[I'Annam Banh Mi et Pho] In search of a good Banh Mi

I don't know why but there has been a spate of Vietnamese joints opening, be it pho, banh mi and you name it!
For me, I love Banh Mi because I have to have something filling in my day like bread, potatoes or rice.
Anyway, went here for the Banh Mi because they have some slightly different options and the drinks are worth checking out.

There are three Banh Mis which makes it incredibly hard to choose so I had two, the beef and the House special.
The third is vegetarian which I plan to try next time.
++
[I'Annam House Banh Mi]
When it came, it was pretty crammed with fillings and the taste was surprisingly good.
It was heavily buttered and the bun was to my liking ie crisp on the outside and soft with a chew.
The fillings inside were roast pork, minced meat, pate, pickles, thin layer of egg, Chinese celery and coriander.
The star of the show was actually the pate and minced meat filling because the minced meat had a spicy kick to it and it was very flavourful which helped excel everything.

++
[Shredded Beef short rib Banh Mi]
The beef short rib was not as fancy but still tasty especially if you like Southern pulled pork, you will love this and its spicy dressing and crunch of the pickles.

++
[Viet rice Noodles with Grilled Prawns]
The noodles are really filling and yummy when mixed with their fish sauce that isn't too salty with a sweet and sour twist to it.

++
For drinks had the pineapple and ice which is crammed with fresh chunks of pineapple which makes it a great thirst quencher.
[Pineapple and Ice]

++
The hot drink is a great thing to drink on a cold day with a lovely sweet cinnamon flavouring.
[Cinnamon and Lemongrass with Yellow Sugar]

++
[I'Annam Banh Mi et Pho 喜越]
Tel: 34604407
30 Yiu Wah Street

[1935] Sichuan Food with Romanticism

I love Sichuan food and found out about this place because one of my foodie friends AL was at 1935.

It is located in Central where I always hang out.

When you get there, you are greeted with decor looking like a train which somehow reminds me Chung King express and 2046 hence not your usual Sichuan decor.

This setting isn't a scene from of a movie but a real life story because the name 1935 is in remembrance of the owner's grandmother who sadly passed away before this place opened.
A lot of their time together was spent travelling on the train hence the decor.

Looking at the menu, the dish names are wonderfully named in Chinese but you can't really express it the same way in English so the English menu is down to earth and tells you whats in it.
There is a story behind every dish and beverage and the wintermelon is about White Jade which I got confused in Chinese as it sounded like bak yuk which I thought was Shanghai style sliced white meat but it actually meant white jade.

Started with the cocktails which were fun and different.
The [Yomeishu] was appetizing and presented in a Chinese tea cup.

[Tanger Peels Infused Gin, Goji Berry/ Lemon/apple/Egg White/Osmanthus Flower]

+++
The [Carnation Says] was fresh and graceful with a pink carnation floating on top.
[Gin/Umeshu/YuZu/Sake/Lime/Ginger Beer]

For appetizers, here was what we had:

+++

Chilled Free Range Chicken, Truffle, Coriander:
The chicken was lean, soft and moreish because they use chilled free range chicken infused with a mushroomy truffle and crispy garlic pieces complemented by the Coriander and Chinese celery.

+++

Crispy okra, Yam, Salted Egg Yolk:
Okra and Yam are healthy but they made it evilicious by coating them with thick salted egg yolk and frying it.
I thought it was really smart to pair these vegetables together because both okra and yam are viscous hence it is like eating salted semi raw yolk in your mouth because of the viscous texture and salted egg yolk coming together.

+++
Next was the braised winter melon with conpoy, double boiled chicken stock.
I was really looking forward to this because it looks like a bunch of grapes.
Each piece of wintermelon was a perfect sphere and it was soft and mushy in delicious light chicken stock gravy.

+++

Poached King Prawns, Celtuce, Sichuan Peppercorn broth:
This dish was heavenly and recommended for people who like the tingling sensation feeling without the heat.
It was guilt free eating this dish because there isn't any MSG while the gravy and springy prawns really go down well with rice especially that light gravy.

+++

Poached Giant Garoupa Fillet, Sichuan Chili Fish Broth:
The poached fish can be eaten in two ways because the broth is pure fish soup that you can drink.

+++

Wok Fried Australian M4 Wagyu Cube, Ginger, Sichuan Pepper, Honey:
For beef lovers, this is a great dish in a sweet and gingery sauce with a spicy punch!
The cubes of beef are not well done, hence it is locked with juice and lots of myoglobin which I used to think was blood!

+++
The last dish we had was this cute pot of Dan Dan Noodles!
The broth was rich and each strand hung the broth well however I found it a little sweet though.

+++
Before ordering the desserts, the 1935Beer is a sweet soothing drink to finish with and the cream on the top is the best!
[1935Beer-Vanilla/Caramel/Cream/Ginger Beer]

+++

The colourless jelly is always a must at the end of any Sichuan meal.
As it is tasteless, it is often flavoured with syrup but here they have sweetened it with lemongrass and citrus.

+++
To summarize, the location is great because it is in Central and I like the decor.
In terms of food, this is the first Sichuan dinner that I didn't feel overloaded and bogged down by sodium, MSG and oil and the food is almost like home cooked dishes with restaurant quality.

The lunch is also worth recommending because you can also order those dishes.

[1935 - 壹玖叁伍]

M88, 27/F 2-8 Wellington Street

Tel: 2156 1935

[Little Birdy] Aussie chicks alert!!

My friend told me about this place so I had to go and check it out because I love chicken.

It is slightly different to Roast chicken and potatoes but they had my favourite chips with chicken salt!
They use free range chicken that are hormone free according to their website.

Since this place specializes in chicken, I had to have chicken with chips but they have the Birdy pack which also includes a salad and chips so I got the pack.
For salads, there were so many choices!
The chicken was roasted perfectly and fuss free while the chips were so good with that chicken salt sprinkled on it.

I purposely paired it with the detox salad which is cabbage and carrots.

My friend had the DG's chicken and waffle with additional small Romaine salad.

Small romaine salad:

Finished with the Iced Tea and Lemonade with Cayenne Pepper.

The lemonade was spicier than I imagined.

Plastic straws are not used here which is quite good.
It is good to see another Aussie joint in Hong Kong!

[Little Birdy]
15-17 NEW STREET, SHEUNG WAN, HONG KONG
OPENING HOURS: 11:00AM-10:00PM (MON-SUN)
http://littlebirdy.com.hk/

[Kani Kei] Crab feast in Causeway Bay

I love crab but there are not many Japanese crab specialists about. There is one in Wanchai called Kanizen but the set does not offer as much crab as this set.The Klwame crab set costs $1088 for one or $2176 for two which is really good because you can indulge on your own or if you are in groups of 3s or 5s it can be catered for.

Before they begin, they will bring over a tray of crabs to show you which crabs you will be eating.

Started with the assorted appetizer which had cherry tomato stuffed with mozzarella cheese, crab tomalley infused tofu, whelk, duck breast and cucumber with crab tomalley.





Next came the stewed wintermelon topped with truffle and parma ham which was nice and appetizing.





The next course was the crab and sashimi which were all fresh and tasty. I liked the way there were sliced fruit beneath the sashimi which helped to balance the heaviness of the sashimi.




The steamed egg was topped with lots of crab meat and salmon roe. The egg was silky flavoured by the bursting saltiness of the salmon roe.





The next course was the abalone which was soft and the sauce was very sweet.



Now to the star of the show which was the steamed crab.

The crab meat was sweet and juicy and there was so much tomalley there. Next were the grilled crab shells and legs, again more tomalley and this time it was chunky crab meat inside the King Crab legs.




The last course was steamed rice with crab meat mixed with truffle and edamame beans which left me full and satisfied.

For dessert, It was Matcha warabi but I was too full for it.

[Kani Kei]
Tel: 26021600
B/F, Macau Yat Yuen Centre, 525 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

[Flamingo Bloom] Zero Caffeine series and light bites

Flamingo Bloom are launching drinks faster than I can keep up!

This time they have launched the #NAKEDZERO series which are #ZEROSUGAR #ZERO CAFFEINE and #ZEROPRESERVATIVES whilst being dairy and lactose free because it contains Almond milk.

These drinks really appealed to me because of the almond milk.

There are three flavours: P!NK, GOLD and V!OLET.

The NAKED ZERO series are blended with Mongolian grapes and made to order. You can see how much grapes there are blended.

As always, their drinks impress.

I wasn't sure how it was going to taste but it tasted like yoghurt because of the grapes and because it was freshly made it is well blended and no vitamins are lost.

As well as the #NAKEDZERO series, there is a hot series for winter.

Decisions arre tough because they have this new apple and cinnamon and the caramel cinnamon hot milk a well as smashed pears!

The smashed apple and cinnamon which is the best in my opinion because it tastes like my favourite apple pie with hints of jasmine.

Next time I will request for some Salted milk cap so I can imagine drinking apple pie with cream!

For light bites, they have four new toast items!!

They had hot dog briefly which I wasn't quick enough to try but to be honest toasts are healthier and better.

There are four different toasts but avocado is my favourite so I had that.

The whole thing just tasted in harmony because you could taste the lovely salted butter on the toast whilst having bites of soft creamy avocado and juicy cherries tomatoes enhanced by the black pepper.

The avocado pieces were just right which was really good because at other places I have been served crisp, hard avocado which is not ripe to eat.

[Flamingo Bloom]

https://www.facebook.com/flamingobloomhk/

[Bistroholic] Italian food with a modern twist

Found out about this place through a friend, the name Bistroholic sounded really familiar. It turns out that it is run under the Coffeeholic group in Sheung Wan, hence the name. When you get there, you are greeted with this modern bar table by the window with flamingoes and a mini leaning tower of Pisa at the other end of the room.

The menu was really good with a wide variety.

Here was what we had:
++++++
Sweet corn soup bisque with salted caramel popcorn: I loved the way, the soup was sweetcorn all the way through with sweet corn soup bisque paired with popcorn which is also made of popcorn. It had a lovely sweet touch from the caramel on the popcorn, so sweet or savoury popcorn would both work and it just makes the soup a fun part of dinner.

+++++++
Next were the Chicken wings stuffed with Taiwanese sausage and prawn. Interesting combination! The chicken skin was so crispy that they cracked when you put your fork in them which was brilliant as there isn't much fat underneath the skin.

++++
The Matsusaka pork confit with smoked romaine salad was another surprise.

I am not a fan of pork, but the pork here is thinly sliced, tender and silky seasoned well by the truffle and has an aromatic smoky flavour to it complimented by the air dried apples.

+++++
For pasta we had the Spaghetti marinara with Argentina red prawn with mussels and Taiwanese peeled jalapeno.

The pasta was al dente and the Taiwanese peeled Jalapenos gave a lovely tangy punch with a spicy kick to it.
+++++++++
We also had the Pan seared Hokkaido scallops risotto with sea urchin prawn jus.
This was seriously rich with uni and prawn jus but I liked it.

+++++
Slow Cooked Iberico Pork with Anchovy Tomato Jus:
The Iberico pork was lovely and juicy as it was slow cooked and it went really well with the tasty Anchovy tomato sauce. I liked the mash and grilled vegetables that came with it because it makes it complete.

++++
Finished with Tiramisu which is light and moreish as it is soft and creamy just how it should be with an alcoholic soaked sponge in the middle.

f you book through FB, you get truffle seasoning, truffle pate and a cash coupon when you dine there. (whilst stocks last).

[Bistroholic]
21/F Circle Tower, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel 3500 2273
IG/FB: @bistroholic.hk