[Review 3597] Cod and seabass delights @ 千両 sen-ryo

18/08/2014
千両  sen-ryo
中環德己立街1-13號世紀廣場3樓
3/F, Century Square, 1-13 D'Aguilar Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/cod-and-seabass-delights-e2385653

At Sen-ryo, I tried the cod and seabass because they are now in season.
Usually the cod and seabass that I have is cooked but it is served as sashimi/sushi in Japanese cuisine.

As well as cod and seabass, they have five daily special fishes which are displayed at the sushi bar.
Here was what I had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Plum and sake:


The plum and sake had a savoury tone in the taste, great with sushi.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grapefruit and pear wine:
 0 讚好

The grapefruit and pear was my favourite and definitely recommended because it was sweet with pieces of grapefruit and pleasant to drink.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tried the five daily specials which were fresh and tasty.
+++++++++
Kinmedai

+++++++++
Itoyoridai

+++++++++
Horse mackerel

+++++++++
Ainame

+++++++++
Fresh scallops

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled cod head:

Tasty grilled cod fish head with a crispy golden skin with gelatinous fish beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled cod with miso:

The cod was so silky and soft coated in delicious miso glazed.
After adding lemon juice it balanced out the oiliness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
-seabass sushi (anchovy paste)

This was delicate seabass enhanced by the salty Anchovy Paste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
seabass salad

The seabass was refreshing with salad leaves, purple onions and radish.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled fish cake with cheese:

The grilled fish cake was interesting because the texture was similar to marshmallow with melted cheese in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Miso soup:

The miso soup is a must order because it is different with a milkier taste and the kelp in the soup was really nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
steamed egg:

The steamed egg was loaded with ingredients at the bottom, a great warming starter.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sake jelly icecream:

The sake jelly icecream was a refreshing and great dessert to round up the meal with pieces of ruby red grapefruit flesh at the bottom, topped with sake jelly and icecream.
The grapefruit was nice and zesty while the sake jelly had a strong alcoholic kick in it balanced by the sweetness of the icecream.
It also comes with an extra shot of sake if you need it but personally I liked it as it was.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3596] King's Taste fit for a King @ 霸王風味 King's Taste

18/08/2014
霸王風味 King's Taste
中環威靈頓街98號翡翠中心一樓
1/F, Jade Centre, 98 Wellington Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/kings-taste-fit-for-a-king-e2385430


This restaurant is near the mid-level escalators just round the corner from Stanley Street.

I was really impressed by the food because it was different and very palatable for expats.
(The sort of food that you would get in Chinatown).
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Drunken Chicken in Huadiao Wine
The bone in the chicken was removed which made it easy to eat.
It was chilled and presented nicely with a strand of Japanese noodle with a knot.
The chicken was cooling and tasty with a strong wine taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hometown Mandarin Fish Salad

The fish was refreshing to eat because it was almost like a salad but it was savoury with a medley of coriander and vegetables.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green Vegetable with Sesame Paste
This was lettuce rolled into a neat little bunch with a cucumber and sesame sauce drizzled on top.
The lettuce was sweet and crunchy with a sweet fragrant sesame taste when you ate you.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised Ham in Honey Sauce, served with Chinese Steamed Buns (4 pcs)
This was delicious, the Chinese steamed buns were white slices which you peel open and put the Chinese ham and crispy beancurd in the middle like a sandwich.
The ham was soft and sweet, while the crispy beancurd gave it an extra crunch while you ate it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised Spare Ribs in Black Vinegar

Perfect ribs in sticky sweet vinegar sauce which had a really distinct wine fragrance.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crispy Prawn in Salted Egg Yolk

I really enjoyed these because normally they are whole prawns but here they have made them into prawn balls which were evenly coated in rich salted egg yolk sauce.
They were crispy complemented by the pungent salted egg which had a lovely starchy texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lamb Hind Shank with Spicy Salt


The lamb was interesting, it was surrounded with crispy garlic and chilis which reminded me of Typhoon style shelter crab that is cooked in a similar way.
The lamb was soft and came of the bone easily infused with cumin and garlic. The texture was a bit like duck shredded into strands and it did not have a gamey taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Signature Peking Roast Duck (Cooking time: 45mins)



This was my ideal Peking duck, the same as the ones in China Town where there is actually duck meat to eat!
Other places in Hong Kong just serve the skin which is so weird.
The pancakes were thicker compared to the ones I have tried before but here they serve it with melon sticks and pineapple sticks for the wraps as well as traditional cucumber and spring onion.
The taste of duck and pineapple were perfect together in the wrap because in Western cuisine duck is usually paired with pineapple or orange.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep-fried Mandarin Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce

The fish was lovely, it was crispy and silky with a lovely sweet and sour sauce that tasted just right.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Signature Xiao Long Bao (1pc)
The Xiao Long Baos do not come in a basket which is good because if you are dining alone or a small group then you can order the number you please.
Inside it was filled with tasty pork broth that was not too oily.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed Sweet Cream Bun $26/pc (At least 2 pcs/order)

Cute fluffy and soft steamed buns filled with custard filling.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Souffle Egg White Balls with Ice Cream (2pcs)
(Available in dinner period only, serving time: 20 mins)

I was really full but these souffle egg whites were dreamy filled with froth mango icecream in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dumpling in Soup with Sweet Wine Sauce
(off menu item, price not attainable)
The dumplings were chewy and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I really enjoyed the food here especially the Peking duck and it is a great place for expats.

[Review 3595] Mixed feelings at Big Jo's @ Big Jo's

17/08/2014
Big Jo's
灣仔機利臣街5-9A號維昌大廈地下C舖
Shop C, G/F, Wai Cheong Building, 5-9A Gresson Street, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/mixed-feelings-at-big-jos-e2385410

The first time I tried the grilled cheese sandwich I could not get enough of it.

Came here again for the grilled cheese sandwich.

The toast was charred compared to the previous one I had.

I was a bit annoyed this time because it was a mix of two cheeses, one was evidently processed cheese because this type of cheese does not melt in the same way as normal cheese which you can see because it does not go translucent.

The taste this time was a bit bland compared to the really nice one I had on the first visit.

[The darker cheese in the photo is cheddar cheese and the brighter coloured cheese is the processed cheese]
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The bill: $40

[REview 3594] Salmon and roe rice bowl @ 吉野家 Yoshinoya

17/08/2014
吉野家 Yoshinoya
灣仔軒尼詩道303號協成行灣仔中心地下B號舖
Shop B, G/F, Office Plus@Wan Chai, 303 Hennessy Road,, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/salmon-and-roe-rice-bowl-e2385397

Came here for a quick fix so got the rice with salmon and flying fish roe.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salmon and flying fish roe rice bowl:
Overall, it was quite good but the rice was too soggy and there was too much soy sauce which made it too salty.
After the meal, I was thirsty all day.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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Price: $2X

[Review 3593] School Food again @ School Food

17/08/2014
School Food
銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場13樓1302號舖
Shop 1302, 13/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/school-food-again-e2385383

I love the rolls at School Food so went there again.
This time had rolls and more rolls.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Flying fish roe mari:
It was my first time ordering this and it was and interesting mix of flying fish roe, micro cress and black sesame which gave it a nice crispy crunch with popping fish roe that gave it some saltiness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Squid mari:
As usual this was delicious with a piece of spring squid and spicy pickled vegetables in the middle.
Each piece was moreish.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spam mari:

Plain and simple with spam and pickled vegetables.
This time it was quite spicy because there was quite a fair bit of spicy pickles in it
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Photo of the restaurant:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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Price: $15X

[Review 3592] Delicious fluffy pandan buns @ 麗姐廚房 Liza Veggies

17/08/2014
麗姐廚房  Liza Veggies
灣仔譚臣道105-111號豪富商業大廈二樓A-D室
Room A-D, 2/F, Harvard House, 105-111 Thomson Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/delicious-fluffy-pandan-buns-e2384937

I only found out about this place because of the recent review so I went there just for the pandan buns.
When the staff gave it to me, she said that if I could not finish them all, the buns could be refrigerated and steamed again later.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed Pandan buns:
When I opened the box, you could smell how fragrant and sweet they were, there were 8 buns in a portion.
Each bun had a uniform shape and the size of it was just a little bigger than a normal Xiao long bao.
While they were hot, the bun texture was so soft and fluffy, the sweetness was just right and the pandan filling texture was like a light paste.
After the buns cooled down, the taste was much stronger and the pandan flavour was more prominent with a hint of glutinous rice taste.
In the filling I found some rice grains in it.
Overall, the buns turned out to be amazing without being too sweet so I managed to eat eight in one go!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I plan to go again for dumplings and these buns.
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The bill: $68
Service: good