bobbyc's Profile

Have you heard of Korean rolls? It's a first for me. This shop opened near my neighborhood a few months ago, and today I finally urged myself to try.Ordered the beef roll as I really have to know how Koreans do this differently than Japanese. I could not read the menu (strictly Korean) and just pointed to the pictures.First of all, nothing is raw in this. Everything is cooked. However, there was no dipping soy sauce like Japanese rolls. There lies the problem ... I would suppose during the cooking the meats would be seasoned enough, so when you eat it, you can do without any sauces.I was wrong. The beef was neither seasoned nor juicy, and everything is mildly warm. Seems like just pan-fried beef wrapped with cut vegetables. I expect this would be more exciting if they just stir-fried some teriyaki beef and rolled it up. Am I expecting too much from a $50 takeout?…Read More

It seems late afternoon snacks are more common these days. After a shopping spree before CNY at Canton Road, my wife suddenly had a craving for Taiwanese beef noodles.She led me to this restaurant which is ... rightly named Taiwanese Beef Noodles and Chinese Kitchen. My wife ordered the noodles and I ordered a spicy wonton. First the noodles. We loved the strong soup (exactly the same soup we find in Taipei), but it lacked the natural sweetness of the broth and seems more MSG. I could be wrong. The noodles and the beef are average and not anything to cry about. The wonton was a big, big letdown. I thought no one can really fail on wonton, but they proved me wrong. First they should have used a small bowl as it seemed like a bowl of soup on the presentation. Then, it was tasteless. It seems that just put some frozen wonton you find in the market, and dumped it in some tasteless soup.Naturally, I didn't finish this.The place was pretty packed in the afternoon. I will return for a Taiwanese beef noodle craving, but on Canton Road, you must do a lot better to survive.…Read More

This day my wife suddenly wanted a Japanese deep fried cutlet with rice. After some OpenRice search she found this restaurant. Though it was already 2:30 in the afternoon (the restaurant closes from 3-6pm), my wife called in and the waitress was very kind to ensure a table was waiting for us.To the food... We ordered the signature cutlet set (large portion of course). First came the gear.Unlimited cabbage and some cured vegetables. The cabbage was fresh, crunchy, and delightful with the vinegar sauce. Refreshing, especially on this rather hot day.Next up is the preparation of the sauce for the cutlet. This place has their own cutlet sauce, and you grind the sesame before hand to get the fragrances from the oil. The mix of sesame seeds smelled exceptional. Finally, the main dish. The pork is thick, juicy, and deep-fried to perfection. You can tell it is of the highest quality meat. I actually had an extra bowl of rice (in the afternoon ...). Would definitely visit this restaurant again!…Read More

Ever since I discovered gems on Gough Road with Ms B and Homeless, this Saturday morning we ventured higher, to Hollywood Road.The Press Room has long been the buzz for weekend brunch, but our target is the ever busy Classified. Sure enough, at 10am a bunch of early risers are present sipping coffee.I remembered at this hour in Paris, all you get is a croissant and a coffee, but surely not in Classified! To me the menu screamed American, with its generous servings and wide selection.Coming in I know Classified is known for produce and bread, not cooking, so I ordered the cold cut and cheese healthy platter, and a bagel with cream cheese which is nostalgic from the days in America.Sure enough, the cheese did not disappoint, and the bread and the cold cuts remind me of good quality in terms of freshness and taste. But... To me something is missing. Everything is laid out as a cozy neighborhood cafe, priced as such, but the ambiance of the staff didn't quite do it for me.The price was a bit high for a lot of bread at $200, but I would deem reasonable for the name and vibe.…Read More

There is a Chinese saying, 有朋自遠方來, 不亦樂孚... What started off with a gathering of friends, quickly turned into a 4-course extravaganza when we met up at CLUB CHOW.At first the name struck odd, as this is a Western fine dining restaurant, with a rather Chinese name. The owners quickly filled us in, that their vision is to deliver an experience of food and community. Hence CLUB (for community) and CHOW (for food and the last name of the owners).The space is private and cozy on the 9th floor of the much-heralded Pemberton, heart of the "new" SOHO. The 4-course set from appetizer to dessert gives the perfect setting for us to catch up from our days apart!As we had quite a few dishes, the highlights:Appetizer: Blue mussels in cream sauce - This is quite different than what we had in Paris. The broth is thicker, but for me this is really to fuse the sauce with the fresh mussels. Most times I find restaurants just kills the dish by simply boiling the mussels in light, tasteless broth.Soup: Clam chowder - Reminds me of Seattle. Big clams and chunky diced goodies. Must-try!Main:Lobster Risotto - Highly recommended by the service staff. The risotto does not have the red glaze like most, but I guess at the end of the day, the taste is what matters. I must say the risotto has already tailored to the Asian palate, as it's done just perfectly.My friend had the 12oz steak and he said it's one of the best in Hong Kong! It looked awesome and will definitely return to try.Dessert:I had the chocolate fondant which is along with my expectation. But the host let us try one of their specialty cakes sourced within Sheung Wan. It tasted as good as it looked! Apparently, CLUB CHOW is lining up the best foods across the Sheung Wan region, to bring the community to the guests to enjoy. Which brings me to the point that meals are more like a routine now in Hong Kong as everyone's just so busy with everything else. Make your meal an occasion always! Thank you CLUB CHOW for making this an occasion for us!…Read More

Not the first time at this cafe, but it never disappoint. Every time we must have the Pomme Earl Grey, with aromas better than most you can find in the market.Then comes the COCO dessert. I'm not one that is more picky on taste and how the food makes me feel, instead of looks (as many time it proves quite deceiving). The COCO looks good. Don't get me wrong, but it puts me to doubt. However, one bite tells me this is something that tastes as good as it looks. A crunchy chocolate surface, with smooth chocolate mousse inside. Matches perfectly with the tea!…Read More

After all the buzz online, my wife and I decided to give this cafe a try. Our plans were for a perfect afternoon with good coffee, cozy ambiance. And a few desserts...Well that lasted all of 2 minutes, reason being the place was cozy but the oil and grease smells from the counter took over the cafe! I didn't understand how folks can stay as it seems you're breathing from the end of a kitchen exhaust the whole time!I thought it was just me but a few customers from the takeout line did choose to wait outside (in the cold). I rest my case.Determined not to waste the trip we ordered take out - a latte and a bitter chocolate brownie. Latte was exceptional (as good as can be considering it was in a paper cup), but the brownie was too sweet and more form than function in my mind.I would return to try other coffee, but it'd be a better experience if only the kitchen is not behind the counter!…Read More

Walked by a few times and was quite intrigued with the mini at the entrance. Lunch on Sunday seemed like a good idea as the rest of the restaurants have closed for the day.I still don't understand if I would call this a cafe or a restaurant, as the expectation would vary quite a bit. How the tables were arranged convince me that ... they may not be sure themselves.Sarcasm aside, the layout was amusing and for lunch I must try their homemade pesto linguini and signature coffee.It took 15mins for the linguini to arrive and truth be told it was not homemade. Just oily with no seasoning. I enquired with the server what homemade means and she said... it tastes homemade...That made my day.…Read More

No wait as I heade down around 1:30pm. Looking forward to try the much heralded homemade pasta.The salad with Parma ham was bland at best, as the hefty vinegar took away all the freshness.The pasta though, was something worth remembering. Very strong cheese gives the dish the extra punch.At $200 a pop it's interesting but not really great value. If the quality and portion sizes is the same for dinner, then may look for more value elsewhere.…Read More

Just had dinner at the Press Room and wanted to check out the place next door. The first floor was a bar and second floor is the much acclaimed meat room.Nevertheless, all we wanted was to grab a drink and some snacks. Waitress was attentive but really didn't have much to offer instead of hefty meat dishes. At the end we tried the bone marrow, whig was probably jot their signature as it was too lightly seasoned.Will try the steaks next time.…Read More