Wheels of Addis

There’s something kind of yummy about Kowloon street food. I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere or the slightly we-shouldn’t-really-be-here vibe, but it’s good. Real good.

We ended up on some back alley late at night hunting out some serious dining. Diners lined the pavement, seated at greasy tables, puffing away at cigarettes and sucking on beer. Cars lined the street. When a cop came by, the restaurant staff were sure to warn everyone. It seemed friendly enough.

The kitchen was installed between cars on the road. Sweat pouring off the chefs; flames jumping out from under their woks.

We were seated indoors and offered a plastic bowl and a jug of tea with which to rinse our dishes. 

It didn’t take us long to order from the menu. Note the bin liner for a table cloth: this isn’t a sit-and-linger restaurant so much as a getting-down-to-the-business-of-eating establishment.

First up some crispy fried squid along with sweet and sour pork. Fatty, fast and dirty.

Then the real treat: salt and pepper mantis prawns. 

Huge and meaty: these are serious crustaceans. Check out the claws! 

Jean-Pierre spotted a cornflower blue guitar on the side of the road on our way home. But we were too full and our fingers were too greasy to pick it up.