[Review 1778]Loving green tea and loving green vegetarian food @ 川善茶居 Sinmei Tea

18/09/2012
川善茶居 Sinmei Tea
上環永樂街50號昌盛大廈5樓
5/F, CS Tower, 50 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/loving-green-tea-and-loving-green-vegetarian-food-e2258543

Although I am not a vegetarian I really love vegetarian food especially soy steaks and western style vegetarian because they are not greasy.
I was in Sheung Wan and suddenly decided to pop over to Sin Mei, on way my there I bumped into the owner.
Since my last visit, they now have a kitten and more food choices which are vegetarian.

The main thing I came for was the tofu burger and the Perrier series, however the tofu burger was sold out so I ordered the club sandwich instead and the Jasmine Blossom.

There are four drinks in the Perrier series: Jasmine Blossom, Loving Matcha, Rose Island, Honey on the rock.
The drinks not only sound fun but are made with a cocktail of ingredients that go nice together.

Since I ordered the sandwich it only costs $20 more for a drink
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Matcha soul with rose:

This was a treat from the owners and not on the menu because the Matcha Soul original does not contain rose.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jasmine Blossom:

I really liked this, it was visually stunning as expected with lovely Jasmine Sorbet.
It was not sweet either which was good and the lime and Jasmine were a refreshing and light combination.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Club Sandwich:


It smelt really nice! I think they have a talent cooking the eggs because last time I came here, someone else ordered eggs and you could smell it sitting a table away.
The egg in the sandwich was similar to scrambled egg, it was light and fluffy and I loved the tea leaves sprinkled on it too.
The vital ingredient to this perfect sandwich was the mayonnaise, it was proper mayonnaise and not Chinese salad cream.
The sandwich itself was great because the bread was embedded with lots of barley and it was crispy as well as light.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
To try: Matcha affogato:
On my way out I spotted Matcha affogato which I must try next time!!
It would be fun pouring hot matcha on to icecream.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 1777]TST branch was heaven, the TinHau Branch was hell @ 文華雞飯（新加坡）

18/09/2012
文華雞飯（新加坡）
天后琉璃街7號柏景中心地下
G/F, Parkview Centre, 7 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/tst-branch-was-heaven-the-tinhau-branch-was-hell-e2258535

Previously I used to dine at the TST branch because the chicken there was good so when this branch opened I did not hesitate to go and try it when I saw the recent reviews.

The interior is basically the same and left how it was from the RED FRUIT TREE, one of the female staff that used to work at the RED FRUIT TREE was retained and now works under the Mandarin Chicken.
Anyway, the service was not that friendly and she grouped the people to sit in one area.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rice in chicken oil:
I tried the rice first before trying the chicken or vegetables and I couldnt believe how salty it was!
How could the rice be saltier than the main dishes?
But considering the stingy portion of chicken, it was thoughtful of them to make the rice overly salty because when the chicken and vegetables were finished there was still a decent half bowl of rice left so the rice could not be tasteless~~
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken:
The portion of chicken was plain stingy, after removing the skin which was extremely fatty and thick there was not much left!!
The amount of chicken after removing the skin!

++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chicken at the TST branch:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vegetables:
This was blanched kale and there was nothing special about it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup:
The soup was chicken soup and tasted like soup made from boiling overnight chicken bones and meat.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ginger puree sauce:

Ginger water with solid chicken oil floating
The chicken is supposed to taste nicer when it is dipped with ginger puree, but in the ginger pot there was no ginger puree left, it was just ginger water remaining with bits of chicken oil that had solidified and floating on top!~!
I also stirred the pot of ginger sauce and it was mainly ginger water and there was so little puree in it! See blog for video.
The picture below shows the ginger sauce at the TST branch which is much more decent.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2200614

[Review 1776] Noodles served in a dinky metal pot HKD29 since 2000 @ 烏龍苑 Woo Lung Yuen

18/09/2012
烏龍苑 Woo Lung Yuen
天后威非路道4號金都洋樓地下
G/F, 6A Whitefield Rd,, Tin Hau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/noodles-served-in-a-dinky-metal-pot-since-2000-e2258496

After checking the reviews I came here especially for the noodles served in a metal pot.
Not many places in Hong Kong serve these Taiwanese style noodles in a metal pot, although these noodles are a common thing in the Kaoshiang part of Taiwan.
I was more surprised to find out from the reviews that this place has been opened since 2000 but there are not many reviews despite it is within walking distance from Victoria park and Tin Hau MTR.

As a standard, these noodles come in the pot served in a broth and there are so many choices you can pick to go with the noodles.
The size of the metal pot was about 5 inches in diameter (12 cm).
I should have picked the second one because it has pork knuckles and chickens wings but the name did not really mention it so I picked the one with beef balls.

Anyway, the broth was not too salty which was good.
The noodles were interesting because they are different from the Hong Kong ones, they are the ones used in Taiwanese oyster noodles.

At first the noodles were quite hard, after a while they went soft and the noodles had some slippery surface on it which was hard to explain.

I would definitely come back for these noodles but the noodles I had this time were rancid, the oily odour had been absorbed by the noodles so they did not taste that pleasant.

[Review 1775] Affogato @ JHD American Gourmet & Bar

17/09/2012
JHD American Gourmet & Bar
深水埗欽州街37號西九龍中心3樓306號舖
Shop 306, 3/F, Dragon Centre, 37 Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/affogato-jhd-american-gourmet-bar-e2258423

JHD's has been opened for quite a while in Sham Shui Po but there were always things to eat before I got to it.
Again I was full this time but decided to look at the menu for fun.

The Affogato which was a drink stood out on the product shot menu, so I got that.
I am not a coffee lover but it had ice-cream so I decided to get that.
At this joint you have to order and pay first at the counter and then find a seat and sit down.
Near the counter there were some green plants/trees which was relaxing and a change of scenery.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Affogato HKD38:
Forgot to take a picture of the product shot but they had rainbow sprinkles which I do not like so I asked for it without.
When it arrived the hot coffee was in a separate glass and the other glass had the ice-cream and marshmallows.
The hot coffee was poured on the ice-cream in front of you.
The ice-cream melted quite quickly leaving some marshmallows floating on top.
Overall I quite liked it even though I do not drink coffee because of the sweetness of the icecream was balanced out by the extreme bitterness of the coffee.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 1774 ] Chomp chomp yummy pickled Chinese radish @ 劉森記麵家 Lau Sum Kee Noodle

17/09/2012
劉森記麵家 Lau Sum Kee Noodle
深水埗桂林街48號地下
G/F, 48 Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/chomp-chomp-yummy-pickled-chinese-radish-e2258420

Apart from Wai Kee’s this is another famous place for noodles in Sham Shui Po, they are famous for noodles with dried shrimp roe sprinkled on top served with black ox tripe.
As well as the noodles they are famous for the pickled white radish too.
I am not fond of ox tripes so I ordered the noodles with beef tendons.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup:
Tasted like MSG soup!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Noodles with beef tendons sprinkled with prawn roe:
The noodles were lovely and soft and adhered lots of sauce and dried shrimp roes so it was delicious.
However there was lard in the mixture so I had to eat them fast because when they cooled down, you can smell the lard.
The soup that was included was useful for rinsing off the lard if you did not like it.
The beef tendons were soft and gelatinous and full of flavour.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pickles:

I really loved chomping these chunky Chinese white radishes because they were lightly pickled and there was still some raw radish taste in it.
They were really refreshing and balanced out the lard from the noodles.
Although they were pickled with chili’s the radish was not spicy.
The jars of pickled Chinese white radishes were passed round the tables because they did not seem to have enough jars for every table.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
In my opinion not many places in Hong Kong serves noodles with shrimp roe for this price hence this place stands out because it offers it and does not taste too bad.
The last decent noodle shop I tried with dried shrimp roe was 楊記麵家 Yeung's Noodle in Wan Chai, which was also cheap.

My review @ Yeung’s
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=1987629

Next time I will come back and try the noodles in soy sauce.

[Review 1773] Pandanmania and a cheap fix in general @ 健盈坊 Kin Ying Fong

17/09/2012
健盈坊 Kin Ying Fong
北角馬寶道41-47號華寶商業中心地下5號舖
Shop 5, G/F, Workingberg Commercial Building, 41-47 Marble Road, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/pandanmania-and-a-cheap-fix-in-general-e2258369

Went past this dessert shop and noticed they had quite a few items with pandan so decided to go in, however they were sold out so I had to come another day.
These pandan items must be a popular item or they only make a few portions because they are not often ordered.

Came back another day just to try the dumplings, I also ordered the rice rolls because eating sweet items on an empty stomach doesnt feel that good.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rice Rolls:
The rice rolls were quite firm and the smell of rice flour was very strong.
The sauces were all on the table including sesame as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pandan glutinous dumplings with green tea stuffing in ginger soup:

There were five dumplings served in ginger soup.
This was my favourite, the filling inside was slightly starchy however the pandan taste was really light.
If the pandan flavouring was stronger it would taste better.
The sweetness of the ginger soup was just right and not too sweet which was really impressive.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pandan sago, black glutinous rice and coconut jelly:
Again, the sweetness was just right but the pandan flavouring again was too light and the milky taste in the pudding was so much more prominent than the pandan.
The rice at the bottom was nice and chewy and not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
To Try next time:
Dragonfruit jelly
Pandan dumplings in sweet almond soup

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Nice and neat inside:

Cutlery nicely held in a glass tumbler
Anyway, this joint is located on Marble Road where North Point street market is located.
Even though the market stalls start closing around 7, this dessert joint closes at 11pm at night, and their desserts are really cheap.
When I paid for the bill I was so surprised the amount came to $28 only!!!!!!!!!!

[Review 1772] Tofu and pork blood curd stew @ 小辣椒 Little Chilli

15/09/2012
小辣椒 Little Chilli
北角北角道33號
No. 33, North Point Road, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/tofu-and-pork-blood-curd-stew-little-chili-e2257882

Close to City Garden Hotel, this place is a popular place for Mainlanders who like spicy foods and they can pay using the RMB with a 20% discount as well.
The restaurant was cramped and extremely noisy.
I came here especially to try the tofu and pork blood stew because it looked good in the previous reviews.
Interesting plate they used for the bowls:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried Sour pickled vegetables and duck breast:
I was really disappointed with this dish, if I had known it was those processed smoked ducks breasts I would not have ordered it, the smoked aroma did not go well with the pickled vegetables.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ham and Chicken Fried Rice:
I should have picked plain rice, the plain rice would have gone better with the dishes.
Anyway, it had the oily odour from the metal pan which I do not like.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tofu and pork blood curds:
I came here especially for this but it was tasteless, both the tofu and blood curds just tasted like unseasoned tofu and blood curds.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★