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Solid stone pot rice dishes! They also have other dieshes that I have yet to try out.
The service could be a bit slow at lunch time though.
I think I ordered the wrong thing from their menu...but despite my meal choice I still decided to give this a 4 as the dish of my dining companion was excellent.
I ordered a Vegetable Egg Noodle dish from their ala carte menu not realizing it was noodle soup and not a pan fried noodle dish. Aside from it not being what I wanted the taste was pleasant...mildly bland but what do you expect from a vegetable noodle soup.
My companion ordered the Brisket Curry Rice Stone Pot which was excellent. The dish was bubbling hot and the aroma was extremely inviting. The meat was tender and the curry had a slightly buttery and coco-nutty flavor. The rice was perfectly cooked and I fell in love with this dish immediately.
I gave this a 4 rather than a 5 because of the service. They forgot our drinks and the timing of the dishes was off. I had to let my soup sit for a good 8 minutes before my companion's dish arrived. If the stone pot takes so much longer to cook then they should have brought my soup out later. Peering through the dining room I suspected other diners experienced the same thing.
My favorite restaurant in Chinatown. It reminds me of my moms cooking and my childhood. Their stone pots are great, even though it's too hot to eat them they hit the spot. Try the pork chop with black bean stone pot rice, it's really savory. The chinese curry they serve is something you have to try. Definitely different from the sweet japanese version. They also serve noodle dishes, sandwiches, rice dishes etc etc
Service and price are always a plus.
rice porridge, lugao or congee...the ubiquitous asian comfort food. My mom would always make this for me when I was sick at home as a kid. This place does a really good bowl of congee with an incredible variety to boast with anything from century egg to frog legs and everything in between. Great to have on a cold rainy day in Seattle! Next time will try the stone pot dishes.
You know, the more I go back, the happier I am to return. A cozy, low-key atmosphere, reliable food, and I think better snacks and drinks than next door at Purple Dot, if less casual. Butter and condensed milk toast can (and does) make anything better. Likewise for lemon coke and hot lemon honey. Nothing stands out as miraculously-good, but it's just a nice place to be, though it can get a bit loud.
First Cantonese food I'd had in ages, so I was pretty pumped, perhaps my expectations were too high.… Read more »
We needed a quick fix before a long night. Saw the People love us on Yelp sign in the window and we decided to try this place out. Place was half packed with people in conversation. We ordered 3 seperate dishes. Baked Chicken Curry, Singapore Chow Fun Noodles, and Crispy Chow Mein Seafood. We did a family style and shared our meal. The baked chicken is a winner. Very savory. Chow fun was very smooth. Easy to slurp up and quite tasty. The Crispy chowmein was a stellar dish. The crunch while enjoying the seafood in your mouth. The dishes are quite affordable and they have a varied menu. If your On the edge of chinatown and feel the need to feed. I give this place the thumbs up.
they open late.. it hink owner switched but food stay the same. however careful w/ the waitress.. she's not fluent in english and she gets mad if you ask too much! boo for waitress!
don't b discouraged! we come for food, service is optional! ahah!
great homey resto.. i love this place as it reminds me of singapore claypot rice (close but not… Read more »
Ambiance - B+
Food - A (Congee)
Service - A
Price - A
I've walked by this place several times when visiting Int'l District and so many choices, so wanted to try something NEW... and finally mustered up the courage to walk in... small (seats around 35), tidy, and noted for a Chinese restaurant...pretty clean! I went around 10:30 a.m. for a Chinese breakfast of congee (rice porridge).
I created my own special combination with the Wonton and adding Century Egg to the Congee.
This was a special order I requested and cost around $7.00. The congee itself was nicely seasoned and light. The 4 wontons were nicely stuffed with ground pork and a nice chunk of whole "tiny" shrimp... the century egg ( black/grey yolk w/ black gelatinous white - I can only eat this as an accompaniment... otherwise, too stinky for me!) ... also julienned slices of ginger and cut green onions topped the soup.... perfectly delicious!
...and let's not forget the unlimited pouring of free hot tea!
I like the idea of the stone pot keeping the congee hot and then warm until I literally licked the bowl clean! I can't wait to go back again and try other choices/combinations.
One of my new favorite places to eat. I love the stone bowl rice. They are very filling! The service was amazing, especially given the number of Chinese restaurants I've been to with crappy service. I can't wait to go back and try the congee... my friend says it's delicious... ^^
I haven't been here since the place was sold so I apologize for the inaccurate rating (I'm giving it a 3 to be neutral).
Anyhow, don't be sad yelpers! You'll see those friendly faces and delicious comfort food again in a few months in the ID. I think they might even expand their menu. maybe. =O
Ohhh I'm excited!
Disclosure: Store owner is a family friend.
This is not a free advertisement for them. I will…
Read more »
This place's biggest surprise for me was definitely the hot stone bowl rice. The rice was freshly made and came sizzling in a cute little stone pot!! I ordered the spare ribs and my boyfriend got the lap chong with sunny-side-up egg one. Both were well priced and satisfactory.
Other than the fact that the restaurant was a little cramped, I would say it was worth going.
I used to go there once a week at least when i worked in ID.
I no longer work in ID, and went there for lunch few weeks ago.
As I walked in something was different. It wasn't busy anymore.....
Well, I should have read the yelp reviews before I went. The restaurant is under new management and the food is not good at all anymore.
It was OK, but I will never go back there. There are many others to try in ID, and I would rather take a chance to try something new than just going for an OK food.
It sure was a sad day to find out the original homestyle hong kong cafe is gone.
No change in the review or rating, but I do want to point out one thing.
I started using the phrase "my friends" first! So there! Read it for yourself!
Woohoo! I got congee! A huge, piping hot bowl of congee... with shrimp, pork liver and kidney. Plus… Read more »
Great inexpensive place for Hong Kong style comfort food- congee, rice plates, noodle soup, etc. The congee was very tasty (some of the tastiest I've tried), the curry rice place was simple and delicious to the last morsel, and the noodle soup was crisp and refreshing. And a meal for 4 came out a bit over $30.
Bottom line: HK comfort food haven. And lots of Chinese people eating there, so that must be a good sign.
They have a great selection of dishes that are served in clay pots. Be careful because they arrive at your table HOT (temperature) so even if you're starving, let it cool for a bit before diving in. Don't say I didn't warn you. It'll be hard because it looks, smells, and even sounds delicious when it arrives. They also have a good selection of really good drinks, so you don't want to pass those by. They changed ownership recently, and I haven't been there since, so I can't comment on whether anything has changed. I hear it's the same menu, so I'm guessing it's the same.
We were on a congee mission. It's a brunch situation and we were looking for some good food to lullaby our tummies. We chose Homestyle Hong Kong Cafe based on recommendations and reviews from our friends on Yelp. They were right!
I had the congee with shrimp and mixed meats. The mixed meat included fish balls, sectioned intestine, liver and kidney. The organs were cooked to perfection in the congee!! I will have this dish again!
The better half had the congee shrimp, pork liver and kidney. As far as I could tell she really enjoyed the congee but had longing for Taiwanese style congee. I will be sure to seek out training in this discipline.
Our prodigal game designer in training had the curry beef brisket over rice. Of few words in the first place he simply inhaled his food, put back on his earbuds, and drifted back into game design land. That's a clear sign that the food was good!!
We also had Chinese donuts and bok choy with oyster sauce. It was all very delicious. At the end of the meal we felt recharged without having the arterial blocking and bloated feeling that some places give you with the added MSG hangover headache.
The quarters are tight with roughly 7 tables. It's not fancy. It's simply a place to get some good food at a really reasonable price. Got to love places like this. Go now!
UH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
We walked in here and the familiar smiles of the ladies were nowhere to be found. Instead, a bunch of men stood frozen trying to welcome us with their odd glares.
We sat ourselves down and ordered our seafood congee. It arrived more timely then before but one look at it and I was a little put off. It looked like I was being served a hot (not so piping / blubbling like usual) claypot of soup. I stirred it a couple of times and thought 'hmmmm... new chef?'. I reached over for the chilli (hot sauce). SHOCK!! It's different! Different in taste, texture... different! ...and not different good, mind you!
Yes, there is a new owner here... and it seems like they didn't keep the old chef or something... I don't know the whole story but my fav. chok place has gone down the drain! I told our young waiter about the difference... don't know if he would tell the new owner... he seemed scared to even answer me when I asked if there was a new owner lol.
It's a sad sad day for me and my friends who used to love the chok here... :( I'll try it one more time in the near future... but my hopes aren't that high.
this is my favorite place to come for late (10am) breakfast any day of the week. the… Read more »
Yet again....all the great points that make a Chinese restaurant great.....great food for cheap.
I had the Pork and Chinese sausage rice pot. Amy had the seafood and black bean rice pot. Both were delicious....served scalding hot like its supposed to be....and cheap.
Dinner for both of us was $14.
It was getting way crowded so be prepared to have people stare at you as you finish.
GREAT DEAL, very legit Cantonese cooking style.
- Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup
- Minced Pork Stone Pot Rice Bowl with Chinese Sausage
- Beef Brisket Noodles
ALL very good. Wontons were close to true, fresh, homemade wontons from back home. Minced pork was just sweet enough to be delicious. Beef Brisket was flavored as if for Beef Noodle Soup, but no soup! Dry Beef Noodles! I like it :)
My group had a fourth dish, but I don't remember the specifics--total bill: $25. Great service considering the waitress was a lone ranger Memorial Day dinner shift. Pretty small place--I'd say around 20-25 max? Largest table size = 4, so keep your party small or split into two.
I didn't even finish my stone pot and get to eat the rest for lunch tomorrow :)
I'm headed back!!
:( I went back today after a few months away, even though I had that nagging feeling I should've walked a few more blocks to Hong Kong Bistro. Yet I didn't and I was sorely disappointed. They definitely have new management. The people are different, the food is different, and there are additions to the menu on the white board. I ordered the chow fun with beef brisket, and a plate of pan fried dumplings. They were all so underwhelming. The beef brisket was cold in the center, even though the soup broth was super hot, and I received more tendon than actual brisket. I do not like tendons. The dumplings were also disappointing. They didn't taste as fresh as they usually do, and there was a lot more gristle than there used to be. Sadness. I guess I'll get more of a lunch work out in the future walking to Hong Kong Bistro.
I love this place! It's not the biggest or fanciest, but when it comes down to it, the food is… Read more »
True to its name, Homestyle is a good place for homestyle comfort food.
I personally like the "cart noodles" - you choose a type of noodle (e.g. egg, rice, flat rice) and select various toppings for $1.50 each (e.g. bok choy, mushrooms, curry fish balls, beef balls).
They also serve inexpensive lo mien, wonton noodles, and congee. There's a selection of curry as well as baked dishes. A friend who loves Portuguese chicken says Homestyle has the best Portuguese chicken in the ID.
The place is very small and cozy. The crowd is mostly older and Cantonese-speaking, so expect a small amount of harmless staring if you don't quite fit in. The wait staff move swiftly, and food is served quickly as well.
When my husband and I ate there, we were the only white people in the place -- always a good sign when eating at any ethnic restaurant.
We both ordered the clay pot rice bowl -- he had smoked duck and I had "pork chops" with black bean. He reported his was amazing -- he is going through a duck phase and really enjoyed the smoked duck. Mine was really good but I will probably try something else on the extensive menu next time. The flavors of the meat, beans, and the flavored soy sauce they provide mixed in with the rice were really homey and satisfying. There are also a couple of pieces of bok choy on the top -- next time I might order extra.
I really like places where you can sort of play with your food, or at least the experience of eating the food is as much fun as the flavors of the food. The rice forms a crust after being in the clay pot, and some of it kind of sticks, so you have to kind of poke away at it, getting nice chunks of browned rice crust.
The service was also really good, with the waiter coming by frequently to refill drinks. Even though it was packed when we got there, our food came relatively quickly. The hot tea was nice and hot, and rather than giving us a pot to sit on our table and get cold, the waiter came around with a large pot refilling it throughout the meal. One minor complaint -- we tried to order dumplings and were told they were out of all of the dumplings, but then later in the meal two separate families arrived, sat on either side of us, and were served dumplings. I'm not sure if we had a communication problem (probably not since we were pointing at the menu), if they had made more in the interim, or if people had called ahead to reserve dumplings? Not sure but anyway, I did want to try the dumplings.
But without the dumplings it was still a really filling meal, and cheeeep -- our whole ticket with tip was $20. I'm definitely going back.
My bf and I walked around the International district the afternoon of our first day in Seattle and being from San Francisco, I expected a bustling busy Chinatown, but there really wasn't much to see. However, I did notice how crowded this restaurant was when we walked by it.............
Fast forward 3 days later and it's our last day. We were on our way to the airport and wanted to grab lunch. My dbf got sick early in the morning and couldn't eat anything so he wanted something safe and cheap, like congee. It so happens that we remembered this place (and I remembered the yelp sticker outside), so we came back.
He ordered the chicken congee and I ordered chicken curry. Suffice to say, it was better than I expected. i found myself full but kept eating it. It was that good. Service was good.
I'll remember this restaurant for my next trip for sure.
I LOVE the congee at Homestyle Hong Kong Cafe. My friend recommended and she was totally right about this restaurant. The price is reasonable and the congee is yummy. I gave four stars because I need to try other dishes, but so far it's very good. I will definitely go back to try more.
UPDATE: the recently changed owner... I was a little disappointed the last time I visited Seattle and had my food their... (dropped one star)
Every time when I go or stop by Seattle, I would come to this little restaurant... Welcoming, friendly, and casual.... Reasonable price and Good food!
The service is excellent compare to restaurants nearby.
Totally hit the spot for me and they have the cantonese style comfort food down pat. While the congee wasn't as good as it is back home in Vancouver, it's some of the best I"ve had in the city so far. I prefer the sliced pork and preserved egg congee over all the other types. Dont' forget to get an order of "chinese donut" to accompany your congee!
I decided after work Friday that I would wonder around the ID until I found a Chinese restaurant that seemed so authentic I may not be able to eat there.
So I wandered up past King Street Station. I went south a block, and then east a block or two. I was beginning to get really hungry when I noticed a tiny little spot touting "home style hong kong cuisine" or something to that effect. Perfect, I told myself.
I walked in the door and immediately felt like a foreigner. The stainless steel tables look like they were designed for the back of the house (kitchen). The chairs accompanying the table had a similar "utilitarian" feel to them, chrome legs and frame with clear acrylic seats and backs. This place is tiny on the outside and feels even smaller once in the door. Having never been to Hong Kong myself but hearing of the population, I imagine that the size of this place could be quite similar to the size of the smaller restaurants in the actual city.
I had quite a time deciding on what to order as I have only been to more Americanized Asian restaurants. To be honest I had heard of only one or two of all the dishes on the menu. I nearly ordered a congee bowl (or whatever it was called), but having not tasted a decent curry dish since moving to Seattle, I went with simple curry beef w/steamed rice. My curry fanatic friends would've been so jealous had they been able to smell what I ate there. The curry beef came in a bowl with a few potato pieces all drowning in the thick fragrant curry sauce, and a huge plate of rice came separately. "Its' all going to same place", I thought, spooning all the curry cow goodness over my heaping mound of white rice. My god! Wow, it was by far the best Chinese food I have ever had the pleasure of not being able to finish!
Despite the fact that I think this place has some great pot-stickers I really wasn't that impressed with the rest of its food. The hot-pot dishes are like 80% rice and despite the fact that the items are pretty tasty I must admit I'm really not a fan of chicken or pork where they leave the bone in. Granted i'm sure this adds flavor during the cooking process, but honestly its such a pain to eat around these small bones.
That said, the pricing is quite reasonable and they are open till 11 which is always a plus. But, I have to admit I've had better food in the ID and well those places were really just around the corner.
Pretty busy at lunch (which is a good thing), we were seating promptly. I ordered the mixed meat noodles, and when I asked if the noodles were fried or steamed they responded "steamed". Guess what I got? Fried noodles.
The mixed meat was also very tough, and the noodles were very greasy.
I give it an extra star because the price is very good.
I love coming here in the morning. The congee and wonton noodle soup are great! -- It helps that one my favorite are Hong Kong style food. The portion are huge and should be shared, LOL. This one of the "hidden gem" in I.D. cheap, big portion, and good food for a small price. That's what I.D. is about, and this place carries perfect execution of such. Highly recommended.
For the three weeks after I booked my flight to Seattle, I dreamed about having my lap chong clay pot rice, my pot stickers, and my porridge. Although the management changed recently, the food was still good this last time. My dad, my girlfriend, and I all got the clay pot rice with the fatty pork and sausage, 12 pot stickers (half steamed, half fried) and some porridge. I went to a similar restaurant in San Francisco...must say that this one was better--and the one in SF only served at night!
I am sitting in the cafe, right now! I swore off pho, but found comfort in the congee here. Piping hot;even after the seventh sip. Do not order their congee without the century egg. Repeat: must have century egg. True story: I went from eating steak at the Keg, a sweet roll at A Piece of Cake and a coffee, and then here. I am trying to cut my carbs too! I am so full a cannot move. Beef is dry and tough. Pork is more tender.
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Seattle: simple, authentic, delicious, without all the grease you get at places like the ever-popular Shanghai Garden. The steel and linoleum decor makes me feel at home, the place is clean and well-lighted, and the prices are low.
The service is excellent; one of the only Chinese restaurants I can think of where your water glass is religiously re-filled (since it is a Chinese restaurant, you still have to ask for water)
And the food! The shrimp dumplings, the fishball noodle soup, the black bean seafood in a stone pot are just perfect. Because the dishes aren't doused in soy sauce, MSG and oil, you can really taste the quality of the preparation: the crispiness of the rice along the sides of the stone pot for example doesn't need to be gussied up.
For the Yelpers who complain that meat should be deboned, of course all food is a matter of taste, but only matters of taste are worth disputing: meat closer to the bone has more flavor, and most Hong Kong restaurants insist on serving it this way.
The "stone pot steamed rice" dishes for lunch hit the spot on a chilly day. Breathe deeply into the steam rising up from the bowl of rice and pork and cabbage as you dig into the dish and smile. This is Chinese soul food!
I loved this place. I grew up in Hong Kong as a kid, and every time I was sick or didn't feel well, my mum would make congee for me. It turns out now, as an adult, I was walking around not feeling well, and I happened to pass the Homestyle Hong Kong Cafe. Seeing congee on the menu for 4 bucks, I hopped on it.
This probably sounds silly, but it was instant nostalgia. They had the same layout and tables as this place I used to go to as a kid, and the congee was tasty and authentic. And for four dollars, I was stuffed. The next day, I tried out a lot of the other food and I absolutely love the cooking done in stone pots. Personally, I find the rice stuck to the sides the best, but to each their own I suppose.
I love the place. It's been decades since I was in Hong Kong, but the place really brings back good feelings for me and dishes out awesome food!
I love the individual rice bowls with meat topping (not sure what that is called) The juice of the meat goes into the rice and makes it so much more tasty than plain white rice.
So, there is this little Chinese girl that I know that raved about this restaurant after having visited with her family.
Not surprisingly, the dishes were delicious. Platter after platter, dishes that you would only expect to find in an actual home kitchen arrived. One after another, these dishes landed on the table allowing me to enjoy every morsel. From the rolled fish balls in curry sauce, pot stickers, congee (which would ultimately burn my tongue giving me that awkward I-want-to-keep-sipping-ice-cold-beverages), and dried duck with rice in the stone pot... Oh so good.
The only reason the venue received a 4-star rating was because of the size (which definitely filled up quick for lunch turning passerby's on the sidewalk away) and arcade filled with little children background noise. Now I understand why people get so annoyed with cellphones.
Stone Bowl Rice was good for Seattle, I was missing the Temple Street "bo-tzai-fan" in Hong Kong, and this hit the spot. Good amount of crispy rice. Julie ordered some congee which was better than the normal cantonese restaurant style. Overall, not bad for a quick and inexpensive dinner.
Another discovery via Yelp, we ate dinner at this place tonight. Homestyle Hong Kong Cafe is a small, family-run restaurant which serves authentic HK-style rice and noodle dishes. The owners are from Hong Kong, as were many of the customers. But don't sweat it if you don't speak/read Chinese. The menus are in English, and they
even have English versions of the hand-written Specials posted on the wall (just ask). Also, the waitress speaks more perfect English that many of us!
Anyway, back to the story. Tonight, we had an order of steamed dumplings, and 2 different kinds of claypot rice. (It isn't labelled exactly as "claypot" on the menu but you'll figure it out. I call it claypot because (1) that's a literal translation and (2) I can't remember what the menu said exactly.) I also had a HK-style ice tea.
The food was good! Our cabbage and pork dumplings arrived steaming from the kitchen, accompanied by a sweet, tangy, salty dipping sauce. I, of course, had to add some spicy chili paste, further heightening the flavor. The dumplings had good texture and I found them to be fresh. Thick doughy dumpling skin makes me grumpy. These were just right.
For the uninitiated, claypot rice is rice which is prepared in an uniquely-Chinese earthenware pot. The rice is usually partially cooked, then various yummy things are heaped on top before the pot is returned for the final firing. The result: rice which has been infused with the flavors of the ingredients laid on top. For visual-types, here's something I quickly googled. http://i96.photobucket...
The claypots we had were pork and salted fish, and mushroom and chicken (both very traditional combinations). As expected, the pork and fish dish had a robust meaty flavor. The mushroom and chicken was more subtle, but nonetheless just as interesting. One thing I forgot to mention is that claypot rice dishes are usually accompanied by a soy sauce mix (on the side or drizzled over the rice, depending on the establishment). HHKC's sauce was salty and also a bit sweet. It complimented the rice quite nicely.
4 Stars - Don't y'all go at once! The place is small and I'm going to be grumpy if I have to wait for my next fix.
[July, August Updates] We've visited a couple more times since my review. Dishes have shown up inadequately sauced. And the shrimp they use isn't deveined. In this day and age, it's inexcusable to not use peeled shrimp that hasn't been deveined. In fact, it's just gross.
Minus 1 star (minus 1-1/2, if yelp allowed halves).
Rice bowls are tasty but their congee could use a little help. I would much rather have a bowl of century egg congee at Mike's. But come here for the stone bowl rice dishes. The black bean pork one is my fav! Filling and cheap...
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: International District
Category: Chinese
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