芽莊越式料理 (銅鑼灣)

Nha Trang in Times Square is a really nicely done up restaurant. Bright, spacious, and new, it is a really comfortable place to eat. Unfortunately, the food just doesn't live up to the same standards.

Being a fan of the brand, we came expecting some really good viet food. We left sorely disappointed. We paid extra for the special beef pho with wagyu, but really should not have bothered. Whilst it looked great on the way out, the meat itself was not that tender and was in fact slightly overcooked, and definitely overpriced. 

We also tried the broken rice, but the wait staff was inflexible in giving me the tomato flavoured rice that I normally take it with, and there just was not taste in this rice. The 3 different meats just tasted the same, and the different flavours / textures really did not come through.

We were hoping that the one saving grace may be the spring rolls, but unfortunately these were not too tasty either. Very average, and not really worth a look.

We may come back to give some other dishes a second chance, but on initial taste, this Nha Trang feels a bit dressed up, but with no substance to the food. May need to give them a bit more time to settle in, or make the effort to go a bit further to wan chai or central for a most tasty vietnamese meal...  

江南上品 (銅鑼灣)

Came here for dinner with no expectations, it was just a new restaurant that had popped up. And discovered a nice cosy little restaurant with very friendly staff, which is perfect for a simple yet delicious meal.

Serving mainly shanghainese fare, the strength of Gangnam is not overreaching or aiming too high, but simply focusing on the dishes / cuisines that it does best, really breaking it down to the simplest of ingredients, but staying true to the strong flavours and delivering well on this - as compared to other restaurants who try too hard to be different and end up with complex recipes which don't really work. We tried a mix of simple dishes including;

i) The lion's head was soft and succulent, and with just the core ingredients of the mince meat, vegetables and sauce, the dish was really simple, but savouringly delicious, but not in an overzealous way.

ii) White cabbage in sauce which is normally served with some yunnan ham or other toppings to make it more interesting. But the vegetables themselves were very juicy and fresh, and did not need any further decorating to pique our interest.

iii) The steamed buns which were a bit less than perfect (the inside could have done with more soup to tenderise the meat) but the bun itself was crisp and just the right thickness, as opposed to other SH restaurants in HK who overdo it with the dough

iv) Meat pockets were almost an afterthought in ordering, but can highly recommended, although I had no expectations from them. In the end though, they were delicious, packed with meat and flavour. Normally these are too dry for my liking from other restaurants, but the flavours and the tender meat really make this a must try!

Will definitely come back to try some more different dishes soon... and the service was great too - unfortunately no english menu yet, but the waitress was nice enough to spend time with us to go through and translate portions of the menu with a focus on the specials. A great place for inexpensive meal, with simple expectations of just good food and tastes without being too dressed up, this restaurant is sure to be a hit!

星座冰室 (尖沙咀)

Came here to try their tomato soup with beef and nissin noodles and was totally not disappointed! One of the best breakfasts' I've had in awhile and looking forward to going back again soon. Tried both the tomato soup with beef as well as the tomato soup with egg and beef. Both of these were great in their own ways, with their fresh ingredients - i.e. the tomato's - making for a great, refreshing start to the day...PS - Get there early to avoid the crowds! We were the first ones there that day so enjoyed a nice relaxed breakfast and a good chat with the owners, but they told us that normally the line stretches around the corner for their tomato soup!

Delicieux Bistro (中環)

Dropped by for lunch to try out their Banh Mi and compare to other places around town. Was pleasantly surprised by a wide range of sandwiches available on the menu (normally vietnamese bread shops would only offer two or three staple choices) and even a few different types of bread. Went with the 'deluxe' which was pretty standard - viet ham, pork knuckle, chicken, and foie gras.. with plenty of butter, cucumber, and carrots on the side. Also got a lemongrass beef roll which was supposed to be 2 rolls.. but looked more like 1 roll, chopped into 3 pieces when it arrived.

The sandwich itself? Was very average and not what I was expecting at all. Did not taste too much like a traditional banh mi, I think it lacked the real pork taste, and could have done with more lard (less butter!) and less foie gras. The mix of ingredients just didn't really do it for me, and after awhile the main taste I got was the carrots. The bun itself was nice and crispy, but without the pork aroma to it that I would expect to be drowned in if I was eating a viet sandwich. Oh and the roll was really quite ordinary. The 'beef' was pretty much non existant, and the only real taste was in the sauce which came with it.

Not the best banh mi I've had around town, but an average sandwich that was filling enough. Hopefully some of the other options on the menu are a bit more tasty and worth the walk...

Cafe Corridor (銅鑼灣)

On a recommendation from a friend that this was the best cafe in causeway, and potentially in hong kong, I went for a try. Many things on the menu looked tempting, but for a first visit, I decided to just try out the hot chocolate. It was actually quite ordinary. Nothing to really write home about, but I guess its their coffee and food which gets the rave reviews, so I'll have to try it again soon before making any final verdicts... bonus points for their foam art tho... apparently a strong suit...