[Review 307] No MSG Healthy meal series @ 大快活 Fairwood

14/06/2009
將軍澳坑口培成路15號蔚藍灣畔1樓126-127號舖
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/no-msg-healthy-meal-series-e2003704

Fairwood have introduced a no MSG series to promote healthy meals, which also includes a fruit. In away it reminds me of the meals at the hospitals served in trays with a fruit.

Firstly I rarely go to any fast food chains, such as Fairwood, Maxims, so I was a bit unfamiliar with the ordering and collection style.
I ordered a takeout, after paying for it, I collected my ticket and assumed to pass it to the food counter.
However it turns out that ticket is for my reference, and you collect it, when the number is called.

Anyway I ordered the fried chicken in peach sauce with rice, and waited a while for it to be ready. I was quite impressed, the staff brought me over the food when it was ready, so I didnt have to go to the counter to collect it.

The chicken did taste crunchy as claimed, and no MSG as stated, with the expected sweet sauce from the peach.
Their no MSG series, works in the sense that the dishes in that range do not really need MSG, they are sweet and sours, or citrus flavours, so those flavours give it a strong flavour based, without really requiring MSG.
Also the Italian dishes is a right choice for their no MSG series, since MSG is mostly found in Asia, and Italian dishes contain mostly tomato and herbs which gives it flavour.

[Review 306] Australian icecream with a twist of Italian-US @ Gelare

Gelare 10/06/2009
旺角登打士街56號家樂坊G03舖
Shop G03, Gala Place, 56 Dundas Street, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/australian-icecream-with-a-twist-of-italian-us-e2002634

First time I visited this ice-cream parlour, I was not immediately attracted, the flavours were the ordinary ones you can get for any other brand.

After visiting their site, www.gelare.com it turns out there are much more better flavours, but not in hong kong. If they had been available I would have tried without hesitation.

The flavours I want to try that are not available in Hong Kong are:
Geláre Super Premium Ice Cream Butter Pecan, Geláre Low Fat Frozen Yogurts Apple Pie Crunch and Geláre New Flavors Asian Ginger Fig Ice Cream.

So in the end I tried Honey malt crunch, and low fat hazelnut, the honey malt one was sweet with bits of malt in it, but not crunchy, the hazelnut was quite good too with plenty of hazelnuts to chew on, both not crunchy, but chewyness with a slight hardness.
The ice-cream texture was very soft that you can stretch it, a bit like mado's, but not as elastic.

[Review 305] New setting with more choice @ 新記芝士麵茶餐廳

10/06/2009
灣仔灣仔道l51-163號新世紀廣場地下G11至G14號舖
Shop G11-G14, New Century Plaza, 151-163 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/new-setting-with-more-choice-e2002632

I tried to visit this place, when they opened their first shop in Wanchai, never made it, and after they relocated, finally paid a visit to this one in the backstreets of Wanchai.

Ordered the signature noodles in cheese sauce wtih enoki mushrooms and crabsticks.
Quite glad these were available to pick, as I am not that fond of fried egg, ham, chinese red sausage and stuff like that.

All went well together.

[Review 304] Afternoon Deal @ 莎巴馬來西亞餐廳 Sabah Malaysian Cuisine

莎巴馬來西亞餐廳 Sabah Malaysian Cuisine 10/06/2009
灣仔謝斐道98-102號仁文大廈地下4及5號舖
G/F., Shop 4-5., 98-102 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/afternoon-deal-at-sabah-e2002512

I have always wanted to come here for lunch, but always too many people.

Came one late afternoon for tea, and had Instant noodles in Pork bone tea, and roti with curry sauce.
The noodles were the best, I dont usually order it, as i find the fried dough sticks too greasy, and the soup with at least a 2mm thick oil film.
I have to admit the soup is much better than all the other pork bone teas in hong kong, the taste of this one matches the one at Mr Steak a La Buffet when they offer it, except stronger.

The soup has a strong taste of red dates, and slight dong gwai herb, but drinkable.
The instant noodles also taste good too in this broth, luckily they are not that soft when they arrive, and it absorbs the broth whilst softening, giving it flavour.

The pork ribs are rather good too, at least they have meat on it, not the fatty, tough ones that have been boiled and boiled until served.

The roti, was good, not greasy, went well with the curry sauce, it also went well dipped in the pork rib tea.

Even at 5.45, it was continually being filled with customers either for last minute afternoon tea, or early dinner.

Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery, so no pictures were taken.

[Review 303] Apple Fritter @ 星巴克咖啡 Starbucks

05/06/2009 星巴克咖啡 Starbucks \\
灣仔皇后大道東248號萬誠保險中心地下G5-G6A號舖
Queen's Road East
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/apple-fritter-e2001184

Finally had a spare moment to try the apple fritter, the actual product is slightly different to what I was expecting, after referring to Wikipedia, the Starbucks version is an American one as opposed to the British one.
The British one is apple dipped in batter and fried, and the american is more like donut texture, and then covered in icing.

Tasted quite nice, but just like a donut to me.

The hygiene could have been improved, there was a little bug flying to devour my donut, I tried to usher it away with my hand, and my fork went flying, a bit embarrassing if I hadn't stopped it, it would have probably hit the person in front.

[Review 302] Tofu @ 阿土麵線

04/06/2009
灣仔柯布連道3號修頓中心地下
G/F, Southorn Centre, 3 O'brien Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/other-new-snacks-e2001092

When this place opened in Wanchai, they only served the Taiwanese noodles, probably not attracting as many customers as it should.
Wanchai is a town packed with offices, and its location is not really a place for people to stop by to have a piping hot snack.

At lunch, for convenience sake, people will just go out to eat or buy a filling lunchbox and rush back to their offices, for money sake, I think they would rather have one filling item, than buy several things to fill them up. Also around $2x the typical HK person could get a lunch with that.

So the new snacks, could be an option for lunch, as they now serve rices.

However the snack I tried today was brine tofu in loshui sauce.
The tofu is a firm yet smooth, the one that is immersed in brine.
The presentation was good too, plenty of sauce, spring onions and grated carrots (red ones).
If there was an extra bowl or another paper bowl to support the plastic bowl, it would have been better, the dish was too hot for my sensitive hands. Although the tofu was firm, I would have preferred a fork.
Each portion is an individual block of tofu served as a portion, which is better than the ones in the shop where they can give you corners and edges.
The tofu is fully flavoured and soaked right to the middle in the loshui sauce.

[Review 301] Honey angel cake @ 星巴克咖啡 Starbucks

04/06/2009 Starbucks 星巴克咖啡
將軍澳厚德邨厚德商場159-160號舖
Shop 159-160 Hau Tak Shopping Centre, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/honey-angel-cake-e2001085

I rarely go to Starbucks these days, as Pacific Coffee is always nearby, and I can always grab the regular quiches, sandwiches and whatever takes my fancy.

This visit, I came with intention to try their Honey Malt Cake, which is the same one advertised by Maxims as the Angel Chiffon cake.
I would have tried the Maxims one, but it comes as a whole cake.

Anyway, the one here, had the honey comb pieces in a separate little dish.
When I ordered it, the staff asked me if I wanted it to be heated, which is rather weird, cos the cream would melt.
She then passed me the cake, which annoyed me a bit, cos I had the expectation to add the honeycomb pieces myself and sprinkle it where I want.

In general the cake tasted very nice, very soft, not too sweet, and the honey comb pieces gave it some extra sweetness.

I wanted to try their Apple fritter, but I will save it for the next time.