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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Fairyland - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Thursday, 12 June 2014

Never was I sucked into the Kraze, a term for the Korean craze coined by yours truly. But who can resist succulent crispy fried chicken washed down with ice cold beer? Apparently Fairyland serves the best Korean fried chicken in town. So for our celebration meal* we ventured to Austin Avenue, the new Korean Street, to have some KFC and drink beer before sunset.

* 99% celebrating for Simmy's job and 1% celebrating for the completion of half of my exams. Mid-exam festival, if you will.



There's always a sea of people waiting outside Fairyland or any other KFC establishment**. A 3-hour waiting time is not unheard of. We arrived a little earlier than 4pm on a weekday so there were only two tables of guests. If you ask me whether Fairyland is worth queueing for, I'd say in a booming economy it's hard to find a decent place with no line around meal times. But to me, waiting more than an hour for a table is plain ridiculous. I enjoyed my meal at Fairyland and have plans to return, but I wouldn't be caught dead spending two hours of my life lingering outside a restaurant waiting to be seated.

** In case you haven't got that already, KFC means Korean Fried Chicken because who would want to eat the KFC fast food that we all know. Level with me, what is it with KFC in Hong Kong nowadays? I wouldn't eat it even if it's free.

Vegetable Salad ($120) - definitely needed some greens to "de-fire" and thankfully this salad came in a huge salad bowl. The vegetables were fresh but they could have spinned the leaves a bit as the salad was too watery making the dressing tasteless. The heaps of blue cheese sort of saved it though.

Original Fried Chicken / Hot Spicy Chicken ($185?) - chose the boneless version because there was no way I could deal with bones. Not the most succulent chicken I had but it was still good. Btw what's the point of the side potato chips?

Rating: 3.5/5

Food: I have a pretty "interesting" scale of ranking unhealthy food - is it worth an acne attack? Beef jerky? No. Kettle Chips? Clearly yes. You get the idea. On this peculiarly silly ranking system, Fairyland fried chicken is a "yes". The chicken itself wasn't particularly juicy, but it tasted so good and there was no need to worry about bones. I was happy the chicken-y taste that so often presents in fried chicken was missing. The Original Fried Chicken was well seasoned while the Hot Spicy Chicken was coated with an addictive tangy spicy sauce. Personally I prefer the Original but I think half Original/half flavoured chicken is the order to go for if you don't want your palate to go too dry. As if the heavy sauce was going to soothe the sore throat building at the back of your mouth... Honestly even the Vegetable Salad couldn't do its job. Despite the dangerous consequence, I (recklessly) would love to go back to try their Grill Fried Chicken! Still not queueing for an hour+ though.

Environment: Bright and white like a canteen. It was also like a canteen in the sense that it felt a bit unclean. K-pop was blasting out loud in the shop and I swear Simmy knew 80% of the songs. And I swear I was the only non-K-fan there. Outcast.

Service: The waitress serving us was an ajuma(?) who spoke a bit of Cantonese and English. Friendly and all smiles. Even asked Simmy if she was OK when she appeared slightly tipsy from the beer...

Price: The bill came to $4XX for the chicken, the salad and two pints of draught beer. It may seem too expensive for what it is (it's essentially fast food), but I feel like a satisfied spoilt kid with every meaty boneless bite. KFC Hot Shot Bites, popcorn chicken which is more fried batter than fried chicken, is $8.5 for a box but I bet $10 there's less than 10g of meat in there. Sometimes you pay $300 for a nice fancy plate of pasta but you still feel hungry walking out of the restaurant. At Fairyland, I had a good time and left giggly from beer. What more could I ask for?


Fairyland
G/F, Hong Kong Offshore Center
28 Austin Ave
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong

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Thanks again Simmy for the meal! I wish you the best on your first job and all your future endeavours! X

Le Port Parfumé - Hong Kong

(Remember when I said I'm gonna keep words to a minimum on this blog? But my recent posts (aka the ramen series part one two) have just shown what a hypocrite I am. The infrequency of the updates doesn't help either... But now I'm back! Along with a few micro reviews.)

Date of visit: Wednesday, 11 June 2014

The restaurants of Central (Soho in particular) most operate in this way - they offer prix-fixe lunches for $1xx, serving items very different from their regular menu, which they save for after the sun goes down. So if you want to try their signature dishes, be prepared to shell out several more hundred bucks.

But Le Port Parfumé is different. For a change, their set lunches are really good. Rather than mediocre soulless salads and steaks, they serve items similar to those on their dinner menu but with cheaper substitutes (e.g. pork cheeks instead of beef cheeks and tomato sauce instead of Guinness stout). They even do the same desserts! At a much lower cost, you get the sample their style of cooking.

The menu

Tomato Salad with Anchovies and Black Olives - I love cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, anchovies and black olives so naturally I LOVED this appetiser. My friend had the Tomato Soup (not pictured) which I stole a spoonful of... nothing remarkable but nothing like soup that comes in a tin either. I'm not joking some shops actually serve Campbell's.

Pork Cheek in Tomato Sauce - I'm a big fan of stew and I still think about the Carbonnade I had in Belgium two summers ago. Hell, I even made beef stew when it was 33 degrees out! The pork cheek was tender and nice. Portion was generous too. But I still prefer beef and wouldn't mind if they gave me less meat for some beef.

Roasted Chicken and Peas - juicy chicken on a bed of peas. My friend isn't the biggest pea lover and was surprised to see so many peas on her plate. But don't worry I helped her out.

Floating Island (front) - the meringue was too styrofoam-y for my liking. It wasn't bad, and since this is a classic dessert hard to find in HK, I was glad we ordered it. But once is enough. Blue Cheese Gelato and Honey Comb (back) - you can't go wrong with this golden soft/crunchy combination and surely we didn't here. We enjoyed the gelato and wished it'd come with more gelato and less cream.

Rating: 4/5

Food: Good quality and (relatively) interesting for a prix-fixe lunch in Central. I'm pretty sure amongst all set lunches I've tried, Le Port Parfumé serves one of the best. Perfect for causal business lunch with co-workers when you want to impress and relax too.

Environment: The restaurant has fishing village vibe to it - dark wood tables, seaside-themed decorations with French words on them... While most of these Soho restaurants are typically quiet during lunch hours (though Kau U Fong isn't exactly Soho), this place is packed. The only downside to this is we had to share a table with two businessmen. Thankfully the table was large enough to cut down the awkwardness. This proves that Le Port Parfumé is a popular destination of the Central crowd, so fais ta réservation!!

Service: Friendly and attentive staff. Glasses of water got refilled frequently. Nothing to complain.

Price: $138 for two courses and $148 for three. Adding $10 for the dessert is a must! In the land of inflation that is HK, $148 may only buy you a tiny plate of pasta. This set lunch is really good value for money and the food doesn't disappoint either.


Le Port Parfumé
Shop C, 6-10 Kau U Fong
Central
Hong Kong

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Florsflor Eats Ramen (Part II): The Journey Continues

(Wow, a sequel. Still not proven to be a long-lived project but anything two-part is serious shiz in my book. Check out Part I of my journey to a ramen belly find the best bowl of ramen if you haven't already!!)

I know, I know. There are a variety of ramen styles. The goal is not to find the best tonkotsu or the clearest yet most flavourful shio. That would require me to order the same style in each and every shop, which is too boring. Besides, I may have to skip the shop's special! The goal is simply to sample what Hong Kong's noodle houses have to offer, one bowl at a time. After completion, I will most definitely have become a walking ramen guide. You can ask me the address to the best Hakata ramen then. But for now, please don't complain I'm changing too many independent variables because nobody's ever said this is scientific.



Zabon Ramen 無名拉麵

This place seems to have gathered quite a number of bad reviews on Openrice. Along with Central's sky-high rent, it isn't unreasonable to assume Zabon will soon join the gang of Shops Disappeared Overnight (only in HK!). But if the lunch time queue says anything at all, it's that there's nothing to worry about... for now. (Actually, it seems that the owners have done quite an amount of advertising in foreign guidebooks. I hate over-advertising but I'll forgive Zabon for the pork toro.)

In the Battle of Ramen Houses, Zabon is perhaps the most undersung of them all. They may not have the best soup or noodles, but that pork toro is to die for!

1st visit: Pork Cheek Ramen ($90) - there are almost too many pieces of pork toro. Not a big fan of the broth though. Apparently they do Kagoshima style ramen here but it's my first time having it so I have no idea what to expect.

2nd visit: Noodles with Pork in Shrimp Soup ($80) - very shrimpy, shrimp-shells-and-heads-simmered-for-8-hours kind of shrimpy. Downside: toooooo salty. A stranger whose smartphone you can see in the photo above, aka my seat neighbour / my ramen twin kept complaining about the salt level. It is THAT salty.

As they advertise so much in foreign guidebooks (saw tourists holding guidebooks looking for this place), they may as well improve their English translations. "Noodles with Pork in Shrimp Soup" doesn't appeal to me much... 

Rating: 3.5/5 + bonus 1 point for that pork toro I still dream about.



大福屋 Daifukuya

In the case of Daifukuya, the bad reviews are true. Although it isn't so bad that it should be renamed 大伏屋 or 大fuq屋 as a warning, I don't want to go back. I ordered the Daifukuya Rich Broth Ramen and paid an extra $3X for gyozas and onsen tamago rice. Don't judge me it was a good deal. The Daifukuya Rich Broth is a gyokai tonkotsu broth. Ippudo has been serving gyokai tonkotsu ramen for a good two years now but I never got a chance to try it.

Here at Daifukuya, they put yuzu zest in the ramen, adding a refreshing twist. It was nice at first - sticky and gelatinous yet fresh but the citrusy taste got quite overpowering halfway through. I paid an extra $10 for bamboo shoots, thinking they would be menma like everywhere else. Turned out they were actual marinated bamboo shoots. I don't know if I should thank them for giving me at least ten pieces. I didn't enjoy my bowl at all. I still think I should go back and try their tonkotsu. After all it may just be that I'm not a fan of gyokai tonkotsu... but look at the logo for their tonkotsu series! I normally love vulgarity, but I hope the chef washed his hands after touching his genitals.

Daifukuya Rich Broth Ramen - Original ($68) - not sure if Daifukuya is the correct shop to lose my gyokai tonkotsu virginity to :(

The saving grace is the onsen egg rice, but it's impossible to do wrong with the egg + soy sauce + rice formula.

At $68 a bowl, the price is on the low side. But that doesn't justify the less-than-good food. For the same price I can have my all-time favourites fish tofu rice noodles and condensed milk crusty bun at the trusty Tsui Wah. Or I can slurp a better bowl of ramen at our next stop (read below).

Rating: 2/5



Hakata Ikkousha 博多一幸舎

I'd only heard great things about this place before my visit. Expectations were high. While the broth is sticky and nice, I find the smell too porky for my liking. It's that distinct porky aroma given off by kotteri broth, but only stronger. The broth at Nagahama No.1 Ramen is porky as well but here it's even porkier.. Maybe it's just me but I never like it when my pork is too porky or my chicken too chicken-y. Anyway, though the ramen didn't live up to my expectations, it's a great bowl at a fair price, I'd love to go back to sample their lighter tonkotsu and their chicken kara-age.

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen ($68) + Soft-boiled Egg ($12) - the broth is thick and sticky. There is a noticeable layer of oil floating on top but it isn't as greasy as it looks. Confession: I ordered an egg thinking it would add a pop of colour to my photo... they didn't cut the damn egg. On a side note, the bowl is evidently too small, not only does overfilling look unprofessional, there's potential for spilling.

Finally, the cheeky logo has come out of hiding! Really wanted to order a side of their signature chicken kara-age but as I was alone I didn't want to over-order. But man did I regret my decision when I finished my ramen.

Price is on the low side. Portion size is smaller than that at Daifukuya... but quality over quantity. Memorably there's a lighter version of tonkotsu available. Perfect for those who prefer something lighter, e.g., yours truly.

Rating: 3.5/5



Kanada-ya 金田家

This is a new ramen shop on Tang Lung Street, where Butao CWB and the aforementioned Hakata Ikkousha are located. It's a pretty brave move to open a shop among the more locally famous / acclaimed ramen establishments. Perhaps to attract crowds other than those who are tired from queueing for Butao and Ikkousha, Kanada-ya has done lots of online advertising. I keep seeing it as a Promoted Page on Facebook and unfortunately this has given a cheapened impression. But thanks to the raving reviews, the negative first impression didn't keep me from trekking out to Causeway Bay after work. Whilst my experience at Kanada-ya isn't bad, I now think the great reviews may have been part of the advertising scheme...

I got the Kanada-ya Supreme, a tonkotsu ramen with many thin pieces of chashu. I like the milky flavoursome broth, but there is an issue with the meat. Between the Classic and the Supreme, there is a $20 price difference and all I get is thin slices of dry chashu (instead of pork shoulder chashu). The best part of the meal is the service. The members of staff were lovely. I won a voucher for a free egg but I'm not sure if I'm going back to redeem it.

Kanada-ya Supreme ($98) - I really like the presentation but as I dug in I found a problem: the chashu was too thinly sliced. The focus of this bowl is the meat so it's a shame that the chashu is dry and sticking to the side. Slicing it thicker might combat the two problems at once.

Rating: 3/5



Torimen

This place is not like other traditional ramen shops, as it isn't really one. They serve cocktails and yakitori and tiny side orders of ramen at night, but during the day, they do set lunches. You don't even have to hike up Soho because they will pay your cab fare, as long as you're a party of two or more and the fare is under $30. But I recommend walking... surely you don't want a big belly that quickly?

Ebi Miso Ramen ($88 on its own, lunch set $128(?)) - lovelovelove this. It's very shrimpy but not as salty as the shrimp broth at Zabon. There is a nice balance between the shrimp taste and miso. It's not just me, my lunch buddy sang praises of this bowl too.

The ramen came with a salad and a side. I chose the yakitori platter - grilled mackerel, chicken bone sausage, shiitake mushrooms.

Rating: 4/5



10 bowls down, I-don't-know-how-many more to go. Ramen is clearly an over-saturated market, but who'd have known even the HK Island shops alone are going to take me more than four posts to cover? Sadly, the summer of Hong Kong has forced me to go on a hiatus. Humidity and heat are sworn enemies to ramen (...more like ramen shops owners?). Unless it's cold noodles, then they can be summer flings. So until then, enjoy your soft serve and soba. We'll be back as soon as the temperature drops. Or earlier, because I'm into masochism.

Little Bao - Hong Kong

Date of visit: Saturday, 5 April 2014

I'm an aspiring restaurateur. In my dreams my restaurant will be bright, sleek and modern with communal tables. And no, we won't take reservations. The indicator of our popularity will be the long line in front of our door. And yes, I have Momofuku in mind as I describe my dream restaurant.

Apparently there is a new-ish restaurant in town that fits the above descriptions (maybe not sleek part though). In the name of research, I made a visit on a public holiday... Luckily there was no visible line and we got the last table in the second seating after 15 minutes of wait.

Gin & Juice ($78) - cucumber, gin, lime and ginger (left) and "Mac & Cheese" ($108) - steamed rice rolls, metaiko cheese sauce (right). Very refreshing cocktail that helped washing down the overly salty cheesy cheung fun. It didn't taste like mac and cheese, but it was interesting and the cheese crust on top was some yum stuff. Just too salty... 

Pork Belly Bao ($78) - slow-braised pork belly, leek & shiso red onion salad, sesame dressing, hoisin ketchup. I had a bit of the pork belly but I don't know what it tasted like overall... I only know my date really enjoyed it.

Fish Tempura ($78) - fresh market fish, tamarind palm sugar glaze, pickled lemongrass fennel salad. Very fresh fish and very messy to eat as the fish flaked apart...

LB Green Tea Ice-Cream Sandwich ($48) - deep fried bao, green tea ice-cream, condensed milk. Their signature dish! Even if people can't get a table, they will order a green tea ice-cream bao to go.

LB Special: Salty Caramel Ice-Cream Sandwich ($48) - deep fried bao, salt ice-cream, caramel. We thought both ice-cream sandwiches were great, but the salty caramel was slightly better. Salt ice-cream was really salt ice-cream!

Like any other hip restaurant, they gave us stickers. In fact, they gave us three - two dark blue's, one pink... why three though? Anyway, if I don't stick movie tickets / ferry tickets / other memorabilia in my planner, they will be forever lost under the piles of random stuff in my room. This is why this sticker of a weird looking baby is now in my Moleskine.

Rating: 3/5

Food: The food was definitely tasty and interesting, but I feel that I could get the same quality elsewhere for 70% of the price. I'd be happier to pay the full price if the portions were larger. But the restaurant is called Little Bao (飽) after all, maybe we aren't supposed to fill full?

Environment: The restaurant is really small! I must have apologised to the woman sitting beside me and vice versa for more than three times for accidentally hitting each other. I have sensitive ears and the music was slightly too loud for my liking. But it's cool to see that in a quiet part of Staunton Street, so much was going on in a tiny restaurant.

Service: There wasn't much service really... but the staff were all friendly.

Price: $541 for two cocktails, a starter, two baos, two dessert baos and still water. Bear in mind the portions are tiny... Overpriced? Yes, but that's the cost you pay when you want to be hip. Poor students like me are probably better off staying lame.


Little Bao
G/F, 66 Staunton Street
Central
Hong Kong

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Florsflor Eats Ramen (Part I)

(Hello, dear readers! I'm still alive! And extremely happy to discover that I have readers who aren't family / friends whom I have forced into reading my blog! Thank you.)

I was once determined to be a ramen connoisseur of Hong Kong, sampling what the city's noodle houses have to offer in a bowl. To be a true ramen connoisseur, one should be familiar with the Spectrum of Ramen Yumminess. Thanks to Ajisen Ramen, you can get a taste of the bottom of spectrum easily at one of their seventeen outlets scattered around HK. Or can you? Is Ajisen that bad? Let's find out by filling in the rest of the spectrum! Not by going to Ajisen, mind you.



Even though the ramen craze has died down a bit recently, dealing with the aftermath of a full-blown food craze is easier said than done. A brave friend of mine has taken on this challenge and actually made some progress. Before the verdict is out, I guess I have to continue to slurp my non-existent-unless-I-starve-myself-for-12-hours waistline away...


Ichiran 一蘭

Instead of joining long queues, I would normally wait the opening crowds out. So waiting four hours for a bowl of ramen is out of the question for me. I visited Ichiran at 5pm in late December. The wait was about twenty minutes. I didn't wait though, my friends did, thanks!!!

For first-timers, Ichiran recommend the choice of "half" for their Original Red Sauce. I followed suit. It was a mistake because the sauce was the best part and there wasn't enough...

I was hoping to finally find the Holy Grail of ramen, but I was let down. It was tasty and reminded me of Butao, which was surprising because the broth looked lighter. Yet, Butao is cheaper and would fill me up for a whole day. Whereas my bowl at Ichiran came to $99 ($89, + $10 for woodear mushroom) and I went for desserts afterwards.

Rating: 3/5



Kenko Syokuhin Ramen 健康食品拉麵

For better or worse, I have trained my system to reject greasy and overly salty food, which is exactly what ramen is about. If it isn't for the headaches and funny stomach reactions, I'll slurp more often than I do now. For this reason, I'm glad that there's a place that serves "healthy" version of ramen. The broth here was memorably less greasy than the broth at other ramen houses. But was it healthy? Definitely no. I like the ramen here and I think it deserves more attention than it receives.

1st visit: Tonkotsu Ramen with Soy-marinated Egg ($78) - the broth wasn't greasy but the chashu was fatty.

2nd visit: Beauty Set ($80) - came with a bottle of Yakult! I enjoyed the lemon-y herb-y (pesto) taste.

Rating: 4/5



Nagahama No.1 Ramen 長浜No.1拉麵

I work in Central, where the density of ramen houses is almost as high as the density of offices. Nagahama No.1 Ramen is located in Kau U Fong, not the most convenient area to go for lunch if you aren't around the area already. I've been here twice since I started my internship in January and have plans to return. Though it isn't as good as the praises have claimed, the noodles aren't mushy, the chashu is great and the broth is milky. Not to mention I can never resist free pickled spicy beansprouts. Yum.

1st visit: Tonkotsu Ramen ($72) - two kinds of chashu! I'm a sucker for blowtorch charred-siu and good puns.

2nd visit: Tamago Ramen ($82) - some people are crazy about soy-marinated eggs and I'm not one of them. But sometimes the eggs do "complete" a bowl of ramen.

Rating: 4/5



IPPUDO 一風堂

I like IPPUDO because it's consistently good and conveniently located in neighbourhoods that I hang out in. They do great side dishes too! Pork Belly Bun, anyone? It's one of the few ramen houses that charge a 10% service charge, understandable though as it's more like a restaurant. If only the noodles aren't so MSG-laden... down 1 litre of water and you will still feel thirsty.

Special Akamaru Shinaji ($88) - came with free kakuni!

Rating: 4/5



Shugetsu 周月

This place is famous for its home-made thick noodles / infamous for the oiliness of its tsukemen. As mentioned above my stomach does funny things when I consume too much grease, I went for the good old noodle soup. My ramen was slightly salty (even I picked "regular" flavour rather than the 重口味 original level) and there was an obvious alkaline taste... almost like I was eating a bowl of wonton noodles. I had some of my friend's tsukemen. Their thick noodles are chewy and robust, much better than their thinner and straighter friend. But overall the tsukemen was too greasy and salty.

Grilled Kurobuta Pork Belly Ramen ($98) - I like the grilled pork belly and that's it.

Rating: 2/5



Coming Up - Part II: I'm going on a quest to find my favourite bowl of ramen in Hong Kong. On my to-eat list there are more ramen joints than anything else. By visiting places on or not on the list, I believe eventually I'll find the One True Bowl. In the meantime, give me a shout out if you'd like to come with me on my epic journey.


* My culinary hero J. Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats wrote a very interesting and in-depth guide to ramen styles. Even if you're only slightly interested in ramen or think the whole of this food craze is ridiculous, this article will open a new world to you. Very good read!!