[Review 7495] Some hits and misses @ Pica Pica

04/06/2019
Pica Pica
上環德輔道中317-321號啟德商業大廈地下G-H號舖
Shop G-H, G/F, Kai Tak Commercial Building, 317-321 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/some-hits-and-misses-e3431283

I have always wanted to try PICA PICA but they were not open on Sundays when they newly opened.
Finally went when they were open.

They serve tapas with a modern twist.

From the menu, you can see the modern techniques used like the wagyu tartar topped with apple sorbet and the oyster topped with frozen cherry gazpacho.

Here was what we had:

[Oyster Daniel Sorlut N3 with cherry Gazpacho]
Not really an oyster person but ordered this because of the cherry gazpacho.
Unfortunately, when it came, there were oyster shell fragments on the corner of the oyster yet it had to be eaten quickly because the frozen gazpacho on top was melting fast.
The cherry gazpacho was very refreshing and enhanced the taste of the oyster but I didn't really enjoy it properly knowing I had the shell fragments in my mouth.
The oyster was still attached to the shell when I took it out which made it extremely difficult to brush the shell fragments aside.

Wagyu Beef steak Tartare with Apple Sorbet:
Ordered this because it was wagyu beef steak and the fact that it had apple sorbet on top which makes it different from other restaurants.
It was quite nice with a sweet touch from the apple sorbet which I did not find tangy enough.


Lamb Neck with Chimmichurri on Aubergine:
Apart from the bed of oil, I loved this dish because the lamb was so tender laced with middle Eastern spices like cumin and it was served on a bed of aubergine which tasted like eggplant dip.
The pieces of lamb had quite a bit of fat attached so about 20% of it was fat and the dish was rather salty in general.


Fideua from Gandia with Cuttlefish and alioli:
Compared to other Fideua dishes I have tried, I found it too oily and too crispy for my liking.


Catalan Cream Foam, Vanilla Ice Cream:
Finished with the dessert which was so damn good, the foam texture was really heavenly.
The only thing I didn't like was the biscuit base and the caramelized finishing.

[Review 7494] School Food at MCP @ School Food Blooming Mari

07/06/2019
School Food Blooming Mari
將軍澳貿易路8號新都城中心2期2樓2037號舖
Shop 2037, 2/F, Metro City Plaza II, 8 Mau Yip Road, Tseung Kwan O
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/school-food-at-mcp-e3431038

School Food at MCP
2019-06-07  487 瀏覽
Rents are getting expensive so big brands that are struggling in the city have to open in remote areas to survive thus forcing smaller businesses to suffer.
Not that I really give a shat because it's HK but sadly its happening to the world.
At this branch, they only serve the maris so they don't need a big kitchen.


I got my usual favourites which are about a third of the price dining at the restaurant without 10% as well and even cheaper than the takeaway offered at the CWB of School Food.


The taste was ok, both were spicy.
The fried prawn one wasn't that crispy though as it has been there for a while.
The Squid one was springy because of the squid with a sweet and spicy taste.
Overall, they taste ok but not as good as the ones at the restaurant but it is something different for the taste palate in Polam but nothing new as School food has been around for years.

[Review 7493] Memorable lunch @ 松山素食 Chung Shan Veggie

06/06/2019
松山素食  Chung Shan Veggie
上環蘇杭街10號啟豐大廈地下4號舖
Shop 4, G/F, Kai Fung Mansion, 10 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/memorable-lunch-e3430590https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/memorable-lunch-e3430590

I normally avoid lunch hours for lunch if I can but was meeting a friend here for lunch.

Chose this place as I haven't tried it.
The dishes are reasonably priced at HKD4x for 3 choices.

The choices are as seen by the window so I chose sweet and sour, sweetcorn mountain yam and Taiwanese three cups chicken.

All three were equally as good.
The mountain yam was surprisingly tasty.
My favourite was the sweet and sour as it was nice and tangy.
The Taiwanese choice was quite filling as it was a lot of potatoes while the basil was nice and strong.
Will be back soon.

[Review 7492] Indian food reinvented and healthy @ Cardamon Street

04/06/2019
Cardamon Street
中環蘇豪伊利近街38號地舖
G/F, 38 Elgin Street, Soho, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/indian-food-reinvented-and-healthy-e3430396

Indian food reinvented and healthy
2019-06-04  1719 瀏覽
I love Indian food so went to Cardamon Street!
Cardamon Street, it is not what you would expect so be prepared to be blown away with fantastic and healthy food.


The all day menu has everything covered, so is their weekend brunch with an Indian twist with dishes like Masala French Toast, Scrambled Eggs Paratha Wrap and Chole Batura.

For the lunch rush hour, there is a fuss free Lunch set where you get a starter, mains and a dessert which is quite basic so I highly recommend trying the main menu which really showcases their dishes.

The main menu will blow you away with Salads, Sliders, Tacos, Curries etc and not Naans, Tandooris, Tikkas etc!
Scouring the menu, you will find super foods and modern ingredients at play like Kale, Quinoa and Beetroot which are healthy.


It was so damn hard deciding what to eat as the tacos and sliders with an Indian twist should be delicious but in the end I went for the Indian Mezze Platter,  Cardamon Special Roasted chicken, Lamb Quinoa Biryani and the Beetroot Halwa.
Those who don't really eat spicy food will love this because it isn't spicy!

[Indian Mezze Platter]
The mezze consisted of three dips: chick pea, eggplant and tomato.
The eggplant dip is a fusion Baingan  bharta reinvented.
I loved the bread that came with it as it was topped with my favourite rosemary and zaatar so everything was delicious.


[Cardamon Special Roasted chicken]
The roasted chicken was two chicken drumsticks which is convenient and tasty to eat drizzled with Saffron and Cream cheese.


[Lamb Quinoa Biryani]
This was another one of my favourites because it was so tasty and healthy.
The lamb was moist and tender.


[Beetroot Halwa]
Halwa is traditionally made with carrots but here they have used beetroot which is just as tasty.
I actually finished it all because the sweetness has been toned down!


For drinks, I had the Kacche amm Ka sherbet which is raw mango,  cumin, coriander etc.
My kind of drink because it was savoury and sour so imagine it like a salted plum or salted lemon drink.


For lunches, you get an appetizer, curry and a dessert of the day.


Appetizer:  Paneer croquettes


Mains: Bengali Fish Curry


Dessert of the day: Kaju Katli

Will definitely be coming back to try the brunch and dessert as the sweets here are not cloyingly sweet.

[Review 7491] Passionate and healthy dishes @ 正品小館

03/06/2019
正品小館
佐敦庇利金街42號金陵大廈地舖
G/F, Kam Ling Building, 42 Pilkem Street, Jordan

https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/passionate-and-healthy-dishes-e3430056
Walked past this restaurant on a rainy day as it was close to one of the MTR exits.The front of the restaurant was interesting, there was a huge menu which was an enlarged version of the ordering sheet so went it.
I loved the black and white pictures on the wall.
The seating area was comfortable.
The menu had a nice range, it had lots of seafood which is my thing.
Every dish made you feel like home as they were not oily and presented in a simple but nice way.
Had the recommended fish which was amazing.
I don't know how they fried it so perfectly.
The tail was intact and the fish skin lifted off in one piece when you took it off.
Beneath the skin was delicate and delicious fish.
The seasoning was minimalistic so you could just taste fresh fish.
The other mains we had was bittermelon and fishmaw in black bean sauce.
Again this was really healthy just like food cooked at home.
The almond fish maw soup was another star of the show because it was savoury.
You could taste the finely grounded which made it creamy and thick.
Overall, everything was delicious so it doesn't really need any other sauces but they do have homemade chili sauce on the table which goes well with whelks and seafood.
I was impressed with the joint and plan to come back as their dishes are healthy and different.

[Review 7490]Just another cuppa @ 不要對我尖叫，日常茶間， Space Between Daily Tea Time By Don't Yell at Me

03/06/2019
不要對我尖叫，日常茶間， Space Between Daily Tea Time By Don't Yell at Me
中環擺花街23-39號中環大厦地下H23號舖
Shop H23, G/F, Lyndhurst Building, 23-39 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/just-another-cuppa-e3429991
Just another cuppa
2019-06-03  504 瀏覽
Spotted this a while ago when they opened last year.
It has a really quirky name in English and Chinese and it is super long!!
The logo of this thing reminds me of the Beavus and Butthead thing.

Finally went past one day and got a drink as I was thirsty.
I didn't feel like anything fancy so just got a Jasmine tea with milk cap.

The Jasmine taste was quite pleasant and palatable but the milk cap was a bit powdery and tasted like milk powder milked with water.'

[Review 7489] Lunches under HKD100 @ Lo Spazio

05/06/2019
Lo Spazio
銅鑼灣恩平道42號亨利中心7樓
7/F, Henry House, 42 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/lunches-under-hkd100-e3429379

Lunches under HKD100
2019-06-05  105 瀏覽
I rarely go to CWB for lunch but went with a friend who works in CWB so they suggested Lo Spazio.
When I got there, it was impressive because the staff spoke good English.
The lunches starts from HKD88 which includes a drink and dessert.
For starters had the soup and clams & Mussels:
Clams and mussels +HKD15
The shellfish was nicely executed in this tasty white wine sauce.
For the mains, had the Spaghetti Amatricana and grilled hanger steak +HKD58.
I was quite pleased with the spaghetti especially the sauce as it was tangy.
The steak was nice and filling for lunch with a sunny egg and silky mash beneath it.
Finished with desserts.
I love carrot cake so I was quite chuffed it was part of the lunch set.
My friend had the brownie +HKD30 which was quite a big dessert.
Overall, a nice place for lunch so get there early.