In the past few years in Hong Kong, we have seen the popularity of snowy mooncakes rise over the traditional ones filled with lotus paste and egg yolks.
Last year, the Peninsula was much hyped for their custard egg mooncakes encased in traditional pastry.
This year, I was quite impressed there were quite a lot of options for egg custard mooncakes in traditional pastry by other vendors.
The one I liked the most in 2013 was by Halal yea yea which are Halal mooncakes filled with sweet purple potato.
Monday, September 23, 2013
RAsuperMEN rips open to super ramen
rasupermen (銅鑼灣)
When you go to rasupermen, you are greeted by a big set of curtains with rasuperman's chest which rip open to the entrance of the restaurant.
Thanks to KC, I was invited to this tasting to try their new RAMEN burger.
Since my last visit, there are so many more new items on the menu and their ramen has been modified and tastes better than the previous tastings according to other foodies (arent I lucky to try it at its best)!
Heres what we tried.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Codomo fruit soda:
There were five pretty bottled sodas each covered in a fruit skin design.
The five flavours were: white peach, watermelon, melon, durian and mango.
To be honest, melon should be the one that tastes the best but you don't often find Durian soda so I just had to try it.
Durian soda:The soda was really nice and just like normal soda except that it was durian flavoured.
It had an interesting savoury sweet taste that is not as pungent as the fruit.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ramen burger:
This is similar to the rice burger but ramen is used to make the burger base.
It is slightly easier to eat than a rice burger because the noodle base is crispy and holds together well.
However it is easier to eat it with knives and forks.
Overall I really liked the ramen burger because I loved the BBQ sauce and the beef patty was really good because it was lean and juicy.
For improvements I would like to see a thinner patty and thinner noodle burger or another fun idea would be mini ramen burgers as snacks but it would be hard to make.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sakura prawn shio ramen:
The ramen comes with deep fried julienne vegetables mixed with prawn.
The broth was amazing and I loved the abundance of crispy sakura shrimps and finely chopped chives on top.
The ramen itself was really nice, it was similar to the texture of tagliatelle.
I am so glad that the noodles have been modified and tastes better than my initial visit.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tonkotsu soymilk ramen:
The broth for this was surprisingly different to other soymilk broths, it was much stronger and there was a really concentrated soymilk taste in it.
I loved the balance of shredded vegetables and the pork which was lovely and soft.
I do not usually eat the pork in the ramen but this one tasted great I finished all of it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pork belly tsukemen:In other ramen joints I don't normally order Tsukemen (noodles dipped in thick broth) because I was not fond of the thick noodles.
But here, the thick broth and noodles were really nice and there were three different noodles.
There are three colours Black for Charcoal, orange for red ginger and green for green tea.
There is only a slight taste difference in the noodles because they wanted to make the noodles more attractive.
The thickness was just right and I loved the way the broth adhered to it, and in the broth there was pork and leek in it too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Zuwai crab and Hokkaido sweet corn ramen:
Lastly, we had the sweetcorn ramen.
I thought this was going to be the lightest tasting broth, but it tasted strong as well which was good and I could taste fish in it too.
The sweetcorn was impressive because it was removed from the cob but the loose sweetcorn pieces still held together.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Shio icecream (salt):
The shio icecream was interesting because it was greyish pale blue in colour and the taste was amazing because it actually had salt crystals in it which give a burst of saltiness here and there that was not too salty but enhanced the icecream. The shio icecream tastes even better than salted caramel flavours because it is salty in a different way.
For the icecreams, the texture was just right. The spoon glided effortlessly in the icecream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rice icecream:
As well as the Shio icecream above, this one was also delicious because it had bits of rice in it giving a nice mouthful.
I loved the rice puffs on top which tasted similar to Sugar puffs (a British rice cereal
)
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
A photo of the icecream flavours they offer:Red tea, Salt, Brown sugar and caramel, Rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Thanks to KC, I was invited to this tasting to try their new RAMEN burger.
Since my last visit, there are so many more new items on the menu and their ramen has been modified and tastes better than the previous tastings according to other foodies (arent I lucky to try it at its best)!
Heres what we tried.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Codomo fruit soda:
There were five pretty bottled sodas each covered in a fruit skin design.
The five flavours were: white peach, watermelon, melon, durian and mango.
To be honest, melon should be the one that tastes the best but you don't often find Durian soda so I just had to try it.
Durian soda:The soda was really nice and just like normal soda except that it was durian flavoured.
It had an interesting savoury sweet taste that is not as pungent as the fruit.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ramen burger:
This is similar to the rice burger but ramen is used to make the burger base.
It is slightly easier to eat than a rice burger because the noodle base is crispy and holds together well.
However it is easier to eat it with knives and forks.
Overall I really liked the ramen burger because I loved the BBQ sauce and the beef patty was really good because it was lean and juicy.
For improvements I would like to see a thinner patty and thinner noodle burger or another fun idea would be mini ramen burgers as snacks but it would be hard to make.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sakura prawn shio ramen:
The ramen comes with deep fried julienne vegetables mixed with prawn.
The broth was amazing and I loved the abundance of crispy sakura shrimps and finely chopped chives on top.
The ramen itself was really nice, it was similar to the texture of tagliatelle.
I am so glad that the noodles have been modified and tastes better than my initial visit.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tonkotsu soymilk ramen:
The broth for this was surprisingly different to other soymilk broths, it was much stronger and there was a really concentrated soymilk taste in it.
I loved the balance of shredded vegetables and the pork which was lovely and soft.
I do not usually eat the pork in the ramen but this one tasted great I finished all of it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pork belly tsukemen:In other ramen joints I don't normally order Tsukemen (noodles dipped in thick broth) because I was not fond of the thick noodles.
But here, the thick broth and noodles were really nice and there were three different noodles.
There are three colours Black for Charcoal, orange for red ginger and green for green tea.
There is only a slight taste difference in the noodles because they wanted to make the noodles more attractive.
The thickness was just right and I loved the way the broth adhered to it, and in the broth there was pork and leek in it too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Zuwai crab and Hokkaido sweet corn ramen:
Lastly, we had the sweetcorn ramen.
I thought this was going to be the lightest tasting broth, but it tasted strong as well which was good and I could taste fish in it too.
The sweetcorn was impressive because it was removed from the cob but the loose sweetcorn pieces still held together.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Shio icecream (salt):
The shio icecream was interesting because it was greyish pale blue in colour and the taste was amazing because it actually had salt crystals in it which give a burst of saltiness here and there that was not too salty but enhanced the icecream. The shio icecream tastes even better than salted caramel flavours because it is salty in a different way.
For the icecreams, the texture was just right. The spoon glided effortlessly in the icecream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Rice icecream:
As well as the Shio icecream above, this one was also delicious because it had bits of rice in it giving a nice mouthful.
I loved the rice puffs on top which tasted similar to Sugar puffs (a British rice cereal
)★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
A photo of the icecream flavours they offer:Red tea, Salt, Brown sugar and caramel, Rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sandakan food at Cafe Kool
Café Kool (Tsim Sha Tsui)
Shangri-La hotel has partnered with three Malaysian guest chefs: Johon Bin Sinma, Kuneh Binti Sumpat and Chong Vui San to offer an extensive Sandakan buffet at Cafe Kool.
I was greeted by a vibrant reception and a Sandakan 8% alcoholic drink which was really really nice because it was sweet with pineapple and rice wine and we were given a lovely handmade necklace.
I liked the way the dessert selection was near the entrance, it was a good reminder to leave some room for dessert too.
The buffet offers Banana bud salad, sea bird's nest salad to hinava shrimp, prawn roll with bambangan dressing, sambal belgacan (chili shrimp paste), ikan bilis (anchovies), sotong kangkung (squid and kong xin chai drizzled with peanut sauce), and bitter gourd hinava and mackerel.
Popular soup and noodle choices include Mee Suah (Shrimp soup), bak kut teh, laksa, Sandakan spring noodles and soto (Chicken noodles).
At the featured sections, there were Ikan panggang (grilled fish), assam curry fish head, steamed prawns and sabah lo ton garouper with soy sauce, soft shell crab, wok-fried crab with sambal, kam heong crab, fried butter prawns, oxtail assam peda, mui heong far lam (braised pork), ayam bakar (BBQ chicken), beef masak hitam (beef in soy sauce) and three flavoured chicken.
Lastly leave yourself some room for dessert with a captivating range such as Sandakan UFO tart, Jackfruit and Banana spring roll, chee tan cha (herbal tea with braised egg) and bahulu (Malaysian cake).
The Durian swiss roll was simply delicious with real pieces of durian in the middle and the fun UFO tart.
As well as their Sandakan food, their other food were great too with a good range of seafood, foie gras, shake shake salads served in glass jars, Indian food, Mexican food and the desserts!
Shangri-La hotel has partnered with three Malaysian guest chefs: Johon Bin Sinma, Kuneh Binti Sumpat and Chong Vui San to offer an extensive Sandakan buffet at Cafe Kool.
I was greeted by a vibrant reception and a Sandakan 8% alcoholic drink which was really really nice because it was sweet with pineapple and rice wine and we were given a lovely handmade necklace.
I liked the way the dessert selection was near the entrance, it was a good reminder to leave some room for dessert too.
The buffet offers Banana bud salad, sea bird's nest salad to hinava shrimp, prawn roll with bambangan dressing, sambal belgacan (chili shrimp paste), ikan bilis (anchovies), sotong kangkung (squid and kong xin chai drizzled with peanut sauce), and bitter gourd hinava and mackerel.
Popular soup and noodle choices include Mee Suah (Shrimp soup), bak kut teh, laksa, Sandakan spring noodles and soto (Chicken noodles).
At the featured sections, there were Ikan panggang (grilled fish), assam curry fish head, steamed prawns and sabah lo ton garouper with soy sauce, soft shell crab, wok-fried crab with sambal, kam heong crab, fried butter prawns, oxtail assam peda, mui heong far lam (braised pork), ayam bakar (BBQ chicken), beef masak hitam (beef in soy sauce) and three flavoured chicken.
Lastly leave yourself some room for dessert with a captivating range such as Sandakan UFO tart, Jackfruit and Banana spring roll, chee tan cha (herbal tea with braised egg) and bahulu (Malaysian cake).
The Durian swiss roll was simply delicious with real pieces of durian in the middle and the fun UFO tart.
As well as their Sandakan food, their other food were great too with a good range of seafood, foie gras, shake shake salads served in glass jars, Indian food, Mexican food and the desserts!
Friday, September 20, 2013
Great fish and chips on the hills, not by the sea
Seasalt (Mid-Levels)
When I found out about this place I really wanted to go especially if a Brit saids that an Oz style fish and chips are good.
At first I was a bit hesistant to go because it was located on the Mid Levels and they did not answer their phones.
I can understand they are not taking phone orders but it would be appreciated if they answered the phones so that I know it is open especially trekking a long distance from SK to the Mid levels.
I nearly gave up coming here because I was not familiar with the Mid Levels and did not have the slightest clue how to get there.
Anyway, since I really wanted to try their fish and chips I took my chances and hoped that it would be open because new restaurants often have special opening hours.
When I got there, I was greeted with bright blue stools and chequered tiles.
The front of the restaurant had open windows, lovely for breezy and cooler days.
There is a lovely view of trees with a sense of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the noisy city.
The food selection is listed on the side of the wall.
There was a 20% discount to celebrate its opening which turned out to be quite a deal since I saved about $6X.
Basically they offered three types of fish: Cod (Ling), Barramundi, Red Snapper served with chips, salad or rice.
There was a choice of beer battered or grilled fish.
For the fish, there were a choice of sauces such as tartar, ginger and soy, wasabi mayonnaise, sweet chili or garlic aioli.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The lot:
This is good if you want to try everything because it had calamari, haloumi cheese, prawn skewers, fish, chips and salad.
The chips were slightly disappointing because they were hand-cut and they just tasted like frozen crispy fries, they lacked the soft oilyness that fresh cut chips have.
The calamari was delicious because the batter was extremely light and the fish was great because the batter was extremely thin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cod with rice:
As I already chose chips for "The Lot", I decided to choose rice to go with the fish.
It was no ordinary rice which was why I chose it.
The rice was nutritious red rice mixed with red wine and coconut milk.
As you can see, the batter was thin and crispy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
A bit pricy, but I do want to come back.
When I found out about this place I really wanted to go especially if a Brit saids that an Oz style fish and chips are good.
At first I was a bit hesistant to go because it was located on the Mid Levels and they did not answer their phones.
I can understand they are not taking phone orders but it would be appreciated if they answered the phones so that I know it is open especially trekking a long distance from SK to the Mid levels.
I nearly gave up coming here because I was not familiar with the Mid Levels and did not have the slightest clue how to get there.
Anyway, since I really wanted to try their fish and chips I took my chances and hoped that it would be open because new restaurants often have special opening hours.
When I got there, I was greeted with bright blue stools and chequered tiles.
The front of the restaurant had open windows, lovely for breezy and cooler days.
There is a lovely view of trees with a sense of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the noisy city.
The food selection is listed on the side of the wall.
There was a 20% discount to celebrate its opening which turned out to be quite a deal since I saved about $6X.
Basically they offered three types of fish: Cod (Ling), Barramundi, Red Snapper served with chips, salad or rice.
There was a choice of beer battered or grilled fish.
For the fish, there were a choice of sauces such as tartar, ginger and soy, wasabi mayonnaise, sweet chili or garlic aioli.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The lot:
This is good if you want to try everything because it had calamari, haloumi cheese, prawn skewers, fish, chips and salad.
The chips were slightly disappointing because they were hand-cut and they just tasted like frozen crispy fries, they lacked the soft oilyness that fresh cut chips have.
The calamari was delicious because the batter was extremely light and the fish was great because the batter was extremely thin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cod with rice:
As I already chose chips for "The Lot", I decided to choose rice to go with the fish.
It was no ordinary rice which was why I chose it.
The rice was nutritious red rice mixed with red wine and coconut milk.
As you can see, the batter was thin and crispy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
A bit pricy, but I do want to come back.
Delicious Dutch Poffertjes
Orange Tree
I have been past this restaurant quite a few times but the outside just looked like an ordinary restaurant so I never would have guessed they did Dutch food in there.
The name of the restaurant didn't sound Dutch, but it was a nice name.
I found out it was Dutch from the reviews so decided to go there just for the Poffertjes.
The last time I had something similar were the Dutch oven pancakes which were like big yorkshire puddings.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Poffertjes:
Poffertjes are made with yeast and buckwheat flour which look like small, fluffy pancakes. Unlike American pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture.
They were like cute coin pockets that were soft and fluffy with delicious powdered sugar on top.
I felt they tasted great without the icecream because the icecream was too overpowering.
Although there is no cheese in the recipe, it tasted like there was cheese and it was savoury too which was even more delicious.
They were so delicious, I finished them really quickly!
I'll be back.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I have been past this restaurant quite a few times but the outside just looked like an ordinary restaurant so I never would have guessed they did Dutch food in there.
The name of the restaurant didn't sound Dutch, but it was a nice name.
I found out it was Dutch from the reviews so decided to go there just for the Poffertjes.
The last time I had something similar were the Dutch oven pancakes which were like big yorkshire puddings.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Poffertjes:
Poffertjes are made with yeast and buckwheat flour which look like small, fluffy pancakes. Unlike American pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture.
They were like cute coin pockets that were soft and fluffy with delicious powdered sugar on top.
I felt they tasted great without the icecream because the icecream was too overpowering.
Although there is no cheese in the recipe, it tasted like there was cheese and it was savoury too which was even more delicious.
They were so delicious, I finished them really quickly!
I'll be back.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
20/09/2013
Orange Tree
半山蘇豪些利街17號地下
G/F, 17 Shelley Street, SOHO, Mid-Levels
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/delicious-dutch-poffertjes-e2321291
Orange Tree
半山蘇豪些利街17號地下
G/F, 17 Shelley Street, SOHO, Mid-Levels
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/delicious-dutch-poffertjes-e2321291
Thursday, September 19, 2013
French tranquility spot at Cafe Lavande
Cafe Lavande
Discovered this place as I was at another restaurant nearby.
It appeared to be a cake shop but I did not know it was French until I walked in and saw the owner of Chez meli melo who was helping out that day.
There were various cakes and quiches but I tried the Clafoutis because it was freshly made by them.
The last one I tried was a frozen cherry one by French brand CASINO.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Clafoutis:
Basically it was a bit like a sweet flan with lots of European fruit in it from blueberries, strawberries and pears.
The sweetness was just right and I liked it because it was crammed with lots of fruit pieces.
It was slightly different to the frozen one I had because that one just had cherries and it was much sweeter.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Discovered this place as I was at another restaurant nearby.
It appeared to be a cake shop but I did not know it was French until I walked in and saw the owner of Chez meli melo who was helping out that day.
There were various cakes and quiches but I tried the Clafoutis because it was freshly made by them.
The last one I tried was a frozen cherry one by French brand CASINO.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Clafoutis:
Basically it was a bit like a sweet flan with lots of European fruit in it from blueberries, strawberries and pears.
The sweetness was just right and I liked it because it was crammed with lots of fruit pieces.
It was slightly different to the frozen one I had because that one just had cherries and it was much sweeter.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The best blackforest cake in Hong Kong
Vanilla (Mid-Levels)
Found out about this bakery because I was at a restaurant nearby.
It would be hard discovering this bakery on openrice because there were not many recent reviews even though this place has been here for YEARS!!
They had a good selection of British pies, quiches and cakes.
The one that caught my eye was the blackforest cake.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Blackforest cake:
After removing the plastic sheet that was around the cake, I knew I made the right choice choosing it!
As well as the cherry on top, you could see whole cherries in the middle.
There were at least NINE WHOLE cherries in this cake! (Money well worth spent already and this cake was only $34)
The price of this cake was extremely reasonable too compared to other crappy local cakes which only give you chopped cherries and cheap cream.
As well as that the chocolate shavings on top were amazing because they were NANO thin and melts in your mouth. They were as soft as snowflakes.
The cake as a whole was delicious, the chocolate sponge was light and the cream was deliciously fresh whipped cream guaranteed with a juicy cherry in each bite because there were so many cherries in this cake!
I'll be back!
Best of the British.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
It would be hard discovering this bakery on openrice because there were not many recent reviews even though this place has been here for YEARS!!
They had a good selection of British pies, quiches and cakes.
The one that caught my eye was the blackforest cake.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Blackforest cake:
After removing the plastic sheet that was around the cake, I knew I made the right choice choosing it!
As well as the cherry on top, you could see whole cherries in the middle.
There were at least NINE WHOLE cherries in this cake! (Money well worth spent already and this cake was only $34)
The price of this cake was extremely reasonable too compared to other crappy local cakes which only give you chopped cherries and cheap cream.
As well as that the chocolate shavings on top were amazing because they were NANO thin and melts in your mouth. They were as soft as snowflakes.
The cake as a whole was delicious, the chocolate sponge was light and the cream was deliciously fresh whipped cream guaranteed with a juicy cherry in each bite because there were so many cherries in this cake!
I'll be back!
Best of the British.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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