[Review 7547] Intense dark caramel beef broth @ 牛霸小麵店 Niu Ba Taiwanese

03/07/2019
牛霸小麵店  Niu Ba Taiwanese
灣仔安樂里1號利昌大廈地下低層D號舖
Shop D, LG/F, Lee Cheong Building, 1 On Lok Lane, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/intense-dark-caramel-beef-broth-e3461941

Intense dark caramel beef broth
2019-07-03  29 瀏覽
Previously, this spot used to be HK Post Collection but it is now a Taiwanese joint.

The location is in the middle of CWB and WC so this place is nice and quiet after rush hours.
For food, there are noodles and rices.
Tried the Taiwanese beef bento which is served on a tray.

Ultimately, I would recommend the noodles because of the dark caramel coloured beef broth which is quite intense.
There is a choice of rice vermicelli or noodles.
I am so glad I chose the rice vermicelli because it soaks the broth well hence the vermicelli was really tasty.

I was surprised they had Durian rolls in a Taiwanese joint so tried them.
They were only HKD8 as they were doing a promotion on it.


They were rolls filled with Durian puree and cream so they tasted delicious and natrual.
Finished with the drinks which were the usual Passionfruit green tea and Yuzu Tea.

[Review 7546]Stylish Coffee @ Bad Ass Coffee

03/07/2019
Bad Ass Coffee
上環永和街31號地舖
G/F, 31 Wing Wo Street, Sheung Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/stylish-coffee-joint-e3461906
Stylish Coffee Joint
2019-07-03  281 瀏覽
Discovered this joint a while ago but it was 18:00 so the coffee section was closed.
It is best to go during the week days when it is less busier.
There is also a GOOODS store inside but it seems a no go area as the staff are not welcoming.
I was intending to get some candies but it really wasn't welcoming so I couldn't be arsed to bother to pursue.
Anyway, just grabbed a cup of HKD37 AMAZAKE which is a fermented rice drink.
The smell and taste was a bit strange so I wasn't sure if it was meant to be like that.

[Review 7545] Always delicious @ Pret A Manger

03/07/2019
Pret A Manger 
鰂魚涌太古坊英皇道979號德宏大廈1樓E舖
Shop E, 1/F, Devon House, 979 King's Road, Taikoo Plaza, Quarry Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/always-delicious-e3460772

Always delicious
2019-07-03  262 瀏覽
Whenever I walk past Marks and Sparks or Pret a Manger, it is always difficult to resist going inside.
This time I ended up eating the Bakewell slice and a chocolate orange cookie.
The cookie didn't have much orange flavour to it but you could slightly taste it which was good as it wasn't too artificial or overwhelming.
The Bakewell slice was so damn comforting because of the fragrant almond aroma and sweet layer of jam at the bottom.
It had a soft chewy texture.

On another visit, I had the freshly baked croissant with tomato and Mozzarella cheese.

It was quite nice but tasted like pizza because of the Mozzarella but personally I think it would taste better if cheddar cheese was used.

[Review 7544] Delish chicken every day @ 天天海南雞飯 Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

03/07/2019
天天海南雞飯 Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

銅鑼灣Fashion Walk京士頓街9號地下H2號舖

Shop H2, G/F, Fashion Walk, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay

https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/delish-chicken-every-day-e3460474

Delish chicken every day

2019-07-03  41 瀏覽

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice caused a stir when they opened in Hong Kong last year.

It is called Tian Tian Plus because it includes 3 Michelin-approved Singaporean eateries: Lao Jie Fang Beef Brisket Noodle, A Noodle Story and 1950s Coffee and Toast.

As expected the hype would be over at some point which is why I decided to visit as there are no queues and the dining experience would be better as it is quieter and less rushed.

The environment was grand but then this is a restaurant and not a food court without air conditioning etc.

I was really looking forward to this meal but unfortunately I was recovering from food poisoning the previous day so I didn't eat as much as I would have wanted.

Hainan Chicken is their signature dish so ordered that and the buk kut teh Wagyu beef noodles.

The chicken was covered in this appetizing gravy glaze and the chicken was firm and tender.

Every grain of rice was fluffy and fragrant without being too dry.

As for the Bak Kut Teh beef noodles, the noodles were thick which hung the broth well.

I loved the broth as it was strong and the herbs still had an aftertaste when you had finished the noodles.

Finished with the barley water which was thick and viscous with the right amount of sweetness.

Will definitely come back for the other signature dishes from A Noodle Story and 1950s Coffee and Toast.

But for the time being I finally got my TT chicken craving satisfied.

[Review 7543] Not my cup of tea @ 珍香園 Jan Heung Yuen

03/07/2019
珍香園 Jan Heung Yuen
柴灣華廈街2號環翠商場地下G08號舖
Shop G08, G/F, Wan Tsui Commercial Complex, 2 Wah Ha Street, Chai Wan
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/not-my-cup-of-tea-e3460467

Not my cup of tea
2019-07-03  801 瀏覽
I didn't have any expectations so I didn't get any disappointments here.The items were very affordable but they just didn't impress.
The only thing that tasted alright was the gyoza and the rest were too oily.

The green pepper thing has been refried many  times and the fish mince in the middle has shriveled up.

The Chinese naan was too dry and heavy, again very oily.

The savoury tofu didn't taste good because it was ruined by the over fried oily burnt dried shrimps.

[Review 7542] Vegetarian Fried Chicken in Hong Kong @ 2DP

30/06/2019
2DP
尖沙咀厚福街12至12號A藍馬商業大廈地下
G/F, The Lamma Tower, 12-12A Hau Fook Street, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/vegetarian-fried-chicken-in-hong-kong-e3458372

2DP is a really successful vegetarian joint that opened in 2017.

Every time I visit, there is something new on the menu.
This time I was captivated by the vegetarian fried chicken and the menu is pretty convincing so I am glad Hong Kong has  it now.
A few years ago, Temple and Hackney and Temple of Seitan in London started vegan fried chicken and it was so successful that they debuted at the Vegan festival in USA.
Last week London's KFC launched the vegan chicken burger THE IMPOSTER which was sold old within four days.



On the menu, there are two types of fried chicken.


There is fried chicken and chicken drumsticks.
The chicken drumsticks are beancurd sheets wrapped around sugarcane sticks and the fried chicken is made with Seitan which is a chewy protein-rich food made from wheat gluten.
Ironically seitan was already used in China during the 6th Century and recently rediscovered as a  wonderful ingredient for vegan fried chicken when it had always been around.



I was quite surprised at the size when it arrived because I thought they were going to be the size of chicken nuggets from the menu but they were actually quite big.
The coating was crispy and convincing covered in flakey batter.
Taking a bite, it was chewy just like chicken flavoured by spices so it was quite comforting but I recommend waiting for it to cool down so you can taste it properly.
It is also made with chickpea mash which is full of protein.
Adding the ketchup makes it more appetizing although I prefer it without the sauce.

Next, I had the veg bacon sandwich which was very filling with egg, floss and peanut butter.


Veg bacon is quite addictive because it is salty and smokey.


Moving on to desserts, I LOVE MELON so had the melon shaved ice which is made with frozen Hokkaido milk so it was like eating creamy snowflakes that melt in your mouth with juicy melon balls.




Also had the Silky tofu which was nourishing with peach tree gum and grass jelly.


This was sweet and satisfying.

Finished with the fizzy mango and passionfruit soda.

Overall, quite an amazing experience and can't wait to come back when they launch new items again.

[Review 7541] Goodbye to Happy Cow @ HKU @ 快樂牛雪糕專門店 Happy Cow Ice Cream

30/06/2019
快樂牛雪糕專門店 Happy Cow Ice Cream
薄扶林石塘咀香港大學綜合大樓地下2號舖
Shop 2, G/F, Composite Building ,The University of Hong Kong, Shek Tong Tsui, Pok Fu Lam
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/goodbye-to-happy-cow-hku-e3458338

Goodbye to Happy Cow @ HKU
2019-06-30  102 瀏覽
Happy Cow has been serving vegan ice creams for at least six years.I was lucky I got to visit their ice cream factory in 2013.

Happy Cow is a brand of dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, low glycemic vegan and most importantly Kosher icecream.
The main ingredients include guar gum a natrual thickener, coconut sugar (brown) which gives their ice-creams a brown colour.
All their flavours have an extremely coconutty taste attributed to coconut milk and coconut sugar, and the texture is thick and creamier to other ice creams.

Happy Cow has a cute cafe at HKU which unfortunately is going to close down soon.
That day I got my favourite cherry fudge which is sweet and satisfying with chunks of fudge and cherries.
The texture was thick and gooey.
Also got the mint and chocolate which is always soothing.
The chocolate chips in it are delicious.
The scoops are probably better as the texture is not as frozen as the ones in the cabinet.