[Review 3115] $10 for an unusual experience @ Initial Ice Cream Store

25/01/2014
Initial Ice Cream Store
尖沙咀金馬倫道48號地下2號舖
Shop 2, G/F, 48 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/10-for-an-unusual-experience-e2343160

After reading the reviews I was curious about their softserve icecreams.
Currently there are two flavours:
-Usual experience - 3.6 hokkaido milk
-Unusual experience - I dig leather
There is some speculation that there will be a new flavour to come called "tears".
(I wonder if it is going to be savoury!)

The softserve costs $10.
It was hard deciding which one to get, so I asked the guy about the Unusual experience and he said it tastes like tea.
I was silly to have thought that he meant Western milk tea coming from a Chinese guy because for milk tea they only have one kind which is the one I hate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I dig leather :

Unfortunately I did not like it because it tasted just like Hong Kong Style tea.
I really regretted not getting the Usual experience because it tastes like white rabbit sweets according to the reviews.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Maintenance!
Yeah right!
I was so annoyed they stopped serving softserve because no one eats froyo/icecream during the winter except me because the temperature of winter here is probably autumn in the UK.
COME ON...  ITS NOT COLD!!!


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3114] Clean chestnuts @ 中國龍 China Dragon Arts

25/01/2014
中國龍  China Dragon Arts
上環皇后大道中283號聯威商業中心地下A舖
Shop A, G/F, Unionway Commercial Centre, 283 Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/clean-chestnuts-e2343141

Walked past this shop after trying Man Mo Cafe, these small chestnuts that were merely bigger than hazelnuts in their shells caught my attention.
These chestnuts are from Tianjin and I was compelled to get them because they were contained in a wooden tub.
 I never buy roasted Chestnuts in HK because they are always roasted on the street surrounded in black coal. It STINKS when they do that and I wonder if the person who roasts them gets cancer cos its seriously toxic!
The smell is so bad that it makes me choke and throw up.

The chestnuts were only $36 per pound and you get quite a lot in the bag and they still feel warm.
They are easy to eat as well because the chestnut lining does not stick to it and they taste sweet and not starchy.

I am definitely coming back for more.

Mandarin hotel also does chestnuts but I have never seen that stall.

[Review 3113] Love bites with the apple of love @ Jam Bakery

24/01/2014
Jam Bakery
北角炮台山蜆殼街4號宇宙商業大廈3號舖地下
Shop 3, G/F, Universal Commercial House, 4 Shell Street, Fortress Hill, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/love-bites-with-the-apple-of-love-e2343087

According to my reviews, it has been four years since I last visited Jam Bakery.
They used to be located in Tai Hang and closed down for a while until they reopened here recently.
Jam Bakery is on the corner and the shop is quite see through.

This branch is much bigger than the previous place with a cake cabinet, cookie shelf and a reasonable dining area.
I decided to go to Jam Bakery because of the apple cheesecake which is also being sold at Sogo branded with Hello Kitty.

There was a green one and a red one.

To be honest, the green one was not appealing because the shade of green looked a bit like gunge and slime so I got the red.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Apple Cheesecake (RED):
I do not like the colour red, but red was more appealing than green in this case.
The apple looked so realistic I was tempted to bite it just like can apple, but in the end I dug in with a fork.
As a cheesecake, it tasted nothing like a cheesecake, but it was delicious if you treat it as a apple cream cake.
Fresh apple and cream with light sponge cake in the middle that was not too sweet with a hint of cinnamon.
However it was weird it had raisins in it.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Apple Cheesecake (GREEN) HKD42:
Came here again for the cheesecake because it was really nice.
The service was much better this time because this time I got a glass of water.

The green one had an extra piece of chocolate on top which was not there before shown on the first photo.
According to the earlier reviews, both the red and green should have a piece of chocolate on top.
I was expecting the RED and GREEN to taste the same, but as you can see there is much more apple filling in it.
The green one was much sweeter too, so in conclusion, I prefer the red one that I tried before.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
As well as the cakes, I was hoping to try Froyo because they had a unique cactus topping that you could choose.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Previous visit:
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2056396&tc=sr2&con=rvw

[Review 3112] Perfect Bangers and Chips @ 精伶吧 The Canny Man

24/01/2014
精伶吧 The Canny Man
灣仔駱克道57-73號香港華美粵海酒店地庫
Basement, Wharney Guang Dong Hotel Hong Kong, 57-73 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/perfect-bangers-and-chips-e2343086

I was browsing The Canny Man Fanpage when I saw BANGERS and CHIPS which I had to have immediately!!
So went there ASAP!!!
Normally it is Bangers and Mash but the manager likes Bangers and Chips so he posted a photo of it on FB.
He also had it with vinegar too which is how I would have it.

Got there and ordered BANGERS and CHIPS!!!

When it arrived, C gave me the vinegar too which was really good~!

QV used to be my favourite for Bangers and mash, but not anymore!!!!!
However QV has a cheaper price tag.
The chips are better at Canny Man because they are not over fried.
Anyway, it was just heaven having perfectly done chips that were crispy on the outside and starchy in the centre with proper British golden brown pork sausages and tangy vinegar and ketchup.
The sausages also taste better than QV because they were not that salty.

Although it costs almost double the price at QV, it was well worth paying for that.
On some days they serve Bangers n Mash for lunch which is around $8X so watch out for that and come on those days.

[Review 3111] Kin's Chinese radish pudding @ 留家廚房 Kin's Kitchen

24/01/2014
留家廚房  Kin's Kitchen
灣仔軒尼詩道314-324號 W Square 5樓
5/F, W Square, 314-324 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/kins-chinese-radish-pudding-e2343085

If it was not for OpenRice's XO sauce tasting paired with Kin's Chinese radish pudding I would not known that Kin's kitchen has moved from Tin Hau to Wan Chai.
The last time I went was to celebrate some birthdays there.
Although the Chinese radish pudding was not the star of the show at the tasting, I tried it on its own.
I liked it the way it was thinly sliced because it was easier to eat.
++++++++++
Lightly pan fried Chinese radish pudding:
Usually I prefer it steamed or lightly pan fried because it is softer and I can taste the Chinese radish more.
It was a good balance of flour, Chinese radish and preserved meat.
Golden pan fried Chinese radish pudding:
Surprisingly, when the pudding was panfried to a golden colour with a crispy surface, it was also good because it burns the preserved meats, forcing out more flavour into the radish cake.
+++++++++++

[Review 3110] Satay King x SodaCard tasting journey @ 沙嗲王 Satay King

24/01/2014
沙嗲王 Satay King
銅鑼灣軒尼詩道489號銅鑼灣廣場一期9樓
9/F, Causeway Bay Plaza 1, 489 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/satay-king-x-sodacard-tasting-journey-e2343081

Satay King x SodaCard tasting journey
2014-01-24  605 瀏覽
Thanks to Soda rewards for organizing this tasting for Soda members.

Participating eateries have a device which you can scan with the apps and you get 5 points on every visit to any shop that has the SODA rewards scheme.
For full details of rewards, search the SODA app.

At this event, we got to try new dishes at Satay King which are not launched yet.

Satay King is renowned for its white curry and pork chop but this time they wanted to let us try other dishes as well.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fish roe potato salad
 0 讚好

I loved this potato salad because the mayonnaise was normal and not sweet like other Chinese places.
It is healthly with half a runny egg and for the leaves they have used locally sourced hydrophonic leaves.
Hydroponic means they were grown in water without soil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Nyonya beef Pizza

I was a bit hesitant with the Nyonya beef because I was expecting it to be super spicy, but the chilis they used tasted like Jalapeno peppers which are not that spicy with a refreshing tone.
The Nyonya beef pizza was definitely good and reminds me of mexican beef and sour cream pizza.
The pizza base was quite unique because it was similar to Indian roti.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spicy cheese potato croquette - New

Basically these potato cheese croquettes are an adaptation of the usual potato cheese croquettes stuffed with fillings.
The one on the left was stuff with sesame and seaweed, while the other one was stuff with the same type chili use in the Nyonya pizza.
Out of the two flavours, I lked the seaweed one because the tastes matched the cheese and potato better.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vietnamese shrimp cakes

The shrimp cakes were soft and meaty but the prawn taste could have been stronger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sausage and shrimp with rice vermicelli in tom yum kung soup

I did not really try this because the broth was too spicy but the vietnamese sausages were good.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pork chop and rice baked with cheese and tomato sauce

The rice dish was similar to the ones you get at Cha chaan tengs but the pork chop was thickly sliced and the tomato sauce was rich and tangy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Satay Angus beef ramen

The ramen was surprisingly good because the sauce was thick.
I loved the way each strand had lots of thick and sweet satay hung to it with lots of crushed peanuts complemented by the lovely green spring onions and onions.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Kimchi and beef Fried Rice - New

Did not try this because Kimchi is really spicy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The desserts were quite impressive because they used to just serve mango, glutinous rice and durian, but these desserts cater for Western palates as well.

Platinum cheesecake

Nice cheesecake that was not too heavy or sweet.

Apple tart with icecream

The apple tart was my favourite because I loved the caramelized apples on a flakey base complimented by icecream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Thanks to Soda Rewards and Satay King for the coupons because I really miss their food and this time I will try other dishes other than White curry!!!

[Review 3109] Disappointing roast pork @ 新一派 味道 New Taste

24/01/2014
新一派 味道 New Taste
將軍澳常寧路2號TKO Gateway西翼地下W001-W002號舖
Shop W001-W002, G/F, West Wing, TKO Gateway, 2 Sheung Ning Street, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/disappointing-roast-pork-e2343080

Honestly, I had no expectations of this place but it turned out far worse.

This place claims that their BBQ roast pork is good.

Anyway when I ordered, the waitress was a bit weird, after ordering one dish, she was rushing me to order a second dish as if I was not ordering enough.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Menu:

Most sets cost around $52-$55 which includes rice, vegetables, soup and a main dish.
The price is quite debatable because if you are getting so many items then $5x is a good deal but if the items in the meal are inexpensive then paying $5X is rather a waste!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Photos of the restaurant:


The restaurant is reasonably comfortable hidden at the corner of some mall.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roast pork with black pepper and honey:

The roast pork was just sweet, the black pepper was tasteless and having Chinese roast pork always depends on luck.
This time all the pieces were fatty. Great! NOT!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Red beancurd pork knuckles with beancurd skin:

The pork knuckles were on a bed of beancurd skin which soaked the beancurd sauce.
However the sauce was a bit gritty, it seemed like there were wood shavings in it.
As for the pork knuckles, they were too soft and had some prickly stubble that was not shaved properly.

Chinese radish:

The Chinese radish was good but the broth ruined it because it had a rancid pork smell.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★