[Cardamon Street] Indian food reinvented and healthy

I love Indian food so went to Cardamon Street!

Cardamon Street, it is not what you would expect so be prepared to be blown away with fantastic and healthy food.

The all day menu has everything covered, so is their weekend brunch with an Indian twist with dishes like Masala French Toast, Scrambled Eggs Paratha Wrap and Chole Batura.

For the lunch rush hour, there is a fuss free Lunch set where you get a starter, mains and a dessert which is quite basic so I highly recommend trying the main menu which really showcases their dishes.

The main menu will blow you away with Salads, Sliders, Tacos, Curries etc and not Naans, Tandooris, Tikkas etc!
Scouring the menu, you will find super foods and modern ingredients at play like Kale, Quinoa and Beetroot which are healthy.

It was so damn hard deciding what to eat as the tacos and sliders with an Indian twist should be delicious but in the end I went for the Indian Mezze Platter,  Cardamon Special Roasted chicken, Lamb Quinoa Biryani and the Beetroot Halwa. Those who don't really eat spicy food will love this because it isn't spicy!

[Indian Mezze Platter]
The mezze consisted of three dips: chick pea, eggplant and tomato.
The eggplant dip is a fusion Baingan  bharta reinvented. I loved the bread that came with it as it was topped with my favourite rosemary and zaatar so everything was delicious.

[Cardamon Special Roasted chicken]
The roasted chicken was two chicken drumsticks which is convenient and tasty to eat drizzled with Saffron and Cream cheese.

[Lamb Quinoa Biryani]
This was another one of my favourites because it was so tasty and healthy.
The lamb was moist and tender.

[Beetroot Halwa]
Halwa is traditionally made with carrots but here they have used beetroot which is just as tasty.
I actually finished it all because the sweetness has been toned down!

For drinks, I had the Kacche amm Ka sherbet which is raw mango,  cumin, coriander etc. My kind of drink because it was savoury and sour so imagine it like a salted plum or salted lemon drink.

For lunches, you get an appetizer, curry and a dessert of the day.

Appetizer:  Paneer croquettes

Mains: Bengali Fish Curry

Dessert of the day: Kaju Katli

Will definitely be coming back to try the brunch and dessert as the sweets here are not cloyingly sweet.

[Cardamon Street]
38 Elgin Street
https://www.facebook.com/pg/cardamonstreet/

New Summer dishes at [Casa Lisboa Gastronomia Portuguesa]

It has been a while since I have been to Casa Lisboa.
Since my last visit, Casa Lisboa has relocated to Wyndham Street.

We had the new Summer menu that night and every dish was flawless.

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First was the [Cozido Soup], which is a popular soup that you will find in every Portuguese home. Just like Chinese soup, you will find lots of meat and vegetables which are eaten as well.
The chef has modernized it by wrapping the meat inside the cabbage parcel.
I really enjoyed the soup as it was smokey with the  saltiness from the salami.

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The next dish was the [Vegagna] which was a vegetable lasagna made with layers of courgettes filled with tomato and aubergine. It had a nice hint of cumin which gave it a Mediterranean twist.

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The [Bone Marrow] is definitely recommended because it is so different to the ones I have had.
There were lots of herbs in it and it tasted like Christmas Stuffing that goes with the Turkey.
Although it came with crispy slices, it tasted good with the bread on the table.

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[Guinea Fowl Cabidela]
Traditionally, this dish is made with chicken blood but it has been modified with beer and morel mushrooms for a healthier approach.
The risotto was definitely delicious infused with flavours from the beer and morel mushrooms but being adventurous I would still love to try the recipe with chicken blood.

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[Iberico Pork Chop with Apple Sauce]
Pork and apples always go well together in any cuisine so this dish was popular with all the guests.

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[Short Ribs with Alheira Migas]
The ribs were visually flawless as you can see how lean and moist it was that it doesn't need much explanation.
The side of Alheira Migas was also the star of the show as it was beans with kale.

I found it really comforting because it tasted similar Mexican refried beans.

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[Mango and Passion Fruit Burrata] 

Finished with the burrata which looked like burrata!
It was fluffy sweet cream cheese shaped like a burrata drizzled in mango and passion fruit sauce.

Overall, I was impressed with meat dishes that they serve especially the ribs and risotto.

[Casa Lisboa Gastronomia Portuguesa]

2/F Parekh House,

63 Wyndham Street,

Central

The best chicken soba at [Zagin Soba]

I have been wanting to visit Zagin Soba for ages because everyone is raving about it and how no other chicken broth ramen in Hong Kong is as good as this. Finally went over during the Bank Holiday as there were less people.

Zagin Soba on Gough Street is the second branch in Hong Kong and while I was there, I overheard that they will expand to UK by the end of this year. Their signature chicken based broth comes from Osaka which is rich and creamy so I had that with extra smoked egg.

To summarize I was really impressed with the chicken ramen because every element was good, ie the broth, ramen, meat, egg and the crispy burdock.

Although, seemingly a simple bowl of ramen, there were lots of things going on so decided to try every element separately. To begin, the burdock looked like a complicated spaghetti junction of crispy strands. It was deliciously crispy but also delicious dipped in the chicken broth as you get some unami to it.

Moving on to the meat, there was a piece of chicken and chashu. Both were slow cooked hence the tenderness. The chashu tasted like delicate slices of ham.

The smoked egg which costs HKD15 was silky with an evenly smoked flavour that combined well with the rich thick creamy yolk.

The star of the show was the broth, thick and creamy just like English chicken soup. It gets its taste from finely pureed chicken, where the broth is then frothed up like cappuccino.
The purple onions and greens help balance out the heaviness of the broth.
Simply a comforting broth that everyone will love and drink to the last drop.

As well as ramen. the fried chicken is also worth ordering. I was expecting the usual fried chicken with mayonnaise but here they give you yuzu salt which is a million times better as the yuzu salt is refreshing like squeezing lemon juice on to it with a touch of saltiness.

My friend had the Salmon Tsukemen which looked captivating so next time I am going to have tsukemen as they have limited edition ones like Kinmedi.

Overall, it was an impressive visit from the environment to service.
All their crockery and fixtures come from Japan so that you get that all round Japanese experience.
Will be back soon.

J'adore [Trois Cafe]

Tit Hong Lane is a shabby alley in Central but all that has changed.
There is a new hip coffee joint.
As I don't drink coffee I ordered the EARL GREY tea and I was just expecting the usual tea served in a paper cup or pot.
The barista said she was going to come over and serve it which got me thinking as it was just tea while this other patron got a buzzer to go and collect his drink.

While I was waiting I saw this Chinese Tea set on the counter which is obviously for Chinese tea I thought.

Took a look at the food menu which was highly alluring so I will have to come back with friends as they have so many choices.
You can get sandwiches with a choice of ciabatta, foccacia or croissant.
The fillings are hard to decide as they have prosciutto with Camembert to tomato with sour cream and black peppercorn or a sweet twist with mixed berries and cream cheese.

Then for lunch, there is steak, but the crispy chicken sounds interesting as it has crushed pistachio.
The Japanese charsiu needs imagination though as it comes with American cheese.
Anyway, I've got to try it another time.

The tea took a while so I couldn't resist and took a peek.
To my surprise, I saw the tea being prepared in the Chinese Tea Set which explains why she had to come and serve it.
I wish I hasn't looked as it would have been a bigger wow moment when it came.

Anyway, it was still a surprise when it came because I have never had Earl Grey Tea served in a Chinese way.

The tall cup lets you smell the tea before you drink it.

There are samples of the tea leaves for you to see and a fact sheet.

Overall the tea was aromatic and it was definitely a memorable experience.

I also tried the cute little muffin as well which was delicious.

Definitely enjoyed my time there and the decor is a mix of modern and old.
On one side you can see part of the exposed wall with bricks.

[Trois Cafe] Tit Hong Lane

I loved the Fish burger @ Burger Bar

As well as beef burgers, some places put effort into other burgers like fish, chicken or Vegetarian burgers.
At Burger Bar, I was truly impressed with the fish burger.
It was a whole fish!!
The coating was nice as it was crispy bread crumb so it was light and crunchy while the sauce was different and fantastic.
It was basil sauce which was very tasty with a hint of cumin.

The other beef burger was good too but the fish just stole the show.

There are gloves on the table which made it mess free and since there are gloves, I truly didn't mind eating with my hands.

Also had the prawns which were a bit over done.

There are gloves on the table which made it mess free and since there are gloves, I truly didn't mind eating with my hands.

Also had the prawns which were a bit over done.

[Burger Bar]

7 Lan Kwai Fong, Central

https://www.instagram.com/burgerbarhk/

Flamingo Bloom is blooming at IFC

On my first visit, I knew this tea brand was going to be a success from the branding, decor and design. Now they have opened a third branch at IFC!!!!!

It is so amazing that they have their own flip flops which I got today for only $19 with any drink above $33. [on promotion till the 8th]
The flipflops are so comfy too because they are curved and light!!

Anyway, the rose oolong was satisfying as the tea flavour and rose were balanced. There was a nice caramel aftertaste. Also had the Jasmine Lychee which is good on a hot day because it was sweet and blended with ice into a slush.

Flamingo Bloom:
Shop 1032, IFC, 1 Harbour View Street, Central

[1935] Sichuan Food with Romanticism

I love Sichuan food and found out about this place because one of my foodie friends AL was at 1935.

It is located in Central where I always hang out.

When you get there, you are greeted with decor looking like a train which somehow reminds me Chung King express and 2046 hence not your usual Sichuan decor.

This setting isn't a scene from of a movie but a real life story because the name 1935 is in remembrance of the owner's grandmother who sadly passed away before this place opened.
A lot of their time together was spent travelling on the train hence the decor.

Looking at the menu, the dish names are wonderfully named in Chinese but you can't really express it the same way in English so the English menu is down to earth and tells you whats in it.
There is a story behind every dish and beverage and the wintermelon is about White Jade which I got confused in Chinese as it sounded like bak yuk which I thought was Shanghai style sliced white meat but it actually meant white jade.

Started with the cocktails which were fun and different.
The [Yomeishu] was appetizing and presented in a Chinese tea cup.

[Tanger Peels Infused Gin, Goji Berry/ Lemon/apple/Egg White/Osmanthus Flower]

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The [Carnation Says] was fresh and graceful with a pink carnation floating on top.
[Gin/Umeshu/YuZu/Sake/Lime/Ginger Beer]

For appetizers, here was what we had:

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Chilled Free Range Chicken, Truffle, Coriander:
The chicken was lean, soft and moreish because they use chilled free range chicken infused with a mushroomy truffle and crispy garlic pieces complemented by the Coriander and Chinese celery.

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Crispy okra, Yam, Salted Egg Yolk:
Okra and Yam are healthy but they made it evilicious by coating them with thick salted egg yolk and frying it.
I thought it was really smart to pair these vegetables together because both okra and yam are viscous hence it is like eating salted semi raw yolk in your mouth because of the viscous texture and salted egg yolk coming together.

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Next was the braised winter melon with conpoy, double boiled chicken stock.
I was really looking forward to this because it looks like a bunch of grapes.
Each piece of wintermelon was a perfect sphere and it was soft and mushy in delicious light chicken stock gravy.

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Poached King Prawns, Celtuce, Sichuan Peppercorn broth:
This dish was heavenly and recommended for people who like the tingling sensation feeling without the heat.
It was guilt free eating this dish because there isn't any MSG while the gravy and springy prawns really go down well with rice especially that light gravy.

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Poached Giant Garoupa Fillet, Sichuan Chili Fish Broth:
The poached fish can be eaten in two ways because the broth is pure fish soup that you can drink.

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Wok Fried Australian M4 Wagyu Cube, Ginger, Sichuan Pepper, Honey:
For beef lovers, this is a great dish in a sweet and gingery sauce with a spicy punch!
The cubes of beef are not well done, hence it is locked with juice and lots of myoglobin which I used to think was blood!

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The last dish we had was this cute pot of Dan Dan Noodles!
The broth was rich and each strand hung the broth well however I found it a little sweet though.

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Before ordering the desserts, the 1935Beer is a sweet soothing drink to finish with and the cream on the top is the best!
[1935Beer-Vanilla/Caramel/Cream/Ginger Beer]

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The colourless jelly is always a must at the end of any Sichuan meal.
As it is tasteless, it is often flavoured with syrup but here they have sweetened it with lemongrass and citrus.

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To summarize, the location is great because it is in Central and I like the decor.
In terms of food, this is the first Sichuan dinner that I didn't feel overloaded and bogged down by sodium, MSG and oil and the food is almost like home cooked dishes with restaurant quality.

The lunch is also worth recommending because you can also order those dishes.

[1935 - 壹玖叁伍]

M88, 27/F 2-8 Wellington Street

Tel: 2156 1935