Jus (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I had a leisurely walk around Central and Sheung Wan and almost missed lunch completely. By the time I finally stopped to take stock, it was already around 4 pm, and I found myself pretty fairly close to PMQ. That’s when a certain noodle bar suddenly came to mind.

Brought to us by the folks behind Big JJ Seafood Hotpot (珍姐海鮮火鍋飯店), Jus is a sleek, minimalist noodle bar on the corner of Staunton Street and Aberdeen Street, especially known for its dan dan noodles and noodles mixed with beef fat and sweet soy sauce (牛油拌麵).

Noodles mixed with beef fat and soy sauce (牛油拌麵) ($168) — The dish name literally translates to “butter beef noodles,” but what you get here is beef fat — not butter.

The set came with a small bowl of cold bean sprouts.

And a small bowl of beef consommé, which I saved for after I finished the noodles for a final sip.

The housemade noodles were known for their elastic texture, and it showed. I liked the buttery noodles although the sweetness from the soy sauce wasn’t quite as pronounced as I expected based on the color alone.

The beef char siu (牛叉燒) was an interesting touch. The slices were meltingly tender, and for a moment I actually thought it might be pork. But to me, it had a deeper and richer flavor than typical pork char siu.

For me, though, the real star was the thin-sliced beef tongue (牛舌). It was exceptionally tender, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth soft delivering a gentle, satisfying bite. I do wonder if it would taste even better with a thicker cut.

Lastly, the beef tendon (牛筋凍). The jelly was likely made with beef consommé but the flavors were very light, with the tendon tucked inside. This was OK.

After the meal, I spent some time walking around Soho. This part of Soho is one of my favorite corners of the city. There are so many picture-worthy spots.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$$

Address: G/F, 60 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm (Wed - Sun)

Finesse Patisserie (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

We are having a pre-festival feast at mom's new place ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival tonight. Since I was in Admiralty this afternoon, I thought I knew exactly what to get everyone for dessert tonight.

A few months ago, I bought desserts from Finesse Patisserie and they had drawn raving reviews from my team especially the white fromage tart which had a few of us all fighting over it. So, I am getting some sweet treats there this afternoon so mom can be involved in the fighting as well.

Tarte au fromage blanc (焗白芝士撻) ($72) — The simple-looking cheese tart has a thick, crunchy tart shell baked to perfectly crisp, golden finish.

What sets this cheese tart apart from the competition is the combination of two distinct layers inside. On the bottom is a light, airy, smooth cream cheese, topped nicely with an aromatic vanilla chantilly cream almost equally light. Those two layers, along with the lovely crunch from the shell, come together for a deeply satisfying dessert with different textures and levels of sweetness.

Pandan Coco (斑蘭 · 椰子) ($75) — My team members are all fans of pandan, so this is a no-brainer. 

This dessert features coconut whipped ganache, shredded coconut, pineapple compote, and kaya confiture on top of a crispy pandan tart shell. The standout part for me is the kaya jam as it ties everything together beautifully.

It was our first officially gathering at Mom’s new place. Hearing how comfortable she felt here really put a smile on my face. After all, I was the one who’s been urging her to move closer to me so this plan has to work out, for better or worse.

Food Rating: 7.4/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop B2, G/F, 9-11, St Francis Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wanchai

Website: https://finesse-patisserie.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 7:00pm (Wed - Sat), 12:00pm - 6:00pm (Sun)

Hongen Shokushu 本源食集 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

A few weeks ago, I saw a friend of mine posting pictures of her meal at Hongen Shokushu (本源食集) on social media. I had never heard of the upscale Japanese restaurant before, but judging from the décor and the way the dishes were presented, I immediately knew it was a place we would enjoy dining at. So, I decided to do a little deeper research on it.

Hongen Shokushu is located on the top floor of upmarket One Avenue (卓悅中心), right on the terrace level.

The interior features rich, dark wood elements, with warm spotlights focused mainly on the food and the chefs, and traditional sake barrels lining the walls. 

The venue is split into dedicated zones for robatayaki, and sushi/sashimi dining.

One of the highlights is the traditional robatayaki counter, famous for its interactive fireside cooking where chefs grill seasonal seafood, meats, and vegetables over charcoal. The chefs then serve the food directly to guests using long wooden paddles.

The vibe is high-energy, and almost theatrical striking a balance between a premium Japanese izakaya and an immersive culinary show. Signature dishes include crispy-scaled amadai, charcoal-grilled mackerel, and a selection of high-quality meats (beef and pork).

Soft-shell crab tempura (軟殼蟹天婦羅) (¥58) — The soft-shell crab was sliced fairly thin. Personally, I found nothing particularly special about this dish. Whenever I crave tempura these days, I usually wait until I’m in Japan.

Grilled South African abalone (炭烤南非鮑魚) (¥88) — Really tender and succulent, with lovely smoky flavors from the charcoal grill. The sauce, made with abalone liver, was a beautiful touch. This is definitely one of the must-try dishes here.

Grilled king oyster mushroom (炭烤杏鮑菇) (¥28) — Tasty and meaty, with nice smokiness as well. Not bad.

Grilled conch with pepper sauce (辛味燒大海螺) (¥58) — Really fresh, with lovely sweetness. The intense sauce also came with an extra kick. This was my second favorite dish, just behind the abalone.

Grilled pineapple (炭烤鳳梨) (¥38) — Nicely charred on the outside while keeping the interior moist and juicy.

Interestingly, it was paired with an earthy coriander, parsley dip.

Fried rice with diced wagyu beef (和牛炒飯) (¥58) — Pretty decent wok hei.

Omusubi soaked in fish maw and chicken soup (石鍋花膠五目燒飯團) (¥48) — The fish maw broth was really nice and heart-warming, but I wasn’t sure it was the right match for the Japanese rice roll.

Grilled aged chicken wing and drumstick (炭烤熟成雞翼) (¥38) — The wing and drumstick had been aged, so there was a stronger, more pronounced flavor. Not bad, but the flavors were a little too rich for me.

Grilled asparagus (炭烤露筍) (¥48) — Pretty decent.

Pumpkin crème brûlée (南瓜燉蛋) — A complimentary dessert from the kitchen. That was a very nice gesture.

From the moment we stepped into the dining room, we immediately felt the electrifying atmosphere. Service was top-notch. While there were some hits (abalone, conch) and some misses (aged chicken, soft-shell crab) on the menu, there’s no denying that it has the makings of a prestigious dining experience — one that doesn’t burn a hole in your wallet. We especially missed the chance to sit at the robatayaki counter, watch the flames flare up, see the smoke rise, and enjoy the chefs serving dishes dynamically across the counter using long wooden paddles.

This place definitely warrants a return trip.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥¥

Address: Shop L505, West Zone, Level 5 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场西区5楼L505号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (0755) 8326-5220

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/e9/l0z