[Review 2787] Chocolate all the way through @ 美心西餅 Maxim's Cake Shop

31/08/2013
美心西餅  Maxim's Cake Shop
中環港鐵中環站CEN E18號舖
Shop CEN E18, Central MTR Station, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/chocolate-all-the-way-through-e2317552

Was given this chocolate cake because someone was celebrating something.
The cake was rich and sweet.
Shockingly it was chocolate all the way through!
From a chocolate tart base, it will filled with chocolate cake in the middle and covered with chocolate and crispy nuts on top.

[Review 2786] Red velvet glamour at Minden Avenue @ Dabyida Restaurant and Bar

3/08/2013
Dabyida Restaurant and Bar (已結業)
此店前身為Dabyida cafe & bar
尖沙咀棉登徑5-6號舖地下
Shop G5-6 G/F, 8 Minden Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/red-velvet-glamour-at-minden-avenue-e2317536


I don't often hang around on the Kowloon side, especially TST because everything is spread out so I have been delaying my visit to Dabyida.
Before I came, I made a reservation and some enquiries because I was deciding on coming for lunch or dinner.
The lunch sets did not seem that interesting so I opted for the A la Carte menu in the evening.
The staff on the phone were surprisingly polite and patient on both calls.
When I got to Minden Avenue, Dabyida could be seen right across the road.
Inside it was quite nice and classy.

Ordered some light food because I was not that hungry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Caesar salad $88:

It was crisp romaine lettuce tossed with their special Caesar dressing with bacon bits, toasted croutons and parmesan.
The salad was surprisingly good because their Caesar dressing was very sharp which is how I like my dressings to be and the bacon bits were quite flavourful too with a crunch.
The parmesan was a bit dry and crumbly but it had a slight bitter and sweet aftertaste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed escargots $118:
Sauteed escargots with fresh spinach, mushrooms and fine herbs served with toast.

It was nice having sauteed escargots because escargots are normally baked in boring garlic butter, but here the escargots were nice and soft.
There was delicious baby spinach in it as well which was cooked just right and it had a lovely emerald green colour complemented by finely chopped chives.
The sauce was tomato sauce and it tasted like cream of tomato soup so it would be great if the tomato sauce could be more tangy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dabyida Mocktail $65

This was made with fresh grapefruit juice, passion fruit juice, apple juice, lemon juice and syrup.
They can adjust it according to your taste depending on what fruits you like.
The one I had was really nice because they happened to put more grapefruit in it and there were lots of grapefruit pieces in the drink.
I also requested less syrup so it was just how I liked it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2785] A great meeting place for Chinese food @ 御名軒 Royal Legend

30/08/2013
御名軒 Royal Legend
天后電氣道22-52號金殿大廈1樓
1/F, Golden Court, 22-52 Electric Road, Tin Hau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-great-meeting-place-for-chinese-food-e2317450


Royal Legend is located a few steps from the MTR station. I love its location, great for rainy days and people who are not good with directions!

You can’t miss this place because it is right opposite the MTR exit which you can see on your way out.

As well as being located in a convenient location, I felt that it is a great place for corporate events and Chinese banquets/weddings because it is easy to get there.

The only disadvantage is that it does not have escalators/elevators for the elderly or disabled who would have a right job getting up there!

Heres what we tried because some items are best left untranslated because there is no point making up names for some items that do not exist.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese herbal soup :

Basically it contains White Lingzhi mushrooms, sea coconut, pork.
The soup was clear and oil free.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried cordyceps flower with dalian abalone :

This was a light dish to begin with, it had plenty of beanshoots which whet your appetite.
The Dalian abalone was sliced into thin strips and stirfried with cordycep flowers and beanshoots.
It had a nice crunch from the beanshoots and the abalone was springy and delicate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Charcoal grilled eel with honey :
 0 讚好

These were my favourite because eels were meaty and there were not much bones.
It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the grilling process made the texture not so fatty because the eel texture is normally fatty.
The honey and lemon marinade on it was really appetizing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed egg white wtih scallop and prawn roe:

This dish is really good for the elderly because there is a lot of protein as it is mainly egg white with delicious scallops and crab roe on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jade vegetables with gingko:

Jade basically means jade coloured vegetables ie celery.
I would have liked more gingko nuts in the dish, but the fresh starchy lilium bulbs and black fungas made up for it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled salted chicken :

I like the way these chicken was served because you could see it was a whole complete chicken.
The skin was fragrantly crispy with lots of aromatic sesame with tender juicy chicken beneath the skin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried noodles with squid tentacles:

My favourite stir fried noodles with squid tentacles.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Red date pudding topped with birds nest:

A nicely layered pudding that was not too sweet and made with real dates which you could find in the layers.
The birds nest on top was great but I would not mind if it was not sweetened because the pudding is sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[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.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★