Great buffet with a lovely view of Hong Kong

ip cafe (Western District)

Thanks to Garycwm and Island Pacific Hotel for inviting me to try their buffet and a la carte dishes.


I loved the view from the Western side of Hong Kong.

These were the a la carte items and buffet items I tried.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken/ Beef/ Pork Satay (half dozen) $98:

The satays were lovely and tender accompanied by delicious pineapple sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hainanese Chicken (Half) $98:

The chicken was tender and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roasted Smoked Pork Knuckle with sauerkraut, mashed potato and seasonal vegetables $178:

The pork knuckle was the best, especially the crispy skin.
The pork was flavoured just right and not too salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan-fried vanilla brioche with Haagen-Daz Strawberry Ice-cream:

The brioche was nice and soft, it reminded me of a loaf shaped canele.
The sweetness was just right and it was lovely and moist inside.
It paired nicely with the lovely tart berries.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Buffet:

The buffet had a good variety of choices including my favourite cauliflower and cheese, and the cheese selection was good too.



Here was part of what I tried that day and the cauliflower cheese was gorgeous.

For drinks they had about five different types of teas.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vanilla cake:

I really liked this cake because the cream was natural and unsweetened, it was real freshly whipped cream.
The sponge was soft and not too sweet with lots of vanilla seeds in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Grilled skewers for cumin lovers

On On BBQ (Mong Kok)

Before this tasting I already noticed this place because they had some really bizarre items such as grilled oysters with chocolate syrup and marshmallow crackers.


From the previous photos it was good that they had cumin on the table for cumin lovers.

Thanks to the communications team for inviting me to try their grilled foods as I do not usually eat grilled foods because there is sometimes a really strong charred taste that I do not like.
The grilled food here was actually nice and oil free.

Most of the items were really nice and seasoned with my favourite cumin!

Here was what we had 活動菜單 (Provided by the the lovely PR who is the one and only person who will translate for me an English menu if there is not one:
As we tried so many items, I have posted the photos of my favourite items.
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燒雞泡魚乾 BBQ Dried Puffer fish:
The thickness was quite thick so it was hard and chewy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
烤獨家超滋味高級吊片魷 BBQ Shredded Cuttlefish:


This was quite nice because the cuttlefish was quite pungent.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
惹味蒜蓉生燒茄子 BBQ Eggplant with Garlic & Chili Sauce:

There was so much chopped garlic on top of the aubergine and the spices complemented the aubergine quite well because the aubergine itself was quite bland and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
芝士煙肉通心粉釀蟹蓋 Baked Crab Shell Stuffed with Cheese, Ham & Macaroni:

This was my favourite because not many places serve macaroni and cheese, and this was crab shell stuffed with it too.
The cheese was not that strong and the macaroni was too soft but it is worth trying.
The crab shells were clean and the coral pink colour was really pretty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
皇牌燒牛舌 BBQ OX Tongue:
The ox tongues were also good because they did not stink and the texture was like soft tender beef.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
安安首創果占釀牛丸 BBQ Beef Balls Stuffed with Strawberry Jam:

They reminded me of the meatballs at IKEA so I was quite looking forward to trying these and the fact that I am not a beef lover, the jam overpowered the beef taste.
They have other jams available but strawberry was the best combination.
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必食芝士蒜蓉燒生蠔 BBQ Oyster with Cheese & Garlic Sauce:
The cheese on the oyster was nice and stringy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
秘製醬燒雞中翼 BBQ Chicken Wing with Spicy Sauce:
The chicken wings were nice and soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
必食火灸海膽墨魚串 Roasted Cuttlefish with Sea Urchin Sauce:

This was quite nice because the cuttlefish was scored before it was grilled and it had sea urchin brushed on top of it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
燒超美味一口甜薯 BBQ Mini Sweet Potatoes:

I loved these cute mini sweet potatoes, but some were slightly burnt.
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燒甜美地捫菠蘿 BBQ Del Monte Pineapple:
This was very juicy and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
燒鮮味海蜆(蒜蓉 BBQ Clams with Garlic:
Again this had tons of garlic on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
頂級鹽燒多春魚 BBQ Capelin Fish with salt:
The fishes were grilled nicely and there was lots of roe inside.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
安安爆爽豬頸肉 BBQ Pork neck meat:
The pork neck meat was quite nice and not too fatty or dry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
燒韮菜 BBQ Chinese Chives:
I have always wanted to try this but the chives were a bit too old, so they were a bit difficult to chew.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
惹味醬燒金菇 BBQ Enoki Mushroom:

I really liked this because the mushrooms were piping hot covered in sweet satay sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
燒香甜粟米 BBQ Sweet Corn:
Did not try this,
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
燒一口午餐肉 BBQ Mini Luncheon Meat:


Although luncheon meat is really commonly found but I really liked it because it is not often grilled and sprinkled with cumin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
沙茶醬燒深海大墨魚咀串 BBQ octopus mouths:

This was my favourite with a nice crunch.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
甜蜜脆脆燒棉花糖夾餅 BBQ Crackers with marshmallow filling:

I loved the crackers with marshmallow but if the chocolate sauce wasnt there, it would taste even better.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Lovely joint with an Aussie touch

Aussie Cafe (San Po Kong)

After attempting several times to list this on OpenRice, it finally got listed.

Previously this shop used to be Mr.Fruit but now it has become Aussie Cafe serving juice, sandwiches, pastas and coffee.


The prices are quite cheap too, pastas only cost $3X.

I was hoping they would do Australian style chips with chicken salt but they don't.
However they serve an Australian brand of coffee.


I expected the quality to be good because the owner previously worked at the top notch Mandarin Oriental hotel.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Egg sandwich:When I ordered it, I thought I needed to wait but it was already done.
It came wrapped in paper.

It was clearly and neatly labelled too.

On the left corner, they have also written the day which they made it for their reference.

I was quite surprised that the paper wrap was really dry and it turned out the sandwich was wrapped in clingfilm within the paper wrap.

The egg sandwich was plain and simple, the taste was how it should be just like the authentic Western sandwiches, and none of that weird tasting salad cream.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Orange juice:

The orange juice was unsweetened which was good and it was slightly foamy on top from the juicing.
It had a lovely label with a Kangaroo on it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Summer rocks at Azure with vibrant dinners

Azure Restaurant Slash Bar (Central)

Thanks to 糖小妹 and Rhombus International Hotels Group for inviting to this summer tasting.

I have always wanted to try this restaurant and other restaurants under their group such as AVA splash bar.

The location of this couldn't be better, at the heart of LKF with magnificent views of Hong Kong.
I finally felt that the night views in HK were beautiful for once which I never felt before in this heavily polluted city.
The breath taking views were really dazzling and ‘Manhattan-like’ too as claimed.

It is an energetic place with white winding grand stairs leading up to the glitzy dining room which transforms into a swanky club at night.

Everyone there was beautifully dressed and all their staff were handsome and pretty too.

For the tasting we tried the menu designed by Executive Chef Roger Perez.

For $468 per person there is soup, seafood, mains, desserts, petit fours with tea/coffee.

The presentation of each course was wonderfully colourful but because the restaurant was so dimly lit you could not really see how truly colourful it was.
The mini macarons which I thought were brown turned out to be dark mauve after I used flash.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tri coloured butter:

The butter has three layers, the green layer was pesto, the red layer was sundried tomatoes and the top layer was garlic which was great with their bread.
The breads were soft and delicious that I had two.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Foie gras mousse:

The Foie gras was extremely light and whipped, but the foie gras taste was strong and made into fine mousse.
I liked the glacier cherry on top because it gave it some sudden sweetness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Almond Truffle Soup:Refined Almond Soup infused with White Truffles.


The soup was poured in front of you which keeps the croutons crispy and the lovely cress floated to the top giving a heart illusion.
I really liked this soup because it was the first time I tried soup with almond as a main ingredient.
It was finally grounded giving a rich, creamy and nutty texture.
It made me think of the Chinese almond dessert soup, but the this was a million times better as a savoury soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fresh Oyster, Steamed Crab Leg & Steamed Shrimp Platter:
The seafood was presented nicely on a square bowl served on a bed of ice to keep them chilled.
The crab was salty because it was still in brine and the oysters came with appetizing red wine vinegar with garlic.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mussels Ravioli:
Homemade Mussels & Shallotte Ravioli Served with Rose Sauce & Rosemary Caviar.

I was looking for to this because Ravioli is usually filled with mushrooms, cheese, truffle, lobster but mussels were a first time for me.
The rocket leaves and rich sauce were perfect with the mussel ravioli.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Veal Tenderloin & Rose petals:
Sous-vide Cooked Veal Tenderloin Served with Rose Petals Sauce, Caramelized Figs & Almond Mashed Potatoes

I loved the tenderloin, they were cut into thin slices and extremely tender because it was slow cooked, the rose gravy was natrual too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pistachio Lamb:
Pistachio Crusted Lamb Rack Served with Pink Pine Nut Foam & Confit Root Vegetables

The lamb was soft and juicy and there no gameyness taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry Risotto:
Creamy Strawberry Risotto with a Hint of saffron.

It was really pretty when it arrived and I almost thought it was strawberry rice pudding.
The only other main dish I have tried with strawberries is the ribs in Strawberry sauce (Chinese style) which I did not like.
Anyway, the Strawberry risotto here was dreamy and most importantly NATRUAL and unsweetened.
There was a minty taste which I believe came from the leaves in the rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deconstructed Raspberry Tart:Rich Raspberry Tart Served with Rose Petals Mousse & Parmesan Cheese Ice-cream

As the name suggests the tart was represented by the crumbs and each element was separated. Deconstructed means taking the parts of a dish and separating the individual components into a new usage. The pieces should be recognizable by themselves but when eaten together should bring about the idea of the original dish.
Here it was exactly that, you could see the raspberry mousse, tart element and the berries.
The centre was Parmesan Cheese Ice-cream and it was amazing, it was actually savoury with fine pieces of cheese in it that you could taste.
The raspberry mousse were the two halves of a sphere and the texture was quite firm with a strong raspberry taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Petit Four:

There was chocolates, mini macarons and chocolate puffs, all were perfect with tea.
The mini macarons were purple with the use of flash, but in the dimly lit room, they looked brown.
There was a strong lemongrass taste to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Great cottage pie at Lamma

Jing Jing Bar (Lamma Island)

While I was stuck on Lamma Island looking for food I chose this place because there was Cottage Pie and it was reassuring because lots of expats were dining there.


The other items on the menu were the usual pub grub.

There was the tuna patty burger but it was sold out that day and the oven baked breakfast looked appealing because not many places serve that.

The prices were reasonable too and slightly cheaper than dining in Central, Sai Kung and Wan Chai for the same kind of food.


I was surprised it was not listed on OpenRice and it took quite a few times to get it listed to their database!

On my first visit, I tried the Cottage pie and on the second visit I tried the All day breakfast.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cottage pie:

When it came, it just looked really authentic, I loved the browned top on the cottage pie.
The mashed potato was really silky with a hint of cheese and the mince below it was gorgeous infused with light herbs.
There were diced carrots and fresh vibrant green peas on top.
Anyway I really loved it because it tasted and reminded me of the cottages pies at school.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
All day breakfast:
I don't know why I chose scrambled eggs but they were scrambled nicely. The piece of patty in the middle that looks like a burger is actually their homemade hash brown.
It was the highlight of the breakfast because the potato pieces in it were nice and there were pieces of crunchy vegetables in it.
The bacon was crisp and not too salty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Stir fried fish noodles

Di Di Xiang (Mong Kok)

On my last visit the noodles made of fish were sold out so tried it this time.

It was about 7pm and most of the noodles and items were nearly sold out, I got the last of the cuttlefish egg patty and the Chaozhou style noodles.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan fried cuttlefish egg:

When they came they had a slightly golden surface which was good because they were not burnt.
They had a really delicate taste and it was slightly sweet. I did not use the sweet chili sauce on it because I felt that vinegar or chili oil was a better complement.
The major let down was that the pan frying oil or the pan that was used had a rancid oil taste which really ruined the cuttlefish egg because the oil taste was very prominent.
As for the texture, it was so soft and foamy but if you compare it to marshmallow it does not melt in your mouth and it is firmer. The texture is really similar to those Japanese white pillows at 三河屋 MIKAWAYA and Issei Nabe.
Cuttlefish eggs are much bigger compared to fish roe, they are liquid filled sacks, which are grounded to make these!
As this is a rare item there are no other cuttlefish eggs in Hong Kong that I can compare to, so I do not know if that was how they were meant to taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Special sauce with chaozhou handmade noodles:

The noodles came with soup, but the soup was too salty.


The sauce on the noodles were quite nice, there was so much grounded sesame seeds in it and it was slightly sour. The noodles tasted much better this time.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stirred fried fish noodles:
Although the restaurant calls them noodles, they are basically fishball slices cut into really thin long slices like noodles.
The taste and texture is the same as fishball slices.
It is basically fine if you don't think of them as noodles and the thin stalked celery they used had a really strong taste grassy taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup:

I loved the generous spring onions and they were present in every spoon I took.
Although the soup was very white looking like fish soup, it tasted like pork bone soup with a sharp pepper taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
There are other branches of this in China and they are a fishball manufacturer in China.