Hong Kong Day, a Cantonese transliteration meaning ‘Hong Kong Land’, is a chain of cha chaan tengs under the umbrella of the extensive Maxim’s Group. On this particular evening, we joined relatives who are regular patrons of this establishment for a meal.

Baked Rice with Ox Tongue in Tomato Sauce served with Soup and Drink (82 HKD/16.4 AUD)

While there was nothing particularly wrong with this dish, its lack of effort in preparation translated to its taste. The unseasoned rice served as the base, topped with six tender but unseasoned pieces of ox tongue. Fresh tomato chunks and slices of red onion were scattered over the dish, followed by a generous application of tomato sauce. The final touch, an abundance of sliced olives, contributed to an overly salty flavour.

Baked Rice with Pork Chop, Fried Egg & Tomato served with Soup and Drink (82 HKD/16.4 AUD)

This dish shared similarities with the previous one, featuring a pork chop instead of an ox tongue and the addition of a fried egg. However, it showed a slight improvement over the previous lacklustre option. The “pork chop” was a scotch fillet cut, rendering it juicy and tender, in contrast to the typically dry nature of regular pork chops. The fried egg contributed a crunchy element, and the runny egg yolk added depth to the overall flavour.

Soup (included in meal set)

This soup featured slices of wintermelon in every bowl, with the distinct taste of traditional Chinese medicine components evident in its flavour. The winter melon’s skin, although edible, had a thick and noticeably tough texture that contrasted with the softness of the melon flesh, making it somewhat cumbersome to eat.

Hong Kong Milk Tea (included in meal set)

This Hong Kong milk tea left much to be desired, ranking among the least satisfying we’ve encountered. Its thin texture and unapologetically harsh, bitter sharpness in the tea flavour remained unimproved even with the addition of sugar.

Hot Lemon Tea (included in meal set)

Essentially a straightforward infusion of lemon slices in hot water, this beverage was a simple concoction that proved difficult to get wrong. Its taste was exactly as one would anticipate.

During another visit with relatives, we opted not to order anything as nothing on the menu seemed appealing. Based on both our orders and observations of others, it became evident that Hong Kong Day excels at mediocrity. While the meal served its purpose as a quick and reasonably priced option, it was not good value.

Hong Kong Day is located at Shop 2104, 2F MOSTown (Phase 4), 18 On Luk Street, Ma On Shan, Hong Kong.