[Review 7173] Mediterranean delights at Harbour Grand Café @ Harbour Grand Café

01/02/2019
Harbour Grand Café  休息中
北角油街23號港島海逸君綽酒店3樓
3/F, Harbour Grand Hong Kong, 23 Oil Street, North Point

https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/mediterranean-delights-at-harbour-grand-cafe-e3293328

Mediterranean delights at Harbour Grand Café
2019-02-01  1436 瀏覽
Harbour Cafe has mostly been on the traditional and Japanese side for buffet offerings.
I was quite surprised to discover they had Mediterranean delights so decided to give it a try.
Mediterranean cuisine is a touch of Greek, Levantine, Turkish etc so you will find a lot of olives and feta cheese at play.
At Harbour Cafe, their dishes are heavily inspired by all these ingredients but they will rotate different dishes every night.
As well as Med dishes, they also have seafood and oysters etc and each guest will get an abalone with duck feet.
Locals just love seafood but it was a relief for me as there was finally more on the Western front.
Started on the paella because I just love my carbs.

Also had the kebabs as I really miss these tasty grilled chunks of meat.

Both hot dishes were exciting as I just love olives and feta cheese and the sauce was delish with rice.


The scallops were  quite salty as the sauce was strong.

Last but not least was the steamed glutinous rice with crab. The rice beneath is the best as it has soaked all the rich crab flavours.

Will be back again when if they have some other new items but this hotel is going to be popular soon as the area nearby is getting a revamped.

[Review 7172] Star studded spiciness @ 熱辣壹號 麻辣火鍋 Hot No.1

30/01/2019
熱辣壹號 麻辣火鍋 Hot No.1
尖沙咀廣東道3-27號海港城港威商場4樓4001號舖
Shop 4001, 4/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/star-studded-spiciness-e3292158

Star studded spiciness
2019-01-30  160 瀏覽
I love Sichuan fare so came here to try the hotpots!!!!

We had a spicy broth and a not so spicy mushroom broth which looked quite neat when it came.
 0 讚好

As I love my veggies, I had the mountain yam and bamboo shoots.
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To be honest, the bamboo shoots were quite colourful compared to the ones I have seen before.
The flowers were interesting as they did not oxidise the whole night as they were real.
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The hotpot was rather spicy so the Glutinous brown sugar rice cakes were handy.
They were crispy on the outside and super soft in the middle with a soothing sweetness.

On the side we had more Spicy Sichuan Skewers which are ready to eat.
My favourites were the okra and tripe.

Another must eat item were the preserved quail eggs which were cute and tasty!


Next was the star of the show which everyone loved.
It was the pickled cabbage fish!!

This is the best I have had because the broth is properly tangy with no sweetness and it was clear and not oily.
According to the restaurant, you can drink the broth which I did and the pieces of fish are so silky.
As well as pickled cabbage, I loved the pickled radish in it which made it even more refreshing.
I haven't been to Cxxxx but if you google pics of the pickled cabbage fish up there it looks more or less the same as this one whereas the Hong Kong ones look so different.


Finished with the Sichuan Jelly which was soothing and not too sweet.


There are mints as well which look like flower shaped polos!!


Will definitely be back soon as I really miss the fish!!

[Review 7171] Another option for Sunday dinners @ 五月星牛肉麵

30/01/2019
五月星牛肉麵
觀塘開源道60號駱駝漆大廈3座11樓F室
Flat F, 11/F, Block 3, Camel Paint Buildings, 60 Hoi Yuen Street, Kwun Tong
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/another-option-for-sunday-dinners-e3292133

Kwuntong was once an industrial town but now it is a busy place for everything.The restaurant scene is thriving and you will find game rooms and lots of places for shopping.
Camel Paint building is just one of those buildings were you will find restaurants and shops on every floor of this industrial building.
As I was checking some outlets nearby I ended here for dinner.

I was attracted by the retro windows by the kitchen and the racks of test tube condiments on the table.
This restaurant specializes in Taiwanese fare.

For starters, began with the spicy ducks blood and sliced pork with cucumbers.

The ducks blood didn't look spicy but boy they were spicy.
Judging by the spiciness levels of the dish, I was expecting the spicy beef noodles to be of that level.
When I got the spicy beef noodles, the broth was so spicy just like the Sichuan hotpot broths so if you can't have it that spicy then I suggest not to order it.

We also had this other bowl of beef noodles which was more palatable as they broth is made with Asian pears and other fruits which is popular with kids.
The star of the show turned out to be the Taiwanese onion chicken.
There was so much onions and crispy shallots in it which was so tasty with rice that I had two bowls of rice.
The chicken beneath it was tender as well.

This dish is definitely recommended as the onions are imported from Taiwan which make it taste so different.
Finished with the passionfruit tea which was sweet and comforting.

[Review 7170] Potato King takes his spuds seriously @ 一薯 (已結業)Potato King

29/01/2019
一薯 (已結業)Potato King
旺角廣華街1號仁安大厦地下24B舖
Shop 24B, G/F, Yan on Building, 1 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/potato-king-takes-his-spuds-seriously-e3291780

Potato King takes his spuds seriously
2019-01-29  40 瀏覽
I love Potatoes, be it fries, chips, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes I'm in.
Potato King specializes in two types of fries: Japanese long fries and Belgian fries which are very different to each other.
When I got there, the signs were encouraging as I could smell potatoes and the the oil in the air wasn't that strong but then I specifically went early in the day so that the oil should be fresher.

There is an English menu by the side which is split into two sections.
Clearly for the Belgian fries, it has to go with mayonnaise.
As well as mayo, they have bolognese and cheese but I secretly wish they had gravy for poutine or curry sauce like the English Chippies.
I was so excited about the Japanese Long fries as they only cost $28 which were $50 at the Japanese Fest at PMQ.
There are various of sauces as well but to be safe I went for the mayonnaise and seaweed.
I was tempted on the ketchup but it depends which brand they use as some brands like Delmonte are just sweet.
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Potato King reminded me of La Cornet Belge in Central as they have Frikandel and chewylicious Stroopwafels.
Will try the Frikandel next time so that I can compare it to the one I tried before.
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Stroopwafels:
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Drinks at the counter:

Condiments on the table:

While I was waiting, you could see them cut the fries from whole peeled potatoes.

They take their frying professionally as they measure the oil using a temperature gun.

Here were my Belgian Fries which were much better than the ones at La Cornet Belge except that it wasn't served in a cone!!
The fries were how they should be crispy yet starchy in the middle, the best thing is that it comes with real mayonnaise.
You could really taste the potato as they are made from fresh potatoes!


Next were the Japanese fries which are a must try as well because they are freshly extruded to order with mashed potato mixture and topped with a sauce of your choice.
As well as the Belgian fries, these satisfied my cravings too because they were fluffy in the middle with light crispy coating!!



Definitely coming back because it is really impressive to come across something that is inexpensive yet the real deal in MK.
So let's hope they can keep it up!

[Review 7169] Modest Chaoshan fare @ 一條腸粉 One Rice Roll Man

30/01/2019
一條腸粉 One Rice Roll Man
旺角旺角道26號地下A舖
Shop A, G/F, 26 Mong Kok Road, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/modest-chaoshan-fare-e3291773

Modest Chaoshan fare
2019-01-30  62 瀏覽
I was lured in by the gimmicky name and amusing artwork.
It turns out that they specialize in Chaoshan fare and not the Guangdong ricerolls.
I love chaoshan fare because they have these mini dumplings, vegetable tea etc.
As there are only a few places serving Chaosan ricerolls, I decided to try it so that I could compare it to other places.

Portion was big but it was a bit clumped together and stodgy compared to the ones I have tried which are thinner and lighter.
The mini wontons fared better with a nice minced pork filling in the middle wrapped tautly in the wonton skin.

Finished with the pork trotter pot which was strong and satisfying with rice.
The egg and seaweed soup was a bit weak though as there was not much stuff in it.

[Review 7168] The best seafood at Ole Spanish Restaurant @ Ole Spanish Restaurant

28/01/2019
Ole Spanish Restaurant
中環雪廠街24-30號順豪商業大廈1樓
1/F, Shun Ho Tower, 24-30 Ice House Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-best-seafood-at-ole-spanish-restaurant-e3290346

The best seafood at Ole Spanish Restaurant
2019-01-28  2145 瀏覽
Spaniards really know seafood well hence they cook it beautifully bringing out the best flavours.
At Ole my winter feast has finally begun as they have so many must try winter dishes.
There is something special every time I go which does not disappoint.

On the winter menu, there are so many fowls to choose from such as pigeon to quail so why not have both because they are so different in terms of taste and the way it is served.

+++++++++++
Pan-Seared Royal Pigeon with Meloso Rice:
The pigeon is served like how you would find it in Spain which is quite rare and juicy hence satisfying with the rice.
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+++++++++++
Quail in Chocolate Sauce with Green Apple Mash:
The quail and chocolate is a popular pairing as you get a slight bitterness from the cocoa while the apple mash balances the gameness of the bird.
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+++++++++++
Grilled Scampi with Suckling Pig Feet and Beans:
I was a bit surprised by this dish because of the ingredients, it was seafood paired with pork trotters!
Strangely it was so good and tasted like a Chinese dish!
I felt that it tasted like the Chinese pork trotter thing with fermented red beancurd as sometimes they put peanuts in it which will tastes like the soft beans in this dish.
Anyway, grilled scampi is just fab and the unami flavours of the scampi and soft gelatinous pork trotters just went well together.
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+++++++++++
Caldeirada Gallega:
This is a must try not only because it is loaded with seafood but they all taste amazing.
The vegetable soup base is cooked first and then the seafood is added after the heat is turned off for 5 minutes so that the texture of the seafood will still be delicate when it is served.
The octopus tentacles were huge but assured tender as I was surprised how soft they were and the chunks of cod too.
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+++++++++++
Next was the Ibérico Lamb Shoulder which looked like a roasted chicken leg from the top shot.
I loved the uniformly crisp skin which was not fat while the lamb beneath it was tender like duck and it tasted a bit like duck as well.


+++++++++++
For desserts finished with the turron fondant:
The chef has put together Turron marzipan and the French-style fondant cake by using Turron marzipan imported from Spain to create a marzipan lava cake.
It beats the regular fondant cake any day as I loved the fudge filling and the soft cake on the outside..


Definitely a great winter feast satisfied.