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Seeing its ads over magazines, their xiao long baos seems alluring and worth a try. The King's Dumpling is founded at the mainland, and I suppose the food then would be quite authentic. Located at a bustling district, I thought the restaurant would be pretty crowded. But it was not. It was pretty empty actually, and that's when my worries come. We were first served with tea, and then I noticed that their tea pots, bowls, spoons and so on are printed with the restaurant's name. To me it seems like it's such a huge company that every quality should be guaranteed, yet why is there so few people?We'll probably have to try out the food first before we can come to any conclusions. We made our orders then and soon enough the food arrived: Shredded Chicken & Bean Jelly Sheets in Peanut Sauce 雞絲粉皮Now here's a problem. The peanut sauce was certainly not aromatic enough and it's just not savory at all. The bean jelly sheets were okay but the shredded zucchini were simply too thin and not only it didn't really give out the flavor, it also ruined the overall texture. Mixed Garlic & Scallion Noodles 油蔥拌麵It was pretty aromatic when served. The Mixed garlic & scallion are always savory, but I would like to pick on the noodles as it seems a pretty big fail to me. The noodles were barely al dente. The flavor was nice but the texture of the noodles simply ruined the dish. Xiao Long Bao 金牌小籠包I was having quite a high expectation on this as xiao long baos are their specialty. The usual authentic xiao long baos should have 18 folds, but this restaurant claims that they make more than 18 folds. Indeed they make more than 18 folds. Making that many folds requires much techniques and I do have high hopes on it despite the previous two dishes weren't exactly satisfying. The skin looks okay but I find the tip wasn't twisted as nice. As I bit off the tip, the texture of the tip tasted a bit dry but the inside was still pretty juicy. It was nothing special, nothing flabbergasting. All I can say is that it's merely very mediocre and it really does disappointed me. Sichuan Red Oil Shrimp Wonton 紅油抄手I frowned at the dish at first sight. It looked more like wontons soaked in spicy oil instead of the Sichuan red oil as it seemed to lack black vinegarette sauce. This dish is supposed to be really aromatic yet it wasn't as aromatic as it was supposed to be. As I picked up a wonton, I found only little black vinegarette sauce at the bottom. The surface of the wonton was almost oily as it's literally immersed into spicy oil. It's mildly spicy, but it wasn't spicy in an aromatic and alluring way, and that was quite a failure for the sauce. Pan-fried Pork and Vegetables Buns 生煎菜肉包The buns looked alright and were arranged in a pyramid way. The liked the presentation but ultimately it's the taste after all. There was a crisp at the bottom of the buns, and I suppose the buns were actually fried over a layer of crisp instead of being fried directly. Unauthentic this might sound to me but it wouldn't matter at all if it's a smashing work. But it seems to matter. The problem was that the meat was not juicy enough. The mouth felt pretty dry after having a bite. The juiciness and aroma of the meat failed to fill and satisfy your tongue and taste buds.Harsh it might sound, but I sincerely feel that the restaurant is way too overrated. The quality of the food is simply not up to standard. Many details of a dish are neglected, which shouldn't have happened in such a successful company. It has somehow put me in dismay to have found out that the restaurant is overrated and not up to their standards. I do hope that it's merely my bad luck to have encountered such meal and that it was originally a really great restaurant.…Read More

A friend of mine told me she found a really economical Italian restaurant, and knowing that I am a huge fan of Italian food, asked me to try it together. So here we are at Saizeriya Italian Restaurant, a Japanese chain Italian Restaurant. It's lunch hour and the place is pretty busy. Shortly after we got our seats, there was a line queuing outside the restaurant. This place is very different to most Italian restaurants. The most special thing is that everything here is self-served. There's a button on every table and after you have pressed it, your table number will appear on the screen in the restaurant and a waiter will come to you. If you want extra plates, tableware, or cheese powder and tobasco, you would have to go fetch it yourself either. There's a lunch set menu, with quite a lot to choose from, for instance there are baked rice, pasta, pizza and sizzling hamburg steak. The price ranges from around $3X to $4X, including unlimited drinks at the drinks bar. Inside the a la carte menu, the price of food items are around $2X to $3X, and you may enjoy the unlimited drinks for an addition of $8. The price is absolutely economical and affordable to everyone. As the a la carte items are not expensive at all, adding $8 for the unlimited drinks or ordering a set lunch for the drinks basically makes not much difference. Subsequently, your choices are not only limited to the set menu but actually for everything in the restaurant. We ordered three set lunches and two more dishes from the a la carte menu: Mushroom and Cream RisottoThe risotto was flavorsome, and the texture of the sauce was right but the rice used was certainly not aborio rice. That resulted in a weird but acceptable overall texture. I also think that the aroma of mushroom had not really been absorbed by the sauce to bring out a better flavor. Its okay but there are still much improvements for it to me. Tomato and Bacon SpaghettiAt first sight I was worried that the spaghetti would be very sloppy ones, but thankfully it wasn't too bad. The pasta, I wouldn't say it's al dente, but at least it's not overcooked and was of a right texture. There were slices of bacon in there and the essence of the bacon has spread over the tomato sauce, making it pretty aromatic and flavorful. However, as it was called tomato and bacon spaghetti, I think the tomato could have been richer to bring out a richer and more distinct flavor, or perhaps put more tomato sauce in it. Magherita PizzaThe pizza looked kind of nice. It was not cut into slices when served, and you are given the cuter to divide the pizza. The portion of the cheese was quite nice. It gave a mild cheesy aroma and flavor. Though not as strong as authentic magherita pizzas, the cheese was more Japanese-Italian style, lighter but aromatic. As for the pizza crust, it was actually more bread-like, but surely not like flatbreads or foccacia. The crust was very soft and fluffy, and it felt more like a pizza bun instead. Anyhow, I think in overall it has sort of showed a Japanese-Italian style cuisine, so I'd give it a pass. Seafood PaellaThe dish looked kind of big but actually the dish is kind of shallow. The seafood included shrimps, calamari, mussels and clams. It seems to me it kind of lacked variety but you certainly can't expect much when it's merely $2X-3X, right? The seafood, to my surprise, actually tasted good and fresh. It was indeed flavorsome. Yet the problem was the rice. I find the sauce a bit awkward, it was like a bit sour sweet, but not savory like normal paella tastes. I just find it a bit weird when it comes to the rice part. Hamburg Steak with Chicken WingsProbably all the hamburg steak includes an egg and some potato wedges. I find its presentation pretty alluring, and I instantly have a good impression to it. The hamburg steak, as we cut it, was tender and pretty nicely cooked. It was savory, and quite alluring in some ways. The texture was stunning and it's probably my favorite one among the other main dishes we ordered. The potato wedges were so so. I think the chicken wings might be a bit too small. They taste mediocre, fair but not special, and probably would be better if they're more meaty. When the food items are cheap on a menu, you wouldn't hesitate to order more food. We didn't hesitate to order our desserts as well. I ordered a Tiramisu myself. The tiramisu looked kind of nice. It tasted sweet and creamy. I liked that texture, creamy yet a hint of sponginess from the cake. I liked how there's a hint of liquor in it, the sweetness spreading through. It was pretty fair yet it lacked a little bit of coffee flavor. If there's a bit more coffee flavor, it'll be a really nice cake indeed.Though it seems I have been criticizing much, frankly I quite like the place. After all, the price is so cheap and we shouldn't give high hopes and expectations to it. It still stuns me how cheap the meal is. The food is so so, if you have been having proper western meals, but what I appreciate is that it's a really economical place to dine in. It gave an opportunity to many people, who couldn't afford to have a proper western meal, leave alone Italian meal, to experience some western and Italian food. It's certainly not decent but it made Italian food seem approachable by everyone. It won't make those people hesitate about Italian food when it's about this restaurant, because this Italian restaurant is no mighty restaurant like many other ones all over town, but is an affordable, approachable and economical Italian restaurant. …Read More

I was reading a food magazine when a page introducing this restaurant totally caught my attention. It says about this place exclusively serves something called piadina in Hong Kong. I figured that none of the Italian restaurants in Hong Kong serves such dish, and I was genuinely curious about it. Moreover, it also says it's an Italian restaurant with a very economical price, so why not give it a shot?I arrived this restaurant, namely Piadina simply eatalian. Seeing the word ‘eatalian’ simply make me smile. The restaurant was not big, and it was half outdoors as there are bar tables and seats facing directly toward the street. The setting was cozy and comfortable, with red bricks and an open kitchen, much like a deli. Perhaps it's the American pop songs being played behind, it also feels a kind of hippy place. They didn't blast the music loud, just playing it softly behind, creating a completely comfy atmosphere to chill.Its menu is pretty simple, mainly divided into Piadina, Panini, Pasta & Risotto, Salads, and Cold Cuts & Cheese. It feels very different to those at decent Italian restaurants. This is more like an authentic Italian restaurant around a neighborhood.I need not to think twice about ordering their exclusive specialty here - the piadina. Piadina is a thin flat bread from the Romagna. Considered as a healthy food, it is made with natural ingredients: flour, olive oil, milk and salt. Its roots date back to the ancient Roman tradition. This unleavened bread appeared when the Romans farmed their first cereal and used the derived flour from barley to prepare it. It was said that farmers ate piadina instead of bread during hard times of famine. The famous Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli speaks of it in one of his poems, “simple, holy bread of the poor…which is eaten with country herbs”. Over the years, piadina has integrated in the food and wine tradition of the Emilia-Romagna region. I ordered their Classica Piadina ($50), which includes parma ham and mozzarella cheese. Not only are there savory choices, there's also one that is sweet, with hazelnut chocolate spread or jam.So this piadina dish is sort of like a thin pita bread, with filling in between two pieces. It was freshly baked, and I loved the aroma of the freshly baked bread. The hot bread and ham and cheese is definitely satisfying. It's savory and pretty light, with a softly rigid texture. It's absolutely one great snack to have.Then I ordered a risotto as well, the Risotto al Parmigiano ($85) , aka aged parmesan creamy risotto. Looking nice, and I loved the chewy texture of it. The sauce was not so heavy in taste either. However, as its name is an aged parmesan creamy risotto, I suppose it should have a much stronger flavor of cheese to bring about a heavier taste and creamier texture. Now it's a nice dish of normal risotto, but I don't see the aged parmesan and creamy parts of it. In overall, it was still a great meal. It's a new experience of Italian food to me. Italian food is now not only served in classy expensive restaurants but you can also find Italian food with more authenticity in style and in an absolutely affordable price. Although the pasta and risottos are merely mediocre, the piadina certainly deserves a big thumbs up. …Read More

I was reading a food magazine when a page introducing this restaurant totally caught my attention. It says about this place exclusively serves something called piadina in Hong Kong. I figured that none of the Italian restaurants in Hong Kong serves such dish, and I was genuinely curious about it. Moreover, it also says it's an Italian restaurant with a very economical price, so why not give it a shot?I arrived this restaurant, namely Piadina simply eatalian. Seeing the word ‘eatalian’ simply make me smile. The restaurant was not big, and it was half outdoors as there are bar tables and seats facing directly toward the street. The setting was cozy and comfortable, with red bricks and an open kitchen, much like a deli. Perhaps it's the American pop songs being played behind, it also feels a kind of hippy place. They didn't blast the music loud, just playing it softly behind, creating a completely comfy atmosphere to chill.Its menu is pretty simple, mainly divided into Piadina, Panini, Pasta & Risotto, Salads, and Cold Cuts & Cheese. It feels very different to those at decent Italian restaurants. This is more like an authentic Italian restaurant around a neighborhood.I need not to think twice about ordering their exclusive specialty here - the piadina. Piadina is a thin flat bread from the Romagna. Considered as a healthy food, it is made with natural ingredients: flour, olive oil, milk and salt. Its roots date back to the ancient Roman tradition. This unleavened bread appeared when the Romans farmed their first cereal and used the derived flour from barley to prepare it. It was said that farmers ate piadina instead of bread during hard times of famine. The famous Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli speaks of it in one of his poems, “simple, holy bread of the poor…which is eaten with country herbs”. Over the years, piadina has integrated in the food and wine tradition of the Emilia-Romagna region. I ordered their Classica Piadina ($50), which includes parma ham and mozzarella cheese. Not only are there savory choices, there's also one that is sweet, with hazelnut chocolate spread or jam.So this piadina dish is sort of like a thin pita bread, with filling in between two pieces. It was freshly baked, and I loved the aroma of the freshly baked bread. The hot bread and ham and cheese is definitely satisfying. It's savory and pretty light, with a softly rigid texture. It's absolutely one great snack to have.Then I ordered a risotto as well, the Risotto al Parmigiano ($85) , aka aged parmesan creamy risotto. Looking nice, and I loved the chewy texture of it. The sauce was not so heavy in taste either. However, as its name is an aged parmesan creamy risotto, I suppose it should have a much stronger flavor of cheese to bring about a heavier taste and creamier texture. Now it's a nice dish of normal risotto, but I don't see the aged parmesan and creamy parts of it. In overall, it was still a great meal. It's a new experience of Italian food to me. Italian food is now not only served in classy expensive restaurants but you can also find Italian food with more authenticity in style and in an absolutely affordable price. Although the pasta and risottos are merely mediocre, the piadina certainly deserves a big thumbs up. …Read More

Burgers can be as cheap as local Hong Kong style ones or McDonald's yet it can also be as sophisticated as gourmet food. There could be such a huge difference, from a very economical price to an expensive one. There ought to be some at the middle in between such extreme.Located in North Point, at a very local area, I really wasn't expecting a decent restaurant or shop selling great western food. The presence of Burger Mix sort of caught my attention easily then but I also kind of expected it to be some sloppy Hong Kong style burgers as well.This is a take-away shop, with no seats around. There are some public benches nearby though. I ordered a burger set and then sat at one of the public benches to wait.I thought it was going to take some time but the burger was ready sooner than I expected. They packed everything into a paper bag, and the quality of the paper bag is certainly better than those in many fast food restaurants. And that has impressed me a bit.I returned to the bench and decided to start my supper. A burger set included a burger, fries and a drink in about $30, depending on what burger you picked. I picked the Mushroom Cheese Burger, costing $22 for a la carte, and $33 for set. Both the burger and the fries were freshly made and hot. I allowed them to cool down a little bit and then first started with the burger. The burger bun is very warm and fluffy, with sesame on top. The mushrooms used were merely normal canned button mushrooms, and the cheddar cheese used, I believe, were merely common cheap ones either. Nonetheless, even with cheap ingredients, it tasted good, thanks to the beef patty. The beef patty was not very thick but it's flavorful. It delighted me as it's not dry and remained some juiciness. Even though the mushroom may not taste exactly fresh and that the cheese may not taste rich enough, the beef patty was indeed better than I expected. To me, it felt like it's a combination of the local taste of burger and that of the western. It has its rough local characteristics and also something kind of exquisite as western gourmet food. Burgers are such popular food item around the globe and different people have different standards for it. This shop makes me feel like it stands at the middle in between the two extreme standards, just to satisfy different people. People who couldn't afford a decent burger may have a chance to get to know a little bit more about it from here, while those who normally have an exquisite burger may also get to understand how a local street style one tastes. It seems to me it got both the elements but of course its standard is far from that of a decent gourmet burger and not authentic enough for a local street style one. As I say, it's somewhere in the middle, and serving mediocre.…Read More

A semi-buffet Italian lunch couldn't be a more better thing to do to spend an afternoon leisurely. Located at the Excelsior Hotel, this place has timber shuttered windows and terracotta tiling, which gives a genuine Tuscan atmosphere and makes a perfect place for a leisure meal. The place is actually not very big, but it does give a really cozy ambience.As we sat down, we were given the bread basket.The bread was slightly warm. It included grissini, foccacia and ciabatta. They were all pretty fluffy and slightly aromatic. When dipped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, it's quite an enjoyable and satisfying sensation.Then we went to enjoy our antipasto buffet. There were quite a lot to choose from, such as seafood, salads, cold cuts and cheeses. The antipasto was pretty refreshing and appetizing. Seafood included mussels, shrimps, mini lobsters and so on. They were all very nice and fresh. As for cheeses and cold cuts, there were quite a variety to choose from and all are okay. It was overall good and nice but not wowing or stunning.As we finished the antipasto, we were served with soup.The soup of the day was Lobster Bisque. Its texture was kind of rich, with a really nice consistency. There's a mild and distinct taste of lobster yet I think the flavor could have been stronger. Then the mains arrived. There were around four to five mains to choose from and I had the Clams and Saffron Risotto while my companion chose the Italian Seafood Stew.The risotto was served in a relatively small size. There were many clams on top, and they tasted very fresh and savory. The risotto had a creamy and rich texture. It was really great, but I really feel like it's not enough. I felt like I finished it merely in several spoons. If I had to pick on something, I would say I would expect the flavor of saffron to be more distinct.The Italian Seafood Stew was also served in a relatively small size too. It was a dish of seafood, including mussels, fish, clams, prawns and squid, stewed together with tomato, onions, bell peppers and herbs. The mild tomato aroma and flavor was really appetizing while the onion, bell peppers and herbs contributed to make it a really savory dish. The seafood was fresh and welly cooked. It was overall a great dish either yet not really enough. The lunch included desserts and drinks as well. Again, there were several options to choose from for the desserts. We picked the Lemon Creme Brulee and the Tiramisu in the end. The tiramisu apparently did not look exactly like the tiramisu cakes we normally see. It was a scoop of tiramisu cake instead, with drizzles of strawberry sauce. I was expecting it to taste special as it has a special appearance. Nonetheless, it just tasted like any normal tiramisu, nothing flabbergasting. It's sort of creamy but the taste of liquor wasn't really distinct.The creme brulee was served in a traditional shallow dish, topped with raspberry. It looked authentic but, to my dismay, wasn't exactly stunning either. The burnt sugar layer could have been more crispy. The inside was very rich and both the creaminess and the flavor of lemon were distinct. However, it felt like the lemon was not completely blended into the creamy custard. I hoped the lemon could contribute to a hint of lightness and refreshing sensation from the heavy custard.To wrap up the whole lunch, we get to have a cup of Italian coffee.I ordered a cappuccino and it tasted nice, with a pretty rich texture. Nevertheless, I hoped they could do a bit of latte art in order to fulfill such details to make decent Italian coffee.The best thing here is that the ambience is cozy and comfortable, and it's easy to spend much time here leisurely. Nevertheless, it seems to me that everything here wasn't exactly committed to perfection. Perhaps because it's merely lunch hour but it still have let me sort of disappointed. It feels like just a but more attention to some sort of details and they could have brought the quality to the next level. Perhaps a little bit more commitment, it can totally turn things flabbergasting and satisfying.…Read More

Normally when people think of dining in Stanley, it's all about bars and classy restaurants. Many might not have thought that there would be a Hong Kong style food stall, serving exquisite Hong Kong food. This place is actually pretty famous. Everyone around the neighborhood or the students studying nearby definitely know this place.The store is basically hidden behind a fruit stall at Stanley Market. It's a really small and crowded place nor is it a comfortable place. What makes it so popular despite all of these not-exactly-favorable conditions?Let's start with its most famous food - the French Toast. Nothing special as it looked, you would soon find it not ordinary after you've had a bite of it. You could probably immediately feel the difference at the instant you took a bite of it. You should find it fluffier than most, and more importantly, even though it's freshly fried, it did not taste oily or too heavy at all. Such fluffy texture is due to the unique cooking method of the French toast. It is said that the toast is first soaked with egg yolks and is then spread with egg whites which are beaten to stand. With the butter, surely it was absolutely a pleasure to eat and you need not to add syrup at all. Yet I think it would even be better if the outer layer of the French toast to be crispy.One of the characteristics of Hong Kong style food is that they are made from very simple ingredients. It proves that not only expensive ingredients could create satisfaction, and the following food, which is no longer very common among Hong Kong style restaurants, is undeniably one of the best examples - Toast w/ Condensed Milk, Butter and Sugar.It's such simple ingredients yet it's so devilishly satisfying. The crunchy sides of the toast, with a mild buttery aroma, plus drizzles of hearty condensed milk with the addition of sugar on top...it totally gives you a huge sense of pleasure and satisfaction but as well as a sense of guilt. It's so hard to not love this. I'm glad to have found this here, and allowing myself to indulge in it once in a while.We had two dishes involving bread as the main component, and there's no exception for the third dish as well. Not many has recommended this or even reckoned its existence I suppose. I'm going to assure you that this one is absolutely stunning and tremendous. It's a sandwich, but not those common sandwiches such as ham and egg where you find everywhere. It's the Satay Beef and Egg Sandwich.I am never a fan of white sandwich bread. If I'm having sandwich of white sandwich bread, I always require it to be toasted. However, for this one, I still totally adore the sandwich even without the bread toasted. To me, I think the sandwich is flabbergasting. The satay beef is extremely savory, and with scrambled eggs in between, it gave an alluring sensation. Both components stood out in the sandwich, both very distinct and strong and savory, yet neither of them would overtake another and dominates the flavor. It doesn't sound any special but it's really stunning once you've tried.Last but not least, a Hong Kong style meal couldn't miss out a cup of milk tea.Milk tea is also one of their signature items and I now totally understand why it's so popular. I have always considered Hong Kong style milk tea is actually not easy to control to make a good one. The flavor is stronger in Hong Kong style milk tea and it's crucial balance the proportion of the tea, milk and sugar. I had an ice milk tea and it tasted like heaven. I loved the mild aroma of the tea and a smoothing texture from the blend of the milk. It is sweet in a way that you seem not to be able to pull yourself out once you started drinking. The flavor and aroma of the tea may not be as strong as authentic ones but it succeeded in making you feel addicted to it by being very well balanced. It's the subtle sensation that overwhelmed me. Every food item here are just from simple ingredients, but this place really did a terrific job in making good use of these simple ingredients to combine and create a superbly satisfying and pleasurable sensation. Even though the place and environment may not be exactly ideal, with such talent and skills to create such indulgence, you have to admit that it's hard to not love this place.…Read More

Hakata Ippudo could be considered as one of the leading Japanese ramen restaurants worldwide. As the frenzy ramen craze hit Hong Kong, it expanded its stores in Hong Kong as well. With all this ramen craze, it made me wanting to go and try out the various restaurants to figure out the best ones. Obviously I'm putting this restaurant on my list. Just as many other ramen restaurants, I was expecting a queue. To my surprise, there wasn't a long queue outside on a Wednesday lunch time. Me and my friend took our waiting ticket and waited for people inside to finish dining. After merely about 15 minutes, we got a table. After the shouts of welcome from the staff, a waiter came to pour us a glass of water and gave us the menu. I picked the Akamaru Shinaji ($68). It actually has an intense pork bone soup base, topped with miso, garlic oil, lean slices of pork, black fungus, soybean sprouts and scallions.To me the pork bone soup base wasn't really intense. It was flavorsome but it's not exactly rich in flavor and texture nor is it heavy in taste. Something pleasing about it was that it's pretty much MSG-free as far as I could tell. The pork slices were pretty lean and soft, which I find that really nice. The noodles used were rather thin, non-curly and resilient ones. The texture of the noodles was good, with a hint of al dente.My friend picked the Spicy Tonkotsu ($58), which is basically also known as the Red King at many other traditional Japanese ramen shops.It consists lean slices of pork, soy beansprouts, black fungus and spring onion as toppings, as well as the yuzu spicy miso to bring out the flavor. My friend allowed me to have a sip of the pork bone broth, i.e. the tonkotsu. The broth is flavorsome, and pretty much MSG-free too, but I think it's not rich enough as well. As the spicy yuzu miso gradually melted into the tonkotsu and blended together, the spiciness was brought out. Nevertheless I still think the soup base was still not rich enough. It's just flavorful yet the overall texture and sensation of the soup were obviously not rich enough. The spiciness was not exactly exciting either, which might be a dismay to some spice-lovers.When we both had finished the ramen, we both agreed that it was merely mediocre, and we both also agreed that it didn't give a sense of fullness. A bowl of ramen is supposed to give a satisfying fullness to your stomach, yet those here failed to do so. After trying the ramen here, I sort of held my doubt for this restaurant. It was not bad but it lacked authenticity. Even with the setting of the restaurant, it doesn't feel exactly traditional either. The setting is indeed a very smart and bright setting, but I think a smaller crowded and a dimmer environment may probably give a better ambience and authenticity. Being modern is definitely not one problem but perhaps they should have made it modern in a way that still keeps many traditional details to give authenticity. Maybe this is the effect of becoming a chain store, and I can only say it's a pity then. …Read More

I walk past this restaurant all the time. Every time I walk past it, they are people queuing outside and the shop is absolutely busy and crowded. This shop is absolutely famous, everyone living around the neighborhood knows about it and the terrific dim sums they make. Finally I have the time to really visit the place with my friend instead of just walking past it. As I know, they close the shop pretty early and the time we arrived here was nearly the time for them to close already. We immediately ordered our foods after we sat down and settled down with tea. They're famous with their steamed rice pot and so we ordered two, one was the Chicken Feet w/ Spare Ribs Rice (鳳爪排骨飯) and the other, the Steamed Mushroom and Chicken Rice (北菇蒸雞飯). You can pick large or small size for the rice, and we chose small for both and then ordered some other dim sums to try. The two rice came quickly. Even though it's said to be a small size, the rice was not too little and I think it's a reasonable proportion.With anticipation, we tried the Steamed Mushroom and Chicken Rice first.The chicken was very smooth and flavorsome. It was well-seasoned and as well as cooked to a really nice, sort of al dente texture. With the addition of some sweet soy sauce, the flavor of the chicken together with the soy sauce really gave rise to the savory of the rice. Then we tried the Chicken Feet w/ Spare Ribs Rice.The only thing I can say about it is, stunning. The spare ribs had a reasonable proportion of fat. It was absolutely savory and well seasoned. What's better is that the rice has absorbed the essence of the spare ribs and the oil from the fat, which made it totally alluring. You need not to add sweet soy sauce to it since it was definitely savory and alluring enough already. It's definitely one flabbergasting dish and totally deserve all the fame.As for dim sums, I originally wished to try their Shredded Chicken Rice Roll (雞絲粉卷), but unfortunately, it was sold out already. At last we settled for the Steamed Custard Bun and Chinese Sponge Cake.To our delight, both dim sums are not petite in size. The steamed custard bun was moderate. The custard was indeed smooth and rich, yet I think the bun was not soft and fluffy enough. The Chinese sponge cake, on the other hand, was pretty good. I loved that really spongy and fluffy texture and the mild sweetness and aroma of it.I'd never expected so much from a small shop. The food was really nice, especially their famous steamed rice pots. I now finally understand the long queue and crowd in this restaurant. Even though the environment may be crowded, it doesn't matter at all as this is part of what it is. I really do hope these old restaurants could keep up their authentication and may the skills be passed on from one generation to the next. It'll be such a pity to see old authentic restaurants with such great quality to close down one by one like many do nowadays. …Read More

Along the buzzling Times Squares in Causeway Bay, it's hard to find any silence around the area. Cafes are normally filled with people, crowded and noisy. Nonetheless, right opposite to Times Square, at a barely noticeable entrance, there's a small cafe that allows you to find a sense of calmness and quietness from all the busy cosmopolitan. Not that I mean there aren't much customers, but it just feels like after walking through that corridor, you have found a quiet corner separating you from the outside.It's definitely not a big place, but I find the surrounding, with all the wooden chairs and tables, sets a really calming atmosphere and ambience. You make your orders at the counter and the waiters will serve it to your table when it's ready. It just feels wrong to not try out the coffees at a cafe. I've heard they make good latte art, and I'm anticipated to acknowledge it. We ordered a cup of Mocha and a cup of Cappuccino. Soon enough they were ready, and served on our table.The latte art on the mocha was a face but, hilariously, an unhappy face. This unhappy face, however, had the ability to make you smile though as you can tell the latte art was really nicely done and it was beautiful.The mocha tasted great. The blend of coffee and chocolate was fabulous.The latte art on the cappuccino was really nice too but less impressive than that on the mocha. It was a flower.The cappuccino was good too. The milk foam was rich, and together with the coffee, it made a rich velvety texture, which was totally pleasurable to drink.I was impressed with their coffee and was more happier to find it totally not pricey at all.One of the most popular food items here is undoubtedly the All Day Breakfast, and so we had one too. It was nice presented and to our amusement, the ketchup on the hash brown made a smiling face, which definitely lightens you up when you see it. The set involves a piece of herbed bread with butter, scrambled eggs, a piece of hash brown, sausages and salad. The herbed bread indeed tasted great yet I'd prefer it to be toasted or warmer. The scrambled eggs was nice enough, pretty flavorsome and had a nice smooth texture. The hash brown was moderate, tasting not too special but glad to find it not too oily. There was nothing special about the sausages, I believe they were just some common sausages that you get to have all the time. The salad was refreshing and made a good balance in the dish. We also ordered another dish from the menu, which was the Italian Omelette.I liked the color of the ketchup and mayo on the omelette. It made the dish looked colorful, made the dish looked interesting and delightful. The filling inside the omelette mainly included bell peppers and mushroom and cheese. The filling was flavorful, and a bit creamy, yet I think the flavor of the cheese could have been stronger. I expected the egg itself should have a more creamy and velvety texture but it disappointed me a little bit. There was salad as a side dish, with mayo dressing. I disliked the addition of the mayo dressing on the salad. It seemed to me that the omelette was supposed to be something tasting heavy and so the salad should be refreshing and light instead of making it heavy as well with the mayo dressing. I have always loved to wrap up my dinner with desserts, so, last but not least, I ordered the Earl Grey Chocolate Tart.After all the satisfaction above, I must say I was a bit disappointed to this. I could barely taste the flavor of earl grey. There wasn't even a slight hint of the flavor of earl grey. Nevertheless, if you consider it merely a chocolate tart, it was still a delight to have. The chocolate, on the other hand, was rich in flavor. I liked how the chocolate wasn't too sweet and heavy but rich in flavor. To sum up, I totally adored this place. I noticed that they always make the food nicely presented before serving. For instance, the latte art on coffees, the ketchup in the All Day Breakfast set, the ketchup and mayo on the Italian Omelette, as well as the chocolate syrup on the Earl Grey Chocolate Tart. It may seem to be just tiny little things, but I appreciate how they wouldn't ignore such tiny details and made every dish look great and presentable even though it might not taste stunning. It was these little things, a little more effort, that makes everyone smiles when the see their food. With the calming atmosphere here, this place definitely lightens one up after staying a while. We certainly need the calmness and delightness from all the pressure and buzzling cosmopolitan outside. This is certainly a nice place to chill.…Read More

Almost a year ago, I have been to the Tso Choi at Jordan. I was slightly disappointed with the food at that time as I've heard about this restaurant for so long yet the food was not anything special. Now I've come to its headquarters and decided to give it a second chance.The place looked neater than I expected. The setting is really bright and the fact that not many customers were around made it more comfortable and enjoyable to dine. Just as the time at Jordan's, I ordered its famous Pork Belly w/ Preserved Vegetables (梅菜扣肉) and Rice w/ Lard (豬油撈飯). Shortly after your orders, the waiter delivered a jar of lard and a bottle of soy sauce. Then the rice came in a wooden barrel, as how rice with lard is supposed to be.The way of having rice with lard is to first add lard then soy sauce to your rice and mix it up. I remember last time at Jordan, the flavor of lard was not fully being brought out and the rice didn't taste any special at all. However, the rice with lard here was absolutely stunning! Imagine the sensation of the aroma and flavor of lard filling all over your mouth. A much delightful thing is that you need not to add in lots of lard and soy sauce in order to gain this sensation, little will do already.Then came the pork belly w/ preserved vegetables.Preserved vegetables has always been my favorite food item to eat with rice. When the dish arrived, its stunning aroma filled the room. Not only does it smells amazing, it tasted flabbergasting as well. The preserved vegetables has a hint of sweetness and won't get too salty along with the sauce. The best part is that it absorbed the essence of the meat in the pot. As for the meat, it might seems to have a bit too many fat to some people, but it's alright to me. The meat is very soft and definitely flavorsome. As for its fat portion, the sensation is indefinable. It sort of melts in your mouth, in a definitely alluring way. Nothing could've felt better than having this.Now this is the kind of quality that I have been expecting for such a renowned restaurant instead of that I had at the shop in Jordan. Nothing can compare beyond the sensation of these hearty food here. It totally has given you a sense of satisfaction, and giving you an unforgettable experience for your tongue.…Read More

Beancurd dessert has always been one of my most favorite dessert. It is always such a refreshing dessert. I was hanging around Kowloon City and felt like sitting down and have something refreshing, and so I came to this place which is renowned for its beancurd dessert.Under such hot weather I ordered a cold one and I was glad that it arrived fairly fast. I find the beancurd dessert itself has a pretty sweet syrup already and need not to add brown sugar to raise the sweetness. It has a pretty rich soy flavor, and together with the syrup it tasted absolutely refreshing. However, I find the beancurd dessert not smooth enough at all. It's not rough but it doesn't have the essential and crucial quality of beancurd desserts. It felt more like tofu soaked in syrup instead of beancurd dessert and it's an epic failure to me. Without the smoothness, I am sorry to say that the beancurd dessert was not exactly acceptable to me. It didn't manage to give me the chilling sensation. Even though it has distinct soy flavor, I'd have to downgrade this place. I have to admit that it's a pity.…Read More

In a Hong Kong style restaurant, a bowl of instant noodles is a very important food item as instant noodles appears in almost every dish if you are not ordering rice. Who doesn't know how to cook instant noodles? Even the dumbest person knows how to, but having a really nice bowl of instant noodles does not appear everywhere all the time. Firstly the texture of the noodles has to be good, and the soup base is equally important as well.The name Wai Kee Noodle Cafe has long been a pretty renowned Hong Kong style restaurant. It has a setting of an old-style Hong Kong restaurant in a neighborhood back in the old days. Inside the restaurant, there's no air conditioning. It is a small crowded place. At the instant we sat down, a waiter came forward to take our orders. I have thought about what to try already and made my orders. Fast enough, a bowl of Pork Liver w/ Instant Noodles ($25) came. The bowl of noodles is steaming hot, with many pieces of pork liver in it, and you can also know that the soup base has a nice strong flavor by the smell of it.Pork liver hasn't been my favorite food item. Nonetheless, I find myself quite liking the pork liver here. The pork liver has a smooth and chewy texture. More surprisingly is that it is able to give an al dente texture. I am certain that the pork liver contributed to the strong flavorful soup base as well. The soup contains the essence from the pork liver, as well as a mild yet distinct flavor of ginger and every sip of it is definitely warming. The instant noodles is pretty memorable too. What's great about it to me is that it absorbed the essence of the soup base yet still remained an al dente texture and didn't get soggy even after a while. Halfway through the noodles, the Kaya French Toast ($15) came too.It is thoughtful of the cook to have cut the french toast into four pieces. The french toast is not like the typical Hong Kong style french toast where the toast is deep fried. I believe this is a slightly healthier version of the french toast. I liked the golden yellow surface of the french toast. The egg mixture is coated evenly and the egg flavor is sort of distinct too. In between the toast, there's a layer of kaya. However, I think the kaya didn't stand out in the toast. Perhaps the kaya layer may be too thin, and so the flavor is not totally being brought out when there is a pretty strong egg flavor on the toast. Kaya french toast is supposed to give you a sense of guilt after eating but this one didn't make feel so. Since it's not the typical deep fried french toast in the Hong Kong style, it didn't even give me a sense of guilt from the Hong Kong style french toast.Perhaps the french toast wasn't flabbergasting, but the pork liver noodles is undoubtedly really good. I dare say it is even the best in town ever. I appreciate that they don't only focus on the topping, i.e. pork liver, but never neglected the quality of the instant noodles. That is why I think it's definitely a perfect bowl of noodles.…Read More

Egg tarts are undeniably one of the best representatives of Hong Kong food. Simple as it seems but making a really high quality one isn't easy. Egg tarts are surely not difficult to find, they are basically everywhere. Yet the problem is where to find the best egg tarts.Hearing a friend recommending egg tarts from Kowloon City, I decided to pay a visit too. As I arrived, I am glad to find that it's an old style bakery. It always seems that the old style ones serves a better quality than those of franchised. To me, this is because the old style ones actually poured their hearts into making their various food items and you can taste out and feel the effort behind. The outside of the shop has many newpaper and magazine cuttings stuck on the glass walls. As I stepped in, I reckoned it is a fairly small shop. There are lots of shelves with a wide variety of food but has only little space to walk around. I was fortunate to have come at a non-busy hour where there were not much customers around. I bought half a dozen of egg tarts in order to get a box. The box is flowery, sort of in a fancy way for a little girl in the old times. It does not portray a luxurious image at all as it Chinese name says. Anyway, the egg tarts are very warm, in which I believe are just out of the oven not long. It looked and smelled stunning. I immediately took one out to try after I left the bakery. The pastry is perfect, the egg custard filling is perfect, the whole egg tart is simply flawless. The pastry has sort of a crunch and fluffiness. It has a pretty distinct flavor which its strength is to the right point and won't get too over and blended well and balanced with the egg custard filling. The egg custard filling is amazingly rich and velvety. It has a really smooth texture and stunningly strong and distinct flavor of the egg too. As I know, the reason for this is that they use salted egg to make it. It is the salted egg that gave such a distinct flavor. Together with the use of cream whipped together, it then gives such a velvety and rich texture and flavor respectively. Although it costs $5 per tart, which is not exactly cheap, it is undoubtedly one of the best egg tarts in town for me and I think it's worth it. …Read More

Back then when I was still a little kid, my dad always bought shrimp wontons back home. Together the wonton and a bowl of noodles would make a perfect simple yet tasty supper. I remember clearly the big round wonton having a superb al dente texture. However after my dad moved his office elsewhere, I haven't had any of these fabulous wontons anymore. Now then after I have grown up, suddenly missing the these wontons, I asked my dad where he got those wonderful wontons and he told me he bought them from Tsim Chai Kee. This is the moment I decided to pay a visit to this Michelin awarded restaurant myself, to search that scrumptious taste that filled my childhood.It was about tea time when I arrived the shop. Looking from the outside, the shop has a simple but as well as a gorgeous setting. I was particularly caught by the gorgeous calligraphy of its sign at the entrance. It's not a big shop but it feels a very neat place to me. I didn't go there over the lunch hours as I know there'd probably be lots of people queuing for lunch. Nonetheless, even if it's a non-busy hour, I still had to wait for a seat. Thankfully, soon enough, someone left and I had my seat. Merely having an afternoon bite, I ordered a bowl of wontons, only wontons, and it was served pretty soon.Full of anticipation, I immediately had my first bite. I find the wonton skin is extraordinarily good. It was thin, and sort of al dente. It was such great texture. The fillings were flavorful and refreshing as well. The flavors lingered on my tongue, the sensation was just as the way I remember. Nevertheless, it felt like there was something missing about it and I figured that the whole wonton was not as al dente as I recalled despite the skin alone indeed was al dente. In my opinion, the filling didn't manage to give rise to such texture, and that is the missing key to what I recall in my childhood memories. Anyway, it might not taste as great as i remember, but it was indeed an absolutely stunning dish. What's terrific about it was that it still kept a fairly cheap price while other restaurants' prices are skyrocketing and most importantly is that it still kept its standard and quality.It was a pleasure to have finally visited this place to try their wontons myself. It did flood me with many childhood memories and perhaps that's the reason that I feel a connection to the place. I don't care if the waiters actually are not exactly really friendly, all it matters to me is its taste and a taste to bring me back to childhood memories is a bonus. It undeniably serves the best wontons in town, at least it does to me especially when it sparks up my memories and emotions.…Read More