Azabuya 麻布屋 COCO Park (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It was a good sign to see little nugget back on his feet this week. Man, the last two weeks after his surgery had been a nightmare for him and everyone concerned. I’m sure his wounds hurt like hell. His facial expression said it all.

So this Shenzhen trip was long overdue. He told me he felt like he hadn’t been here in ages. The fact was, it had only been less than three weeks.

After a long stroll through One Avenue (卓悦中心), we were ready to head back to COCO Park to wrap up our trip. Just before a quick supper, little nugget spotted Azabuya (麻布屋), a Japanese café that also doubles as an ice-cream parlour. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw the ice-cream bar.

Weeks ago, he was holding my hand very lightly, telling me how painful he’d been in the hospital after the surgery. Today, he was holding my hand firmly, asking me to get him a scoop of ice cream. I immediately said no, telling him he shouldn’t get just one scoop. He needs three. 🤣🤣

I have to admit, Shenzhen is a lousy place to look for a truly nice scoop of gelato. The cookie-and-cream wasn’t bad, but the lychee and peach ones both had too much sharp sweetness and acidity. It definitely served the purpose — thirst-quenching on a hot summer day but it didn’t wow me with the creamy texture I expected.

No complaints from this fella, though… obviously.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 107, Level 1 COCO Park, 268 Fuhua Road 3rd, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华三路268号星河COCO Park 北区一楼L1-107

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 18948785655

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sun - Thu), 10:00am - 10:30pm (Fri - Sat)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/1e/QvNk

Lonely Sukiyaki One Avenue 孤獨的壽喜燒 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

These days, Shenzhen boasts a rapidly growing Japanese culinary scene, featuring everything from affordable all-you-can-eat hotspots to upscale sushi bars and high-end teppanyaki joints. Considering how obsessed we are with hotpots, there is always an escalating demand for shabu shabu restaurants and sukiyaki counters, both self and chef-serviced. Not surprisingly, one-person-one-pot shabu shabu and sukiyaki are getting more popular by the minutes. And over here in Shenzhen, shabu shabu sets are reasonably priced too, ranging from $70 to $90 a set.

This afternoon, we stumbled upon another new addition to Shenzhen’s hotpot scene — Lonely Sukiyaki (孤獨的壽喜燒) who originated from Shanghai.

Located in One Avenue (卓悦中心), Lonely Sukiyaki offers only three set menus: a pork shabu shabu set for $58, and beef sets priced at $78 or $98, depending on the portion. The one-person-one-pot setup is the obvious highlight reel here, designed to cater to both solo diners and groups.

There are three broth options to choose from: an original sukiyaki broth, a tomato-based broth, and a spicy option that we didn’t bother checking out. Once we placed our order via the QR code, it didn’t take long before our server brought over our broth with the vegetables (cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots) already all in.

The star of the meal, the Australian wagyu beef fillets came in a separate plate.

Tender and well-marbled, they were pretty mouthwatering though I only wish there were a few more slices.

As with the bowl of steamed rice, you can refill the vegetables freely as long as you’re still in the mood for more.

Overall, this was a pretty decent meal, especially considering the value-for-money price. The sukiyaki broth was lighter than what you’d typically find in Japan, and I wasn’t surprised at all, given how minimal the seasoning tends to be north of the border.

All in all, I enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t mind coming back for more.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ¥¥

Address:  Shop B1111, Level B1F One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场B1层 B1111号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 19866154116

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/5b/5ivM

Pici Pasta Bar Lai Chi Kok (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My team is off to a school event tonight leaving yours truly without an itinerary since early afternoon. As the adverse weather has been wreaking havoc all day (and all week), I stayed home most of the day until early evening. Finally, I decided to head out for supper and the destination was Pici, my neighborhood pasta bar who's currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

To commemorate the occasion, the casual Italian spot has invited "Culinary Class Wars" winner Napoli Matfia to curate a special limited-time-only menu running from July 1 to July 31. I didn’t personally get to watch the popular Korean culinary show on Netflix, but I’ve definitely been aware of the hype it created and the ripple effect it’s had on the local dining scene. So I was curious how his limited-time dishes would stack up against some of Pici’s old classics from the regular menu. Tonight is the night, let’s find out.

Tagliolini Sicilian Prawn Tartare e Bottarga ($180) — I decided to order all three limited-time dishes to get the full experience, and kicking things off was this tagliolini Sicilian Prawn Tartare e Bottarga.

The fresh, house-made tagliolini tossed in a rich, velvety emulsion, was topped nicely with a layer of Sicilian pink prawn tartare, finished off with grated bottarga on top. I thought the slightly lemony sauce really brought out the natural sweetness of the buttery prawn tartare. Not bad.

Pici White Poultry Ragu & Truffle ($160) — The handmade pasta was cooked perfectly al dente (though, personally, I felt it might’ve been a touch too al dente) but it didn’t seem to mesh well with the poultry ragu, made with a rich blend of duck, chicken, guinea fowl, and turkey. The generous portion of shaved fresh truffle also didn’t quite bring everything together like I thought it would.

Chestnut tiramisu ($70) — An elevated version of the very same mocha-soaked creation the chef made in the famous “convenience store challenge” on Culinary Class Wars. I was expecting the chestnut flavors to be front and centre, but they weren’t quite as prominent as I’d hoped.

That said, it was still a more-than-serviceable sweet treat: a sumptuous mascarpone base, mocha-soaked ladyfingers, and silky chestnut purée beautifully topped with an espresso–marron glacés sauce and chopped chestnuts for a crunchy finish. 

This was a pretty big meal for someone who wasn't hungry at all! Last September, while we were in Seoul, we tried to get a table at Napoli Matfia’s highly acclaimed Via Toledo Pasta Bar but sadly, we learned that it had stopped taking reservations. Later, we found out he had shut it down for his new project — a massive new five-story culinary space in Seoul.

So, this limited-time menu ended up being a great consolation prize — more than 10 months later.

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop G03, G/F, D2 Place TWO, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok
Tel: +852 2557-7227
Website: www.pici.hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily