With all the eateries in the new gigantic mall Megabox, Star of Shandong seems to have gotten the short end of the stick – it’s tucked in between a maternity shop and a bookstore in a quiet corner on the ninth floor, instead of up with the rest of the restaurants on the 10th-14th floors. But that didn’t stop it from becoming popular (expect long queues on weekends) as it serves good Chinese cuisine at unbeatable prices. The food is supposed to be from Shandong – unusual in Hong Kong – but the honest waitress confessed to us that they only have two chefs from Shandong, and what results is actually a mixture of Guangdong, Shanghai and Beijing dishes. But that’s not exactly disappointing – the spicy and sour soup with fried yellow fish is excellent, the fish fresh and the soup strong and flavorful. The Shandong soup noodles were similarly excellent, with an aromatic soup base and noodles al dente. We finished our meal with tofu and preserved egg, which the waitress reassured us was special because the tofu is white – we spent the rest of the night wondering if we’ve ever seen tofu in any other color. So that’s where this restaurant has gone wrong – exaggerating what they offer and overemphasizing the less common yet quite pedestrian dishes, while neglecting the more ordinary dishes they already make quite well.

Best bit: Good Chinese food at low prices.