Chocolate Journey Through Hong Kong

Chocoyou (Sheung Wan)

I missed the chocolate trail at Harbour City but Thanks to Chocoyou, I did the chocolate journey of Hong Kong.
Although I am not keen on Chinese food, some were quite nice.

“Chocolate Journey Through Hong Kong” is a brand new chocolate series inspired by the foods of Hong Kong.

The founder and Master Chocolatier Alexis Kwong Alvarez created an assortment of colourful chocolates with delicate flavours and ingredients from his hometown Hong Kong.

There are nine flavours and the coloured squares of chocolate looked really cute in the box.

At the back of the box, the flavours are listed and denoted by the colour on the chocolates.

The knife I used was crap because it was a plastic disposable knife which did not give a clean cut and some crumbled.
(ooops)
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Blue: Hong Kong Milk Tea with Dark Chocolate

The milk tea taste could have been stronger because the dark chocolate taste was quite strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Clouds: Earl Grey Tea with Milk Chocolate

The earl grey was delicious and pretty, I liked the baby blue and white clouds on it.
The taste of earl grey was strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Silver: Black Sesame with Dark Chocolate

Visually this was my favourite because silver is my favourite colour.
The filling was interesting because it was filled with sesame paste and not whole black sesame seeds.
I do not normally like black sesame but it tasted nice with the dark chocolate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
White: Red Bean Ice with White Chocolate

I am not keen on white chocolate nor red beans but it tasted ok.
My friend ( a local from Hong Kong) tried it and loved it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Orange: Hong Kong Peanut Waffle with Milk Chocolate

I do not really like peanut butter but this was the best because the peanut butter really smooth and velvety, and it was not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Red: Szechuan Pepper Dark Chocolate

The spicyness of this was quite strong but if you can eat chili then this is the one for you.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Yellow: Curry Coconut Dark Chocolate

The taste of curry could have been spicier and stronger but it was light, the coconut taste was actually quite strong and it was a bit like satay sauce mixed with chocolate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green: Wasabi Dark Chocolate

The wasabi was quite nice because it was quite savoury without the sting of wasabi followed by the sweetness of the chocolate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mondrian: V.S.O.P Cognac Dark Chocolate

This was really nice because it has the fragrant flavour of cognac that is not too strong which is perfect for people who do not drink alchohol.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

The place for retro Cantonese-Hangzhou dishes

Loong Yuen Cantonese Restaurant (Tsim Sha Tsui)

Thanks to Alex for inviting us all to this delicious dinner at Loong Yuen Restaurant which is located at Holiday Inn hotel in TST.

To be honest, I have never heard of this restaurant because it is not imediately visible, on the way out I discovered Delicatessen Corner which I will try later.

That night we were there to try the Hangzhou dishes and Cantonese food too.
The Hangzhou dishes are specials for this month (July 2013).

It was also nice hearing more about the restaurant from the chef because there was a human touch to it and how they cater for different customers.
The most touching story is the elderly diners, they actually removed the bones for them so that it would be easier for them to eat.

Whatever your needs, just ask and they are happy to accomodate if they can, and there are some off menu dishes they can serve too if you ask.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried diced bean curd in spicy salt:

These were my favourite and I ate loads of them because each cube of tofu was coated evenly and the tofu inside has strong bean taste.
The coating was great too and the salt and pepper was not too heavy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice in osmanthus syrup:

The lotus roots were thinly sliced and the holes were stuffed with glutinous rice and steamed.
It was covered in syrup which was not cloyingly sweet and the sweetness was quite soothing.
The taste of these lotus roots tasted like those lotus roots candies during Chinese New Year.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried dried bean curd skin rolls with sauce:

These tofu rolls were really crispy which made a lovely crisp noise when you ate them, they were paired with ketchup which were really nice because I often put ketchup on my tofu.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised ox-tail in tomato and red wine sauce served with steamed bun:

The ox-tail was soft and gelatinous, here it was served with steamed buns, but you can choose pasta or whatever pleases you.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed stuffed bamboo piths with asparagus and morel mushrooms:

I loved this because it was light and healthy.
It was probably my first time trying these morel mushrooms.
I felt that they were slimey and tasted similar to the bamboo piths.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried crispy chicken:

The chicken was surrounded by colourful prawn crackers, and apparently people love it because the prawn crackers are quite retro to them.
In UK, you see prawn crackers in almost every takeaway shop or restaurant in China Town so the expats will probably like this dish.
It was also reassuring the food would be good because there were quite a few expats dining there.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sautéed prawns with salty egg yolk and broccoli:

The size of the prawns were huge and springy!!!
I wish the salty egg yolk could taste stronger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed garoupa with crushed crispy bean:

I loved the fish because I have never tried anything like it.
The topping which I thought was pork floss was actually crushed crispy beans and it was delicious and flavoured the fish nicely.
The texture of the crispy bean was similar to crispy bacon bits.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet and sour pork served in a pineapple:
It is hard to get good sweet and sour pork in Hong Kong.
The sweet and sour pork in UK tastes much better but the quality of the sweet and sour pork here was exceptionally good.
Each bite was lean and tender pork unlike other restaurants where they cover fatty and low grade pork pieces which end up unchewable.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried puff pastry topped with minced ham and mushroom:

I am not sure what they were, but they just tasted like puff pastry cones dusted with icing powder.
They did not seem to have minced ham and mushrooms on top according to the menu.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Water chestnut dessert with lemon:

I loved this dessert because it was not too sweet but the lemon could have been stronger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Organic soya bean pudding with ginger in wooden tub:

The soya bean pudding was delicate and silky.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Double boiled whole pear with tangerine peel:

Initially I was not keen on this because I thought it would be sweet, but it was perfect.
It was not sweet at all and the sweetener was served separately.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Thanks to Loong Yuen and Alex for this delicious dinner and the complimentary highlighter pen given to us!

Dumon chocolates now in Hong Kong

DUMON Chocolatier (Central)

Dumon chocolates are made by Stefan Dumon with the help of his wife Marie-Anne. His small family business consisting of just six have won several awards for their amazing confectionery and now expanded internationally.

Stefan is truly an artesian chocolatier having spent all of his adult life and a large chunk of his youth surrounded by chocolate and the paraphernalia used in the making of fine chocolates.

Stefan blends a superb mix of traditional recipes along with his own unique flavours and designs.

The confection is truly hand made and every part of the production process is overseen by Stefan himself.

His latest award was from France's Gault & Millau.

Now in Hong Kong, they have opened a chocolatier at The Galleria.
When you get there, you are greeted by a cute girl on the poster which is Stefan's niece

There is a cabinet of chocolates elegantly displayed and the chocolatier staff are great and know their chocolates well.

Heres what we tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry Marzipan、Hondekop、Earl Grey Tea、Diamant :
[clockwise from top left]


Strawberry Mazipan: this was quite sweet and the almond was really strong, although it was quite sweet, it reminded me of the marzipan I had as a kid.
Hondekop: chose this because the dog was cute and it had nuts in it.
Earl Grey Tea: This was the best and had really strong earl grey taste.
Diamant: Not fond of white chocolate but I chose it because the shape was nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
AARDBEI:


This was chocolate filled with light strawberry creme that was not too sweet.
Again it reminded me of the strawberry creme chocolate I had when I was a kid but annoyingly I was too young to remember what brand it was.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Champagne Truffle、Dark Cocoa:


The champagne could have tasted stronger and the dark cocoa could have been stronger. The filling in the middle was quite sweet and over powered the coating.
There is a caramel one which I think would taste nice too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Krokant 、Bombe Melk:

Both tasted quite similar because both had cream inside.
Krokant was filled with Tiramisu and Bombe Melk was filled with almond cream.
As a dark chocolate lover, I would like to see a dark chocolate version.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★★☆★
Hart PR dark 、Hart dark:


Both these chocolates were the same but I preferred the one with hearts on it because the chocolate coating was uniform.
They will both filled with light hazelnut praline.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dumon also caters for events and wedding with their special collections.

Thanks to Dumon and the communications team for the box of chocolates which I gave to Ivy as she could not come to the tasting.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Fun dumpling making session

Noodle House Ippei-An (Causeway Bay)
09/07/2013
麵屋一平安Noodle House Ippei-An
銅鑼灣軒尼詩道499號永光商業大廈4樓
4/F,Circle Plaza, 499 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/fun-dumpling-making-session-e2307079

Thanks to Soda rewards I was able to have fun making Japanese dumplings and trying the noodles at Noodle House Ippei-An.
It was quite enjoyable and the noodles afterwards were delicious and rewarding  .
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dumpling making:
When we arrived, part of the restaurant was set up for us to make the dumplings with all the ingredients and bowls on the table.
I don't really like using my hands, but it was just mixing flour and water together which was ok.
After it became a sticky dough, we broke bits off, rolled it into a ball, flattened it slightly and put it in the boiling water.
After boiling it for a while, they were taken out and put in iced water.
After a few minutes they were taken out and ready to serve.
Toppings were added and they were ready to eat.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Various desserts topped with different toppings:
green tea powder, red beans, yellow bean flour etc

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Kumamoto Ramen:

It was my first time trying their ramen and it was quite nice because the pork broth was thick and gelatinous.
The noodles were the thin type which absorbs the soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Wonderful poutine @ Little Tomato Cafe

Little Tomato Cafe (Causeway Bay)

Originally I was invited by kikisheep to try Van Gogh's Kitchen but it clashed with another tasting so I couldn't go.

This time I was invited again by another openricer and tried Little Tomato which is also owned by the same owner.

Ultimately the food was good, but my favourite was the poutine because there are too many localised versions in Hong Kong.

New York Fries used to be good but now they over cook them.

Poutine is actually Canadian and not American!

As well as the food, the drinks menu was neverending, there were at least three I wanted to try.

Here was what we tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Garlic bread with cheese:

The garlic bread was toasted to perfection, it was crispy on the crust and the bread in the middle was soft.
The garlic butter spread and cheese were delicious.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Potato salad:


This was also my favourite because I loved the potatoes which still had their skins attached.
The sauce was creamily delicious and not the local sweet salad sauces.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Escargot vol au vents:

It was hard to guess what they were from the Chinese description but when they came I realised they were vol au vents.
I loved the cheese and escargot filling and the escargot was tender.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Poutine with ribs:


The poutine was the best especially the gravy and the fries were perfectly done, not too crisp and perfectly golden.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Carbonara:

Personally I am not keen on Carbonara but it was nice with generous pieces of bacons in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Eel and fried rice:

The eel was nice and soft, gently smoked and not too sweet.
The rice was fried nicely.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled chicken steak:

The chicken was a bit tough and the flavour could have been stronger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Omurice:

The omurice had a lovely cat drawn on it and the rice inside was delicious.
I was quite full when it came so did not try much.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dessert platter:


Was quite full so only tried the brownies which were quite soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Foreign lover:

The name sounded nice so ordered this, it was a blend of pineapple, banana and grenadine and soda.
I would have preferred the pineapple juice to be stronger because the banana was quite prominent.
I also tried the Brindisi Trip which was grapefruit soda and icecream and I loved it too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Hana-musubi's tofu and chicken burger

Hana-musubi

Thank you Ivy for getting me this delicious treat from Hana-musubi.

This is one of my favourite places for food.
I tried to come here on a Saturday afternoon but it was closed.

There is a branch at Brim but it is too far!!

Anyway, more Hana-musabi's are opening and there are two new branches in Wan Chai, one at C.C.Wu building and the other at the Revenue Tower.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Homemade tofu and chicken burger:


I loved this burger because it is made of chicken and tofu.
Most places it is just beef and boring beef.
The burger was covered in generous and delicious tasting gravy on a bed of cabbage.
It was really delicious with bits of tofu and minced chicken and the strong gravy complimented it well.
There were lots of cabbage and sliced mushrooms which gave it a nice healthy balance.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★