According to the previous reviews, the food and drinks were not really worth trying but the place is worth visiting so I went there for tea.
Books & Co. is a second hand bookshop where you can read the books there or buy them. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Video of the place:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Two interesting books I found. The drinks were not that impressive but fairly cheap. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Lychee red tea: Tried this because it was red tea with lychee flavour. When it came, I could barely smell or taste the lychee. It just tasted like ordinary Chinese tea. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ ◎ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ◎
Price: $28 Service: OK Service charge: no Noise levels: None Toilets: Busted Glass of water provided: yes English Menu: Yes Air Conditioning: Yes ◎ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ◎
I am not fond of Kebabs in Hong Kong because they are different to the ones served in UK. Here, they are wrapped in a roll with a foil wrapper but the ones in UK are open pita breads with the meats inside and lots of finely chopped cabbages, lemon sauce and chili sauce. I tried this place because they had LIVER KEBAB which could be the only place in Hong Kong that serves liver a Turkish style kebab shop. They had the option to choose pocket Pita bread for an extra $5, but stupidly I should have trusted my instinct that it would be served rolled up. Anyway, it was too late or I would have ordered the Meat Lovers version which is just stir fried liver with salad or rice. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Liver Kebab: There was so much chicken liver in the kebab which was good, but most of it was raw which was such a waste and a health risk. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
When there was a bagel craze a few years ago, S & I Bagels was on my to go list but because it is located in the Mid Levels, making a trip up there was too challenging.
Anyway, I was planning to go to Cosmos House Pancake Cafe next door but the style was too Japanese for my liking.
In the end I came here and tried Books & Co.nearby.
When I went in, I was greeted by this beautiful Philipino woman called Irene Concepcion, the owner who loves Bagels from Montreal which is why she opened this store.
At the front there was a big cabinet with lots of huge bagels.
Apart from Bagel, there were lots of other items on sale.
Sadly, this shop will close in three days time (26/3/14) which is why it is my first and last visit.
Hopefully, they will open in Sheung Wan and I wish them all the best.
As I am not Canadian, Bagels are not really my thing so I got the blueberry cake instead.
I really regretted not trying their shakes because the flavours were quite creative.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Blueberry cake:
The blueberry cake was crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle mixed with lots of blueberries.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ S & I Bagels G/F, 64 Bonham Road, Mid-Levels 2858 5538
This branch of Maxim's caters for people in a rush because it is located at Hong Kong MTR station. I had plenty of time that day so took a look at what they served. The apple and aloe vera tea looked nice so I ordered it with fish shaomai. It was fun to watch people in a hurry. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Fish Shaomai: The shaomais were not hot enough hence they had a really fishy taste and they are the same ones in Circle K. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Aloe vera and apple tea: Basically it was apple honey syrup diluted with red tea. There was a thin slice of apple in the tea. At the bottom, you could find pieces of aloe vera. I liked the combination of apple tea and aloe vera, but it was too sweet. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Came here again because I love the food. Previously tried the beef which was amazing. On this visit tried the chicken. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Chicken in nadere sauce: To be honest, I didn't know what it was when I ordered. When it came, I was mega impressed, it was a big chicken leg covered in mushrooms and herbs in delicious gravy. On the side there were rocket leaves. The rice beneath it was piping hot and each grain was lubricated in chicken oil. Everything just tasted lovely together and the rocket leaves went soft when it was mixed with hot food getting partly cooked and tasting less grassy. The mushroom slices tasted earthy which complement the chicken nicely. I hope this dish will be on the menu again because it tastes so nice. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I came here randomly because I didn't realise it was the same branch as Wan Chai. There was nothing spectacular about the noodles or the curry. The noodles were weird because some of the noodles were red and I did not put vinegar in it, perhaps someones unfinished noodles? The curry was not spicy nor was it salty, it tasted very bland.
Every expat is going to fall in love with this place because the interior and details are so intricate.
There is not a single spot that is not decorated.
The toilets were classic labelled with old Chinese terminology.
There were old ceramic barrels for wine.
By the elevators, they had these really cool wax paper umbrellas which really tempt you to open them!!!
Clearly I was going to like this place because the camera bag I had was a silk bag that I got from those tourists stalls selling Chinese stuff to Westerners.
Anyway, I took a picture because the patterns and colours of my camera bag matched the bowls and plates.
At every table, there were goldfishes!!!
Video of the goldfishes!!
It was definitely amazing dining here because the food and environment was good.
I got two surprises because one of the desserts was one that I have always wanted to try and the other was watermelon radish which I've always wanted to order but didn't know the Chinese for it.
Here was what we tried:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Soup
Menu name [Mixed potato, SPotato, pork soup]
八王爺亂燉湯 HK$108
The soup was different to what I was expecting because it was just like vegetable soup with meat.
It had pork meatballs, glass vermicelli, beans, egg, tomato, aubergines and potatoes.
I was quite surprised they had glass vermicelli in Beijing style food.
As for the taste it was quite appetizing because the tomato and vegetable taste was quite strong.
The pork meatballs were surprisingly good too because they were fresh.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pork Lungs in Chili Sauce:
夫妻肺片 HK$86
I am not a person for organs, but the lungs had no foul smell and it was deliciously flavoured by the Sichuan peppercorns and spices.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jellyfish with Black Vinegar:
老醋哲頭 HK$109
This was my favourite, when it came, you could smell the cucumber and sesame oil.
Each piece of jellyfish was chunky and fully flavoured by the vinegar without being over powered by the sesame oil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marinated watermelon radish
老家心靈美 HK$78
I have always wanted to try this but not many places serve it and I did not know the Chinese for it.
It is called Watermelon radish in English, also known as Rooseheart or Red Meat, a species of Chinese Daikon radish.
http://winterridgefoods.com/whats-a-watermelon-radish/
There was no distinctive taste but it was crunchy with a hint of sweetness and tangy vinegar, great for soothing the palate after some spicy food!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried Fish with pomelo Sauce
老家柚子魚 HK$268
The fried fish was soft and supple complemented by the fruity pomelo sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried Lettuce roots HK$88
清炒萵筍
These lettuce roots were nice and simple, great for toning down all that tasty food.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lamb Served with Pancakes
塞外羊肉 HK$296
The pancakes were quite interesting because it looked like an Indian roti, but the dough seemed to be dense in the middle and not as fluffy as it should be.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried chicken with chili (New dish)
大紅袍宮雞 HK$198
The fried chicken was divine! It was crispy but still juicy and springy.
It is not spicy at first but then there is a mild spicy aftertaste that does not linger for a long time.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Noodles with Spring Onion, Chilli and Soya Sauce HK$176
油撥麵
I was surprised with these noodles because I tried a similar thing at Biang and the oil reeked, but here the noodles were aromatic and you could taste fresh oil complemented by crunchy diced spring onions.
油撥麵 means putting boiling oil in the noodles.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Strawberry Braised in honey HK$68
拔絲士多啤梨
This was the moment I was waiting for!!
I loved the complicated strands of caramelized sugar interwined together.
Each strawberry was caramelized and encased in a hard golden sugar shell.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet potato and almond pie:
I loved the starchy sweet potato pies with crispy toasted almonds on the side.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Souffle egg white balls with hawthorn paste
I love souffle egg white balls but most restaurants fill them with mango or red beans which I do not like.
Here they filled them with Hawthorn which was sticky and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I am glad I found another good place for Beijing style cuisine and plan to try their Causeway Bay branch.
