[Review 5189] Not just shabu shabu @ 八幡屋涮涮鍋 Yahataya Shabu Shabu

14/04/2016
八幡屋涮涮鍋 Yahataya Shabu Shabu
旺角彌敦道628號瓊華中心12樓
12/F, King Wah Centre, 628 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/not-just-shabu-shabu-e2569005


I was so glad I was recommended this place because when you have dinners, some people want sushi, some people like the all you can eat served to your table and some people like shabu shabu.
This place satisfies all these requirements and the tables are spaced out nicely.
The main theme here is shabu shabu, so you select your soup base first and then it is priced according to the type of meat you choose.
The menu is self explanatory.
We had the $208 set each and upgraded the sashimi and seafood because I wanted seafood.
The sashimi scallops and oysters were really good.
I always dunk the vegetables first into the virgin broth so that the vegetables don't get polluted by the meat mixture later on.
They had these cute bear things so I put them in as well.
The wintermelon and Chinese radish were impressive because they were thinly sliced so that they cook quicker in the broth.
The prawns were springy and tasted great with just soy sauce and fresh chilis from the condiments bar.
I was quite content with the shabu shabu but they had order sheets for tempura, sushi, rolls and grilled salted skewers.
Saw the skewers on another table and they looked decent so I ordered the prawn and chicken wings.
The prawns were the same springy ones we got for the shabu shabu so these were much nicer with a hint of grilled salt.
I forgot to try the curry beef and rice but they had that as well.
For drinks and desserts, the range was good too with soft icecream, cakes, herbal teas, fizzy drinks and even a chocolate fountain.

Herbal drinks:

Chocolate fountain:

Sakura pudding:

Vanilla icecream

I definitely don't mind coming here again and dinner session starts as early as 5pm.

[Review 5188] Chinese buccatini @ 阿桂老友粉 Ah Kwai Friend's Noodles

13/04/2013
阿桂老友粉 Ah Kwai Friend's Noodles
觀塘康寧道64號地舖
G/F, 64 Hong Ning Road, Kwun Tong
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/chinese-buccatini-e2569001


After eating nearby I discovered that there are actually lots of eateries in Kwun Tong which I missed before.
This shop looked girly with a nice design so I went in and saw people eating these crispy pork slices which I have seen before served in Thai shops.

For the noodle selection, there were five different noodles and there were two interesting ones such as lotus root noodles and Chinese buccatini which are like long strands of macaroni.
I chose the Chinese buccatini because I love these noodles.

You can choose DIY noodles, soup noodles or noodles with sauce.



For sides, I was spoilt for choice because there were so many good choices to choose from such as duck, spicy pork stomach, crispy pork slices, fresh mountain yam and spicy sour bean sheets.

Anyway, I settled for a bowl of noodles, a snack and a can of coke.

At every table, there are napkins which you can't take for granted in Hong Kong.

++++++++
Noodles:


I had the buccatini topped with Jiajiang sauce and pickled vegetables.
It was really nice as expected because the Jianjiang sauce had finely minced pork and a fragrant beany flavour while the Buccatini hung the sauce well.
The buccatini is highly recommended because the hole in the middle holds soup/sauce which makes even tastier.

They will ask you the level of spiciness when you order so you can choose accordingly.
++++++++
Snack:

It was really hard picking a snack because there were five choices that were good, in the end I chose the flat bean noodles since I felt like something spicy and indeed they were very spicy.
++++++++
Coming back again because I want to try the other snacks.

[Review 5187] My regular place for crepes @ La Crêperie

13/04/2016
La Crêperie
銅鑼灣駱克道459-461號The L. Square 8樓
8/F, The L. Square, 459-461 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/my-regular-place-for-crepes-e2568371


Since my last visit, there are so many new items and lots of mango options which should please the locals.

Although the crepes are good, I ordered some new items as well.
++++++
Started with clams cooked in cider sauce and they were sweet and springy.
 0 讚好

++++++
As well as standard galettes on the menu, the mini galettes were great for pictures because they are really cute in size topped with a quail egg.
They taste the same as the standard galettes but all concentrated in a few bites and I loved the crispy cheese and ham.

++++++
As well as clams, the mussels were equally as good served with chunky fries and creamy mayonnnaise.
++++++
For savory galettes, La Piano was a flawless combination of Spinach, smoked salmon, egg, cream, salad and lemon.

++++++
Tried the lobster galette because it was new and it came in a fish soup and tomato sauce that was rich and tangy.

++++++
We also had the Les Pierres Noires which had Camembert cheese, egg, tomato, smoked ham and salad.
Personally I prefer the complet because the ham is different.

++++++
For desserts, the Caramel ice-cream, caramelized banana and salted butter caramel were great for a sweet ending because the caramel sauce is really good.

++++++
La Normande is lighter and not so sweet with stewed apples flamed with calvados.


++++++
To round it off, I had Earl Grey tea while their ciders are a popular pick if you drink alcohol.

[Review 5186] Convenient gathering spot for Chinese dishes @ 御名軒 Royal Legend

13/04/2016
御名軒  Royal Legend
天后電氣道22-52號金殿大廈1樓
1/F, Golden Court, 22-52 Electric Road, Tin Hau
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/convenient-gathering-spot-for-chinese-dishes-e2568332

As this restaurant is right opposite Tin Hau MTR, we always come here for Chinese dinners.
There is the usual stuff like roast pigeon and roast pork but my favourite was the bittermelon and pumpkin in black bean sauce.

We started off with the wintermelon soup which was served in the wintermelon itself the soup was light and refreshing with chunks of wintermelon and seafood.
Then we had the roast pigeons which came with lemon sauce which is a first for me but I didn't really need it because it tasted ok.
Roast pigeons taste like tender roast duck to me and the meat is dark as well.

Next was the roast pork drizzled in sweet honey!
All those were appetizers in my opinion because I need rice and some good mains such as the bittermelon and sweet and sour pork.
The bittermelon was not bitter because the sweetness of the pumpkin balanced it out yet you could still taste the black beans.

As for the sweet and sour pork, it was good with rice because the pork was coated in crunchy batter and the sweet and sour sauce was sweet and viscous.

[Review 5185] Food prices have gone up $20-30 in a month @ Mokum

12/04/2016
Mokum
中環蘭桂坊雲咸街43-55號余悅禮行地舖
G/F, Yu Yuet Lai Building, 43-55 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/food-prices-have-gone-up-20-30-in-a-month-e2568330

I don’t really go pubbing so didn’t know that this was a new dutch bar.
We went past in March so I just took a photo of the food menu.
Came here a month later and the menu is slightly different and the SAME FOOD has gone up by $20-$40!!

-Mixed snacks from $68 to $109
-Bitterballen from $68 to $89
-chicken wings from $68 to $89
-French fries from $38 to $58

There was a new item so I tried that.
Kaas Soufle:

These are dutch pancakes but not the type we normally see and they tasted exactly and looked similar to Findus Crispy Pancakes that were sold in the UK which are breaded crispy pancakes with a delicious cheesy creamy filling but again they are from Europe so they don’t look like pancakes.
The staff there were quite nice but as I don’t go to pubs often I don’t know how to rate it and talk about bar etiquette because obviously I was there for food

[Review 5184] Best of the Scottish brewery @ BrewDog Hong Kong

12/04/2016
BrewDog Hong Kong
中環荷李活道19號地舖
G/F, 19 Hollywood Rd, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/best-of-the-scottish-brewery-e2567950

Walked past and the bright luminescence lights got my attention.
They had food so my eyes went straight to the dessert section on the menu because the desserts were so British.

Anyway, ordered the maple glazed sour cream donut holes which were delicious as expected.
Sour cream donuts are basically donut batter mixed with sour cream and it had a pretzel like texture but slightly softer in the middle with a chewy exterior coated with sweet maple.
I will come back for the other desserts.
They have so many different types of beers and the ones in the fridge are stylish!
After chatting to a patron upstairs, I was told that BrewDog is from Scotland so when I go back to the UK, I will try the one in London and see how it compares.

[Review 5183] Only the environment is good @ 1963 木十豆寸

10/04/2016
1963 木十豆寸
灣仔灣仔道110號中匯大樓2樓
2/F, Chung Wui Mansion, 110 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/only-the-environment-is-good-e2567191

This restaurant has a FB page which is for reference only because they don't even get back to you if you message them for a menu.
I also tried to phone them for a menu but they managed to lose my number because the second time I phoned, they said they lost it.
Anyway. decided to go there anyway.
I had the chicken in three cups sauce which was evidently from a big stew because the it was not made to order and the basil fragrance was not there even though you can see lots of it.
The whole thing tasted like it had been stewed overnight

There were side dishes included but they were tasteless because it was just plain boiled black fungas and cherry tomatoes.
Although it was a big portion, I would rather have a smaller main course that tastes good.