fsd's Profile

Ordered the garlic spagetti with chicken and ham. It tasted all right. But the fact that the ham was cheap sandwich cold-cuts (sliced into small pieces) really spoiled the meal for me. It was poor quality and tasteless. In fact, a great way to destroy an otherwise fine and acceptable meal:(The dish was richly garlicy, and I did enjoy that part of it. The chicken was great also. Just the rubbish-quality ham....if only there was an option to opt-out of recieving spam-quality meats....or at least advance warning. A great way to rinse the cheap ham taste from my mouth: The lai cha. …Read More

The spagetti entree was simply strange. From the first bite to the last. Absolutely strange. Upon reflection, I think that it was the powerful citrus taste it had -- strongly reminiscent of the cham-pei (orange peels) flavouring given to local desserts (like Hong Dao Sha). The cheese was very well appointed, and even flavourful, but the citrus orange-like taste of the meat sauce was a strongly distracting mystry to my taste buds. This is not to indicate it is bad --it is not. But it did catch me unaware (nowhere is there an indicate the sauce would be mysteriously citric --and pasta sauces are traditionally NOT so). It was a good sized dish; proper proportions. But that sauce.....will keep me forever wondering.....as it was so unexpected and strangely refreshing of the palate with each bite. The tea was quite nice. And I think that was suprising also --given that it was bagged. But upon asking for milk, the waitress went to the (openish) kitchen and had some milk steamed for me. Quite a nice touch, actually. :)The cake was 'ration-sized'. Tasty, but rather bland without any other tastes to compliment. Since I only paid another $8 for the cake, I felt it an appropriate size. But, this is still the tiniest a-la-carte cake slice in HK for me so far. More like a petite-fours size than a cake size. …Read More

The meal was mediocre as far as hot pots go (nothing exceptional). But the value was horrible. Unlike other places, condiments were extra (like dipping sauces other than high-salt soy sauce). All the dishes were reasonable in quantity save and except for the beef. We ordered $40 worth and received four (4) slices only. Even if the restaurant bought from a local grocery store, we ought to have received more. One of my dining companions drew their attention to the fact that other tables got more slices, and was po-pooed. But we eventually got two more slices (still awful value). The base was a nice vegetarian base. However, it lacked much zest and the complimentary condiments of other establishments were sorely missed. The provided sauce was really too salty to be of much use in complimenting ....well anything. So, I had a remarkably bland hotpot experience. The blandest ever!…Read More

* the 10 minute wait time was for a table to become available. Just because your order is taken, does not mean you will automatically get a table. And most were full. Best to secure a table first and then get the food --unless available tables are plentiful. I ordered the turkey sandwich. Turkey thigh meat --so it was a bit tough. Breast meat is always better! I regret settling for less. :(When it arrived, I noticed the napkin was greasy --likely fat oozing from the burger (mine or someone elses)The milkshake was all right. However, much better value from H-D establishments. Seems a cheaper brand of the icecream is used perhaps a bit too much thickeners to compensate for less real cream. The fries do not come with any condiments. All tables are equipped with a bottle of katchup. The brand is a well known one of menial quality and poor taste -- usually too salty for my palate. It is simply outrageous that those who do not like katchup in the first place (like me) must pay extra for mayonaise (+3$). Considering that both mayo and katchup are complimentary in Canada, this is an illusion of a Canadian dining experience/food. In their defense, they were lightly salted and were somewhat palatable--if not dry. This, unfortunately, would prove the highlight of the meal. The roasted turkey thigh pieces were surprisingly greasy and the picture showing the relative levels of trans-fat slime is enclosed. I removed some of the larger globs of adipose tissue (fat) and proceeded to eat it. Some cranberries were within, but thier taste was muted by the over-buttered bread (which came with some chips of carbon atop --poor quality control? or just plain lazy ?). The mayonaise (if it was mayo) was surprisingly greasy also. Indicating a poor quality mayo was used (likely the one with much more than 4 ingredients). It was so very greasy that it was actually easily fatiguing to the taste buds. It only simple, quality ingredients were used (like back in Canada), it would have been much more tasty and refreshing (rather than overburdening) on the palate. Summary: The most disappointing $100 meal for a Canadian. …Read More

The mapoToFu was served quickly and was tasty - with a bit of characteristic Szechuan kick to it. The spiciness being ballanced and acceptable to a broad variety of tastes. The delicate and complex flavours of the maPo sauce were only slightly overpowered by the spiciness and could still be tasted and appreciated. Still, it lacked the zest of other establishments offerings. Nice and filling - if not warming on a cold winter day. I would have tried other dishes if not for the MSG. Pity. The house tea is surprisingly neutral (not pictured). And, due to this, is not wholly adequate at cleansing the palate --which is a pity as a little better choice of leaves or titration could make for a great compliment to the food. …Read More

The garlic bread arrived first. It was really buttery. It was also very salty! Almost could not taste the garlic for the tastes of butter and salt. Very overpowering! Would have been better to use olive oil and garlic. The mushroom soup used canned mushrooms (could tell by their rubbery texture). The soup was palatable, but the rubber mushrooms rather destroyed it through their unappetizing texture. It is always best to use fresh mushrooms. The pizza was the 'flat' type with little or no raising of the crust. It was flavourful, but the taste was not as complex as expected. Likely not enough or flavourful enough base. I little more oregano might also help.…Read More

The first to arrive was the main dish: Portugese chicken. Comparatively, this was the spiciest Portugese chicken I have every had. It was also the first one not to have a cheese garnish atop it. Apparently (according to my friends from Macao), this is the traditional way to serve it. It was not only spicy and without cheese atop, but was also flavourful and very rich in taste. It was still flavourful and rich in taste. The dessert was the Macao delicacy of toasted buns with sweetened condensed milk atop. Quite nice. And I alternated between these and the chicken dish to refresh my palatte. The amount of sweetened condensed milk was just enough to balance the spiciness of the chicken; and elevate the buns above those with no seasoning (or even just butter). …Read More

The kappa maki (cucumber rolls) arrived first. They were quite good. Although, it would be preferable to have them at the end of the meal (as they are usually 'stuffers' to fill you up after the high-priced sushi and sashimi are eaten). The filling was fresh and crisp, the rice self-adhesive and flavourfull (as it ought to be). The salmon was a good cut this time, and just melted in the mouth! Usually I am the unlucky one to recieve cuts with more collagen or fibrous connective tissue; but not this time - gratefully so. The egg was not as good as prior times when I have had it here. Seemed a bit of a rush job; and somewhat mal-formed. It did taste acceptable, though. …Read More

Ordered the smoked turkey pizza lunch special. Came with a single serving of the salad bar (not that awesome; done by the bowl). Apparently, after about 20 minutes, the servers needed reminding about the entree. They courteously obliged. The pizza crust and cheese were both fine, but the base and meat were really cheap and poorly done: The base used for the pizza was thousand island salad dressing (if not exactly; highly alike). That was not only a strange distraction to the taste of the pizza (because of the zingyness of the dressing), but did not seem to compliment any of the other ingredients --except for the pepper slices atop the pizza. I think the historical tendency to use a tomato sauce base is confirmed by the taste of this dish. The meat consisted of cold-cut slices (beneath the cheese topping); this was nothing special and did not even taste of turkey (or smoke; let along smoked turkey). Real shredded turkey, even if less in quantity, would be most welcome instead. So, underpowered turkey, below a rich cheese, overpowered by salad dressing, all atop an acceptable crust: Not a very good value given the price of this lunch. (p.s. I dined before here and had spagetti: That was acceptable). …Read More

Off for a night snack. The pudding arrived hot (as ordered). The consistency was a solidly gelatinous acceptable; but a slight scum had formed over the top -- suggesting that it might not have been freshly made. The taste was light and refreshing with a slight hint of sweetness in every bite balancing the tartness of egg white. …Read More

Arrived to Sha Tin late -this was one of the few places open. After the server indicated that the spicy soups would have MSG in them, I decided on a dry soup. This was a nice 'soup' --actually a collection of noodles, and other bits without a soup base. It has some nice spicy bits in the centre of the noodles which made for a increasingly spicy meal (as I ate my way closer to the spice). Unfortunately, the only flavour was that of the spice. The pickles, tofu, and even the peanuts (save the salt) were comparatively bland. The almond milk was quite nice --although just slightly sweet. The hausui (trans: "saliva" or ) chicken (this is what the dish is called; so no need to gross-out) was the next to arrive. It was very good! The chicken was well cooked and the sauce (with peanuts) complimented the meat perfectly; giving it a rich flavourful taste with an appropriate level of complexity. The deep-fried pumpkin tablets tasted very much like the deep-fried cake at new years --with a slightly candied taste to them. The pork neck was also well done. The dipping sauce complimenting the meats' flavour and texture. …Read More

The prequel to the meal arrived in the form of a salad, a warm bun with some really fluffy butter, and some brocolli soup. The Soup was VERY thick - the closest to porridge soup can come. But it lacked appropriate filtering as there were bits of rusk in it. The taste was well ballanced and rich, but the occasional texture of the rusk bits distracted from the enjoyment of this. The salad was greatly helped by the dressing. But that should not be the case (ought to be able to stand on its own). The bread was warm and moist inside -- and the butter seemed freshly whipped; which made it really light --both spread and tasted like a cloud!. Only a slight hint to butter taste. Then came the chicken atop rice. This dish had a well-balanced taste -- with the seasoning of the chicken complimenting the cheese atop it. The vegtables were not all well cooked - some being very hard (virtually uncooked). The rice (below the chicken) complimented the taste of the chicken. Finally the tea...The tea came with coffee cream modules. Not keen to feel ill later, I asked the server to please provide milk - which they did (thanks!). Bagged and unremarkable; but tea all the same. …Read More

Quite a packed place and needed to wait a bit. The hot pot base has a choice of five soups (all supposedly without MSG) -- of which you can have up to two in a bowl (note: single chamber bowls are also available). A tray of condiments is also provided. There are about eight in total. About 4 sauces (eg. hot chilli oil, fermented tofu, satay) and 4 spices (leeks, garlic, brown granular stuff, sliced peppers). A small bowl is initially filled with soy sauce. A variety of raw food trays were ordered (in order to cook in the hotpot at our table). The mushrooms were quite nice, and the tofu curd wraps also went quite well. Most of the meat was a bit fatty for my taste. So, that really limited what I was keen to try. But, everything went well with the base. By the end of the meal, I was getting a bit of a buzz -- and suspect that the meat balls (fish, chicken, etc). were MSG impregnated. (I did not have any; but when cooking them, an exchange with the soup is inevitable). The almond 'cloud' was not as thick as it could have been, and was a bit starchy. But still of reasonable quality (given the price of <$10)The environment was a typically LOUD hotpot eatery. Very local ambiance. …Read More

The turkey dinner did look appealing and a reasonable value (I actually am fond of turkey). With the exception of the tomato (the use of which was unclear -- was this a self-contained salad?), and the stuffing, this was a nice meal. The stuffing, unfortunately, really destroyed it for me. And,I think it was poor culinary planning: As it was not so bad by itself; but in combination it was ....in a word....disturbing. Potatoes were good. The lingenberry (cranberry-like) and gravy were both rich and flavourful. The turkey was also quite nice and was very well complimented by both the richness of the gravy and the zest of the ~berry sauce. However, the stuffing did not mix so well. When added to the turkey+sauces, the taste was rather disturbingly like e.coli smells. Now: I do trust that the food was properly cooked; and I am not about to suggest that I will become ill (still have up to 4 more days to confirm, though) -- but the combination of flavours/spices was strongly reminiscent of that sort of smell (remember the taste and smell are linked in the brain). After cleansing the palate a bit, the stuffing did not present so strongly. So, it was likely the combination of flavours for me. If any of the chefs are reading this, please check out the combinations and make the ingredients harmonize with one another. The tea was disappointing for one reason: The cheap brand of bag used. This was evident in the length of time needed to steep; as well as the taste. Also, in a free-refills establishment, it was clear that those who take coffee were getting a much better bargain. But the meal, itself, appears to offer good value. …Read More

A Japanese theme restaurant. There is bread with butter and then there is the house slices they serve here! Each bite is very richly buttery! Hard to describe in words. Perhaps because I am not in the habit of buttering my bread. In this case, the bread is likely made with butter and the taste is powerfully thus. So powerful, I still wonder why butter is included (see picture) to butter already powerfully buttery bread. The borsch soup (which the servers call 'red' soup) is also quite nice. A very bold independent taste. It was also genuinely thick -- which added to its robust taste. Just a slight hint of pepper with every bite --helping to cleanse the palate. The spaghetti was a tomato base with some mushrooms and meat (disappointing) and seaweed atop. The taste was fine (although not overly keen on the smell of the seaweed). But the use of cheap luncheon meat (thought when tasted, confirmed upon closer examination) really dimmed the meal. Partially because this meat is rather tasteless and rubbery (ie non-meat like) in its consistency). When the sauce camouflage is removed, the cause of the lack of meat taste is clearly shown (see photo). Rather disappointing --if only unexpected considering how much culinary thought and effort went into the other components of the meal. The tea was very strong, but with no distinct flavor or aroma - making it surprisingly bland (even with the addition of sugar). Still, I think most come here for the bread. …Read More