Christmas Dinner on Dec 25. A chalet for unhappy customers. I will keep this precise and to the point. - restaurant is understaff, customer service is inattentive and slow response rate. - Bad value for money - traditional fondue, all u get is cheese fondue and just bread. Can’t really taste the wine in the fondue. You get much better value and authenticity and satisfaction from something doing this at home. Get creative and DIY at cafe de coral. - it’s unfair to customers who pay this money for such service and sub-par food quality. Be competitive, do it properly, or close it down.

I have been to tamashi quite a feel times and I came back for their "Tai Chi" ramen tonight. Creamy white Tonkotsu x Black Squid Ink broth is intense, rich with hold flavour! The cha Siu is tender and well seasoned to deliver great taste. Love the oozing onsen egg with beautiful orange yolk and crisp mushrooms! Ah, and the little tower stood on top of cha siu is crab roe paste, spicing up the overall flavour!

Finally got to try the Night Wolf at Oddies foodies with my love G. Really love their dark chocolate gelato. The original flavour tasted a tad too sweet for me. The Brownie and Chocolate Chip egglettes was quite nice, crispy on the outside, moist and soft on the inside. The thing I love the most in this cup is probably the passion fruit panna cotta with bold passion fruit sourness and silky texture.

My fav bao - condensed milk butter bao. Devilishly crunchy crust with spongy inner, heavily spreaded with butter and condensed milk which all melted into the soft bun! Yummmmmmmmmmm!

The most sinful yet delicious food on Earth might probably be this bowl of charcoal pork neck instant noodles with a pool of creamy cheese sauce on top. The combination of springy noodles, nicely charred and tender pork neck and creamy cheesy cheese sauce are undefeatable! Dang!Also tried a nice sweet bun sandwiched over easy egg and ham. Very much a canto delight. Oh! And the sweet bun is toasted!

Approaching the end of the year is the long anticipated Christmas! Hong Kong is always crazy about Christmas, Christmas lightings are up on the buildings along the seafront, decorations and Christmas trees are everywhere! And while people are getting excited for Christmas, restaurants are well prepared for Christmas as well. Harvey Nichols Restaurant & Bar is among one of them and has just launched their Christmas and New Year's Eve menu. I was invited over to join the preview of the festive menu and am happy to share with you all!My last visit to Harvey Nichols Restaurant & Bar was probably more than four years ago and I haven't been back since. The furnishing at Harvey Nichols Restaurant & bar is chic modern with sensual lighting, zigzag screens and stained glass a-liked patterns along the ceilings and floors. Good spacing is kept between tables to give privacy to dinners over a romantic evening or business occasion.The festive menu is printed on a colourful tri-fold leaflet. The six course Christmas Eve dinner is priced at HKD888 per person, five course Christmas Dinner is priced at HKD688 per person, and the Christmas 4 course brunch is priced at HKD498 per person. The New Year's Eve six course dinner is priced at HKD888 per person. If you come in a group of four, a bottle of wine will be given complimentary.Our first dish was Lobster Jelly with Steamed Lobster, Prawn, confit of scallop and salmon roe. which was an excellent appetiser to enjoy! The lobster jelly was made with lobster bisque which was flavourful and delicious. I also enjoyed the scallop confit which was sweet and supple.Next up was the Cucumber Jelly with Alaskan Crab Meat served with Lobster, salmon roe and crispy filo. This was a more refreshing appetiser than the lobster jelly and was again a lovely one. The cucumber jelly was light in flavour, which lets the crab meat and the Boston lobster shines. Boston lobster really does taste better than Maine lobster, this slow cooked Boston lobster was sweet and succulent! The paired mint leaves was rather strong in flavour, I would recommend you take it last.I also tried a glass of sparkling wine and white wine produced by Harvey Nichols themselves. Both glasses were smooth and easy to drink. The sparkling had fast effervescence with mellow bubbles, carries sharp and crisp texture with medium body. Next followed the Classic Lobster Bisque. This was one flavourful and smooth bisque made with sherry wine, yet tasted a bit overly salty to me.The Cream of Sweet Corn with Crab Meat was heavenly. Every spoonful was filled with bold sweet corn flavour! The sweet cream soup had a full body texture which was made quite refine with a bit of mushyness which I like.Followed by two beef dishes, first I had the Roasted Rack of Veal with Potato Fondant served with mixed vegetable roll and sautéed chanterelle and veal jus. The veal was utterly juicy and supple with good fat distribution to give a swirling oil touch on the palate. Simply divine!Next I had the Roasted Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Potato Gratin served with vegetables balls and morel jus. The wagyu is Australian M8 Wagyu but since it is a sirloin, it was rather lean with little melting fat to moist the meat. Having said that the loin was actually very flavourful. The morel jus was slightly too sweet for my liking.For the fish, first I had the Butter Roasted Cod Fillet Rolls Stuffed with Black Truffle served with baby carrot, zucchini and lobster sauce. The cod was smooth and supple but I could not really taste the black truffles. (My fish did not get as much truffles as my photo shown below =( )The Steamed Fillet of Sea Bass was exceptional! It was silky smooth, supple and bouncy that slips through your throat. I can have tens of this! The sea bass was served with green pea purée and seafood bubbles.New Year's Eve dessert trio was composed of Chocolate coated Pecan, Chocolate Mousse and Brownies with strawberry ice-cream. The pecan chocolate had a raspberry touch with a bit liquor in it if I was right. The Chocolate mousse was a surprise, mixed with explosive candy and topped with flakey pastry. The brownies was moist and dense. It was probably made with dark chocolate as it delivered just the right amount of sweetness.Next on the Christmas menu, we had the Christmas Log with Rum Raisin Ice-cream. The rum raisin ice-cream was delicious! Ten times better than the one Haagen Dazs made! The chocolate log was surprisingly soft and moist in texture. I always thought this kind of cake just carries look.To be completely honest, I was not expecting such great dishes at Harvey Nichols, so I was pretty surprise and impressed through the whole meal. Given the price and quality, I do reckon the festive menu is a great package. The only down side might be the view, which is inner central cityscape. If you have not booked your Christmas dinner yet, you may consider Harvey Nichols Restaurant & Bar's festive menu!

GUMMM at oddie foodies is a rather summery gelato for this cold weather. Really love the mandarin jello, I really thought it was a small mandarin! Layered with Italian gelato, Parmesan scone crumbs, cheesecake ice-cream and mandarin cream cheese panna cotta, every spoonful was flavourful with multi textures. Just couldn't really taste the dates jelly though.

Afternoon tea fans will be delighted to know that Island Shangri-la has launched a monthly seasonal afternoon tea on top of their classic afternoon tea set for a while. In March, the new seasonal afternoon tea is called "The Best of London". Apart from this very British seasonal afternoon tea, there is also a event at the hotel lobby showcasting a classy England Telephone Photo Booth where fan who took the most creative pictures can win a pair of tickets to the Shangri-la in UK! More details can be checked on their website, so now we will move the focus back to the afternoon tea!The afternoon tea set carried the essential of traditional items but played around with the flavours. The tea set was relatively smaller in comparison to their classic afternoon tea set.The three layered afternoon tea set contains a layer of savoury sandwiches and two layers of sweet items.The scones is definitely the highlight of the tea set as these scones are not the typical Shangri-la scones. As mentioned, these are scones made from the recipe of Chef Nicholas's grandma. I personally reckon this scones tasted better than the original version offered at Island Shangri-la. These were more moist and dense than the classy one, yet not as buttery. The Earl Grey Scones infused with orange blossom was very aromatic, but the Earl Grey flavour was rather weak in my opinion. The pairing Island Shangri-la's strawberry jam and Cornish Clotted cream were both heavenly for the scones!Finger sandwiches, we had cucumber, chicken, smoked salmon and crab roll. The Cornish Crab, Smoked Paprika, Chives in a Brioche Roll was the best sandwich among the four. The sweet and creamy Cornish was heavenly, and was nicely paired with a soft brioche roll. Yum!!! For those who know me, I am allergic to smoked salmon, So I only had a small bite on the London Smoked Salmon with Yuzu crème fraìche on whole meal bread.

The Organic Egg Mayonnaise, Black Truffle, Mustard Cress on Sourdough was a tad disappointing as the sourdough was rough and hard enough to cut your mouth. Flavour wise it was good, especially with the black truffle pairing.Moving on to the sweet items, my eyes were first set on the beautiful White Chocolate Coconut Mousse. The coconut mousse was extremely lovely, carried a bold coconut flavour in smooth mousse texture. The infusion of mango cubes at the centre was a marvellous pair to the coconut mousse. Also love the crunchy sesame seed croustilliant at the bottom. Feeling already contended after the Coconut Mousse, here I tried the even better Hazelnut Dacquoise, praline crunch, blond chocolate cream. The combining texture and flavour of this is wordless, it was effin good! Crispy praline crunch, smooth hazelnut cream and flavourful blond chocolate cream!The Baked and Cold Mousse Cheesecake, Yuzu Juice soaked Sponge, Yuzu Orange Marmalade was a very summery kind of cheesecake that was zesty with bold yuzu flavour. The Cinnamon infused Cream, Pear Compote, Vanilla macaroon in pod was cinnamony but yet a bit overly sweet and creamy for my liking. The Vanilla macaroon was made perfect as usual with a crunchy shell and chewy inner. The vanilla buttercream was made smooth and in suitable sweetness.I also got a white chocolate puzzle with a edible print of the Best of London. It was said to be made especially for us. So awed, thank you Island Shangria-la! Just so you know (if you don't), Island Gourmet makes REALLY delicious white chocolate goodies!The "Best of London" Afternoon Tea is available everyday during March at Lobby Lounge and Island Gourmet . The tea set is priced at HKD318 for one and HKD538 for two. Book your tables guys! =)

Bibo the quirkiest French fine dining restaurant in Central Soho, is a truly arts-meet-food restaurant in Hong Kong. The restaurant is basically a contemporary art gallery with murals, paintings and sculptures at every corner of the restaurant. Dishes are also a piece of art with glamourous presentation. Service is topnotch and is definitely better than many of the starred Michelin restaurants in Hong Kong. Once you have been to Bibo, you will fall in love with this place.To dine at Bibo, you will have to find its entrance first. Just like any other highly hyped restaurants in Hong Kong, the entrance is well hidden. The dining hall might be visible at the stairs on the ladder St, but the main entrance is not. Fish for the bouncer on Hollywood Road and asked him to open the secret door for you.Once the door is opened, you will be stunned by what you see. It is a world of Art. There are murals all around you, literally floor to ceiling. After admiring all the lovely artworks around the spiral stairs, you will hit a bar, a library before you arrive the main dining room. The interior of Bibo is quirky as hell. There is a bad ass scooter covered in the King of Kowloon's calligraphy, a massive wooden Kaws scrulpture stood at the middle of the dining room, a cool Mario Bros alike and angry lion murals which I love a lot. All these contemporary art pieces surprisingly blend well together and create a wicked trendy ambience for diners.There was so much going on at the restaurant that I felt a bit lost at first, it took me a while to settle down before I could really understand the words on the menu. The tasting menu was quite a lovely choice which priced over a thousand. However it has to be ordered by the whole table which is not very convenient as we came in a group of 5. We opt for a la carte instead but the dishes are heftily priced which basically costs you approximately a thousand already if you order 3 courses. Still we decided to go for a la carte as we can share desserts.The complimentary sourdough was lovely with utterly crusty rim and chewy inner. Two housemade butters were served, one was a lemon salted and the orangy one was spiced with Espelette pepper. Both were equally delicious, but I like the Espelette pepper a bit more because it is spicy!The amuse bouche is a Foie Gras dish covered with parmesan foam. The Foie gras was silky and quite mild in taste. Reduced port wine was added but I could not taste it. The parmesan foam was nice and tangy.I started with a cooked to perfection slow cooked egg with oozing orangy yoke that tasted naturally sweet in flavour. The Japanese mayo also elevates the sweetness of the egg. The sourdough crumbs were a surprise, it was extremely crispy and paired well with the egg. Remember to scoop off the remaining egg on the plate with the house complementary sourdough!The deep fried sole was rather disappointing. The sole tasted rather bland in flavour and the breading was dry and dense. The lemon mayo was delicious though. I just wish the execution of the sole can be improved.I also tried my friend's steak tartare which was very tasty. The tartare was already mixed in fine texture with ample flavour. I actually prefer my tartare to be more chunky, but this is not bad too. Well brown and crispy house fries were also served with the steak tartare.My main was the Wagyu Beef which was scrumptious! You know instantly this is a good steak once you poked your fork into the wagyu. The texture was utterly tender and juicy with mega flavour. The gravy was nicely done, flavourful and rich that complements the steak well. The foie gras was also heavenly, it was silky smooth with ample flavour that melts in your mouth. Nothing on the plate that I dislike.I had a bite of my friend's pork belly and lobster. The lobster was alright, pretty succulent but it's the pork belly that worths mentioning! It was perfectly cooked with superb supple meats, melting fats and crusty skin. Yummmmmm!For dessert, first we had the chocolate souffle which was absolutely enticing. It was airy and eggy with the perfect sweetness of chocolate made with 72% dark chocolate. The inner was a molten chocolate ganache which reminds me of lava cake. The ice cream on the side was creamy and carried a lovely coconut flavour.We also had the Le Baba which is a typical french dessert with sponge cake. The sponge cake was moist, sweet and (surprisingly) without any alcohol taste. I had the same thing in Paris but it was soaked in liquor. Depends on your liking, this could be good or bad, perhaps ask for stronger if you love liquor, but I love Bibo's version.As to celebrate G's birthday, Bibo sent us a complimentary dessert at the end of the dinner. This dessert tasted like an apple crumble break down with ample cinnamon and apple flavour, also with lots of fresh apple bites in it.Just as we were wondering if there will be a petite four, our waiter brought us few trays of cute looking pastries . The canele was my fav, followed by a salted chocolate pastry, a bittery fruit tart and a caramel candy. This perhaps is the best petite four that I have ever had. It was really fun dining at Bibo. The food was mostly great, the arts are funky and the timing between courses was excellent. Some of the dishes on the a la carte menu are rather pricey and the portion seemed small. I would definitely go back for their tasting menu which I found several dishes interesting that I haven't tried.

I love Ginseng, I love the taste and the aroma of Ginseng. I drink Ginseng Tea all the time and even use Ginseng infused Shampoo from South Korea. I do not know there is a difference between American Ginseng (花旗參) and Chinese/ Korean Ginseng (人參) until I went for a tasting event hosted by Ginzeng at Check In Taipei. The event was rather educational and I feel lucky to understand different catergories of Ginseng all at once.Ginzeng (純參) is a local brand where one of the founders came from a family with over 30 years of American Ginseng trading business. Ginseng imports the American Ginseng from Wisconsin, USA, carefully hand picked, graded and sliced by experts in Hong Kong and bottled in Taiwan. Ginzeng is the first and only beverage which literally carries genuine American Ginseng bites in it. Ginzeng is a completely natural and nutritious drink with no addictive added. Each Ginseng is packed with at least a 1000mg of these nutritious American Ginseng, it is also a low sugar and calorie drink with only 5g of sugar and 18kcal.To start the tasting, we first had two special American ginseng dishes, Ginzeng Rolls and Fried Ginzeng slices. The two dishes were made with prestigious fresh American Ginseng, not the dried ones, and hence were two precious one of the kind dishes. The Ginzeng Rolls were refreshing with a hint of American Ginseng notes. I have never tasted fresh American ginseng in my life, I didn't know it is crisp in texture, how interesting! The Fried Ginzeng Rolls was interesting but the flavour wasn't too stand out.Next up is a Ginzeng mocktail Ginzeng Jello paired with Chicken Waffle. This is a perfect pair as the "Yin" can balance out the heat from the fried chicken. The Ginzeng Jello mocktail is composed of original Ginzeng, original Jinzeng Jello and homemade Rosella (洛神花) syrup. I love the jello texture in the drink and the floral sweetest of the Rosella.The Chicken and Waffle was truly a pleasant surprise! It was a marvellous idea for Check In Taipei to paired the savoury Taiwanese salted fried chicken with sweet pineapple chutney. The sweet and savoury contrast was spot on!The Mushroom Forest is one of the signature at Check In Taipei. The dish was a mixed mushroom dish infused with truffle. The deep fried Taiwanese French Horn Mushroom was wrapped with crisp crust and juicy inner. Yet overall this was not a wow dish.The Truffle Toastie was a lovely idea where mozzarella cheese, crisp bacon and a spread of truffle paste were added on a thin slice of toast. Deliciousness in bite size, I am going to make this in my Christmas dinner.Next we have the Goji Berry Winter Ginzeng to pair with another signature of Check In Taipei, the Fish & Squid. The Goji Berry is a beautiful mocktail made with White Gourd Tea and the Goji Berry Ginzeng as base with a golden drizzle candy garnishment. The White Gourd was directly imported from Tainan, and made into tea inhouse. This is yet another lovely mocktail creation!The Fish & Squid gave me a shock as I thought it was just fried fish but it was actually deep fried fish and squid cake with strong squid flavour. The fish had a crunchy crust and bouncy inner. The adding of popping roe was nice and fun too.The signature Ping Pong created much wow on the table with its funky presentation. The ping pong is actually deep fried crispy purple sweet potato stuffed melted mozzarella and gooey mochi. Such a lovely ball to enjoy!!! I could come back many times just for these balls!It is difficult for me to comment on Hong Kong's Taiwanese Beef Noodles as I haven't yet encountered one that is close to the ones in Taiwan or the ones my Taiwanese auntie makes. The only thing I would praise would be the springy broad noodles and the herby flavoured oozing soft boiled egg.To wrap up the dinner, we had the Ginzeng Trio again made with fresh American Ginseng. From left to right is a refreshing Ginzeng jello, chocolate glazed fresh American Ginseng and fresh American Ginzeng paired with fig. The fig pairing was a appallable idea, the sweetness of fig totally balanced out the bitterness of American Ginseng!