I love steamboat but never get to eat it cos my daughter hates it. In fact, she's a really picky eater, and favours junk over seafood, much to my disgust. So I very happily indulged in the fruits of the sea during my recent trip to Hong Kong with Andy from Ocean Health.

We attended the Cosmoprof exhibition together, and took the opportunity to eat our way around Hong Kong (and Shenzhen).

The night we got back from Shenzhen, we decided on a late supper at a steamboat restaurant, located 10 minutes by foot away from our hotel. After a certain time, they serve buffet style only. I believe it was about S$20 a head, but that included all soft drinks and beer, as well as premium beef slices, seafood and other weird and wonderful things.

What arrived first was certainly weird but in no way wonderful. Not by my standards anyway: some creature's testicles and something else's spinal cord. Yummy. Not...

If you look closely at the photo above, you can just about make out the grey matter within the white matter. That is, if you remember back to your science classes to know what I'm talking about!

Even when other food did arrive, I kept scooping out bits of this spinal cord. Yuck! And no, I wasn't game to try it.

What I enjoyed immensely was the melt-in-your-mouth beef slices and the crispy fish skin. I'd happily go back to that restaurant just for these two items.

As with many Chinese restaurants, fish tanks showcasing live seafood seems mandatory. Not sure why... And the fish all seem to have been on steroids! I'm sure if anyone tried to eat these things, they wouldn't taste good at all! Poor buggers to be kept in captivity just for show. I guess this one got it lucky... free chin jacuzzi whenever it fancied a massage!

I was also somewhat tickled at why they would want to keep these giant prawn-like creatures in plastic bags. Any idea? Please post in the comment box below!

I'm sorry I didn't take down the name of this restaurant or the location. But I'm sure I'll be back there some day...