[Review 2560] Lovely joint with an Aussie touch @ Aussie Cafe

03/06/2013
Aussie Cafe
新蒲崗彩虹道242號采頤花園地下103號舖
Shop 103, G/F, Rhythm Garden, 242 Choi Hung Road, San Po Kong
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/lovely-joint-with-an-aussie-touch-e2299887

After attempting several times to list this on OpenRice, it finally got listed.
Previously this shop used to be Mr.Fruit but now it has become Aussie Cafe serving juice, sandwiches, pastas and coffee.
The prices are quite cheap too, pastas only cost $3X.
I was hoping they would do Australian style chips with chicken salt but they don't.
However they serve an Australian brand of coffee.
I expected the quality to be good because the owner previously worked at the top notch Mandarin Oriental hotel.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Egg sandwich:
When I ordered it, I thought I needed to wait but it was already done.
It came wrapped in paper.
It was clearly and neatly labelled too.
On the left corner, they have also written the day which they made it for their reference.

I was quite surprised that the paper wrap was really dry and it turned out the sandwich was wrapped in clingfilm within the paper wrap.

The egg sandwich was plain and simple, the taste was how it should be just like the authentic Western sandwiches, and none of that weird tasting salad cream.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Orange juice:
The orange juice was unsweetened which was good and it was slightly foamy on top from the juicing.
It had a lovely label with a Kangaroo on it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2559] Summer rocks at Azure with vibrant dinners @ Azure Restaurant Slash Bar

01/06/2013
Azure Restaurant Slash Bar
中環中環蘭桂坊雲咸街33號隆堡蘭桂坊酒店29-30樓
29-30/F, Hotel LKF by Rhombus, 33 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong， Central, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/summer-rocks-at-azure-with-vibrant-dinners-e2299327

Thanks to 糖小妹 and Rhombus International Hotels Group for inviting to this summer tasting.

I have always wanted to try this restaurant and other restaurants under their group such as AVA splash bar.
The location of this couldn't be better, at the heart of LKF with magnificent views of Hong Kong.
I finally felt that the night views in HK were beautiful for once which I never felt before in this heavily polluted city.
The breath taking views were really dazzling and ‘Manhattan-like’ too as claimed.

It is an energetic place with white winding grand stairs leading up to the glitzy dining room which transforms into a swanky club at night.

Everyone there was beautifully dressed and all their staff were handsome and pretty too.

For the tasting we tried the menu designed by Executive Chef Roger Perez.

For $468 per person there is soup, seafood, mains, desserts, petit fours with tea/coffee.

The presentation of each course was wonderfully colourful but because the restaurant was so dimly lit you could not really see how truly colourful it was.
The mini macarons which I thought were brown turned out to be dark mauve after I used flash.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tri coloured butter:

The butter has three layers, the green layer was pesto, the red layer was sundried tomatoes and the top layer was garlic which was great with their bread.
The breads were soft and delicious that I had two.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Foie gras mousse:
The Foie gras was extremely light and whipped, but the foie gras taste was strong and made into fine mousse.
I liked the glacier cherry on top because it gave it some sudden sweetness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Almond Truffle Soup:
Refined Almond Soup infused with White Truffles.
The soup was poured in front of you which keeps the croutons crispy and the lovely cress floated to the top giving a heart illusion.
I really liked this soup because it was the first time I tried soup with almond as a main ingredient.
It was finally grounded giving a rich, creamy and nutty texture.
It made me think of the Chinese almond dessert soup, but the this was a million times better as a savoury soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fresh Oyster, Steamed Crab Leg & Steamed Shrimp Platter:

The seafood was presented nicely on a square bowl served on a bed of ice to keep them chilled.
The crab was salty because it was still in brine and the oysters came with appetizing red wine vinegar with garlic.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mussels Ravioli:
Homemade Mussels & Shallotte Ravioli Served with Rose Sauce & Rosemary Caviar.

I was looking for to this because Ravioli is usually filled with mushrooms, cheese, truffle, lobster but mussels were a first time for me.
The rocket leaves and rich sauce were perfect with the mussel ravioli.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Veal Tenderloin & Rose petals:
Sous-vide Cooked Veal Tenderloin Served with Rose Petals Sauce, Caramelized Figs & Almond Mashed Potatoes

I loved the tenderloin, they were cut into thin slices and extremely tender because it was slow cooked, the rose gravy was natrual too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pistachio Lamb:
Pistachio Crusted Lamb Rack Served with Pink Pine Nut Foam & Confit Root Vegetables

The lamb was soft and juicy and there no gameyness taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry Risotto:
Creamy Strawberry Risotto with a Hint of saffron.

It was really pretty when it arrived and I almost thought it was strawberry rice pudding.
The only other main dish I have tried with strawberries is the ribs in Strawberry sauce (Chinese style) which I did not like.
Anyway, the Strawberry risotto here was dreamy and most importantly NATRUAL and unsweetened.
There was a minty taste which I believe came from the leaves in the rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deconstructed Raspberry Tart:
Rich Raspberry Tart Served with Rose Petals Mousse & Parmesan Cheese Ice-cream

As the name suggests the tart was represented by the crumbs and each element was separated. Deconstructed means taking the parts of a dish and separating the individual components into a new usage. The pieces should be recognizable by themselves but when eaten together should bring about the idea of the original dish.
Here it was exactly that, you could see the raspberry mousse, tart element and the berries.
The centre was Parmesan Cheese Ice-cream and it was amazing, it was actually savoury with fine pieces of cheese in it that you could taste.
The raspberry mousse were the two halves of a sphere and the texture was quite firm with a strong raspberry taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Petit Four:

There was chocolates, mini macarons and chocolate puffs, all were perfect with tea.
The mini macarons were purple with the use of flash, but in the dimly lit room, they looked brown.
There was a strong lemongrass taste to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2558] Great cottage pie at Lamma @ Jing Jing Bar

01/06/2013
Jing Jing Bar
南丫島榕樹灣大街54號地下
G/F, 54 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, Lamma Island
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-cottage-pie-at-lamma-e2299311

While I was stuck on Lamma Island looking for food I chose this place because there was Cottage Pie and it was reassuring because lots of expats were dining there.

The other items on the menu were the usual pub grub.

There was the tuna patty burger but it was sold out that day and the oven baked breakfast looked appealing because not many places serve that.

The prices were reasonable too and slightly cheaper than dining in Central, Sai Kung and Wan Chai for the same kind of food.

I was surprised it was not listed on OpenRice and it took quite a few times to get it listed to their database!

On my first visit, I tried the Cottage pie and on the second visit I tried the All day breakfast.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cottage pie:

When it came, it just looked really authentic, I loved the browned top on the cottage pie.
The mashed potato was really silky with a hint of cheese and the mince below it was gorgeous infused with light herbs.
There were diced carrots and fresh vibrant green peas on top.
Anyway I really loved it because it tasted and reminded me of the cottages pies at school.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
All day breakfast:

I don't know why I chose scrambled eggs but they were scrambled nicely. The piece of patty in the middle that looks like a burger is actually their homemade hash brown.
It was the highlight of the breakfast because the potato pieces in it were nice and there were pieces of crunchy vegetables in it.
The bacon was crisp and not too salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2557] Stir fried fish noodles @ 蒂蒂香 Di Di Xiang

31/05/2013
蒂蒂香 Di Di Xiang
旺角西洋菜南街228號地下
G/F ,228 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/stir-fried-fish-noodles-e2299290

On my last visit the noodles made of fish were sold out so tried it this time.
It was about 7pm and most of the noodles and items were nearly sold out, I got the last of the cuttlefish egg patty and the Chaozhou style noodles.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan fried cuttlefish egg:
When they came they had a slightly golden surface which was good because they were not burnt.
They had a really delicate taste and it was slightly sweet. I did not use the sweet chili sauce on it because I felt that vinegar or chili oil was a better complement.
The major let down was that the pan frying oil or the pan that was used had a rancid oil taste which really ruined the cuttlefish egg because the oil taste was very prominent.
As for the texture, it was so soft and foamy but if you compare it to marshmallow it does not melt in your mouth and it is firmer. The texture is really similar to those Japanese white pillows at 三河屋 MIKAWAYA and Issei Nabe.
Cuttlefish eggs are much bigger compared to fish roe, they are liquid filled sacks, which are grounded to make these!
As this is a rare item there are no other cuttlefish eggs in Hong Kong that I can compare to, so I do not know if that was how they were meant to taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Special sauce with chaozhou handmade noodles:
The noodles came with soup, but the soup was too salty.
The sauce on the noodles were quite nice, there was so much grounded sesame seeds in it and it was slightly sour. The noodles tasted much better this time.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stirred fried fish noodles:
Although the restaurant calls them noodles, they are basically fishball slices cut into really thin long slices like noodles.
The taste and texture is the same as fishball slices.
It is basically fine if you don't think of them as noodles and the thin stalked celery they used had a really strong taste grassy taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup:

I loved the generous spring onions and they were present in every spoon I took.
Although the soup was very white looking like fish soup, it tasted like pork bone soup with a sharp pepper taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
There are other branches of this in China and they are a fishball manufacturer in China.

[Review 2556] A nice green surprise @ 甜囍 Tim Hei Dessert

30/05/2013
甜囍 Tim Hei Dessert
銅鑼灣駱克道401-403號榮華商業大厦地下B號舖
Shop B, G/F, Winner Commercial Building, 401-403 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-nice-green-surprise-e2299179

I rarely walk on this stretch of Lockhart Road because it is in between Causeway Bay and Wan Chai but not really close to the MTR.

After trying a restaurant nearby, I decided to walk to Causeway bay and noticed this dessert shop across the road.

Initially I thought it was a Chinese restaurant but the decor was too bright and modern for a Chinese restaurant.
So I had to cross the road where there was a crossing and walk right back.

Luckily there was a dessert I wanted to try.

Sat myself down, and the interior was white with green tables and sofas.

The display cabinet on one of the walls was green too with lots of fruit.

My attention was immediately drawn to the Green tea sawdust pudding, so ordered that.

They also had the dessert form of flat rice noodles and rice rolls.

One of the menus on the wall was interesting too because it had Spicy crab in the middle, so I wonder if this is their dessert branch.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green tea sawdust pudding HKD30:


I was actually really surprised it tasted nice, although it was quite fattening.
The layers tasted like frozen whipped green tea cream and it was ultra light with the occasional icy particles.
It was not sweet at all which was perfect because the delicious green tea icecream on top was sweet so the two together were perfect.
Both the icecream and layers were nice because the green tea taste was not grassy and the Oreo crumbs were fine and tasted like fine cake crumbs.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2555] $9 for noodles in a bag @ 城發粥麵店

30/05/2013
城發粥麵店
灣仔交加街4號地下
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/9-for-noodles-in-a-bag-e2299112\

I have never tried this joint before because there are always grubby men sitting outside.
Today, the place was empty so I ordered some stir fried noodles to take out.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried flat rice noodles:
As they were only $9, they were probably vegetarian and do not contain beef.
I usually pick out the beef anyway.
Basically the noodles came in a bag with a short flimsy plastic fork.
Overall the taste of the noodles were bland and there were too much beanshoots.
It felt like eating food straight from a doggy bag.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2554] Refreshing Chinese style salad @ 民聲冰室

30/05/2013
民聲冰室
大坑浣紗街16號地下
G/F, 16 Wun Sha Street, Tai Hang
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/refreshing-chinese-style-salad-e2299034

This tiny restaurant is famous for meat patty mountains with a salted egg on top.
There was a time when the Chinese fast food chain FAIRWOOD had a similar item and for some people who have not been here before thought its was the first in Hong Kong!
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2174106

Anyway, I came here to try the chicken after reading reviews that it was not spicy and the steamed egg with crab.

I tried this restaurant first even though my review for the Shau Kei Wan branch was published earlier.

I had the chicken twice at this place and it tasted different on the two visits.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed egg with crab:

It was basically steamed egg with a crab on top, there was lots of soy sauce on top.
The texture of the egg was really silky but it was also quite firm when you put the spoon in it.
I was surprised that beneath the steamed egg, there was more liquid which tasted nice with the rice.

As for the crab, I only ate the crab roe which was delicious.
The crisp spring onions and the steamed egg were really good together.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spicy chicken - first visit:
The first time I tried the spicy chicken, the dish was exciting being packed with so many ingredients in it.
There was preserved eggs, peanuts, Chinese parsley, red bell peppers, and Chinese vinaigrette.
It was almost like eating a Chinese salad because the Indian lettuce and noodles beneath it were perfect and absorbed the delicious vinegar.
However it seems to vary because sometimes they use Indian lettuce and sometimes they use iceberg lettuce.
The vinegar tasted like the Japanese vinegar used for salads.

The noodles reminded me of "Chan chuen fun" but I still haven’t had a chance to try it yet as not many places have it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spicy chicken - second visit:

On the second visit, the sauce was not as tangy as the first time and the lettuce beneath the chicken was different.
This time it was iceberg lettuce, which had a crunch and did not retain as much sauce as the Indian lettuce did.
The noodles were thicker this time and did not absorb as much sauce as the thin ones.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salted lemon with sprite:

This drink tasted as good as the one I had in Macau, but there was only one piece of salted lemon.
It tasted better when there was less Sprite in proportion to the salted lemon because the taste of the salted lemon comes out more and the sprite does not taste so sweet.
As there was one piece of lemon, I only poured half of the sprite in. In Macau, they serve bottled sprite as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★