[Review 2676] Thai minced pork and basil @ 泰皇泰式車仔麵 Sawadika Thai Cart Noodles

23/07/2013
泰皇泰式車仔麵 Sawadika Thai Cart Noodles
灣仔晏頓街1號安定大廈地下C舖
Shop C, G/F, Anton Building, 1 Anton Street, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/thai-minced-pork-and-basil-e2309628

After trying the Jaffe Road branch, went to this branch which used to a Thai joint but it has now changed slighty in style but still owned by the same woman.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Thai minced pork and basil:

Compared to other Thai joints, the pieces of pork in this were chunkier.
The basil aroma was nice and strong but it was VERY SPICY!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2675] Golden prawn curry @ 吉野家 Yoshinoya

22/07/2013
吉野家 Yoshinoya
黃大仙龍翔道136號龍翔廣場1樓110號舖
Shop 110,Lung Cheung Plaza, 136 Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/golden-prawn-curry-yoshinoya-e2309477

Decided to try the new prawn curry at Yoshiniya.
There are two choices, one with egg and one without.
At the counter, there were various optional extras.

I paid an extra $10 for sausages in tomato and herb sauce.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sausages in tomato and herb sauce:

The sausages were ok but I don't think they were cooked properly because it was pinkish in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Prawn curry with egg:

The prawns which were the highlight of the dish were the worst because the frying oil was rancid and the coating had a really awful taste and smell.
After removing the coating, it was so bad that you could still taste it in the prawns, luckily the curry sauce was really strong it helped to disguise some of that taste.
The curry was just the generic Japanese curry with pieces of carrot and potato with a sweet and spicy taste.
The egg was just the usual Japanese hot spring egg with a runny yolk which was nice with the curry and rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2674] Extremely spicy sardine bun @ 麵包新語 BreadTalk

22/07/2013
麵包新語 BreadTalk
黃大仙龍翔道136號黃大仙中心北館地下G05號舖
Shop G05, G/F, Temple Mall North, 136 Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/extremely-spicy-sardine-bun-e2309376

I was intending to get some bread to go with some pate spread but could'nt find the type I was looking for.
Saw these buns which were baked on dried leaves so decided to try it.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sayang Sardine HKD7:
The menu description for it was sardines and black pepper.

The fillings in the middle were really spicy and too spicy for my liking.
I was not expecting black pepper to be that spicy so I think there was chili in it as well.
Luckily I got this at a promotional price because I did not like it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2673] Exotic high tea with a great view of Hong Kong @ Mango Tree

21/07/2013
Mango Tree
尖沙咀柯士甸道西1號圓方(Elements)2樓2032號舖
Shop 2032, 2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/exotic-high-tea-with-a-great-view-of-hong-kong-e2309351

Tried the scrumptious high tea set at Mango tree which had a great view of Hong Kong.


There were two sets to choose from: Delight or Deluxe for two.

DELIGHT HIGH TEA SET $368

Savoury items:
Deep Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls
Deep Fried Thai Shrimp Toasts
Grilled Chicken Satay
Pomelo Salad with Crab Meat
Spicy Prawn Salad with Green Mango
Sweet items:
Sago Pudding with Coconut Cream
Thai Pandan Layer Cake
Mango Cheesecake

DELUXE HIGH TEA SET $468

Savoury items:
Crispy Rice Crackers
Chicken in Pandan Leaves
Pomelo Salad with Crab Meat
Spicy Prawn Salad with Green Mango
Barbequed Jumbo River Prawns
Sweet:
Sago Pudding with Coconut Cream
Thai Pandan Layer Cake
Mango Cheesecake

Both high tea sets come with two drinks with a choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic or you can add $100 for a cute bottle of Moet & Chandon.

Choice of drinks:
Cocktails: Pineapple mojito, Watermelon pop
Mocktails: Lychee smash, Coconut treasure
Juices: various fruit juice smoothies, Young coconut

We tried the Deluxe high tea set.

I started from the bottom plate which had the heavier items, then moved on to the second plate which was salads, and then the sweet selection.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bottom plate:

Barbequed Jumbo River Prawns
Before I ate them, I could already smell them, the texture of the prawns were nice and springy.
Crispy Rice Crackers
The rice crackers were really nice and crispy, it was light and had minced prawns on top with a hint of lemongrass.
Chicken in Pandan Leaves
The chicken was really tender and tasted really nice with the sauces provided.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Middle plate:

Pomelo Salad with Crab Meat
The pomelo salad was really refreshing with pieces of delicate crab, there were lots of grated coconut in it too which made it really fruity and fragrant.
Spicy Prawn Salad with Green Mango
This was quite spicy but the green mango balanced it out.
Soft Shell Crab Rice Paper Rolls
The crab was nice balanced by the salad leaves in the wrap.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Top plate:

Sago Pudding with Coconut Cream:
It had bits of taro, sago and sweetcorn and the sweetness was just right.
Thai Pandan Layer Cake
The pandan taste was nice and strong and the sweetness was soothing.
Mango Cheesecake
For those who do not like cheesecake, you can change it to sticky rice with mango, but the sticky rice goes hard after it cools down which is why it is Mango cheesecase by default as the sweet platter is eaten last.
Personally I really liked the cheesecake here and a lot of people will like it too because the texture was soft like mousse and light.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lychee smash:

I loved this because it was refreshing and it had a hint of lime and mint.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sticky rice with mango:

The ones I have tried before are purple rice so this was quite different as it was white glutinous rice.
I felt that it tasted better because it was not so heavy and it was warm and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lychee homemade icecream:

This was interesting because usually you get Lychee sorbets, the taste in icecream form was interesting.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mango homemade icecream:

The taste was a bit milky.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Coconut homemade icecream:

This was my favourite because the coconut taste was strong and had natural with bits of coconut in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2672] Rhubarb tart to die for @ La Rotisserie

21/07/2013
La Rotisserie
上環皇后大道中255號Manhattan Avenue地下
G/F, Manhattan Avenue, 255 Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan

https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/rhubarb-tart-to-die-for-e2309148

Had a craving for potatoes that day so La Rotisserie sprung in my mind and this other place for baked potatoes or curried potato salad.

As La Rotisserie was nearer to the MTR, I checked it out first.
The roast potatoes that day were a bit chunky and the quiches and tarts were really appealing because I have not tried their spinach quiche and the Rhubarb one I definately had to get because not places places do Rhubarb in Hong Kong.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spinach and goats cheese quiche:
I avoid goats cheese because sometimes the taste can be really awful but decided to try it anyway.
The goats cheese here was pleasant and it had a sharp taste and a crumbly texture.
The quiche was loaded with delicious spinach and it was really delicious.
I wanted the tomato quiche too because I was craving for that eggy, cheesy filling but there were other things I wanted to try.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lentils:



These were lentils and not many places cook it this way so I had to try it as well.
I thought they were vegetarian but it had bacon in it, so its not suitable for vegetarians unfortunately because it was delicious!
For $25, I got a HUGE pot of it which I could not finish!
Although I am not vegetarian or a bacon lover, it definately tasted amazing with the bacon because it added savourness and smokyness to the lentils.
As well as bacon, there were crispy diced onions, tomatoes, and herbs.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rhubarb tart:


This tart was divine as well!
There were huge chunks of rhubarb generously placed in every square of the tart.
The combination of the custard egg filling and rhubarb was great and it was not too sweet.
It tastes better than rhubarb crumble too, but if there was one infront of me right now I would want to eat it as well.
I love rhubarb because it has a really sharp taste, it basically looks like a crimson coloured celery stalk but the leaves are poisonous.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Luckily there was a ledge on their shop window so I could eat it there!

[Review 2671] Whiffle waffle and fun at Wafffle @ WAFFFLE!

21/07/2013
WAFFFLE!
中環嘉咸街41-43號天安城商業大廈地下B舖
Shop B, G/F, Tin On Shing Commercial Building, 41-43 Graham Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/whiffle-waffle-and-fun-at-wafffle-e2309089


I was on my way to Kau Kee when I saw this fun looking Wafffle shop which ruined my plan to Kau Kee as I had already eaten a quiche and a tart beforehand.

Anyway, I just liked the colourful comic design of the shop logo, not only was it impactful, there were fun flashing coloured squares at the bottom which look great at night.
(Wafffles is spelt with three f's which took me a while to find it on Openrice.)

There is another Belgian Waffle joint in TST but I never tried because it was a tiny shop and there were smokers outside.
The location of this shop is much better and really stands out from the street!!

Inside the shop, I loved the ceiling and the vivid colours were contrasted nicely by the black furnishings.
The lights were really nice too.

There was another MUST SEE item too!! The HUGE nutella jar!!!!


Waffles they serve:

Basically there is classic, waffle devil (chocolate) and special of the week.
The chocolate has solid chocolate in the middle (see picture below) so that it melts when it is heated up.

They had a nice choice of sauces and fruit syrups but I think cream is the best unless you have a real sweet tooth.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Waffle with cream HKD23:

Front view

Side view

The size of the nutella jar next to a waffle!

The waffles in Hong Kong are American style and made with batter and dough which are usually too sweet for me to bother trying them.
They serve Liege waffles which are richer, denser, sweeter, and chewy.
I loved the chewyness of it and the crispyness of the surface.
The waffle was sweet because it had delicious caramelized sugar on the outside so I chose whipped cream with it to balance out the sweetness.
There were plastic forks but it would be great if there was a knife too because the waffle texture is quite chewy and to eat with just a fork.
Anyway, there is NO SUCH THING as a Belgian Waffle in Belgium, which is only known to the Americans, there are only Liege waffles, Brussels waffles, and Stroopwafels.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2670] Great Gyozas @ 角富士 Minami Kadofuji

20/07/2013
角富士 Minami Kadofuji
九龍灣宏照道38號MegaBox 9樓Ramen Champion23號舖
Shop 23, 9/F., Ramen Champion, MegaBox, 38 Wang Chiu Road, Kowloon Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-gyozas-minami-kadofuji-e2308945

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Shop: Minami Kadofuji

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Menu:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Gyoza:

Compared to Minami Aoyama and Mugendai, this was my favourite because the dumpling skin was taut and thin.
The filling was a good balance of meat, crispy aromatic vegetables.
I could taste chives, cabbages and a hint of ginger.
The dumplings at this place taste like the ones at Hide Ramen.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Naoyuki KAWASHIMA:

The ramen was topped with extra vegetables compared to other ramens styles and the thickness of the ramen strand was nearly as thick as udon, it was overly al-dente but when eaten with the crunchy vegetables there was a good balance in terms of mouthfeel.
It was topped with strong salty crushed garlic which gave the beanshoots an extra touch but with the broth it was quite salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

This was a complimentary tasting thanks to MegaBox promotions, we tried all six joints that day. As well as the tasting, it was so generous of them to give us coupons for IKEA, GigaSports and a cute Winnie the Pooh notebook.