[Review 7411] Foodwise Wine pairing @ La Mer Restaurant & Lounge

10/05/2019
La Mer Restaurant & Lounge (已結業)
尖沙咀金馬倫道48號中國保險大廈1樓AB室
Unit A&B, 1/F, China Insurance Building, 48 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/foodwise-wine-pairing-la-mer-restaurant-lounge-e3399808

As a FoodWise member, there are lots of events like wine pairing etc.
It was my first time joining the wine pairing event by FoodWise. I attended the event because I have always wanted to try the food at La Mer Restaurant & Lounge which is founded by celebrity Stefan Wong.

As well pairing it with fine wines from Bodegas Corral, the signature dishes from La Mer were also on the menu.Started with the beef tartare paired with Don Jacobo Crianza 2014.
By far this was my favourite beef tartare because it was made with tenderloin so the beef is lean and flavourful.
It contains capers and gherkins which make the tartare moreish.
Next was the French Onion soup, again flawless as it was loaded with onions which were soft and sweet, topped with a lovely piece of baguette with melted gruyere cheese.
The pairing of Don Jacobo Reserva complimented it nicely.

The main course was Wet aged US Prime hanger steak served medium rare to go nicely with the red wine.
The wine pairing was good because Carlos Rubio, CEO & Winemaker of Don Jacobo led us through the wines so for wine rookies like me, I ended up understanding more of the wine pairing journey and how different characteristics of the wine come by.
The last act was my favourite!
Cheese.........
On the platter was smoked cheddar, goats cheese, Stilton and Parmesan.
Goats cheese and Smoked Cheddar were my favourites and went well with the wine.


Overall, it was a great event so I will look out for other events organized by Foodwise in future.
All the wines we tried that night can be bought at FOODWISE.

[Review 7410] Blue Rice @ 捌哥.捌哥特色馬拉茶啡廳 Kopitiam Bagus.Bagus

10/05/2019
捌哥.捌哥特色馬拉茶啡廳 Kopitiam Bagus.Bagus
深水埗汝州街188號地下
G/F, 188 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/blue-rice-e3399074

A while ago there were queues for this joint but as there wasn't a queue that day I finally tried it.
They specialize in Malaysian Fare and Nasi Kerabu which is blue rice coloured by Butterfly Pea flowers.
As I wasn't really keen on the other dishes, I just had the blue rice with the egg and fried chicken (Ayam Goreng Belachan).
The blue rice was fragrant not in the sense of butterfly pea but because it was flavoured with herbs etc.
It was simply delicious with the semi cooked egg.
The chicken which had a really strong feet smell was delicious as it had a crispy coating and the chicken inside was tender.
Will be back for the green rice.

[Review 7409] Quality beef time @ Maruji Aburi Farm 丸十あぶり牧場

10/05/2019
丸十あぶり牧場  Maruju Aburi Farm
旺角太子道西192號旺角新世紀廣場3樓342D舖
Shop 342D, 3/F, MOKO, 193 Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/quality-beef-time-maruji-aburi-farm-e3399069

Quality beef time @ Maruji Aburi Farm
2019-05-10  90 瀏覽
Recently I got addicted to the Wagyu sando so I decided to go and try everywhere that has it.

Maruju Aburi Farm has it so decided to go there one evening.
This branch specializes in Wagyu beef and they have two other branches in Kwaihing and Mongkok which serves a slightly similar menu.

On every table, there is a classy little glass bottle of lemon juice which you can add to your food.

I had in mind what to eat but the pandan coconut frappe came as a surprise, firstly I didn't expect to see this on a Japanese menu and secondly it was so good.

There were so many items to choose from so ordered beef sausages, wagyu beef sando and eel Tamagoyaki egg rolls.
+++++++++++
Tamagoyaki egg rolls:
These egg rolls were soft and delicate with sweet eel in the middle.

+++++++++++
Maruju Farm Beef Sausage:
These beef sausages certainly gave me a surprise in the sense that they were softer than you would expect and they contains herbs in them which make them taste like English pork sausages.
Definitely the best beef sausages and they didn't contain any of gristle.
+++++++++++
As well as beef, I love chicken so we had the Chicken Feast where they use chickens from the South Iwate Prefecture.
On there platter, there was chicken wings, thigh, breast, breast cartilage and skin.
Four chickens are needed for the breast cartilage skewer as you only get one piece of breast cartilage per chicken.
My favourites were the thigh and wings.
Adding the fresh lemon and the lemon from the glass bottle made it more appetizing.

+++++++++++
Premium Whole Wagyu Beef Platter 2 Pcs ($580)
This was a really good way of sampling the Australian Wagyu Beef which is clearly labelled and for each different cut, you get 2 slices.
On the platter, there was Tri-tip, Sirloin, Oyster Blade, Tongue, Brisket, Shank, Rump, Top-round and Outside Skirt.
Evidently I liked the Top-Round and Outside Skirt which is meatier and tasty.
++++++
Now to the Wagyu toast:
The toast was extremely thin and crispy so when you eat it the beef is more prominent but saying that the sauce they used was sweet and spicy and tasted like concoction of spicy siracha + burger sauce.
The Wagyu in the middle was meaty and tender.
++++++
Overall, I was really impressed with everything especially the sausages.

[Review 7408] The Legendary Triple O's by White Spot @ Triple O's by White Spot

10/05/2019
Triple O's by White Spot 
灣仔港灣道25號海港中心1樓121號舖
Shop 121, 1/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-legendary-triple-os-by-white-spot-e3399061

The Legendary Triple O's by White Spot
2019-05-10  343 瀏覽
I love Triple O's by White Spot, it is one of the places I go for Poutine.

Triple O's by White Spot has been in Hong Kong longer than I have and way before Shake Shack, Five Guys, Butchers Club and has even seen the good and bad times of the burger trend while some competitors like Shakem Buns and Caliburger packed up.

There is something special about Triple Os.


To be honest, I haven't been to Triple Os for a long time but recently I was back for the Vegan burgers.
There are two on the menu.
The veggie burger isn't new but they have another plant based one that uses the Impossible Patty.

Triple Os is one of the first burger chains in Hong Kong to serve a plant based burger while McDonalds, Burger King serve it in other countries.
The Impossible Patty served here is the 2.0 version.

[Veggie Burger]


Perhaps this is the most original veggie burger before the plant based trend came by.
The patty is made with vegetables, potato and rice which is simple and filling.


[Impossible Burger]

All I can say is that it was just as good a meat if not better because it didn't have the fatty pieces and gristle.
It also has the raw meat colour before being cooked.
The poutine was divine, I just love chips and gravy with a little bit of cheese.
I think it was the first time I tried the onion rings and they were spot on with juicy sweet onion in the middle ad crispy coating that wasn't heavy.

For drinks, I had the blueberry milkshake which is a popular pick.
It is made with blueberries and icecream hence the natrual taste.
Evidently Triple Os is a legend as everything tastes good from the burger to sides and milkshakes.



Definitely coming back but also gutted that I have missed some of their seasonal items such as Surf n Turf, Turkey & Gravy Burger which are captivating.

[Review 7407] The real deal at Simplylife Foodplace @ Simplylife Foodplace

10/05/2019
Simplylife Foodplace
中環花園道三號冠君大廈6號舖
Shop 6, Champion Tower, Three Garden Road, Central, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/the-real-deal-at-simplylife-foodplace-e3398022

The real deal at Simplylife Foodplace
2019-05-10  638 瀏覽
To be honest, this was the first ever time I was impressed with Simplylife.
Tried the other branches at Tai Koo, IFC and TKO but the bakery was not good.

Walked past the other day and saw roast chicken that was glistening and moist so had to get it.
There was a proper rotisserie at the back as well.
Tried the roast potatoes first and they were soft and silky.
Although the edges were not crispy, it was good that the potatoes were cooked properly and not hard in the middle.
The chicken was fantastic especially the chicken skin which was springy and heavily coated with delicious herbs while the chicken was soft and tasty.

[Review 7406] An ice room with a South Asian twist @ 南山冰室 Le Mont

10/05/2019
南山冰室 Le Mont
銅鑼灣新會道2號地舖
G/F, 2 Sun Wui Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/an-ice-room-with-a-south-asian-twist-e3397988

Tried to visit this ice room yesterday at 19:30 and to my surprise I was turned away because there was no food!!!!
Went again the next day around 18:00 and they had some of the items I wanted except the buk kut teh soup.
From the menu, it seems that they serve south Asian dishes like laksa, bak kut teh etc.
Started with the scrambled egg sandwich and kaya toast.
The egg sandwich was pretty good.
Slightly runny yet cooked.
The kaya toast was really good as there was lots of kaya spread and the toast was half toasted and half soft.
For the curries, it comes with pandan rice and the curry is served separately so the fried meat does not become soggy.
The pork chops was lean and moist.
The curry chicken is basically the same but with fried pieces of chicken.
When I left to pay the bill, I finally found out why all the food was sold out so quickly!
EVERYTHING WAS HALF PRICED!!
SO ALL THAT WE FOOD WE HAD INCLUDING DRINKS WAS UNDER HKD100

[Review 7405] 'Strawberry cream cake at Super Sweets Gallery @ Super Sweets Gallery (已結業)

10/05/2019
Super Sweets Gallery (已結業)=
銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場地庫B1層 cookedDeli by city'super 內
cookedDeli by city'super, B1/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/strawberry-cream-cake-at-super-sweets-gallery-e3397973

'Strawberry cream cake at Super Sweets Gallery
2019-05-10  196 瀏覽
There are three branches of SSG, went to the one CWB but unfortunately the food court area is being renovated so I just got a cake to try.\
In terms of taste it was really good as it wasn't too sweet.
The cream, strawberry and cake balance was good while the cake was light and fluffy.
Compared to Europe, all cakes are just overpriced because for HKD50, you can get a whole cake, while the wholes cakes in Hong Kong would cost you well over HKD300.