[Review 2410] Chengdu style heart warming hot pot for winter @ 合江小鎮 He Jiang

18/12/2012
合江小鎮 He Jiang
灣仔皇后大道東387-397號麗都酒店1樓
1/F, Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong, 387-397 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/chengdu-style-heart-warming-hot-pot-for-winter-e2274647

Before they had the Chengdu hot pot, I found out about this place from photos of the Beancurd with shrimps and salty egg yolk.

I was so lucky to be invited by Isaac to try out the Chengdu hot pot as well as the beancurd.

For the Chendu hot pot they had two broths, one which was not spicy and the other was spicy.
I used the spicy broth as a dipping sauce so I got the best of both worlds.

We sampled some dishes before starting the gourmet hot pot.
Most of the dishes were my first time trying them except for the chicken in wine.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sliced pork served with garlic and chili sauce:


The pork was thinly sliced and rolled up and put on a bed of chili oil topped with garlic puree.
The chili oil was quite spicy but manageable and with the garlic it tasted really nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jelly fish marinated in spring onion oil

This was my favourite because the texture of the Jelly fish was quite crunchy and the crunchy texture is similar to Octopus mouths. I was later told that the Jelly fish here was also the mouth part.
The spring onion oil they used was really fragrant, it had been pre-cooked giving it that delicious flavour similar to the spring onion oil used for dipping chicken.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Huadiao wine marinated “drunken” chicken


The wine the chicken was submerged in was nice and strong and chicken meat had fully absorbed the wine.
The texture of the chicken was lovely and silky too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bean curd with shrimps and salty egg yolk
This was the highlight of the starters because I have always wanted to try this Thanks to Isaac.
It is best eaten hot while the egg yolk is most flavoursome.
The combination of delicate beancurd and salty egg yolk was delcious and the peas gave it some sweetness as well as visual contrast.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep-fried marinated fish:


These were pieces of deep fried fish which were surprisingly crispy and the bones were edible too.
Even though the texture of the fish was crispy, it was not fibrous nor bitter.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
After finishing the starters, we moved on to the great hot pot!
There were two broths and lots of sauces and condiments for dipping.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fresh Water Herring with Dried Date and wolfberry Soup:
Tried the soup before putting the items in.
The soup tasted really delicate, especially the taste of the fish.
Visually you could also see the apples and tomatoes in the broth.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spicy Sichuan Style Soup:
I used this was a dipping sauce and it was not as spicy as I imagined it to be but it was quite nice because it had so many herbs and spices in the soup.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hotpot items:
Sichuan Vermicelli

Chicken testes
Dried beancurd sheets
US oysters
Luncheon Meat
Sliced Japanese Pork
Sliced Supreme Beef
Diced Angus Beef
Prawns
Mushroom and Minced Pork Balls
Sliced Lotus Roots
Mushrooms


The most memorable one was the luncheon meat because it absorbs all the soup flavouring, and the pork and beef were thinly sliced which made it easy to cook and the texture of the meat was nice and tender too.
They had chicken testes which people either hate or love. I actually like them because they taste like the fish roe of dover sole fishes. They are slightly rubbery and spongy!
The sichuan vermicelli looked very different after it was cooked, it was transparent and jelly like.
One of the meatballs had mushroom and pork filling inside and it was a nice surprise.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lastly for dessert there was this pudding made with glutinous rice and this is the first dessert I have tried that has meat in it.
When I saw it, I thought it looked like a Christmas pudding.

Fried glutinous rice with red bean paste:
The glutinous rice in this dessert was soft and gooey with granulated sugar sprinkled on top.
It was actually quite nice because the glutinous rice was really soft and the outer layer was panfried so that it was crispy and the sugar gave it some depth and texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2139] Awfully cute box for hei chocolate icecream @ Awfully Chocolate

16/12/2012
Awfully Chocolate
中環士丹利街21號皇后中心1樓5號舖
Shop 5, 1/F, Queen's Place, 21 Stanley Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/awfully-cute-box-for-hei-chocolate-icecream-e2274443

The first thing that made me notice Awfully Chocolate was their icecream boxes when they first opened.

There are now more branches of Awfully chocolate and you can now also get Awfully chocolate cookies and chocolate bars at 7-11.

However on my first visit I did not try their icecream, instead I tried their superstacked chocolate cake and the butterscotch cake.

Thanks to LemonTea who gave me a coupon for a single scoop of icecream at AC.
I finally had the fun of eating icecream from a mini takeaway box just like the ones in America!
The box was so nice and too cute that i kept the box after indulging the icecream.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
hei icecream:

In Chinese, it is black, and Hei is the mandarin phonics for black.
I loved the chocolate icecream because the texture was really thick and dense,
The chocolate cocoa taste was really intense too with a slight twinge of bitterness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
On my next visit I hope to try the cold poached icecream which is always sold out.

[Review 2138] Earl grey tea ice cream @ Lab Made 分子雪糕專門店

15/12/2012
Lab Made 分子雪糕專門店 (Lab Made Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Laboratory
大坑布朗街6號地下
G/F, 6 Brown Street, Tai Hang
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/earl-grey-tea-ice-cream-lab-made-e2274438

I was back at Lab Made this time because they had Earl Grey flavoured ice cream.
Recently I missed out on their HK custard bun flavour which I am really gutted because custard buns tastes really nice and if the mooncake flavoured icecream could taste nice, then a nice flavour could certainly tasted really nice.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Earl grey tea ice cream:

The icecream was really creamy and tasted exactly like frozen tea.
However there were no surprises such as finding tea leaves in the icecream such as tea icecream served at Teakha.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anyway, I am looking forward to more new flavours!!

[Review 2137] A nice place for tea divas @ Teavers

15/12/2012
Teavers
西灣河鯉景灣蘇豪東B區太康街45號地下GB22號舖
Shop GB22, G/F, 45 Tai Hong Street, Site B, Soho East, Lei King Wan, Sai Wan Ho
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-nice-place-for-tea-divas-at-teavers-e2274436

I have always wanted to try Teavers ever since I saw photos of the siphon glowing with plasmic colours which practically draws everyones attention.
Tea houses are just the place for people who do not drink coffee.

I would have gone sooner but it had been raining for the past few weeks.
Teavers is also located in East Soho which is quite far for some but there is an exhibition of a ship nearby featured on a earlier review which people could visit or they could catch the ferry to Yau Tong and have seafood after tea.

Anyway, I would just like to Thank Teavers for inviting me to experience their lovely teas and tea related products.

When you sit down, they give a tray of clear glass containers with tea leaves which you can smell and see which ones you like the most especially for beginners because each person has their own acquired taste.

The teas were colour coded too. For strong teas the siphon was used.


The teas that I chose were not strong hence the siphon was not used. I thought I missed the opportunity to take photos of the siphon in action by luckily it was in action in one of my photos.


They had lots of attractive teaware on display too.

As a tea lover I could not resist trying the traditional tea and the tea fusion.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Iced Oolong with grapefruit juice tea:


When I asked about this tea, I was thrilled to learn it was made with real grapefruit juice and not grapefruit syrup.
The taste was so nice I drank half a glass in one go.
The sweetness was just right too and not syrupy and it really quenched thirst which is what a good drink should do and not make you quench for another drink.
The icecubes are made of tea too which will not dilute the drink.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Osthmanthus and oolong tea Jelly:

The jelly texture was similer to kanten, it was slightly tough.
The sweetness was just right and there were bits of pear in the jelly.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mushroom and spinach quiche tarts:
These were cute bite sized quiches filled with mushroom and spinach.
I would have preferred it if it was more savory because I found it slightly sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jasmine tea:


To finish off I had the hot jasmine tea.
There were two types of Jasmine, Jasmine leaves and Jasmine pearls. This was the reason why their tea sample was extremely useful because I could find out which Jasmine I preferred.
I chose the Jasmine leaves because it was the one I preferred the scent of even though the Jasmine pearl was a better quality. I found the Jasmine pearl too fragrant for me.

The cookies that came with it were really nice and infused with tea flavouring. It was really good the buttery taste was not that strong or it would have overpowered the tea taste. They reminded me of the cookies at Clover.
It was thoughtful there was a cup of hot water too, to cleanse the palate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Next time I shall try the hazelnut monkey tea latte and the chocolate mint truffle which is chocolate and mint leaves

[Review 2136] 3.6 hokkaido milk egg white tart that rings bells @ 東海堂 Arome Bakery Room

14/12/2012
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/3-6-hokkaido-milk-egg-white-tart-that-rings-bells-e2274343

Stay calm, its not a fire alarm, its the bell that rings when the 3.6 hokkaido milk egg white tarts come out of the oven.

Arome Bakery Room has just launched the new 3.6 hokkaido milk egg white tart which is made from three simple ingredients, 3.6 hokkaido milk, egg white and cream.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
3.6 hokkaido milk egg white tart:


I really liked this, the sweetness was just right and the filling was extremely creamy and silky.
The egg white and hokkaido milk tasted really nice together.
The tart base was made of buttery shortcrust pastry which was really nice with the creaminess of the hokkaido milk and egg white.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Strawberry and pistachio mousse:
The base of the cake was soft and I really liked that because the strawberry was really light and the pistachio filling in the middle was extremely nutty and buttery reinforced by the strawberry sauce on top.
Quoted from an my earlier review: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2262501
Sweet Purple potato mousse cake:
I don’t usually like purple potato as a dessert but just tried it anyway.
I was surprised I really liked it.
It had that starchy texture that I didn’t like however the sweet potato puree was really fine so the starchiness was silky.
Also the mousse inside was extremely silky and light, so the two were a good combination.
In the centre there was more purple potato filling but a little coarser and there were pieces of apple to refresh the palate as well.
Although it was not too sweet to start off, it got sweeter towards the end.
The base of this cake was interesting it was chewy and I liked it!
After one day of refrigeration it tastes even better because the purple potato puree is much thicker.
Quoted from an my earlier review: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2232267
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
It has been good seeing Arome Bakery Room constantly improve, they did not have carrier bags before but now they do which saves the box and cakes getting wet in the heavy rain.
The carrier bags have been designed to fit their cake boxes too.
There are other new products too for sale and some Christmas cakes for the festive season.

[Review 2135] Yonge Piggies at Piggy high @ Yonge Piggies

13/12/2012
Yonge Piggies
上環蘇杭街1號地下
G/F, 1 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/yonge-piggies-at-piggy-high-e2274264

I was attracted to this place because of the original names of the hotdogs ie Prom queen, The Nerd and Head Prefect which all reminded me of American High school.
However when I got there, the names were slightly changed, it was just the choice of sausage.
I also went to this place because of the wide variety of condiments such as diced beetroot and sauerkraut.
However it was not self-service so it was slightly disappointing.

There were so many sauces too, but the most important thing is whether the sauces/condiments and sausage go together in terms of taste.

The decor of this place felt quite American too with partial alfresco dining over looking the road and there was a painted hot red step ladder attached to the ceiling.

The ceiling reminded of a fire station because of the red painted thick piping.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hickory smoked:


In the end, I chose the smoked sausage with extra cheese sauce.
I wanted to try the yuzi sesame sauce but it was difficult pairing it with the toppings I chose such as beetroot and cheese.
First impressions, it looked like hot dog covered in puke!
The sausage was quite big and scored so that it would cook better. The smokey taste in the sausage was strong and the sausage itself was very juicy.
The bun was a lovely buttered bun.
Overall the hotdog did not impress me because I felt that it was slightly overpriced.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2134] Purple yam cheesecake $68 set vs $65 for a whole cake @ niji bistro, Noritake - Gifts

13/12/2012
niji bistro, Noritake - Gifts
尖沙咀廣東道3-27號海港城港威商場3樓3208號舖
Shop 3208, 3/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/purple-yam-cheesecake-68-set-vs-65-wholecake-e2274245

Came here just for the cheesecake, there are four flavours: blueberry, chestnut, purple yam, fuji apple and cinnamon.

The previous time I came, the purple yam and apple cheesecake were sold out.

The takeaway one was quite big so I dined in.

The cheesecake set was $62 excluding 10%, but since I did not know the price of the takeaway version I dined in.
I was quite annoyed because I did not know you could just order the cheesecake on its own because the drinks are the usual Hong Kong style milk teas, coffees and lemon teas which I do not drink.

Later I found out the a la carte for the cake is $3X so the drink which I do not like is around $3X and for the takeaway version which is much bigger it costs $65 so it seems cheaper to get the takeaway.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Purple yam cheesecake:


Natural purple yam has a delicate flavour so I did not expect to taste any of it in the cheesecake, however there were pieces of purple yam in it and there was a strong coconut flavouring with soft pieces of desiccated coconut.
The cheesecake was quite dense with a sweet biscuit crumb base.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★