Rainbow Seafood Restaurant 天虹海鮮酒家 at Lamma Island

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

After hiking from one side of the Lamma Island (Yung Shue Wan) to the other, our group of 13 people were faced with the conundrum of where to eat among the copious seafood restaurants as we descended to Sok Kwu Wan. Luckily, one of our friends had been here before and suggested that we dine at Rainbow as the restaurant provides a complimentary ferry ride back to the city. Sounds good to us!  

The seafood restaurants at Lamma Island were similar to others in Cheung Chau and Sai Kung in that many of the seating were outside with basic furniture like plastic chairs. Even though we didn't make a reservation, the restaurant was still able to accommodate us by giving us one of the tables in their indoor dining room. That worked out better for us I think as it was still pretty hot outside and the indoor dining room had AC.   

For the ordering part, several of us went outside to where the seafood resided to pick out what we wanted to eat. The prices of the seafood already included the cooking cost so the prices were higher than what you would normally expect at the wet market. Still, some of the prices were much higher than expected like $90 for one small sized praying mantis shrimp or $40 for one razor clam. After inquiring on the prices of different seafood and careful deliberation, we decided to order some seafood, meat and veggies dishes to share. The staff who took our order was pretty helpful and upfront with the total prices (not just "this is how much per lb" and not telling you how much it weighs), and was not pushy at all when we backed off from the more expensive items. My tips to ordering seafood are not to get pressured into getting to something you don't feel comfortable paying for and always ask for cheaper alternatives. Initially when we said we wanted fish, the staff recommended a big one which would have cost $700 in total. When we said 'whoa that was too expensive', he recommended that we get 2 smaller ones at $150 each. Instant savings of >50%! Cha-ching! 

Stir-Fried Clams with Black Bean Chili Sauce (3.5/5) - the clams were abundant but the clam meat itself was pretty small. The black bean chili sauce was rich and flavorful, which complimented the clam meat nicely. Just wished the clams were bigger. 

Salt and Pepper Squid (3.5/5) - the squid was tender while the outside batter was crispy and salty. The batter could have been thinner, but overall this dish was satisfying. Only fault was that we didn't get the vinegar dipping sauce which would have enhanced the flavor of the squid.

Razor Clam in Black Bean Chili Sauce (4.5/5) - so much razor clams! The razor clams had been peeled off their shells for us already. The razor clams were big and meaty. The black bean chili sauce used on this dish was spicier than the one on the clams. The razor clams were cooked just right so it was nice and easy to eat. Since I like spicy, I welcomed the spicier sauce - though it did overpower the natural taste of the clams just a bit. 

Steamed Scallops with Garlic and Vermicelli (4/5) - the scallops were adequate in size but overcooked just a bit as the meat was a bit tough. Surprisingly there was no sweet soy sauce doused on top - just crushed garlic and vermicelli. Maybe they didn't want to overpower the scallops as the garlic and vermicelli were already sufficient to enhance the seafood.

Sauteed Shrimps with Soy Sauce (4/5) - the shrimps were nicely fried as the skin was crispy enough to eat and the meat inside was still soft and tender! The outside had been coated with flavor from the soy sauce so the entire shrimp can be eaten including the shell. 

Steamed Fish (3.5/5) - the 2 small fish was enough for the 13 of us to share. Technically it is easier to overcook larger fishes in general as some parts may be done while other parts may still be raw. We thought that getting the smaller fish would work out better in our case. The fishes we got were fresh and tasty but actually a bit overcooked. The sweet soy sauce doused on top was slightly sweet but not overpowering.

Sweet and Sour Pork (3.5/5) - our only meat dish of the day! The pork itself was soft and tender while the flavor was nicely balanced between sweet and tangy. Too bad the outside wasn't as crispy as I would like though. Still, this was a nice dish to round out our seafood meal. 

Due to our careful budgeting and considerations, our entire seafood meal came out to just $200 per person! Very reasonable for the quality and amount of seafood we got. While it may not be the best seafood in HK, Rainbow is a great choice for seafood if you happen to be at Lamma when considering the price, quality, taste and service!

At the end of the meal, we were given tickets (actually stickers) to board their complimentary ferry back to Central and TST. We were lucky as there was one leaving in 10 minutes while the next ferry wasn't due for another hour. The pier was just a short walk from the restaurant, and we saw that the Rainbow ferry was a reasonably sized boat with 2 levels. We all sat on the top level with the opened top and on the way back, the wind provided a nice breeze while we enjoyed the sweeping scenery - something that was harder to due on the public ferry due to the enclosed structure and crowdedness. As we departed at our destination, I noticed that some people got on the boat which meant that Rainbow also provides a ferry ride to their restaurant! Not a bad idea next time if you just want to go to Lamma Island for seafood as it is just a short boat ride away!