Gi Kee Seafood Restaurant - Chinese, Hong Kong

2F, CFS4, UC Wong Nai Chung Complex, 2 Yuk Yau St, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Ph: 2574 9937

Hours: 5.30pm-12.30am

Last Visited: November 2010

Food: 4 stars

Atmosphere: 2 stars

Service: 3 to 4 stars

Price: $ to $$$$

Unless you are told about this place, it's super easy to miss it.  Gi Kee is located in a food court in a giant food shopping center.  The lower floors contain grocery stalls for fresh fish, fresh meats, and vegetables.  It's a bit reminiscent of a farmer's market, but more permanent. 

From the sign advertising the restaurant near the elevator below, one might think that you're going to a large restaurant, but then you arrive and see the signs on the wall and the common dining area.  It's noisier than a food court you would find at a mall, but picture that and you will have an accurate picture.  Be wary of where you sit because certain tables are designated for certain restaurants.  If you don't tell them which restaurant you're looking for, you'll be directed to another restaurant's table.

Our first visit was for lunch and we came during rush hour without knowing it.  The place was completely packed with a number of local construction workers.  Each day, Gi Kee offers a limited number of terrific values including fresh fish for under $10US.  It even comes with rice.  For that price, you know a lot of people are excited to go there.  There are other specials available, but I was pretty much set on trying their crab which came highly recommended by a family friend.

Our style of dress and the fact that we don't dress like locals do really made us stand out from the other diners, but that didn't deter us.  We ordered a much more expensive meal than what many order during lunch, so all of these cues informed the wait staff know that we weren't regulars.  The gals were really nice - you kind of feel like mom is there to help you through the process of ordering, suggesting dishes, and making sure that nobody shares your table.  Most of the time, there just isn't enough space, so tables are shared by all patrons.  They were super friendly and I really appreciated their looking out for us.  Don't worry if you're not Chinese.  The menu has English available and there are other tourists there, though not many.

Since we weren't sure we would have time to return for another visit, the two of us ordered three dishes. 

- Deep Fried Garlic Crab - The flavor was incredible.  If you like fried garlic with red peppers and spices, this is something you'll love.  The crab meat that has touched the batter is slightly crispy and the flavor packs a punch.  It was amazingly fresh tasting since it was still alive and they showed it to us for approval before cooking it.  The only thing I didn't like is that if you're accustomed to dungeness crab which is often served in the US, you'll find the meat in the Hong Kong crab to be too hard to get at since the crab is more the size of blue crab. 

- Braised Tofu with Vegetables - Fairly standard in flavor, I appreciated the hot temperature of the tofu and the tender mushrooms that it was served with.  The greens were also really fresh.

- Sauteed Clams with Garlic Sauce - While I didn't notice any particular difference with other clams that I've had, I did note that these were very fresh.  There was an abundance of clams too and thus the slightly higher cost was very acceptable. 

The three dishes together were about $100USD.  The tofu and clams were fairly reasonably priced, but the live crab was priced by weight, so that was our most expensive dish.

Our second visit was for dinner and we brought family to enjoy the meal with us.  Our mission this evening was to try some of their regular seafood dishes and also to sample more of their flavors.  Dinner service is much less hectic.  We arrived early, around 5:30pm, and found that there were many places to sit.    

Gi Kee's atmosphere definitely fits with Hong Kong family style service - They put plastic around the table and instead of placing shells and bones on a plate, you just place it on the plastic.  It's certainly not fancy, but the food is good.  -  

- Braised Fish Fillet with Broccoli - Fresh fish fillets are braised with yellow chives and carrots and served over broccoli florets.  It tastes like home, but has the wok air of a restaurant.  Super delicious and flaky, the fish is succulent and good. 

- Minced Pork with Preserved Vegetable and String Beans - Another great homestyle dish, this has a lot of flavor.  There's a bit of sweetness from the preserved vegetables and you can tell their access to the farmer's market downstairs pays off when you taste these crunchy green beans. 

- Preserved Red Bean Curd Roasted Chicken -  Similar to deep-fried Chinese style chicken, this dish is seasoned with preserved red bean curd which almost makes the skin a little crispier and more flavorful than usual.  To get the skin crispy, the chicken is air-dried, and then deep-fried.  The meat is juicy too.

- Braised Eggplant in a Clay Pot - The temperature of the braised bean curd is so hot that it makes the eggplant super tender while keeping each piece intact.  Sauteed bell peppers, onions, and carrots accompany the eggplant. 

- Steamed Scallops and Tofu with Black Bean Sauce - Super succulent scallops and fresh preserved black beans are placed on top of tofu and steamed until the scallops are just cooked. 

Gi Kee has the full range of offerings from simple homestyle dishes with fresh seafood to more decadent dishes like their crab which would be much more challenging to make at home even if you have a deep fryer.  The flavors range from simple to rich.                                                   

If you don't mind the setting, you can really enjoy some fabulous food that matches up with the best restaurants in Hong Kong.  I really enjoyed the experiences for both lunch and dinner - lunch is amusing, especially if you like people watching and can handle the hustle and bustle. 

Another good thing is that if someone can't eat shellfish or seafood in general, they do offer other options as well. 

Now if only I could find some place in the San Francisco Bay Area that can cook up a dungeness crab this way....