Over the moon with the world's first KFC mooncakes

A while ago, I spotted this huge signage that KFC was going to open a new branch at Causeway Bay in July so made a mental note about it.

The new branch is located on the corner and occupies two floors!!

The street level is Sweet Box which is grab and go desserts and drinks, the first floor is the ordering area with self service kiosks and bar seats while the second floor is the main dining area.
Both floors have an order screen that indicates the orders that are ready to pick up. 

Attended the KFC Causeway Bay new store and Mooncake official launch.
At the new concept store, there are some exclusive options to give diners a different experience.

Grilled chicken combo:
The chicken is grilled to order and it was really comforting because it visually reminded me of nandos, although the taste is different.
The chicken tastes like the flava roast.

Oven glazed hot wings platter:
The wings platter is great for sharing.
My favourites were the garlic cheese and honey glazed hot wings while most people liked the sweet chili.

Chizza:
Previously this was only available takeaway but they were so popular that it is now offered for dine ins.
It was appetizing with the pineapple chunks.

Baked rice with chicken filet combo:
For carb lovers, this is another option as well as the rice buckets.

All of them were tasty but my favourite had to be the  grilled chicken because it was grilled to perfection.
As well as chicken, they have desserts!!!

For mid Autumns festival, I was over the moon with their new World's ever KFC moonlight bucket which lights up with LED.

Inside this cool moonlight bucket you will find Moonakes!!!

There are two flavours:  Golden Lava custard and Spicy chicken and nuts mooncakes.
The Golden Lava custard is a popular mooncake in Hong Kong so it can't go wrong.

For the Spicy Chicken and nuts mooncake, think of it like chewy chicken biscuits gaaijaibeng with chicken floss and nuts inside just like the five nuts mooncake.

Overall I felt that the chicken mooncakes were quite traditional so it won't be a shock for the tastebuds.

KFC, G/F, 1/F & 2/F, East South Building,

479 & 481 Hennessy Road & 29 Percival Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2745 2903

Da Rong He debuts at the Mandarin Oriental

Da Rong He, an award winning Sichuan restaurant in China will be showcasing their dishes from 19th to 27th September 2014. Chef Wang Zheng Jing, co-founder and general manager of Da Rong He and his team of six chefs will be presenting a series of signature dishes.

During this period, there will be more than 25 different signature dishes on the à la carte menu and two special set menus.

Set menus are priced at HKD698* per person for the eight-course lunch menu and HKD1,480* per person for the ten-course dinner menu.

Recommended dishes are "Tea Smoked Duck", "Pickled Bamboo Shoot, Baby Ginger, Kale, Walnut", "Steamed Fish Head with Red Chilli" and "Wok Fried Fresh Abalone and Bean Sprout".

When I arrived at Man Wah, I was greeted with a beautiful oriental setting overlooking the harbour.





There is an exquisite octagonal room too for more privacy.



Here was what we tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
金牌海蜇頭:
Jellyfish head, black vinegar, chilli oil



The jellyfish head was scrumptious, each piece was crisp with a sweet taste complemented by the chili oil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
蜀南竹毛肚:
Bamboo pith, Sichuan peppercorn



The bamboo piths which are normally pale in colour were green because there were lots of finely diced peppers mixed into it but the taste was not as spicy as it looked.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
夫妻肺片:
Beef, offal, peppercorn and chilli oil



Did not try this.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
老壇泡山珍:
Pickled bamboo shoot, baby ginger, asparagus lettuce, Morel mushroom, fox nuts, whelks, walnut.



This was a nice medley of vegetables and whelks which did not look spicy but it was quite spicy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
川北涼粉鹵肉鍋盔:
Glass noodle, braised pork, peppercorn and chilli oil



Each strand of noodle was perfectly rectangular and translucent, and it was packed with aromas and spices from the Sichuan pepper.
A definite must order if you can handle spicy food but be prepared for a strong tingling sensation after you eat it.



It also came with bread pockets because some people like to put the glass noodles in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
沸騰魚 :
Chinese perch, peppercorn, chilli, hot oil



The bowl of chili looks deceiving, after removing the chilis, there are chunks of perch fish in the bowl.



The fish is silky and soft with a strong taste of peppercorn but the spiciness was surprisingly palatable.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
自發豆芽爆炒鮮鮑:
Wok fried fresh abalone, bean sprout



This was stir fried bean tips from the beansprouts with fresh abalones.



There was a lovely charred soy sauce taste on the abalone and on the beans which had a lovely crunch and chew to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
*大蓉和樟茶鴨 :
Tea smoked duck



A beautifully smoked duck with soft pink coloured meat and crispy crackling skin.
The taste was amazing and full of tea aroma.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
開門紅 :
Steamed fish head, red capsicum, red chilli



The dish was stunning, covered with red capsicums contrasted by the green spring onions with the steamed fish buried beneath it.
Unfortunately, I found this too spicy, but there was a side of finely chopped greens to go with.



★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
官燕四川雞豆花:
Steamed chicken pudding, bird’s nest



The texture of the pudding was just like tofu with finely grounded chicken mixed into it and theh broth was clear and oiless.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
*金湯養身鍋:
Rice congee, shrimps and chicken broth, sea cucumber, minced fish, taro



The congee came a in a beautiful Oriental ceramic dark blue pot.





The congee was divine and the best congee because it was golden orange infused with a strong prawn broth taste with pieces of fresh shrimp and pork in it refreshed by the taro pieces.
I loved the taro pieces because it did not have a starchy texture but a crisp and viscous texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Man Wah:
25/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central

Korean BBQ trend hits CWB

Attended a soft opening at this new restaurant.

The decor of this place was very Korean with oil drum seats.

Each table had a grill and directly above the grill was a fume extractor.


Here was the set we tried.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hongchoade:

Hongchoade is a diluted vinegar drink which was great with the grilled meats.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Set meal:
The set meal came with salad which had a black sesame dressing.

A dipping sauce

Kimchi and pickled daikon.

More vegetables.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Meats:
For meats, there was pork and beef and on the top plate, there was seafood.





★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Egg:
While you are grilling the meat, there is egg on the rim which slowly cooks.

I was surprised the egg was really tasty that we had seconds.

The grilled meats were tasty and my favourite was the marinated beef which was juicy and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Patbingsu:
For desserts we had Patbingsu which is shaved ice.
There was one with red beans and one with yellow bean powder.


The texture of the dessert was amazing, it was like snow and dessicated coconut and it just melted in your mouth.

Video:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Shin Mapo BBQ:
2/F, Po Hon Building, 24-30 Percival Street, Causeway Bay