[Review 3395] Checked-out Taipei @ Check-In Taipei

26/05/2014
Check-In Taipei
中環蘇豪荷李活道27號地舖
G/F, 27 Hollywood Road, Soho, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/checked-out-taipei-e2366026

Saw some pretty good tasting reviews so decided to go and try the food.
Before I went I checked their website which was useful because the food featured on the tasting invitations were served in the evenings only.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
PING PONG:

Tried the PING PONG because I like purple sweet potatoes.
I had to wait quite a long time for them but the staff were apologetic.
Anyway, they were a bit disappointing because I found them far too sweet and should have been served for dessert.
There was some sauce that made it palatable but there was only three tiny drops on the plate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The food was a bit pricey and you are only offered still or sparkling mineral water when you dine there.

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Price: $108

[Review 3394] Fine French wines from Rhone Valley @ ENOTECA Wine & Bar

26/05/2014
ENOTECA Wine & Bar
中環港景街1號國際金融中心3樓3027號舖
Shop 3027, Podium Level 3, IFC, 1 Harbour View Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/fine-french-wines-from-rhone-valley-e2366025

From now until end of May, Enoteca are doing a Rhone food and wine matching experience.
I was really lucky to be invited to go because I am not an expert on wines so it was the perfect opportunity to find out more.
The wine selection was quite impressive with prices starting at $1xx.
At the tasting session, the wines available for tasting were:
Domaine Durieu 2010, Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine des Bosquets 2010, Gigondas
Domaine des Escaravailles La Ponce Rasteau 2009, Cote du Rhone
Charles Hours Happy Hours Cool Sec 2007, Jurancon
Gerard Bertrand Aigle Noir Brut 2004, Cremant de Limoux

They varied from different levels of pepperiness and wine tannins.
To go with the wines, there was:
Pate en croute - Richelieu, Porcini saucisson, Walnuts Saucisson, Duck cured sausage, Mini balls of saucissons.
My favourite was the pate en croute which went well with all the wines. The waxier saucissons went well with the strong peppery wines.

[Review 3393] Lyon-inspired “pop-up” bouchon-style bistro @ Cafe Causette

25/05/2014
Cafe Causette
中環干諾道中5號香港文華東方酒店閣樓
M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/lyon-inspired-pop-up-bouchon-style-bistro-e2365823

Café Causette has been transformed into a “pop-up” Lyon-inspired bouchon-style bistro for Le French GourMay,
From now until the end of May, Café Causette’s Chef de Cuisine Marcus Chant will offer a special á la carte menu featuring delicious homemade French comfort foods.
A special two- and three-course menu will also be available at HKD 388* and HKD 468* respectively which can be found on Mandarin Oriental's website.

We got to try the a la carte and the portions were generous.

Here was what we had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
St Jacques: $228:
Seared scallops, Jerusalem artichoke purée, barigoule dressing
This was such a lovely light dish to begin with especially the Jerusalem artichokes which were tender with a delicious woody taste.
There was also fried crispy artichoke slices to give it some depth and the juicy plump scallops were embodied nicely in the light sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pâté de Campagne: $178:
Pork pâté, cornichons, grape chutney, radish, crusty bread
A meaty pork pate with fruity pieces of prune and pistachio nuts in it.
It was complimented nicely with the sweet grape chutney, after finishing the pork pate I found the tangy cornichons appetizing making me ready for the next dish.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tart Provencal: $178
Warm tart of roasted peppers, eggplant, goat cheese
Delicious tart with a creamy goats cheese paste at the bottom that was not too gamey or heavy balanced by the vegetable medley on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Andouillette: $218
Pork & veal sausage, choucroute, crispy potato straws
This is probably not everyones cup of tea but had to try it.
It is made with pork intestines which are quite chewy and there was lots of delicious saukeraut to balance the pungent intestines.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bouillabaisse:
For one: $258 or for two $438
Classic fish stew, aioli, crusty bread

A delicious strong bouillabaisse perfect with the baguette which soaked the sauce nicely.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Raie au Beurre Noisette et Salade Fenouil $288:
Pan roasted skate wing, brown butter sauce, fennel and lemon salad
Skate wing, another rare item in Hong Kong.
The skate was soft and supple flavoured with the delicious buttery sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tarte Fine de Pomme $98:
Apple tart, vanilla ice cream

The apple tart was flakey with a delicious sweet and chewy base with hints of fruity apple.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ile Flottante $98:
Floating Islands, vanilla sauce

Another one of my favourite desserts with delicious egg white in creamy vanilla sauce complemented by the delicious berries.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lemon and Lime ginger ale:

I settled for the lemon and lime ginger ale which was refreshing and citrusy.
Great with all the dishes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3392] Great chicken to feed hot chicks @ HotChicks

25/05/2014
HotChicks
北角英皇道560號健威坊地下L15舖
Shop L15, G/F, Fit Fort, 560 King's Road, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-chicken-to-feed-hot-chicks-e2365652


Saw this new chicken shop listed on OpenRice so had to check it out because I love chicken and the name sounded Western.
The location was rather odd because there are not many Western restaurants in North Point.
That day I had two restaurants in mind, if this place didn't look good I was going to try Camden Town nearby, the Fish and Chip shop from Sai Kung!!!!

When I got there, the logo and colour theme reminded me of JoJo Indian Cuisine restaurant.
They serve roast chicken, brunches with a great choice of drinks.

The restaurant was casual with smiley chairs.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Quarter roast chicken HKD45:
I tried the roast chicken which comes with a choice of lemon sauce, BBQ sauce or Bacon red wine jus.
As I was greedy I asked for lemon sauce and the bbq sauce.
When the chicken arrived, it was on a sizzling metal plate which was quite different to what I was expecting because I was expecting it on a plate.
The chicken was juicy and soft with lots of herbs rubbed on it but you couldn't really taste the herbs.
The sauces came in separate bowls.
Personally I liked the bbq sauce because it was tangy and the taste was quite similar to ketchup with some rosemary in it while the lemon sauce had a nice zesty tone but I did not like the coconutty taste in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

This is definitely a great place for expats to dine.
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Price: $45

[Review 3391] bacon sarnie @ Burger Deli

25/05/2014
Burger Deli
西貢敬民街9號高勝樓地下2號舖
G/F, 2 Ko Shing House, 9 King Man Street, Sai Kung
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/bacon-sarnie-e2365648

Went there on a weekend so had to get there early before the damn people flock into sai kung.
As soon as I got my feed, I scrammed the hell out of there.
This place is going to be popular and busy on the weekends if they extend their opening hours.
Wanted to try their breakfasts but all the seats were occupied so got a bacon sarnie.
These people know what they are doing because they served the bacon sarnie in a sandwich with HP sauce.
The English menu was Chinglish free with 99% Western items except one Asian snack which was the prawn toast.
At the shop, they also sold cakes, expat confectionery, teas and drinks.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bacon sarnie:
The sarnie was nicely toasted, lightly buttered and the saltiness of the bacon was just right complimented by the fruity brown sauce.

Hope to visit again on a rainy day so there won't be many people and it will be easier to get a seat and try more stuff.
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Price: $31

[Review 3390] iPot gets better with more choices @ 一鍋 - 台日式精緻小火鍋專門店 iPot - The Shabu Shabu Expert

24/05/2014
一鍋 - 台日式精緻小火鍋專門店 iPot - The Shabu Shabu Expert
天后琉璃街11號地下
G/F, 11 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/ipot-gets-better-with-more-choices-e2365379

Tried this place before, once as a tasting and then came back as a paying customer.
This time tried the new broth and saw some improvements!!!
They now have hot water and plain tea for those who do not want to drink fizzy drinks or sweet teas.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Photos of the restaurant:
The new broth flavours:
Kumquat and chicken
{the pairing of Kumquat and chicken sounds good but I would prefer grapefruit or orange because Kumquat has a strong bitterness.}
Shaoxing wine and chicken
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Drinks and hotpot items:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The items I got for my hotpot:



Delicous lean slices of lamb.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and shaoxing wine hotpot:



It is eaten in a similar way like those chicken pots where you eat the chicken first and add broth to the remaining sauce to make it into a hotpot broth.

After you are done with the chicken, they will put some of that thick sauce in a bowl which you can use later as a dip and they highly recommended the sauce for the glass noodles.
Anyway, I loved the chicken because it was marinated in wine which makes it tender and silky because of the yeast.
It would have been good if there was a fork because it was hard eating big pieces of slippery chicken with bone using chopsticks.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Instant noodles:

There were two types of instant noodles and these were the best because the strands are thinner and it is slightly flavoured so when they become soft, it just adheres the tasty broth and the noodles become really delicious.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
What I ate:

They recommended glass vermicelli with the broth which tasted great after more sauce was added but I felt that the instant noodles tasted better.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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I definitely like this new broth which will become successful because it is similar to a non spicy version of the chicken pot.