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2016-07-26
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This morning, I started craving that moreish corned beef and egg toastie. The last time I had it was four...five? years ago. Hence this entry will be a bit too long as I record my entire experience. Please skip to the last 2 paragraphs for the comment on the food. **I happened to be around Wanchai in the afternoon so I did my due diligence and decided on this paritulcar "ice room". There are two identically named "ice rooms" adjacent to each other. I just picked one of them randomly and sat myse
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I happened to be around Wanchai in the afternoon so I did my due diligence and decided on this paritulcar "ice room". There are two identically named "ice rooms" adjacent to each other. I just picked one of them randomly and sat myself down at one of the small two-seaters.
A middle-aged waitress, who was sitting with two other lady colleagues lazily at the adjacent table, chit chatting about...something, turned around and asked me what I wanted - about five seconds after I sat down. Sorry, I haven't had time to consider the menu yet. In fact, there wasn't even a menu at my table or on the walls near me. No surprises there - people who come here are assumed to already know what they want, becuase it is all standard "ice room" fare. However, being the rare visitor who is almost a foreigner to ice rooms, I politely asked for the menu. I did not wish to get on the wrong side of the maitre-d'.
Truthfully, I did not actually need the menu to order what I wanted because I already knew what I wanted. I just wanted to check the prices, and see what offerings they had for afternoon tea. Turns out that they do NOT have an afternoon tea menu which, for an "ice room"/ "local tea house", is quite rare.
"What do you want?" demanded the waitress, plonking herself on the opposite stool.
"Do you have the corned beef egg toastie?" I inquired casually, trying to sound as local as I could. Then, I asked myself - why? From their accent, I could tell that they came from across the border. To whom was I trying to prove my localness? and for what? Did I feel the need to assert my localness because I felt it was being threatened??
"Yes. Toasted?"
"Yes please. Could I have whole wheat bread?"
"No more! We stopped supplying it long ago!"
Then why is it still on the menu?
"Oh, I see."
"Drink?"
I hesitated. I did not need a drink because I had water, which is my preferred beverage of choice.
She stood up, pen poised over her notepad, waiting.
The pressure. I gathered myself and decided I wanted an iced drink because it was a sweltering 34 degrees outside. But...but...what goes best with a corned beef and egg toastie? Iced lemon water? Honeyed ice lemon water? Iced chocolate...?
"Drink?" she pressed.
"Um...a horlick, please."
"Cold?"
"Hot." I said, without even realizing it. I admit that I was slightly distracted, busy surveying my surroundings and pretending to be as aloof as possible to the group of seedy-looking blokes 2 tables away.
She scribbled something, ripped off a small, brown note from her pad and dropped it on my table. It was my bill. She then sauntered out of the door and presumably into the adjacent store, where the kitchen was located.
In less than 5 minutes, she returned with my food and drink and set it in front of me. Without a word, she returned to chitchatting with her sistaaas. I understood not a word of what they were saying, but I did not care. The object of my interest was in sight, and it was mine to devour.
Although I was not provided with any utensils, and there was no parchment paper wrapped around the sandwich, and there were no napkins, I picked up the sandwich and took a large bite. **
Corned beef and egg toastie
I am not crazy about it because: too salty (although very moreish), too oily (hence very filling) and the bread was limp albeit toasted. Also, for some reason the sandwich wasn't hot. -_- The beef + egg fry up was a tad dry, and wasn't fluffy. The bread was too thin therefore did not cut the saltiness of the filling.
It's just not my thing. Maybe it's a good toastie by normal standards. But I would not go back for it. Maybe a plain egg sandwich next time.
The hot horlick drink was average- very sweet, a very generous heap of horlick powder, and I love the taste of horlick, so. Conculsion:
A local favorite for sure, but not a personal go-to for lunch. Maybe once in a blue moon.
張貼
