Fuk Loi Kui Restaurant

Fuk Loi Kui? F that. It’s not what you think it is.
It’s the Cantonese pronounciation of the restaurant 福來居, but to make it more confusing it has another name embedded in as 福來居(牛記)海鮮飯店 (Ngau Kee) Seafood Restaurant.
There’s something about this place that gives me a «je né sais quoi» kind of vibe. And that is, there is some intangible quantity and quality, that really makes this place totally awesome, provided you have the right minded set of dining companions with you, who share a love of great no nonsense local food.
If you want killer stir fry in the hood kind of eats, with a decent seafood selection that is not entirely off the wall expensive, yet full of local flavor, FLK is a very sound choice. It is within very easy walking distance from Prince Edward MTR station, and is very near the roasties shop famous for roast crispy skin pig (still using charcoal) 永合隆飯店 Wing Hap Lung Restaurant.
Started off with a bottle of ice cold Tsing Tao. I forgot how large the bottles in Hong Kong are. The Tsing Tao’s in the states at Chinese restaurants are generally dwarf size bottles in comparison. So if you have 4 or more in your party, one bottle is good to start. They chill the glasses, a little extra attention to detail to make your «Cantonese izakaya» experience better.
Too many good things on the menu, FLK has this dai pai dong esque vibe, and while it is indoors, the atmosphere and food is close enough that you can have an awesome time in here.

豉油王煎中蝦 — soy sauce supreme (Maggi) pan fried medium prawns. Incredible umami and flavor, but where are the heads? Even the shells can be eaten!
薑蔥桶蠔 — ginger scallion stir fried oysters. A touch oily, but these are to be expected. Really awesome otherwise! Oysters are either from Canada or United States.
清蒸瓜子斑 — steamed melonseed grouper (wild fish). We arrived close to 8 pm, and by then the seafood selection from the styrofoam tanks were dwindling. At most maybe 3 to 4 kinds of live fish, and this melonseed grouper 瓜子斑 is certainly not a cheap specimen… but cheaper than having a kinki shioyaki at a local Japanese eatery! An extremely solid choice, well executed. The flesh came off the bones with ease. This is why when you travel to HK, eating fresh seafood is a must. It’s a far cry from the farmed American fish at Cantonese restaurants in the USA.
上湯蒜子大豆苗 — large pea sprout with garlic in superior broth. Really hard to go wrong with this prep. Stir frying uses more oil, so this approach is healthier.
豉油王炒麵 — soy sauce supreme stir fried noodles. Haha back to stir frying because we want to equalize the guilt! When having seafood like this, ending the meal with a killer plate of carbs is a must, and soy sauce supreme noodles 豉油王炒麵 is a solid choice. It is also perhaps the de facto method of testing wok hay (the other tester dish is beef chow fun, but we’re at a seafood restaurant). This rendition is very solid and intense. It’s a touch on the dry side which is what I prefer. Oh, I believe they stock Yu Kwen Yick chili sauce, so you can ask for a little bit to make the noodle experience jump a few notches.
Fruit platter for dessert (included in the meal), which was an extremely nice touch.
Watermelon, pineapple, and papaya. Refreshing even on a mildly chilly January evening.
Great food that soothes and satisfies.
Even recommended by local celebrity Chef Leung of Hoi King Heen on his FB page!