nutellababy's Profile

Was anticipating this to be good, but I already asked for less sweet and it’s still super sweet - the type where you feel like you would get diabetes. There is 0 taste of tea. The store staff refused to change my drink and I end up throwing it away in front of their face. Will not return again - they might as well shut down the store completely serving customers like that …Read More

So I went for lunch in a weekday and was planning to try the $148 multi course set meal they advertised at the store / open rice. To my dismay, the waiter said that set had discontinued because there were “too many procedures - on this count I feel totally scammed. If you don’t have it, don’t put it on the menu?As I was pressed for time (only have 1 hour lunch break) - I ordered a seafood pancake and chapchae. I feel like the cook must either be a very bad Korean cook or just not Korean. The pancake was extremely soggy - worst pancake ever - even I can make better seafood pancakes learning from YouTube !The jap chae glass noodles were overly cooked - soggy and stuck to each other. The only commendable item was the zero calorie milk is. But I’m not going to come here again - at least not order these items (or sogs)…Read More

So I ordered a set lunch for happy Friday and to my horror none of the items turned out right. The cauliflower soup of the day (forgot to even take a photo) although nicely presented was heavily volumized with flour and cheddar. I can barely taste any cauliflower in the soup and felt awful after drinking it.Further, the fish ordered was completely different from what was described on the menu. There were no lobster sauce nor shimeji mushroom per the set lunch menu. Although the fish was fresh and nicely cooked, pairing it with the ratatouille only brought out its fishy smell rather than complement it. As I was also trying to avoid carbs, I specifically ordered this carb less dish for a premium of $66, but to my dismay I was served with a giant portion of cheap mash. I didn’t bother complaining because I am certain I will be dismissed perfunctorily by the wait staff with some standard out of stock excuse.Not to mention the hygiene at the bar table was horrible. I swatted 2 fleas when I was waiting for my meal and more came to the table when my fish was served. For $218 and this kind of experience, this restaurant is permanently blacklisted from my personal list.…Read More

My pleasure to be the first one to post! So coco’s legendary coconut pudding rose to fame after HK heartthrob Anson Lo consecrated it his favourite pudding on YouTube few years ago. The vegan coconut dessert brand had since expanded its distribution points and product offerings across Hong Kong, conveniently capturing the heart and palates of many “sontos”.The brand’s first street shop was finished with monochrome decor, which provides a classy backdrop to complement its white coconut desserts. In addition to its traditional offerings such as the coconut pudding (aka “教主布丁”) and super fresh organic thirst-quenching coconut water, the shop had added a new line of made to order coconut shaved-ice desserts and coconut milk-water blended coffee/tea drinks. A “no-additional-syrup” option is available upon request with the barista if you are watching you are undergoing Keto diet or simply watching your sugar/carb count. Judging from my coconut latte, the sweetness was more than sufficient without any additional sugar. Fresh ice cream is also served in store.Would revisit again to try the shaved coconut ice at an appropriate time. …Read More

After indulging myself with the cooking reality show recently aired on Netflix hosted at The Langham in London, I decided to pay a visit at this hotel to experience the legendary food and 5-star service as promised on the reality show. To be fair, the price of a standard 3-course set lunch at $298 is considered mid-range only compared to other newly opened five-star hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui. Nonetheless, this price was within the same range of a 30-pound set lunch sold at The Langham in London, which was an even more expensive piece of real estate at the heart of London. I had high expectations for the same five-star standards at the chain’s restaurant in Hong Kong. Yet, the head chef at this very service committed the very mistakes that Michel Roux and his panel would have ruthlessly condemned if he/she were a contestant for the Palm Court. For lunch, I have ordered a 4-course menu. The freshly shucked hotel grade oysters at an addition of HK$40 was indeed a bargain. The oysters did came in fresh with the 2-condiments, no complaint (well, the oyster itself pretty much did all the work). The prawn cobb salad with a creamy lemon sauce echoes that perpetual Roux-comment “presentation is simply not 5-star standard”. While the prawn and lemon sauce were both fresh, the frugal amount of vegetables littered with corn was just not insta-worthy. The Bostonian Lobster Bisque was indeed impressive, but I felt that I was coerced into topping up for this premium option because the other “chef daily soup” was an ordinary cream of corn, an inexpensive ingredient and unfit for a healthy diet. I am unsure whether the chef added maple syrup or brandy and butter into the soup. I pray that it’s the latter, but in any event, oaky flavours were there. Lobsters though, again circling back to the panel comments, were not evenly cooked – some were on the spot but some were over. While the flavours of the lamb chop was perfectly executed, the head chef again, committed the fatal mistake of falling behind in service. 50 minutes into the meal, and long after I finished the bisque, the main dish was still not served. Nonetheless, I thank the staff for the free coffee as pacifier, which tasted amazing. Again, I could hear the same judges complain about how the lamb could have been sufficiently rested if the chef was better organized. For lunch, I would recommend the show hosted at The Langham, but the restaurant? Unlikely. …Read More

Embraced by the Victoria Harbour and a diminishing colonial landscape, the Man Wah is the epitome of Mandarin Oriental, a nonchalant yet esteemed presence that remained from colonial to SAR Hong Kong. We were impressed by the form of food served, which was an artistic expression of classic Chinese delicacies.Despite changes around the hotel, the humble servant continue to impress its patrons with good food. For appetizers, we were amused by the chilled cucumber with yuzu vinegar. While I reckon the yuzu vinegar was too sweet, the “hasselback-ed” cucumber was a refreshing twist compared a traditional baton cut. The thinly sliced layers were also able to carry more flavour of the dressing while maintaining that iconic crunch of a cucumber bite. Onto dim sum, the siu mai with salty fish was adequately pungent and the cocoon-like wagyu beef puff with black pepper sauce was so soft, buttery and flaky that it’s unparalleled elsewhere (at least in Hong Kong). The beetroot and scallop dumpling however, was marginally disappointing. Thebeetroot merely came in the form of natural colouring for the skin of the dumpling and nothing more. The scallop inside was of standard performance.As the birthday celebration for a woman who is also half way to 40, we have ordered a duck. Well, half a peking duck. The skin of the duck was super crispy, and one of the best I’ve had in Hong Kong. We also like howthe bread wraps were served in a warmed bamboo tray.Saving the best for last is the char siu (i.e. BBQ pork). I’ve had many char sius before, yet this one was by far the most magical. While the char siu looks super lean on the outside, the juice of each piece of char siu is sealed within fiber of its flesh. Like streams and rivers converging, the meridians inside the meat had been broken by internal strength of the chef, ending up with super soft meat on the inside and a slight crunch on the outside. After consuming this piece of char siu, it leaves one with the question, whether this char siu was incarnation of or inspiration to the char siu described in the classic Stephen Chow movie, the God of Cookery (i.e. 食神)?Overall, our taste buds were well satisfied and we hope to see more creative expression from this classic restaurant. …Read More

Plastered with posters from Wong Kar-Wai directed movies, this “tea house” was quaintly decorated with old Hong Kong inspired colours, peppered with dated ornaments like big red lights, an old cashier machine and bird cages with fake parrots. We thoroughly enjoyed a lunch in this faux-old Hong Kong setting, which delivered a somewhat time travelling experience (especially with that lingering stench from a well-used table cloth that wiped our table 😐).Onto the food, the non-dim sum dishes deserves commendation. The crispy chicken (當紅炸子雞) and gailan with two flavours were both served sizzling hot with good quality control. The skin off crispy chicken was well fried yet meat still juicy, piping hot as it arrived to the scene. The gailan (芥蘭兩味煲 Chinese Kale?) was also surprisingly good. Mingled with seaweed and meat floss on the spot, a combination rarely seen in restaurants of the same price range, patrons get to enjoy the aromatic cooking process and every bite of the kale was smothered with savoury flavours from the two sides.The dim sum dishes however, were slightly disappointing. While the dim sum staples came with some modern twist, we found no sea urchin in its signature “sea urchin siu mai”. The tiny dab of dark yellow matter tasted more like lump of over cooked salty egg yolk rather than any form of sea urchin. We reckoned “sea urchin siu mai” was likely a false trade description. Further, with lingering water droplets on its surface, the siu mai suggests it came from an overcrowded steaming environment.The other staple, truffle har gow lacked the strong fuel-like aroma from a normal ration of truffle pate. While I liked its super crispy crust, the bbq pork bun, including its fillings were at most warm at first bite, leaving a fervent dim sum fan, like myself, question the freshness of the bun. I’d patiently await improvements to the dim sum section before a potential next visit.…Read More

Strategically located in a quiet corner along the TST East promenade, the Mediterranean restaurant had recently opened doors for its weekday lunch customers, with a welcoming half price promotion upon presentation of the Openrice coupon. Initially skeptical about the speed of service, which had eventually picked up, we were soon swooned by Mulino’s selection of insta-worthy dishes. First to the scene was a simple combination of burrata with multi-coloured tomatoes. This one had certainly garnered the most attention.The beetroot and salmon salad was presented in an unorthodox manner, fully utilising the colour contrast between the two main ingredients. The sour cream touch-up makes it all the more a work of art.Personally, I was not a fan of carbs, but you can find a rice cake with good crisp beneath the pile of argula.The Viletto Tonnato was also impeccably presented. However, compared to the beetroot salmon, this was a bit bland (and similar to PXXX) and unexciting to taste buds, especially when a premium is charged for this option.Even at a promotion price, chef artiste cut no corners for the main plates. My favourite was the barramundi. Initially dubious about my choice of main, the thick cut of barramundi was impressively cooked, retaining that rich fat of the fish. The foamy topping made it all the more enjoyable for the visuals.We were also in awe of this beautifully presented pesto linguine. Though we thought it was light on the scent of pesto. The fries from the steak were also fried to perfection, but compared to the rest of its team, the presentation was well expected, so sadly, we had no photo of it.Finally, the meal finished with a sweet touch of chocolate cake sweetness laid on top of a strip of raspberry sauce. Overall, we’d like to thank the chef behind this spectacular meal and all his/her efforts. Definitely a place to revisit, and I hope the restaurant would take care of such a brilliant team. …Read More

Well established at its own corner in Peninsula Center, the small bistro serves a variety of western cuisine for lunch. Unimpressed by its outlook, we soon swooned by its lunch set offerings.First to the scene was soup of the day. And it’s no ordinary soup of the day. This freshly blended serving of tomato soup came with its natural sourness, and was finished with an assortment of herbs to add an extra layer of flavours.Next was our main course. My colleague ordered this Hawaiian chicken pizza, which the wait staff cautioned about waiting time is 15-20 minutes. To our surprise, the crust attained just the right amount of crispiness while coming straight out of the oven, the melting cheese and toppings were fresh and hot.I also liked my Dubai curry chicken. The fragrant combination of curry was a little too sweet for my liking, but none the less and on par production.The dessert itself is quite small and we couldn’t taste anything other than sweetness. But coffee was great and overall a meal to remember. …Read More

Newly opened within the Ginza portion of WTC,we were impressed by the impeccable decor at this restaurant and the spacious dining space provided. However, we reckon the price of the grand menu, equivalent to that of an omakase was excessive. For a $700 lunch, we expected either a large portion of meat or a meal of surprises, but none was available at the date of dining.At the premium charged for weekend Grand Menu, we were offered a variety of wagyu-incorporated appetizers, such as the wagyu sushi, wagyu tartare and wagyu with a dime of sea urchin. While they all lived up to standard and beautifully presented, none of them provided the much needed surprise for our choosy taste buds.We were presented with a basket of vibrantly-coloured vegetables. They were fresh and insta-worthy, but again portion was too small.The cappuccino soy tomato base was surely insta-worthy. However, when combined with the wagyu, all you get is just a salty broth. The much anticipated tomato-based sourness was missing in action, and overall failed to balance out the grease of the wagyu. Nonetheless, the wagyu was top-grade well marbled and full of meaty flavour. We reckoned the A4 is sufficiently soft enough to satiate that wagyu craving.The lunch finally ended with a serving of carbs of choice, which I skipped and some red bean dessert. It was again disappointing that an expensive set lunch like so was not even served with coffee or allow diners to opt for one instead of a dessert.…Read More

Established on the ground floor of K11 Musea, the indoor french-like bistro (resonating with one of those Emily in Paris coffee spots) is one of the more affordable finds within the ultra-lux shopping mall.The lunch deal was reasonably priced. We ordered mussels traditional style (with cream, thyme and white wine) and mussels Japanese style (with Kaffir Lime, yuzu pepper and cream). My heavy weight male colleague on low carb diet, which is totally feasible if one can resist the temptation of fries, also ordered mussels with cod at a slight premium. The mussels-only set lunch is served with a tray of thick-cut fries, perfectly fried and choice of two sides. While I have not opted for the coffee or dessert, I was impressed by the variety of vegetables served with the house salad, especially the grilled eggplant. The tomato soup was also gracefully dressed with a lash of whipped cream and croutons.Overall, while there was initially a stench of cheese in my Japanese style mussel, it wore off and I liked this variation the best - the refreshing pick up from the rich cream was well balanced and extraordinary. The traditional one was also a classic choice.…Read More

After seeing the IG post by the orange holiday magazine, I became curious about this newly opened sukiyaki restaurant at the mid-section of Minden Row. We ordered a $480 lunch set, which was the cheapest one on the menu, just to test the waters. Well, its sukiyaki sauce.What came first in our set lunch was a slice of l evenly marbled rich cut of Tokyo-bred wagyu, cooked in front of you, folded and served in a bowl by a dedicated Japanese speaking chef. The beef could be dipped into the egg wash and/or one of the four hand crafted Japanese condiments. Personally, I liked the yuzu pepper the best because it provides a good counterbalance against the grease from the beef washed with the nutty and sweet sukiyaki sauce.The second was the supposedly highlight of the lunch. A smaller slice of allegedly olive-fed beef was then cooked. While this is surely no ordinary grain fed beef, I cannot taste any olive in the beef. Nonetheless, the fatty section does embody the aroma of grass-fed beef. While two pieces of beef in a $480 + 10% starter lunch set were of high quality, and one may consider it fair compensation for its Wabi-sabi decor and Japanese infused ambience, the side dishes and chawanmushi (where you can find one exact cube of fishball and at most some meitako inside) were so predictable that it just failed to surprise us. I was also dispirited by the laudable provision of vegetables, which I believe is not how a restaurant of this price range operate in Japan. Regardless of how meaty the sukiyaki l looks like, I would not recommend this restaurant for any low carb dieters like myself. I also have reservations about the pricing strategy of this restaurant.…Read More

The restaurant is a new addition to the Island East gourmet scenery. We were impressed by the decor and spaciousness of the restaurant. The lunch menu comprise of a reasonable selection of Japanese and Japanese western food. We liked the comprehensive range of sashimi offered in the supreme? （極尚）don, which included a small portion of sea urchin along with minced tuna among others. It would have been nice if they were more flexible with providing searing options though.The additional $28 paid for the add-on tuna tamagoyaki is definitely worth trying - you can smell the seared toro from the bite.Finally, the lunch set ends with a cup of lemon water or tea, or you can top up for coffee. Like for the mug, but staff could be better trained to not overspill the drink and wet the sugar.…Read More

It is uncommon to find economical but good French food in Hong Kong, Scarlett is one of the very few that falls within this minority. Its location is even more French! Off the beaten track of common food hotspots, the bistro is located on the part of Austin Road that branches off from the busy arterial Chatham Road South, rather close to the cluster of museums in Tst east.I ordered a set lunch, and out of curiosity, their seasonal Jerusalem artichoke soup with crispy things and truffle oil (mostly because I saw that it’s on the menu of the MO grill and bar that I was going to have for dinner at night, but here they offer it at a fraction of the price!)I must say, all of the dishes were cooked to an impeccable level of finesse, and for this price, though more expensive than your average work lunch, it’s totally value for money. The octopus was fresh but soft with still some bite, and the pork belly just melts in your mouth. My only complaint was that there was not enough vegetables in my octopus salad. For the set dessert, I opted for Madeleine with a quenelle of home made vanilla ice cream. It took a while for it to arrive because I was indecisive about dessert and added it late, but it was so worth the wait. The madeleine was fresh out of the oven? Nonetheless, really crispy on the outside and soft inside. Though I am a Keto diet proponent, where I tend to not eat any sugar, I must say this is a totally worthy cheat meal (especially for an additional $20 only). I cannot wait for my next visit to this restaurant again, but I also hope to see a greater variety of vegetables and savoury dishes in the set lunch menu at this hidden gem!…Read More

上次喺附近整完眼睫毛，滾水淥腳咁嗌左個蕃茄大蝦意粉，水準可比美高級西餐廳！the pasta was al dente and shrimps were bouncy, not to mention the right balance in seasoning 今次個焗豬扒飯真係一絕 - 豬扒有豬油嘅香味的來一啲豬個陣怪味都冇，調味啱啱好個炒飯又夠乾身 - 真係打工仔個寶物！希望呢間茶記可以保持水準啦！呢間野D麵包勁香 - 唔想減肥敗筆真係唔好入去食啦！…Read More