HK Munchies's Profile

HK Munchies! - Luna CafeWhile walking around K11 mall in TST after a big lunch we came across Luna Cafe (B2 level) which was a cafe/cake shop that specialize in cheese cakes and Japanese styled cakes. As the weather was insanely hot outside and we were getting tired from walking around we decided to sit down for a break.Normally I'm not a huge fan of cakes, however in this instance the various types of cakes looked so appealing thus we settled for 4 of their top sellers (Deluxe original cheese cake, Hokkaido cake roll, original cheese cream crunbar and the Matcha cheese crunbar) in addition to a ice cappuccino and a lychee & rose soda.The 'Deluxe Original Cheese cake' surely live up to its name. On the first bite you can immediately taste the rich and creamy flavor of the cheese yet it wasn't too heavy as you may expect and that firm (not hard) crust. Soft and almost fluffy on the top with a nice firm base.Next was the Hokkaido cake roll, the outer layer was soft and spongy with a creamy soft center. With each bite you get the spongy outer layer with a smooth cheesy center where you can definitely taste the cheese and Hokkaido milk used in it.Both the original cheese crunbar and Matcha cheese crunbar was definitely something new for me.However personally I prefer the original cheese over the Matcha cheese crunbar simply because the original lets you taster the smooth and rich cheese more clearly.One thing you'd notice when step into the shop was the aromatic fragrance of the coffee and the ice cappuccino I ordered is among the Top 5 cups I've had to this day. However the big surprise was the lychee & rose soda. When it arrived you could immediately smell the rose and upon taking the first sip you're met with the sweet taste of lychee and the refreshing taste of rose, the flavors complimented each other perfectly and in the hot humid summer weather I can't think of a better drink to cool off!I am so glad of this little discovery and if you are ever in TST I'd highly recommend you going to check out this cafe!…Read More

HK Munchies!Ajisen Ramen has been around for years so naturally you'd expect their food to have a certain level of quality in order for them to have survived this long right? WRONG!I ordered the Pork combo ramen with a additional order of sliced pork which would be a simple enough order.At this point the restaurant was only at 40% capacity so they were not busy at all but I had to wait 15 minutes for my bowl or ramen. When it did arrived I noticed my additional order of sliced pork was missing and when I asked the staff they said it would be served separately. Surprise surprise I had to wait another 15 minutes for 2 slices of sliced pork which were COLD!As for the food.....the noodles were overcooked and soggy with a portion which would fit a kids meal. The sliced pork (one that came with the ramen) was bland, in addition to that my extra order of sliced pork was surprisingly surprisingly small in their portion as well as being borderline room temperature.I was able to finish all the food in a record amount of time (this could be due to the fact that the portions were abysmally small) where I quickly paid and left to search for some proper food!…Read More

HK Munchies!Came across this restaurant while searching for something new to eat.The menu had a wide variety of foods to choose from, ranging from pastas and rice to steaks. I decided to settle on one of their dinner sets, a roast pig knuckle in black pepper sauce with veggies with a extra order of soup and cutlet oyster. I was interested to find out how it would turn out as it only costs $58.First to arrive was the Russian borscht, the quality was as you can expect from a cafe and the garlic bread was room temperature but crispy.Next came the (mini) Cutlet oysters, they were golden brown on the outside and the oyster inside wasn't overcooked or too dry. However the presentation and garnish was a disappointment. It felt like they ran out of every single ingredient in the kitchen so they just plucked a few weeds to garnish.Lastly the main dish, the pig knuckle itself.The pig knuckle was nicely cooked and and the meat was still tender and not dried out and the bone effortlessly parted from the meat using just a spoon. As for the black pepper sauce it was a little too strong for my taste and overwhelming the taste of pig knuckle itself.However the vegetables were a let down.. They were all barely warm, suggesting the fact that they weren't freshly prepared and rather just scooped onto the plate and in the case of the potatoes they were dry.Overall not bad given the price but definitely there's room for improvement.…Read More

HK Munchies! - Kazan SekiHidden in the Ladies market (Fa Yuen Street) of Mong Kok is a little shop called Kazan Seki and if my memory serves me correctly this shop has been around for over a decade.They specialise in stone pot udon and they offer a variety of different choices with 5 broths to choose from (pork stock, curry stock, tomato stock, hot stock and Kelp & Bonito stock).In addition there are various snacks you can choose from.As the udon arrives the staff reminds you to be careful of the hot stone pot, I didn't need reminding twice as the broth can be seen still boiling and bubbling.The thick cut pork udon in pork broth lived true to its name, there were 4 pieces of moderately sized and THICK cut pieces of meat. The udon was chewy with a great texture and the pork broth complimented the overall dish nicely.As for the deluxe seafood udon, I was pleasantly surprised by it.The tomato stock is a little sour for my taste but I assume this is probably because they added tomato paste when making the stock. That being said, it's a great dish to have in summer as the tomato stock helps increase your appetite even on those very hot days.There was a generous amount of toppings too, with scallops, mussels, shrimps and a large oyster. Definitely worth a try.The grilled scallops were average and nothing extravagant about them, cooked just right and not too small in size.So if you're ever in Mong Kok and looking for somewhere to grab a bite, this place is a good idea to check out…Read More

HK Munchies! - a taste of ThaiHK Munchies - A taste of ThaiThai food tanks in my Top 5 favourite cuisines so I jump at every opportunity to try out authentic Thai cuisine in HK.The location of this restaurant isn't the most convenient as it's in the outskirts of Yuen Long so it's best if you drive or take a taxi.Upon looking at the menu there's loads of choices with the most common Thai dishes from stir fry morning glory and stewed fish to grilled squid and razor clams and some which aren't necessarily Thai. But from personal experience, if you want to check the authenticity of the chef then try the Tom Yum Kung soup.So upon ordering I made sure to request for traditional flavours.Just as I had hoped the Tom Yum Kung soup wasn't watered down or adjusted to suit the taste of local HK diners. The soup with rich with all the mushrooms and herbs such as lemon grass, but it was the large shrimps they put in that made the soup spicy yet fresh and sweet at the same time.Another favourite was the grilled squid served together with a Thai seafood dipping sauce.The stir fry vegetables were nice and crunchy, cooked just right. The curry was not as viscous as I expected but it went perfectly with naan bread.One dish which was a surprise was the grilled lamb chops as traditionally lamb chops aren't used in Thai cuisine.This restaurant is a great place to have a relaxing meal with family and friends regardless of the occasion while the friendly helpful staff make the experience that much more enjoyable.With it's authentic Thai recipes and flavours and not being overpriced as many other Thai restaurants normally are, it's a must go for any Thai food lover.…Read More

HK Munchies! - Chips RepublicEveryone loves a good burger but good burgers are hard to find in Hong Kong. So it's no surprise I jumped onto the opportunity to check out Chips Republic, a trendy café offering a range of finger food.One of their signature dishes was the black truffle cheese fries. Hot fresh crispy fries with a hot black truffle cheese sauce definitely keeps you reaching for another piece.As for the burger, it was refreshing to be served something other than what McDonalds calls a burger.The beef patty was cooked just right, not over cooked nor is it so raw that it looks like the burgers bleeding.The mushrooms and melted cheese compliments the texture of the burger nicely.However the salad was a disappointment. While the veggies seemed fresh enough it was the dressing that made it inedible.It was supposed to be served with a balsamic dressing, however it was so salty it had me reaching for my drink after every bite.At $56 for a burger ($86 for a meal) and $55 for the fries, you're looking at restaurant level prices and not what I'd expect from this type of establishment. A little on the pricey side but the burger and fries were good.That being said, the service from the staff was nice and I'm glad for their attention to detail such as having special 'pockets' for you to hold the burger while you eat.Overall it's a nice place for a proper burger and worth the visit.…Read More

We were seated close to the entrance and next to the ice cream cart, but I can't shake the feeling that the area was hastily set up to accommodate more diners (the chairs were too low to a point where after you sat down the tablewas at the height of your chest) as the area where I was seated didn't give you any of the feeling that would normally be associated with dining in a hotel.But on to the main point, the food. The selection of foods available is somewhat less compared to other hotel buffets I've been to and this is easily noticeable in the sashimi bar. There were 5 types of sashimi available at the sashimi bar but unlike other buffets where you'd pick what you want and a chef would cut them for you, these were all pre cut and placed on plates for you to get.As for hot dishes, there were 2 choices of curry along with rice for your choosing in conjunction with steamed grouper.But the main attraction would be the seafood bar where there was a selection of mussels, crabs, King crab legs, oysters and shellfish to choose from. These were all frequently refilled so there wasn't a problem of having to wait for the next batch to be brought out.The New Zealand oysters were fresh and meaty, you can definitely taste the freshness of the oysters.Roast beef was also available in conjunction with fresh fried lamb chops and sirloin steaks. However the roast beef was dry and overcooked probably because it was under the heater to keep it warm for so long, the lamb chops and sirloin shared the same problems.For desserts there were a small assortment of cakes available in addition to fresh made soufflé. Unfortunately the they may have been a little heavy with the egg yolks because the soufflé was too solid and didn't have the light creamy or cloud like texture as it should have.The favorite for kids and adults alike was the ice cream cart. With 10 different flavors available and over 20 toppings for you to sprinkle on, there was a constant que at the cart.Overall it was a nice place to eat as the staff were all very polite and service was great.However what I felt let them down was the small selection of food available and how some of the cooked foods were presented (especially the meats).…Read More

HK Munchies!Decided to go to Cafe Balencia in Landmark North mall (Sheung Shui) for afternoon tea today, I must say I was very disappointed at both the good and service.The cafe wasn't packed.and we were able to be immediately seated.Looking through the tea time menu there was a wide range of choices available, ranging from Japanese omelet rice to burgers and pastas.The staff kept asking us what we wanted to order and thus we decided to go for the safe bet and ordered a 'All day breakfast' plus a 'Fish n Chips'. Surely they can't screw that up, right?After waiting for 10 minutes our drinks still haven't arrived, it was just a ice lemon tea and a ice coffee. Trying to get the staffs attention was futile as they all seemed to be day dreaming or just in their own little world. After a further 5 minutes of trying to get their attention I got up from my seat and walked to them instead to chase up on the drinks.Finally the food and drinks arrived and the waitress just dropped it on the table with 1/3 of the plate hanging off the side of the table and walked off.... At first glance the food seemed acceptable but things changed when I took the first bite.Firstly theres the all day breakfast, the brand were cold and so was the croissant and the smoked salmon was dry as if it's been left out in the open for some time.As for the fish n chips, the fish was golden brown and the meat wasn't too dry. BUT it was bland and tasteless to the point where I wondered if they actually seasoned it at all. The fries were equally disappointing, no seasoning at all and they were cold and dry. I had my suspicions that the fries have been left out for a while because you'd get better fries in McDonald's.In regards to the pumpkin hash browns it wasn't anything exciting but wasn't a total failure either.Overall I was quite disappointed with both the food and service (they even charged a 10% service charge when there was no service from them).Not somewhere I'm likely to visit again.…Read More

Came across the restaurant while driving around the area lookingfor something to eat when I came across this restaurant. With parking spacesavailable right outside the restaurant I didn't have to worry about parkingtickets and the usual hassle.The staff who were very friendly met us at the door and showed usto our table. The decor inside was not overly complicated or extravagant ,on the contrary it was simplistic with a hint of Japanese flavor thus givingyou a relaxed and casual feeling.After going through the menu I was having trouble deciding what toeat, thus I asked the chef to 'surprise me'. After asking a few simplequestions such as if we have and food allergies and what types of foods we don'teat he then went away to prepare our meal. It didn't take long for the first dish to arrive, it was a freshlymade mushroom soup and Onset Tamago Caesar Salad (Caesar Salad with hot springegg). The soup was fragrant where you can taste the various mushrooms used tomake it. the Caesar salad was interesting as I never thought the consistency ofa hot spring egg would go along with the salad and dressing in such a way.Following the salad we were introduced to a platter of deepfried oysters and potato wedges with meat sauce. The wedges were crispy on theoutside yet fluffy inside, the oysters were deep fried till golden brown as tobe crispy on the exterior yet soft on the inside. The batter/bread crumbs usedto coat the oysters were not too thick and the oysters weren't overcooked anddry.At this point I was quite intrigued by the chefs choices andlooked forward to what may come next and boy was I not disappointed.For the first of the two main courses we were introduced to aChirashi Don (sashimi rice bowl) which the chef had prepared for us byselecting the freshest ingredients of the day. Covering the vinegar Japaneserice was a mountain of sashimi (salmon roe, salmon, scallops, jumbo sweet shrimp,minced tuna and toro tuna!). The ingredients were so fresh as to let you distinguishthe individual flavors and textures of each type of fish, not to mention the torojust melts in your mouth. Unlike normal sashimi rice there was no need for wasabior soy sauce, in my opinion it would have ruined the freshness of the sashimi too.The last dish was a slow cooked salmon fillet served with sautéasparagus. The chef explained that the salmon was first slow cooked for 4 hoursbefore being placed in a hot pan to give it a crispy exterior. The first bite feltlike I was eating crisps as the skin of the salmon crunched in my mouth, yet theflesh was moist and soft almost. Dining at this restaurant was definitely an unexpected joy asI never expected to find such a unique establishment with such quality of food hiddenin the outskirts of Sha Tin.Everyone from the waiting staff to the chef were all very friendlyand cheerful which just adds to the dining experience.Whether you are looking for a place to have dinner or just wantto have some finger food with friends over a beer this is a place you should consider. …Read More