m.antoinette's Profile

There are mornings when you'd wake up and just crave for some good old cha-chan-teng food. This was one of those, so we headed towards Sheung Shui to visit Guong Shing Ice Cafe. I've been here a couple of times before and I've always loved the vibe there - simple menu and old school decor. Service is questionable, but that's all part of the fun. The first to arrive was their Egg Sandwich. The egg was still hot and cooked just the right amount of time. The bread to egg ratio was perfect - just enough soft bread to wrap around the substantial omelette. The beef in this Beef Macaroni was tasty - it looked slightly undercooked when it arrived, but the hot soup cooked it to the perfect texture. It was delicious with some of their chilli sauce. However, the macaroni was a little too soft for my liking. Of course I had to order their famous Red Bean Ice. Love the looks of it. The cone of shaved ice meant that it was cold enough for such a hot summer day. The beans were nicely cooked, meaning they weren't too mushy. Yum!HK style French Toast is so addictive. Nothing beats a piece of bread deep-fried in egg batter, topped with a generous slice of butter and syrup. This was done well too!I would definitely recommend Guong Shing Ice Cafe to anyone who lives closeby (not sure if its worth travelling all the way for, as you can easily find substitutes in Kowloon or HK side). This, from now on, will be my go-to place when I need some HK-style food!…Read More

It's been a while since my last review here on OpenRice. I have been away from Hong Kong studying, but now I'm back for good and the reviews will come piling in!This one is an awesome way to start off my blogging again. To say that my experience at 八王子 was HORRIFYING is an understatement. Not only am I never coming back again, I will also make sure that none of my friends ever visit this place. As our food began arriving, we were all pleasantly surprised. The Tamago with Eel was average. It was room temperature - not hot enough but not cold. It was soft and quite nice with the sauce of the eel.The Roasted Salmon California Roll was quite nice. The salmon was roasted until it was half cooked and it was a good combination with the sushi roll. The Hamachi Sashimi was the best dish of the night. I was fresh and good value for money. we also ordered other dishes such as Toro Sushi Roll, Avocado Shrimp Sushi Roll, Soft Shell Crab Salad, Sashimi Salad, Deep Fried Tofu and Sushi Platter. I thought their sushi and sashimi was better than their other dishes.About 45 minutes later, we were done with everything on the table. There was one item that we were still waiting for - the cheese mochi cake (芝士年糕). So we waited about 10 minutes before we asked our waiter. He helped us follow up with the kitchen. After another 10 minutes, we asked again. He told us politely that the kitchen would need another 5 minutes. So we waited. Another 15 minutes went by and it still didn't come. We asked the waiter to come by so that we could cancel it. My boyfriend, Mr. K, asked him if it was possible to cancel it because we have waited way too long and that the rest of our food was finished 30 minutes ago. At this time, the boss had already changed out of his uniform and having a drink with one of his customers/friends at a table nearby. He heard what we said, interrupted his staff, and told us loudly that "IT'S COMING, IT'S COMING." Mr.K: We have been told that it was coming for the past 30 minutes and it has still not arrived. We have finished all our food ages ago and we would really like to cancel it. (Note that up until now, the conversation between Mr. K, the boss and the waiter was still happening in a very civilized manner.)Boss: (to the waiter) OK OK, just take it off the bill. Just as we thought that this was the end of it, the boss turned to Mr. K and began SHOUTING across the restaurant, the exact words below:Boss: HEY, CALM DOWN, BOY!  My friend, shocked that these words just came out of his mouth, told the boss NICELY to stop telling his customers to "calm down". Boss: THIS IS MY PLACE, THIS IS MY PLACE.We refused to believe that this was happening. At this point, the two other tables next to us were staring in disbelief. One of them, who were also English speakers, started to giggle. We did not say anything.Boss: DO YOU WANT E TO KNEEL ON THE FLOOR AND SAY SORRY TO YOU? DO YOU WANT ME TO FIRE ALL MY STAFF? WILL YOU BE HAPPY THEN? The other table asked for the bill and left. We immediately asked for the bill too. As if that wasn't enough, we eventually realized that the restaurant had charged us for a beer that we didn't order. However, since we had already paid, there was no point in returning. Safe to say, none of us will ever return.I am not sure why the boss would speak to his customers in such a manner. Whether it was under the influence of alcohol or not, it is unacceptable for a boss to act that way in front of his staff and customers. I feel sorry for the members of staff that served us that day, as they were doing their job well but ended up getting no tips. I would've come back for the food, but after this incident, never again.…Read More

Mr. K and I have always wanted to try the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse. Our 7th anniversary was the perfect occassion to give it a go! Our table was perfect for an anniversary dinner. Situated in a room near the kitchen, each table was made up of two leather couches facing each other, enclosed from other guests dining next to you. As soon as we sat down, we knew were going to enjoy this meal. Our waitress Joyce brought us some Garlic Bread to begin with. No matter how hard I tried to resist them to save my appetite for the food, I couldn't. They were buttered with the garlic mixture on both sides and toasted until crispy...yum!StartersOf course, I had already checked out OpenRice reviews before coming. Everyone raves about their crab cakes and scallops. As seafood fans, we didn't hesistate one bit before ordering these. The Seared Maryland Crab Cakes were fresh and full of crab meat. Cooked to perfection, they weren't dry like other crab cakes I've tried before. The Pan Fried Diver Scallops were even better. I'm a bigger fan of scallops than of crabs and these were no exception. The scallop itself was left slightly undercook so that the insides were still juicy and tender then topped with a bit of tomato salsa and bacon bits. I devoured these two dishes with a glass of Chardonnay Cote Sud Domaine Serene. Even without the steak, my life at that moment was complete. Mains & SidesOur Day Aged Prime Rib Eye arrived on a table like a celebrity approaching the stage. It was so dramatic I wanted to applaud...it was served on a chunky wooden board, cooked to the requested medium rare and accompanied with three sauces: Béarnaise, Green Peppercorn and Brandy and Mushroom Ragout. Joyce offered us a selection of mustards to go with it. To be honest, I didn't feel the need for any sauces or mustards. The steak was already good by itself, especially the flavour of the charcoal grill on the outside layer of the steak.As sides, we ordered their Aged White Cheddar Macaroni. The macaroni was al dente, a great plus. I hate overcooked pasta...even in Mac & Cheese! I thought this would've tasted great on its own as a course, but as a side, it was too overpowering for me. I much preffered the Truffle Fries with Parmesan, which wasn't on their permanent menu. I hope that they move this onto their menu as it was spectacular. The fries were the right thickeness and crispiness, even after we were done with the steak. The hint of truffle was not too strong, but perfect accompanied with the grated parmesan. I would happily go back JUST for these fries!DessertEven though we were stuffed by the end of the steak, we refused to leave without properly ending our meal. We went for the Chocolate Mud Pie, which was served with home-made vanilla ice cream and raspberries. The cake itself was dense and chocolatey. The raspberries gave it a tanginess so that it wasn't too heavy, and the vanilla ice cream prevented it from tasting dry. We weren't able to finish the mud pie but our attentive waitress, Joyce, spotted the bottom layer of the cake and told us that we were missing out on the best part of the dessert. We gobbled that down too and she was definitely right. The thin, crispy, wafer layer on the bottom of the mud pie was the perfect ending to the night.The Grand Hyatt Steakhouse exceeded all our expectations and I have already made a reservation for next month. I'd like to give a special mention to Joyce for her graceful service. This is a rare place that manages to get all the basics right and doesn't bring anything over the top - good food served perfectly in a comfortable environment. …Read More

The dessert choices in Yuen Long are really endless and my reviews for them are piling up! This chain I've tried several times but never the one in Yuen Long. I usually order more fruity desserts but this time we chose something different. I'm not sure whether it was this which affected my perceived quality of food, but there are definitely better choices in Yuen Long.黑糖豆腐布甸, $39: We chose this dessert as I am a fan of 黑糖 and its sweetness! It looked and sounded quite interesting. It consists of three parts: a tofu pudding, a shot of 黑糖 syrup and a scoop of tofu ice-cream. It looked quite nice, but the 黑糖 was way too hot to hold and pour over the pudding. We had to wait a while until it was cold, which is sort of impractical. I guess they expected us to use their small spoon to spoon the syrup onto the pudding, but the spoon wasn't small enough to reach the bottom of the glass. I liked how the 黑糖 was hot because it provided an interesting contrast in temperature with the others. However, although the syrup was sweet and rich, I thought it wasn't a very good combination with the tofu flavour. The tofu pudding itself was okay - smooth, not too sweet and very beany. But together with the 黑糖, it just tasted strange. Would not order it again.芝麻糊豆腐花(凍), $22: This was quite disappointing too. The 芝麻糊 itself wasn't rich enough and it tasted a little watered-down. Wasn't as thick and intense as I wanted it. I've had much better ones elsewhere. The 豆腐花 was also average, didn't really taste anything and it wasn't particularly smooth. Together, this dessert was tasteless and not very enjoyable. Boo!雞翼尖, $12: This was probably the best part of the meal, although nothing special. The 雞翼尖 was hot enough, flavourful as I think they were marinated/cooked for a long time. The portion was a bit small for its price compared what other people were serving but the taste was okay. Not as good as B jai's though!The air-conditioning of this place was crazy cold so we chose to sit outside, which was fine. The place is still quite new so everything was quite clean. The service was average, nothing special but nothing to complain about either. Still, the food isn't good enough for me to come again :(. What is worth commenting on is their reusing - very environmentally friendly! They reuse the food card by crossing out the order once someone's paid for it. I applaud them for that! Likes: ReuseDislikes: 芝麻糊豆腐花Come Again? Probably not.Room for Improvement: Desserts!!!!…Read More

I really enjoy Shanghainese food, maybe because there is so much variety. This place takes full advantage of that my providing its customers with a big big menu, lots of pictures and things to choose from. I think this place is one of the better Shanghainese restaurants out of the bunch in its area, they seem to put more effort into making the food taste good. Ordered various things to share between us.燻魚: For appetizer, ordered this. Was my first time trying this dish, so I have nothing to compare it to. It's quite special - coldly served, sweet, a little hard and chewy. Although not really my type of dish, it was quite a nice start to the meal, especially on a hot day, to open our appetite for the rest of our meal! 霸王小籠包: This place does 小籠包 quite nicely. Of course, there are better places (still reminiscing Taipei's 鼎泰豐) but this I would consider one of the better ones. Freshly steamed, they were very hot! We ate it straight away so that it would retain its temperature. Together with some vinegar and ginger ... mmm ... the skin was very thin and soft, and the meat tender, juicy and fat! There was a lot of juice packed inside, made the whole thing very flavourful! Yum.擔擔麵: I am a big big fan of 擔擔麵! Well done at this place too, especially the texture of the noodles. It's such a happy thing when I find places which can do their noodles well. Its not rare for Shanghainese restaurants to freshly make their noodles and I think this place is no exception. They have three types to choose from and I think we chose the thick kind which is what most people choose for 擔擔麵. These were so chewy and smooth, super like! The soup was good too, quite spicy with some peanut flavour. Definitely would order this again if I'm here, but the temperature could be a little hotter!水煮牛: This was tasty as well, maybe not very authentic, not very spicy but the beef was very tender. The portion was very big and although not very spicy, it was flavourful. There was also a lot of vegetables, perfect for me! We ordered a bowl of plain rice to go with it, as there was lots of sauce (more like oil, hehe)! Not as spicy as I would've liked it, but the texture of the meat made it good :).四季豆: Of course we'd order some greens. These were good, nicely seasoned. Also good with plain rice. This restaurant is quite big. Lots of seats and quite spacious. We got a table with sofas so it was quite comfortable. The service was very efficient, but nothing spectacular. Great food and menu, would recommend to anyone who likes Shanghainese.Likes: 擔擔麵, 小籠包Dislikes: - Come Again? YesRoom for Improvement: Temperature of food (could be hotter) and their 水煮牛 spicier.…Read More

Late night snack .. deadly to my weight gain but unavoidable! This is such a bad habit of mine, but too bad! Chose this place because I wanted something savoury and they now provide tables and chairs for people to eat there instead of having to takeaway. 魚肉生菜, $12: I'm quite a big fan of this snack because I like vegetables, I like fish and I like soup, haha! You can't really go wrong with this unless the fish batter is done really bad. I think this was satisfactory, nothing too extraordinary though. The fish meat quite chewy and not too soft, the vegetables weren't overcooked and the portion was so big for the price! Not bad. 茶葉蛋, $3: This was really hot, I could barely remove the egg from its shell! The eggs itself absorbed a lot of the sauce and was very dark in colour, also very flavourful. However, the texture was a little too hard for my liking.豬頸肉, $8: I like to choose 豬頸肉 when eating 串燒 because it's a more tender meat. I asked for spicy so they sprinkled spicy seasoning powder on top. It was quite good, but nothing too special! This place is quite good whenever I feel like a savoury snack, as they have wide variety. It's quite good value for money and now that they have seating, I might be coming back more often!Likes: There wasn't anything too spectacular which I would return for or recommend, but everything was decent.Dislikes: - Come Again? Yes, when I need some street food!…Read More

Found out from of a friend ... research has shown that a female's tummy expands once they hear the word "dessert". I guess that explains my second appetite for sweets. It probably also explains why there was not a single male customer even though this place was almost full! Had lunch with girls then decided to properly end our meal with dessert at Sift. I've read reviews and have always wanted to try this place. Since I had lunch in Central, I took this perfect opportunity to try it out!Entering the restaurant, couldn't help but swoon at the sweet smell of baked goods. Got a table at the actual bar where we could watch the chefs prepare all of our desserts. I really liked the concept of a dessert bar: it's quite rare to get one of these in HKG so its a new experience coming here. The sight of chefs gradually folding dark, rich chocolate into silky smooth cream was a beautiful sight The menu isn't big, as they only serve drinks and desserts. There is a minimum charge of $65 per head, so it's probably best to order a dessert each! We ordered 3 desserts:Sift Chocolate Cake, $72: This was impressive! I really enjoyed the flavour, texture and presentation of this dessert. A combination of chocolate fudge cake, layered with chocolate ganache, jivara cremeux and praline crunch, it was so satisfying . The presentation is simple - the cake itself placed on one side of a long, narrow plate, topped with some crunch flakes. The other side of the place was simply a line of crunch flakes - simple, elegant, lovely! The excess flakes on the side was perfect, because I love them and it adds crunch to the cake. Now, the cake itself. It was very chocolately, very rich yet not overwhelmingly sweet. The temeperature was good, cold enough and the texture was heavenly. The smooth chocolate mousse was greatly contrasted with the dense, moist cake and crunch. Yum!!!!!! For all you chocolate lovers out there, this is a recommended!Chocolate and Strawberry Pavlova, $90: This was also a delight to look at from start to finish. A beautiful piece of chocolate pavlova covered with some whipped cream then a generous layer of strawberries and a final sprinkle of grated chocolate. This is served with a little glass of Chardonnay Jelly. This was good in contrast with the chocolate dessert because it was lighter and more refreshing. This dessert was great too. The chocolate pavlova was light and airy. Crispy on the outside, moist and chewy in the middle. Paired with the whipped cream and strawberries (you can't really go wrong with strawberries and cream!), it was a great summer dessert. The strawberries were a little sour, but that didn't really matter because the pavlova was sweet and chocolatey. The jelly wasn't really my thing, don't really like such strong alcoholic flavour in my desserts. For those who do, might like it - was cold and light, interesting contrast in flavour and texture with the pavlova itself. Molten Chocolate Cake, $85: Only had one bite of this one, but it was a nice, satisfying bite! The cake was warm and the inside definitely molten. It was rich, dense, moist and chocolatey. Topped with some ice cold vanilla ice cream and chocolate almond crunch it was very warming. It's heavier than the other two dessert, maybe also due to the fact that it is served warm. For me, that's fine ... it is dessert afterall ! The place itself is quite cosy, since we chose to sit at the bar, I couldn't tell if the tables were too close to each other. Atmosphere was nice, quite good for chilling with the girls. Service was fine too, the chef behind the bar was the one who took our orders and he was quite friendly. Great place it you have time for a nice dessert, especially to all those girls with a sweet tooth like me!Likes: Sift Chocolate CakeDislikes: - Come Again? YesRoom for Improvement: Their menu (physically) because it didn't really give a good first impression when you sit down, open the menu and the paper is slightly crumpled with some stains. They can do much better! Other than this, really quite a unique place they've got.…Read More

Wanted to try this place for a while now. Close to home, relatively new with good reviews plus a new environment. The last time I went, they were full with office people so couldn't try it. Was smart enough to reserve a table that day, so got to try it finally! However, it did not live up to my expectations. Maybe I expected too much? Strawberry Smoothie, $22 which was so disappointing. I'm not sure about everyone else, but my definition of a smoothie is a drink with yogurt, fruits and maybe sugar. This, to me, tasted more like a milkshake ... not even, it tasted like melted strawberry ice cream with some ice. Wasn't impressed at all, this drink was strange. Potato Skin, $38: Was very mediocre. The presentation was nice, served on a long plate with some sour cream sprinkled with flecks of green herbs. The potato skin was topped with quite a lot of bacon bits and cheese. Taste however, was disappointing. Firstly, there was too much of the potato itself - it felt like eating baked potato. the skin wasn't chewy enough and it wasn't hot enough even though it was freshly baked :(.Triple Mini Burger, $55: I was mainly attracted to this restaurant by pictures of this item. As I like food in small or mini servings, so that I could taste a bit of everything, this was very appealing. We also ordered French Fries, $10 as sides to go with the burger. The three burgers consist of one beef, one fish and one barbecue pork. This was disappointing too. As I remember, the pictures of this looked nicer than what it looked in real life or maybe how they prepared it that day. The burger bun looked too big for the filling. I guess I expected it to look better. We then tried the burgers one by one. Starting with the beef, it was average. I think there was nothing in it apart from the beef patty. The patty was okay, not too dry nor overcooked, a little juicy. However, I think because the bun was so thick and big that it made the overall burger a little dry. Since there was no sauce or cheese or vegetables, it was quite plain and mainly dry. Not so good :(. The fish was a little better, but still nothing special. At least there was some tartar sauce which meant the overall burger was less dry. Finally, the barbecue pork was average too. There was also sauce in the pork but the pork itself was a little dry and tough. The taste was sweet, it was pretty much like a Chasiu Bao but with a burger bun. The fries were really good though, maybe the best thing out of the whole meal. They were flavourful because they were coated with spices (Cajun?), Freshly fried, they were crispy on the outside and hot enough. Spaghetti with Mixed Seafood and Cherry Tomato, $68: Good presentation, the pasta looked quite impressive as it was served. There was a a lot of seafood piled on top and herbs sprinkled on top. The taste of the pasta and the sauce was good, very tomato-ey and was hot enough. The texture of the spaghetti was okay too, not overcooked. Was clearly not fresh pasta though, but that was expected. The seafood, however, was horrible. It was clearly frozen, at least the fish was. It didn't taste fresh at all, which was a pity because the rest of the pasta was done quite well. The restaurant itself - I expected more. From pictures and the outside, it looked like a very cosy, comfortable and warm environment in which you could finish your meal and stay to chat with a another cup of drink. The restaurant is quite small and the tables were quite closely packed. We got a table near the bar so we didn't get to sit on the bench sofas. Since we were close the bar, which was also the cashier counter, we were able to notice how messy it was. Even inside the bar, I noticed that the counter was untidy, covered with random things. I wasn't impressed with this because I think a restaurant must be presentable. The fact that it was so messy showed that it was slightly unprofessional also unappetizing. Didn't really expect that from a cafe like this, even though it was in Yuen Long. For the price they were charging in comparison with other restaurants in the area, they could've at least kept the counters clean. Service was average, nothing special and not bad. The food came efficiently and in the correct order and they were quite helpful. Nothing to complain about.Overall, my main problem with this cafe was that it didn't meet my expectations. I guess this isn't completely their fault, but at the same time, restaurants should work to meet or even exceed its customers expectation. The presentation of their food is hugely deceiving. Attracted by its foods' presentation on Openrice, I expected much more than unfresh seafood, a strange strawberry smoothie and dry burgers. Won't be coming again in the near future unless I see some decent improvements to its quality of food! Likes: FriesDislikes: Strawberry Smoothie, Triple Mini Burger and SeafoodCome Again? Maybe not.Room for Improvement: Quality of food and tidiness…Read More

Spanish food, especially Tapas, was one of the most memorable cuisines amongst my few Europe trips (although nothing beats real Italian food the way Italians cook it). So when I felt like Tapas one day, I was worried I wouldn't find a good, authentic one in HKG after experiencing a few in Barcelona and Mallorca! Looked on Openrice and found out about this place. Good reviews, nice presentation, menu in Spanish, open kitchen ... can't really go wrong, I thought. Definitely lived up to my expectations. Read on OR that you can't reserve in advance here, so didn't even bother calling. Arrived before 1PM and the restaurant was about half full. The layout of the restaurant is perfect for what it does. Its long and relatively narrow, majority of the space taken up by a continuous bar table facing the open kitchen where most of the cooking happens. It's a different story when you watch your food being prepared right in front of you. The aroma, the whole process from start of prepping to finishing your dish - its just somewhat, somehow more satisfying! It's also tricky for the restaurant themselves though, hygiene is an extremely important factor that comes into play, the way they handle the food, the chefs' own presentation and behaviour and how tidy the area is kept - all are aspects which put their reputation at risk. Tapeo does it well. The food, the presentation, the whole layout, the service, even down to their music. They brings these things together to make a perfect atmosphere, for tapas at least. The sound of your food sizzling, smell of garlic and the upbeat Spanish music put together a great experience for my friends and I. The cute Spanish chef, I think? A bonus! -As big eaters ... wasn't surprised when it turned out that we over-ordered our tapas. We started off with 2 jugs of Sangria between 4 people as it was scorching hot outside. Sangria was good - I enjoyed it because it wasn't too strong. There were many fruits: grapes especially. They put enough ice in the glass so it was so refreshing and fruity. Perfect start to the meal. The jugs are a little smaller than expected though, maybe compared to those in Spain!Pan con Tomate (Bread with Tomato), $35: Oh my gosh, so good I had to order seconds. How to describe? Very refreshing. Unexpected, because I've never tried this way of preparing tomato bread - the difference lies in their tomato paste. Served on extremely thin slices of toasted bread, it is so crispy and light. The paste covers the whole of the bread so that it is flavourful enough. Sprinkled with some green herbs (parsley? not sure but) it looked great and tasted great. ESPECIALLY with jamon!!!! Jamon Serrano, $108 and Jamon de Jabugo, $188: tried both their hams, both great! The Serrano came first, it was sliced right in front of us, yay! Nicely presented on wooden boards, it was like a show ... which we got to eat after! Both hams were good in their own way, but you definitely pay for what you get. The more expensive one was better in texture - thick, more chewy, slightly fatter. Nonetheless, both were very nice. Crispy Shrimps with Chilli, $55: I found this less impressive than the first few tapas. It was quite spicy, but the sauce was too thick for my liking and it didn't go too well with the shrimps. The shrimps were quite fresh though, it wasn't a BAD dish, just could have been better. Marinated White Anchovies, $58: Great! Refreshing with the lemon, it was tangy and suitable for a hot day. Anchovies aren't for everyone, I've only learnt to like it recently. These were great with bread. Yum! Sauteed Mushrooms: This tasted much better than it looked! I am a veggie fan much more than a meat fan so I always order some greens. When it was brought onto our table, it looked a little dry and and boring compared to what we already ate. However, once I tried it, it kind of surprised me. It wasn't anything spectacular like the tomato bread but it genuinely tasted good! Smelt really nice of garlic as I remember and the mushrooms totally soaked in the flavour. Not bad! Crispy Pork Belly with Quince Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise), $72: This is one of their signature dishes, recommended by the waitress. Lived up to its expectations! At first sight, the meat looked tough. I think this was due to its brown colour, it might appear a little overcook. However, it was delightful! The pork was crispy on the skin and outside, but the inside was tender and soft. The garlic mayonnaise was nice paired with the pork, brought out the fatness of the pork, yum yum. Tapeo Paella, $1xx: This was by far he most disappointing part of the meal, no doubt. It was nicely presented with a tall tower of seafood piled on top of the paella on a stone plate. Smelt good, but taste did not match up to the rest of the meal. :(There was barely any taste, really lacking in flavour. It wasn't cheap either, for a small portion. My friends and I barely touched this, also due to the fact that we were full by this time of the meal!This wasn't everything we ordered, believe it or not. We also had their Chorizo and Spinach Tortilla which was average. I am not a big fan of potato thus never really order tortilla and don't really know what an authentic tortilla tastes like. This was a very thick piece of tortilla, but nothing special as I remember. Wasn't very flavourful so didn't bother posting the picture! Also had their Chorizo and Tomato, $78 but wasn't too impressed with it either. I think the chorizo wasn't fat enough, just the texture of the whole dish wasn't too appetizing. -I had nothing to complain about their service, the waitress was friendly, polite and humble. Don't think she was a Canto-speaker though, so we spoke English to her. She had good recommendations, always smiled and quite efficient with the food and drinks. Apart from the food, I think I would really come again just for the atmosphere. Upbeat and casual, it's great for a chit-chat lunch with some girl friends. Tapas allows me to try many different dishes to share, perfect! The tapas here is nicely presented too, great even just to look at Overall, really enjoyed this lunch - the taste and presentation of their food, the vibe, the service - great combination! Would definitely come again.-Likes: Crispy Pork Belly, Sangria, Jamon, Tomato BreadDislikes: Paella, Chorizo and TomatoCome Again? Yes!Room for Improvements: Paella needs more taste! …Read More

Few weeks ago, I had a phase ... a phase for fries. After a not so satisfying experience at Ireland's Potato, I landed at Elements' Chips Republic. Had it once before, when I was at the cinema and remember it was quite good. When I was at Elements again, couldn't help but revisit this place and order their Chilli Cheese Fries, $34!What can I say? Compared with my recent visit to Ireland's Potato, my gosh this was SO MUCH MORE SATISFYING! I think it fulfilled my fries craving on the spot, right after my first bite. I had to wait around 3 minutes for my fries because they prepare it a la minute. For that reason, it was really hot and fresh - important when it comes to fries, or any hot food in general (in my opinion), but of course it means more 熱氣!!! Oh well, it takes some sacrifice to experience good food, I guess. The fries: Mmmmm. Hot. Crispy on the outside. Soft on the inside. Thick and good in texture. Perfectly covered in their sauce. Doing well on this, don't need to change a thing!Chilli Cheese Sauce: Spicy!!!! Spicy enough for me, really good combination with fries and cheese. Hot, thick, well seasoned and in abundance!!! They were not skimpy with the sauce like many other stores selling fries. Their was enough sauce to cover the fries, even down to last one! This really impressed me, even though its not a big deal. Just saying...Wow, would definitely return for some more. I'm not sure if I am willing to let go of this flavour and try a new one, because I love spicy so much! I might want to try the gravy and mozzarella one, just maybe. Likes: Chilli Cheese Fries!!!Dislikes: -Come Again? YesTo Improve: Maybe something green to decorate. It doesn't look attractive enough for how good it tastes! …Read More

Use to be a huge fan of Auntie Anne's pretzels when I was younger and always visited Mong Kok's Grand Century Plaza. Was just visiting the toilet of Time Square's Citysuper when I bumped into these beautiful pretzels again. And of course, they were giving out free tasters. With the sweet smelling aroma and spinning lemonade machines, couldn't help but stop by and have a taste of their pretzel samples. Great marketing strategy, I reckon. People like me ... won't stop at one bite. Their pretzels are quite irresistible I think. For one, not a lot of places sell pretzels in HKG, let alone in so many different flavours! Plus, if I am getting a pretzel I am bound to take a lemonade as well. The sourness tones down the heaviness of the pretzel itself, great combination! Toffee Pretzel: Didn't even need to consider other flavours before choosing my old time favourite, toffee flavour. Why? Hm...the sweetness of it is just right for me. The pretzel itself is not to sweet, so paired with the sweet toffee bits on top, its perfect. The toffee bits add a bit of crunch to it so that there's a combination of textures ... crunchy on top and warm and soft in the middle. Great! Lemonade: Great as it was not too sweet! Sour enough so that it tasted like proper lemonade, not the concentrated kind. I think this is a great thirst-quencher as I am not a big fan of fizzy drinks. This was tangy enough to open up my appetite again, even after a pretzel! What's more, I love their slogans. So after a pretzel and a cool cup of lemonade ... suddenly, life makes sense again .…Read More

As a 粉麵 lover, I always look for good noodle places and stick with them. This is no exception, even if it means lining up for 15 minutes for a bowl of noodles! Why the wait? Their sauce. Something about their sauce keeps me coming back! As a spicy lover, their 辣汁 ALONE is enough to make an impatient girl like me, wait in line (IN THE HEAT). Now it's not their level of spiciness that keeps me waiting because there are tonnes of noodle shops serving even spicier soups. What keeps me waiting is the FLAVOUR of the sauce. I can't properly describe it: yes, it is quite spicy but that can be controlled by the amount of sauce you request for. What's more important is the thickness and taste of it - it's sort of like satay, but not really. It's sort of like chilli, but not really. You really have to try to know what it actually tastes like! If you don't like spicy? Well, you should! But if not, I guess you can ask for a TINY bit in your soup, just to try it out .So, what other than their sauce? 車仔麵 is a brilliant idea, whoever invented it. Get a bowl of noodles (of your choice!), pick however many toppings you want according to your own preference. What you like, put in. What you don't, omit! What more can we ask for? I'm sure not everyone in that line were spicy lovers. There are many who probably come for a bowl of noodles, even without their 辣汁. So why do they keep coming back? I guess they're happy with the bowl of noodles itself with its toppings. For my bowl of noodles, I asked for 米粉，豬腸, 羅白, 雞翼尖, 菜 and 辣汁. Everything was great, although I would've preferred 生菜 rather than 通菜 - but that's only a personal preference. What I have to comment on especially, is their 豬腸 ! There is not a single time when I come here and NOT order 豬腸. It is so chewy and tasty (probably marinated in soy sauce) - and it seems decently clean compared to other places which serve the same thing. 羅白 is good too, sweet and soft. Great paired with the spicy soup. Bowl of noodle is hot enough, it's made right in front of you. Noodles are not cooked until they're too soft - just right. The portion isn't too big, you can pay for double portion of noodles but why would you? I'd rather choose a few more toppings instead!The place itself. Definitely not its selling point. It works just like other 車仔麵 stores, but with a longer wait in line . So you line up (depending on your time of day) until its your turn. The boy will ask you what type of noodles you want, then you wait. The noodle is passed to one of the two people who arrange your toppings. You choose your toppings QUICKLY because they rush you, but you've had plenty of time to think about it when you were in line! Grab a drink from the fridge if you want, pay, and bring the bowl of noodles YOURSELF to next door where there are wooden chairs and tables provided with some air-conditioning (or was it only fans?) So, no service apart from arranging your noodles and cleaning it up! Nonetheless, they are quite friendly and funny. Great place, would recommend to anyone, but ESPECIALLY 粉麵 and/or 辣 lovers like me!!! Likes: 豬腸,辣汁Dislikes: -Come Again? Ohhh yes.p.s. Their business is so good, that they don't even need to do dinner service ... now that's impressive for a stall like this! Room for improvement? They are HUGELY un-environmentally friendly. ALL their utensils are disposable - polystyrene bowl, wooden chopsticks and plastic spoon. Convenient and fast, yes. No need for cleaner and water fee, yes. But so damaging to the environment :(.…Read More

Was surprised to see this dessert place in Yuen Long. I have heard of it and seen some good reviews of it on Openrice, but didn't think they would enter the Yuen Long market. Not a bad idea, as Yuen Long's market for dessert has continued to thrive ... I rarely see any dessert places which turn out unsuccessful. Also, most of them serve more local type desserts such as fruity desserts and sweet soup. I think 五代同糖 made a good move to open a store here and be one of the first who serve pastries and Western style desserts.I ordered the 焦糖燉蛋, $30. Couldn't help but smile at the cute glass eggshell container that it was served in! The lid is detached as if the egg has cracked and its transparency allows you to see the caramel at the bottom of the jar. The little mint leaf placed on top adds some colour and detail. Cute presentation, I really liked it! The pudding itself was also delicious - I reckon it tastes similar to Creme Brulee but without the burnt sugar coating on top. The egg was smooth, sweet and creamy with little black flecks of vanilla beans. There is a thin layer of caramel on the bottom. This went perfectly with the egg because it was overly sweet, and the caramel gave it an even richer, more intense flavour. Most importantly, the whole thing was cold enough. Even the glass container was cold because they chilled the whole thing together - so good that I ordered a box of 6 to takeaway for my family to try! However, their takeaway is slightly different - it is served in actual egg shells (waitress told me if I wanted it in the glass container you had to pay a deposit of $15 per egg until you bring the glass container back ... I chose not to!) and they also omit the caramel layer which is sort of strange. Nonetheless, it was still tasted good!We also had the 原味梳乎厘, $35. This was not as amazing as the first dessert, but not bad either. It took around 15 minutes to come because they bake it a la minute. Its presentation looked great too, golden in colour, nice and puffy with a slight sprinkle of icing sugar. Dig your spoon in, and it'll remind you of a fluffy cloud because it is so soft and delicate on the inside! It deflates immediately and you have a spoon of the moist, fluffy filling with a thin layer of the chewy layer on top. The icing sugar gives the souffle a tint of sweetness, because the actual souffle isn't very sweet. The texture is probably the most important part of this dessert. I think they did it well - very airy on the inside, it's a funny experience like you are eating nothing! It was very hot so I think this dessert would be perfect on a cold winter's night. Nonetheless, the taste wasn't anything special but great texture. The place itself was bright, new and well air-conditioned. Was relatively spacious with quite a lot of seats. The decor is modern compared to a lot of other dessert places in Yuen Long. Service was good too, very young staff, humble and polite. Overall, a nice place for some Western style dessert if you feel like it. Personally, it is a bit heavy for me after dinner and I would most of the time feel like some lighter, fruity, Asian style desserts. But if thats not your case, this is a pretty good choice!…Read More

Was off to TST for a Japanese restaurant, only to find out that it had closed after lunch hours, as it was already almost 3pm. So went across the street for some Korean food instead.Personally, I am not a Korean food lover. I enjoy eating it, but I prefer other cuisines and would choose to eat other Asian restaurants over Korean ones. Saw this one by chance, looked decent and quite authentic (staff were all Koreans!) so went in to try it out. Actually, I'm glad I did because it turned out quite good and I would definitely return again, especially to try their Korean BBQ!After ordering, we were brought the appetizers. I assume each person gets 3 different types because we were given 6 and I noticed that people who were eating alone were given 3. I am not an expert in Korean food and cannot tell whether these were authentic or not! Nonetheless, I thought they tasted good, fresh and was a good start to open my belly for more food!The first thing we ordered was the Kimchi 薄餅, $80. It was served on a sizzling plate which helped keep it warm. I really enjoyed this dish - again, unsure whether it tasted authentic or not - but the texture was absolutely great! I really liked how it was very crispy on the outside, especially the outer edge of the pancake and chewy on the inside. There were actually kimchi bits as well as green chillies. There was also a plate of soysauce and chilli on the side for you to dip the pancake in. It made it more spicy and tasty! Yum! We also ordered 石鍋飯, $75. Too bad I wasn't quick enough to capture the picture of how it looked when it was still in the stone pot! The waiter brought it over whilst it was steaming hot, put the spicy bean sauce in, in front of us, and mixed it for us. He then helped us divide it into two metal bowls which was great, because it kept the rice hot. The rice was delicious, properly seasoned and lots of vegetables. The texture was great, with bits of crunchy rice from sizzling in the pot.Finally, the 牛肋骨煲, $110 was tasty too. We were given plain rice and radish soup with it. The pot was boiling vigorously when it was brought onto our table. After a while, the steamed died down and it looked ready to eat. It was very very hot, as it was still cooking in the pot. The meat itself looked quite tough but once I tried it, it was actually very tender! It was very flavorful because it had absorbed all the sauce. The meat and sauced tasted very good with some plain rice. The potion wasn't very big, I think around 3 big pieces of 牛肋骨 and a piece of carrot and turnip, which had also absorbed all the flavours. Good!In terms of the restaurant itself: I went just before 3pm and it was about to close. I think they turned down some of the lights and air conditioning so it felt like we were eating in a half-closed restaurant! It was a bit dark for my liking, but the tables were big and spacious and the chairs quite comfortable. It got a little too hot by the end of the meal, since we were eating spicy and hot pot food. The service was average, maybe due to the fact that we were the ones stopping them from taking their afternoon break! They remained quite helpful but not very friendly. I think our waiter was Korean, but he spoke perfect Cantonese! All in all, I really enjoyed this restaurant. It was good for me to eat some Korean again, because I rarely do. Again, I am not familiar with this cuisine but my impression of it was quite authentic. Whether or not it is authentic, I feel that the food tasted good and they had a large menu to choose from. Pleasant surprise! Would like to try again!Likes: Kimchi 薄餅, 牛肋骨煲Dislikes: -Come Again? Yes! I want to try their bbq!…Read More

Past by and saw quite a few people ordering their 豆腐花, so we sat down and ordered some too! The last time I saw this place it was newly opened and not that popular. What a difference to this visit!Ordered a 豆槳, $7. It was a very big bottle! Very good price. The taste was good, could really taste the 豆 and it wasn't very sweet. Also cold enough, a great thirst-quencher.Also got a cold 豆腐花, $6. Very good price too! Also tasted nice, very smooth. Even better, unlimited 黃糖! The only thing was that I felt it wasn't cold enough. It would be even better if it was properly chilled, because you have to sit outside in the heat!…Read More