[Flamingo Bloom] Zero Caffeine series and light bites

Flamingo Bloom are launching drinks faster than I can keep up!

This time they have launched the #NAKEDZERO series which are #ZEROSUGAR #ZERO CAFFEINE and #ZEROPRESERVATIVES whilst being dairy and lactose free because it contains Almond milk.

These drinks really appealed to me because of the almond milk.

There are three flavours: P!NK, GOLD and V!OLET.

The NAKED ZERO series are blended with Mongolian grapes and made to order. You can see how much grapes there are blended.

As always, their drinks impress.

I wasn't sure how it was going to taste but it tasted like yoghurt because of the grapes and because it was freshly made it is well blended and no vitamins are lost.

As well as the #NAKEDZERO series, there is a hot series for winter.

Decisions arre tough because they have this new apple and cinnamon and the caramel cinnamon hot milk a well as smashed pears!

The smashed apple and cinnamon which is the best in my opinion because it tastes like my favourite apple pie with hints of jasmine.

Next time I will request for some Salted milk cap so I can imagine drinking apple pie with cream!

For light bites, they have four new toast items!!

They had hot dog briefly which I wasn't quick enough to try but to be honest toasts are healthier and better.

There are four different toasts but avocado is my favourite so I had that.

The whole thing just tasted in harmony because you could taste the lovely salted butter on the toast whilst having bites of soft creamy avocado and juicy cherries tomatoes enhanced by the black pepper.

The avocado pieces were just right which was really good because at other places I have been served crisp, hard avocado which is not ripe to eat.

[Flamingo Bloom]

https://www.facebook.com/flamingobloomhk/

Spicy night at [THE BALCONY]

I don't normally dine in this building but one of my favourite Chefs is there so I decided to try it out.
He said the food was going to be spicy but I underestimated how spicy it would be.

Anyway tried three spicy items: chili lobster soup, spicy clams and spicy whelk.
It was impressive how the spicy taste was different for each dish and not the same dead boring chili.
The lobster soup was fantastic because it was loaded with my favourite Basil and the lobster was fresh and it even had roe as well!

The spicy whelk in wine, obviously spicy had Sichuan peppercorns so it had a Sichuan touch to it.

The chili clams were the spiciest!!!
I would rate that this one had a strong chili taste and you can visually see how spicy it was with that orange chili oil surrounding it on the left!

The bread was buttered with something unique, it tasted like the ginger oil that you get with Chinese chicken but it was actually lemongrass!!

Normally I can taste what is in the ingredients but this Chef is one of the the good Chefs that can confuse your taste buds!!

There was blueberry and beetroot soup which was an interesting pairing however I managed to taste tomatoes in it.

If you have tried Jimmy's kitchen, there is a famous dry curry and the dry curry lamb rack tastes exactly like that with a crispy coating that tastes like curry bits of short crumbs!

On the menu was the Kiev which bursts out with filling when you pop the knife into into it.
I loved the crispy coating!

The dessert finished with this Japanese inspired sweet potato mash mixed with plum and yakult, again my taste buds were confused because I tasted apple.
It was paired with soothing ginger icecream!!

Definitely will be back soon!

[THE BALCONY]
https://www.facebook.com/TheBalcony118/

[Mr. Greek] Given a second chance

At the beginning of this year, I was bored so went to MK and discovered Mr.Greek so decided to go the next day but shockingly when I got there it was closed down.
Anyway, it was odd that they were located in MK because there are not much expats around there.

Mr Greek is from Canada and they serve Greek food as well as POUTINE.
Again, I discovered this shop by luck because I was trying restaurants nearby.

There were not many people as they have only been open for two weeks.
Started with spanakopita which was flaky filled with spinach and cheese.
It was flaky and stuffed with lots of spinach, a great appetizer if you like light snacks.

Also had the moussaka which was piping hot loaded with minced lamb and layers of potatoes and aubergines.
Tasted similar to British shepherds pie but the lamb was very strong.

The poutine which I was really looking forward to was disappointing because there was not enough gravy and it was lumpy.
Hopefully they will improve on the gravy and serving it in a bowl might be better.

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Gyros:

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[Mr. Greek]
45-53 Garley Building,
Graham Street,
Central.

[The Night Market] Taiwanese fare in Central

When this restaurant opened a few years ago everyone was raving about it. Finally tried it and the dishes were up to my expectations.
I chose the Central branch because quality is often better and it has more positive reviews than the branch in Tai Koo.
Started with the noodles in sesame soup with chicken.
The sesame flavour was strong and not sickly.

I liked the fried oysters because most Taiwanese joints serve greasy oyster pancakes so the individual fried oysters were much nicer complimented by the chili sauce but unfortunately they were a bit too salty.

The tea was good with a huge block of herbal jelly but it tasted like HK style milk tea.

Finished with the soup which was light and clear.

My friend had the minced meat with gravy which she said was too sweet.

+++++
The Night Market:
11 Stanley Street,
6th Floor,
Central

[Flamingo Bloom] Modern stylish affordable crafted teas

As well as food,  tea is another big thing for me, be it Chinese leaf tea or English tea.
For some people coffee is their start to the day whereas its tea for me.
Since Shortbread Teas closed down,  there hasn't really been another proper tea house.
Flamingo Bloom is totally different, I first noticed it when there was an eye-catching  lovely pink front backdrop covering the entrance.

There are four main tea blends with Jasmine tips green being the signature,  Highland oolong,  Honey orchid black and Chrysanthemum Pu'er.
They serve these teas for only $19, but why not go for the fancy crafted tea when you can have it with fruit, boba pearls, latte and even topped with a salted milk cap.

The tea that I had was just my style because all I could think of was Wimbledon and Cream teas.
It was SMASHED STRAWBERRIES JASMINE TIPS GREEN WITH A SALTED MILK CAP.

The taste was exactly like drinking fresh strawberries with thick cream just like strawberries and cream during Wimbledon Tennis season.
The name couldn't coincide better with Tennis because a Smash hit is where you hit the ball with an overhead smash.
Important tip:  The salted milk cap is drunk without the straw so that when you drink it from the cup,  you end up with a mix of strawberry tea and the milk cap,  otherwise with a straw you just end up drinking the tea and the milk cap is left floating on top.
Also tried the other teas which were as good as my expectation, basically a tea with a decent natural taste since they are brewed with tea leaves.
The decor and logo revolves around flamingoes so expect bright colours with a summery splash,  something that will put you in a positive energetic mood all year round.

Grand opening on July 2nd (Sun) 2017, they are giving away mini Flamingo floats with any drinks purchased between July 2 to 4 from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm, while stocks last.

Other drinks at Flamingo Bloom:
[Jasmine tips green with fresh fruits]

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[Honey orchid black with Boba and salted milk cap]

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[ Jasmine tips green with Salted milk cap]

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This is a brand that I can see popping up in London or New York because it has style and an image that can be readily accepted anywhere.

[Flamingo Bloom]
50 Stanley Street,
World Trust Tower,
Central, Hong Kong

[Extra Virgin] Affordable Italian pastas in Hong Kong

It is really difficult to find affordable and delicious pastas in Hong Kong.
Extra Virgin has finally answered my prayers after Pasta Mio closed in Central.

The menu is diverse so it caters for Hong Kongers.
I felt that the drinks selection could have been better because they only served Hong Kong style tea in those thick rimmed cups and lacked Western teas.

The Italian choices were clearly the picks for me.
It had almost everything I wanted except Lasagne so I made quite a few visits to try them.

Here was what I had: Spaghetti aglio de olio, spaghetti pomodoro e basilico, fettucine bolognese and the Feta cheese pizza.
Everything was cooked to order.

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spaghetti pomodoro e basilico:

Perfect pasta with fragrant basil and rich tomato sauce.
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fettucine bolognese:

This was al dente fettucine in a lovely meat sauce loaded with lots of minced meat.
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Feta cheese pizza:

The pizza was impressive because the cheese was just melted to how I like it while the base was thin and crispy.
It would be great if they used tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes because they were clumsy and kept falling off the pizza.
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Spaghetti aglio de olio:

Unfortunately, this was boring and tasteless, perhaps the Vongole might be a better choice.
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Will definitely come again for the ravioli and hope that they will add lasagne to the menu.

Extra Virgin:
https://www.facebook.com/Extra.virginss/

[Falafel TLV] A big portion of hummus that satisfies your craving

Discovered this fantastic joint because I was checking out a restaurant nearby.

Basically they serve hummus and falafel which are both my favourites.
This place is called Falafel TLV so you can tell it is from Israel because of TLV ie Tel Aviv.
The menu was quite simple and they even serve desserts and drinks.

Anyway, the hummus and the falafel are a must so I had the Hummus Tahini and falafel.
The hummus are made with fine Bulgarian chick peas.

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Hummus Tahini:

It was so comforting to see this huge portion of hummus because it is just how it is served in London.
The taste and texture was really creamy that it was perfect with their soft fluffy pita bread.
The portion of hummus was generous that second orders of pita bread were needed.
It was good for sharing and sufficient to dip three pita breads.
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Falafel:

The falafel was uniform in size and they were nice and crispy. The oil is changed daily which guarantees the quality.
Each bite was delicious and had a lovely smell of cumin.
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On the table, the AMBA sauce (mango sauce) was addictive because it was really refreshingly savory yet strong that it goes with anything especially falafel and shawarma.

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They also sell condiments imported from Israel and they even have my favourite Zaatar!!

For drinks it was either Lemon and mint of Banana tamar which is milk, banana and dates.
I went for the banana tamar which was quite palatable.

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Finished with the Malabee which is a rich pudding made of cream milk, rose syrup topped with coconut and crushed peanuts.
It was similar to a milk pudding but the creaminess was stronger and it has a curd like texture.
[My Malabee didn't contain the rose syrup because I requested it without]

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Restaurant: FalafelTLV
Facebook: FalafelTLV