Sinmei Tea     川善茶居  

Great place to chill and the tea lady was super friendly!
Really wanna thanks her for the chinese black tea, that was really nice of her!
Green tea fanatic should really drop by but make sure they don't miss your orders or else you will end up like us ( waited for 2 hrs just for the green tea lava cake) Banana Toffee Pudding
If there was a stronger toffee flavor, i would be more indulged in it! Nonetheless this was quite good, i like i like!
Btw If you r my friend, you ll know how into toffee i am.
Whenever i see "toffee" on the menu, my eyes will go like this --> ^^ hahahahaSignature green tea lava cake
Personally, i m looking for a stronger green tea flavor but this was definitely not bad!
However, I still prefer the one from intercon, at least it is bigger? haha

After reading the reviews and seeing the yummy pictures on Open Rice, we decided this place was a must visit. I met my friend here after work, around 5:30pm, she had already been there since 5pm. It was busy when she arrived but got a table soon enough. She was already sipping on a Caipirinha... green tea, brown sugar, fresh lemonade and lime... we found it nice, refreshing!

As I had read the reviews before hand I made sure we ordered the matcha fondant and green loaf a day in advance... I wasn't missing out! We had to wait a while for our treats to be made. Meanwhile I had a matcha soul and my friend had matcha genmai.

I must say, honestly, the drinks weren't as good as expected. I tried both the soul and genmai and I found them both to be lacking in taste and just bland. Aesthetically they looked beautiful, but taste wise- I'd actually prefer a green tea latte from Starbucks or Pacific Coffee! The green tea loaf was ok, not overly moist or rich, just plain.So the green tea fondant finally arrives! We dig in... it's quite nice but again, not as expected. I was ready for the green tea centre to flow out like I seen in the pictures, but it was just a soft gooey centre. The green tea centre tasted like a thick 'custard,' green of course. In my opinion it was over done, slightly brown and harder on the outside and very little, thick green tea filling on inside.I really wanted to love this place, and I really thought I would but in reality... it was just ok.

Thank you IVYCWK for getting me this delicious Matcha Yoyo from Sinmei Tea House.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Matcha Yo-Yo:
A Yo-Yo is an Australian biscuit a bit like a cookie and a shortbread with filling in the middle.
The filling inside this Yo-Yo tasted like fresh green tea icing which crumbled nicely between the buttery tasting layers of the Yo-Yo.
Each Yo-Yo is decorated with dried green tea leaves on the top.
The green tea taste in the filling could be stronger because it was quite sweet.

As more and more cafes pop up all over HK, I couldn't help but go and try them out.
A friend took me here after I said I wanted to try out the green tea fondant. Luckily I was able to order the last one of the day! Was my first time trying a green tea fondant (I had only tried chocolate before). Tastes good!

We each ordered a drink: Snow White and Matcha Soul.
Snow white was good but in my opinion not as special as matcha soul. Maybe it's my fondness of honey and cinnamon that made the drink that much more appealing. Overall a nice cafe to spend time with friends. Also got to see the cute Mithu! :3

Every year when it comes to my mother's birthday, I couldn't help but to feel delighted in seeking for new restaurants to celebrate. It proves that I'm a keen event host when it comes to the right people and time.

My mother loves oriental tea. She used to love green tea in particular, but now she welcomes all sorts of Chinese tea. Having read from the internet that the Matcha Chocolate Fondant has been newly added into the menu of Sinmei Tea, I decided immediately to bring my mother here for a try before we moved on to the birthday dinner.

It's common to find Chocolate Fondant everywhere in Hong Kong.. but Matcha Chocolate Fondant? SInmei Tea may probably be the first one to do so in a home-made style. However, it seemed like the Matcha Chocolate Fondant was not easy to bake. My mother and I waited for nearly 2 hours, just to try the Fondant, given that I have called in few days in advance to reserve one. Luckily we spent the waiting with hours of chatting instead of complaints.

I love dining at this place because the food and drinks are good and there is Mithu.

This time I had the new matcha chocolate fondant, tofu burger and the Teafoggato (which is not on the menu).

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Teafoggato - off menu item:

Discreetly tucked away on the 5th floor along the busy streets at Sheung Wan, I must say this was a hidden gem. Apparently, they endeavour to promote traditional Asian tea ceremonies with a modern touch. With no lack of appropriate interior decorative items and a corner specializing on proper tea-drinking ceremony, I would highly recommend it to tea-drinkers.

Despite having visited the eatery twice, I had yet to sit down proper for a tea-session as they are closed quite early in the evening at just after 7pm. What lured me back for a second visit was the hospitality offered on my first visit. The staffs were accommodative to my requests, friendly and attentive to my needs. They even went on to pack my box of green tea cakes and wrapped it up like a gift with some fresh flowers upon knowing that it was a surprise for my other half.

Green tea 'Yo-Yo'[/b]

 

Profile:
Type: Fusion tea (a blend of Japanese and the west)

Name: Matcha Soul (signature tea apparently)

Main ingredients: Cinnamon, honey, green tea powder, soya milk

Comment: Been reading online reviews about Sinmei Tea in the past.. and I didn’t know that my first visit to the place would be on the purpose of my final video shooting. The place was much smaller than I thought. The oriental-style furnitures looked fragile and a bit too large that made the space really limited. Surprisingly I felt slightly suffocated. Hearing the name of the tea place, I would imagine it served a range of Chinese tea. However, not only it offered limited tea choices, the range of tea provided was not anywhere near to the traditional, oriental tea. It was a bit disappointing. More importantly, the serving was selective. I arrived just before the lunch hour, and as I sat myself down, the lady-in-charged dedicated herself to the office ladies instead. I felt a bit left out, and starred at the menu very confusingly. On top of that, the place was pricey. I was charged at nearly $100 for a plate of vegetarian breakfast and the Matcha Soul.. Seriously?

Is it just me, but the place, including its name, was confusing me?

Mithu the Little beast Tiger.. -
He was once a stray young cat barely a few weeks old but taken into custody by the owners here, and oh so adorable, and just too playful. He has grown up in size since a few months ago but has a lovable personality of his own. He also seems to love girls more than guys, haha welcome to Pheromones!!

.Matcha Mojito -
It would be unfair if we came here just to see the Cat, but I have got to say I have been very impressed by the Green Tea items here too, as I am such a Matcha fan. The Matcha Mojito is quite Green Tea powdery tannin like but also balanced with fresh Mint leaves and soda. I just liked this so much despite the powdery tannin background. ~ 8/10

.Vegetarian Club Sandwich -
Sinmei, the shop owner is majoratatively Aqua-Vegetarian herself. All food items here are therefore vegetarian by default. I was offered this Club Sandwich on 1 day and was gobsmacked by how wonderfully constructed this vegetarian sandwich really was. I swore I tasted meat in it, it was quite complex with layers of eggs, tomatoes, green leaves and marinated tofu. ~ 9/10

.Matcha Yoyo-
Yoyo is an Australian invented biscuit. I grew up in Aust and I actually used to sell Yoyos myself in a cafe. I feel a bit ashamed because Sinmei all by herself invented this novel Green Tea filled Yoyo biscuit version. This is actually like a Macaron gerbet sandwich, but with more shortbread pastries sandwiching within a Green Tea White Chocolate filling. I think this could do with more Green Tea flavours still, but overall it was enjoyable but expected. ~ 8/10

.Baked Banana Bread, Green Tea Sponge Cake -
The Banana Bread here baked satisfactorily. Sometimes it is difficult to attempt finding bread . . Sinmei is currently serving some of my favorite sweet items and teas in town. ~ 7/10 to 8/10

.Green Tea Matcha -
Kyoto style Matchas are hard to come by in Hong Kong. I have been to so many places looking for the elusive REAL Matcha experience that can measure up to the ones I had in Kyoto, Kobe and Tokyo. None of them delivered thus far, not close enough sigh... Except here. The Matcha is prepared by using an imported water with low Sodium-Carbonate content and a softer water, only to emulate the real Kyoto tea ceremony experience. You have got to give Kudos to the shop owner for even thinking about this point. The Japanese Matcha dissolved tea is whipped rigorously to re-create the true bubble experience. Yes it is slightly green bitter, but I was totally addicted as it is quite loyal to the original Kyoto experience. Well done. ~ 9/10

. Mithu the Cat actually Summarizes my Experiences a Sinmei -
Just live life in your own natural self. If I want to drink I will go out to the open terrace and serve myself some natural rain water. If I want to sleep all day long, I can relax all I like. If Mithu wants to play with the furry mouse toys or jump into your bag, or give you a scratch or a bite out of playfulness, you also get your joy.

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I really appreciate Sinmei for the atmosphere and friendliness, and little Mithu just makes us want to smile. The baking is good with a central Green Tea theme, and the Club Sandwich was awesome as well. I just wish they could have the Green Tea Yoyo as a permanent fixture as it was so addictive.

Finally got to try SInmei Tea. We came here one Tuesday in March but it was closed. Take one of the buses directly from HKU west gate (30X, 90B..4X?), get off near the Macau ferry terminal and cross the bridge. You will get here in 5-10 minutes.

Environment:

Although I am not a vegetarian I really love vegetarian food especially soy steaks and western style vegetarian because they are not greasy.
I was in Sheung Wan and suddenly decided to pop over to Sin Mei, on way my there I bumped into the owner.
Since my last visit, they now have a kitten and more food choices which are vegetarian.

Having spent 6 months in London for business, I am finally back in Hong Kong whilst being abroad, I did not stop checking and building up my to-eat list of appealing places. THIS, Sinmei Tea, was one of my top tries.

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This cafe is situated very near to the Sheung Wan MTR station which made it an unquestionably convenient place to drop by for tea. I arrived in the late afternoon of a Friday; given that term time has begun for most schools, the cafe was not busy at all and I found a spot easily. I immediately approached the cashier area to study and admire the range of cakes and muffins available. To my joy, both green tea cupcake and green tea loaf were available (yes, of course I consulted our dear Openrice before coming ). My friend S joined me shortly, and we made our orders.The cafe is not very big; there are only around 8-9 tables. Decorated in Chinese theme with wood .Relaxing jazzy music playing at the background. There is a balcony area but with no tables and seats set up - perhaps this is something they will expand and exploit when it is cooler; though for now it is a good side-spot for smokers.



Although I was not completely melting in the hot weather (it was cloudy on the day), I was still craving for something fresh and ice-cold.Matcha Snow White. Interesting and disney-like name; but unexciting ingredients and taste. It is a blend of green tea, milk and ice-cream (vanilla). I gave it a quick stir, and sipped a mouthful. Rather tasteless. Perhaps there were too many ice.. all I tasted was the slightest (if any) scent of green tea and ICE. The vanilla ice-cream was fair; it was smooth but nothing to rave about. Not really recommended.. Matcha Soul. Now this was HEAVENLY! Green tea powder, soya milk, honey, almond, sultanas & cinnamon flowers. Served hot. The green tea flavour was overwhelming (a satisfying "you really could drink what you smell" cup of comforting green tea), but the balance was perfect and the hint of soya milk, honey and more were not overpowered at all. The foam floating on top was lightly sprinkled with cinnamon flowers. The soya milk gave this drink an immense sense of freshness without boosting it too far to become a heavy full-body drink. The aroma of soya bean blended well with the green tea, and was further complimented by the light honey bringing out natural sweetness, nutty almond flavour, aromatic sultanas (this is a type of white sweet grapes; often made to be raisins) and perfume of cinnamon flowers . It was simply a beautiful, delightful and heart warming drink with so many little things going on but balanced to perfection..soothing your soul with inner peace. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Green Tea Cupcake. To start with, it looks pretty and fit to be a nice cupcake (you see... cupcakes are meant to look good). Green tea sponge cake topped with green tea buttercream icing and decorated smartly with a red strawberry. The taste and the mouthfeel of the sponge cake and icing, as you would expect, is very different. While the cake displays a mild light green tea flavour, the top icing gives each mouthful an amazing kick. My only complaint would be the texture of the cake base itself; it was slightly dry and grainy to my liking. Nonetheless, all in all, a nice little cupcake. =)Green Tea Loaf. AWESOMENESS. Love love love this. Served warm with a bit of cream by the side. Now just look at the colour, the deep royal green, of this cake. What can I say? It gives you everything you would want and expect from a memorable green tea cake. It was very moist, which was nevertheless not compromised by a lacking of texture (note the gorgeous different shade of green brings out different level of green tea intensity and body texture). Each and every (even small) bite you taste green tea, tranquility, freshness, health.. The nice touch of serving it warm further enhanced the already very flavourful cake. The crust, also moist, brings in a further dimension of the experience adding a hint of smoky aroma of oakiness and roasted-nut. Must try!! !!



As we were absorbing up the ambience of the cafe, sipping my green tea and swirling the moist cake around my mouth, a little surprise crawled out..!awww so cute! This cute kitten is just 2 months old!

Now this encounter made my afternoon even more perfect.

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In British fashion -

"Stay calm and drink tea."

I was planning to come here a while ago but this place was fully booked so came here another time late in the afternoon with IVYCWK.

The decor of this place is really nice featuring lots of traditional Chinese teaware and prized tea leaves.

I expected Sheung Wan to be quite on Saturday afternoon, but i was totally wrong. i was shocked to see so many people inside.

It is a small shop with a huge balcony. Too bad it was rainy that day. All the glass doors were closed. If not, I would have asked for a table outside. The shop was very stuffy and stinky that day when all the glass doors were closed.

There was a whole list of match tea on the menu. My friend ordered one with chestnut (I don't remember the name), and it tasted awesome. But mine with honey and some kind of flower (I think it was Matcha Soul) was just ok. We also odered a pancake and a sandwich, but both did not taste very well. Next time, I would probably just go for the drinks.

Conclusion:
Drinks -> Quite nice
Food -> Not nice
Environment -> Nice except ventilation