新仙清湯腩 is located the heart of Yau Ma Tei, the restaurant is famous for its beef brisket. Décor is reasonable, typical Hong Kong tea house style. The menu is clear and simple with wide variety. The cooking is mostly Cantonese in style, but there are some peculiar choices from elsewhere such as Vietnamese style tomato sauce, Thai style chicken.

Cuisine: Cantonese
Food rating: 4/10*
Service: 3/10
Ambiance: 3/10
Price: HK$60pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Squid ball noodles (2/10)
Apparently the squid ball was handmade, but it was rather disgusting, even worse than the one you can buy from super market. However, the soup was remarkable, perhaps beef brisket noodles with the broth is a much better bet.香茅鸡翼 (5/10)
The wings were nicely deep fried, crispy outside and moist inside. The seasoning was great, a good balance of species.Vietnamese style beef brisket in tomato sauce (4/10)
The beef was tender but the fat was removed for this dish. The tomato sauce was rich and sweet, very delicate. It went perfectly with the rice.Service was reasonable, even the waiters were rushing because the diners come and go, it was extremely busy. Overall this was very good, and certainly right up there amongst the best Hong Kong Tea house, which are so often disappointing.

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小南國 is a well-known restaurant chain in Hong Kong and Mainland. The menu has plenty of Shanghaiese regional dishes, and also a range of Shanghaiese street food in a more glamorous style. The dning room has an uncluttered simplicity, tidy and neat. The atmosphere is bright and cheerful, the waiters are not very much attention to details but was friendly and helpful to diners.

Cuisine: Shanghaiese
Food rating: 4/10*
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: HK$150pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Vegetable & Bean curd Roll (1/10)
The rolls were rather bland, it just taste like bread with veg with no seasoning. Tofu and Century eggs with chillies (3/10)
The tofu was nice, fancy presentation showcased the chef’s knife skills. The sauce was light and the century eggs gave the smooth tofu a complexity.Braised pork belly (4/10)
The braised pork belly is a classic Shanghai dish, but fattening. This pork belly had good texture, soft and tender, and the sauce was fully infused within. 蔥油餅 (4/10)
This version of蔥油餅was rather different than conventional ones. It was crispy outside containing some toasted sesame seeds and the bread was fairly season. If there were more taste of spring onion would be preferable.八寶飯 (4/10)
The rice was pleasant, sweet and delicate, very rich in flavour. The rice was cooked nicely, very al dente, more importantly the sweetness were very balanced. Service, always good in general, better than most of the chain restaurants, just not as attentive as it should have been. This place is a real bargain for the price you and the quality of food you get.

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Socilaito has an open kitchen with a few seats at the bar looking into the kitchen inaddition to the main dining area. The restaurant is right opposite the LKF hotel where most of the famous clubs/bars are located. It serves a blend of modern and traditional Mexican cuisine and a wide range of cocktails.

Cuisine: Mexican
Food rating: 2/10*
Service: 4/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Price: HK$140pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Black Beans Chilli Soup (1/10)
The chilli was slow cooked with the black beans, the soup was thick and it was not particularly spicy, which should be spicy enough for most of us. Duck Taco (4/10)
Duck Taco was better, but not exactly memorable, not obviously of a much superior Mexican restaurant, though please enough.

The service was far from perfunctory and our waitress was not exactly clear with the menu instruction. I actually did enjoyed the fast food lunch, but this is not exactly the perfect Mexican restaurant.

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We had high expectation for一鍋, given some drooling reviews from friends or open rice. Certainly Hong Kong could so with a genuine Taiwanese/Japanese hotpot restaurant as a change from the endless Cantonese all you can eat ones. The premises have obligatory electric cooker for each diner’s broth. The menu is simple; choose 1 of the 5 broth and a set of meat on your request with the remaining items (food and drinks), which are all you can eat.

Cuisine: Taiwanese/Japanese Hotpot
Food rating: 2/10*
Service: 1/10
Ambiance: 3/10
Price: HK$270pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Sichuan spicy broth, Hokkaido milk broth and Curry broth (2/10, 3/10, 0/10)
The Sichuan spicy broth was numbing and hot, but lacked the complexity.

The Hokkaido milk broth tasted like MSG chicken broth mixed with milk, other than it was slightly milky, it was not something can surprise you.

The curry broth was oddly bland, it was curry powder mixed with water.

Beef slices and Kagoshima pork slices (1/10, 1/10)
The meat was liberally frozen and lacked the meaty taste. If was not for my eyes, perhaps I would able to identify that it was meat. Objectively I gave it a 1/10 for having a nice name on the menu. The evening was not helped by some of the in polite and unorganised service we have encountered. The restaurant has 2 slots for diners, and after arriving we waited for almost 30 minutes before we were seated. More importantly, the food and broth took 30 minutes to an hour before it was delivered to the table. I hope that we were just unlucky with our visit, but the management of the restaurant has a lot of thinking to do.

The other criticism I have is the value for money: The menu itself looks great for value, but once you have started you know that you have been scammed. Despite the all you can drink part, the food sound elegant but it was possibly the lowest quality kind.

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金紫荊粵菜廳is one of the star restaurant in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The cuisine is matched by the elegant décor and views overlooking the Bauhinia Square and Victoria Harbour. The premises has high ceiling dining room with tables fairly spaced.

Cuisine: Cantonese
Food rating: 5/10*
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: HK$140pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Pork and Melon Soup (6/10)
The broth was delicate with the pork and melon flavours fully developed. The pork was pan-fired before boiled with the broth, hence the juice maintained within the meat. Dim Sum platter (4/10)
The spring roll was certainly good, the wrapper in particular thin and crisp, unusually light and delicate, the filing was pleasant.

The siu mai and scallop dumpling were well traditional and overall was good but not, in my opinion, remotely in the league of the finest restaurants. Char Grilled Pork Scramble Eggs (4/10)
The dish was good but not remarkable, the pork and eggs were nicely seasoned and stir-fried.Sweet and Sour Prawns (6/10)
Better were the prawns, which had excellent balance of the sweetness and sourness, and the prawns were nicely deep-fried and stir-fried with the pepper and pineapple. Service was functional rather than friendly, but reasonable. I would certainly come back here, and on another visit will try some of the more elaborate a la carte dishes instead of the executive lunch.

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Stormies (Central) is far from a unfamiliar bar/restaurant; it has been one of LKF’s quintessential meeting landmarks. But somehow I have managed to avoid reviewing it for some time. It is managed by the Café Deco Group and the reason the bar/restaurant has such longevity is its location and more particularly the pricing of its alcohol.

The menu is simple, European and reasonable, with a set lunch for HK$128, appetizer were mostly around HK$60, entree HK$150-HK$200, desserts around HK$70.

Cuisine: European
Food rating: 1/10*
Service: 4/10
Ambiance: 4/10
Price: HK$140pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Pear Salad (0/10)
The pear was not ripe; hence it lacked sweetness and richness. The dress was rather thin and bland, that could have down with more seasoning. Braised Beef (1/10)
The beef was braised and served with carrot and potato stew. The beef appeared to be tender and had fair seasoning. The only technical problem was this is the kind of food I would cook for kids not at a bar. I found the service okay, thought there were only 2 tables of diners during the lunch services. This is a perfect example of how to run a restaurant that does not attracts diners, I am glad that the alcohol sold during the evening is keeping the bar alive.

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又一棧is recently renovated with new menu, which include Beijing cuisine with a touch of imperial dining and Mongolia, Huaiyang flavour. 又一棧 is located at one of the popular Mall – Festival Walk, and it has a rather elegant décor with western painting.

Cuisine: Chinese
Food rating: 4/10*
Service: 5/10
Ambiance:6/10
Price: HK$250pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

风沙鸡 (6/10)
The chicken was roasted nicely, skin was crispy and the juice was well maintained within the meat. The Chicken was fairly seasoned and it was tender.烤小羊腿 (3/10)
The lamb was roasted with not enough seasoning and the skin was not very crispy. The lamb are exactly very meaty, lacked a lot of lamb flavour. However the sauce was very decent. 杭州芳香素腐方(4/10)
The tofu was well marinated and it was spongy with great texture. The soy-sauce was tailor made to further enhance its flavour.The food is great, definitely worth Michelin recognition. But if you ask me if it worth a two Michelin star award, base on today experience definitely a – NO.

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利苑酒家(旺角) is one of the better restaurants in Mong Kok. The spacing of the table was rather tight. The menu is simple but the down side was the services aren’t exactly great. The one in Central, Element, WanChai or Shatin are much better.
Cuisine: Chinese

Food rating: 7/10*
Service: 3/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: HK$250ax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

冰镇三层肉 (7/10)
The skin was extremely crispy. The pork in general has the great balance between the fat and meat. The meat was rather tender and fat melts as soon as it enter your mouth. The tastes linger for a while. 炖雪蛤 (8/10)
The soup was outstanding, it was full of the bird’s flavour and the balance of order ingredient further enhanced the flavour. The meat was tender, definitely highly recommended. 欖菜肉未炆豆腐 (6/10)
The tofu was deep-fried and stir-fried with the minced meat. The sauce was rich and heavy, went very well with the tofu. I was eating without any rice, it was slightly too strong on its own.The food is great, definitely worth Michelin recognition. But if you ask me if it worth a two Michelin star award, base on today experience definitely a – NO.

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麥奀記 is one of the famous wonton noodles chain in Hong Kong. Perhaps they have been in Hong Kong for a while, the services were terribly horrible. But they do have very high quality control with their food.

Cuisine: Chinese
Food rating: 4/10*
Service: 2/10
Ambiance: 3/10
Price: HK$50ax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars
細蓉 (5/10)
The broth was not alkaline at all. The wonton was small and crunchy. The wrapper was smooth. More importantly, the noodles was al dente. Chinese Kale (3/10)
The kale was fresh and sweet. Boiled in the noodles soup, personally believe that it was boiled for slightly too long. But in general the crunchiness was acceptable.The 細蓉they offer is one of the proper one. Definitely is one of the shop for wonton noodles fan to make a visit.

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餃子園 is another classic Beijing cuisine restaurant in Hong Kong. However, if you are comparing with the local dumplings restaurant in Beijing, indeed it is nowhere close, but at least it is north China style. More important, it serves some true local lamb dumplings that is a must try dish.

Cuisine: Chinese
Food rating: 3/10*
Service: 4/10
Ambiance: 3/10
Price: HK$70ax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

京蔥羊肉餃 (5/10)
The leek was fresh and the lamb was full of its flavour. It was mixed well with seasoning and wrapper with north China style wrapper, which was al dente and smooth.山東手撕雞面 (4/10)
There is not different between ordering the chicken on its own. Basically, they mixed the chicken with the noodles and a much diluted broth of the chicken sauce. Hence, the flavour was not as strong, but the upside was not as oily. The chicken was tender and well marinated, and the noodles smooth and al dente (machine made though).回鍋肉酸菜飯 (2/10)
This was rather disappointed dish. It was only couple slices of pork was introduced in the bowl of rice and the pickled vegetable flavour totally dominated the pork. 餃子園 has not been maintaining its standard, the quality is going downhill. If in the same area, 王府 will be my top choice for north China cuisine without a doubt.

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