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2013-05-12
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I love waffles. I love looking at them, smelling them and tasting them. Even though my personal favourites are chewy, buttery and caramelised Belgian waffles which can rarely be found in Hong Kong, local versions of waffles are also a ray of sunshine to me.Ocio is a cosy little cafe in Causeway Bay that is famous for their waffles and mille-feuilles. The first Ocio cafe is located in Mong Kok, and the owner later opened a second outlet in Causeway Bay. "Ocio" means "leisure" in Spanish, and the
Ocio is a cosy little cafe in Causeway Bay that is famous for their waffles and mille-feuilles. The first Ocio cafe is located in Mong Kok, and the owner later opened a second outlet in Causeway Bay. "Ocio" means "leisure" in Spanish, and the cafe attracts a predominantly young clientele who come here for their range of scrumptious desserts. The interior of the cafe, in a brown tone, is small but homely and relaxing. The prices on the menu are very reasonable and the portions are generous.
The mille-fueilles were sold out on the day I went so I didn't get to try any, but this meant that I had more stomach space for their brilliant waffles! The cafe doesn't take reservations and gets very packed during lunch hour and in the afternoon, so I sneakily came at 2.30pm when it was the least busy.
我實在很愛吃窩夫，當一碟新鮮製成的熱窩夫配上一個冰涷的雪糕球放在我面前時，我臉上一定會展現出一個燦爛的笑容。最近，我去試了銅鑼灣登龍街的OCIO。這小店的窩夫和拿破崙都很有名，而我就點了原味，朱古力味和綠茶味的窩夫，三款都做得很出色。我最欣賞是窩夫有嚼勁的質感，又不會太飽肚或太甜。我還點了其他甜品和熱飲，味道都不錯。價錢很合理，而且份量很夠，所以難怪OCIO近期都是銅鑼灣的熱店之一。
(1) The first item I tried was the All-day Breakfast ($63, includes a coffee of tea). This signature dish is very popular and I have heard great reviews about it. I wasn't initially in the mood for a savoury dish, but fortunately, the manager, who vehemently recommended it to me, convinced me otherwise! The German sausage was beautifully grilled on the surface and was full of meaty and herbal flavours. The scrambled eggs were marvellously runny and smooth, and the salad, bacon and baked beans were also delicious. The waffle, which was only a tad sweet, went well with the savoury items.
(2) This Chocolate Waffle with Chocolate Chips and Ice Cream ($43) won me over. The waffles at Ocio had a substantial, as opposed to light, texture - they were chewy and quite doughey, which I adored, and were also eggy but not overly sweet. The chocolate flavour in this waffle was not too intense, which was fine as there were chocolate chips, chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
(3) I also tried the Green Tea Waffle with White Chocolate Chips and Ice Cream ($43). Matcha and white chocolate is always a lovely combination. You could pick any ice cream flavour, and our waitress kindly suggested a passionfruit ice cream to go with this waffle, which worked excellently - the fruitiness and the tinge of tartness of the passionfruit balanced out the milky sweetness of the white chocolate chips. The green tea waffle made me smile too - even though the taste was slightly faux-matcha, it was vibrant and fragrant and was not overly bitter at all.
(4) As if we didn't have enough desserts by now, the four of us ordered a Textured Cake ($35) to share. This pretty piece of cake was chocolate-flavoured and had four different layers; the bottom layer was a cookie/ biscuit base, with chilled creamy layers on top. The different types of textures worked excellently together and it was overall a delightful dessert.
(5) After finishing the waffles, I drank a cup of Dark Hot Chocolate ($39). The hot chocolate didn't not have a strong, refined cocoa taste, but it had the right level of sweetness and frothiness. Sometimes "premium" hot chocolates, which have a lot of melted chocolate in them, are too heavy or sticky for me, but the thickness of this cup of hot chocolate was good for me.
(6) Just like the Dark Hot Chocolate, the White Hot Chocolate ($39) was not overly thick or sticky; it also had a lovely milky taste.
With the vast number of restaurants located in Causeway Bay, the fact that Ocio is always busy definitely says something about it. The mouthwatering waffles, reasonable prices and hearty portions are perhaps the reason many people come to fight for the cafe's limited seats.
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