[Review 2929]IPC Foodlab dessert @ Wine and Dine 2013 @ IPC Foodlab

01/11/2013
IPC Foodlab
粉嶺安樂工業村安樂門街26號IPC中心地下
G/F., 26 On Lok Mun Street, Fanling, Hong Kong, Fanling
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/ipc-foodlab-dessert-wine-and-dine-2013-e2328703

It was my first time going to a Wine and Dine event Thanks to Openrice’s Wine and Dine guest passes.

While we were chilling out admiring Hong Kong's Victoria harbour at night, a guy from IPC Foodlab gave us some desserts to try.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry panna cotta:

I loved the cute presentation of this dessert, it came with a mini silver plated plastic spoon too!
Anyway it was sweet smooth milky tasting panna cotta at the bottom covered with delicious fruity strawberry sauce on top.
A real treat from IPC because Fanling is too far and I don't know how to get to Fanling.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2928] Grilled dried fish roe @ 阿伯燒魷魚 Uncle Grilled Squid

30/10/2013
阿伯燒魷魚  Uncle Grilled Squid
大澳吉慶街
Kat Hing Street, Tai O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/grilled-dried-fish-roe-e2328432

Tai O is famous for quite a lot of things ranging from prawn paste, grilled squids, etc.
As you can get grilled squids everywhere I opted for the grilled fish roe.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled fish roe:

Before it was served, he tried to persuade me to have chili oil on it because it might be a bit fishy, but I refused.
The fish roe was quite hard and coarse saturated with salt.
It was not as fishy as I expected but quite salty!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2927] New dishes at Spade by Lassana @ Spade by Lassana

30/10/2013
Spade by Lassana
旺角登打士街56號家樂坊地庫B02號舖
Shop B02, B/F, Gala Place, 56 Dundas Street, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/new-dishes-at-spade-by-lassana-e2328426


Previous came here for tea and discovered new items on the menu which I wanted to try but couldnt because I had a tasting afterwards.
Luckily I got a chance to try these new dishes thanks to Spade by Lassana.

The new menu offers:
Macaroni and shrimp in lobster sauce
Black truffle macaroni
Mini black and white burgers
Braised ox tail in red wine sauce
Lasagne
Buccatini in Carbonara sauce

As a Westerner, my picks would definately be the Lasagne but as it was a tasting I decided to try the other options which you can't try elsewhere such as the macaroni and burgers.
I would have tried the buccatini but I don't like Carbonara sauce, if it was a different sauce I would have tried it.

Heres what we tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cream of tomato soup:
 0 讚好

The tomato soup was really tangy and not so creamy with a reasonable consistency.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Macaroni and shrimp in lobster sauce:

I was really looking forward to this and the macaroni was done just right, not too soft or hard, but the lobster sauce was not strong enough.
When I reached the bottom, the lobster taste was stronger so perhaps it should be mixed thoroughly before you eat it because the sauce goes to the bottom.
The prawns are freshly cooked there.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Black truffle macaroni:

This was macaroni in creamy truffle sauce with diced gammon ham.
It was too creamy for my liking but the truffle was nice and strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Black and white burgers:

The black burger was a charcoal bun paired with crabmeat patty.
The patty was really soft and it had strong bell pepper taste.

The white burger was paired with a beef patty which was outshone by the crab because there was nothing striking about the beef.
Perhaps, they could have used truffle or beef patty made with Wagyu, or a put a small slice of steak in it.

Although I liked the crab one, it is bound to be popular because people are going to order it because of the cute presentation.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised ox tail in red wine sauce:

The ox tail was quite nice but not very satisfying as a meal because the toasted baguette slices were not substantial enough.
[Perhaps it would be sufficient for "normal" girls]
It would be great if it was served with buccatino or a side of rice.
The ox tail was soft and braised in rich gravy but there were still some fat attached which turns you off.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cakes galore:

There were more cakes to choose from such as green tea roll, earl grey chiffon cake, lemon tart etc.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cookies and cream waffle:

The waffle was done just right, soft on the inside with a crispy exterior.
There were cubes of black sesame cakes topped on it which were grey, but the black sesame taste was not strong enough to taste it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate fondant cake:

The fondant cake was paired with chocolate icecream.
A must for chocolate lovers, but I would prefer a choice of icecream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anyway, I shall be back for the lasagne!

[Review 2926] Get ready for Thanksgiving dinner 2013 @ Fat Angelo's

29/10/2013
Fat Angelo's
尖沙咀棉登徑8號豪峰軒地庫B舖
Shop B, Basement, The Pinnacle, 8 Minden Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/get-ready-for-thanksgiving-dinner-2013-e2328288

Thanks to 為食小豆 and Fat Angelo's for inviting me to this Thanksgiving dinner preview.

Thanksgiving is an important festival to the Americans.

I found out about Thanksgiving dinner through reviews in 2011 but since the reviews were written afterwards, I missed it and had to wait until 2012 when I tried my first Thanksgiving meal at Blue Smoke BBQ.

I did not see any reviews on Thanksgiving for Fat Angelo's so I did not know they had it as well.

I love Thanksgiving dinners because it is similar to our British Christmas dinner with roast turkey and stuffing.

Fat Angelo's used to be one of the restaurants I go for comfort foods.
There used to be a lot of branches in Central, Wan Chai and TKO which have not closed down.

Since then I have not dined at Fat Angelo's because I have been exploring food all over Hong Kong.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
For Thanksgiving at Fat Angelo's you can either dine there for $368 per person (28-29 November) or order the Take Home version which is for 8 people ($1788).
The take home dinner is available from now until the 25th November 2013 with *FREE delivery service in *selected areas.

The meal includes:
Freshly Baked Bread l Italian Salad
Slow Roasted Turkey
Savory Stuffing l Mashed Potatoes
Candied Yams l Autumn Vegetables
Cranberry Sauce l Turkey Gravy
Pumpkin Pie


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Here is what we had:

Freshly baked bread
{delicious crusty bread which was soft in the middle, great dipping with the vinegar and olive oil}


++++++++
Gammon ham
{Juicy thick cut gammon ham that was not too salty}

++++++++
Cranberry sauce
{I loved this sauce which was amazing with the turkey, whole plump cranberries that were not too sweet.}

++++++++
Juicy turkey
{The white meat was amazingly juicy and soft}


++++++++
Stuffing
{Not the same as British stuffing but I liked the herbs and pieces of bread in it}

++++++++
Candied Yams
{Delicious sweet and mushy yams}

++++++++
Vegetables

{a nice variety of greens, cauliflower and broccoli}
++++++++
Mashed potato

{creamy buttery mash}
++++++++
Pumpkin pie
{lovely pumpkin pie with a strong kick of cinammon}

++++++++
Pasta with white truffle (this was not part of Thanksgiving but we tried it as well).
{The white truffle was strong and there were generous slices of it, however the sauce was too creamy for my liking}

Thanks to this tasting I have been rekindled with the delicious food at FA which I once loved and forgotten.
I will come back and try their new items which were not on the menu before.

Thanksgiving at Blue smoke 2012: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2271130&tc=sr2&con=rvw

[Review 2925] Unimaginable combinations @ 德和里 Healthy Juice

29/10/2013
德和里 Healthy Juice
旺角彌敦道720-722號家樂樓地下
G/F, Kalok Building, 720-722 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/unimaginable-combinations-e2328263

This juice joint is located in Mong Kok, an area that I avoid dining because the food is weird.
But sometimes, the weird creations in Mong Kok can be good!
I was attracted by their avocado and apple juice but there was no avocado that day so I had to choose something else!

The fruits and vegetables were the usual ones until I spotted okra!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Okra and guava:

There was actually more than one cup in the blender so she poured some of the juice in the cup and told me to drink some before pouring the rest in.
The guava was quite sweet and the juice was extremely viscous because of the okra, however there could have been more okra in proportion to the guava to taste it, but okra is probably expensive which is why they only put three in there.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Okra, beetroot and cucumber juice:

Before ordering this drink, she asked if I have tried beetroot before because it tends to give people diarrhea and upset tummies.
I was more suspicious whether the beetroot has been washed because that is more likely going to be the cause.
The taste of this was much better than the guava but again, there could have been more okra, and there were bits of grit in the drink too.
Anyway, this drink was nicer because it was thick with natrual sweetness of beetroot and the refreshing taste of cucumber!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2924] Delicious vegetable rice @ 君滬鍋貼大王

29/10/2013
君滬鍋貼大王
新蒲崗仁愛街44-46號
44-46 Yan Oil Street, San Po Kong
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/delicious-vegetable-rice-e2328262

Originally planned to eat at eatstreet@Penthouse but the decor and place was weird and the food was expensive so I left.
Wanted to try Tak Lung but the menu was confusing so resorted to this place.
I ordered the vegetable rice because I was craving for rice that day.
The portion was impressive too, it was a HUGE plate which I finished.
Each grain of rice was distinct and al-dente, the taste was pleasant and not too oily or strongly flavoured.
After reading the reviews when I got back, I was surprised that not many people have ordered the vegetable rice but in my opinion I loved it.
The savoury soymilk soup was quite nice but it was rather bland, the dried shrimps in it were as white as a sheet as if they were bleached!

[Review 2923] Vegetarian tofu patties @ 大快活 Fairwood

29/10/2013
大快活  Fairwood
將軍澳坑口連理街1樓11 號舖
Shop 111, 1/F, The Lane, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/vegetarian-tofu-patties-e2328261

I rarely eat here because the options are just too local for my liking.
On this occasion, I dined here because they had vegetarian tofu patties.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tofu fritters and fried gluten in red fermented beancurd sauce HKD36:

The tofu patties were luke warm and the first patty I tried was really sour! I wasnt sure if it had gone off or it was meant to taste like that.

The rest of the tofu was ok and it had pieces of Chinese celery in it, but the sauce was really disappointing because it did not have red fermented beancurd taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
rice:

The rice was extremely hot and you could see hot steam coming from it!
I just wished that the rice wasnt so hot and the tofu was hotter!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Low sugar green tea came with the meal but the Jasmine taste was really artificial and the sweetness was still quite sweet so I left it.