Taste Four Taste 嚐 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I am spending some well-deserved me time in Houhai (后海), Shenzhen this afternoon. With plenty of time left before my train departs, I decided to sit down for a proper lunch at Elements Shopping Mall. 

Taste Four Taste (嚐) has officially replaced Tasty Congee & Noodle (正斗粥麵專家) as my go-to spot for noodles and congee in recent months. In fact, I’ve been coming back for one particular dish so much so that I just can’t help myself.

Stir-fried noodles with barbecued pork (乾炒叉燒麵) ($132) — They have a different version of this with flat noodles but there was no question in my mind about which one tasted better.

This came with incredible "wok hei" (鑊氣) resulting in the springy and slightly chewy texture. I also like the fact that it's not over-seasoned with soy and salt, and that the noodles didn’t end up greasy the way they often do at other places we’ve seen in Hong Kong.

I used up all 15 minutes I've got for this meal to fully enjoy my stir-fried noodles. Now, it's time to run to the rapid train station!

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1005-1006, 1/F, Fire Zone, ELEMENTS, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kowloon

Tel: +852 2433-7711

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

Right Tea-rific 威水茶檔 by Flower Drum 鋒膳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Right Tea-rific (威水茶檔) is a modern cha chaan teng in Wan Chai, brought to us by the team behind Flower Drum (鋒膳). I’ve been intrigued by the photos of their egg tarts and pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油) doing the rounds on social media over the past few months. With an early meeting in Wan Chai this morning, it gave the perfect excuse to drop by for a quick breakfast.

Despite the limited space, I managed to get a seat without having to share a table with a stranger.

A closer look at the menu made it clear their breakfast offering isn’t quite the usual Wan Chai tea restaurant fare. You won’t find classic satay beef noodles or that familiar instant-noodle combo with egg and luncheon meat. Instead, the lineup leans more towards polished, “classy” sandwiches and homemade bakery goods.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — The tea was pretty strong and it would likely be better off with a little more condensed milk for a smoother, rounder profile. But despite being slightly off balance, I thought I thoroughly enjoyed that tea base (茶底).

Pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油) — Not exactly how I drew it up. I was looking for a bowl of instant noodles but when that wasn't unavailable, I improvised.

This was quite decent. If the bun was served hotter so the butter could melt a bit more — I think it would taste even better.

Flower Drum is known for its barbecued meats, so I was honestly surprised their menu doesn’t feature a few of its signature items like char siu. Adding those would likely make the fans very happy.

P.S.  There’s no breakfast set served here, ladies and gentlemen. It’s à la carte only.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop D, G/F, Harvard Commercial Building, 105-111 Thomson Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wan Chai

Tel: +852 6805-1818

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 4:00pm daily

Jervois Cafe Sheung Wan 蘇杭冰室 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I am back to Jervois Cafe (蘇杭冰室) for my favorite deep-fried chicken leg (生炸雞脾) this afternoon.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — As usual, I started with a glass of iced milk tea. The tea was again very smooth and velvety, with deep tea flavors.

Deep-fried chicken thigh and scrambled egg over rice (生炸雞髀炒蛋 配飯) — This beloved street-food staple features a thick-breaded piece of chicken thigh and drumstick, served alongside a serving of runny scrambled eggs. It’s finished off nicely with a homemade sweet soy. Pretty solid!

It's always nice to be back in Sheung Wan for this. Now time to go back to work.

Food Rating: 5.4/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 3 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2352-7778

Working Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm daily