Steak out at the village

Certified Australian Black Angus rib-eye steak with mushroom sauce served with iceberg lettuce salad. Donna Mah / for China Daily

Hong Kong

It was close to a decade ago that I first dined at Lardos Steak House. Lardos opened in 2000 and I had no idea where my friends were taking me at the time. They had heard that this little out of the way place served really great steaks at good prices.

I was happy to go anywhere where good eats could be had, so I didn't pay much attention to where I was going. Turns out Lardos is in a village in Tseung Kwan O. Not exactly a dining hotspot, but definitely an interesting location for a steak house.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Lardos again and this time I had to figure out how to get there on my own. It's not as far or as difficult as some people say - it just requires a subway ride to Hang Hau station and then a short minibus (or taxi) ride to Hang Hau village.

The draw for many diners here is that the steaks served here are the same ones that 5-star hotels are serving. Apparently the owner has a meat import business that brings in the steaks and chops to Hong Kong.

The restaurant is small and the tables are quite close together. The decor is quaint and simple. The menu is straightforward and your meat comes with side dishes.

At Lardos you won't be served rocket salad with poached pears and fresh goat's cheese. You'll probably end up munching on an iceberg lettuce salad with Thousand Island dressing. Not haute gastronomy, but for me, this type of salad and dressing takes me right back to my childhood, long before I had any idea what rocket (or arugula) was.

Steaks and chops (lamb or pork) are served with your choice of sauce and potato. I chose the mushroom sauce and the baked potato with sour cream and bacon bits.

Some people would never put sauce on a good steak, but I enjoyed the combination of the slight woodiness of the mushrooms combined with the rich, succulent meatiness of my Australian rib-eye steak. The baked potato was a bit bland, but with the addition of some salt and butter, it was just what I was looking for.

My dining companions were all happy with their meal choices and the service was friendly enough. We were at the early seating, so unfortunately we did feel a bit rushed to eat and go in order to accommodate the second seating. Although in all fairness, some in our group had arrived late so that contributed to the rush.

Lardos also serves some seafood and pasta dishes and there are some vegetarian choices, but not many.

For me, the trip out to this village in the New Territories was worth the effort. Expect to pay HK$200-600 ($25-75) each person for dinner. Lardos does not impose a service charge.