As mentioned from the title. I enjoyed a nice tea time with u-buddy on a Sun afternoon.
I had the Mocha - very nice it looked. As expected - very chocolaty, yet the coffee was still strong, balanced. And the texture was very thick. It could really fill up your stomach as the cup was not small!!!
Nice service. The only thing gotta improve was the seating. I dun like the chairs, I could not sit comfortably there ... anywaz, the coffee chat outweighed the flaw =P
Finally gave this coffee shop a try. Maybe it has been quite highly regarded by others, so I had a pretty high expectation on their espresso based coffee. There were already a lot of foreigners in the coffee shop, which again gave me an impression that the coffee should be pretty good.
Ordered a caffe latte and a whole wheat carrot cake. The latte tastes okay but too bitter. With my limited knowledge about espresso making, it should be either overly extracted or the beans being not fresh enough. That said, the latte is still quite good, compared with most of those offered in town. My choice is still Cafe Corridor in CWB.
For $30+ it's not cheap and it's not in the best location in IFC (Simply Life, Isola, RED etc have that), but if it's brilliant espresso-based coffee you want, this place can't be beat. On par, or even better than Crema in TST East, also a haunt for in-the-know coffee lovers.
Just having a very weak cappuccino there, unbelievably weak!! I drink at here b4, it is V nice, n even might be best in IFC. (not during lunch time, and a year ago) But today I am so disappointed. (during lunch time) I wait 15 minutes to get my cup after paid, and the Cappuccino is just like a cup heated up PURE milk topped with chocolate, but seems like without coffee. You charge me $36 for a regular sized coffee and I don’t expect a cup of hot PURE milk. $36, I can go straight to citysuper to get 1 L PURE milk!! My conclusion is, don’t to Fuel during lunch time, because it can only fill you up with anger!
The cappuccino was just OK and definitely nowhere near other good Indies. The milk has a hint of creaminess and only extremely faintly sweetness in it while the texture wasn’t quite enough for me to feel anything special about it, ie neither rich nor luxury.
As both Fuel and Crema use Pura, the comparison came to my mind. Crema showed a consistently rich, creamy and velvety texture over the past two years. I could say its milk based drink is consistent good year in year out from my experience there. I even like Capps at Corridor/Assembly duo and Zambra much much more than that at Fuel. I would rank Fuel capp quite close to Coco style, ie not quite rich, not quite creamy but a good and decent one though I would notch up Coco a bit higher on this front. BTW, the comment is more of a nitpicking on Fuel as Fuel’s Capp will beat any mainstream café and would not be far off from good Indie café, particularly on the temp side.
I also had two ristrettos from each blend too. The first one was from a darker blend, its default blend for black coffee. Nothing came close to the shot I had last time there which I considered the best from Fuel so far. However, it wasn’t bad either, ie passable cup, nothing’s really memorable kinda thing.
I asked for the second one to be made from the lighter roast blend which is a default blend for milk drink as I want to see how it tasted like. While the acidity was sharp, in your face and much more prominent, it was OK and I like it more than its default darker roast. Mind you that I like acidity in my coffee and I like to borrow words from Andrea Immelt’s wine book that I am also an acid freak. If I have to choose among these two blends for espresso/ristretto, I will go with the lighter one for a much more interesting dimension of its coffee vs. the darker roast for both milk and espresso drink
The good point is that I can now easily sense lots of aroma, flowery taste in the cup that was sorely missed from its dark roast. It still maintained an Italian taste profile but not to the point of caramel dark sweetness like its darker one.
Nevertheless, what’s sorely missed is the liveliness of the cup I typically had from Indie café in Hong Kong like Crema, Assembly/Corridor duo, Soft Aroma and, to a lesser extent, Coco Espresso. This prevents me from rating this cafe as a must go even you're out of the way.
The very weak link was its baked goods offering. The blueberry muffin was kinda crummy, way too sweet and very sticky to my tongue and mouth I had to chase its sweetness away with lots of water before I can sense the taste of the coffee. In a way, one could have this muffin with any coffee and you won’t feel a thing no matter how good or bad the coffee is which should give lots of flexibility to the café on its down day.
The $100 I paid for two shots of ristretto (not double as I order one shot from each blend), one muffin and one capp was on an expensive side but I don’t feel much regret vs. any $ I spend on coffee at Habitu. The Habitu/Fuel shouldn’t be compared at all at any level of café but it came to my mind when I think of the first Grand Barista Championship in Hong Kong last June, I believe. There you have it, Sanjay of Fuel Espresso and Lena Tsang of Café Habitu sitting side by side judging the barista for the first HK GBC title. However, their products were like night and day/a total pole apart with Sanjay coming on top of the game. For Lena. err... , let’s not go anywhere near that. You can read my experience on Habitu elsewhere on this website.
推介菜式: Lighter roast blend for both ristretto and milk drink
For those who have been following local food magazines, you know that Fuel Espresso has been in the news very frequently and has created much noise in the local community both for coffee lovers and food lovers alike. I have visited this place many times, usually around 6 - 630pm when I got off work nearby. One major factor that attracted me back to this place aside for the coffee is the casual atmosphere and the cheerful + friendly character of the Baristas here. (personally, I still prefer Coffee Assembly @ SoHo over this place for its environment and atmosphere because it is more cozy and non-commercial compared with others similar establishment)
I think I had too many cups of espresso here at the wrong time of the day before (ie: evening), so today I opted for something different. I ask the friendly barista here to pick one to surprise me. My surprise turned out to be Cafe Mocha. Not my usual order but if other I would not call it a surprise would I? Surprise it was, a delightful one as well. It was not too sweet while maintaining a very strong coffee flavors from the double espresso shots. Extra chocolate sprinkles were placed on top but I am equally happy without them. The foam was of the creamy type which was increasing hard to find in Hong Kong in my opinion. I think many coffee places have foamy type, especially chain stores in Hong Kong, because the cold milk was heated up too fast from the highly pressured steam wand, affecting the frothing of the milk (and its quality). It should be heated up gradually during the frothing process at a certain steaming pressure. Time is of the essence in Hong Kong so speed is a major element in serving coffee as well I guess. Rather unfortunate in my opinion. (of course the quality of the milk matters as well for the frothing of the milk) The above is my understanding of how foamy foam is formed, but please do correct me and enlighten me otherwise because I still have much more to learn about coffee making, especially the frothing techniques. (really tempted to buy a machine to play around for myself!)
As a side note, the espresso here was strong and carried a slight earthy flavors to it. In my opinion, a good espresso to me should be strong while able to stimulate my taste bud to have an aftertaste of ... humm ... bittersweet taste for a lack of a better word. The many cups of espresso I had here were able to give me that lovely aftertaste, hence another reason for my frequent revisits.
Ever since my last review awhile ago in Feb 09, preaching about the coffee but not entirely without heldbacks - I was hesitant to believe at first when I began experiencing a resurgent improvement in my coffee experiences @ FUEL Espresso starting around April. I used to depart from here somewhat satisfied but still hoping for a more multi-dimensional cup of a Caffe Lattes/Cappucino that reflects more of its traditional Heritage, while the Espresso in the past was dark and moody, a bit burnt to be enjoyable and slight cringe worthy unless your style belongs to old school Italian. Its possible it takes time to iron out the kinks, or that slight adjustments have been brought about gradually as customers began to understand the products. Perhaps its partly physiologically on my part too, which is a variable that must never be discounted. Nowadays? The Espresso from FUEL now has vastly improved, rekindling my love and belief. It has probably overtaken the milk based drinks in performance and that suits me just fine
********** ESPRESSO - Here, I believe ordering a Single Espresso at FUEL is the preferred choice rather than a Double Espresso or the shorter Ristretto, since the longer extractiong encapsulates all the possible lively characteristics in 1 shot. Its partly to do with the 'blending' characteristics and it certainly carries enough body to support a largish 25+ml extraction easily.
As I began slurping this wonderfully extracted Golden-Red nectar, instantly, as if someone had waited for a pouncing opportunity to prove me wrong for once slagging off their efforts and acting in protest to what I'd penned, I was grabbed unexpectedly by the collar of my shirt and taken on a trip to an unfamiliar foreign land.. I caught glimpse of dark steely faces working on high uncontaminated mountain plateaus, their only daily focus involves picking away at red berries and retaining as much of its original freshness flavour with a delicate touch. I could sense the nutritional soil and wet tree barks around me, a whiff of ozone filling the high altitude air proves refreshening. I figure I had probably landed in Africa somewhere....
Just as I was getting accustomed to my new surroundings, greed made me take in my final, 2nd decisive sip as I longed to continue this free afternoon trip, this time engulfing and inhaling in all the remaining thick tiger-striped crema that lined up the bottom of the ceramic demitasse... it was yet another spellbinding moment, only this time, the extraction proved so dense, the remaining crema coating the inner rim was all soapy bubbles not unlike that from a naked portafilter. It was a land of high humidity and sweaty environment, the palm trees in the distance signalling that the ocean couldn't be far away. Where I stand overlooking the 3rd world slopes, one could smell spice and saltiness in the air, an exotic earthiness together with mango ripeness penetrate the senses ever so mildly. It provides the backdrop and body that togethers culminates in an emotionally charged, slightly poignant cupping..
My free travel comes courtesy of my one shot that lasts approximately a minute and a half. Finally arriving back at the highly contrasting real world at International Financial Centre, it suddenly occurred to me that what I had just been through was as real as it gets. The coffee here contains all the correct components which were so alive in the cup, it was like going to an old world Bazaar market, where coffee trades and auctions still thrives and people live off the tiny profits from a non-guaranteed cropping vintage. It happens everyday on a parallel world and we mutually support each other somehow from different ends of the earth.
************************ There is a great sense of comradery in the staff here. Everyone is also smiling, friendly and proud. The Espresso coffee was great, the Caffe Latte rendered to become more of a formality afterwards and acts as a 'cooling down period' after a quite overseas holiday.
Although relatively expensive, FUEL Espresso is without doubt the most professional and arguably ONLY hardcore Coffee House in Hong Kong. Although I've personally had slightly better in other parts of the world, this is already so good and nowadays also my no.1 preference for coffee. It still remains more affordable than the often inferior drinks from a 5 Star Hotel or even Michelin Starred Restaurants - afterall, high pricing and a blind following of so-called brandnames or world famous Coffee Beans to please high-rollers (these often pre-packed as stale, pod-forms), is not conducive to quality. FUEL definitely buys the best beans from reputable suppliers as well and roasts then keeps them in perfect conditions, each step of the Quality Control is guaranteed from Farm to Cup. There are lots of variables which makes a great coffee, brandname constitutes may be only 10% of the equation. Even here, its not entirely perfect (and so as not to give out seemingly blind appraisals): As BOBLAM has mentioned rightly below - I also find that different baristas even on the same day may make a pour that's notably different in the resulting cup, both espresso and milk texturing... I find this slightly hard to believe since everything else seems perfect. Although I already know whom I prefer to make my coffees, perhaps other customers might not.
If FUEL on HK Island is hard for you to access, CREMA is Tsim Sa Tsui East is also a great alternative, they even share some DNA in the coffee - but the latter carries a slightly rawer expression. If you like either, you're guaranteed to like them both in my opinion. For me, I probably enjoy the Professionalism here the most.
Let me make a short note on two single ristretto shots I had at Fuel
The first one was pulled by a caucasian and was the first time I had such a flavorful offering from Fuel with a nice acidity note at the beginning and a bit of quite dark but not bitter chocolate at the end. The body was decent though not as syrupy as the best I had.
It was so good I had to order the other one. This time it was pulled by a Chinese lady. It was OK and a bit better than what I had when I last posted it but it's nowhere near the good first one. Bitterness is quite prominent, particularly toward the end.
I wasn't really sure why. Its could be the blend choice as Fuel offers a lighter and a default dark roast for espresso. Or the blend was quite hard to get it right. Or the water temperature was lower than it was as there's lots of customers when I ordered my first shot and much less on my second though La Marzocco and Astoria (I believe) were known to have a rock solid temp control relative to other brands.
Guess another visit is needed so I will maintain an OK for Fuel for this time first. However, I decide to put a note here as I thought it might benefit someone who wants to try Fuel as I don't know when my next time at Fuel will be, particularly on a week day like this time.
I recalled 太公's compliment to Fuel Espresso's cappuccino while I was in IFC the other day. So there's no better time in trying it out. Despite being near the end of lunch time many are still enjoying their coffee over chat. After making my order at the counter, I managed to find a seat near the hallway.
Chocolate shavings on the side, my cappuccino ($36) not only had a better texture than that using chocolate powder, but its fluffy foam balanced out the somewhat bold sharp espresso base, leaving a soft and smooth finish.
My companion to the cappuccino was Savoury Pumpkin, Spinach & Feta Muffin ($16). Very interesting indeed. I'd liken it to Chinese steamed spongy cake "鬆糕", but with a savoury twist of nutritious pumpkin, spinach and feta cheese. A refreshing treat.
The highlight of my first visit, however, was the samples of hot chocolate, Dutch style, offered for tasting as an attempt to formulate "the blend" for the local market. Although I preferred the richer version with a very slight hint of cocoa-y bitterness, many would also want to satisfy their sweet tooth once in a while, then why not have 2 versions, like their blends of coffee?
Of course, no quest of quality coffee is complete without trying the joint's signature esproesso. This time I specifically went for its Espresso Ristretto ($24), a "Restricted" short espresso as the size suggested - it had an even smaller volume than a regular espresso shot...or you can call it more "concentrated". I paired my espresso with a Morning Glory Muffin ($16) [Currant, Carrot, Apple, Coconut] even it was well past morning. I was first impressed by the "roasty", or nutty aroma of the coffee. The crema here was darker than usual, yet not overly burnt-looking. (Or were the ones I'd had before too weak?)
There are 2 varieties of beans at Fuel, namely "Dark" roast (with aromas of cocoa, malt, licorice), Classic (a more fruity touch). I have a long long way to go before I can recognize all these complex flavours, but this is the wisdom I got from an unexpected but wonderful encounter with the mastermind behind FUEL...
As I was enjoying my coffee and surveying the cafe, a gentleman sitting at the bar area working on his computer suddenly turned to me and said,
"So you like coffee?"
He gave me his name card, and it turned out that he was Mr Sanjay Ponnapa, the CEO/founder of Fuel. Unassuming in looks, yet he insisted on using the best beans, rosted meticulously to perfection, being a proud descendent of several generations of coffee planters in India. In fact he had come to HK to check out on his beans and hold tasting sessions, which he gave me an impromptu one by pulling me a shot of his signature espresso. Wow! As Mr Ponnapa guided me through the aromas and flavours of his espresso, I was getting a glimpse of how to actually taste a coffee...while there's so much more to learn about coffee, Mr Ponnapa even let me have a look at the "bible" of the coffee industry, a book on the origins and processing of coffee.
Well I'm still some amateur on coffee, but this was indeed an interesting experience that sparkled my interest on the subject. Coffee-wise, Fuel is one of those places that I'll come once in a while for a nice shot if it's not too crowded, or if I want to have more coffee news - the baristas here actually know the stuff and are generous enough to tell you where else to get good coffees as well!
Drawbacks? Yes, maybe it's better for them to have a formal cash till showing, as I didn't know where to pay my bill every time I was there!
I visited Fuel Espresso a couple of times since last 2008. The good thing is that its deco exceeded my expectation and I think most Indie cafe should look up to this one.
For the coffee, I don't think existing Indie cafes in Hong Kong have anything to worry about. The overall taste profiles from Fuel Espresso reminded me of a typical Italian chained espresso but better, not the same complexity as Indie café espresso though.
My single espresso was pulled with a double basket and barista let the other shot dripped down the drain. It's a nice touch as it showed how much barista care about the coffee. (Double basket typically tasted better than single, IMHO)
However, my espresso was run until blond. While the coffee does not seem to have much robusta taste, ie burned rubber aftertaste and caffeine kick, it's not memorable but taste quite good a long shot like this, considering the blonding the pull which was supposed to give you an acrid espresso that you find at most café.
The cappuccino I had got a nice milk texture via Pura full cream milk and just warm, not hot, which fit my requirement and was a nice touch. However, no distinct sweet milk taste like I had at Zambra and just on par with Crema Coffee. I needed to spoon the top off as barista sprinkled quite a few of sweet chocolate powder on top. Maybe the cocoa powder was there for a reason.
Also, there was one customer ordered coffee and just walk away on my first visit to Fuel. Barista should tell the customers that they are adjusting the espresso machine as they kept on brewing and throwing the coffee and steamed milk away. While it's a good intention on the barista side, most customers will not understand/appreciate what they were doing. It took me a long while before I could get my drink with a barista forgetting my cappuccino order too.
On my latte visit in early May 2009, I did not see this throw away thing anymore. Nevertheless, the espresso I received was kinda subpar and worse than my two previous experiences there in late 2008. The lively cup was gone and the stale bean taste was prominent. I don’t remember the strong dark roast taste last time I had coffee there; it was a bit too forward and way too much for me. Maybe the darker roast taste was actually there to begin with but it was well balanced thanks to the relative freshness of the roasted bean at the time. For my recent visit, the freshness was gone so the darker roast taste reared its head up… L
This makes me wonder how it likes for a lighter roast. I learned after my first visit that this coffee bar used lighter roast for its milk drink and a darker roast for its espresso which is counterintuitive to me but is like a fact for some. To me, one needs a bolder taste of the roast to ‘punch’ through the milk.
In all, not bad for coffee if you are in the area. For those who are in to deco, a must for those who are looking for a relatively posh espresso bar.
推介菜式: Nothing's in particular. Most coffee is just OK, not great
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Miss CL
共98篇食評
Mocha ... Soup
I had the Mocha - very nice it looked. As expected - very chocolaty, yet the coffee was still strong, balanced. And the texture was very thick. It could really fill up your stomach as the cup was not small!!!
Nice service. The only thing gotta improve was the seating. I dun like the chairs, I could not sit comfortably there ... anywaz, the coffee chat outweighed the flaw =P
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 4
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cksaurus
共2篇食評
Latte okay but not quite that good
Ordered a caffe latte and a whole wheat carrot cake. The latte tastes okay but too bitter. With my limited knowledge about espresso making, it should be either overly extracted or the beans being not fresh enough. That said, the latte is still quite good, compared with most of those offered in town. My choice is still Cafe Corridor in CWB.
評分: 味道 3 環境 3 服務 2 衛生 4 抵食 3
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Toebe
共162篇食評
好但嘈
閉在環境唔夠relaxing，始終IFC的open area嫲，周圍氣氛同格局緊緊張張的，影響到欣賞coffee，對我而言小店適合D
評分: 味道 4 環境 3 服務 3 衛生 4 抵食 4
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Honginn
共36篇食評
有點苦澀的回憶
來過幾次，但是不知道該怎麼寫食評，我只能算是喜歡喝咖啡，與在這裡出沒的太多咖啡高手道行相差太多。不過為了讓我的OpenRice裡的開飯食行蹤也加上這一家，硬著頭皮也要來說說我與Fuel的故事。
第一次來是2008年9月，Bear Sterns、Merrill Lynch分別倒下，AIG、BOA爛帳纏身，股市、債市亂七八糟，週遭的朋友包括自己都是人人自危，但是莫名其妙卻老是在天天加班，整個心情低潮到不行。
雷曼倒下的那個週末，決定對自己好一點，到IFC買一副昂貴的墨鏡，店裡的Sales還跟我閒聊「很多什麼什麼兄弟的客戶都沒有到店裡消費了」，苦笑隨便打幾個哈哈付了錢，隨後上了手扶梯到Fuel的樓層，遠遠看到一位女店員酷似王菲在重慶森林裡的造型，正好大力女王想要喝杯飲料，便在Fuel的吧檯前坐下。
已經不記得那天我點的是什麼咖啡了，只記得不喝咖啡的大力女王那天很難得點了「Iced Espresso」，咖啡泡非常的綿密，咖啡略帶點苦但不澀，可能是我喝過最好喝的冰咖啡。
聽著大力女王與「王菲」有一句沒一句的聊著，「王菲」嘰哩聒啦的快樂語調也多少感染了我，喝完咖啡離開心情也好了許多。
好喝的咖啡、嘰哩聒啦的可愛店員，讓我跟大力女王來IFC逛街就會想要來這裡喝上一杯。
今日來點了一杯「Espresso」，酸味夠但不會太焦，是我喜歡的味道。大力女王依然是一杯「Iced Espresso」，或許是嘰哩聒啦的可愛店員不在、沒人跟她聊天，讓她覺得味道不如第一次吧！
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 5 衛生 5 抵食 4
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e_ting
共19篇食評
easily the best espresso in HK
評分: 味道 5 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 5 抵食 4
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共14篇食評
unbelievably weak!!
I drink at here b4, it is V nice, n even might be best in IFC. (not during lunch time, and a year ago)
But today I am so disappointed. (during lunch time)
I wait 15 minutes to get my cup after paid, and the Cappuccino is just like a cup heated up PURE milk topped with chocolate, but seems like without coffee.
You charge me $36 for a regular sized coffee and I don’t expect a cup of hot PURE milk. $36, I can go straight to citysuper to get 1 L PURE milk!!
My conclusion is, don’t to Fuel during lunch time, because it can only fill you up with anger!
評分: 味道 1 環境 3 服務 3 衛生 4 抵食 1
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tabero
共132篇食評
南半球的意式咖啡
也不會逗留多過五分鐘
為的是呷一口...可以停留的三十分鐘.
但為何喜歡上從OZ / KIWI 來的espresso ?
反而至憎cova？
口味而已
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 3
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共60篇食評
去fuel station加下氣
來 到 IFC 找 個 地 方 飲 下 野, 傾 下 偈 順 便 充 充 氣
本 想 去 LGB, 但 又 不 太 想 吃 Macaron, 又 上 了 一 層 去 Fuel acheter un café pour relaxer.
人 不 算 少, 但 也 有 位 坐. 但 椅 子 不 是 很 舒 服, 背 部 不 是 軟 軟 的, 不 能 真 正 的 relax地 半 躺 半 坐
Caffe mocha
賣 相 是 如 此 的 討 好, 令 人 眼 前 一 亮
朱 古 力 碎 灑 在 半 邊 幼 滑 的 泡 上
而 令 我 喜 愛 的 是 杯 的 顏 色, 那 種 綠 青 是 給 人 聯 想 到 古 老 的 瓷 器, 加 上 一 條 幼 幼的 金 邊 又 加 上 了 高 貴 的 感 覺, 就 令 人 覺 得 真 正 在 relax 地 high tea
Mocha 由espresso, chocolate, milk and foam 組 成 (有 錯 請 提 醒)
比 例 出 錯 都 會 影 響 味 道, 但 最 重 要 都 是 espresso 的 質 量
萬 一 底 做 得 不 好, 其 他 怎 樣 出 色, 都 是 徒 然
但 這 裡 的 底 做 得 很 好 呢, espresso, chocolate & milk 的 比 例 也 好
很 香 滑, chocolate & espresso 兩 種 味 都 可 以 平 衡, 不 會 其 中 一 種 味 較 突 出
連 foam 也 是 打 得 很 幼 細 順 滑 的, 我 想 真 的 很 難 在 香 港 找 到 第 二 間 店 可 以 比 較了
想 了 又 想, 突 然 想 去 澳 洲 學 沖 coffee 同 增 加 知 識, 話 晒 個 邊 學 完 有 証 書, 甚 麼 都 pro 得 多, 最 緊 要 是 他 們 真 的 會 尊 重 同 享 受 一 杯 咖 啡 呢
評分: 味道 5 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 3
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蝗蟲同學
共1539篇食評
IFC 的最佳加油站
「掛杯」咖啡?
中環的「疑似咖啡專門店」特別多, 知道呢度有「真正」的咖啡店, 想試好耐了, 奈何 lunch hour 經常爆滿, 是日放工後終於來了.
叫了 caffe latte (regular $36)... 面頭奶泡十分幼滑, 下面的咖啡夠厚, 十分香濃, 甘而不苦澀, 正
環境開揚, 位置較隱閉, 蛇王或飲嘢傾偈都一流; 店員們幾友善, 感覺好舒服的一個地方.
放低 $36, 會再來的.
評分: 味道 5 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 4
3個
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共29篇食評
Quite good
The cappuccino was just OK and definitely nowhere near other good Indies. The milk has a hint of creaminess and only extremely faintly sweetness in it while the texture wasn’t quite enough for me to feel anything special about it, ie neither rich nor luxury.
As both Fuel and Crema use Pura, the comparison came to my mind. Crema showed a consistently rich, creamy and velvety texture over the past two years. I could say its milk based drink is consistent good year in year out from my experience there. I even like Capps at Corridor/Assembly duo and Zambra much much more than that at Fuel. I would rank Fuel capp quite close to Coco style, ie not quite rich, not quite creamy but a good and decent one though I would notch up Coco a bit higher on this front. BTW, the comment is more of a nitpicking on Fuel as Fuel’s Capp will beat any mainstream café and would not be far off from good Indie café, particularly on the temp side.
I also had two ristrettos from each blend too. The first one was from a darker blend, its default blend for black coffee. Nothing came close to the shot I had last time there which I considered the best from Fuel so far. However, it wasn’t bad either, ie passable cup, nothing’s really memorable kinda thing.
I asked for the second one to be made from the lighter roast blend which is a default blend for milk drink as I want to see how it tasted like. While the acidity was sharp, in your face and much more prominent, it was OK and I like it more than its default darker roast. Mind you that I like acidity in my coffee and I like to borrow words from Andrea Immelt’s wine book that I am also an acid freak. If I have to choose among these two blends for espresso/ristretto, I will go with the lighter one for a much more interesting dimension of its coffee vs. the darker roast for both milk and espresso drink
The good point is that I can now easily sense lots of aroma, flowery taste in the cup that was sorely missed from its dark roast. It still maintained an Italian taste profile but not to the point of caramel dark sweetness like its darker one.
Nevertheless, what’s sorely missed is the liveliness of the cup I typically had from Indie café in Hong Kong like Crema, Assembly/Corridor duo, Soft Aroma and, to a lesser extent, Coco Espresso. This prevents me from rating this cafe as a must go even you're out of the way.
The very weak link was its baked goods offering. The blueberry muffin was kinda crummy, way too sweet and very sticky to my tongue and mouth I had to chase its sweetness away with lots of water before I can sense the taste of the coffee. In a way, one could have this muffin with any coffee and you won’t feel a thing no matter how good or bad the coffee is which should give lots of flexibility to the café on its down day.
The $100 I paid for two shots of ristretto (not double as I order one shot from each blend), one muffin and one capp was on an expensive side but I don’t feel much regret vs. any $ I spend on coffee at Habitu. The Habitu/Fuel shouldn’t be compared at all at any level of café but it came to my mind when I think of the first Grand Barista Championship in Hong Kong last June, I believe. There you have it, Sanjay of Fuel Espresso and Lena Tsang of Café Habitu sitting side by side judging the barista for the first HK GBC title. However, their products were like night and day/a total pole apart with Sanjay coming on top of the game. For Lena. err... , let’s not go anywhere near that. You can read my experience on Habitu elsewhere on this website.
評分: 味道 4 環境 5 服務 3 衛生 3 抵食 3
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jason.bonvivant
共128篇食評
Fuel Espresso
I think I had too many cups of espresso here at the wrong time of the day before (ie: evening), so today I opted for something different. I ask the friendly barista here to pick one to surprise me. My surprise turned out to be Cafe Mocha. Not my usual order but if other I would not call it a surprise would I? Surprise it was, a delightful one as well. It was not too sweet while maintaining a very strong coffee flavors from the double espresso shots. Extra chocolate sprinkles were placed on top but I am equally happy without them. The foam was of the creamy type which was increasing hard to find in Hong Kong in my opinion. I think many coffee places have foamy type, especially chain stores in Hong Kong, because the cold milk was heated up too fast from the highly pressured steam wand, affecting the frothing of the milk (and its quality). It should be heated up gradually during the frothing process at a certain steaming pressure. Time is of the essence in Hong Kong so speed is a major element in serving coffee as well I guess. Rather unfortunate in my opinion. (of course the quality of the milk matters as well for the frothing of the milk) The above is my understanding of how foamy foam is formed, but please do correct me and enlighten me otherwise because I still have much more to learn about coffee making, especially the frothing techniques. (really tempted to buy a machine to play around for myself!)
As a side note, the espresso here was strong and carried a slight earthy flavors to it. In my opinion, a good espresso to me should be strong while able to stimulate my taste bud to have an aftertaste of ... humm ... bittersweet taste for a lack of a better word. The many cups of espresso I had here were able to give me that lovely aftertaste, hence another reason for my frequent revisits.
Likes:
* Service & Atmosphere
* Consistent coffee / espresso - semi-creamy foam
Dislikes:
* Closes too early in my opinion
Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person
Original Blog: http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/09/fuel-espresso.html
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 4
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Babedolphin
共429篇食評
咖啡也可移民 ..!
**********
ESPRESSO -
Here, I believe ordering a Single Espresso at FUEL is the preferred choice rather than a Double Espresso or the shorter Ristretto, since the longer extractiong encapsulates all the possible lively characteristics in 1 shot. Its partly to do with the 'blending' characteristics and it certainly carries enough body to support a largish 25+ml extraction easily.
As I began slurping this wonderfully extracted Golden-Red nectar, instantly, as if someone had waited for a pouncing opportunity to prove me wrong for once slagging off their efforts and acting in protest to what I'd penned, I was grabbed unexpectedly by the collar of my shirt and taken on a trip to an unfamiliar foreign land.. I caught glimpse of dark steely faces working on high uncontaminated mountain plateaus, their only daily focus involves picking away at red berries and retaining as much of its original freshness flavour with a delicate touch. I could sense the nutritional soil and wet tree barks around me, a whiff of ozone filling the high altitude air proves refreshening. I figure I had probably landed in Africa somewhere....
Just as I was getting accustomed to my new surroundings, greed made me take in my final, 2nd decisive sip as I longed to continue this free afternoon trip, this time engulfing and inhaling in all the remaining thick tiger-striped crema that lined up the bottom of the ceramic demitasse... it was yet another spellbinding moment, only this time, the extraction proved so dense, the remaining crema coating the inner rim was all soapy bubbles not unlike that from a naked portafilter. It was a land of high humidity and sweaty environment, the palm trees in the distance signalling that the ocean couldn't be far away. Where I stand overlooking the 3rd world slopes, one could smell spice and saltiness in the air, an exotic earthiness together with mango ripeness penetrate the senses ever so mildly. It provides the backdrop and body that togethers culminates in an emotionally charged, slightly poignant cupping..
My free travel comes courtesy of my one shot that lasts approximately a minute and a half. Finally arriving back at the highly contrasting real world at International Financial Centre, it suddenly occurred to me that what I had just been through was as real as it gets. The coffee here contains all the correct components which were so alive in the cup, it was like going to an old world Bazaar market, where coffee trades and auctions still thrives and people live off the tiny profits from a non-guaranteed cropping vintage. It happens everyday on a parallel world and we mutually support each other somehow from different ends of the earth.
************************
There is a great sense of comradery in the staff here. Everyone is also smiling, friendly and proud. The Espresso coffee was great, the Caffe Latte rendered to become more of a formality afterwards and acts as a 'cooling down period' after a quite overseas holiday.
Although relatively expensive, FUEL Espresso is without doubt the most professional and arguably ONLY hardcore Coffee House in Hong Kong. Although I've personally had slightly better in other parts of the world, this is already so good and nowadays also my no.1 preference for coffee. It still remains more affordable than the often inferior drinks from a 5 Star Hotel or even Michelin Starred Restaurants - afterall, high pricing and a blind following of so-called brandnames or world famous Coffee Beans to please high-rollers (these often pre-packed as stale, pod-forms), is not conducive to quality. FUEL definitely buys the best beans from reputable suppliers as well and roasts then keeps them in perfect conditions, each step of the Quality Control is guaranteed from Farm to Cup. There are lots of variables which makes a great coffee, brandname constitutes may be only 10% of the equation. Even here, its not entirely perfect (and so as not to give out seemingly blind appraisals): As BOBLAM has mentioned rightly below - I also find that different baristas even on the same day may make a pour that's notably different in the resulting cup, both espresso and milk texturing... I find this slightly hard to believe since everything else seems perfect. Although I already know whom I prefer to make my coffees, perhaps other customers might not.
If FUEL on HK Island is hard for you to access, CREMA is Tsim Sa Tsui East is also a great alternative, they even share some DNA in the coffee - but the latter carries a slightly rawer expression. If you like either, you're guaranteed to like them both in my opinion. For me, I probably enjoy the Professionalism here the most.
A HIGH '4' to MID '5' PERSONALLY!
評分: 味道 5 環境 4 服務 5 衛生 5 抵食 3
1個
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共29篇食評
A blip of a good ristretto?
The first one was pulled by a caucasian and was the first time I had such a flavorful offering from Fuel with a nice acidity note at the beginning and a bit of quite dark but not bitter chocolate at the end. The body was decent though not as syrupy as the best I had.
It was so good I had to order the other one. This time it was pulled by a Chinese lady. It was OK and a bit better than what I had when I last posted it but it's nowhere near the good first one. Bitterness is quite prominent, particularly toward the end.
I wasn't really sure why. Its could be the blend choice as Fuel offers a lighter and a default dark roast for espresso. Or the blend was quite hard to get it right. Or the water temperature was lower than it was as there's lots of customers when I ordered my first shot and much less on my second though La Marzocco and Astoria (I believe) were known to have a rock solid temp control relative to other brands.
Guess another visit is needed so I will maintain an OK for Fuel for this time first. However, I decide to put a note here as I thought it might benefit someone who wants to try Fuel as I don't know when my next time at Fuel will be, particularly on a week day like this time.
評分: 味道 4 環境 5 服務 3 衛生 3 抵食 3
1個
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辣子
共704篇食評
Fuel up
Morning Glory Muffin
Chocolate shavings on the side, my cappuccino ($36) not only had a better texture than that using chocolate powder, but its fluffy foam balanced out the somewhat bold sharp espresso base, leaving a soft and smooth finish.
My companion to the cappuccino was Savoury Pumpkin, Spinach & Feta Muffin ($16). Very interesting indeed. I'd liken it to Chinese steamed spongy cake "鬆糕", but with a savoury twist of nutritious pumpkin, spinach and feta cheese. A refreshing treat.
The highlight of my first visit, however, was the samples of hot chocolate, Dutch style, offered for tasting as an attempt to formulate "the blend" for the local market. Although I preferred the richer version with a very slight hint of cocoa-y bitterness, many would also want to satisfy their sweet tooth once in a while, then why not have 2 versions, like their blends of coffee?
Of course, no quest of quality coffee is complete without trying the joint's signature esproesso. This time I specifically went for its Espresso Ristretto ($24), a "Restricted" short espresso as the size suggested - it had an even smaller volume than a regular espresso shot...or you can call it more "concentrated". I paired my espresso with a Morning Glory Muffin ($16) [Currant, Carrot, Apple, Coconut] even it was well past morning. I was first impressed by the "roasty", or nutty aroma of the coffee. The crema here was darker than usual, yet not overly burnt-looking. (Or were the ones I'd had before too weak?)
There are 2 varieties of beans at Fuel, namely "Dark" roast (with aromas of cocoa, malt, licorice), Classic (a more fruity touch). I have a long long way to go before I can recognize all these complex flavours, but this is the wisdom I got from an unexpected but wonderful encounter with the mastermind behind FUEL...
As I was enjoying my coffee and surveying the cafe, a gentleman sitting at the bar area working on his computer suddenly turned to me and said,
"So you like coffee?"
He gave me his name card, and it turned out that he was Mr Sanjay Ponnapa, the CEO/founder of Fuel. Unassuming in looks, yet he insisted on using the best beans, rosted meticulously to perfection, being a proud descendent of several generations of coffee planters in India. In fact he had come to HK to check out on his beans and hold tasting sessions, which he gave me an impromptu one by pulling me a shot of his signature espresso. Wow! As Mr Ponnapa guided me through the aromas and flavours of his espresso, I was getting a glimpse of how to actually taste a coffee...while there's so much more to learn about coffee, Mr Ponnapa even let me have a look at the "bible" of the coffee industry, a book on the origins and processing of coffee.
Well I'm still some amateur on coffee, but this was indeed an interesting experience that sparkled my interest on the subject. Coffee-wise, Fuel is one of those places that I'll come once in a while for a nice shot if it's not too crowded, or if I want to have more coffee news - the baristas here actually know the stuff and are generous enough to tell you where else to get good coffees as well!
Drawbacks? Yes, maybe it's better for them to have a formal cash till showing, as I didn't know where to pay my bill every time I was there!
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 5 衛生 4 抵食 3
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共29篇食評
Go for its deco. For coffee, only if you're there
For the coffee, I don't think existing Indie cafes in Hong Kong have anything to worry about. The overall taste profiles from Fuel Espresso reminded me of a typical Italian chained espresso but better, not the same complexity as Indie café espresso though.
My single espresso was pulled with a double basket and barista let the other shot dripped down the drain. It's a nice touch as it showed how much barista care about the coffee. (Double basket typically tasted better than single, IMHO)
However, my espresso was run until blond. While the coffee does not seem to have much robusta taste, ie burned rubber aftertaste and caffeine kick, it's not memorable but taste quite good a long shot like this, considering the blonding the pull which was supposed to give you an acrid espresso that you find at most café.
The cappuccino I had got a nice milk texture via Pura full cream milk and just warm, not hot, which fit my requirement and was a nice touch. However, no distinct sweet milk taste like I had at Zambra and just on par with Crema Coffee. I needed to spoon the top off as barista sprinkled quite a few of sweet chocolate powder on top. Maybe the cocoa powder was there for a reason.
Also, there was one customer ordered coffee and just walk away on my first visit to Fuel. Barista should tell the customers that they are adjusting the espresso machine as they kept on brewing and throwing the coffee and steamed milk away. While it's a good intention on the barista side, most customers will not understand/appreciate what they were doing. It took me a long while before I could get my drink with a barista forgetting my cappuccino order too.
On my latte visit in early May 2009, I did not see this throw away thing anymore. Nevertheless, the espresso I received was kinda subpar and worse than my two previous experiences there in late 2008. The lively cup was gone and the stale bean taste was prominent. I don’t remember the strong dark roast taste last time I had coffee there; it was a bit too forward and way too much for me. Maybe the darker roast taste was actually there to begin with but it was well balanced thanks to the relative freshness of the roasted bean at the time. For my recent visit, the freshness was gone so the darker roast taste reared its head up… L
This makes me wonder how it likes for a lighter roast. I learned after my first visit that this coffee bar used lighter roast for its milk drink and a darker roast for its espresso which is counterintuitive to me but is like a fact for some. To me, one needs a bolder taste of the roast to ‘punch’ through the milk.
In all, not bad for coffee if you are in the area. For those who are in to deco, a must for those who are looking for a relatively posh espresso bar.
評分: 味道 2 環境 5 服務 3 衛生 3 抵食 3
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