Chopps's Profile

It was birthday celebration time and we were feeling abit romantic so we thought what better than a nice Italian with an atmosphere so after consulting withsome friends and then checking the options we went with E MoltoBuono and did not regret it!Tucked away in Causeway Bay we headed in the restaurant and were greeted by the friendly wait staff and taken to our table, the restaurant was dimly lit with a romantic vibe when we were seated and given our menu's, after flicking through and making our choices I was caught up in the feeling of sitting in a little Italian diner with the retro Italian musicplaying away in the background which just added that special touch to the dinner to which we found ourselves swaying awayand discussing I know this song a few times throughout the dinner!As you can see you are spoilt for choice! So it was on to the appetizer and we were brought outfresh homemade bread fresh from the oven mmmm there was a Rosemary bread, Cheese crackerand my favourite and unique brown squid ink bread that was slightly crispy onthe outside and soft on the inside, these breadswere paired also with delightfully tasty homemade dips of eggplant and herbs,chorizo pumpkin slightly spicy along withthe traditional olive oil and balsamic We also ordered a bottle of Prosecco that wasrecommended and it had a crisp taste with a slight sweetness similar to that ofa dessert wine and then came fresh oysters which worked so well with the ProseccoFor starters we shared the Octopus with red pepper sauce and a  blue curacao caviar that was a  bit spicyand a bit sour but a perfect texture of the octopus and combination mixing the sauce caviar and octopus in one biteThe other starter was my absolute favourite being a beef tartare fan and it was a cheese tomato and herbs mixed in wagyu beefminced with a quail egg on top and garlic toast with a fresh French mustard sauce, which was just exquisite!Next came the soup course with a few spoons of each to share and taste and I had the asparagus and pancetta cold soup with foam, Theflavours combine for a fresh full taste of all the ingredients and the textures of the soup foam and pancetta The other soup was the French bouillabaisse similar to lobster bisque With clams mussels and tiger prawns that was finished off before i got a chance to sample :(Next was the Entree and another one of my fav’s the Smokedsalmon with tiger prawn mousse Bacon and cheese sauce the combination offlavours and textures was perfect!Amuse bouclé  to cleanse the palate was a Guava sorbet very light and freshNow it was the main course turn and we had a Rack of lamb slow cooked young lamb very juicy and tender with Baked garlic with herbsand vegetables with some honey mustard to pair with the succulent lamb.The other main course was the snapper with basil, purple onion, tomato salsa tomato consume on the bottom, the fresh had amazingly strong but not over powering flavor with the crispy skin cooked perfectly with the jus adding to the juicy flavor to finish off we had a Jasmine rose tea and thenanother show stopper with the Black tea crème brûlée with crispy flakesthat was absolutely delightfulby this time we were pleasantly full and happy after a perfect evening’s dining!…Read More

Rainy cold Sunday doing some shopping in Causeway Bay and we needed something to cheer us up, so we went to do what everyone normal person would do we thought about food!Having narrowed down the list of what type of food we wanted to eat we proceeded to search through the Openrice app to search restaurants nearby and two words caught our eye…“Chili” and “Party” this was surely an omen and not just a lucky coincidence and the restaurant was sealed.Heading we were greeted by the friendly staff and sat straight away, the decor was a mix of traditional with a unique twist, purple walls and Chinese style lattice divided the booths and roses adorned the ceiling hanging down the walls creating an opulent settingWe now set about making this into a party with some food and perused the menu’s choices which took a little while as everything looked good but we decided on a few starters and a mainFirst out was the traditional soup that had slight smell and taste of coconut combined with the broth and vegetablesNext out was the triple threat of Marinated black fungus, cucumber and tofu in chili oilwhich all had a nice spice but not overbearing so you could enjoy the flavorsOut came the main and show piece of the boneless fish chili pot with the side of greens just to keep on the 5 a day goal. The fish was perfectly cooked nice and smooth with the flavor of the chili giving you a nice hit of spice and the greens were juicy with a slight vinegar sauceAs we were taking the title of the restaurant for its word we were having a party for our belly’s and went with some deserts to share, we had a cashew flavored soup that was light and frothy almost like a cappuccino, a chrysanthemum tea jelly that was light and flavorful and then another sweet style soup desert that had a nice ginger flavor which was perfect to finish off the meal.Food and service were great and definitely a good place to have a party for your belly!…Read More

Monday night and thankfully no need to have the Monday blues as out for dinner and catching up our friend who has booked Lab Eat as recommended from a colleague.It fits the bill as it's only a short walk from the MTR and down the vibrant Kimberley Road.I'm instantly impressed with a beautiful cabinet filled with whiskey and the like in the entrance of the restaurant and a modern and welcoming decor and we are seated just like that!The waiter is super friendly and bi-lingual and helps to share the restaurants specials and signature dishes, There's such a great list it's hard to choose but with three of us we can try a few more things which is greatWhile we wait eagerly our drinks arrive and start the show the cool kiss is a vodka infused with rose and cinnamon delightAnd the purple sunbird looks the part with elderflower, lychee liqueur and spriteThere was also a lovely white sangria that I missed because our first starter had arrived and the excitement of Sean urchin toast caused a brain freeze! This was such a nice combination of the toast with the soft texture of the sea urchin and I much prefer this than the normal pâtés With the sea urchin being devoured luckily we were soon presented with mussels in a creamy white wine and blue cheese sauceWith garlic bread. The mussels were nice and fresh with chunks of tomato and that Sauce and the bread👌🏻Next up was. The burratta salad that consisted of tomato, iberico ham, mozerella with balsamic vinaigrette which combined so well with the softness of the cheese and the textures of the ham and tomato.On to the mains and the Scallop, prawn and tomato linguine with a lobster sauce with home made pasta was divine! The freshness of the pasta and flavor of the lobster sauce really brings the dish together and makes it pop!Last but not least the second main arrived which was a Rack of Lamb chops with string beans purple sweet potato mash, tomatoes with a rosemary gravy jus and with mint jelly and mustard on the side. The Lamb was cooked to perfection with a nice char on the outside and mixing with the mustard and jus was soo tasty and the flavor of sweet potato mash and it's smooth yet thick consistency paired well.Having been tempted into the dessert with the oh there's three of us we could share one so went with dessert combo of caramel cake , chocolate fondant cake accompanied with vanilla ice cream, a green tea macaroon and a cream puff with passion fruit filling.The smell of the chocolate cake built the expectations and it delivered in taste mixing well with the ice cream. The caramel cake had a light almost mousse like texture with a sponge base that didn't take long to finish off. Even though it was pretty busy the wait staff we really attentive clearing plates and filling up the water and also happy to help explain what the dishes were so all in all was a great evening here!…Read More

Lunchtime and feeling restless I decide to head out on a stroll over to admiralty to seewhat’s about for something different, having gone based the usual places I tooka walk round the corner and stumbled across 81 ban Japanese Deli and a welcomestumble as I love a bit of Japanese.This place has a deli like zone where you can get snacks like rice balls, cakesand other things but they also have a range of sets from pork cutlet and Japanesecurry to bento and pasta.Having had a curry the night before I think I’ll try something slightly differentfrom a Japanese restaurant and go with the Spaghetti Carbornara with a slice ofmilk bread.Despite a busy lunch service for dine in and take out my food is ready within10 minutes and I head back out to the office. Arriving back and n packing my lunch and they have quite a coolcontainer where it stores your bread but has like a little shelf to keep itseparate and not get soggy from the pasta sauce.digging in and the pasta is pretty good and the combination with the sauce,bacon and bread to dip is very tasty.A great new addition to the lunch scene and looking forward to going back andtrying some of the more traditional Japanese options…Read More

Sunday is family dinner time and my brother in laws wife has booked hot pot in Jordan andoff we go think oh we should have told her about the one we really like, mywife says its funny as the name is similar to the one I’m talking about so I hopeit may be a sister restaurant and as we arrive I realize oh it’s the same placewhen we sit down we find out that there is new owners and it makes sense as thedécor has been updated with posters and a feature wall that gives it a moremodern feel.As my wife’s mum doesn’t eat spicy we miss out on the spicy chicken hot pot butthis is the speciality and very very goodInstead we go with a chicken brothand a Chinese medicine broth half half which are both very tasty.One of my favourite things about hotpot is making the dipping sauce and the great thing about this place is the choicesNow is the exciting time of everything coming out eagerly waiting to be dipped into the potfirst out is the crispy fish skin which a standard order for me so good a quick dip in the pot and then the slightly soft crispy texture flavoured by the    soup brothTofu RollsCheese balls and cheese sausages are great because you can lob these into the pot to cook while you are spending time on...Beeef! really nice cut of beef and the best is you can cook to your taste and easy to tell with the colouring and then straight into your dipping sauceSquid balls with banana inside now these were special it sounds weird but its a lovely combination surprisingly enoughLast but not least was the seafood platter with clams, abalone, oysters, giant shrimp, scallops and more with a bowl of corn and lettuceGreat that the new owners have upgraded the restaurant but still have the greatservice and great food, by far one of my favourite hot pot places in Hong Kong.…Read More

Casual brunch on a public holiday and not much you can ask for, we headed off to highstreet to meet a friend and the decide where to go we had actually decided onsomewhere different but that looked quite full and being a hot day and slightlyhangry there was no time to wait around and my friend suggested St. Barts andthey had been before and pretty good.We head on in and get a table for two for three of us, thankfully someone leaves and weget moved to a bigger table the decor here is quite simple yet effective withwooden floors and white walls with similar furniture complimenting the space.Hitting the menu and being a public holiday we make the wise decision of bloody marysand a great decision it was, they come out nicely spiced with horse radishsauce spread through the drink which makes the difference.We each choose our main knowing full well if someone’s else’s looks good we’llbe throwing our fork in for a taste, after a short wait the food is out and everyone’slooks greatThere was a sweet potatoes hash with spinach and goats cheese and thecombination goes well with the crisps outside and soft inside of the hashalongside the wilted spinach and goats cheese.The mushroom risotto is a very generous portion with mushrooms and cheese straddlingthe perfectly cooked rice again very tasty and the favourite of the day was the corn fitters with crispy bacon a poachedegg and a hollandaise sauce, this was amazing and thankfully my choice so I managedto get the lions sharegreat new addition to the choices on high street grill and a great refreshingchange of food style…Read More

My Uncle & Aunty were making their first visit to Hong Kong to come and see usand they are getting on a bit so the idea was something with a bit of atouristy attraction but also comfortable and a spot of food so where betterthan to head than the Ritz Carlton and Café 100.We arrive and they also have the chocolate buffet going on another floor butagain knowing our audience we head into the café and they are very impressedwith the place, It’s all very cool with big chandeliers and open fires bit comfy chairs and then there’s the spectacular view, unfortunately on this day wecouldn’t really see much as it was quite foggy but that didn’t seem to botherthem.We ordered an afternoon tea set and some tea and coffee and went about having achat.  In no time and everything arrived and wow everything looked so good that we then had to go through the obligatory100 photographs of every cake and technology fails thankfully after that wecould dig in and again we were not disappointed as everything was very freshand tasty, there were shrimp rolls, foie gras pate, red velvet cakes, chocolatemoose and more.A few more cups of tea and coffee down and we finally managed to finish off theplatter, the whole service, environment and atmosphere are top class andrelaxed definitely a great place to spend an afternoon and take visitors.…Read More

My buddy had just flown in from Singapore and came to hang out and have a few drinks, the thought wasto do a BBQ but as the weather was temperamental we decided to scrap thatand head out a quick game of ill eat anything and you choose played out before wechose Dragon Academy and off we went.Being only a short walk from Sheung Wan we got there in no time and heading in,the interior is pretty cool, there’s a massive dragon in the front entrance andthe place is very well laid out.We take our seat and quickly go through the menu with lots to choose from we each pick a main and a sharing plate.  The first to come out is the bonito flakes eggplant which when the waiterplaces the dish down is engulfed in smoke before removing the lid, quite a coolway to present the dish and the flavor is amazingmy lobster wonton and shrimp roe lo mein with soup on the side came out and itwas soo good, the lobster wontons were amazing and dipping them in the soupthat tasted just like lobster bisque was amazingmy buddy had a steamed rice pot that smelt and looked amazing and I’m told wasvery filling.This place is very cool and you need to visit a few times to try everything asthey have some really cool ways to present dishes that we watched in envy asthe table next door received their food. A must visit!…Read More

Friday roll up on us and with a new colleague making it through hisfirst week at work unscathed we decide to head out and celebrate with a spot oflunch. Being new to Hong Kong decide to take him on the scenic tour up to sohowhere we are heading to the Mo Bros for lunch.As its been a bit of humid day and the scenic trip taking the toll we skip thelovely alfresco dinning area and head inside for a bit of aircon.  The restaurant is pretty busy but luckily wegrab a table for three and we sit back and take in the cool breeze throughoutthe restaurant.We all decide on the set menu starting with a nicely dressed salad and for themains we’ve all gone with pasta which is the Mostacciolispecialty and we are not disappointing. Ensuring that no one has food envy we all make a pact to share a forkfull of each one.I went with the Mostaccioli which is the house classic with tomato sauce andpenne pasta, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce well Nona would beproudnext out was Terry’s Baked Mostaccioli which is Chicago style with sausage, tomatosauce and penne with cheese baked on top, another tasty dishand finally Jerry’s linguine with pesto sauce and scallops came out and thiswas a real nice fresh taste with the basil and the scallops combiningdelightfullyAnother great meal at the Mo Bros …Read More

Lunchtime and needing to eat before a game offootball later in the day we made our way looking for pasta as we left thehouse and thinking pasta in Sheung Wan we immediately thought Café Deco, Nowwhile this place is probably more famed for their pizzas the pasta here is alsotop notch.We get seated straight away and seems we have this uncanny way of alwayssitting at the same table which not by choice and also not a problem as therestaurant is setup really well and modern with a relaxed environment.  Today they had the brunch menu with a all youcan eat salad bar but as I was craving some pasta and for the energy we headedstraight to the a la carte menu.We chose  the garlic bread that came outfirst and this was spot on nice and crispy on the outside and slightly softerin the middle with a nice distribution of the garlic but the bonus was thethree spreads of olive tapenade, chili salsa and a garlic mustard thatcomplimented the garlic bread.Out came the pasta’s we had the spaghetti vongole which has a hint of chiliwith clams and a white wine sauce, this one of our favourite dishes here whichnever disappointsthen we had the spaghetti cabornara which came out with healthy shavings ofparmesan a nice rich creamy sauce with bacon bits spread through out and verytasty.Love this place food is always great and also good from delivery and theenvironment is relaxed and staff friendly and attentive.…Read More

Heading out to do some shopping and figured wemay as well grab some food on the way so as we were walking down de voeux roadmy wife jumped on the open rice to look at restaurants nearby and this placecame up just down the road so we jumped on in.Standard setup for a Chinese mix of dim sum and hot pot so we grabbed a spotand set about ordering.  As always we each pick our favourites as generally this is always a good way to test out a newrestaurant and we throw in a few menu specials to see what they are like.  As standard with dim sum the food startsrolling out as its ready and first up comes my fav the tasio bao (barbecue porkbuns) and they are good a nice soft fluffy bao with tasty pork and sauce in themiddle,next up is the siu mai one with fish eggs and one with crabs eggs and theseagain are really tasty especially with some of the spicy homemade chilli sauce.then came the best of them all which was the French toast with custard, thiswas just amazing with a nice soft but crispy toast with custard goodness oozingfrom the middle very very tastynext came my wife’s two favs the first was tofu skin roll in a broththe other ones is chicken, mushroom and Chinese ham wrapped in tofu skin whichis loosely translated as steamed chicken bundlesand finally out came the prawn toast that was pretty good just slightly oily onthe bit that didn’t have so much prawnAll in all this place is pretty decent and coming for the French toast alone isworth italso well priced…Read More

A long overdue date night after being away for work and having beenin the US I was ready to get back into the delights of Asian food and we wereoff for everybody’s favorite Japanese! Friends had recommended this place to my wife as a hidden gem andspoiler alert a gem it is!So being a date night and loving our food we opted for the lazy but also funand surprise of recommendations as we were greeted by the super friendly staffand front of house Janice we thought why not!First out was the taste bud tantalizer that was a Japanese TomatoSalad with sesame sauce with mixed lettuce simple but the execution and tastehad us excited for what was next and of course we paired the meal with sakethat was nice and smooth and light which was great with the warm Edamame peasthat arrivedNext out was the show stopper sashimi plate that was soo fresh and just likebeing back in japan and all so so so good, there was Yozaki like snapper, Tuna thatwas rich and thick texture so fresh, the Toro was like butter with a creamytexture, Fresh scallops with a slight lime flavour melt in your mouth! Freshprawns creamy and fresh just like being in japan and this gift was not finishedsee later, Hamachi soft but slightly harder a great texture combo in one andlast but not least but the fat belly salmon was also a melt in your mouth.Buzzing from the sashimi plate, the sake we were just on a high when the waiterarrived with the Warm Blow fish with a slight sweet and soft texture with alight mayonnaise and I think he could sense my excitement for the dish and gaveus a bit of background of how this is perfect with the sake.recalling the memories of a similar dish to the blow fish while drinking beerand snacking last visit to Japan and boom we received a sushi plate to rivalthe sashimi platter we ate earlier, This contained Sea urchin seaweed and rice- creamy and fresh just like in Japan we’ve tried it a few places in HK and I thinkhands down this was the best, We also had our first try of Salmon whichexplained by the waiter is the one that forgot to swim up stream and give birthand is a delicacy in Japan it had a taste like a big chunk of smoked salmonwithout the smoked flavor and was amazing! There was Argie which was likemackerel with ginger that added to the flavor and finally the Roasted flounder lovely charcoal flavour and so softHaving topped up the Sake next was the shrimp heads from the sashimi earlierthat were lightly deep fried and had a light salty flavour with the lovelycrispness perfect with the sake something I probably never would of ordered onpaper but then thankfully it was recommended otherwise I would’ve just missedout on this delightMore snacks came which was the Pork skewer with a Kimchi sauce and porkwas succulent with the slight spice and sweetness of the sauceThen Chicken wings lightly spice with a subtle crisp on the skin andjuicy chicken Having checked if we were still hungry greedily we were like go on acouple more dishes and out came a dish to revitalize the palate which was a Codfishcooked with turnip with the fish oil merging into the turnip with mushrooms andokra - such a fresh light with the flavour from the fish infusing the turnipand broth so good you can't waste a drop! The cod had a soft texture with theflavour almost like the buttery black codTo round of the meal we were served Ox tongue in a dark familyrecipe seafood sauce with turnip that infused with the flavour, the tongue wastender with a strong meaty flavourHaving continued on our conversation with how good everything was onour joy with the sashimi and sushi plates and trying the salmon we were broughta salmon sushi to see the comparison between the earlier special salmon, thissalmon was very soft and creamy but completely different to the salmon thatdidn't swim up stream Having confirmed we were almost about to burst we had queried about the jars ofolives on steroids obviously this was the sake talking and it turned out to be homemadeplum wine that’s fermented for at least a year to infuse and create the bestflavourTo finish of the degustation there was a Miso soup that just rounded everything offAgain having talked about how much we had enjoyed the food with the waitersthey got us to go over and meet the Chef Ben who had delivered a stunning mealby hand we sat back down to the surprise of –a glass of the home made plum winewhich was sweet with a slight tang and slight honey aftertaste the texture issmooth but thicker that wine.We ended with dessert of Black Treacle mochi with mango slice slightly caramelized Having said goodbye to everyone who now felt like family we rolled ourselvesout the restaurant full but so satisfied and already planning our next visit totake friends. This place is a must visit for amazing food and a really welcoming restaurant teamwho help to add to the experience and amazing food!!…Read More

After a long day of hiking up to Tai O and walking around the markets we heading backto Tung Chung to catch up with my mother in law for dinner.  The restaurant has a little mini bus thatparks at the Tung Chung station and you can just jump in and get taken down tothe restaurant which is only a 5-10-minute driver and maybe a 20-30-minute walkfrom the station.  It’s a cool little area filled with local restaurants Tung Shing Lau is the family favourite andwhere my in laws would go for there date nights last time we were here we satin a different part this time we sat in a new renovated space that had thewalls and ceiling adorned with country flags and nick knacks.So on to the choosing of the meal and using my google translate skills I got anidea of what was on the menu as this is a mix of Hong Kong style and Guangdongfood.  So we each chose something and added one more to share and perfectly they all came out pretty much together so you get to dig in with a little bit of each.The lightly floured and fried fish was melt in your mouth so tastyThe sweet and sour pork is yes one of my favs from growing up and having thewestern style of Chinese food but thankfully I am told this is a true Chinese styledish and not a western fusion like the classics of honey and lemon chicken!the pista resistance was the goose oh man the skin was nice and crispy and fullof flavour, the meat was tender and juicy and there was a light sauce that justadded to the flavours, definitely a must try when coming hereand to round it of we had sautéed vegies in garlic with mushroom and eggThis place is great for a family meal or dinner with friends super friendly andgood service and the food is great …Read More

Sunday breakfast before a dayof hiking it needed to be something tasty and filling to get the cylindersfiring and so the decision was made…Congee! Now I had always been told congeewas something you would eat especially if you were sick, one of these meals withthe revitalizing powers which I don’t know if and how true but I can say thatmaybe its just the power of the mind but I do always feel great after a good Chinesecongee breakfast, maybe it is the congee, maybe it’s the myth or maybe it’s thefact that the combination of breakfast delights is soo tasty and cheap its hardnot to be invigorated!The secret and standard to this feeling for me is the following, Firstyou choose your congee, now my wife loves the classic with clotted blood I like to go for the plain one, the minced meat or on this occasion the fishslice and then adding some white pepper just for that nice peppery taste withthe rice and fish and if you love the traditional English dessert of ricepudding then you owe it to yourself to get out and try congee as it’s the savouryequivalent and is worth itnext up is the accompaniments first up Is the rice rolls then you then coverwith a bit of soy sauce then another sauce which forget its name and thenfinally topped with the spicy sauce and these are just delightfully melt inyour mouth finally but certainly not the least and my favourite are the stir fried noodlesagain you top these bad boys with that spicy sauce and oh you will not bedisappointed!This place is great they are super friendly and helpful and the food is greatand cheap definitely a great place if you want to pop your congee cherry!…Read More

Feeling lazy and leaving worklate we were left with the first world problem of what to do for tea, cook haha ha umm no but then I also could not be bothered to go somewhereelse and stumped for the lets just get some takeaway and to my delight my wifetoo was on the same level sitting on the couch after a long day thinking takeaway will be the savior of the day! So as I strolled home the wheels were inmotion to feed these weary souls and as I contemplated what joyous morsels willbe awaiting me when I got home it wasn’t long till I arrived through the doorto be pleasantly surprised that it was already here and the smell had signaled Iwas in for a treat.  It felt like Christmasun wrapping and opening the boxes to which I had no expectations of what wasinside only the alluring aroma spurring me on.Boom! I had been blessed and while it wasn’t Christmas it was a miracle! Whereto start become the dilemma, there was a perfectly assembled SB Banh Mi withTofu, then sweet and spicy chicken with rice cakes, SB Quesadillas with chickenand last but certainly not least the Kimchi fries.  Not only was everything so tasty that the nomnom nom chant was successfully executed but all the dishes remained in the samestanding from take away that you would expect sitting in the restaurant whichwill be the next time I will be sampling these delights!…Read More