Eonsona Massage Spa PAFC Mall 玖玖 · 予頌 平安金融中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA)

My better half has been really addicted to this massage place called 玖玖 these days. They have numerous locations across Shenzhen, with most specializing in body and foot massage. Personally, I'm not a big fan of foot massages, so I never really tag along with her on her spa treatments.

But today was a different story. I was in Shenzhen alone and I spotted this new concept operated by the same group at PAFC Mall (平安金融中心). It was branded as Eonsona Massage Spa (玖玖 · 予頌), dedicated to high-end spa treatment. With time to spare this afternoon, I decided to give it a shot.

The place had just opened about a month ago, and since it was around 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon, there wasn’t a full lineup of customers.

Of course, I requested a quiet room away from the reception and rest area.

It has been a tough month at work thus far, so I thought I fully deserved a break — a mental break of 60 minutes without thinking about work or anything else. Just lights out!

The massage was really nice. I particularly enjoyed the oil treatment, which was not too greasy at all. While walking down the corridor back to the reception area, I had a chance to check out the bigger rooms. This one was for three people.

And this room was for four, complete with a big screen TV. Little nugget would love that.

Like all the spa treatments in Shenzhen, you get to enjoy a cup of warm tea and a little dessert afterward.

Eonsona Massage Spa is conveniently located inside PAFC, just a comfortable 8-minute walk to Futian Station (all indoor!). I think I'll definitely come back again soon.

Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Level M PA Mall, 5033 Yitian Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区益田路5033号PA MALL平安金融中心M层

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 18566925929

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 12:00am daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/b1/WRJM

Restaurant Petrus (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Due to our busy travel schedule in January, we didn't have the chance to enjoy any serious dining in Hong Kong during the first month of the year. In fact, it took nearly two months for me to finally sit down for a proper meal.

I chose Petrus over several other options because it has consistently impressed me over the past couple of years. This time, I recruited mom as my partner in crime, since I haven’t seen her in two weeks.

Tuna tartare — Our meal began with a pair of small nibbles. The first was a delicate tartlet topped with tuna tartare and horseradish cream, powered by a subtle hint of wasabi that tied the flavors together beautifully.

Champagne cork — Gougère filled with Comté cream, a classic staple of the restaurant. It’s always a nice way to kick things off.

Chicken consommé, chestnut — They have been running this winter menu for a while but I have yet to try it until this afternoon. For mom, I decided to order the chicken consommé with chestnut tortelli for her.

Pate en croute, sika deer, foie gras, pear — I had the pate en croute myself. I'm not sure it's still game season now but I always enjoy having this dish any time of the year.

The combination of sika deer and foie gras was exquisite, complemented nicely by the smoky cream and red wine-poached pear slices. The only downside was the pastry crust, which was a bit more on the hard side.

Scallop, morel, vin jaune — For main dish, mom and I both chose the pan-seared Scottish scallops served with crunchy peas, garlic and chopped mushrooms. In the middle of the dish was a giant morel mushroom from Yunnan which was stuffed with silky scallop mousse. A delightful choice.

Quince, pear, vanilla — My dessert was quince sorbet, vanilla espuma and pear compote all topped with a sheet of flaky pastry.

I was looking for something light and refreshing, and this was exactly that.

Some petite fours including my favorite chocolate truffles (I stole mom's as well!), amaretti and orange peel coated in dark chocolate.

This was one of the few times that I didn't stuff myself with too much food while dining here. Mom also enjoyed her dining experience although she quietly told me that she thought Caprice was better. I guess she really misses her favorite three-Michelin-starred restaurant in town. 

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: $$$$
Address: 56/F, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2820-8590
Website: Link
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:30pm - 11:00pm daily

Caan by OUR Shenzhen Bay MixC 深圳灣萬象城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

When we first thought about coming to Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城) for dinner, Korean food wasn't what we had in mind.

However, as soon as we saw the crowd lining up at every Chinese restaurant (no surprise for Chinese New Year), we had no choice but to go with our Plan B. Since Jelloman was circling around Zone B of the mall at the time, it made perfect sense to settle for something non-Chinese there, with Caan by OUR Bakery leading the list of candidates.

I have always wanted to try Caan's Korean-inspired comfort food, but I didn't expect to do it during the week of Chinese New Year.

Kimchi fried rice (¥45) — Always enjoy having Korean kimchi fried rice. This came with fried egg and sausage. Not bad at all but the presentation could have been a little better.

Salmon carpaccio (¥78) — The beetroot-cured salmon carpaccio was pretty tasty. Likely the best dish tonight.

Bacon cream pasta (¥65) — The kids would never say no to a carbonara.

Truffle fries (¥58) — Pretty decent.

Roasted spring chicken (¥79) — I didn't get to try this one, but our friends were raving about the tender and juicy spring chicken. It must be a very satisfying dish. I heard the salad was not bad as well.

After scrambling back and forth and wasting a lot of time in the process, it was a blessing to finally find a dining place within the mall where we could sit down for supper. Most importantly, it was the precious time we spent with our good friends, sharing stories and laughter together. That's what truly matters.

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop B115, Zone B, Level B1 Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城B1层B区B115号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 18124700566

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/5e/OqaM