the_bearded_critic's Profile

Visited on a rainy day looking for more salad options. If you read my previous review you will know that I am not from this part of town. One stop away from TST, Petit Cafe makes it quite tempting to cross harbour for more eateries and obviously salad joints.The cafe is small and packed, which adds to the charm. Decor is nice and modern, and the sandwich/pastry counter is very appetizing with overflowing baker's essence.The salad counter is what you wold expect from simplylife. I saw the same assortment of choices at their Landmark simplylife cafe. However, ingredients are fresh and taste is good. Portions are also very generous despite ordering a small bowl, it was so packed it ended up looking like sedimentary rock.Being the aggressive eater that I am, I ordered a parma ham panini as well. Very crunchy bread with soft inside, perfect texture after heating it. However, yes I know parma is supposed to be salty, but these particular slices of ham were too salty for my tastes. My constructive suggestion would be to add some rocket into the panini to balance out the flavours.To the negatives. It's really hard to get seats especially during times of inclement weather. The internal space is small and tables are very packed. The outdoor seating helps a lot to alleviate the situation. Wishful thinking, hope Pacific Place can enlarge this shop, granted they have enough GFA of course. Better yet, give them a bigger space like part of The Continental? OK no more side track, peace out.Beard Rating:7.0/10…Read More

So a friend of mine introduced this hidden gem to me. Walking from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR it’s quite far, and passing by all those Korean restaurants as you walk through the traditional Korean Street of Hong Kong, it’s quite tempting to just stop and dine elsewhere. Korean fried chicken hmmm...However my friend insisted we try this place out for some traditional noodles. Got to the place and ordered the popular chicken intestine noodles and a plate of Chinese mushrooms to share. No expectations.When the food arrived, was nothing like I expected. Granted I never ate chicken intestine noodles before, so that’s also why I felt overwhelmed. The noodles were surprisingly springy and the chicken intestine was crunchy. It’s flavourless so be sure to dip the spicy soy sauce provided by the restaurant. As for the Chinese mushroom I’d say it stole the show! XL size mushrooms with so much flavour. Soft and tender like marshmallows infused with mushroom essence. Well worth the try.Overall the food was good. Environment takes some points away though. If you’re in the area it’s worth hitting this joint up.Beard Rating:7.2/10…Read More

Alright lads, here we are back at TAP.This has become a gathering place among friends of mine. It was once in an off beat location and when I started coming here TAP was pretty lonely. Since the success of this place, several craft beer pubs spawned but couldn't replicate the same formula that made TAP succeed in the first place.You see finding a craft beer joint in Kowloon was unheard of once upon a time, it is also very strategically located close to the East MTR station, which brings in people from New Territories who crave a nice cold beverage.  TAP did it first and people appreciate their bravery to this day.Beer is always on point at this place, with a rotating menu that keeps it fresh. The recent promotion after 10PM "higher ABV higher discount" is impeccable.Nothing to complain about, it's a nice craft beer joint for me to sink back into my natural habitat. …Read More

Located on the 4th floor of Harbour City opposite Starbucks and very close to Muji, this place can be a little hard to find. However, that's really the problem of the shopping mall since Harbour City is so massive. I'll save shopping mall critique for another time though.As an average working class, I need quick food that beats going to the fastfood options at Harbour City such as Cafe de Carol, Starbucks etc. And as everyone who works at Tsim Sha Tsui knows, there is huge void of salad joints.That's where Jamie's Deli can kind of fill that vegetable void in my stomach. It's quick and ingredients are prepared fresh. A little pricey but I always choose salmon which is much better value than the other options.Great staff and they finally added an option for contactless payment, which made queues much shorter.Beard Rating:8/10…Read More

Decided to visit Cyberport on a blazing Saturday. There aren't a lot of F&B options available at Cyberport because there isn't enough traffic, a truly vicious cycle and spiral of death for retailers there. Granted Cyberport does have its purpose, almost empty cinema and adjacent open park for kids to play. Out of all the restaurants we decided to try Delaney's for pub food and sat outside in the nice sun.Good menu and attentive staff. Loved the kids menu which doubled as a colouring sheet on the back for my son. Kept him occupied for most of the meal. We ordered Fish & Chips and Steak & Guinness PieNow the Fish & Chips was delicious. Good crispy batter, not too thick. Chips were thick cut as well which soaked up the salt and vinegar exceptionally well.The pie on the other hand was disappointing from a visual perspective. I thought the waiter brought over a clam chowder with puff pastry top! Would have preferred a traditional pie shape despite the sauce and filling to be good as well.Overall an above average experience with minor points deducted for the pie. That being said, you can't go wrong with this restaurant  at Cyberport since there's nothing much to choose from.Beard Rating:7.1/10…Read More