[Review 4509] Green Monday with new dishes @ 素食主意 Sooo Vegi

03/08/2015
素食主意 Sooo Vegi
北角蜆殼街4號宇宙商業大廈3號舖地下
Shop 3, G/F, Universal Commercial House, 4 Shell Street, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/green-monday-with-new-dishes-e2475453

Found out from the other branch of Soo Vegi that there were new dishes at this joint so went here.
It was packed with people as usual.
Here was what I had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Lemonade:

This was basically lemon squash which was refreshing and not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Mushroom soup:

Started off with a mushroom soup which was hearty and earthy with a dash of cream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Chilled Shredded Veg. Chicken with Bean Pasta in Sesame paste $30
Veg. Curry Puff $30:

I ordered this and it was nice on a hot day.
Cool sheets of bean pasta in this savoury sesame paste that was not too sweet complemented by fresh cucumber.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Veg. Ham, mushrooms, preserved Veg with bean Sprout and Rice $40:


This was a nice dish because beanshoots have a high water content hence it was light and thirst quenching!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Braised eggplant with Preserved Vegetables and Rice $40:


This was a creative dish because they used preserved vegetables instead of salted fish which also makes it tasty.
I would have liked the aubergines to be cut into smaller chunks so that the aubergines would be tastier.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

[Review 4508] Sijie Sichuan Restaurant from Wanchai to CWB @ 四姐川菜 Sijie Sichuan Restaurant

03/08/2015
四姐川菜 Sijie Sichuan Restaurant
銅鑼灣耀華街3號百樂中心10樓
10/F, Bartlock Centre, 3 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/sijie-sichuan-restaurant-from-wanchai-to-cwb-e2475127

Sijie is a new restaurant in CWB but not new because they used to have a restaurant in Wan Chai.
They open at 6:30pm but customers were already there at 6pm and the tables were fully booked.
I liked the menu there because it works out to $300 per person and you get to choose two appetizers and 3-4 main dishes and when there is more people you can choose more and they adjust the portions and it still costs $300 per head.

Here was what I had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sichuan cold noodles:

Came here for this and it did not disappoint, each strand was tossed in this fragrant Sichuan sauce that was not too spicy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chongxing style steamed chicken with chili sauce:

A nice start to the meal with spicy chilled chicken.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cucumber and century egg soup:

Tried this because the pairing of cucumber and century egg was interesting.
It was soothing but the soup was quite salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Smothered chicken with chestnuts:

Surprisingly, this was the spiciest dish out of the whole meal when I was least expecting it and the chicken was very bony.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed frog with red chili:

The frog meat was very tasty but a bit too salty and dry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Poached fish in chongxing style:

As expected, the fish is not as spicy as it looks and the slices of fish were big and silky, great with rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I would dine here more often but the elevators suck.

[Review 4507] Fit for expats @ Ramas Oyster Bar & Grill

03/08/2015
Ramas Oyster Bar & Grill
灣仔港灣道30號新鴻基中心2樓2A-1號舖
Shop 2A-1, 2/F, Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/fit-for-expats-e2475093

Ramas Oyster Bar & Grill is located at SHK, so it is quite a walk but a popular venue for group gatherings because they have an alfresco balcony and there is a carpark which makes it easily accessible.
Started dinner with crudites and bread, one of the breads was very aromatic with a sage and onion smell.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fresh oyster platter:
 0 讚好

Tried the Four Seasons and Gillardeau, both tasted strong with a salty and metallic taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Classic caesar salad:
 0 讚好

Unlike other caesar salads, I liked the way they used the heart of romaine lettuce which is crisp and sweet and tasted nice with the creamy sauce and crispy bits of bacon.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beef carpaccio:

Didn't really try this but I tried the crispy cheese which was really nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salmon tartare:

The salmon tartare was nice and refreshing with avocado salsa beneath it and big pearls of cod roe on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Provencale bouillabaisse:

The bouillabaisse was divine especially the halibut fish and fresh clams which was in this rich but not overly salty broth.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed diamond clams served with linguine in black garlic parsley and chardonney clam sauce:

The clams were served first and I could not get enough of this because they were fresh and sweet.
The sauce that was used to cook the clams was also used on the linguine which was al-dente infused with a lovely clam taste.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Char grilled US prime rib eye steak:

A huge piece of steak presented nicely with carrots and okra.
The steak was juicy and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roasted Tazmanian lamb rack:

Another beautifully presented dish.
The lamb was not gamey and tasted a bit like beef.
On the side were brussel sprout hearts, cherry tomatoes, carrots and potatoes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Slow cooked Tasmanian salmon filet:

The salmon was pink and pretty paired with beautiful veggies and silky mash.
It was slow cooked so it had a lovely soft and delicate texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Truffle baked half maine lobster:

Another flawless dish with fresh and springy lobster.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ginger souffle:
 0 讚好

To finish off, had the ginger souffle which really warming because there was finely grounded ginger in the souffle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bread pudding:
 0 讚好

The bread pudding was the best because it was not too buttery or sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 4506] New soup at Sooo Vegi @ 素食主意 Sooo Vegi

02/08/2015
素食主意 Sooo Vegi
北角電氣道254-280號華凱大廈A座6號舖
Shop A6, Wah Hoi Mansion, 254-280 Electric Road, North Point
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/new-soup-at-sooo-vegi-e2474955

The new vegetarian place was packed so went here for vegetarian food.
Here was what I had:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Spinach & Potato Soup $20:

This was blended potato and spinach soup which had a light taste but had a prominent taste of potatoes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Stir Fried Celery & Veg. Fish Cake w/ Spicy X.O. Sauce $45:

This was a healthy crunch of celery, carrots and vegetarian fish.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Taiwanese Style Cold Tofu w/Veg. Pork Floss $25:

I don't normally order this but it was surprisingly good because the sauce is not sweet and tastes like gravy with delicious crispy bits on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Found out that the other Soo Vegi branch has new dishes so I will go there later but normally I come here because it is closer to the MTR.

[Review 4505] Orange Honeycomb Crunch Frappuccino @ 星巴克咖啡 Starbucks Coffee

31/07/2015
星巴克咖啡 Starbucks Coffee
將軍澳坑口重華路8號東港城1樓106號舖
Shop 106, 1/F, East Point City, 8 Chung Wa Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/orange-honeycomb-crunch-frappuccino-e2474422

Went to Starbucks because of some new drinks.
There was this new drink called Orange Honeycomb Crunch Frappuccino and some other drinks blended with fresh banana.
Tried the Orange Honeycomb Crunch Frappuccino which has a natural orange taste at first followed by an artificial TicTac orange aftertaste.
If you happen to get burps later on, you will get nasty orange burps!

[Review 4504] Great place for special celebrations @ The French Window

31/07/2015
The French Window
中環港景街1號國際金融中心商場3樓3101號舖
Shop 3101, 3/F, IFC, 1 Harbour View Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-place-for-special-celebrations-e2474228

The French Window is grand and spacious, a rarity in HK, you have to walk through a long tall corridoor before you are greeted with a grand dining area.

There is a gorgeous long red bench sofa that divides the room.At the far end there is a chic seafood bar.
We sat by the window and had two different Moët & Chandon champagnes to pair with the food.

Moët & Chandon Impérial


Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Started off with oysters and I had La Lune and Fine de Claire.
Both were fresh and flawess.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Next we had Lobster with wild berry dressing and black truffle which paired nicely with the Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial.

Each piece of lobster was springy and delicious.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Then came this sinful dish of Pan fried duck foie gras with jus, toasted brioche and gratinated turnips which paired nicely with the sharp Moët & Chandon Impérial which balanced the oiliness of the foie gras.
The brioche was just as sinful because it was soaked in butter and pan fried.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Anis flavoured roasted sea bass, fennel confit in Pastis and potato mousseline

The seabass was delicate which went well with the silky mash.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Crispy suckling pig with dauphinoise gratin, braised endive and creamed mustard gravy

The suckling pig was my favourite because the meat was tender with crispy skin that was not fat.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Halibut filet topped with breadcrumb and curry crust, served with white wine braised leeks and mussels

The mussels here are amazing, same for the French mussels below because they are FRESH and SWEET!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
French Window mussels:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Raspberry souffle:

The raspberry souffle was pink and fluffy inside with a lovely raspberry taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Apple thin tart:

The apple tart was thin and crispy topped with thin apple slices.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
French lemon pie topped with meringue:

The lemon pie was my favourite with tart lemon filling on a thin shortcrust tart.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Crème brûlée

The creme brulee was silky with a strong eggy taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
To finish off I had this lovely ginger and pear tea which had a nice musky pear taste.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆