[Review 2794] Back for my favourite pasta in tomato sauce @ 奇香冰室 Kei Heung Cafe

02/09/2013
奇香冰室 Kei Heung Cafe
何文田勝利道26號地下B舖
Shop B, G/F, 26 Victory Avenue, Ho Man Tin
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/back-for-my-favourite-pasta-in-tomato-sauce-e2317918

Made my way here after having crappy food nearby.

Since my last visit, they have redecorated the cafe, it still has its retro style but the rusty mirrors have now been replaced by new shiny mirrors.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
pasta in tomato sauce with luncheon meat:
Ordered the pasta in tomato sauce with luncheon meat.

It is slightly different to the "saam bo" which has chicken, egg and ham tossed in the spaghetti.
The luncheon meat was not tossed in put on top of the pasta.
Nevertheless, the taste was amazing because the tomato sauce was tangy and rich.
The pasta was delicious because the sauce was evenly tossed on every strand.
The tomato sauce was so moreish and the taste was not too tangy or sweet with rich tomato taste.
Each strand of spaghetti was firm and the texture was similar to freshly made pasta with a doughy texture. The chicken, ham and egg added more taste and chew to it balancing out the thick tomato sauce.
Anyway, on my next visit, I must remember to order the macaroni in tomato sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2793] Ondogdogless cafe @ Ondogdogcafe

02/09/2013
Ondogdogcafe
何文田梭椏道3號1樓
1/F, 3 Soares Avenue, Ho Man Tin
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/ondogdogless-cafe-e2317910

Came here obviously to see the huskies, ie Ar B, SASA and SHABI.

All three of them were not there, however there were other dogs owned by the customers so it was pointless to take photos of them and post them here.


As for the food it was boring and the drinks were the worst because you could only take one sip because it is highly recommended for people who would like to get diabetes or want to put on weight.

The drinks selection was rather limited, it was just milkshakes, sodas and iced smoothies, you could tell they were going to sweet without ordering them which was why I opted for the hot water with lemon thinking the sugar would be separate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
hot water with lemon:

Usually this is served with sugar separately but here they have put half a cup of syrup in this!
It was too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mash:
watery potato mash made with potato mash powder.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

This was not my first time going to a cafe with dogs or cats because Purple Mind cafe does really good pastas and they have friendly dogs there too.
At purple cafe, the dogs were well trained and do not piss or defecate in the cafe.

It was very boring because Ar B, SASA and SHABI were not there but it was entertaining to watch other dogs piss and defecate there.

The female staff were ok, but the guy was not that friendly.

[Review 2792] The Cronut craze that brought me here

30/08/2013
Swissbeck
中環蘇豪荷李活道23號地下
G/F, 23 Hollywood Road, Soho, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-cronut-craze-that-brought-me-here-e2317630

If it were not for the Cronuts I would not have come here~
Currently there are only three places in Hong Kong that sell them: The Mandarin Cake Shop's Kronut for $26, Petite Amanda's cronut for $16, and Swissbeck's cronut for $30 in six flavours.
Invented in May 2013 by chef Dominique Ansel for Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City, cronuts are a croissant-doughnut hybrid.

I just expected the Cronut to taste like a light chewy puff pastry hence I chose the fresh fruit one which is basically filled with cream and diced strawberries.
I devoured my cronut there so there is only one side shot of it.

As this is the only cronut I have ever tried I cannot compare it to the original one in New York or the other ones in HK, but I have read a review on the Mandarin one which seems to have a strong oily aftertaste.

They remind me of yum yum's (twisted donuts) with a icing sugar coating.
On my next visit, I will probably get the Berliner donuts.
They also sell other pastries and cookies too.







★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fresh fruit cronut:

The cronut was basically two halves with cream and strawberry in the middle sandwiched together.
Each half had so many layers just like puff pastry but they were not that brittle which kept it in one piece.
The cronut was slightly sugared and was seriously delicious with the cream and strawberries in the middle which was sightly sweetened.
I felt like I was eating a strawberry turnover with cream but with more proportion of pastry.
Luckily it was not that oily and did not have a strong aftertaste like the one at the Mandarin which I read from Fungry and Fabulous's review.
It was great the cronuts were not sold out that day because I rang them a few times before going and no one answered.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2791] Creative mooncakes @ 麵包新語 BreadTalk

01/09/2013
麵包新語 BreadTalk
將軍澳唐賢街9號PopCorn商場地下G25號舖
Shop G25, G/F, PopCorn, 9 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/creative-mooncakes-e2317591

Went to BreadTalk for some sweet items.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green tea cheesecake:
This was the Japanese style mooncake, it was flavoured with Green Tea.
The texture was disappointing because it was meant to be soft, but it was dense and dry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry pot:
The strawberry sauce was really sweet and the cream in the middle tasted really artificial.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate mooncake with a macaron inside:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Interesting mooncake flavours:
pandan with single yolk, charcoal bamboo with hazelnut

Cute box









★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2790] Happy Bingers: New Menu! Prices gone DOWN~ @ 老金煎餅 Mr. Bing

31/08/0213
老金煎餅 Mr. Bing
灣仔莊士敦道113號修頓中心6C舖
Shop 6C, Southorn Centre, 113 Johnston Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/happy-bingers-new-menu-prices-gone-down-e2317578

Usually with new menus, prices go up, but here it went down!
So I went there to check it out and see if it was really true.
Technically, the prices are cheaper achieved in a very smart way because they now have two shops, a good economy of scale, and good supply chain management as they have a mastermind equity sales trader behind it!

A while ago, they were already testing market with Baby sized Bings at cheaper prices because the standard sizes were probably too big for the small appetite of Hong Kong people.
So anyway, the new default size (baby size) is cheaper which is GOOD NEWS.

If you want a bigger size, then you can order the Standard size which costs $10 more which is ALSO cheaper.
[For example, the Peking Duck standard size bing used to be $48 -- now it is $45 ($35 + 10). The Original is the same ($30 = $20 +10). Char Siu is also cheaper (standard size used to be $42, but is now $40 .. $30 + 10).]

On the wall there is a new graffiti artwork which was done recently!

Ordered the original bing for $20.

As usual it was delicious with tofu paste, chili bean sauce and grassy Chinese parsley!




[Review 2789] Ramen and Tapas @ 旋風拉麵輕食 KAZA Ramen & Tapas

31/08/2013
旋風拉麵輕食 KAZA Ramen & Tapas
灣仔軒尼詩道287號地下
G/F,287 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/ramen-and-tapas-e2317577












I don't normally walk this stretch of Wan Chai, but happened to pass by so tried this place.
The decor of this restaurant was quite bright and colourful with spoons as part of its decoration.

Before coming in, I asked what type of Ramen they served and said it was made in house.
There is a machine which makes the noodles.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Interesting items on the menu:
Prawn toast:

Kimchi and seafood jelly:
The noodles portions according to weight:
 Slimmer's choice

In the end, I chose slimmer's choice which includes what you see on the picture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soba with mushrooms and truffle:


The soba was too creamy and milky that it got a bit sickly and the trufle essence that they used was a bit too artificial because when it came, there was a rainbow sheen glistening on the mushrooms.
I have never seen rainbow sheens on organic oils or natural oils, it only happens in petrol.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Toasted French baguette slices:

The first one is strawberry and egg mayonnaise, the second one was curry potato and the third was liver pate. The baguettes were too soft and flopped when I held them, so I needed chopsticks to prevent the toppings from falling off.
The strawberry and egg mayonnaise were my favourite but extremely fattening because it was basically Kewpie mayonnaise mixed with strawberry. The curry potato was delicious but the curry tasted unatrual.
The liver pate one had quite a lot of solidified lard on it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salad:


The vegetables here are grown using the Hydroponics method where no soil is needed.
The salad was crisp and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆ ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
For $69 it was a very good deal, but in terms of weight management I felt that the sauces they used were too fattening.

[Review 2788] Supersupergirl's dreams come true @ 水月 Shui Yue

31/08/2013
水月 Shui Yue
銅鑼灣信德街17號地下
G/F., 17 Shelter Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/supersupergirls-dreams-come-true-e2317576

Being a fan of Heston's feasts and fun presentations of food I was naturally drawn to Shui Yue for its exquisite way of serving food.

As soon as I arranged the date, I was itching to go and waiting eagerly that day, and the hours went so slowly!

I have always wanted to try Bo Innovation as well but its one of these upstairs places where you need to book that deters me because I need to plan ahead.

The food at Shui Yue is Chinese style cooked in a Western way which enables you to taste the food.

For each dish, there is a health benefit for the ingredients used because Karen believes in healthy dishes.

I never really eat Chinese food because most Chinese food is just stuff thrown in the wok with salt, MSG, soy suce, sugar and stir fried in generous oil but saying that there are a few decent ones around.

Here was what we tried which costs $420 per person and no service charge is included.

Competitors are probably suspicious because they probably want to know how good their food is and fear it may bring down the market value for molecular gastronomy cuisine.

Anyway, the location is great and not located in an industrial area.
It is on the quiet side of Causeway bay and you could probably get away with parking your car there hence a really good place for celebrities to dine!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tomato jelly ball paired with oyster leaf, preserved plum tomato basil
For the starters, we were advised to start from the left, right, then centre.
The first item was the huge molecular tomato caviar filled with tomato essense.
It bursted with delicious tomato essence which was made from 7-8 tomatos for a molecular caviar of this size.
Next was the oyster leaf which was served on an oyster shell covered with lava salt foam.
After devouring the oyster leaf I was really shocked by the taste because it was fascinating that you could get a plant tasting exactly like an oyster.
The lava salt foam on top made it taste like a freshly shucked oyster.
Lastly there was the Cherry tomato which was in a vacuumed environment forcing the preserved plum flavouring into it.
It had a really strong preserved plum flavour in the form a cherry tomato.
The deep fried Chinese parsley beneath the tomato ended the appetizer nicely because the grassiness of it balanced out the strong plum flavour.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Surf clam herbs salad:
 Next was this dainty salad, it was surf clams on fresh mountain yam slices garnished with herbs from Holland and caviar topped with edible gold foil.
The surf clams had a nice lemon and ginger taste and the mountain yams were crisp and juicy like crystal pears with a slightly viscious texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dragon pearls:
These were huge crabmeat and squid patties filled with longnan berries with crab roe inside.
They tasted great with or without their homemade mayonnaise which had a nice hint of dill in the flavouring.
I wished I saved some crispy vermicelli to put in the fish soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Black tiger paw mushroom soup:


This soup is made with Chinese black tiger paw mushroom originating from the Yunnan provence.
They are currently in Season.
You can get them fresh or dried. For the fresh ones there is a fragrant smell and aftertaste, but the dried ones there is only a strong smell but no aftertaste.
There are two colours yellow or black, black is prized and has more health benefits.
It was really creative how they used the Chinese mushrooms to make a soup using the Western method.
When the soup came, there was a really nice earthy mushroom smell, the taste of the soup was similar to cream of porcini soup but it had a stronger and bitter tone to it.
On the side of the bowl, it was garnished with powdered mushroom to give it an even more complete mushroom taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled lamb chops
 0 讚好

These were Welsh lamb chops which were extremely tender and supple.
They were marinated in sichuan spices which satisfied my craving for Sichuan pepper because the spices were very light yet enough to recognize the Sichuan taste.
The grilled onion was crisp and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fish soup with crispy rice:
The soup was made with Pacific saury fish which was boiled for five hours.
It had a lovely milky taste with a hint of ginger.
After adding the deep fried rice grains, the rice was lovely and crispy after it had soaked the soup.
It was really good that this was part of the meal because it was quite substantial without being too heavy and it fulfulls the rice craving.
I think the crispy vermicelli from the earlier dish would taste great in the soup too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet mango lights on Chocolate soil:
 0 讚好

The beautiful pearl is served on a bed of bulbs because they got this inspiration from a lightbulb.
I felt that it would also look like on a bed of sand and seashells or some smaller pearl necklaces and bling bling crystals too.
Anyway it was too pretty to eat but I had to eat it, so I cracked the sugar shell which was made in the same way glass ornaments are blown.
Inside the pearl, there was gorgeous lightly whipped fresh mango which had a delicious tart taste that complemented the chocolate soil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Japanese green tea icecream red bean puree:

Dreamy smooth green tea gelato made by them served on big red beans.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Coffee or flower tea:
To end the delicious meal, I chose Black vanilla tea which was soothing and relaxing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Lastly this was a surprise which I will leave as a surprise so you can find out when you go!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★















[Review 7821] Kaya toast @ 一粥麵 Super Super Congee & Noodle

19/12/2020 一粥麵  Super Super Congee & Noodle 樂富聯合道198號樂富廣場1樓1113-1114號舖 Shop 1113-1114, 1/F, Lok Fu Shopping Centre, 198 Junction Road, L...