[Review 3034] A different flame is burning @ Flame

22/12/2013
Flame
灣仔盧押道18號海德中心地下B號舖
Shop B, G/F, One Capital Place, 18 Luard Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-different-flame-is-burning-e2336829

Previously this restaurant used to do roast chicken but then they closed for a while and now they serve pies instead of roast chicken.
The restaurant has now been converted into a small pub.
Here is the new menu and it's nice to see that they still have piri piri chicken burger on the menu.

I ordered two pies which were not available so I had to choose from the list she showed me, so in the end I had chicken and mushroom and the beef curry pie.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and mushroom:
Evidently this pie was made in Hong Kong because it had the Asian shitaake mushroom.
The taste was ok but nothing spectacular because it was piping hot outside and slightly cold in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beef curry pie:
It was crammed with lots of minced beef but again it was cold in the middle despite the hot steam coming off it.
The beef was a bit too gamey for my liking.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3033] Affordable localized pastries and cakes @ M18

22/12/2013
M18 
樂富聯合道198號樂富廣場地下L103-104號舖
Shop L103-L104, G/F, Lok Fu Plaza, 198 Junction Road, Lok Fu
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/affordable-localized-pastries-and-cakes-e2336828

I happened to be in the area so went for a walk when I saw this bright illuminated bell so stopped by to have a look.
It appeared to be a bakery with a dine in section.

On the right of the entrance, there was a window where people can see the pastry chef decorating the pastries.

Inside, there were lots of pastries, some were in cabinets and some were exposed.

The cookies which cost $5 looked really nice and there were four flavours: tomato, ginger, caramel walnut, chocolate.
Each were topped with respective toppings, the caramel walnut one looked the best!

After asking the staff, found out that they are a branch of Maxims, hence the M in the name M18.
The 18 is probably a Chinese thing so that they get lucky.

In my opinion, the decor, range and prices were going to win people because it differentiates them from their usual boring Maxim's style and incorporates more European and Japanese influences in it.
It is a crossover between Maxim's & you cafe selling Arome bakery room style cakes and patisseries. 

As well as that, the dine in selection looks good and cheap too.

The all day breakfast was the best deal for $36 which I saw people have and it looked decent with proper mushrooms and sausages as opposed to frankfurters and canned mushroom.

As I was full I could only try the cakes, and they both cost me $32.5 which is even cheaper than arome bakery room!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cinnamon apple danish $8.5:

In the middle of the apple danish, there was custard.

I found the danish pastry too thick and tough, the apple filling was too sweet and the cinammon was not strong enough.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Raspberry mille feuille $24:

There was also pineapple and strawberry mille feuille but I chose raspberry because you don't often see raspberry.
The layers of pastry were quite hard and flakey but it tasted ok and the custard filling was not too sweet with a reasonable vanilla taste in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3032] Strange SingMalay food @ Noodle LAH!

21/12/2013
Noodle LAH!
金鐘夏慤道16號遠東金融中心閣樓A6-2舖
Shop A6-2, UG/F, Far East Finance Centre, 16 Harcourt Road, Admiralty
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/strange-singmalay-food-e2336659

I only like this place because of the decor but the food was awful and I don't know why I bothered trying so many dishes.
The big mistake was not choosing the noodles cooked in their signature chili sauce but I tried some of that signature chili sauce from the jar and it was not nice.

Heres what I tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Three sours:
Tried this twice which was preserved plum, lemon juice and lime!
On the second time it is ACIDIC and not drinkable!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Noodles and clams in tomato sauce:

The tomato broth was fake and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Satay:

The chicken had a horrible charred taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The bill:

On one visit, they said that if you order starters and mains, the drink is free, but they total the bill including that free drink with 10% on top and then they minus the drink, so you're actually paying a few dollars for the drink which is not free.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried rice rolls:

This was for afternoon tea and one of the better tasting items, but it was too oily and MEGA salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3031] C-amera I-n A-ction in the K-itchen @ CIAK - In The Kitchen

21/12/2013
CIAK - In The Kitchen
中環皇后大道中15號置地廣場中庭3樓327-333號舖
Shop 327-333, 3/F., The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/c-amera-i-n-a-ction-in-the-k-itchen-e2336658

Aftering dining at Urban bakery works, dined here as well.
This place is called CIAK (in Italy CIAK is a popular Italian film magazine).
Hence the design incorporates the roll film and the use of the clapper board.


Coincidentally that day, they were filming an interview on CIAK and the chefs!

It was confusing when I ordered because there is only one counter where you order and pay for the bakery items.
When I ordered the guy did not quite know what I wanted (hopefully the people are more trained now).
After I paid, I took the receipt to the counter and the girl did not know what I ordered even though it was printed on the receipt.
If that had been a greedy bugger, that person would have probably asked for a more expensive item.
Anyway I told her what I ordered.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
pesca all'alchermes:

Basically it was a Tuscan brioche infused with alchermes liquer for $25.
Visually it looked like two donuts sandwiched together with cream in the middle.
The brioche was nice and soft but the liquer taste was not that strong and seemed to have stained the brioche red on the sides, but the vanilla cream was nice and you could see vanilla seeds in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3030] Christmas dinner at ToTT's @ ToTT's and Roof Terrace

21/12/2013
ToTT's and Roof Terrace
銅鑼灣告士打道281號香港怡東酒店34樓
34/F, The Excelsior Hong Kong, 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/christmas-dinner-at-totts-e2336656

Thanks to the PRs at Excelsior hotel for inviting me to this Christmas dinner at ToTT's and Roof Terrace.

It was such a lovely evening dining with a nice view of Hong Kong and meeting ET, Sammy Wu the Director of Food and Beverage.

Here was our menu for the night!


It was hard deciding on the mains because the beef one had beef cheeks and the fish one had gnocchi, so in the end I chose gnocchi.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Appetizers from the bar

Foie gras mousse with sourdough:
The mousse was silky with velvety foie gras and delicious wine jelly on top.

tomato panna cotta
The tomato panna cotta tasted better than I imagined because I expected creamy tomato but it was infact a refreshing tomato taste which was non creamy.

seafood terrine
I loved the terrine because of the jelly and the seafood looked nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Poached dover sole fillet with truffle gnocchi, artichokes, baby spinach, truffle emulsion



As expected the fish was succulent and soft in a buttery truffle sauce! I was delighted with the slices of truffle on top too.
The gnocchi was nice and mildly firm with some chew to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Desserts from the bar

Ultimately the logs were my favourite especially the white one which reminded me of a cake from UK's Marks and Spencers!

[Review 3029] Great noodles, cheap and delicious @ 新記粥麵 Sun Kee Noodle

20/12/2013
新記粥麵 Sun Kee Noodle
坪洲坪洲永安街67號地下
G/F, 67 Peng Chau Wing On Street, Peng Chau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-noodles-cheap-and-delicious-e2336598


Randomly went to Peng Chau because I have not been to there before.

I did not even bother to search OpenRice because there are not many places to eat on this Island.

This noodle joint near the beginning of Wing On Road caught my attention because it had photographs and the other places did not.

The noodles looked reasonable and for a small noodle joint on an unpopular Island to put effort into doing these high quality pictures, it seemed a possible place to eat.

After looking around, this place seemed the best choice to choose.

Inside the joint, it was quite old and shabby, but sometimes you can get delicious surprises from these places, so you just can't judge by the joint decor itself.

The menu was simple, there were only two types of noodles, one in soup and one in sauce.
The soup ones only cost around $20 and the ones tossed in sauce cost around $2X.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Noodles with cows stomach:

I really regretted not getting the combo because it only costs $6 more and the cows stomach was really delicious so I would have expected the porks trotters to taste good too if I chose that as well!
The noodles were soft and did not have any ammonia taste and the sauce from the cows stomach hung well to it because it was thick and sticky.
The cows stomach was soft and fully flavoured with lots of sauce which had five spice powder and aniseed.
The soup that came with it tasted like the typical wonton soup except that it was clear and loaded with crisp spring onions.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chili oil:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Porks blood with chives:

This was not really what I was expecting because it was literally cubes of porks blood on top of blanched chives with oyster sauce.
I did not really like it because I don't like sweet oyster sauce therefore making the porks blood taste sweet.
After reading the previous reviews, it seems that they grow their own chives.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★