Cookies from Café 8 Degrees

Café 8 Degrees (To Kwa Wan)
Thanks to a friend for these delicious cookies.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chocolate and almond cookies:
As you can see, it was loaded with lots of almond in it.
Each bite was delicious with a good crunch of almond combined with a strong cocao taste.
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Palmiers:
Compared to other palmiers, the size of these were much smaller which was good because you can pop them in your mouth without breaking them.
They were crisp and buttery with a delicate flakey texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Oily food at Very good Banquet hall

Very good Banquet Hall (Tseung Kwan O)
Went to the restaurant below.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed fish:

The steamed fish was on promotion for $28 but you need to check to see if it is still available and you must order other dishes that cost at least $68 to qualify.

It was a fresh fish but it was ruined by the oil which was rancid.
Either it was steamed in this oil or the oil was heated in a stinky wok and poured on top of the fish.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese style angus filet:

The menu here was idiot proof with photographs for every dish.

Again, the wok or whatever it was cooked in was rancid so it had an unpleasant taste.
Anyway, the beef was marinated in soda flour prior to cooking hence its soft tasteless texture.
It was quite salty too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed aubergines topped with dried prawns and squid:
This dish was meant to healthy, ie steamed aubergines!!
But it turned out the whole dish was REALLY oily and there was a pool of oil at the bottom which makes me wonder if it was steamed in oil.



I felt that they put sugar in this dish because it tasted really artificially sweet.
The dried prawns on the top were fried and tasted a bit bitter.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
It is advised to check your bill because one of the items was cancelled by them because it was sold out and we were still billed for it. GREAT JOB!!

Delicious BBQ pork toast on Cloud 9

Cloud View Chinese BBQ Congee Needle Restaurant (North Point)
Before I talk about food, I have just discovered Braemar Hill is such a great place, the air is crisp and pure, and the whole area is clean and unpolluted that I wonder why people still go to Sai Kung thinking it is such a nice area.

Anyway, the English name on OpenRice is somewhat hilarious because it is called "Cloud View Chinese BBQ Congee NEEDLE Restaurant" (perhaps noodleinstead of needle?)

I found this restaurant really interesting because it is located in Braemar Hill where all the tycoons live but this place was really down to earth and the prices were reasonable too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soya chicken and roast pork with rice:
The best tasting roast pork in Hong Kong!!! I thought Joy Hing was good but this is the best!
It is slightly fatty but the texture is gelatinous and also burnt too so it is crispy as well.
There is no bitter taste even though it is slightly charred but the texture of the pork was really moist and soft.
The chicken was good too and their rice also stood out too because it was fragrant and fluffy!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roast pork toast:

There was thinly sliced lean pork in the middle and the chewiness of it paired nicely with the crispy toast.
Basically, it was delicious, and the unbuttered version is even better because the margarine ruins it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The roast pork here is so delicious that I have purposely got the minibus up here three times now just for their roast pork!

Great Okinawan food at Lan Kwai Fong

Rakuen
Even though I don't drink, LFK is a great place for food if you know where to go!
Last time at LKF I had amazing African food without trekking too far because LKF is really close to the MTR.

There is another branch of Rakuen in Causeway Bay but frankly I prefer this branch because it is much more accessible and the male staff here was so professional and spoke fluent ENGLISH.
A great place for XBC's to hangout!

I have previously tried Rakuen in Causeway Bay and the food was great so I did not hesitate to try the LKF branch.
It is only on the 4th floor too which is a short elevator ride compared to the CWB branch.

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Mozuku seaweed:

Mozuku is a type of seaweed that is characterized by its unique viscous texture and high contents of fucoidan which claim to cause cancer cells to self destruct.
It was served in vinegar and extremely appetizing with a slimey thick texture.
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Bitter gourd pickle preserve:
The bitter gourd was nice and crunchy with a delicious savoury taste as it was pickled in beer according to the menu.
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Deep fried soft shell crab:The soft shell crabs were packed with unami taste.
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Jewel leaf:
These Jewel leaves were magic and stunning, they appear to have tiny water droplets on the surface but they are tiny sacs of liquid.
When you touch them those droplets do not come off.
Jewel leaves are scientifically called Mesembryanthemum crystallinum which is covered with large, glistening bladder cells, commonly called common ice plant, crystalline iceplant or iceplant.
When you eat them, they are delicate and crispy and just collapse into liquid with a savory taste.
Its almost like a fibreless vegetable!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
French fries with miso dip:

The fries were not really Okinawan but I ordered it because of the miso dip and it was really delicious because it was creamy and salty, and tasted like a cheesy dip.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taco rice:
Previously tried this at WIRED CAFE and really liked it because it is similar to Chili con carne.
The taste was amazing because it is really similar to Mexican chili con carne and the meat is grounded finely.
The mince was fresh and did not have any chewy bits in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grilled capelin in vinegar:
Following fries, these grilled capelins in vinegar were a good follow up, ie fish and chips and these fish were delicious because of the vinegar!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Peanut flavoured tofu:
Tried this before at the CWB branch and I loved it.
It was delicious because the texture is a bit like mochi tofu with a hint of peanut if you realy concentrate your tastebuds.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deluxe sashimi platter:
Although you can get sashimi anywhere, the sashimi here was really fresh.
The scallop sashimi was natrually sweet and the sea urchin was amazing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried camembert:
The deep fried camembert was delicious, it was oozing with melted cheese in the middle.
If it is too cheesy, there is a blueberry dip to go with it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried minced chicken pinchos:
This was a cute snack, it was minced chicken rolled into balls and coated with breadcrumbs.
It was delicious with the delicious tangy sauce provided.
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Crispy lotus root slices:
These crispy lotus root slices were delicious and basically taste like crisps, great with beer if you drink.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Icecream:
Sweet potato icecream:Out of the three flavours, this was my favourite because of the colour and sweet potato taste.
Okinawa sugar icecream:This was the brown one on the far right corner, the okinawa sugar taste was subtle.
Cookie and sea salt icecream:I was expecting the sea salt taste to be strong but I could not taste it, however the cookie and vanilla taste was more prominent.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Focaccia series at Saint Honore Cake shop

Saint Honore Cake Shop

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Focaccia Series:
Walked past and noticed these huge focaccias which were only $10.
There was Italian style focaccia with sea salt and potato or Italian style focaccia with ham, cheese and herbs.
I was tempted to choose the potato but when I used the bakery tongs, the focaccia was a bit hard so I bought the other one which was softer.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Italian style focaccia with ham, cheese and herbs:
The ham in it was a bit weird because focaccias are usually made with sundried tomatoes and herbs.
Anyway, the focaccia was nice and soft and the cheese on top gave it that extra Italian touch.
It was good to see a local bakery producing focaccias which tasted similar to a real focaccia and not shaped to look like one!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Dutch cheese in Sai Kung

the dutch (Sai Kung)
I was surprised to find the dutch in Sai Kung.


It's first branch is located in Sheung Wan, but there are no places to sit down which was why I have not tried it yet.

The nice thing about this branch is that it overlooks the sea.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cheese with caraway seeds:
I had to choose this flavour because not many cheeses have caraway in it and there were other interesting flavours such as chili or pesto.
The caraway left a nice aftertaste and the cheese was quite mellow and not strong enough.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Next time I am going to try the cheese on toast which is only $40, and you can try the cheese you like before buying because they have samples.

The best E-fu noodles in town

Kau Kee Restaurant (Central)

Kau Kee is a really famous joint for beef brisket so expect long queues.

Usually beef brisket is paired with flat rice noodles, thin yellow noodles and other options but here it is popularly paired with E-fu noodles and it tastes so good that they serve plain E-fu noodles in soup too.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Restaurant photo:

There is an English menu at the front of the shop window for people who can't read Chinese.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beef brisket, tendons and E-fu noodles in curry sauce:

The curry was really nice because it had lots of caraway seeds in it which is how a good tasting beef brisket curry should contain.
Sadly the last time I had this delicious tasting beef brisket was in the UK which is a bit of a shame for something that I should be able to get readily in Hong Kong.
It was slightly too spicy and salty but it was good and the beef was soft.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Plain E-fu noodles:

These are the best plain E-fu noodles you can get in Hong Kong.
It is really difficult to get good tasting E-fu noodles because not many people order this at restaurants so the uncooked noodles (in dry form) have probably been sitting there for quite a while therefore going rancid because of the environment.
But here, they are served nearly every minute which means they do not stay in the storeroom for long from the time they arrive from their suppliers.
Anyway, the E-fu noodles were lovely and al-dente when they arrived and the broth was sweet, loaded with lots of spring onions giving it a fresh taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★