[Review 2318] Chipping in for new items on the menu!!! @ Chip In Fish & Chips

20/03/2013
Chip In Fish & Chips 
西貢敬民街9號高勝樓地下11號舖
Shop 11, G/F, Ko Shing House, 9 King Man Street, Sai Kung
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/chipping-in-for-new-items-on-the-menu-e2288187

After the CNY I was back for more fish and chips because they have put more popular items on the menu that was not previously there.

The new items are:

*battered sausage
*mushy peas
*cheese and pickle sandwich

The great thing is that the prices have not gone up much.
The only slight bad news is that their Chip supplier have run out of chips so they are currently using an American supplier and the chips taste slightly different.
It is only temporary, so when their Belgium supplier is back I will get a chip butty with curry sauce.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Seafood basket:
As well as fish and chips, this was also my favourite, because it was literally a skewer with prawn, fish and squid dunked in batter and deep fried with the skewer in it.
I liked the skewer because the pieces are smaller and easier to eat.
It would be good if they had fish bites (pieces of fish in batter) for kids.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mushy peas:
The mushy peas were scrumptious because they did not have mint mixed in it and they tasted fresh.
The colour was the natural green pea colour you would normally see and it was not the dark leafy green that you get in the usual mushy peas that come from the can.
The ingredients in the mushy peas were simple, it was milk, salt, pepper and butter and the quality of the peas tasted like the lovely Green giant brand which are famous for plump and sweet peas.

Since they were hand mushed there were a few peas that were not mushed adding to the lovely texture because they would burst with sweetness and they do not have that starchy texture that I do not like.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chips:

Although these chips were the American brand, they tasted ok because they were fried just right.
They were soft inside and crispy on the outside.
Compared to the the Belgian brand, the Belgian ones are sweeter and not that hollow inside.
I am so glad they have salt and vinegar at the counter so you can add more when needed.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cheese and pickle sandwich:
There was generous pickle in the dusted soft bap with sliced cheese, it was not cheddar which is a good alternative for vegetarians.
It was similar to the cheese and pickle sandwich I had at FLAME in Wan Chai.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anyway I can't wait to come back for more food.

[Review 2317] Back for my favourite French baguettes @ Chez Meli Melo

19/03/2013
Chez Meli Melo
上環皇后大道中255號Manhattan Avenue地下
G/F, Manhattan Avenue, 225 Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/back-for-my-favourite-french-baguettes-e2288021

Located right next to La Rotisserie lies this really nice baguette shop.

This joint is a popular pick for the French and expats who want to sink their teeth in a real baguette.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Parisien - Ham and guerkins:

With an authentic baguette and nice fillings nothing can go wrong.
This time I tried the Parisien which had ham and guerkins and it was great because the saltiness of the ham and the refreshing guerkins were a perfect match.
However it would taste nicer if the baguette was warmer.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pumpkin and black pepper soup:



This was complimentary from the owner and it tasted really nice because it had freshly cracked black pepper in it and the taste of pumpkin was natural and unsweetened.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate cake:

The chocolate cake was delicious.
It was moist chocolate cake on the outside with soft chocolate filling in the centre that was not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2316] Soups @ 華御結 Hana-musubi

19/03/2013
華御結 Hana-Musubi
灣仔港灣道28號灣景中心大廈1樓8號舖
Shop 8, 1/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/soups-at-hana-musubi-e2288019


On my last visit, the musubis and soup were great and I have been back for it.

However on this visit, it was late in the day, so the soup had been in the pot for the whole day and it got a bit concentrated and lumpy so the taste was too salty.

My previous visit at Hana-musubi:
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2221219

(On my previous visit, the chicken soup looks much nicer on the photo)

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Homemade lobster soup:


The lobster soup was to strong and salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and collagen soup:


The chicken soup was also too concentrated and lumpy and it tasted slightly sour.
The vegetables in it were too mushy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Although the soups were not good this time, the customer service was still good and friendly.

[Review 2315] A very pricey box of chicken skin and bones @ 陽明燒臘飯店

19/03/2013
陽明燒臘飯店
灣仔石水渠街21號
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-very-pricey-box-of-chicken-skin-and-bones-e2288016


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken with rice HKD27:

The chicken here was quite expensive because it was a box of chicken with rice for $27.
There was not much chicken and it was mainly bones and skin so I was grateful for the generous scoop of spring onions and ginger oil.
The rice was too hard for my liking.
As you can see I got the odd bits, the bottom of the bone for the drumstick, chopped up chicken wings, and lots of sharp brittle bone fragments on the rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2314] Getting refuelled with piri sauce for full @ FLAME

18/03/2013
Flame
灣仔盧押道18號海德中心地下B號舖
Shop B, G/F, One Capital Place, 18 Luard Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/getting-refuelled-with-piri-sauce-for-full-flame-e2287914

Since my last visit, there are new items on the menu...
Hooray!!

I could eat here everyday!

They now have bottles of chili sauce on every tables, there are three different types, the green one tastes the best but I don't know why they don't have it now on the tables after I took the picture.
The bright red sauce tastes slightly sweet and spicy, while the darker red sauce has a spicy bean taste to it.

They now serve breakfasts, mighty melts and poutine.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Poutine:


It was quite amusing when I ordered this because no one has ordered it before.
When I asked for it, the lady was quite puzzled, so then I said "you know..poutine, its on your menu", she was like, "I don't know".
When I collected it, it was basically melted cheese on fries, they forgot to give me the chicken gravy as stated on the menu
I was really looking forward to that.
Overall, the fries were quite nice with melted cheese but it was missing the delicious gravy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beef and mushroom pie:

The beef and mushroom pie was delicious and it was filled with rich beef gravy with big chunks of tender beef.
The pastry was baked just right and not too soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2313] ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ ♥'s ☆iPot☆ @ 一鍋 - 台日式精緻小火鍋專門店 iPot - The Shabu Shabu Expert

16/03/2013
一鍋 - 台日式精緻小火鍋專門店 iPot - The Shabu Shabu Expert
天后琉璃街11號地下
G/F, 11 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/s-ipot-e2287594

This is a newly opened Taiwanese style individual shabu shabu with all you can eat sides and drinks.
Basically you choose a soup base which comes with meat at different prices.

When I read reviews on this place there were three that caught my attention: tomato soup base, Hokkaido soup base and the curry soup base.

As I was not sure how spicy the curry would be I did not choose that, but the tomato was tempting because at the end you can make risotto from it, but in the end I picked the Hokkaido soup.

Basically the food selection is at the front of the restaurant, with the vegetables on one side, drinks and sauces by the window and a separate fridge with dumplings, tofu etc.

I liked the way the tables were designed because you could neatly fit two hotpots on one table.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hokkaido soup base:

Here was my delicious hokkaido soup base which was lovely and milky.
I was worried it might be too milky but it was delicious because there was pork broth in it as well.
There were wolfberries and red dates in it too.
After blanching the greens in it, the broth tasted even better and I kept drinking it and it was refilled for me.
I really liked their refills because they refill with broth and not water which makes it bland.
I was quite satisfied with my broth base because I did not need to use the sauce much.
As well as the Hokkaido broth I tried the Japanese sukiyaki soup base which had sake but I found it too sweet and buttery because there was quite a lot of butter in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Meats:
Most people chose beef but I chose the chicken which was the cheapest and I prefer chicken.
The chicken was marinated in soy sauce, garlic and spring onions and it was chicken thigh meat too so it was extremely tender and silky.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
My selections:

Here is a picture my dumplings and vegetables.
The sakura prawn cake was really nice because the sakura shrimps in it were crispy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taiwanese fruit beer (Pineapple):

I have never liked beer but this tasted really nice, it tasted better than other fruit beers at that alcohol volume.
It only had a hint of beer which made it easier to drink and the percentage of alcohol was quite low at 2.8%.
This is not included in the meal but it was worth trying.
There were other flavours too: lychee, mango and grape.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ice-cream:

The ice-cream was such a good way to end the hotpot meal because it was therapeutic and cools the tongue.
It probably does not happen to anyone else but I always scald my tongue when I have hotpots.
I would recommend choosing chocolate or coffee because by the end of the hotpot your tongue is so burnt you need a strong taste to revitalize it!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Specials:

That night they had abalone slices with salad cream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Improvements:
Water or tea offered at the drinks bar would be great.
Some of the vegetables could be trimmed because they were like big plants when you got them from the vegetables selection.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I cannot wait to come again and I am gutted I missed the Taiwanese black pudding on the menu because it seems the only place in Hong Kong that you can get Taiwanese black pudding 豬血糕!!
I wonder if it tastes like black pudding...

[Review 2312] Parma ham and brie ciabatta @ 太平洋咖啡 Pacific Coffee

16/03/2013
太平洋咖啡 Pacific Coffee
灣仔駱克道41號東城大廈UG4-5號舖
UG 4-5, 41 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/parma-ham-and-brie-ciabatta-e2287440

I have given up with their sweet selection because the choices are practically the same every time I go there even though it is not that often I go there.

However I love their savoury selection because there is quite a choice for ciabattas, quiches etc.

This time I chose the Parma ham and brie ciabatta.
Next time I am going to try the corned beef with sauerkraut bun.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Parma ham and brie ciabatta:

The ciabatta had lean parma ham, brie, tomato and rocket sandwiched in between it.
I loved the lean parma ham because I do not usually eat parma ham with fat attached.
After it was heated the brie melted into the bread and it was delicious with the rocket because the rocket leaves had softened during the heating process.
The taste was nice and simple.