[Review 2982] Victory! Victorious food and no queue! @ 勝香園 Sing Heung Yuen

勝香園  Sing Heung Yuen
中環美輪街2號排檔
G/F, 2 Mei Lun Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/victory-victorious-food-and-no-queue-e2332360

Sing Heung Yuen is famous for their tomato broths, but never ending queues just like the the noodle place opposite are expected.

It is actually quite interesting that there are two famous joints opposite each other with equally long queues at the same time, so if you change your mind and decide to go to the one opposite you would have to queue all over again.

But saying that, the two joints serve totally different things, SHY serves noodles and sandwiches and the place opposite does curries and e-fu noodles.

Luckily there was no queue that day so I dined there even though I was not hungry.
It was a chance not to be missed because I tried going on a Saturday and it was closed when normally they open on Saturdays as well.

I was quite surprised that the staff there were really friendly and had a human touch!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salted lemon drink:

The salted lemon came with sprite.
Before adding the sprite, I tried the salted lemon and it was nice because they did not add any nasty syrup to it.

As I do not like fizzy drinks, I added the tea that was in the plastic jugs on the table to it and it tasted amazing.
I could really taste the lemon and the sourness was really appetizing while the salt balanced the super sourness of the lemon.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mocha:

I havent seen this drink reviewed yet or people have not bothered to review it.
The drink was called Mocha which was cool for a joint like this to come up with that name because it is usually called something else in Chinese joints.
The drink was really cute because they put super mini marshmallows in it which I thought were CFC balls/clotted milk at first!

I wish they had more mini marshmallows because it made the drink fun!


The drink just tasted of chocolate and coffee mixed together.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Instant noodles with beef in tomato broth:

The noodles were simply delicious owing to the tomatoes!
I think Hong Kong must be deprived of ingredients because it was just sour canned plum tomatoes which you can readily get at supermarkets in the UK.
I had these canned tomatoes for school dinners too!
Anyway, the noodles were really moreish because the tomatoes were soft and tangy without tomato skin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lemon and honey crispy bun:

I don't normally like these because of the butter and condensed milk, but here it's just simply Lemon juice and Honey on the bun!
The crispy bun was divine with the sweet honey but the lemon juice was not strong enough or uniformly distributed because on some parts I could not taste the lemon.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I'll will definitely be back if I happen to walk by and there is no queue again!

[Review 2956] Quinary's magical journey of five senses @ Quinary

13/11/2013
Quinary
中環荷李活道56-58號地下
G/F, 56-58 Hollywood Road, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/quinarys-magical-journey-of-five-senses-e2330794

As you know I do not drink so what captivated me here?

Well it all started when I saw the latest review featuring three bottles filled with thick white liquid called the Marshmallow Duo.
Then I checked their website and found out they also had a non alcoholic mocktail that I could try too called the JAX SUMMER LOVE made with Jax's coconut water, pandan syrup and dessicated coconut.
On my first attempted visit, I went with a friend that drinks but when we got there it was fully booked.
A few days later I was in Central again, so decided to try the non alcoholic drink only.
This time it was fully booked again apart from the bar table.

I don't usually like sitting at the bar table because it feels a bit weird but surprisingly it was entertaining and fun at the Quinary.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
JAX SUMMER LOVE:
Mocktail: coco jelly/ pandan syrup/Jax Coco water/coconut flakes
I knew I was going to like it because the drink was coconut water based.
It was a refreshing sweet drink with a hint of coconut but the pandan flavouring was too light, but too much of it would have been too sweet because it was pandan syrup.
The coconut flakes just acted like some pretty snowflakes floating on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
MARSHMALLOW DUO:
Absolut Vanilla/ marshmallow milkshake/cream/ egg white/ grilled marshmallow/ aged Manhattan/
It was so nice of the guy to let me try some because I really wanted to try it.
When it came, I realised why it was called a Shot because of the size.
The bottle was about 4 inches tall and really cute like a mini glass cola bottle which I would'nt mind having!
The taste of this was dreamy, it was light foam milkshake with fine bubbles.
It had a gorgeous vanilla taste but as a non drinker, I would prefer less vodka because I found it too strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Wasabi redistilled Absolut Vodka:

The guy also gave me this to try and it reminded me of the Horse's head at The Blue Butcher which was a fun cocktail of gin infused with horseradish giving a moreish savoury taste with a mustard kick and egg white foam cap on top sprinkled with green tea powder.
When I tried the wasabi vodka, it was fierce~ because my lips were scorching.
Initally I thought it was the vodka, but then I realised it was the wasabi stinging on my lips!
Horse’s Head:
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2315137&tc=sr2&con=rvw
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
QUINARY BLOODY MARY:
Wasabi redistilled Absolut Vodka/homemade bloody mary mix/ lemon & tomato juice/ up

The bloody mary was basically the wasabi vodka with tomato and lemon juice added to it.
The taste was much nicer with a sharp wasabi kick instead of the tabasco chili kick.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
EARL GREY CAVIAR
For fun tried some earl grey caviar that he had made for the Earl Grey Caviar martini.
It was earl grey liquid injected into a caviar mold.
After the droplets were immersed in calcified liquid, a membrane forms and turns into earl grey caviar.
I love the caviar and it had intense earl grey taste.
The earl grey caviar is made for the Earl Grey Caviar martini which is a concoction of:
Absolut Vodka/ elderflower syrup/apple juice/ Cointreau/lemon & lime/earl grey caviar & air/ up.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anyway, I'll be back because they do snacks as well and the Mac and Cheese spoons sound interesting whatever that is.
The Quinary has certainly proved to be exciting for the five senses because they look, smell, taste, feel and sound good from start to finish!
If the owner had not appeared, I would not have known that Quinary stands for five and their meaning behind it.

[Review 2907] Old Chinese Superman legend cited here @ 新藍塘餐廳麵包公司 New Blue Pool Restaurant & Bakery

19/10/2013
新藍塘餐廳麵包公司 New Blue Pool Restaurant & Bakery
半山堅道71號
71 Caine Rd,, Mid-Levels
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/old-chinese-superman-legend-cited-here-e2326382


After seeing the pictures at this place, there was something old and interesting that drew me here.
The name New Blue Pool was unique enough.
As well as this restaurant, there is another Chinese joint down the road famous for their "Not so good curries".
In the end the photos of this restaurant won me.
At the entrance of this restaurant, there is a bakery with some interesting items too.

New Blue Pool is quite an interesting restaurant, the decor has remained how it was since it opened and the vintage air conditioner is still working.
The restaurant has an old smell too!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please skip to the food section if you do not want to read about Superman
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When I got there, there was a super skinny grumpy old man taking orders who had a bit of a stroppy attitude.
He later softened up and became really cute!

The tea sets were the usual fried items but the fried spring chicken was the best deal for $28 so I ordered that and requested some curry sauce from that old man.
He seemed quite annoyed and told me to order it later.
(As he was old, I thought to myself, he is probably going to forget).

Anyway, while I was waiting, I went to take some photographs. It was so funny watching that stroppy old man realigning the tables and chairs because if they moved a millimetre he would get annoyed!

He then came over and said the spring chicken was sold out, so it was changed to fried chicken leg.
After a while, he brought toast to the table next to me who ordered after me.
I reminded him that my toast was yet to come and he tried to snatch it from that table which was hilarious!

Moments later, he was bringing over two sets of chicken legs and said mines a big fat one, and the other table got the skinny one.
(This was his super cute way of making up for the toast incident).

Then I was shocked he remembered about the curry sauce.

For one of the sets, there was milk still to come which I did not remind him, but he remembered that he forgot to bring it, and he said he had bad memory because he was old, so I asked him how he was in a quiet tone and he said he was 65 in an unsuspected tone.

To be honest, I am sure he was lying, but it proves he has super hearing!
I believe he is much older because he seemed quite frail with walking difficulties, he had a bony face yet his tattoo seemed freshly done.

Every now and then, I thought I was hearing things when I heard him utter some English such as "Thank you" and "very good".

Then he brought over the curry sauce which had some black bits, and he told me to pick it out with a toothpick which was funny, he kept insisting me to take it out which proved he had Super eyesight to see such a small black thing in the sauce!

As well as that he had super observation skills because he seemed to observe my puzzled look on the milk cap, so he showed me how it should be opened!

I was even more flabbergasted when I was taking photos of the milk, he saw what I was doing and pushed the other dishes out of the way to give me a clear background for that shot!!!!
This old man is real smart with photographic sense too!!!!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese old superman:

I could be wrong and he is probably not that old because Chinese people all look the same, just the same way Chinese people think all Westerners look the same!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried chicken leg and chips:

The fried spring chicken was sold out, so it was changed to this, there were a few chips scattered on the chicken leg which were perfectly golden, just the way I like my chips.
The chicken leg was juicy and not too salty, great with the curry sauce as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Walnut pie:

I have never seen anything like it in Hong Kong, so I can't say whether it is a retro style walnut pie or it is their unique style.
It looked like a thin lattice pie with walnuts and it was basically made with shortcrusted pastry with walnuts and lattice strips of pastry on top and baked.
There was a thin layer of paste in between the walnut and pastry too.
The taste was really nice and buttery with delicious walnuts, perfect with a real cup of English tea, but since there was no tea, the plain milk was good enough.
It was a bit like eating malted milk biscuits with milk.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Curry sauce:

The curry sauce was great for dipping the chips (A British thing).
As said earlier, there was a black thing (which you can see on the picture), most probably burnt bits from the pan, and the old guy with his super eyesight told me to use a toothpick to take it out and stressed it again and again because I did not do it immediately!
The curry sauce did not have a strong flavour, but it was nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dairy milk:

Milk is just milk and I do not normally drink milk on its own, but for some reason, the milk tasted nice with that walnut pie, and the bottle seemed special, so I kept drinking it.
I just had to post this photo and not waste the old mans effort moving the plates out of the way to give me a better shot! 
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I will probably come here again for the walnut lattice and check on the old Chinese superman   .
Hopefully the fried spring chicken is not sold out again because its cheaper than fried chicken elsewhere!

[Review 2896] Delicious spinach noodles in spinach soup @ 蟹麵膳 Crab Noodle

17/10/2013
蟹麵膳 Crab Noodle
中環租庇利街1號喜訊大廈地下A號舖
Shop A, G/F, Haleson Building, 1 Jubilee Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/delicious-spinach-noodles-in-spinach-soup-e2326192

I was attracted to this newly opened place because of the spinach noodles so went there.

It was located on the ground floor of Haleson Building which I have never even heard of.
When I got there, the building was kind of old so it was surprising there was a noodle restaurant in there.
There were quite a few customers there already.

I recognised one of the staff which happens to be from Pung Pung noodles in MK.

It just shows that the same creativity attracts the same people who admired it before.

Now, with a similar shop in Central, it allows more creativity because people are willing to pay more and expect more creative food.

For each of the choices there are five types of noodles to choose from: spinach, tomato, soba, egg or Yunnan thick rice noodles.
I chose the fresh crab in spinach soup with spinach noodles and soba noodles with crab wontons.

The drinks selection was good too, it was hard to choose because you can't try them elsewhere.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
crab in spinach soup with spinach noodles:

The spinach noodles that I had were different to the previous review because they changed it that day.
Judging by the photos, the previous ones were probably more al-dente.
The noodles were garnished with crabmeat, sweetcorn, fish roe and fried beancurd skin.
The soup was lovely and green with blended spinach in it, at first it was thick but towards the end, it went runny.

I would advise eating the crabmeat first before it disappears in the broth and you can't see it.

The the spinach soup was delicious, it was similar to cream of spinach soup but without the cream with finely grounded spinach.
The spinach noodles were also good too because it hung more soup to it as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
soba noodles with crab wontons:

The crab wontons were also nice but I preferred the spinach soup above.
The broth was good with a strong crab taste and the wontons had some fresh crabmeat inside.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweetcorn drink:


The sweetcorn drink was boiled with sweetcorn and sweetcorn tassels to give it an intense sweetcorn flavour.
At the bottom of the drink, there were sweetcorn pieces too.
It was a little bit too sweet at first but after the ice melted the sweetness was just right.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
While I was there, they were already being interviewed, so this place is going to be pretty busy!


The sesame oil they have here is really strong!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2858] Great fish and chips on the hills, not by the sea @ Seasalt

20/09/2013
Seasalt
半山摩羅廟街23號
23 Mosque Street, Mid-Levels
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-fish-and-chips-on-the-hills-not-by-the-sea-e2321294

When I found out about this place I really wanted to go especially if a Brit saids that an Oz style fish and chips are good.

At first I was a bit hesitant to go because it was located on the Mid Levels and they did not answer their phones.

I can understand they are not taking phone orders but it would be appreciated if they answered the phones so that I know it is open especially trekking a long distance from SK to the Mid levels.

I nearly gave up coming here because I was not familiar with the Mid Levels and did not have the slightest clue how to get there.

Anyway, since I really wanted to try their fish and chips I took my chances and hoped that it would be open because new restaurants often have special opening hours.

When I got there, I was greeted with bright blue stools and chequered tiles.
The front of the restaurant had open windows, lovely for breezy and cooler days.
There is a lovely view of trees with a sense of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the noisy city.

The food selection is listed on the side of the wall.

There was a 20% discount to celebrate its opening which turned out to be quite a deal since I saved about $6X.

Basically they offered three types of fish: Cod (Ling), Barramundi, Red Snapper served with chips, salad or rice.
There was a choice of beer battered or grilled fish.
For the fish, there were a choice of sauces such as tartar, ginger and soy, wasabi mayonnaise, sweet chili or garlic aioli.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The lot:

This is good if you want to try everything because it had calamari, haloumi cheese, prawn skewers, fish, chips and salad.
The chips were slightly disappointing because they were hand-cut and they just tasted like frozen crispy fries, they lacked the soft oilyness that fresh cut chips have.
The calamari was delicious because the batter was extremely light and the fish was great because the batter was extremely thin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cod with rice:

As I already chose chips for "The Lot", I decided to choose rice to go with the fish.
It was no ordinary rice which was why I chose it.
The rice was nutritious red rice mixed with red wine and coconut milk.


As you can see, the batter was thin and crispy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
A bit pricy, but I do want to come back.