[Review 2784] Sheung Wan's King of Indian food @ 印度皇 Basmati (Taste of India)

30/08/2013
印度皇  Basmati (Taste of India)
上環干諾道中137-139號三台商業大廈1樓
1/F, San Toi Building, 137-139 Connaught Road, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/sheung-wans-king-of-indian-food-e2317445

I love restaurants by the MTR exits and this one is really close to Sheung Wan's Exit C.
The reviews showed some really delicious looking Aloo Chops so I was really looking forward to that.
When I got there, the interior reminded me of UK style restaurants with an open bar at the far end with wines and glasses.
After browsing the menu, there were quite a lot of choices, so here was what I had.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
complimentary starters - poppadoms:

These poppadoms were crispy and delicious with a hint of potato taste and spicyness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauces:

There were two sauces, a mint sauce and a red sauce!
Both were super hot compared to other restaurants.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Aloo Chop:

These were my favourite, I should have ordered two portions.
They are a bit like a silky flat potato croquettes with Indian herbs and green peppers in it.
They were not spicy so they are suitable for people who cannot eat spicy items.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Basmati chicken tikka:

The pieces of chicken were served in a hot sizzling metal plate on top of julienne onions and cabbage which kept the chicken hot without burning it.
There was a piece of lemon which the waitress squeezed lemon juice onto the sizzling chicken with the handy metal pincers.
The chicken was boneless, juicy and tender which is really worth trying.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lamb masala:

The lamb could have been softer and the curry was a bit too spicy for my liking.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Plain naan:

The naan was chewy and soft, perfect for dipping in the curry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dessert of the day - Ras malai:

I was really glad Ras malai was the dessert of the day because I thought that it was the best dessert in the menu range.
Usually I do not like Indian dessert because they taste too sweet and the Jasmine scent is too strong for my liking.
Ras malai is basically sugary white cream coloured balls which can be paneer or dough depending on the restaurant.
Here it tasted like cake soaked in cream flavoured with cardamon and topped with nuts.
I loved the sweet cream and the nuts and it was soothing after a spicy meal.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2783] Fish Curry @ Ebeneezer's Kebabs & Pizzeria

30/08/2013
Ebeneezer's Kebabs & Pizzeria
灣仔駱克道89號灣仔中匯大廈地下4號舖
Shop 4, G/F, Wanchai Central Bldg, 89 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/fish-curry-e2317412

Curries at Ebeneezer's Kebabs & Pizzeria used to be good but now the quality has gone down and the prices have gone up!
Got a fish curry, but the fish was really dry and crispy as if it had gone bad.
As well as that, it was so OILY.
It never used to be this oily.
The curry was quite salty and it seemed to contain a lot of MSG in it.

[Review 2782] Tucking in Tuck shop for snacks a year later @ It's a Tuck Shop

29/08/2013
It's a Tuck Shop
灣仔譚臣道23 號壬子商業大廈地下A舖
Shop A, G/F, Yam Tze Commercial Building, 23 Thomson Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/tucking-in-tuck-shop-for-snacks-a-year-later-e2317268

Came here a year ago and since then the choices have improved.
They sell more tuck shop items and stationary goods.
Although there are more choices, the menu is quite confusing so do not trust the product photos.

Some of the items that they serve are from IKEA and obviously cost more here because he has to cook it for you without making a loss too!

The hamburger and vegetable hash brown were cooked on the pan and it was very impressive that he washed the pan and wiped it dry before cooking the next item so it did not cross contaminate each other or leave a rancid taste on the next item to be cooked.
It was good that he cooked the hamburger patty and potato hash brown separately instead of being lazy and cooking both on the pan at the same time.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hamburger:

The bun was nice and the same as the bun used for hamburgers at McDonalds, however the patty was not beef and tasted like the sausage patty in the sausage muffin served at McDonalds.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vegetable hash brown:

This is basically the vegetable medallion from IKEA and it tastes better here because it is cooked so that there is a crispy surface.
It was slightly cheesy loaded with potatoes and brocoli.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Meatballs:

It was literally meatballs in a pot of tomato ketchup.
The meatballs were quite nice, they were soft and did not contain any gristle in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Peach tea:
There were a choice of Lemon or Peach tea.
The teas were obviously the Nestle brand.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2781] Herbi birthday to you! @ 香巴拉 The Herbivores

29/08/2013
香巴拉 The Herbivores
中環蘇豪士丹頓街35號地下
G/F, 35 Staunton Street, SOHO, Central

https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/herbi-birthday-to-you-e2317217-

Came here to celebrate a foodies birthday.
Tried three sets which were all good, but the waitresses were a bit stuck up.
As commented by Samurai in an openricers vegetarian review, the staff at vegetarian places seem to have a temper or an attitude issue.

But saying that, Sin Mei's vegetarian cafe does not have that problem.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Omelette:
Nicely done with an eggy taste, the pan they used was clean, so it did not have a rancid oil smell.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Homemade Bruschetta:

Although it was delicious, I was a bit disappointed because they used toast.
Most bruschettas use baguette slices or something similar.
It was topped with tangy tomato puree and herbs which had a strong taste.
(Was trying to figure out what was homemade: The toast or the tomato puree?)
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet Morning:

The pancakes were surprisingly delicious, they were soft, fluffy and golden.
It was great that it came with yogurt because yoghurt is a healthier than cream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate Mousse:

Most vegetarian chocolates do not taste nice because it lacks some vital ingredient but the chocolate mousse here was great.
Technically it was not a mousse but similar to a light paste that was silky and really chocolatey.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2780] Green tea with fruit @ MIX

29/08/2013
MIX
灣仔港灣道30號新鴻基中心1樓126號店
Shop 126, 1/F, Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/green-tea-with-fruit-e2317182

Came here for a drink after being roasted at Texas BBQ chicken because there was no air con.
The air con here was quite cold.
This time ordered the Green tea with fruit.
The drink was much nicer than the green tea with lychee.
It was not so bitter.
After poking the fruits, it gave the green tea a hint of sweetness.
There were chunks of pineapple, lemon and watermelon in the tea.

[Review 2579] Cheesy Tots @ 漢堡王 Burger King

28/08/2013
漢堡王 Burger King
北角炮台山英皇道147-151號1樓
1/F, 147-151 King's Road, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/cheesy-tots-burger-king-e2317044

I was surprised to see Burger King offering Cheesy Tots because what is sold in HK is decided by Hong Kong's Burger King's headquarters on what they think will sell.
I got a box of Cheesy Tots which has 9 bites, in the US you get 8 for USD$1.99.
They're basically tater tots with a breaded coating and some melted cheese in the middle.
The Cheesy Tots taste a bit like mac and cheese but not too cheesy.
Not very exciting and they were not hot enough.

[Review 2778] Novelty mooncakes @ 君蘭餅店 Orchid Padaria

28/08/2013
君蘭餅店 Orchid Padaria
北角港鐵炮台山站10號舖
Shop 10, Fortress Hill MTR Station, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/novelty-mooncakes-e2317043

I never ever buy traditional mooncakes because I hate them especially the white lotus paste and salted egg yolk.
Anyway, I saw some interesting traditional mooncakes at Orchid Padaria Bakery.
They were small ones and you could buy them separately which is good.
They had interesting flavours: Jasmine, cherry, mango, sweet potato, spicy beef, aged fruit peel, chocolate, pork floss and seaweed and many more.

Got some for friends and a sweet potato for myself.

It was really disappointing because there was no sweet potato taste, but for that size I was surprised to find some egg yolk in it.
I did not bother to take a photo of it sliced in half.