[Review 3281] A palace for great food @ Sun Palace

08/04/2014
Sun Palace
銅鑼灣耀華街38號 Zing! 6樓
6/F, Zing!, 38 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-palace-for-great-food-e2356293

Although its location is a bit far off from Times Square, this restaurant has really nice European decor.


I didn't know what to expect but the food was great.
To start the meal, you are normally given baguette or bread, but at this place they have croissants as well.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Seafood bouillabaisse Served with Mussels, Prawn and Scallop 

This was rich seafood soup made with 60% crabs and prawns and 40% fish.
It was fun watching the soup being poured into the bowl.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan fried foie gras
Served with Grapefruit, Orange and Apple Puree

I loved the foie gras because it was done just right paired with refreshing citrus fruits.
The pink grapefruit and orange segments made the dish very summery.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crab meat and avocado roll served with fish roe

Delicious fresh crab meat paired with buttery avocado flavoured by the fish roe.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Melange of Seasonal Mushroom with Black Truffle
Served with Poached Egg, Sautéed Wild Mushroom, Truffle Hollandaise Sauce, Yellow Frisse and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mushroom and breakfast lovers are going to love this!!
Simply a delicious combination of mushrooms, black truffle and egg.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed chilean seabass with baby squids, edamame and seafood broth

Delicious tender fish paired with silky foam.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Porcini Risotto
Served with Pine Nuts and Black Truffle Sauce

I loved this risotto because it was al dente with strong truffle sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled Canadian Pork Rack (10oz) $288
Served with Baby Spinach, Potato Puree and Apple rhubarb

The pork was nice and tender complemented by the fruity apple rhurbarb sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Slow-Cooked U.S. short Rib $298
Served with Carrot Puree, Baby Onion and Beetroot Reduction

The ribs were tender and came of the bone easily.
They tasted similar to the ribs at Tony Romas with a sweet barbecue taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan Fried Yellow Chicken $288
Served with Crispy Quinoa, Carrot Puree and Cabbabe Savoy

Tasty chicken paired with crispy and healthy quinoa.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dessert
Panna Cotta with Mixed Berry

This was the best panna cotta I've had because the normal ones are too creamy but this one has been mixed with yoghurt which makes it taste lighter.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate Custard and Banana Mille Feuille $88

An interesting Mille feuille because it was filled with chocolate and not vanilla.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
French Opera Cake $88

This was lovely and rich.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chestnut Mousse with Rong Rum $88

I don't like chestnut, but chestnut lovers are going to love this.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3280] Hojicha softserve @ Via Tokyo

08/04/2014
Via Tokyo
銅鑼灣禮頓道106-126號禮信大廈地下1A-1B號舖
Shop 1A-1B, G/F, Leishun Court, 106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/hojicha-softserve-e2356290

After having a super delicious savory waffle from next door.
Decided to have some icecream.
I was contemplating on Dolci's gelato or Via Tokyo's new Hojicha flavour but since I was right next door I decided to try the Hojicha because there was no queue.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hojicha softserve:

They provide you with a nice sturdy spoon for the icecream.
Although it was a nice big cup of softserve, I didn't like it because it was bitter, grassy and the texture was too powdery for my liking.
But anyway, everyone has different preferences for tea so if it had been a different flavour I would probably have liked it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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Price: $32

[Review 3279] This place needs a miracle @ 新仙清湯腩

08/04/2014
新仙清湯腩
灣仔軒尼軒道302-308號集成中心地下3號舖
Shop 3, G/F, C.C.Wu Building, 302-308 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/this-place-needs-a-miracle-e2356287

I wasn't intending to dine here but the noodles in tomato broth looked good so came here.

This place has been recommended on the Michelin guide but not many foodies recommend this place.

According to the note, it says tissues and cutlery can be found in the drawers.

When you look in the drawers, there are no tissues.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Noodles with tomato, liver and wontons:

Looked like shxt and tasted like shxt and not in a millions years could it be compared to SingHeungYuen.
The broth was too sweet, and the liver and wontons were not fresh.
The wontons had this awful taste and the livers were raw.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Signature beef:


A very stingy portion!!
You only get three pieces of beef and the rest beneath are big chunks of radishes to make it look like there is a lot of beef.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
As well as the food being disgusting, I got diarrhea too which will keep my weight down!!
It  really baffles me how this place got recommended and the staff there are so noisy.
請神仙打救!!! 要新鮮 not 新仙.
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[Review 3278]Frederic Blondeel chocolates now in Hong Kong @ Frederic Blondeel

07/04/2014
Frederic Blondeel
尖沙咀河內道18號K11購物藝術館B1層Kiosk 14
Kiosk 14, B1/F, K11 Shopping mall , 18 hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/frederic-blondeel-chocolates-now-in-hong-kong-e2356164

Frederic Blondeel has been a master chocolatier for over 15 years and makes chocolates at his unit in Beauvoorde, Belgium.
His chocolates are now available at K11!

I was so lucky to try their chocolates which cost around $18-$20 per piece.

Each chocolate is named according to its taste.
Joint flavours are named by the predominate taste that comes first then the aftertaste eg Rose and woody pepper which means you get the rose taste first followed by the woody pepper aftertaste.

Personally I liked this brand because other brands such as Godiva, Jean Paul Hevin and La Maison du Chocolat disappointed me.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sao Tome 75%

It was soft with a nice crispy coating.
The sweetness and bitterness were perfectly balanced.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jasmin

The Jasmine was not that significant at the beginning but it slowly comes out.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rose and woody pepper
I don't like Rose but it was pleasant and tasted like Turkish delight but much better because it was chocolately.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Coeur


This had Hazelnut gianduja, cocoa nibs with feuillantine.
I don't know why but it reminded me of the peanut M & Ms.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Szechuan Pepper

This was my favourite because it was not spicy but it had the lovely aromatic szechuan pepper taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chili

The chili chocolate tastes like normal chocolate at the beginning and then the aftertaste of chili slowly comes out.
This chocolate would be a good prank for someone who does not like chili because it tastes innocently like a normal chocolate at the beginning but the chili is not that strong, so they won't get too annoyed.
For chocolate and chili lovers, this would be a good pick and you can also get Drunken Chocolate Chili Ice Cream at Yun Yan.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cralin Dark

Caramel lovers are going to love this because the caramel is slightly salted with a crispy texture to balance out the stickiness of the caramel.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ghana 85%

This was smooth with a hint of bitterness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Feullantine Dark

The feullantine dark has a crunchy centre.
Cassonade Dark

The cassonade has a soft inside wtih a crispy shell.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Irish Coffee

This was my favourite because the centre was thick ganache with a mega strong Irish coffee taste.
I would definitely recommend this to guys.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3277] Overpriced @ 譽粵菜 Yu Restaurant

07/04/2014
譽粵菜  Yu Restaurant
馬鞍山鞍祿街18號MOSTown新港城中心(4期)3樓3018-20號舖
Shop 3018-20, 3/F, MOSTown (Phase 4), 18 On Luk Street, Ma On Shan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/overpriced-e2356159

Was forced to dine here because Chinese people only eat Chinese food.


The restaurant was nice and glitzy but the stupid thing was that you are going to pay around $1xxx for a meal and you still have to rinse those stupid bowls with hot water.
So it makes no difference dining at Cafe de Coral or Fairwood which is cheaper and you don't have to rinse anything but the downside is that it is self service so you need to collect the food yourself.

The menu was quite creative, eg sweet potato and cheese bun ..(weird)

Other items were good but if the Chef is crap, no matter how good you are at choosing the food, the dishes will taste crap.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
roasted pigeon:

I could'nt believe the whole pigeon was sliced into 6 big chunks which made it difficult to share and eat.
Pigeon meat basically tastes like goose.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Purple Sweet potatoes and vegetables:

This was so disappointing compared to the one at 金滿庭京川滬菜館 Modern China Restaurant
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2253602
There were more vegetables than purple sweet potato so they might as well have renamed the dish called Vegetables with purple sweet potato.
As you can see, there was such a stingy amount if you compare it to Modern China.

The stupid vegetables were not cut either, they only sliced the root away!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Oysters in fruit sauce:

Basically it was honey sauce.
The huge delicious oysters were ruined because it was wasted in batter!!
Places I have tried before normally cook it in a light flour coating.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Razor clams:
Chewy and not fresh.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fish:
Not fresh because the fish flesh was grey and murky
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken:
The chicken breast was soft and juicy, and the rest of the chicken was just skin and bones!!
I don't know why people pay $1xx only half a chicken that you can really eat!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lunch may be better because the review below says dinner is not so good.
This is the reason I don't eat Chinese food if I am not forced to because it is such a waste of time and money.

[Review 3276] The queue never ends @ 聯邦皇宮 Federal Restaurant

07/04/2014
聯邦皇宮 Federal Restaurant
鑽石山龍蟠街3號荷里活廣場353號舖
Shop 353, Plaza Hollywood, 3 Lung Poon Street, Diamond Hill
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-queue-never-ends-e2356157

Whether the food is good or bad, the queue does not end for this place because Chinese dim sum is a tradition.
It's location is also good too, right in the heart of a residential area and above the MTR station.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese radish puffs:
Oily pastry
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tofu:

This was not really a dim sum item but the only dish that tasted ok.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir fried noodles:
Oily, greasy with a nasty rancid wok taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spring rolls:
Effortless fried spring rolls with nothing much inside it and extremely oily.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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[Review 3275] Chicken risoni in fresh tomato soup!! @ 沙嗲王 Satay King

03/04/2014
沙嗲王 Satay King
尖沙咀加拿芬道20號加拿芬廣場5樓
3/F, Carnarvon Plaza, 20-20C Carnavon Road,, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/chicken-risoni-in-fresh-tomato-soup-e2355430

Went to Satay King for dinner and saw something new on the menu.
It was Chicken risoni in fresh tomato soup which is an odd item to find in Satay King because it was Italian style.
Orzo also known as risoni (Italian meaning big rice), is a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice.
Evidently it was not fresh tomato soup but tomato puree because it tasted like pizza sauce with lots of herbs.
Anyway, it was quite a nice because the texture of the risoni was al dente but soft and absorbed the tangy tomato broth.
On the product shot, it had Chinese vegetables which was replaced by Indian lettuce.
I felt that the lettuce matched the soup better because Chinese vegetables in tomato soup would be a bit weird.