Greyhound Cafe - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Wednesday, 25 June 2014

My neighbourhood mall underwent a massive renovation this year. There was a change of layout and an injection of new blood. It was hard bidding farewell to shops I grew up with, but when I knew "Greyhound Cafe" was opening in a quiet corner of the mall, I was excited!

I had always wanted to visit Greyhound Cafe. So in the opening week, we decided to give it a try. My dad went in person to make a reservation. Apparently Greyhound was "fully booked before they even opened". Wow, OK... Then, my mum, ignorant of my dad's failed attempt, went to reserve a table too. She was told they'd stopped take bookings but several tables would be available for walk-ins. When my mum asked for the best time go for a table, the smug manager said "forget it, I'll put your name on our list" while making it sound like he'd just done us a big flavour. Seriously, Greyhound, making it difficult for your customers isn't going to make you a better restaurant.

After all that drama, it would be interesting to see if Greyhound lived up to its own idea of being an elBulli reincarnation or the new NOMA.

Who doesn't? You aren't that special, Greyhound Cafe.

Spaghetti Cha Cha Cha ($128) - not gonna lie, this was really good. Squid ink spaghetti cooked "to the tooth", a generous amount of seafood (relatively to the amount of spaghetti). I like that there was green peppercorns. And it was spicy, I love spicy.

Mini Pork Ribs ($108) - while this might resemble leftovers from Chinese family meal the night before, it was actually pretty good, especially with the tiny lime and ginger cubes. Presentation issues aside, the portion was... small. The last time I checked lettuce was still cheap. Nevertheless the fermented tofu pork rib was a joy to eat on its own... or maybe I was just really hungry?

Fusilli Phad Thai ($98) - I like to think I'm an innovative cook. One of my weird creative ideas is to make pasta the Asian way, like Shanghai fried pasta. This dish reminded me why I never actually cooked up an Asian pasta - it wouldn't work... nor would overcooking your pasta help. The fusilli in this dish was too soft and didn't blend with the phad thai flavour at all. Kids, when you think you've got an ingenious original idea that no one's ever thought of, there may be a reason why it isn't already out there in the market.

Greyhound Famous Fried Chicken Wings ($68) - their signature dish, also the reason why Greyhound Cafe opened in Hong Kong (Deborah, Nicolas Tse's mother, was so impressed with these wings she decided to introduce Greyhound to HK). Normally I'm not a fan of chicken wings, but the meat of these wings fell of the bones cleanly. The fact that they had been previously deboned (or semi-deboned because only one of the two bones had been removed) made them even easier to eat. Question though: where do they source chicken wings so tiny from?

Rating: 1.5/5

In a nutshell: Truth to be told, the food was above average (avoid the Fusilli Phad Thai though). But portion size was strikingly small and I could get food of the same quality in more satisfying quantity for less money. I'm also spitefully docking 1 star for that ridiculous reservation incident. Go for the hype if you really want, but I doubt you will make a return.


Greyhound Cafe
Shop 007, G/F, Cityplaza,
Taikoo Shing
Hong Kong


Website
Menu

Kau Kee / Wafffle! - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Wednesday, 25 June 2014


Kau Kee 九記牛腩

(I made a short visit to Kau Kee again yesterday and got the Beef Brisket Ho Fun ($40). It was a bowful of disappointment in my face - oily soup, chewy brisket and soggy noodles. Not sure if it's the Ho Fun version or if it's just a bad day for Kau Kee. Every restaurant has its good days and bad days, but this is just sad. Note: the following glowing review is based on my visit on 25 June 2014.)

Lots of spring onion for me!

In any city, there is a distinction between places that tourists go and places that locals frequent. Very rare will there be an intersection of the two worlds. In Hong Kong, Kau Kee is one of those places. At the big round table shared with five other eaters, you may be slurping away with a guidebook-reading tourist who doesn't speak a word of Cantonese, a white-collar worker from Central, or a local trekking uphill just for a bowl of perfection.

I'm no beef brisket connoisseur. But the brisket at Kau Kee is pretty damn good. Chopstick-tender and flavourful. Though there were noticeably a few tough pieces, the broth was too good for me to complain about the bad apples. It didn't look as nice and light as it was, but it makes the Beef Brisket Yi-Mein at Kau Kee the noodle soup of the summer season.

Beef Brisket Yi-Mein ($42) - pro tip: order yi-mein instead of the ho fun.

Rating: 4/5

In a nutshell: The Beef Brisket Yi-Mein will tell you why Kau Kee is loved by locals and tourists guidebook authors.


Kau Kee 九記牛腩
21 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong




Wafffle!

On the other hand, dessert was disappointing. After Kau Kee, we hit up Wafffle! for Liege waffles, the denser, chewier, bread-like sister of the more common Brussels waffles. Apparently Wafffle! makes waffles fresh from dough imported from Belgium in their state-of-the-air machine... But when we visited, they simply heated up pre-made waffles in a waffle-maker. The taste of the waffle was below my already-plummeted expectation - it wasn't caramelised enough on the outside and was stick-to-your-teeth chewy on the inside...

Wafffle! Devil (waffle with Belgian chocolate) + Vanilla Ice-Cream + Speculoos ($36) - j'oublie que j'ai mangé un mauvais waffle en Belgique... (??? French always fails me so please feel free to correct me)

Rating: 1/5

In a nutshell: You can make tastier waffles by putting packaged ones into the toaster. Add a scoop of ice-cream if you're feeling fancy.


Wafffle!
Shop B, G/F, Tin On Sing Commercial Building
41-43 Graham Street
Central
Hong Kong


Facebook

MANA! Fast Slow Food / Elephant Grounds - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Tuesday, 24 June 2014


MANA! Fast Slow Food

MANA! is the temple of the local clean eating community. It really does resemble a temple with all the exotic-looking sculptures. There are two types of people you see here, namely: yoga-pants-wearing, health-food-jargon-speaking type, and pseudo-healthy-eating type that believes a healthy resting heart rate comes from munching "health food" once in a blue moon. I belong to the latter.

"Healthy food" is slowly becoming a food category... By that I mean when I hear "healthy food", images of $50-bottled-juice / $200-superfoods-salad spring to mind. I certainly see the appeal - in the short run: guilt-free goodness that fills you up without post-meal drowsiness, in the long run: healthy body, mind and soul!!! However, the Eat Clean movement is getting too much. I love my boiled broccoli and steamed spinach more than most things, but I'm just sick of seeing EAT CLEAN YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT Pinterest-y posts on my Instagram feed every day. I can't pinpoint the reason why photos of wraps and shakes from MANA! are popping up everywhere. Is MANA! really such a great lunch place? Is there a extremely high correlation between the love to share and the love to "eat clean"? Or people "eat clean" only to tell the world? OK, digression's over.

MANA! Bliss Flat (full $75, half $45) and Babylon Shake ($55) - all flatbread is topped with Zaatar, a mixture of herbs and spices used in Eastern Mediterranean. A taste I quite enjoyed. In Bliss, there is avocado, hummus, cucumber and spinach. Babylon Shake is made by blending banana, figs, tahini, soya milk and cinnamon.

An arm's length of flatbread wrap... When we were placing our order,  Chak and me were repeatedly saying "why would people order half a wrap that's definitely not enough!" Little did we know the flatbread wrap is huge (almost double the size of a Pret wrap)... lesson learnt. 

I can see why MANA! is addictive. It's like a Pret addiction - tasty food that makes you think you're down 3 lbs instantly and feel good about yourself. But let's not kid ourselves - you aren't going to feel refreshed and slim down by eating a footlong wrap for lunch. I like the food at MANA!... For the flatbread, they are generous with the fillings and the flatbread itself tasted really great. But after consuming half a flatbread, it got bland and the house hot sauce wasn't spicy enough to give it a kick. As for the shake, it's just shakes from a cafe... I may go back for half a flatbread, but is this place worth the songs of praise from everyone on the Internet? Considering the price, let's just say I'm disappointed.


Rating: 3/5

In a nutshell: It's only a light lunch if you don't go overboard with your order. Clean eating may make you (feel) lean and mean, don't forget it comes with a hefty price tag.


MANA! Fast Slow Food
92 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong

Website
Menu
Facebook



Elephant Grounds

This coffee shop is located in the new hip lifestyle store WOAW*. I love all things elephant. I love the sharp orange paper cups. And most importantly, I wanted to try cookies hand-made by the inspirational Joyce Cheng (see Homie Cookies).

* It had only been opened for half a week when we visited a month ago (I'm a bad blogger). There were two other customers going for coffee in our 30-min stay. Passed by during lunch today - full house! That's the importance of social media / word of mouth / cool Instagram pics in action.

Seating is limited to an indoor bar and an outdoor high table with stools. We stayed in the air conditioning (of course!) and watched the barista working the shiny nuova simonelli.

Elephant Grounds Ice Coffee ($36) and Homie Cookies ($20 each) - the coffee came in a tiny glass jar, with a Titanic-sized iceberg in the middle... I may drink a lot of coffee but I'm not good at judging the taste professionally. We shared the White Chocolate Chip Matcha Cookie. $20 may be expensive for a cookie but this is totally worth it. The Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel is more chocolatey than salted caramel-y, but still soft and awesome. I can eat half a dozen of these bad boys for lunch!

Hihi elephant!

Flying coffee cups!

Rating: 4/5

In a nutshell: Awesome cookies. The patio is great for the cooler autumn months ahead.


Elephant Grounds
11 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong

Website
Facebook
Instagram

Unar Coffee Company / Zai Fe - Hong Kong

I love coffee. I'll even go to great lengths to say I cannot live without it. That's not to say I can't function without my morning cup, nor will I suffer from terrible incurable headaches if I forego my daily dose of caffeine. But I love the taste, the idea, the culture and the social aspect of coffee. A cup of black coffee can always calm me down. And "why don't we get coffee?" is the secret code for my instant friendship.


Unar Coffee Company

Unar started out as a tiny hole-in-the-wall (literally) in Tai Hang. The only seating area is the bench outside the shop. You see Unar when you see people standing around sipping coffee and exchanging conversations in the sun. A few months ago, Unar opened a Shop 2 in Star Ferry Pier (Tsim Sha Tsui side). This second outlet has definitely inherited the feel of the Unar in Tai Hang. Take-away coffee, a bench, hipster vibe... except that the main colour of Shop 2 is white, as opposed to black of Shop 1.

One of the best storefronts I have seen

Iced Regular Coffee ($35) - forgot how this tasted, but I clearly remember I enjoyed it, along with the spectacular skyline of HK Island. If you're adventurous, Unar serves interesting options such as Iced Cucumber Caffe Latte and Hot Ginger Caffe Latte. So next time you're in Star Ferry Pier in TST... don't run for ferry, enjoy Unar coffee!

Unar Coffee Company - Shop 2
Shop KP41
1/F, Star Ferry Pier,
Salisbury Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong

Facebook
Instagram

----------------


Zai Fe 齋啡

I've always liked my coffee black. When I found out an indie coffee shop, named after my favourite beverage, was opening near my home, I couldn't contain my excitement. Zai Fe is a tiny espresso bar tucked away on a quiet street in Quarry Bay. It's a small space, but the shop is oozing coolness (if not pretentiousness). I wasn't surprised at all to learn that the brains behind Zai Fe is an artist, a fashion guru and a coffee producer. There seems to be lots of principles and philosophy behind the brand. Principles and philosophy that I support. And you'll be seeing me at Zai Fe again and again, munching on artisan baked goods and enjoying the friendly service.

Zai Fe ($21) - according to the menu, the shop's "standard shot is everyone else's add an extra". This means that there are two shots in my tiny cup of coffee, but it's funny considering I found my cup to be slightly weak for my liking... next time I'm getting the triple-shot Long Black.

Probably my first time seeing Vegware packaging. All items here are served in 100% renewable or recycled materials.

Double Chocolate Muffin ($28?) - the muffin was wrapped nicely in parchment paper and came in an environmental-friendly paper bag (paradoxical, if the goal is to save the earth then why not skip the cool packaging?)... the price may be a bit steep for a muffin but this is not a conventional muffin! This is a moist chocolate cake in a muffin form. I was going to have a bite then I ate the whole thing...! The baked goods at Zai Fe are freshly baked by local artisan bakers every day. It's surely great to support local, but it's even better when local is awesome.

Zai Fe 齋啡
22-28 Finnie Street
Quarry Bay
Hong Kong

Website
Menu
Facebook

Noodlemi - Hong Kong

Introducing my favourite Vietnamese restaurant: Noodlemi!

There was something always getting in the way of my relationship with Vietnamese food. This something is known as CORIANDER. And because of it, my Vietnamese gastronomical experience was limited to pho tai chin and grilled lemongrass pork chop. Yet in the past few years, my tastes have changed and my palate no longer finds coriander offensive. Thanks to everyone's favourite Vietnamese chain Nha Trang, I've become a fan of Vietnamese cuisine.

Every time I have a bowl of pho, be it food court or restaurant pho, I feel the need to drink 10 gallons of water afterwards... almost as if having Vietnamese is equivalent to having MSG. Fortunately for me (and you), there's a little Vietnamese eatery promising MSG-free food. The fact that I've visited three times in a month only shows how much I love this place...

Grilled Five Spiced Pork Pho ($65) - the broth is nutty and slightly bitter (nutmeg? star anise?). Personally, I prefer the more common clear broth. Best part of the bowl - tender grilled pork. And there was a lot!

Soft Shell Crab Summer Rolls ($65) - one of my favourites on the menu. Chewy rice paper, crunchy pickled vegs and crispy soft shell crab. The medley of textures makes this the perfect item to accompany that piping hot bowl of pho.

Turmeric White Fish Banh Mi ($50) - grabbed a banh mi to go to satisfy my banh mi addiction.

True to the description on the wrapping paper, there was "plenty of vegetables". Though the pickles could be more acidic to balance out the heaviness of the baguette.

Grilled Five Spiced Pork and Scallion and Crispy Shallot Bun ($60) + extra Turmeric Fish ($30) - ahhh this is the reason why Noodlemi is one of my favourite eateries. Tossed with the house fish sauce, the bun is savoury and refreshing, with the right balance of flavours every mouthful. It's so light and tasty I'm actually craving it right now!

Rating: 4.5/5

Food: Frankly if you serve me tasty food with no MSG then I'm sold. It's even better when it's really tasty, refreshing (weather-appropriate) and comes in a generous portion.

Environment: A small busy restaurant with high chairs and tables. It can get quite crowded and noisy during lunch time but I don't mind if there's a great bowl of bun waiting for me. If you like a bit of space to yourself, they have recently opened another outlet in an industrial building in Aberdeen.

Service: There are 4 - 5 servers which I think is plenty for a small shop. It's really busy during lunch so don't expect extremely friendly pally service, but the wait staff is always there to help and quick to act.

Price: Really reasonable for Central/Sheung Wan. And even more reasonable for the portion. I know it's tempting to order an item from each category on the menu, but be warned not to order too much!



Noodlemi
G/F, 2 Bonham Strand East
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Website
Menu
Facebook

Urban Bakery Works - Hong Kong

Dates of visit: Monday, 10 March 2014 & Tuesday, 17 June 2014

In case you don't know already, Urban Bakery / Urban Bakery Works* operates under the Maxim's umbrella. As much as I'd like to see Urban Bakery simply as another product of clever marketing that tries too hard to be cool (see M&C.Duck 美中．鴨子**), I believe there's more to it. Though it may well be another soulless shop that wants nothing but your money, their croissants are the best I can find in Hong Kong.

* Urban Bakery is a bakery whilst Urban Bakery Works is more of a sit-down cafe. Except for the 8-hour Duck Confit Sandwich ~inspired~ by Borough Market, Urban Bakery sells the same sandwiches as Urban Bakery Works, but cheaper.
** Seriously what on earth is that name? I'll never understand the world's obsession with the dot, which FYI is known as 間隔號.

Double Ham and Brie Croissandwich ($48) - double ham as in "ham" ham we normally have and parma ham

Lotssss of ham, as you can see. But half of the only slice of parma ham fell out of the sandwich (see first photo) so I couldn't taste it until the last few bites.

Langoutine Croissandwich with Curry Emulsion ($48) - this is from my March visit. I like langoutine and croissant... I remember wishing there would be more langoutine

Rating: 3/5

Food: I love Urban Bakery's croissants. Flaky, buttery and probably artery-clogging but I don't care. So it's unfortunate that these croissandwiches from Urban Bakery Works are pre-made. They sit there under layers of wrap paper, slowly becoming a greasy soggy mess that swims in its own butter, no longer crispy and airy. They still taste OK but what a shame.

Environment: Confusing system - get your sandwich from the sandwich bar, then run to the other side of the bar to pay. Want a drink? Order at the cashier... I wonder if people run off with their sandwiches without paying.

Service: No service... I get it, this place gets quite busy during lunch time, but how hard is it to force a smile?

Price: I've noticed an interesting phenomenon - shops can get away with selling you sandwiches for $100 if they do it like how they do it in Europe or America; whereas local fast food places are damned for charging you $50 for fried rice and a drink. I know it's "just £4", but I do mind paying $48 for a sad pre-made sandwich. I know it's Central. But come on Maxim's you could do better, with your economies of scale. Next time I'll get my croissant from Urban Bakery for $14, buy some beef and make a sandwich myself. It will probably taste better.



Urban Bakery Works
Room 322, 3/F, The Landmark
12-16 Des Voeux Road Central
Central
Hong Kong

Facebook

Tim Kee French Sandwiches - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Monday, 16 June 2014

FINALLY! Tim Kee has been on my to-eat list for what, 6 years now? It received a bit of publicity a few years ago. And after all the "foodies" paid a visit, I still haven't gone! I blame it on my "next time when I'm in Jordan" excuse. Who am I fooling, the only two times I was in that area were for IELTS and for Fairyland... So on a quiet Monday after my exam, I made a snap decision. I texted my friend:

i'm on the mtr going to jordan for a sandwich

Before she could call me nuts, I'd already jumped into a banh mi addiction spiral.

Small French Sandwich ($31) - Crispy baguette (tossed in the oven for a few minutes upon order) and savoury peppery fillings. Though the meat is just processed cold cuts and pâté they give a very "authentic" feel, like this banh mi can't be made at home. But the star is the pickled carrots. They cleanse your palate and add another layer of construction to the sandwich.

It may look stuffed but there wasn't enough meat in the baguette. Wouldn't mind paying more for more meat.

Rating: 4/5

Food: This isn't my first banh mi. My first banh mi was at Banh Mi Boys in Toronto, but that banh mi was memorably a lot heavier on the taste buds (possibly due to the Kimchi Fries and Sweet Potato Fries that I might or might not have ordered). So I'd say this is my first authentically Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. I liked the crisp of the baguette, the crunchy pickled carrots and the pepperiness (though my mum would probably say there was too much pepper). The only complaint is the amount of the meat or the meat itself. I could barely taste the Vietnamese cold cuts and the pâté... Another taste missing is coriander. It's interesting that there wasn't there any coriander. I'm growing to not hate this spice! But this isn't a complain. Perhaps the owner knew people my age would hate coriander or he hates coriander himself, which is not unreasonable.

Environment: A hole-in-the-wall that reminds me a lot of Denmark and Leighton (RIP) that I frequented in my high school days. There are a few seats but people mostly take out.

Service: The owner is a lovely man. I was the only person in the shop so we chatted a bit while I was waiting. He asked me if this was my first time at Tim Kee and how did I get here... and recommended me to get off at Austin or Kowloon Station rather than Jordan (take notes ppl!)... I found out later he had the same conversation with almost everyone. In the dark times of conglomerates taking over the local food scene with their chain restaurants and bakeries, it was sweet noneless.

Price: $31 for a small banh mi that isn't small. I was going to get the big banh mi (pretty sure I could finish it) until the owner told me office ladies from ICC nearby would get it for lunch and share among the three of them. Actually, the small banh mi filled me up pretty well. It also gave me a banh mi addiction. I spent the next several days googling and drooling over pictures of banh mi...


Places like Tim Kee remind me why it's great to go out of your way sometimes - follow the map, take new routes, explore side streets, and take a bite of that sandwich or whatever it is that you have only seen during late night food porn session. I don't know since when has "me time" become an indulgence. So go on a mini date with yourself whenever you can. Don't you get lost in the hustle and bustle of city life.



Tim Kee French Sandwiches
Shop A, G/F, Man Yiu Building
30 Man Yuen Street
Jordan
Hong Kong