Amazake (中環)

I had no idea 
how horrible
eel rice could get 
until I tried this one.

That basically sums up my virgin experience at Amazake. 

The lunch set consists of a simple salad, steamed egg custard, miso soup, an entree, and dessert (I had sakura ice cream) or coffee. 

I'll focus on the eel rice set which I ordered. It was the highlight of my meal. 

I practially spit out 60% of what I tried to chew, because it was either slimy skin, or inedible rubbery/gelatinous meat chock full of soft bone. It also left an unpleasant fishy aftertaste in my mouth. My best friend, Appetite, bade me a cruel goodbye. I picked gingerly at my sad meal and managed to prise bits of edible meat here and there - the worst thing was that the teriyaki sauce pearl rice on which the chopped up eel rested had also been contaminated by the fishy eel!! grrr! Couldn't even eat rice! 

Complete waste of money.

Fortunately, conversation with my lunchdate K was enjoyable and refreshing. Our topics of discussion became my sustenance and I was grateful that we had booked with a relatively quiet spot in the middle of central to catch up.  

詩餅坊 (西環)

Service:
Not much service. The cashier/owner wasn't too enthusiastic about recommending the cakes to customers. The good side is that she left me in peace and allowed me to take my time. I took as long as I wanted to choose - there were many to choose from. 

Environment:
The shop is very small and there are only 4-5 dine-in seats (2 tables). There was no privacy at all - all conversation will be heard by everyone inside the store. Take-away recommended. 

Food:
Green tea red bean cake (front) ~$38
Construction: Red bean cream sponge cake surrounded by a fence of green tea meringue rolls. The green tea meringues were extremely sweet and were slightly soggy in the middle (maybe due to condensation, or because of the spone cake inside). The green tea red bean sponge cake was...can I say, extremely small? The green tea sponge was moist but the cream, which coated the entire cake and was also sandwiched between the sponge layers, made the cake unpleasantly creamy. The baked biscuit base was quite buttery and bland - not delicious. The combination of red bean and green tea ought to be quite perfect in desserts but I wasn't too impressed this time. Also, I think that the cake body is too small. We finished it in a couple bites.   Ginger cheesecake (back)~$42
I enjoyed this cake. The body was not too dense (not as dense as Starbucks cheesecakes, but not as soft as souffle cheesecakes), and there was indeed a faint gingery flavour to it. The jelly cubes perched on top are gingery too - like ginger ale jelly. The cheesecake was quite well done. A small slice like that is very satisfying for one girl. The sweetness and density of the digestive biscuit base was perfect - the whole cake was one pleasant experience. However, I would prefer even more ginger. 

Conclusion:
Given that there aren't cake shops that sell ginger cheesecakes in Hong Kong, I would go back for it, and perhaps to try out some of the other tarts.

散水餅 (赤柱)

I really enjoy eggettes. Recently I realized that the part I enjoy most about eggettes is the webbed connective batter in between each eggette - especially when it's slightly thick and crunchy and breaks off along with some of the eggette. In other words, I enjoy a bit of crunchy egg batter with some chewy element in each mouthful.

Waffles have not yet become a fad in Hong Kong I would say, not yet (think: froyo and ramen). The market still has much capacity for innovative waffle joints. Upon J's recommendation we visited Waffleman on a breezy Friday evening. 

Food:
Plain waffle with chocolate sauce $22This store is supposed to sell "Belgian Waffles" but tbh I've never really figured out what it means exactly, and how Belgian waffles differ from the common "waffle" that street vendors in HK sell. According to my own observation, Hong Kong style waffles are rather airy and soft - if freshly made, the exterior would be somewhat crispy - but only ever so slightly. A well-made HK waffle is quite delicate, light, and not very filling. It is not very sweet either. 

I used to think that Belgian waffles are the kind that's quite dense, heavy, has a CRUNCHY (as opposed to crisp) exterior (i.e. when you cut into the waffle, it does NOT yield - instead, it maintains its shape. There is no bounceback mechanism either. It just doesn't yield at all) and a chewiness to it (but it is NOT soft). 

However, according to Google, the type of waffle as aforementioned is more accurately termed "Liege Waffle".  

So, I do think that Waffleman makes a rather nice Liege waffle - crunchy exterior, chewy interior, quite sweet, filling and satisfying. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some sticky sauce. Eaten alone, the waffle is rather dry. However, do note that the ice cream here is disappointingly mediocre and rather watery. The toppings and varietals are commonplace and I look forward to seeing more interesting combos on the menu. 

Conclusion:
Priced at $22 per standard waffle (with sauce) and $5x per half-a-banana, chocolate sauce and marshmallow waffle, coupled with a great view of the sea right outside the store, I'd say yes to a return visit - that is, when I do happen to visit Stanley. 

kikusan (中環)

Must queue up well in advance. Long lunch queues all the time. But note that they will only let you in when all diners are present!

Environment:
Nice and chic. There are a few large square tables (like those at Classified) for small groups of 2-3. There are also quite a few 2-seaters. Tables are extremely closely packed though - expect zero privacy. 

Service: 
Because of the crazy lunch buzz, there's bound to be a few slips. But overall, the staff were friendly and helpful. 

Food: 
Siu Loong Bao (i think it's around $50...) Pretty decent dish. I think it's one of the signatures (it appears on the ad board in Landmark for Kikusan). The skin was quite thin and delicate, the soup was flavourful but not oily and the pork was melt-in-the-mouth fatty. On the whole I'd say very delightful, would order it again. 

California Rolls ($90)The wow-factor of this dish is - the size of each roll ^^''. The filling was very, very average. On the whole, I found nothing particularly memorable about this dish and it is unlikely that I would order it again...the filling consisted of avocado, shredded carrot, mock crab meat, egg, some deep fried wonton skins, possibly some asparagus/kai lan. The rice was quite delicious though - plump and chewy and nicely seasoned. The red-colored sauce was slightly tangy, reminiscent of a tomato puree. No heat. 

Dandanmien with pork katsuI've never seen pork katsu prepared this way in Hong Kong! Then again, I am not a big fan. Even though it helps avoid a really thick and rubbery piece of pork, some people enjoy the satisfaction of chewing through a thick, JUICY piece of pork chop. The thin slithers of pork did not achieve the same effect. The batter was very well made and the skin was very crisp and moreish, but I think I prefer a pork chop. Don't get me wrong though - this dish is worth a try. Caution to those who can't take heat: the dandanmien (noodles) are pretty spicy!! The noodles came with a small dollop of peanut, onion and shallot mince, which, when mixed in well with the noodles, tasted pretty darn delish. Just a mouthful for me because I can't really eat spicy food. 

The dandan noodles were cooked al dente (yep I'm using this term to describe Chinese noodles), slightly chewier than expected, but it was fine! Thoroughly enjoyable - if only it were a tad less spicy. Maybe you could make the specific request when you order, the resto probably could accommodate!

Conclusion:
Although my overall rating of the food this time is a mere "OK", I will definitely be back! coz the takeaway hot lunch boxes look delicous. Chinese style, $65 for 2 dishes plus rice? Something like that. Will try it out soon and write a follow-up. 

Jean-Paul Hévin Boutique et Bar à Chocolat (中環)

Booked this place for lunch with R and C - must make reservations!

You can preview the menus here: http://www.jeanpaulhevin.com.hk/content/42-menu-set-lunch

Environment:
Very low ceiling, tables very close together, very limited privacy, but not unbearably noisy!  Cute table mat. 

Service:
Average. 

Food:
Lunch sets at around $150+10%. Starter, main course and coffee/tea included.
+$50 for a signature JPH chocolate cake (coffee, original, orange flavours available for selection) + rich chocolate beverage in lieu of coffee. 

Fennel soup, bread basket in the backgroundThe soup was so-so. Kind of watery but to be fair I don't think fennel has a very prominent flavour. Not recommended. Bread was just OK - the butter disc was kind of difficult to cut through and hard to spread - people really need to melt butter slightly before serving. I want spreadeasy. 

Steamed halibut with beetroot puree, beetroot confit and baby onionI quite enjoyed this dish. The fish was quite fresh and wasn't over-seasoned - you could really taste the fish meat itself. I did not like the skin though, which was rather slimy and didn't taste of anything, ewe. The beetroot dyed the white fish meat a lovely crimson and added a mild, pleasant sweetness. Yep, I enjoyed this dish. 

Safi - dark chocolate cake perfumed with orange and with orange candyThe chocolate ganache was extremely rich and deep. Highly satisfying. Sadly the sponge was a bit dry... would've preferred it being a bit more moist. Orange goes well with chocolate all the time so there's no need to comment on the perfect marriage between the two components. 

Conclusion:
Will be back. The set lunches are quite economical for Central standard lunch pricing. Also, I think the portions are just right for girls. Definitely not enough for guys though!