This is the good thing about HK, you don't have to travel anywhere if the franchise maintains a good standard.
With these overseas branches, it is best to try it during the first few weeks when the main chefs are there and before they try adapting or changing some ingredients.
Anyway, tried the savoury first as I didn't have breakfast.
It was nice and fluffy with wheat inside it and there was no overwhelming buttery taste and they do not use baking soda.
For the savory choices, I felt that this one was a good choice as the others were mainly omelettes so that's quite a lot of egg in one ago along with the pancakes which are also made of egg.
For the sweet, the signature and the Milk Tea were tempting but chose the milk tea because as it was Japanese, I was giving it the benefit of the doubt that it would not be Chinese style milk tea!!!!!
It turned out to be delicious but it is quite sweet so don't dip too much sauce on the pancakes.
The sauce tasted like a mix of earl grey and condensed milk but as I said it was sweet so I didn't use much of it.
Also on top of the pancakes were granola and dried apples which I liked.
Overall, I loved the souffle pancakes as it didn't have that annoying weird buttery smell and I hope they can maintain the standards.
[A Happy Pancake 幸福班戟]
Shop 203-205, 2/F, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay
It wasn't even a Friday or Weekend but a Wednesday when the evening just begun at 6pm and there was a crowd outside.
As my friend was adamant on trying this place, we waited until we were arranged a table.
We ordered as soon as we got a table as we knew what we wanted.
I had the deluxe toro donburi while my friend had the eel donburi.
The toro donburi made me salivate as it was topped with jelly which turned out to be appetizing vinegar that made the fatty toro not so overwhelming.
On the side, there was a cute quail egg which just added to the silkiness and texture.
I finished it within a flash as the jelly vinegar constantly made me hungry and I have to admit I still felt hungry after eating it.
Definitely will be back earlier to avoid the queue.
Since my last visit to Hon 10, they are now serving Omakase which is good when you can't decide what to eat. There are two choices, but sadly only in Chinese at the moment. But then what you get is different each time so it doesn't matter if the menu is in Chinese or English because there will always be some appetizer, sashimi, soup, cooked item and sushi.
As I was there early, I got my favourite drink which is made with berry jam puree and carbonated water. It was refreshing and bubbly.
The omakase was a great start because the first appetizer was light and delicious. It was my favourite soybean sheets in delicious soymilk!!! The white sweetcorn was just angelic and sweet.
Next was the sashimi, I loved the maguro and the side of plum jelly which was really appetizing.
Next were the Alaskan crab legs which were juicy topped with generous amounts of truffle.
As a fish lover, the fried fish was good, the texture was flaky.
Next was the star of the show! Juicy cubes of wagyu beef. Each bite was soft and tender.
It was tasty on its own without the yuzu pepper but adding it made it taste even nicer with fiery salty kick to it. The finale was sushi which was a great ending leaving me almost full but with room for dessert.
Dessert finished with this smooth and silky beancurd pudding topped with grounded black sesame!
Overall, it was good from beginning to end and the best thing when you can't be bothered to decide.
I am quite particular about my ramen because I prefer the thin white noodles, then if the broth is good then perfect.
If the pork is good as well then it is a mega bonus.
My definition of good pork is being fresh, lean, soft and not smelly!
At Shiawase, they have three different broths: tonkatsu, garlic and spicy tomato.
All three were good in different ways but the pork was the star of everything which makes a change.
The reason I loved it was because it was fresh, soft and tasty.
They were thinly sliced just like the meat we had for roast dinners at school so I was really happy to taste something similar!!
Since all three broths are different, the tonkotsu is one that you can have anytime as the broth is strong but not overly salty or oily.
The black garlic is more flavourful and complicated as you can taste the garlic prominently as well as the pork broth.
Personally, my favourite was the spicy tonkotsu tomato ramen which works for me on a cooler day because it is spicy.
The flavours in this bowl are even more complex as there are lots of tomatoes in the broth which have been boiled for a few hours and all the tomatoes are have been peeled.
The noodles are topped with minced pork which is spicy mixed with herbs, again the pork was fresh hence it was delicious.
The meat sauce tasted a bit like Arrabiata so when you add some cheese powder which can be found on the table, the two go quite well together.
As well as the minced pork, there are also two slices of delicious pork as well. I definitely like this new joint hidden behind the AIA Tower however the lighting can be a bit brighter, other than that I friggin love their PORK!!!
[Shiawase Ramen 幸拉麵]
Shop 19, G/F, AIA Tower, 183 Electric Road, North Point
Tel: 23116322
To be honest, I think quite a lot of things are over priced in Hong Kong.
This dinky little melon cake costed HKD$160 which is around £16!!!!
Ok, it tasted nice but any cake in UK under £2 could taste as nice as this.
It is funny how HKers are willing to pay HKD$600 (approx £60) for a bunch of grapes!!
Tsuru in Central is dedicated to Japanese-style cocktails, prepared by Japanese mixologist Katsuhisa Hirakawa.
Cocktails at Tsuru are made with a number of alcoholic beverages imported from Japan, including sake, vermouth, spirit, gin, liqueur and whiskey as well as other ingredients, such as Japanese citrus fruits, Sudachi and Hyuganatsu, to bring upon the original Japanese aroma. In addition to the massive cocktail selection, Japanese snacks, skewers and main dishes are served at Tsuru to deliver customers a relaxing Japanese drinking and dining experience.
Celebrating the arrival of the summer season, customers will be delighted by the brand new seasonal Japanese cocktails and sangrias available from now until 30th October. Revolving around 3 distinct themes – “ELEGANT”, “SHARING” and “PLAYFUL”, the 3 different levels of experiences to enjoy the new cocktails and sangrias should not be missed!
Japanese Wine Sangria ($430/500ml, portion for 2-3 persons)
Fish-shaped soy sauce bottle has been one of the quintessential items when enjoying sushi all around the world. As a tribute to the iconic bottle, this Japanese wine sangria is a concoction of Japanese red wine, Zuisen Red Tea Liqueur and Japanese citrus fruits- Sudachi imported from Japan and the Miyazaki Prefecture special Hyuganatsu. This sangria comes with a playful twist as it is served in a super-sized fish-shaped bottle.
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Sakura Mojito ($120):
Unlike the usual preparation of mojito, where it is mixed with syrup, the Sakura Mojito at Tsuru uses sugar Shōchū (SHIMAnoNAPOLEON) from Amami Ōshima as a substitute. The mojito is then added with Dover Sakura Liqueur and further upgraded with Japanese citrus fruits - Sudachi imported from Japan and the Miyazaki Prefecture special Hyuganatsu. Garnished with Japanese edible sakura flowers, the sensational drink is modified with a hint of the quaintness and elegance of Japanese culture.
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WA Negroni ($130):
Vermouth and gin are traditionally the two main ingredients of Negroni. WA Negroni at Tsuru, however, is a mixture of Campari and a vermouth made with a Japanese gin (Wa Bi Gi) and the Asahi Yama Senjuhai Sake from Niigata.
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Shiso Mariage ($120):
Made with the Asahi Yama Senjuhai Sake from Niigata, Dover Shiso Liqueur, cranberry juice and fresh lemon juice, the Shiso Mariage cocktail spots a classy shade of red with a refreshing sweetness.
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Cocktail Information above provided by PRelations Group Restaurant PR Agency
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Japanese Cocktail Bar Tsuru Address: G/F, Parekh House, 63 Wyndham Street, Central
Tel: 2523 9968 Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 5:00pm to 4:00am
I saw photos of Yamataka seafood market doing Hello Kitty themed food so decided to check it out as it is only available from now until the end of May, 2017.
The location is above the Wanchai Ferry pier which I find unpleasant to walk from Wanchai MTR at the moment because of the construction works and industrial dust.
Instead of going from Wanchai, I got the ferry from TST which turned out really good because when I got off the ferry, there were flower petals on the ground and lots of these flowers on the way towards Yamataka market.
The entrance was really cute and there were Sakura flowers that you have to walk under.
Evidently it was busy because almost everyone loves Hello Kitty.
It was definitely a good day to eat that day because these pretty flowers were blooming outside which made it feel even more girly and there was this beautiful blue sky.
On the Hello Kitty menu, there was tamago, hand roll, seafood don, Mizu shingen mochi and strawberry pancakes.
I got the seafood don and Mizu shingen mochi.
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Hello Kitty seafood don:
The Hello Kitty was just too cute to eat, it was basically sushi rice in a Hello Kitty shape with sashimi laid around it with sakura shaped egg and cucumber.
As for the taste, you are getting fresh seafood supplied by Yamataka seafood market so it is fresh.
I just wish the rice was a little bit softer.
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Hello Kitty Mizu shingen mochi:
The dessert was equally as pretty but hard to photograph because it is a clear piece of mochi!
It had a faint peach taste which is how I like it but there is bean powder on the side if you need it.
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Video of the food and environment:
Hokkaidon has been featured on most all the media because of this Donburi which overflows with salmon roe.
Video of the over flowing salmon.
On some nights they will be cutting a whole meguro.
That night, it was a big gathering so we had lots of dishes to share.
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Onsen Egg with Salmon Roe:
This was salmon roe and onsen egg goodness together.
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"Yukhoe" Tuna with Avocado:
I absolutely loved this dish because it had my favourite avocado and tuna and the yolk makes it even more silkier.
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Braised Abalone:
A perfectly braised abalone with a balanced sweetness and the seasoning.
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Salmon:
At first, I didn't know what was so special about this salmon but it is visually different because it does not have those white lines and the salmon taste is more intense.
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Sea Urchin (50g)
You just can't get enough of uni so ordered an extra board of it to compliment the donburis.
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Salmon Roe Don:
The salmon roe was the star of the show which I was waiting for the whole night.
On the last scoop of salmon roe, it will overflow from the bowl.
The size of the salmon roe was slightly smaller and darker than I had expected but the taste was really good because they were not as salty as the big ones.
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Signature Hokkai Don:
If you want a mix of everything, then the Hokkai Don is a good choice.
They also have these mini dons which are good for sharing.
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Hot Mini Don $208
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Tuna Mini Don $248
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There is a hot eel don with soup that you pour in:
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Soy Milk Mochi with Brown Sugar:
For dessert, the soy milk mochi was delish because the texture was the same as Okinawan peanut tofu but with a strong soy bean taste.
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My melon drink was fantastic as it was light and natrual with a strong melon taste.
