[Review 3187] Robatayaki delights @ 炎丸居酒屋 Enmaru Izakaya

28/02/2014
炎丸居酒屋 Enmaru Izakaya
銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場10樓1001A號舖
Shop 1001A, 10/F., Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/robatayaki-delights-e2349003

Enmaru Izakaya has newly opened at Times Square and I was invited to check it out.
At the entrance, it clearly themes itself with fire and Robatayaki because the logo is roaring with live digital fire.

Robatayaki or robata originates from Japan which means cooking by the fire where food is put on skewers and slow-grilled.
At Enmaru Izakaya, there is a huge robatayaki counter at the centre of the restaurant where everyone can watch.
They use vertical grilling in which not only juice and freshness of the meat are perfectly retained, but also smoke generated by meat juice dripped on charcoal can be avoided.

Here is Kinki fish being grilled and it reminds me of text books with Eskimos cooking their food by the fire.


We tried signature dishes at Enmaru Izakaya and here was what we tried.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hokkaido Kinki Price: $888:


According to the restaurant, it is jet fresh from Japan. Hokkaido Kinki is a precious fish from the deep sea.
Using their grilling technique, it keeps the distinctive freshness and delicate taste of Kinki keeping the fish meat delicate and moist.
After trying it, the fish meat was soft inside and it was much moister than expected and the fish skin was lovely and crisp flavoured by the salt that was rubbed on it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
ENMARU's Signature Simmered Beef Offal with Garlic Bread Price: $72:


A classic dish proudly presented by ENMARU. Top-ranked beef offal and rib finger are simmered in a long-boiled rich flavored sauce.
It was interestingly paired with garlic toast to dip in this lovely rich sauce.
The rib meat was lovely and sauce and the offal taste was not that strong but can be fatty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Homemade Potato Salad with Salted Squid: $42

Homemade salad created by combining Hokkaido’s buttered potato with Izayaki’s well-known salted squid. The salad is stored in an air-tight glass container and sealed with an ENMARU sticker.
I love spuds, so clearly I was going to like this, after mixing the squid it gives it some extra saltiness.
Add the squid accordingly for the required saltiness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Homemade Tofu in Wooden Bucket $72:
To make this handmade tofu, organic soya milk was imported from Kyoto.
The hot and fresh tofu is contained in a traditional wooden bucket that is immediately served to customers giving that wow factor.

To accompany the tofu, there are some condiments.

Tried the tofu without the condiments and it was creamy with a strong soya bean taste.
After adding the salt, it enhanced it even more because the salt they serve has this umani taste as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet Potato in Cream Honey Sauce $45:

These Kagoshima sweet potatoes were carefully grilled with bichotan retaining the natural sweetness and tenderness.
It was topped with ENMARU’s homemade cream honey sauce.
These sweet potatoes were divine because the cream was thick and fragrant with a reminiscence of clotted cream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
ENMARU Original Ramen Price: $78:
Ramen in white chicken soup prepared in Japan with a large amount of chicken bones, chicken feet and pork bones. After an eight hour long-boiling process, the soup is frozen and transported to Hong Kong by air, providing diners with the finest genuine taste from Tokyo Japan.
The noodles were impeccable as well and it was surprising to get a good quality ramen from a robatayki restaurant.
The price is affordable too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roasted Rib Eye Sushi Price: $98:
At first I did not know it was sushi because it looked like a big slice of thinly sliced beef.
It was a thin slice of premium Wagyu rib eye steak that is skillfully roasted and laid on sushi rice.


This is delight to beef lovers, a big slice of beef wrapped around the rice and eaten in one go!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
GARIGARI-KUN Shochu Soda Price: $48/glass:

A Classic Japanese ice lolly is added to shochu soda creating a playful drink that reminds every Japanese of their childhood.
If your lucky the lolly stick may be printed with a complementary drink, so be sure to check it!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
ENMARU Roll Price: $198:

The presentation of this was stunning, it was served on the longest plate you could possibly find and you need a long table for this!!
The sushi rolls was fresh paired with creamy foamed sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sake:

For sake lovers, there is huge variety of sake served here.
When diners enter the restaurant, there is a huge display of sake bottles at the entrance.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green tea milk pudding:

A creamy and smooth milk pudding topped with light green tea sauce on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★


















[Review 3186] Pasta with a Chinese fusion twist @ Green Orange

27/02/2014
Green Orange
上環永樂街50號昌盛大廈2樓
2/F, CS Tower, 50 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/pasta-with-a-chinese-fusion-twist-e2348860

Came here again because of the interesting fusion of fermented beancurd and pasta.
Basically it was lamb and pasta in fermented beancurd sauce.
In Chinese dishes lamb and fermented beancurd are always paired together so it should taste good.
The Matcha Azuki risotto was another interesting fusion dish too!
綠茶紅豆意大利飯
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lamb pasta in fermented beancurd sauce:
羊肉腐乳意粉
To be honest $138 is a bit pricey for the pasta.
Anyway, the pasta was too creamy for my liking and the fermented beancurd sauce was not as strong as I would have liked.
According to the Chef, the fermented beancurd taste should be stronger and it should not have been so creamy, but that night it was not cooked by that Chef.
I think it would have tasted nice if the sauce was purely lamb and fermented beancurd.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
◎ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ◎




[Review 3185] Experience Olde Hong Kong in Sai Kung @ 老香江茶居 Olde Hong Kong Tea Cafe

26/02/2014
老香江茶居 Olde Hong Kong Tea Cafe
西貢宜春街51號地下
G/F, 51 Yi Chun Street, Sai Kung
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/experience-olde-hong-kong-in-sai-kung-e2348692

As you know, it's a sin for me to dine in Sai Kung because it is mainly Chinese food that is not up to scratch or the type that I like.
If I do dine in Sai Kung, it is only for Western food!

I dined at Olde Hong Kong Tea House because it was special.

The decor was different and the dishes they served were worth trying.

The glasses they used had an interesting bubble at the bottom.

In the afternoon, they serve Chinese high tea sets!!

The menu is beautifully designed illustrating that old Hong Kong touch!
Lunch is from 12-4pm which is good for late people.

The food choices were classic and interesting if you check the Chinese version for:
-country duck meat fettucine
-braised chicken noodles in soy sauce
-Traditional style baked fish intestines in custard

Here were the dishes I ordered:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mixed mushrooms casserole rice:
(yuen jup gau goo boot jai faan)

I ordered this because the name was funny, it was called boot jai faan ie served in a bowl!
It was a great filling and meatless dish of mixed mushrooms in light gravy paired with piping hot rice beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Uncut bbq pork with rice:
The pork they serve for BBQ pork is different from other places because they use a different cut of pork called 梅頭肉.
It was hard googling the English for 梅頭肉 so I gave up.

It was a juicy slice of pork which had a texture similar to pork neck meat without being too fat.
The texture was springy and it was covered in light gravy that was heavily infused with Shaoxing wine.













★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3184] Mind blowing contemporary dim sums @ Man Mo Cafe Nicolas ELALOUF

26/02/2014
Man Mo Cafe Nicolas ELALOUF
上環摩羅上街40號
40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/mind-blowing-contemporary-dim-sums-e2348690













As soon as I found about these Western dim sums I had to dine here.
It is located on Upper Lascar Row where they sell antiques.

The restaurant is called Man Mo Cafe because it is near the Man Mo temple which you can spot easily by the brightly lit blue neon lights.


Inside the restaurant it was modern and extremely chic.
On the ceilings there were phoenixes, illustrated in a Western way.
As well as that, their logo is well designed.
It is a Bamboo steamer lid with the logo incorporated in the bamboo weaving patterns.

I loved the ambience at this place because it was relaxing and you won't find people shouting or those annoying ceramic bowls and cups clinking together.
The best part is that you don't need to rinse anything!

The menu was simplistic serving contemporary dimsums that comes in a choice of twos or threes.

Here was what I ordered.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Kusmi strawberry green tea:

The combination of strawberry and green tea sounded unusual so ordered it.
When it came, the smell of strawberry was so fragrant that the whole restaurant could smell it.
It is different to other strawberry teas because it was not sour and there is green tea taste to it as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ratatouille with tomato sauce:

The Ratatouille dumpling had an Italian flair to it.
It was filled with tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers with creamy tomato sauce to complement it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Kebabun:

This was my favourite because it was a combination of European kebabs and Mongolian food.
The pieces of lamb were done to perfection because they more moist and crispy on the edges heavily spiced with cumin.

It was dressed with salad, yoghurt and some feta choose which made it so tasty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and mustard dumpling:

The chicken dumpling was slightly disappointing because the mustard sauce was too creamy and it did not have that mustard kick to it.
I was expecting the sauce to taste like English mustard with a kick or American mustard which has a tangy tone to it.
The chicken inside the dumpling was good, it was small chunks of chicken thigh and not minced chicken breast which has more flavour.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Burgerbun:

I am not really a person for beef burgers but with those two cute bottles of squeezy sauces I decided to have fun and try it.
The buns are the same as those dim sum buns filled with roast pork (chaan baus) but they were filled with minced beef.
Basically you take a bite and add sauce to it using those cute mini squeezy bottles.
The sauce was quite creamy and not as refreshng as I would have liked so I just added salt and pepper to it which was also good.
THE SALT THEY USE IS BY MALDON AND THEY ARE A MUST SEE ITEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SQUARE FLAKES WHICH LOOK LIKE HOLLOW PYRAMIDS!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Truffle and brie dumpling:

The truffle and brie dumpling was amazing! Looking like an ordinary potsticker, it was filled with brie cheese.
It was really tasty with cheese oozing out when you bit it and the amount of cheese inside was just right that it did not feel sickly.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hk egg lemon tart:
I loved this egg tart because it had a tarty lemon base topped with fluffy gooey meringue, however the base was too delicate and crumbly that I had difficulty holding it because it was going to collapse any second!

Since my review, I think the tart base has improved because on the latest press clipping, the owner was able to hold it in mid air without collapsing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

I love the dim sums here and they come in twos or three so you can indulge them yourself!

Next time I am going to try the soups and look forward to more new creations.

[Review 3183] The new shrine for Fish and Chips @ K's British Restaurant

26/02/2014
K's British Restaurant
大嶼山梅窩熟食市場C10-C12號舖
C10 & C12, Mui Wo Cooked Food Market, Lantau Island
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-new-shrine-for-fish-and-chips-e2348688

Ever since my first random visit to Mui Wo, I have fallen in love with this Island because of its tranquility and wide range of Western restaurants.
My first meal at Mui Wo was at China Bear serving delicious British fare.

On this visit, I was back again for more British fare thanks to SkyTao's review.
I never eat in cooked food markets in Hong Kong but Mui Wo's cooked food market was cleaner than the ones in the City and the ones in urban areas of Hong Kong.


K's British Restaurant is a restaurant that serves REAL AUTHENTIC British food and I love Karina's British pride because she even wears a T-shirt with the Union Jack.

This paragraph is quoted from Prestige magazine which was ABSOLUTELY spot on:
Lovers of fish and chips in Hong Kong had much to mourn about when the last purveyor of the pukka item in Town, the chippy closed a year ago or so.

Thankfully, K's British Restaurant is here to the rescue!!!
This new STAR is going to bring tourism to Mui Wo or send expats moving there!
The traffic and accessibility is much better than Sai Kung.
Well at least I am tempted.....

I took the Fast Ferry to MW, got off the ferry and the Cooked food market was on the right hand side.
It was an odd feeling walking into the cooked food market because I never do that in Hong Kong.
I was greeted by this lovely restaurant with chequered tablecloths.

The restaurant was simple and it felt like those cafes in East London.
If you havent read SkyTao's review, this restaurant is easily missed because the Chinese name belonging to the previous restaurant is still there but since I read the reviews I spotted it right away by the tablecloths.

THIS PLACE IS TRULY BRITISH AND THIS IS MY THIRD VISIT!!
PLEASE CARRY ON READING IF YOUR AN EXPAT BECAUSE YOU WON'T APPRECIATE THESE PERFECT CHIPPIE CHIPS IF UR NOT ENGLISH BECAUSE THE HONGKIE STYLE CHIPS ARE BURNT!
THERE IS ALSO HEINZ KETCHUP AND MALT VINEGAR ON THE TABLES.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cod and chips:
OMG! The battered cod and chips were just OMG!
The cod was succulent and flakey with a uniform batter and the chips were sensational!
This is how a model chip should be, it was fat, with a shiny surface and when you bite into it, the inside of the chip was silky just like molten starchy lava.
Basically the texture of the starchy lava was like velvety thick cream with a slighty chewy soft chip skin.
Eating it piping hot when it is just served tastes the best, if you leave it for a while, the chips get a little bit firmer.
You could smell the gorgeous spud smell just like baked potatoes when it was just served.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pollock and Shoe string chips:

As well as cod, I tried the pollock paired with shoe string chips because they are hand cut by them as well.
For the shoe string chips they taste so good piping hot so you have to eat them as fast as you can because when they cool down, the texture is firmer and not so fragrant but it still tastes good.
Pollock is another fish similar to cod, it is used in fish fingers and fish burgers.
The fried pollock was also to die for, I regretted not ordering the large portion that had three pieces.
It was different to the cod because the texture of this fish is much softer and silkier and melts in your mouth!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mushy peas and bread:

The portion of mushy peas was generous! It was a bit heavy but I liked it.
It was a nice mix of mushed and whole peas.
As well as the peas, stuffing the chips in the bread was amazing because these were authentic chips perfect for making a yummy butty, not to mention putting delicious fish into it as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chili con carne:

The chili con carne was really nice, it was a little too spicy for me but it tasted really authentic.
It was seriously good with chips or rice.
I would have liked the kidney beans to be softer and the sauce to be thicker.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roast spring chicken:

The chicken was really good, roasted nicely and dressed with lots of herbs.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
bangers and mash (Kids):

The mash was lumpy which was good, because some places serve instant mash!
It was lovely and buttery and the pork sausage juices gave the mash an extra depth in taste while the texture of the sausage was soft and meaty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
broccoli and leek quiche:

The quiche had a nice firm flakey pastry and there were lots of broccoli with a nice cheesy taste balanced by the egg.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steak and Kidney pie:

There were two other pies that were worth trying and I couldn't decide between the chicken and mushroom, minced beef and onion and this one.
In the end of I got the steak and kidney which had a lovely pastry again filled with rich strong gravy and pungent pieces of kidney.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tea:

The tea was served in a Chinese tea pot and the cups they used were those thick rimmed tea cups that you get in chaa chan tengs.
You will notice a difference if your used to thin rimmed cups.
Somehow they reminded me of the cups at BHS and Littlewood's cafeteria except the shape of the cup was different.
But anyway, it was British tea so it was the perfect quencher to go with fish and chips.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Custard with banana:

I was elated to see custard on the menu.
Custard is so simple to make and I don't know why places don't have REAL custard.
Normally I have custard with pudding or on its own, but here it is served with fresh banana which was really nice.
It was banana on top of custard with melted cane sugar.
The custard had a lovely creamy consistency and it was piping hot and not too sweet complimented by the fresh bananas.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Anyway, I am now hooked on their food and I wish they would open another branch in Central.
If the ferry was cheaper, I would be here more often!












[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...