A good Salmon burger at TAKE Japanese Take-away Shop

TAKE Japanese Take-away Shop (Wan Chai)

I rarely walk down this road because there are too many pedestrians on this narrow pavement and it stinks of second hand smoke and fumes from heavy traffic going past made worse by traffic jams.

Anyway, I had to stop walking for a few seconds because of some slow walkers infront of me and discovered this tiny joint.

I only noticed it because of the burgers.

I was surprised to see that it was a small sushi joint doing burgers as well.

It was helpful they had English menus but not all the items are listed.


Anyway, ordered the salmon burger for $38 and I didn't realise it came with potato wedges.

There were three different salmon burgers:
-Seared salmon burger
-Spicy Salmon sashimi burger
-Salmon sashimi burger with a bamboo sauce.
{It seems to say bamboo sauce (juk-jeung) on the poster}

I opted for the seared salmon burger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Seared salmon burger:

The bun was really good, it was a fresh springy wheat bun with crushed oats and wheat on top.
It was much better than those lifeless plastic buns you get at other local places.

There was sliced cucumber in the burger which added to the refreshing taste but they were not sliced properly because the pieces were still attached to each other.
Beneath that, there were slices of seared salmon.
The salmon burger was amazing because the salmon was seared just right complemented by the cooling cucumber and wasabi mayonnaise.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Potato wedges:

The potato wedges were not memorable but the frying oil was fresh so the potato wedges tasted ok.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Previously I tried the salmon burger at MOS which was good but the second time I had it, the salmon was over cooked.

Supplementary Information:Salmon burger at MOS:
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2297951&con=rvw

Peruvian food at Mayta Peruvian Kitchen & Pisco Bar

MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen & Pisco Bar (Central)
15/11/2013
MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen & Pisco Bar
中環蘭桂坊15號協興大廈3樓
3/F, Grand Progress Building, 15 Lan Kwai Fong, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/peruvian-food-e2331042

This is the only reason I like Hong Kong is that there are so many international restaurants nearby without needing to travel far!

Mayta has some quite nice Peruvian dishes which is why I have been there quite a few times.
Some of the dishes were quite chinese such as the rice pudding with red beans.
The soup was quite boring because it was mushroom soup, but the Peruvian corn was cool, they were like giant pieces of sweetcorn and were chewy and hard like purple sweetcorn.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan Con Chicharron:

I was surprised they use the same Chinese steamed bun which is white.
The pan con chicharron had slices of crunchy pork belly, crispy purple sweet potato slices and tangy sauce which balanced the fatty pork and made it delicious.
After googling it, it appears that most places use normal buns and not these Chinese sweet buns that they sell in Little Bao and Bao Wow!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Openricer's from Asia UNITE!

OpenRice held the first-ever super reviewer campaign ─ “Be My Guest” in September 2013 across 8 countries and regions of China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

The 18 winners from the different countries were awarded a 3D2N trip to Hong Kong.

A special luncheon at YUE was held by OpenRice Hong Kong headquarters for those 18 winners which 4 local Elite and Professional ranking OpenRicers attended.


As a BBC, I was really lucky to represent Hong Kong and attend this fun luncheon and meet Openricers from Asia.


I finally got to try the award winning three layered steamed egg!!!
It was delicate layers of spinach egg whites, plain egg whites and carrot egg whites topped with seared Star Garoupa Fillet and Truffle Sauce.




It was stunning and delicious!
After the luncheon, we were all transported to the wine and dine 2013 event.

For more information on the "be my guest event"
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/article/detail.htm?articleid=1851&tc=art&con=lastest

Apple fritters at Dumpling Pro

Dumpling Pro (Wan Chai)

While I was making my way to a tasting, I stumbled upon this restaurant.

I was surprised they had apple fritters so I went in imediately to try them because I had an hour to kill before the tasting.

I have always wanted to try this famous eatery for dumplings but this place is in the middle of nowhere and the logo of this shop put me off!

It was too stylish for traditional Beijing food, but inside it was normal.

Sat down, and the waitress was surprisingly nice and asked if I wanted to sit at another table because the air conditioning was cold at that table.

So I changed tables and ordered the apple fritters.

After ordering, she gave orders to the other staff to buy red apples because they do not stock the fruit.

Before she left, I had it changed to green apples because I prefer sour apples.
If you prefer sweet apples, go for the red.

They also do banana fritters as well as sweet potato fritters.

There were mainly two groups of people dining there: Westerners and Mainlainders with a heavy Northern accent.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green Apple fritters:

I was so glad I finally found a place that does apple fritters.
There is another place in Causeway bay, but they probably expect you to have dinner or order other items as well.

The apple fritters were gorgeous, they taste the same as the ones in the UK.
Crispy candied coating with piping hot apple inside.
I loved the perfect balance of the hot mushy tart apple against the sweet crisp coating.
If there was cream or ice-cream, that would be heaven!!

I will definitely come back for the apple fritters and try their other dishes too!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Bao fight coming soon

I only eat Chinese steamed buns if the quality is good but the ones you get in dim sum places are filled with fatty meat or fillings that are too sweet.

Now there is Little Bao which turns the boring steamed buns into burgers.

When I first saw the logo, it reminded me of the Jolibee logo and Chipmunks merged into one.

The menu is simple, some dishes for sharing, baos and dessert.

I was there for the Bao only so I tried the chicken one.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken Bao:

Chicken, black vinegar glaze, szechuan mayo, napa cabbage, coleslaw.

It was definitely dinky and lives up to its name Little Bao.

I loved the texture of the steamed but, it was soft but not too soft that it held together well as a burger bun and the filling in the middle was amazing.
The crispy chicken was delicious with the tart medley of julienne cabbage and coleslaw with a gorgeous creamy taste that got jazzed up with szechuan mayo.
The szechuan mayo did not have a fiery tone but had a slow tingling sensation that accumulated when you finished the bun and there was a fragrant taste of szechuan peppercorn.
The only flaw was that it was not hot enough and to me it felt like an appetizer.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anyway, there will be a similar Steamed bun shop coming up soon in Wan Chai, called Bao Wao.
https://www.facebook.com/BaoWowHK

They will make their 1st public appearance at PEZ HKC from 1830pm - 2030pm on the 15th November (one night only, $38 per bao).

During the opening period in Wan Chai, it will be HK$58 for 2 Baos.

As well as that I will be looking forward to their Asian poutine which will be taro fries topped with cheese and Korean style beef!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Restaurant: Little bao

https://www.facebook.com/littlebaohk?fref=ts

Quinary's magical journey of five senses

As you know I do not drink so what captivated me here?

Well it all started when I saw the latest review featuring three bottles filled with thick white liquid called the Marshmallow Duo.

Then I checked their website and found out they also had a non alcoholic mocktail that I could try too called the JAX SUMMER LOVE made with Jax's coconut water, pandan syrup and dessicated coconut.

On my first attempted visit, I went with a friend that drinks but when we got there it was fully booked.

A few days later I was in Central again, so decided to try the non alchoholic drink only.

This time it was fully booked again apart from the bar table.

I don't usually like sitting at the bar table because it feels a bit weird but surprisingly it was entertaining and fun at the Quinary.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
JAX SUMMER LOVE:

Mocktail: coco jelly/ pandan syrup/Jax Coco water/coconut flakes



I knew I was going to like it because the drink was coconut water based.
It was a refreshing sweet drink with a hint of coconut but the pandan flavouring was too light, but too much of it would have been too sweet because it was pandan syrup.
The coconut flakes just acted like some pretty snowflakes floating on top.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
MARSHMALLOW DUO:
Absolut Vanilla/ marshmallow milkshake/cream/ egg white/ grilled marshmallow/ aged Manhattan/

It was so nice of the guy to let me try some because I really wanted to try it.
When it came, I realised why it was called a Shot because of the size.
The bottle was about 4 inches tall and really cute like a mini glass cola bottle which I would'nt mind having!
The taste of this was dreamy, it was light foam milkshake with fine bubbles.
It had a gorgeous vanilla taste but as a non drinker, I would prefer less vodka because I found it too strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Wasabi redistilled Absolut Vodka:

The guy also gave me this to try and it reminded me of the Horse's head at The Blue Butcher which was a fun cocktail of gin infused with horseradish giving a moreish savoury taste with a mustard kick and egg white foam cap on top sprinkled with green tea powder.
When I tried the wasabi vodka, it was fierce~ because my lips were scorching.
Initally I thought it was the vodka, but then I realised it was the wasabi stinging on my lips!
Horse’s Head:
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2315137&tc=sr2&con=rvw
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
QUINARY BLOODY MARY:
Wasabi redistilled Absolut Vodka/homemade bloody mary mix/ lemon & tomato juice/ up

The bloody mary was basically the wasabi vodka with tomato and lemon juice added to it.
The taste was much nicer with a sharp wasabi kick instead of the tabasco chili kick.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
EARL GREY CAVIAR
For fun tried some earl grey caviar that he had made for the Earl Grey Caviar martini.
It was earl grey liquid injected into a caviar mold.

After the droplets were immersed in calcified liquid, a membrane forms and turns into earl grey caviar.



I love the caviar and it had intense earl grey taste.

The earl grey caviar is made for the Earl Grey Caviar martini which is a concoction of:
Absolut Vodka/ elderflower syrup/apple juice/ Cointreau/lemon & lime/earl grey caviar & air/ up.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Anyway, I'll be back because they do snacks as well and the Mac and Cheese spoons sound interesting whatever that is.

The Quinary has certainly proved to be exciting for the five senses because they look, smell, taste, feel and sound good from start to finish!

If the owner had not appeared, I would not have known that Quinarystands for five and their meaning behind it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bar: Quinary
Address: 56-58 Hollywood Road

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Macallan 12 Years Whisky ice-cream at Urban Bakery Works

Urban Bakery Works (Central)

**This is not a tasting***

Heard that they had Macallan 12 Years Whisky ice-cream so I went there especially for it.

There was another icecream flavour but I couldn't hear what the heck it was and there was no menu because it was new.

Nice decor:


Nice spoon which is actually plastic and not metal!


Same for the knives and forks:

Sitting area:


Other bits and bobs:



A napkin similar to Beautifood's sassy napkin that says "Call me" with a pink lipstick mark!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Macallan 12 Years Whisky ice-cream:

Smooth with a pleasant whisky taste, but the whisky was not strong and representative enough because it was a bit like Baileys flavoured icecream.
Quite pricey for $50 but my scoop looks bigger than the one in HKE's review.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★