Farewell Chippy's, Welcome to Sai Ying Pun

Chippy (Central)

Went to Chippy's again for my last dose of fish and chips in Central before they move to Sai Yin Pun.
I was hoping TopShop would be open on my last visit to Chippy's but it won't open until June 6.
It was meant to open in May, but it didn't.


As well as the fish and chips I tried the curry too because I have never tried the curry before.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Haddock and chips:

The haddock was quite dry compared to the other fishes and the fish taste was not that strong.
The chips were as delicious as ever with ketchup and vinegar.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken Tikka curry:


The chicken tikka was delicious, it was not too spicy and the pieces of chicken were succulent and tender, however it was slightly salty.
Th rice was a bit too hard.

Lamma Marshmallows: when will I see u again?

佳佳麵包店 (Lamma Island)

Went to Lamma and finally found this shop, it is on the main street and easily missed.

I was there to get some Lamma Marshmallows so I got a few bags, one for myself and one for friends.

The lady said they could keep for a week in the refrigerator so I put them in the refrigerator.

On the day that I was going to give the marshmallows, I tried my bag to see if they still taste OK, and they were OK, so the owner did not lie.

However the sad news is that she maybe retiring in September because the owner wants the property back, hence she needs to find a new spot or retire.

After uploading the photos on the PC, I noticed they had mini coconut tarts on the left.
If I saw it when I was there, I would have tried it too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lamma Marshmallows:
The marshmallows were really nice, heavily coated with dessicated coconut and there was lots of peanut and crispy rice in the middle.
The sweetness was just right and the standard has kept since the last time I tried it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Simply plain fluffy rice for $10

陽明燒臘飯店 (Wan Chai)
Your probably thinking why I am reviewing a box of plain rice!

Well, the reason is that not many places are willing to sell you plain rice because they get pissed off that there is not much profit involved.

There are lots of new joints that have opened and sell chicken only (such as ET and Hau Hing's) hence the need for rice.
At 陽明's they allow you to buy rice only!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Plain rice:
There is probably other people who just get plain rice from here too because when I asked for plain rice, they gave it to me without any qualms and even asked if I wanted spring onion oil on top.
So if your on a diet, rice with spring onion would be a good option.
When I opened the box, it was not quite plain because there was sauce on it, the rice was fluffy and hot and there was a hint of aniseed in the sauce.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Ramen from Tokushima and Kitakata prefectures

Ippudo HK (Tsim Sha Tsui)

Thanks to Ippudo and the communications team for organizing this tasting.

At this tasting, there were two new ramens, one from Tokushima and the other from Kitakata prefecture.

In between the two different noodles, there was an appetizer to refresh our palates and after the tasting we got to try their desserts as well.
Drinks from the menu were also provided.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sunshine splash:

Chose this one because it wasn't fizzy, it looked nice on the menu with a pretty colour gradient that was orange on top gradually becoming red at the bottom.
There was a red glacier cherry at the bottom which contributed to the red colour.
As for the taste it was really nice, it was natural with pineapple and orange juice.
The drink also tasted similar to the Virgin pussycat and the Virgin Pussy foot.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Kitakata ramen:

First of all we tried the Kitakata style ramen.
Broth:
The broth for this had pork bone, dried fish and seaweed.
Noodles:
Flat and curly ramen.

Toppings:
Chashu, soft boiled egg, menma and spring onions.

My comments:
As well as the broth, the type of noodle is also important in my opinion, and the flat curly ones here were really nice, they gradually softened and were good for slurping while being al dente.
The texture was similar to tagliatelle.
The broth was slightly too salty, but the taste was addictive because the strong seaweed flavour was enjoyable but the fish was not so prominent.
Interestingly there was some dried squid taste in the soup which gave it that excitement that bouillabaisse gives you.
It was good that they paired it with the white end of the spring onions because it was slightly spicy and balanced the fatty chashu.
I do not really like fatty pork but the chashu fat layers literally melts in your mouth and the taste was pleasant.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chilled tomato in plum flavouring:


It was a fairly big tomato sprinkled with herbs and black pepper drenched in plum flavouring.
The tomato was firm and refreshing bursting with tomato and plum tangyness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tokushima:


Broth:
Pork bone and chicken broth.
Noodles:
Straight medium thin noodles.
Toppings:
Pork slices, green spring onions, menma and raw egg.
My comments:
The pork slices were marinated with their special sauce so it was paired nicely with green spring onions which has a stronger taste than the white end of the spring onions.


The broth was lovely and strong and the noodles were medium thin noodles, although I would prefer the ultra thin noodles because it can absorb more broth.


After trying the noodles without mixing the egg, I mixed the egg to try it with the egg yolk.
The egg was really fresh because when an egg is fresh the yolk and white separate easily.
I popped the yolk on the spoon and just dipped the noodles into it and got this lovely creamy taste.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Almond tofu with green tea:


The green tea on top was quite watery but beneath that was almond pudding. the pudding was firm with a deliciously strong almond taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Okinawa donut with icecream:


These donuts are made in house at Ippudo, I felt they were dry and hard inside but when it is eaten with icecream the combination of the two were delicious.
The appearance and style reminded me of the donuts at Tai Cheong bakery but with a hard centre.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★I'll definitely be back for the Kitakata and thanks to Ippudo, I have now tried another different type of noodle that I like as well as the straight thin noodles.
After finishing the broth you should see the Japanese words Arigatou at the bottom.

arigatou


Dining Offers: Tasting Event

Wasakuraya dessert now available at K11

Wasakuraya (Tsim Sha Tsui)

This place used to be located at Happy Valley which was quite inconvenient for some.

Last time I was at Happy Valley I tried this place and loved it, but as it was too far I was relunctant to go again.

Now they are located at K11 and conveniently on the same level as one of the MTR exits.


There is glass cabinet displaying all the desserts.

The desserts are quite expensive but since you can't find it anywhere else in Hong Kong, it is worth paying for.

I wanted to try the pumpkin dessert but they said it is only available during Halloween.

In the end I got the Hojicha pudding, Green tea soy bean milk pudding and Purple sweet potato pudding.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hojicha pudding:

It was slightly slanted during transportation hence the mess.
Sweetness: just right
Texture: very silky and light, it was almost runny that you could drink it.

Taste: It was really refreshing and light.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Green tea soy bean milk pudding:

Sweetness: quite sweet compared to the other two.
Texture: The texture was quite firm.

Taste: The soy bean taste was quite strong and milky and it got a bit sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Purple sweet potato pudding:

Sweetness: Just right
Texture: The texture was firmest amongst the three and you could taste the pureed sweet potato in it.

Taste: The taste was really nice, it was slightly savoury and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Kitchen J gets a new life with new menu items

kitchen J (Tseung Kwan O)

Previously the menu at Kitchen J was extremely limited, they only offered Japanese curries and cutlets.

Now they offer more items just like Watami did, but prices are more expensive than Watami.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed Hiroshima oysters with white wine:
I went to Kitchen J specifically to try these oysters, there was a baked cheese version too.

When it came, it was served on a ceramic dish with a Moroccan claypot lid.

The oysters were plump but the edges and body of the oysters were quite black and grey.

One of them was appalling because you can see crushed white shell on the top left of the oyster so I had to waste time removing them.

Only one oyster was properly detached from the shell and the rest were not which was a nuisance!

As for the taste, the white wine taste was not strong and I could only taste the standard creaminess and smell that comes from Hiroshima oysters.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Sicily deep fried octopus:

To be honest, I don't think they were Sicilian style.

As well as the octopus, they had deep fried squid but I chose the deep fried octopus because not many places serve it.
The coating smelt and tasted like the coating for southern fried chicken and cajun fried chicken.
It was moderately thick and crunchy.
The octopus was rather chewy but there were some tender pieces.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anyway, I am glad that the menu has improved and they accept cents too!

Blueberry cheesecake @ Cova

Cova Ristorante & Caffe (Causeway Bay)

Tried the blueberry cheesecake at a gathering and it was surprisingly quite nice.

Often Chinese people do not like cheesy foods or cheesecakes, but this particular person finished the cake, so it is a likable cheesecake which is suitable for Hong Kong people!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Blueberry cheesecake:


As for me, I liked this blueberry cheesecake too, the cheese was light and mousse like, the sweetness was just right complemented by fresh juicy blueberries on top and blueberry sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★