Happy dining at Namkee hAppy

Namkee h (Central)
As soon as I read the reviews I decided to go but as it was just opened I went at the wrong time so it was closed.

I loved the decor and the chalk writings.

Most importantly, I loved their emphasis on the h, h for happy and h for healthy.

I used to go their other Namkee H branch down the road but since it was relocated I did not know about this branch until I read Ivy's review.

This was one of the tastings I really liked because there were a lot of vegetarian food, I am not a vegetarian but I love to share it with other vegetarians because there are not many healthy vegetarian options around.

At the back of the menu, there is a page with all the different toppings you can choose for the noodles, a great majority are vegetarian!

The great thing about Namkee H are the choice of noodles, you are not limited to choosing thick rice noodles (maie-seen). They have soba and Cambodian noodles to choose from .
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vegetarian curry fish balls:

You can't really taste the difference but there are some tell tale signs that they are vegetarian because they have this unique sweetness and unique texture which is similar to konjac.
Other than that, these vegetarian fishballs are gorgeous in a mildly spicy curry sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marinated chicken wings with stuffed fresh orange meat:

I loved these chicken wings, they were so refreshing and creative.
Normally they are stuffed with minced pork which I do not really like.
Oranges are so much fun and juicy when you eat them!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Platter - Deep fried tofu balls with parsley and Deep fried chinese yam with goji berry:

The tofu balls were my favourite and I used to order them at their other branch.
It will filled with mashed tofu that had a strong tofu taste flavoured with pieces of parsley.
As for the Chinese yam croquette, it was lighter in taste with some crunchy texture, but I preferred the tofu croquette.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Porcini mushroom dumplings with asparagus and noodles:

This was a light bowl of noodles and the soup was clear and sweet.
There were three filling dumplings which had fragrant earthy porcini mushrooms and vegetarian meat which had a woody rich taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Laksa:

The Laksa was quite spicy but I loved the egg because the size of the egg was not too big yet the yolk was relatively big.
I loved the vegetarian prawns.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vietnamese Pho:

Simple vegetarian Vietnamese noodles that will not disappoint because it has Vegetarian Vietnamese sausage which tastes just like the meat version.
There were also sweet Chinese radishes too and the broth was heavily flavoured with basil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tomato soup:

The appearance of this was similar to the Vietnamese one but it was beef broth with lemongrass with a piece of pork chop and Cambodian noodles.
The broth had a heavy lemongrass taste and because of the pork chop, it was really similar to the noodles you get in Vietnamese joints.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry ginger smoothie:

Ginger root, strawberry, banana and orange juice.
A refreshing drink because strawberry and orange pair together well complimented with a gentle kick of ginger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tropical breeze:

Blended with pineapple, coconut milk and banana.
It reminds me of pina colada and the pineapple gives it a tangy taste so that the banana is not so heavy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I can't wait to come back because this shop is conveniently located near the escalators!

At the races with delicious English brunch

Hay Market (Sha Tin)

I love the new Hay Market at Shatin racecourse.

It is decorated with a rustic British feeling that transports you back to the old days.

There is a dress code hence everyone that is admitted is respectably dressed up.

At the centre, there is a grand bar with a huge chandelier on top.

Guests can enjoy an English style brunch with a buffet starter bar, omelette station and dessert station.

Refreshing lime, pineapple and chili juice.

Omelette from the omelette station where you can choose the fillings.

Fried beignets filled with chocolate paired with refreshing mango sauce.

For the mains, there is a good selection from steaks, fish and quiche all served with English tea.
I tried the duck sausages which was surprisingly meaty and heavy paired with fluffy pancakes beneath.

At the Hay Market, there is a lovely balcony which gives clear access to the racecourse.

Issues on Tastings published on OpenRice

Ever since the marketing style has changed in Hong Kong, companies have been tending to social media to market their products.
Fewer people are reading publications which is why they are going out of print.

Anyway, the topic revolves on OpenRice because tasting reviews are now omitted unless you click “show tastings” because the public is fed up with reviews because they find them more like advertisements.
While I agree with this point, it is also going to encourage more restaurants to open accounts to write fake reviews on their restaurant.

I just hope that the public is ready for this!

It would be good if OpenRice could come up with a scheme so that people with more than 10 reviews or experienced OpenRicers can write the first reviews to counter fake reviews by restaurants at the beginning it is listed.

Delights of the orient

Pearl Delight (Sha Tin)

I hardly go to Shatin and I was really glad I came because I discovered some great food.
There are some items I will come back for because the price are really affordable especially the roasted pork with chicken liver.

Here was the feast we had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chestnut with coffee sauce:

Interesting appetizer with pieces of chestnuts covered in coffee sauce.
I felt that the chestnuts could be softer and the coffee sauce should be stronger as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed duck tongues with home made sauce:

The sauteed duck tongues were everyones favourite, they were soft and fully flavoured with the marinade that was not too salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beancurd sheet rolls in fish soup:

The beancurd sheet rolls were lovely and light filled with julienne vegetables soaked in delicious fish soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Black fungus in Japanese vinegar:

The fungus was a little too sweet for my liking because the Japanese vinegar which was too sweet and the wasabi taste was too light.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed pumpkin and taro cake with Sakura shrimp:

This is amazing because it reminds you of the Chinese new year but it does not have any preserved meats in it.
The taro layer at the bottom was really good because it was heavily spiced with five spice and the top pumpkin layer was slightly sweet balanced by the fragrant sakura shrimps on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed Pork meat and stomach dumpling:

This dumpling was interesting because it was the first time seeing stomach served in dimsum.
I rarely eat organs but the stomach was surprisingly clean without any weird smells and the textures was nice and soft too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Platter Roast suckling pig:

The suckling pig had crispy crackling skin with tender pork beneath the skin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Barbecued pork with honey sauce:

The pork was thick cut but surprisingly each piece was juicy and tender, and it was not too sweet or overly flavoured.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised sea cucumber with shrimp roes and duck feet:

A lovely strong tasting dish that is great with rice.
The sea cucumber was lovely and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crispy prawns wrapped in crispy noodles:

This was interesting! Huge prawns wrapped in crispy noodles. A fun dish to eat which was complemented by sauce to give it more taste and balance the oilyness from frying.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Mango and chrysanthemum pudding:

An interesting pairing of chrysanthemum and mango but the mango tasted stronger.
It is also fun eating the layers separately to get different tastes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
steam bun :

It was good having a steamed bun to myself, it was amazingly soft with a fragrant black sugar taste that was not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

IPC Foodlab now in the city

I am so glad IPC Foodlab is finally in the city.

It is located on Caine Road, right off the escalators.

Since I just had lunch, I only got a drink.
Next time I will be back for food!

There is a mini market selling groceries and they have a fridge with salads, desserts and drinks.


IPC Foodlab desserts from Wine and Dine 2013:
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2328703
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Gingerella:




Got this drink because the design was nice, it was fizzy ginger.
The ginger could have been stronger and it was quite sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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IPC Foodlab (Mid-Levels)

Price: $20
Service: OK
Napkins provided: yes
Toilets: yes
English Menu: Yes
Air Conditioning: Yes
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Lovely icy desserts on a 7°C day

I love having cold desserts on a cold day because Hong Kong is not cold enough.


This time I chose the melon tofu dessert because it has icy melon slush and I had the durian pancake as well so that I could compare it to the one at Honeymoon dessert.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Durian pancake:

The size is smaller than the one at Honeymoon dessert and the colour of the pancake was a light lime which is not as artificial as Honeymoon's green.

But according to their menu, it seems that the colour of the pancake should be the same colour as the cover of their menu.
The durian pancake here wins because it has more fresh Durian meat in it and the cream is silkier and lighter with the sweetness just right.
I prefer the pancake here too because it is thinner than the Honeymoon dessert one.

As for the price, I can't remember which one was more expensive.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Melon tofu dessert:



As it was cold, the slushy melon was not slushy but icy which was lovely and the pieces of melon froze so the melon had a lovely icy texture as well.
Beneath it was silky tofu which was complemented by the icy sweet melon and icy melon slush.
The slush was really nice because it was blended with real melon.
After finishing the dessert I finally felt cooler!
(In the summer, the melon slush is not icy and is just like a smoothie.)


After looking at the menu again, it seems that I have made the wrong choice because the one with grass jelly seems to be cheaper and has sago in it as well as the picture shows.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The cashier obviously does not like 5 cents because there were plenty of $1 coins in the till.
But anyway their desserts are good so I will be back again and spend it here.

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聰嫂私房甜品 (Tseung Kwan O)

Price: $47
Service: could be better
Yummy factor: ok
Sweetness levels: just right
Noise levels: Noisy
English Menu: Yes
Air Conditioning: Yes
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Royce lookalike chocolates

Walked past and saw these chocolates in a Chinese bakery.



They looked really special because the appearance was just like Royce's chocolate but cut irregularly.


It costs $6 for 4 pieces.

The texture was similar to Royce and they were also dusted with cocoa powder, but they were not as silky and do not melt in your mouth like Royce does.


Although you could taste the chocolate, it was too sweet and there was too much vegetable oil in the chocolate because the texture was like solid lard.
Anyway, it was definitely an interesting find in a Chinese bakery.

When I got back, I was surprised to see Mjqueen7e's review on the same chocolates in 2010, which must mean these chocolates are successful if they are still selling them since then!!!

In 2010, they cost $1 per piece according to Mjqueen7e's review:
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2070390
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Blue Plus Bakery (Wan Chai)
Price: $6
Service: OK
Yummy factor: ok
Sweetness levels: bit too sweet
English Menu: no
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A great place for burgers on the corner

Located opposite the Mira Moon hotel is this burger joint which is good for home sick tourists if they are not adventurous and still feel like a burger.

One of the things I found interesting is that Chinese tourists would eventually end up looking for Chinese food during their trip overseas.

You see so many Chinese tourists going to Chinas town's wonton joints to get their cravings satisfied.

Anyway, this burger joint is on the corner just like its name.
The logo and design reminds me of Grappas if you look at it from a distance.

They have bar stools and tables.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ginger ale:


I am not fond of fizzy drinks but they had ginger ale which is always good because it is not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cheese Burger:


The patty was thick and it was heavily spiced with black pepper that you could smell it.
I loved the black pepper because it balanced the heaviness of the beef patty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Teriyaki Chicken Burger:


Tried some chicken burger from another foodie (mungkeikei) and I felt that the chicken was so much better because chicken tastes better beef.


It was a chicken patty which is better than chicken breast, however I found it a bit salty and there were bits of chicken cartilage in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Buffalo Wings:



The portion was huge, there were 6 wings in the basket paired with chili sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Carbonara:



Spaghetti cooked in creamy egg sauce with bacon and cheese, mushroom, onion and black pepper.
Carbonara is not my favourite, but it tasted so nice because the cheese was strong and it tasted exactly like macaroni and cheese.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Italian Tomato Salad with mozzarella:



The mozzarella salad was my favourite, the cheese was soft and supple which relied heavily on thte tomatoes and sauces to give it flavour.
I would have liked an acidic balsamic vinegar because the vinegar was a bit too sweet for my liking.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Corner Burger & Bar (Causeway Bay)