NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong (尖沙咀)

Nobu is probably a restaurant chain that few haven't heard of, and it's not hard to see why, with its loyal movie-star following and empire of restaurants across the globe, ranging from the Bahamas to Beijing. This was my second time at Nobu Hong Kong, and, in my humble opinion, I think that it really does live up to the hype with its delicious lunch set inspired by both Japanese and Peruvian flavours.Stepping into the restaurant, you're immediately ushered to your seat and your eyes will feast upon the impressive coral structure hanging above your head. According to Nobu's website, it's actually a "unique undulating sea urchin ceiling". Either way, the aesthetics of the restaurant are visually appealing and unlike any other restaurant you'll have seen in Hong Kong.
For lunch, I decided to order the Nobu Signature Bento Box , although there are also many other selections available for lunch including a "create your own bento box" option. The bento set doesn't come with drink or dessert but it does include rice and miso soup.The service at Nobu is great- attentive and detail-oriented but not overly clingy, and our server made sure to describe each dish to us as it arrived. The bento box arrived in two stages- the first being the cold dishes- a salad and a selection of sushi.First up- the Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing, which was made up of tuna tataki atop a bed of endive leaves and sliced radishes. Nobu's Matsuhisa dressing really gave the salad an extra refreshing kick with its soy sauce, mustard and vinegar elements and went very well with the bitter leaves and the plump tuna.The assorted sushi was also delicious - I especially liked the yellowtail scallion roll.Next up was the second part of the Bento box- the cooked dishes! Personally I liked this section more, because it had two of my favourite Nobu dishes in it- the black cod and rock shrimp tempura.The Chicken Antichuho Sauce is typically an affordable Peruvian dish which is served in skewer form, but at Nobu they give it a twist by glazing the grilled chicken in teriyaki sauce.The Black Cod Saikyo Yaki is Nobu's signature dish and it's not hard to understand why. The cod is SO buttery and flaky, and the natural sweetness and juices of the fish, combined with the slightly chargrilled and caramelised saikyo miso paste glaze, creates a must-try dish for all to savour.The Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce is probably one of the most moreish things I have ever tried- after all, who could resist bite-sized pieces of crunchy tempura-battered shrimp, coated with a mayonnaise, spicy and sweet (not to mention patented) sauce? I could eat plates and plates of this and never get sick of it.

To conclude, I had a great dining experience at Nobu. Many people seem to have a preconceived notion that eating at Nobu is very expensive- but the prices of their lunch sets are definitely very similar to the prices seen in many other Japanese eateries in Tsim Sha Tsui/Central/Causeway Bay etc- and you get a lot of delicious, lip-smacking food, not to mention that the portions are quite generous!
 

Restoration (中環)

Restoration is a restaurant in Hong Kong that serves up Creole-inspired cuisine, a type of cuisine typically identified with New Orleans in the United States and has Spanish, French, and Italian, amongst many other, influences. I've never tried Creole cuisine before and therefore can't comment on the authenticity of the dishes in this restaurant, but I can say that I enjoyed both the unique atmosphere and the tasty, flavourful food.Stepping into the restaurant, you'll immediately feel as if you've been transported back in time. The decor of the place features antique-looking furniture, dim lighting, wooden tables, stained glass, beautiful glassware and crockery galore. There were even two sacks of millet and red/blue wooden shutters greeting us at the entrance, creating an exceptionally warm and homely ambience.
Restoration offers a number of set lunch deals depending on budget , and you can add an optional HK$20 for drinks.For my starter, I had the Watermelon & Tomato Salad, combined with the extra ingredients of roquette (argula), pickled onions, mushrooms, feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. This dish was refreshing and flavourful-exactly like summer on a plate! I especially liked the combination of the tangy crumbly feta cheese, balsamic and sweet watermelon mixed together to create an explosion of flavours.Next up came my main, the Crab Po' Boy - a submarine-style sandwich with a deliciously crispy soft- shell crab nestled in between toasted baguette , lettuce, and tomato slices. A spicy aioli-like sauce was served alongside the sandwich. The portion of the soft-shell crab was very generous- in fact, it spilled out of the bread and I had to end up eating the sandwich with my cutlery! The crab was deliciously crunchy, juicy and plump, with that distinct egg-yolk-like taste permeating from the meat of the crab, and the batter was crisp but not too overly oily. Paired with the spicy sauce, this was definitely a flavourful dish- comfort food at its best!My mom ordered the Seafood Gumbo - a thick soup served with rice. Although it was served in a fairly small container, it's actually quite a filling dish! Gumbo gets its distinctive flavour from the roux ( a mix of flour and oil), and the seafood was plentiful and tasty. There's also a kick of Tabasco in the dish which makes it really appetising and not too heavy on the stomach afterwards.My mom's seared tuna was also delicious and fresh-tasting, but not something I would personally order in this restaurant as I view it as a pretty common dish served in more typical Western eateries.Overall, I had a nice meal at Restoration- the prices are pretty reasonable considering the location and the dishes and cuisine are unique to what is currently at offer in Hong Kong. Next time I hope to come for their delicious-looking brunches or perhaps their all-you-can-eat fried chicken Tuesdays!
 

茶。家 (上環)

My friends and I arrived at around 2.30 pm one sunny afternoon. It was initially not that crowded and we managed to find seats straight away (bear in mind that seating is quite limited here). I love the decor and styling of the cafe, which featured robin-egg blue walls throughout and lots of quirky and vintage-looking teapots and paintings. I especially loved the mason jar lights which hung across the room!We ordered a Roselle & Strawberry cheesecake to share. The portion was a bit small for the price but the cheesecake was delicious- I loved the fragrance of the yogurt combined with the fresh, tangy strawberries and the sweet yet sour taste of the roselle. The biscuit base tasted chocolatey which provided an interesting contrast to the filling.I ordered a Sea Salt Yin Yang- a twist on the Hong Kong cha chan teng drink consisting of coffee blended with milk tea. The sea salt provided an interesting savoury touch to the drink and was very refreshing in the summer heat.One of my friends ordered the Keemun Rose Tea- this took quite a long time to arrive at the table (approximately 15-20 minutes) and I took a sip of it. I enjoyed the frothy milk and the honey on top of the tea as well as the rosy fragrance of the tea itself. The tea was milky yet had a bitter aftertaste which I quite enjoyed. Although it was a little bit pricey it's not a drink that you can get anywhere else in Hong Kong so I think it's worth a try.The place got really crowded after a while. It was so crowded that I felt like I was in a market rather than what was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing cafe. People who were ordering takeaways just stood around the already cramped room, talking loudly amongst themselves and blocking the entrance. Although there was extra room next door, customers were given buzzers notifying them when their orders were ready and would have to come back into the main seating area to collect their food- meaning that people kept coming in and out repeatedly and always left the door open.

Furthermore, people waiting for seats would also stay inside the cafe, hovering above people already seated. All of these factors combined meant that we couldn't truly relax in the atmosphere and left shortly after finishing our drinks and cake, as we felt that it would be inappropriate to keep sitting down when so many people were waiting.

All in all, I think that an experience at Tekaha would be much better if there was some form of crowd control- especially on weekends. The entire experience felt a little bit too rushed and chaotic compared to what I've experienced at other cafes. I'll probably be back to try one of their amazing-smelling brunches but will definitely try to come after summer when there are hopefully less people.
 

The Big Bite (北角)

A couple of my friends and I decided that it would be a good idea to travel from our homes during the red rainstorm signal to get burgers for lunch. Whilst I'm not going to comment any further on the stupidity of our harebrained plans , I'm going to take this time to talk about our trip to The Big Bite, a Canadian-style burger restaurant in North Point...which I guess was worth the walk in the heavy rain Walking into the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was how patriotically decorated the place was, with its large Canadian flag at the counter and plush taxidermy animal heads on the walls, which I found morbidly cute. We arrived at around 12.15 in the afternoon on a weekday and because it was raining so heavily, the place was quite empty and we had no trouble finding a seat.I was pleasantly surprised that the burgers were cheaper than what I had expected, compared to other notable burger joints around the city. Of course, this place has more of a "fast food" vibe than the other examples, not to mention that it's not located somewhere like Centralwhere the rents are extortionately high, so it's not really a fair comparison, but my wallet was definitely better off
The Big Bite does lunch sets which includes a burger, your choice of fries and a soft drink, though I upgraded my soft drink to a tea instead in my pathetic attempt to try to make this meal the slightest bit healthier .First up, the Big Bite Burger- when I first bit into this burger I was hit with a slight wave of disappointment because I thought that it tasted a little dry. However, a few more bites into the burger and the natural juices from the patty started leaking out onto the fluffy buns. I guess the burger lives up to its name- take a "big bite" and you'll be able to taste how delicious it is! Combined with tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, jalapeño peppers and gherkin slices, this was definitely a tasty treat. The burger, being quite sizeable for its price, ended up getting a bit messy to eat so I used a fork and knife towards the end to mop up any bits that had fallen apart.We also got poutine as a side. Mozzarella cheese was used as a substitute to cheese curds. Crispy, chunky fries slathered with gravy and cheese- who could say no to such a moreish treat? It does get a little heavy towards the end of the meal so light eaters might considering sharing a portion between two people.Finally we ordered buffalo wings (heat level "hot") which were served with celery sticks and a blue cheese dressing. I really enjoyed these- the skin of the wings were crispy and slathered with that distinctive addicting cayenne pepper hot sauce, and the meat itself was quite tender. I'm not really a person who can handle hot, spicy foods but this level of heat was alright for me! The heat level ranges from "wuss" to "homicide"...perhaps next time when I visit I'll take the plunge and dare myself to eat some fiery hot wings!
I had a lip-smackingly tasty meal at the Big Bite, and it's probably one of the better burgers I've had in Hong Kong. I'll definitely be back to try out their Tuesday beer + HK$3 dollar chicken wing nights as well as the rest of their wide range of burgers and hot dogs!
 

Tabibito (上環)

Tabibito is an Okazu (Japanese tapas) restaurant situated in Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan. If you don’t live around the area and you’re not willing to take a taxi up the slopes, then you’re in for a light cardio workout- but hey, you’re doing it for the food!My friends and I arrived at around 11:30 on a Saturday morning and didn’t have to queue, but after an hour more and more people started coming. A word of warning- you have to wait outdoors, so bring a hat and some mosquito repellent!The restaurant itself is quite compact, with simple wooden decor and lots of natural lighting. As you can see from the images, the exterior sliding doors were left wide open, which made it a little bit hot from time to time even though there was air conditioning. My advice would be to avoid anything long-sleeved- at least until the summer months are over.
Brunch is only served during weekends, and there is a plentiful selection to choose from. I know that most food bloggers usually try to order different things from the menu…but for some reason, all three of us wanted the mentaiko pasta. Maybe it’s because the pasta has been highly recommended all over social media or because we just really needed something more substantial after walking around in the heat, but I definitely don’t regret our decision!Our pastas took around 20 minutes to cook, which we didn’t mind because after all, brunch is meant to be a relaxing affair, and it meant that the food was made to order. The pasta itself is, in my opinion, a good size for the price that you pay- though people with really voracious appetites might consider ordering a couple of sides to go alongside it. I absolutely loved the creamy, spicy, umami-richness of this pasta, which also had a lovely al-dente texture. Although the pasta was filling, it wasn’t overly decadent. The mentaiko was plentiful and evenly incorporated into the sauce, and I loved how there was a small serving of uncooked mentaiko at the top which you could mix into the pasta for an elevated flavour and texture. Needless to say, I pretty much had to restrain myself from licking my plate clean!
I’ll definitely be coming back to Tabibito to try more of their brunch options and hopefully even dinner sometime!