Coffee Bar by Day & Bar by Night at [Appendix Coffee & Bar]

Causeway Bay is a boring place if you don't like shopping.
I always find myself retreating to the library to get away from the crowd because there are not many quiet cafes about.
Discovered this place because Sosoku recommended it.
I was greeted by this modern style cocktail bar.

At Appendix Coffee & Bar they serve coffee during the day and at night it turns into a bar.
In the daytime you will see coffee and related items on the shelves, at night the smart sliding shelves will slide over and reveal alcoholic bottles and glasses.

How lucky was I to get there in the late afternoon so I could order coffee and then watch the cafe change into a bar.
The latte and mocha were to my liking.

While I was having coffee, I was impressed by the peace and quiet as most coffee machinery are noisy.
At Appendix, they use this nice and quiet gadget for disposing coffee pucks!!
The cafe area had good privacy which makes you stay longer, hence I stayed for drinks.

The signature cocktail selection had a great twist as each one has an occupation name eg Big 4's Auditor, The Beautician, Doctor Mo etc.
Each cocktail has been crafted in taste and to visually reflect what each occupation is like.
I settled for Big 4's Auditor and the 2G Rich Kid.

Big 4's Auditor:
[Atom Espresso, Licor 43, Marsala, Mascarpone with half and half]
The sweet bitterness of the drink reflects their hard life whilst earning lots of money!

2G Rich Kid:
[Bacardi Ocho, Falernum, Pineapple Shrub, Hone, lime, egg white and Witiber]
I loved the golden pineapple chalice! Who doesn't want to be rich which is reflected by the sour tones of enviousness!

They also had Nitrobrew cocktails from the tap which are smooth and creamy just like beer with a lovely layer of foam cap on top.

Pinchos:
To complement my cocktails, I had some pinchos, each one was different and delicious.
My favourite was the vinegared anchovy.

Tiramisu:
Finished with the tiramisu which had a popping surprise being topped with popping candy!

I shall be coming here more often when I am unfortunately in CWB!

[Appendix Coffee & Bar]
Shop 301, 3/F, Tower 535, 535 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay

Hello Summer at [The Artisan Room]

I was meeting friends at The Cobo House which is right next door.
Since I was early, I went inside [The Artisan Room] to have a look.
It was a chic and modern place for drinks and cakes.
The cakes in display cabinet were so pretty.

On the side they have high quality teas which you can smell.

You can also buy the Designtific Scientific Coffee kit which has ground coffee in vials, drip-bags, and sugar in micro tubes. Ground coffee is sealed in each injection bottle for freshness and each bottle contains just the right amount for a cup of coffee.

It was hot so I had the Longan Sparkling drink from the Hello Summer Series.

The Longan Sparkling drink was so good as it wasn't too sweet and not everyday do you come across sparkling drinks that are longan based.

Definitely coming back for cakes and tea.

[The Artisan Room]
https://www.instagram.com/artisanroomhk/
https://www.artisanroomhk.com

Address:
G/F, 8-12 South Lane, Shek Tong Tsui, Western District
Tel: 26563198

Summer Truffle Set Menu at [Cobo House]

Shek Tong Tsui is now a hip place with the MTR and Instagram Pier nearby.
I was here again to visit COCO House which is located right outside B2 exit.
COBO means Community of Bohemians.

At COBO HOUSE, they strive to let people experience the world with Bohemian style of living.
The restaurant is designed by Mr Adrian Cheng, Founder of K11 Art Foundation, and every object inside COBO HOUSE is collected and sourced by him from around the world.

They are now serving the Summer Truffle Set Menu which is in collaboration with the famous Italian truffle brand BOSCOVIVO.
(Available from now to 26 August.)
During the Summer Truffle Promotion period, BOSCOVIVO truffle products can also be purchased at COBO HOUSE.

Here are the dishes that I had in the Truffle set menu:

Hokkaido Scallops with Rainbow Tomato Salad and Summer Truffles
[Rainbow Tomato salad, beets, mango, green plum vinaigrette, summer truffle]
It was impressive how they presented this dish from the placement of the cherry tomatoes to the layering especially the way they managed to put different colours on each tomato stack.
The pan-roasted Hokkaido scallops are sashimi-grade hence the silky texture and it was refreshingly complimented by the black vinegar.

Truffle Scrambled Eggs with Wild Mushrooms and Parma Ham:
[Wild mushroom, baby spinach, crispy parma ham, truffle toast, summer truffle]
The second starter was a bit more filling as it was scrambled egg, there was a good layering which can be seen on the side of the glass.
At the bottom was fried wild mushrooms and black truffles, in the middle is Italian baby spinach, at the top is truffle scrambled eggs surrounded with Italian Parma ham crisps.
It was all in harmony as scrambled eggs, truffle and crispy parma ham can never go wrong.

For the mains, there is a choice of Cod or Beef.

Cod Fish with Braised Fennel
[Braised fennel, asparagus truffle pasta, lobster emulsion, summer truffle]
This was a lighter main compared to the beef but I loved the paring of fennel and the fish.

Lobster Emulsion and Black Truffle and Beef Fillet:
[carrot puree, beer onion, finger potato, truffle jus, summer truffle]
The beef Fillet was just how I liked it, perfectly pink and juicy in the middle complimented with my favourite root vegetables and mash.

Truffle Marsala Tiramisu dessert:
Jasmine rice sorbet, chocolate wind, summer truffle
As well as a good beginning, the end was good especially the Jasmine rice sorbet which had a fragrant strong taste of rice contrasted by the bitterness of the coffee bubble.

+++++

COBO HOUSE
Address: G/F & 1/F, 8-12 South Lane Sai Wan, Hong Kong (HKU MTR Station Exit B2)
Business Hours: Lunch 12pm – 3 pm; Dinner 6pm – 11pm (Weekdays)
12pm – 11pm (Weekends)
Telephone: (852) 2656 3088 Email: info@cobohouse.com Website: www.cobohouse.com
FB: @COBOHOUSEHK (COBO HOUSE HONG KONG)
IG: @cobohousehk @ac_kaf #cobohousehk

Color Your Day, The Purple Way by [Starbucks]

[Starbucks] have launched a series of Purple treats to Colour your day!!
In this series, there are: Ube Pudding, Lavender Chiffon Cake, Purple Potato Tart, Blueberry Croissant and Lemon Lavender Scone.

I only tried the Ube Pudding and the Purple Potato Tart because I am not a fan of Lavender.
++++++++++
Purple Potato Tart:

The purple potato tart tasted better than the ube pudding.

Strangely, it had more taro taste in the custard than purple potato.
The only thing I didn't like was the hard tart base as it was too thick and you can see that the thickness was as thick as the filling.

The tart base was also too buttery in taste.
++++++++++
Ube Pudding:

Starbucks Puddings have been successful and now they have the new ube flavour.
In the past, they had caramel, Sakura, Green Tea, Chocolate and other flavours in Japan.
They didn't have the sleeve label so I wasn't able to see what ingredients were inside.
(Later found out from Starbucks website)

The ube pudding was smooth and not too sweet but the ube flavour was not that strong
Similar to the Purple Potato Tart, there were purple potato cubes in it.

Overall, it was quite a nice silky pudding contrasted by the cubes of purple potato.


http://www.starbucks.com.hk/

http://www.starbucks.com.hk/color-your-day-the-purple-way

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/

Rosy afternoon tea at [嚐品慕茶 Spoon & Bowl]

As well as the tea set I was captivated by the Decoupage workshop taught by Gillian H!!!

For the tea set, there are a choice of drinks.
$298 includes two drinks or you can upgrade to other fancy teas below:
+$40 cold brew oolong tea with Osmanthus ice ball or rose ice ball tea with oolong

+$30 a pot of ginseng oolong or lychee red tea for two.

The tea set is served in a beautiful wooden box which has decoupage on it by Gillian H.

Items in the Tea Set:

Savoury items:
Tofu in Honey Osmanthus sauce, Chilled Prune noodles in Rose buckwheat sauce, Mini floral rolls and crab mentaiko

Sweet items:
Lychee and Rose mousse cake, Rose Cupcakes, Rose Palmiers, Dried flower Butter cookies, Lavender oolong icecream, Jasmine and Rose icecream.

It was a nice way to appreciate floral ingredients in different forms like cake, cookies and icecream.
My favourites was the mini floral rolls crammed with lots of dried flowers while the tofu was enhanced by the honey osmanthus sauce.
To finish off, the tea was good especially the one with the ice balls as they were pretty and floral flavours come out when it melts.

The decoupage workshop was fun and once you have learnt the technique, you can apply it to other stuff.
It felt like paper mache but using decoupage to blend in the fabric to look like it was painted.

 [嚐品慕茶 Spoon & Bowl]
M/F, Prosperity Industrial Building, 89 Wai Yip Street, Kowloon Bay

Dreamy gelato at [Dood Bottega Gelateria]

I am so glad I stumbled across this gelato shop on the way to dinner.

The gelato wasn't really labelled so I had to ask but they were really nice and gave out samples.

There was a good variety of flavours like black sesame, white sesame and mango which locals can relate too.

For me, I fell in love with the caramel because it was sweet with a strong caramel as well as vanilla taste.

You could visually see vanilla seeds in it. The texture was smooth and elastic which was impressive but not as elastic as Turkish icecream.

There was a unique cheese and tomato gelato which was quite nice because it was topped with tomato jam and there was a great savoury twist to it.

Also tried earl grey and chocolate which are non dairy sorbets and not gelato.

Strangely I found the earl grey sweeter than the caramel as it was syrupy.

As well as 3 Italiani doing chocolate sorbets, you can also get it here.
There used to be another Italian gelato parlour in Sai Kung called Bibini but the owner decided to run a pizza restaurant instead.
Will definitely return if they launch any more exciting flavours.

[Dood Bottega Gelateria]
Shop G13, G/F, Emperor Group Centre, 288 Henessy Road, Wan Chai

Donburis that are worth the wait at [Ranbashi Donburi Restaurant]

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.

[Ranbashi Donburi Restaurant 嵐橋丼飯專門店]:
Shop BCD, Rich Tower, 2 Blenheim Ave, Miden Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2244 3238
https://www.facebook.com/RanbashiDonburiRestaurant/

Pasta to delight your senses at [Van Gogh Senses]

For many people, a meal is just about satisfying hunger as the lifestyle in Hong Kong is all about being fast and on the move.
At Van Gogh Senses, it is appreciating art in everyday life.

Van Gogh Senses was created under Senses Holdings Limited with an exclusive license from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Hence Van Gogh Senses is a place to share and remember Van Gogh's timeless works, while honouring his passionate dedication to art with your five senses.

At the moment, they are now serving a pasta and cocktail pairing menu featuring their freshly egg pastas that are made in house.

As well as the pastas, here are the recommendable dishes.

Salmon & Tuna Carpaccio with Gin Tonic Jelly and Jicama Salad $168:
Presented like a pretty flower, it was refreshing with the crunchy flower shaped Jicama and the slight bitterness of the gin tonic jelly.

++++++

French Summer Black Truffle, Asparagus and Tomino Cow Cheese $168:
I love cheese as it was soft melted tomino cheese inside the crispy golden cocoon paired with nutty asparagus.

++++++

Alaskan King Crab with Curry Coriander Couscous & Compressed Watermelon and Black Garlic Tuile $188
Compressed Watermelon never fails as it has an intensified taste due to being compressed so the juices are all locked in further making it sweeter which went well with the curry couscous and crab.

++++++

Classic Dutch Peas & Smoked Ham Soup, Harvest Bruschetta $128
I love this ham soup which is really similar to the hearty beef soup because it is loaded with more ingredients than soup catered for people in the old days with a tough lifestyle that required physical labour intense work.

Moving on to the pastas, it was exciting as you can pair them with cocktails.

++++++

Hokkaido New Potato Gnocchi with Roma Tomato and House Smoked Burrata Cheese $168
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Kiwi Basil Smash $58

Unlike other gnocchi, they use potatoes from Japan which seemed to give it a softer stickier texture.

++++++

Italian Caviar & Bottarga di Muggine - Fresh Egg Spaghetti $228
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Pear Fizz $58

As well as gnocchi, this one was my favourite because I love freshly made egg spaghetti and this dish was just simple and delicious.
All that was in it was pasta and prized caviar!!
As well as the pasta, the Pear Fizz was a good pairing because pears are sweet and fragrant.

++++++

French Summer Black Truffle - Fresh Egg Spaghetti $208
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Black Diamond $58

The truffle spaghetti is similar to the caviar spaghetti but it depends if you prefer caviar or truffle.

++++++

Brittany Blue Lobster (Fresh) - Fresh Egg Fennel Trenette $398
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Starry $58

The secret here lies in the silky lobster foam which enriches the pasta.

++++++

Dutch Seasonal Oyster & White Vermouth Martini - Fresh Egg Squid Ink Trenette $248
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Spencer Lake $58

For me I love oysters, the complete package here, oyster to the max with oyster infused pasta, oyster foam and they even put the oyster leaves that just taste like oysters!!
And of course just like bacon and oysters, it's bacon and crispy parma ham.

++++++

24 hours Slow Cook Wagyu Beef Cheek Fettucine – 14 months DOP Asiago $218
Cocktail Pairing - Heritage Sour $58

As well as the delicate pasta combos above, I liked the beef fettucine which is very satisfying for a hungry stomach and definitely needs a strong cocktail to go with the beef.

++++++

Overall, I was extremely satisfied as I love carbs hence for dessert I had something light.

Sweet Corn Cheesecake & Gelato with Caramel Popcorn $98
The sweet corn gelato was very soothing and a great way to end the night.

Vangogh Senses:
https://www.vangoghsenses.com/