiter took us seriously - as the dish wasn't as spicy as the squid, though still tasty.





We also ordered the Crab Meat Egg Foo Yung, which was enormous. Three thick, fluffy cakes packed with meat and veggies, and cooked to a golden brown. We ended up sharing just one of the three, and taking the others home for lunches later in the week.



At our waiter's suggestion (after Dan asked if any of our dishes had any veggies in them), we also went for the Pea Vines.



They were very good, and had a distinct flavor that was similar to peas themselves, but with the texture of baby bok choy or spinach. Definitely something I'd seek out again, and I'm glad our waiter told us about them. I later overheard the woman at the next table (who was dining for the second night in a row at HKSeafood) that she really loved the pea vines, too.

My only regret is that we hadn't been sooner. The restaurant was comfortable, the service was excellent, and the food was bright and flavorful... and generous. We'll definitely be back for the Salt & Pepper Squid - and to try more of our favorites, and more of their suggestions.