TwoCents's Profile

今天帶兩個細路飲茶。食物還可。服務差得驚人。等了很久，有兩碟點心沒有到。追了多次，無人理。 最後甜品都食完，臺到執埋，都未到。到收銀署畀錢。竟然唔肯幫我取消未到的食物， 叫我繼續等。最驚人收銀阿姐大講粗口！！ 咩事。。。。最好要自行找經理處理。又係叫我等下。。一點唔好意思都冇。。。Food was decent but the service was shockingly bad. The cashier refused to take items off the bill which did not arrive and kept swearing profusely. Unbelievable.…Read More

Tried Trattoria Kagawa tonight with a last minute reservation and leaving behind my thoughts with a quick review.Overall the menu was thoughtful, pitched at that rare middle ground of fusion food where it's different...but not too weird.Each dish was decently executed although everything was a touch too sweet and vinegar forward for my personal tastes. One issue is that the serving plates were not warmed (except the teppanyaki dishes) , and so we found a few of the dishes not hot enough. If the owner reads this, it would be a quick fix.Worth a mention is the uni fettuccine which did not disappoint, but for me , slightly too sweet and too acidic, masking the savory umami you would expect from such a rich and decadent dish.Service and ambiance was fine. By the way the leftover decor from Gunpowder actually still seemed to work just fine.Overall a decent value for the price point. I wasn't exactly blown away but not disappointed either.…Read More

On a Saturday night, two of us had a last minute Italian craving. Ofcourse everything was fully booked when I came across this place on openrice, with plenty of tables available still.I had not heard of this name before among the foodie circles but with such high open rice ratings I figured it couldn't be that bad. Unfortunately my curiosity was not rewarded this time.The prices are almost as high as any fancy Italian restaurant in town. And yet you feel like you are getting Dan Ryan's. The pastas were $250 to $400 each. And they were decent tasting but nothing amazing. What shocked me was $248 for stuffed Zucchini flowers, which Was a chef recommended dish and I assumed would be mind blowing.I can't believe how bad it was. Greasy. four pieces. Presentation ugly. If it had cost $50 I may have been satisfied. Honestly a huge rip off.They also charge $28 a head for mediocre bread and for water.Avoid !!You can pay the same price at Lucale and have an amazing feast.…Read More

Today I was quite early for dinner so decided to finally line up for fish ramen at Ode Marudesankaku on Aberdeen Street. Needed to check this one off my list for the three ramen shops in this chain around Gough Street. A quick wait since I was alone.The verdict: okay.. but not worth anything more than. 5min wait max.I had the white soup fish ramen and chicken karaage. Soup was both too salty and fishy, and chicken karaage nothing special. And they ran out of beer! What?? If you like seafood ramen, go around the corner to Next Shikaku, their Oyster Ramen is much more special and well balanced.If you like chicken karaage go down to Zagin Soba (this queue is actually worth it). Overall, glad to have tried it once but once is enough.N.B. several male cooks having some extremely inappropriate and offensive conversations behind the counter and clearly within ear shot of the customers. Very unprofessional and would love for the management to read this. …Read More

A little me time brunch today on a cloudy morning in Stanley. Finally made a trip to visit, after hearing some great feedback.No wait time today at 11:15am on a Sunday, guess the hype has fizzled out...and I can understand why.The decor, ambiance, music all had a lovely vibe. The food - I had the Truffle Carbonara, was a bit disappointing. Nothing special and the truffles were more for decorations than taste. For dessert I ordered a chocolate bomboli, which was good but not mind blowing.However the service was quite disappointing. Had to ask and chase several times for water. Ordered a glass of wine and when it never arrived, only when I asked about it, and they said “oh we are out of that wine”. When I wanted to order a pastry I stood around for quite a long time at the counter being ignored. Not understaffed but they were quite unorganized.To top it off, as a single diner I was asked to move tables to share with another party (with plastic divider between us) to make room for a larger party that was a 4 top. Felt like cha chan teng.…Read More

This little modern and slightly more upscale Japanese eatery on Gough street which nicely rounds out the casually hip dining scene. On a Tuesday night for an 20:15 seating, this place was jam packed and bumpin'. Don't come here if you're concerned about social distancing. You're almost sitting in your neighbor's lap. But aren't the fun restaurants supposed to be like this ?The dishes are pitched at the right amount of innovation: fresh, bright presentation with some interesting flavor and texture contrasts. The actual taste I would say was "good" but not amazing.Service was casual yet smart and attentive.Worth one try but not sure I would come back again. …Read More

A quiet dinner for two tonight. We felt like some sukiyaki and randomly came across Panyin Shabu on Open Rice, with good ratings and able to book online.Pleasantly surprised at the quality / price ratio. The wagyu dinner sets were reasonably priced at about $400 per set, including vegetables, sides, rice. Extra portions of meat are also available for order for $118-$168.Sukiyaki was very good, not too salty nor sweet. The konbu dashi was a bit bland.Overall a good meal. Service was polite and attentive. I would only deduct points for the dirty and small bathroom, which was quite wet and filthy.…Read More

Really running out of patio / semi outdoor restaurants to go to amid this Coronavirus situation, so we made a repeat visit tonight to Meats in Soho. The first time we went a few weeks ago, ordered a couple items off the alacarte menu, which were decent but not impressive, with many slips in service.Today we went back again for lack of better options to satisfy my meat cravings. We ordered the $390 chef's menu and it turned out to be a great choice and a superb value. We got nice variety of 3 main courses (porchetta, chicken and rib eye) complemented much with 2 starters (duck Salad, fish tacos) and 2 sides. Each main dish served piping hot one after the other. Even the dessert (lemon custard tart) was surprisingly refined.Service today was great too. The waitress even asked me if I was still hungry after serving the mains and said she could add more meat if we wanted lol.It's a shame to see the inconsistency in food and service, but tonight was super satisfying.…Read More

There's plenty of local eateries in North Point, but really not much in the way of ramen - so I am very happy to welcome this addition to the neighbourhood. This inconspicuous little shop is located on Wharf Road, right beside the Tim Ho Wan.  At the time of writing, the store is still in soft-opening stage, but you'll usually find the shop buzzing with customers at lunch time.Today was our second visit, and we had to order again the two shop specialties: the chicken soup ramen, and the thick cut eel rice.The chicken stock ramen comes in a silky an flavorful white broth.  Soup profile is flavorful yet delicate, and looks beautiful too with a beautiful bouquet of fried burdock root as a garnish.  Burdock root is a prized ingredient in many cultures as an herbal remedies. It is a powerful anti-oxidant, among its many other medicinal properties. Normally used in teas and herbal soups, it was a fun surprise to see strips of burdock deep fried as a tasty garnish for the noodles. So eat all the decorations! It's really good for you!The ramen comes with the a few slices of very tender, slow cooked chicken breast pieces, which, trust me,   are really much more tasty than it l or souooks or sounds.  The other star of the show is ofcourse the thick cut eel rice. This one is a little pricey at $198 a set, but for eel affecionados, it's a must try. Thick, juicy and succulent pieces of eel grilled to perfection. I don't think there is a comparable eel dish in Hong Kong.There are a good number of sides for selection to add to your main for $28. I've tried the gyozas (good), fried chicken (good), and pork skewers (OK).Pro-tip: for $28 extra, you can also add four more slices of chicken, which we did. Even if you think you don't like chicken breast, you'll like this healthy alternative to fatty ramen cha siu.  Try it - you won't regret it.Overall food quality is very good, seating is relatively comfortable for a ramen shop, and service is reasonable.  Prices are a bit on the high side for the area- but you do feel like your money is going into the quality of ingredients (rather than paying the high rents in central). Worth a try (and return visits) in my book!…Read More

So I had wandered in alone without a reservation at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon, for a late lunch alone - a much needed break after a hectic week at work and mom duties.The restaurant was busy, but the lunch crowd was starting to clear out. The vibe is lively, bright with daylight and the crowd was a slightly upscale and well dressed clientele - I figured this was promising.Unfortunately, the rest of my experience was wrought with mediocrity. First, not that I like bread that much but I do expect to see bread at even a casual French restaurantFirst course, yellowtail hamachi. To sum it up, good but predictable. Tasty, with some lively flavor contrasts, but executed in an overly obvious way. Main course, roasted baby chicken. The marinade was good but the whole thing was every so slightly overcooked. A chicken that tonight should be succulent, juicy and tender. This one seemed like the work of an amateur home cook, at best. No thought at all had gone into plating this dish, just the chicken in its oil, nothing else. They could have at least popped a few green beans in there for colour. Pretty boring overall.Finally the bill of $6xx arrived, without so much as a complimentary chocolate to finish.Overall, I would say that if you want to spend $600 on lunch, you have plenty other choices in Central or Admiralty. I can almost guarantee you will walk away more satisfied at any of the classics like Pierre or Petrus for a similar price.…Read More

Checked out this newish addition to the Ktown scene this morning, while waiting for my little boy to attend playgroup.With its breezy, high ceilings, and the floor the ceiling windows, this small cafe is quite a bright, airy space. The pastries are what you would expect to see from this chain, with a decent selection of coffees and teas for prices not more than the jam packed Pacific Coffee down the block.Generally speaking, this place has a lot of potential. But then, there's the "but".One restaurant owner once told me that he thought you can tell how much the owner cares about his restaurant but the effort they put into renovating the bathroom, because it shows if they had the heart to pay attention to all the detail s. Unfortunately in this case, the attention to detail would be ranked zero.The one stall bathroom was completely unrenovated,toilet didn't flush and smelled worse than public toilets in Hong Kong. At least the bathroom had handsoap though because I immediately blacklist any restaurant that doesn't have soap for employees to wash hands after using the toilet.Next, two feet outside the very dirty bathroom door, there are crates of fresh pastries stacked up on the floor. I mean I realize space is precious in Hong Kong but it really detracts from the cafe experience when you see that your fluffy croissant came from that crate on the floor.Speaking of floors... I came in at 9am on a Saturday, and the floors were pretty grungy looking. Not sure you can tell from the photos but it's pretty obvious they don't mop every night here, perhaps not even once a week. I know I'm not here to eat off the floor but considering its supposed to be slightly upscale, this does not make the grade. The seating area is small, it would literally take no more than ten minutes each night to properly mop the floor.If the boss is reading these reviews, and I hope he is, hopefully he will drop by the shop and have a good thorough inspection. This place has a lot of potential but devil is in the details , boss !!…Read More

When Limewood first opened a couple years ago as the newest hip, trendy addition to the Pulse, the place was always packed, and I had tried to walk-in/ make reservations several times in vain.  This  Sunday evening, we were in the area and thought we would try to get in for an early dinner, to finally give this place a try.  As we were very early, arriving at the Pulse before 6pm, parking was a breeze and as a bonus, we were able to also catch the view of the soft sunset.The restaurant was relatively quiet tonight, only about half full through the evening, but still with a lively and trendy ambiance.  The service was prompt, polite and attentive.  What really blew me away though, was the food.  The menu contains relatively simple items - emphasizing various surf and turf options, but brought to life with a modern Thai style flair, with impeccable execution.We started with the Yellowtail Ceviche (just average) and the Pork Neck Salad (excellent). For mains, we had the Tamarind Beef Ribs (best dish of the night), and the Whole Ginger Fried Sea Bream (good but not amazing).  For dessert, the Churros with Salted Caramel Sauce.  The portions are surprisingly large!  The bill for 2 people came to HKD1300. Definitely not cheap for a beach side eatery, but the food quality was excellent and in my opinion, well worth the price tag.  Lively but not loud, it's a great venue for one of those low-pressure first dates, or a gathering with a few good friends. I'll definitely be back.Just my #twocents…Read More

When food is made with fresh, organic ingredients, the calories don't really count, right ?After reading about this place on a food blog, finally got a chance to stop by today for brunch. Situated in the new hipster foodie area of Hillier and Jervois street in Sheung Wan, the Kinnet offers tasty healthy food choices and at reasonable prices too.Seating is spacious and service is reasonable. They even have outdoor seating as well as one private dining area for a large group.You won't be disappointed with the food quality here. Definitely worth a repeat visit.my #twocents…Read More

Oh Ramen, my Ramen...Ramen has got to be one of my all time favorite comfort foods. Ramen is simple and comforting. Ramen is addictive. Heck, a ramen done right can probably mend a broken heart.Lucky for us in Hong Kong, there have been quite a few decent ramen joints to pop up all over town in the past few years. From the likes of factory style giants such as Ichiran, to more bespoke shops like Shugetsu, to Ramen Champion - the insane free-for-all ramen only food court, we are now officially spoilt for choice. But where do you go when you just want to get some #Ramenlove without having to stand in a long queue with mobs of other hungry people?Koku Ryu Ramen (黑龍）@ 29 Swatow Street in Wanchai is one of my latest favourite ramen discoveries. This is a small modest shop, run by modest Japanese people, serving up small modest bowls of noodles. You won't find any bells and whistles here - no truffle shaving toppings or anything crazy like that. Its noodle menu is basic, offering 3 flavours of ramen, and 2 flavours of tsukemen. In its simplistic elegance, this shop reminds of the tiny, non-descript noodle joints that you would find in a back allies of chill Japanese towns like Nagano.Their house specialty is their beef tendon Tsukemen (dipping noodle), which is obviously awesome, but they also offer "ordinary" ramen, which is far from ordinary. With a choice of chicken, pork rib or beef tendon soup, each of these soup bases is a memorable experience. The soups, like the presentation, really are nothing surprising at first. But as you keep slurping, you'll find yourself gradually and increasingly engrossed in the Umami-ness of it all... When you finally pause for a breather, you'll realize that your bowl is now empty.Apart from noodles, they do also serve a legit side combo of gyozas and draft beer. Not the main star of the show but hey, who can refuse a few gyozas paired with a cold nama!I hope you'll like this one, and happy eating!my #Twocents.…Read More

This afternoon, I happened to be in the area and after wandering up and down High Street and Third Street, I decided to sit down for a lazy brunch at Chico Chica. Today was my second visit to CHICO CHICA... The first time I visited was about 2 weeks ago, for a girls' night dinner gathering.Chico Chica specializes in Spanish tapas, and the menu is the same all day long.  On the weekends, they offer a brunch special - either 2 or 3 tapas, and a drink, for HKD 158/198.  It's not cheap for a brunch, but you are getting good quality, creative, and well-balanced dishes which will entertain your palate. We started off with a new menu addition - oysters in ponzu sauce.  The oysters were fresh and plumped, and topped off with a refreshing ponzu sauce.  Overall, very well balanced, and quite similar to the ones served at Mamasan (except the oysters were fresher here!).Next up, garlic prawns - prepared classically and skillfully, and sizzling with the intense aroma of crispy garlic slices, just the way it should be.Then, we had the jamon ham toasties, and beef burgers. The toasties were basic, but satisfying. The beef burgers were super juicy and full of flavour, with a special fusion kick of a slice of Japanese ginger. A nice touch!Finally, we ended with the "Apollo" - 2 sunny side up eggs, topped with chorizo and served over crispy potato. A great demonstration of comfort food with a bit of flair.Overall, a good second experience. The dishes, while not technically difficult to prepare, are put together with a lot of love, and high quality ingredients. The Owner, Jerry, is there most days and ready to greet his guests with a smile. A nice choice for a casual gathering with 2-3 friends. It's a small shop with a lot of heart, and worth a try in my books. - my #twocents…Read More