[Review 1760] Home-made Cuisine and homely portions @ 愛吃家常便飯 Home-made Cuisine

11/09/2012
愛吃家常便飯 Home-made Cuisine
灣仔謝斐道379號地下6-7號舖
Shop 6-7, G/F, 379 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/home-made-cuisine-and-homely-portions-%E6%84%9B%E5%90%83%E5%AE%B6%E5%B8%B8%E4%BE%BF%E9%A3%AF-e2257187

Wanted to try this place because of the product pictures, they had a set dinner but I did not want to try it because there were other items I wanted to try.
The lotus patties were slightly different from what I expected they were meat patty on top of a sliced lotus root, usually they are both chopped up and fried.

I wanted to find out more about the Portuguese patty 葡式窩餅釀肉鬆 because obviously I do not know what a 窩餅 is so I asked what it was, she asked me if I knew what a 窩餅 was.
If I knew what that was, then I would obviously guessed it was a 窩餅 stuffed with minced pork as stated on the menu.
But I didn’t know so she said it is similar to a 窩 baa whatever that is.

Anyway ordered:
Stir fried prawns infused with healthy green tea Japanese wasabi and Tender duck stew sauteed with preserved red bean curd, hoi sin sauce and broccoli floret topped with beer

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried prawns infused with healthy green tea Japanese wasabi

The English was slightly different to the Chinese description, the Chinese description mentioned mint leaves but the deep fried leaves tasted nothing like mint, anyway they tasted like deep fried spinach.

Later asked the staff and they said it was chuen jiu leaves which I have no idea what they were.
The wasabi taste was strong but I could not taste any green tea or see any green tea leaves, perhaps they used a green tea powder.
The sugar snap peas were fresh and destringed.
I felt that this dish was a modernised version of the Hangzhou prawns cooked with Loongjeng tealeaves.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tender duck stew sauteed with preserved red bean curd, hoi sin sauce and broccoli florets topped with beer

This was the best tasting dish because it had my favourite red bean curd flavouring and the beer that was poured in was dark black.
They chose this beer because it has a strong malt taste that comes out.
It sounded like "Bore DAh something" in Chinese so I am guessing they mean BODDINGTONS??
The broccoli was eaten last after it soaked up all the sauce and it was delicious.
The duck was also good but there were too many brittle bones.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 1759] Mathy dishes in 2012 versus 2011 @ 麥菲茶餐廳 Mathy Cafe

11/09/2012
麥菲茶餐廳 Mathy Cafe
將軍澳毓雅里7號富麗花園地下3號舖
Shop 3, G/F, Finery Park, 7 Yuk Nga Lane, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/mathy-dishes-in-2012-versus-2011-e2257185

The dishes here in general taste good and the Chef has been very creative, however the Chef seems to have changed lately because the dishes have not been so creative.
Some dishes have been repeated on the menu such as the pickled vegetables with pork belly hakga style but not as good as it was a year ago.
Hope the food will taste like it did a year ago because there is a serious competitor nearby.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pickled vegetables with pork belly hakga style:
2011 - 將軍澳的麥菲茶餐廳 2011
The 2011 version was much better, the sauce was like gravy and the pickled vegetables were more prominent.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The 2012 version is very watery and it only had one type of pickled vegetables, in 2011 there were two different types.
Althought this is Hakga Style, I have tried the real thing at a Hakga village and it contains wood fungas as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crab with glass noodles - 2011
They offer a lot of crab dishes, the crab is fresh and meat comes off easily.
When the crabs are small, they will give you three.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 1758] 100% Liver broth satisfaction that is PIPING HOT! @ 維記咖啡粉麵 (深水埗) Wai Kee Noodle Cafe

11/09/2012
維記咖啡粉麵 (深水埗) Wai Kee Noodle Cafe
深水埗福榮街62號及66號地下/ 北河街165-167號地下D號
G/F, 62 & 67 Fuk Wing Street / Shop D, G/F, 165-167 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/100-liver-broth-satisfaction-that-is-piping-hot-e2257183

After eating at Hop Yick I was not that hungry so I wasn’t so bothered about queuing a long time for this restaurant to try their famous instant noodles with pig’s liver.

Finally got a seat so ordered the instant noodles with liver and before I even took my camera out the noodles had already arrived!

Even though it didn’t take a few minutes, there was so much hot steam coming from the noodles you could see how hot it was, but not yet hot enough to reach its fourth form Plasma!

Since the broth temperature was way above the boiling temperature it was a challenge to eat the noodles quickly before they went soft so I had to leave the livers last.

It was amazing to see all this hot air/steam coming off the noodles when you picked them up, I had to hold the noodles higher up in the air so that it had more surface area to cool.

I tried the soup and it was pure liver broth with some salt, it tasted exactly like the broth’s that Chinese families make to increase their diet with iron.

The spoon that was given was quite good too, it was rounded and could hold more contents.
The taste of the liver was great, they were thinly sliced and not bitter at all, there was a slight creaminess when you ate them.

After I finished noodles, the remaining broth still had piping hot air coming off it which was hard to photograph.

I have to come here again in the winter when it is not so hot and while I was there I found out that you can request to have the noodles hard which should give me more time to eat them before the rest goes soft.

They had toilets at this joint which was surprising.

On my way out I could understand why the temperature of the noodles and broth were almost going to reach Plasma State.
The fire was turned on to its max, the flames were almost taller than the saucepan and the saucepan was heated so much that contents inside were frothing and overflowing as if they applied nucleate boiling and superheating cooking these noodles.

For normal cooking no one would have the gas on that high, as there would be pretty much clean up afterwards on the stove and the evaporated liquid on the sides of the saucepan.
It also baffles me how the chef is able to handle the metal pot because the handle would be super hot!

[Review 1757] Shredded chicken in sesame sauce at the market @ 厚興瑜記手撕雞

11/09/2012

厚興瑜記手撕雞
灣仔石水渠街1號10號舖
Shop 10, 1 Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/shredded-chicken-in-sesame-sauce-at-the-market-e2257181

Found out about this shop from a hardcore fans who just reviewed this place only at the Tsuen Wan branch, initially I was not going to read more about this shop but when I saw the button for other branches I hesitated clicking it because I assumed the other branches would be in the Yuen Long area.

After clicking it, I was surprised to see that there are 21 branches, not only that they have so many branches in China too.
Over half of those branches listed on OpenRice are NEWLY listed too, mostly with 3-4 reviews on it.
There are quite a few with reviews by hardcore fans who joined OR to review this place only!!

It was surprisingly that they have an English menu as well.

Went to the Wan Chai Branch and did not have to queue as the other reviews suggested, but it was early in the day and they don’t sell rice or people could buy it for lunch.
I got some plain rice from another shop to go with it so it was ok.

Anyway, it costs $42 for half a chicken, but you get the bones as well which are placed beneath the chicken meat so half a chicken is only enough for one as there are quite a few bones.

The chicken was topped with lots of sesame and the sesame flavouring was mixed evenly all over the chicken.
It was nice and tender and not dry. However just the bones and chicken feet are really fatty.
The taste was strong but not too salty which was good and I hope they will come up with other flavours as well.

[Review 1756] Everyone’s day made a breeze with a treat from ABR @ 東海堂 Arome Bakery Room

11/09/2012
東海堂 Arome Bakery Room
金鐘金鐘道93號Lab Concept 金鐘廊F03號舖
Shop F03, LAB Concept, Queensway Plaza, 93 Queensway, Admiralty
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/everyones-day-made-a-breeze-with-a-treat-from-abr-e2257179

Even since Arome Bakery Room opened I have been a fan of their bakery.

I have tried most of their products at the Popcorn branch but recently I tried their breakfast series that were delicious and there are a few new and exclusive cakes at this branch so I had to come back for it.
Initially IVYCWK gave me a buy 3 get 1 free coupon which I was going to use however when I got there the ones I wanted to buy were sold out so decided to get it another day.

However I was so lucky to get a chance to try their other cakes because Seaton could not make it and thanks to Mjqueenie7e and IVYCWK for bringing me along and last but not least the pretty representative from Arome Bakery Room.

When we got there, there was a hoard of people buying cakes. Admiralty is the best location so far because there are offices nearby where people can treat themselves to cakes during lunch or a cake after work.
As well as cakes they also do breakfast which I tried earlier and they had salads and sandwiches too.

Near the counter they had ginger syrups that are good for colds and they cost cheaper than buying them online.
They also had boxed teas for sale, which is an essential drink especially with cakes.
It would be good if the tea could be sold there as a beverage on the a la carte menu because I would certainly pay extra for that instead of the ordinary Hong Kong style teas and there are so many Westerners around that area too.
Although I haven’t tried the ginger syrup but that could be a winter drinks special.

I really think that Arome Bakery Room should have an independent website from Arome Bakery which is green and white because the branding is vastly different from the Arome Bakery line.
They already have nice pictures they could use on the website, which is similar to the Korean website Skinfood.
It would be a new and girly website made simple and there could be a section where you can click the cakes you want by its picture and select a time to collect, votes for the prettiest cakes, download wallpapers of the cakes and the theme of the shop etc.
Their branding is also successful because they have consulted Chieko Go from Japan who has been a successful consultant for famous cafes etc.

Anyway back to the cakes, I finally got to try the Sea Salt cinnamon and banana cake, mille feuille which are EXCLUSIVE at this branch!! I tried to get it before but it was always SOLD OUT!!!
But there are still other cakes I want to try such as the amazake cake.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate and passionfruit cake
Last time I did not get to try this but it was good the chocolate mousse was not too sweet and the passionfruit layer was refreshing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mille Feuille exclusive at this branch

In comparison to other Mille Feuilles, the size of this one was rather big and the custard filling was cool and soothing, the sweetness was just right.
The pastry was flakey but not too buttery which was good.
I was really surprised it tasted exactly the same as the ones in UK so I am definitely going to get it again if it is not sold out!
It would be good if there was another version using the same pastry, instead of custard they could have cream with some strawberry/raspberry jam and on the top layer iced (just like iced buns).
The mille feuille here is baked into large sheets approximately A4 size and cut into smaller pieces to make the mille feuilles.
It looks visually nice that one side of the top is dusted with icing sugar.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chunky caramel mousse chocolate cake

I tried this last because the taste was the strongest however I could not taste the caramel.
The crunchy bits were nice though.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green tea eclair

The eclairs have kept their standard, they look and taste the same as the ones at the TKO branch but there are less green tea leaves on top. The filling inside was silky smooth green tea filling flavoured custard.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sea Salt cinnamon and banana cake exclusive at this branch

The bottom layer was hazelnut egg white cake and it was filled with chunky banana pieces and lovely light buttercream that was white.
Initially I thought it was pieces of banana stuck at the sides of the cake but when I dug into the cake, the width of the banana pieces were same as the width of the cake!
All credits definitely go to the salted whipped buttercream because it was gently salted.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
New French custard tarts


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 1755] Rice Rolls al-dente style and I like it @ 合益泰小食 Hop Yik Tai

10/09/2012
合益泰小食 Hop Yik Tai
深水埗桂林街121號地舖
G/F, 121 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/rice-rolls-al-dente-style-and-i-like-it-e2256992

Finally found out where this place was located after trying the place for second best rice rolls in SSP.
I missed it on my initial visit because the seating area is behind the counter.

Unfortunately I cannot compare like with like in this case since the rice roll at the other place was different.
Here I just had the plain rice rolls and pork shaomai.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Plain rice rolls
As I do not like the sesame sauce I asked for it without, when it came the rice rolls were in soy sauce. After trying the soy sauce, the soy sauce tasted like watered down soy sauce that was not salty so I added some chilli sauce, soy sauce and sweet sauce from the table to it.

I did not experience the “silkiness” as others described it but it may have been the sesame sauce that gives it this effect.
However the texture of the rice rolls were extremely al-dente and I loved it, it gives me a sense of fullness after I have eaten it.
When noodles/rice are too soft, it feels like you haven’t really eaten anything.
But after a while, the rice rolls get soft after absorbing the soy sauce, so next time I will just ask for PLAIN rice rolls without any sauce so they remain al-dente.
The rice rolls have been rolled really taut and the diameter is slightly smaller than the usual ones.
I will definitely be back for these rice rolls again.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pork Shaomai:
I did not know they were pork when I ordered them because it just said $9 for 3 and did have any other information on whether it was fish, pork or beef.
The colour of it looked like beef and when I ate it, there were so many pieces of diced shiitake mushrooms and it tasted exactly like the shaomai at Health Works. However the texture of the shaomai here were much chewier and there was lots of flour in the mixture.
After reading the reviews on OpenRice, it appears that it is pork.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 1754] Ku Cool Durianlicious grass jelly drink @ 小甜谷 Xiao Tian Gu

07/09/2012
小甜谷 Xiao Tian Gu
尖沙咀廣東道3-27號海港城海運大廈LCX 3樓7E1號舖
Shop 7E1, 3/F, LCX, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/ku-cool-durianlicious-grass-jelly-drink-%E5%B0%8F%E7%94%9C%E8%B0%B7-e2256556

Although the main branch is in Tai Hang, I have never tried it before, but when I walked past this branch and looked at the menu they had various durian drinks, which seemed nice, so decided to try that.
There were other items I wanted to try such as the milk pudding but this is only available at the Tai Hang branch.

I did not know SiuTimGuk [Xiao Tian Gu] was opened by Jo but that explains why there is a GUK in the name and so many celebrity photos on the wall.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Durian drink with grass jelly:

When it came, almost half the cup was filled with grass jelly, which was rather generous.
I was really surprised it tasted nice and not too sweet, it was lovely and creamy and not icy.
They put real durian and not flavouring however I think they chose a durian that did not have strong flavours incase some people were not keen on Durian.
As well as grass jelly they also had some sago in the drink too.
All in all, it tasted like a lovely thick milkshake without the ice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate pudding:

Again another surprise! The jelly was the reason why I got the pudding because the jelly was glistening like gold, but I could not taste any alcohol as mentioned in the other reviews.
Although there was no alcohol taste, the chocolate taste was really nice and chocolately because there was a good balance and cocoa and milk. There are some chocolate puddings that just taste of strong cocoa or just milky but this one tasted like melted Galaxy chocolate mixed with Gelatin.
When I put the spoon in it, I was surprised the dessert was quite firm to the extent that it came off the bowl cleanly.
The texture could be described as curded plastic or those steamed chinese puddings such as bootjaigo but with a really firm texture.

The orange jelly on top was even firmer than the pudding, which was quite appropriate, because it made chocolate pudding not so firm in comparison.
As well as jelly the pudding was topped with orange rind and crushed cashew nuts which also complemented the pudding nicely.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★