Manteigaria (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I’m back at Manteigaria for the first time since they debuted in Hong Kong back in June. The artisan bakery from Portugal, who has gained a loyal fanbase over the years, opened its first store in Hong Kong near The Central Market (中環街市), and I was on hand during its first week of operation to get my first taste of their signature pastel de nata. 

I brought some home for my team, and they just love the texture of the vanilla-infused egg custard and the crisp but slightly chewy shell. So, I wrote it down as a note to myself — a return visit is a must.

And return I did in August — but not to their Hong Kong outpost. Instead, I went to their branch in the heart of Paris, just steps from our apartment hotel during our stay in Paris. The textures and flavors were exactly how I remembered them from June.

Here in Hong Kong, it looks like the price has gone up a little since my first visit (now $15 each), but the flavors remain top-notch.

While Hongkongers might find it a little too sweet for their liking, I love the hint of vanilla and cinnamon. It makes it unique from the local egg tarts.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop B G/F, Man Hing Commercial Building, 79-83 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 6336-5059

Website: https://www.instagram.com/manteigaria.hk/?hl=en

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm daily

Regent Hotel Cake Shop (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Jelloman’s birthday is coming up soon, so I’ve been on the lookout for a birthday cake for her as part of the celebration. This is always going to be a tough call, since we’ve already exhausted most of the cake options over the years.

The Regent Hotel Cake Shop came to mind after I stumbled upon its small but refined selection of pastries on social media. I thought it was worth trying for this occasion.

They are only offering a handful of birthday cake options including honeycomb cake, strawberry Charlotte cake, Peruvian chocolate cake, and different flavors of mille-feuille.

Honeycomb cake ($368) — One of the more popular creations here.

This wasn’t a sophisticatedly designed cake. The delicate layer of pecan sponge was hugged by some deeply aromatic longan honey mousse, supposedly to create a palate-soothing experience.

I thought the heart and soul of the cake — the organic longan honey harvested from a local farm in Hong Kong’s New Territories, would provide the highly distinct, floral sweetness to elevate the pillowy sponge. But those floral flavors never stood out as planned. Yes, there was sweetness (honey) and a lemony note (citrus coulis) to pair with the sponge, but it still wasn’t quite enough to satisfy the more discerning palates.

Texture-wise, there was also something sorely missing — something crisp or crunchy to add contrast to the soft, fluffy textures.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: East Tsim Sha Tsui / Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2721-1211

Website: https://regenthkshop.com/collections/cake

Tao Tao Ju One Avenue 陶陶居 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After a very busy work schedule in early August, and two weeks in Europe, I finally found myself back in Shenzhen for the first time in nearly a month. Good thing I’m on my own this afternoon, so I can move a lot quicker without the group around me.

My first stop was Tao Tao Ju (陶陶居) at One Avenue (卓悦中心), my go-to dim sum spot in Futian to see if they have any new creations since our last visit.

Despite having an online ticket, I waited almost 30 minutes for my table which wasn’t ideal. I should have timed it more accurately!

Congee with lean pork and century egg (生滾皮蛋瘦肉粥) (¥30) — I like the one at Sense 8 Cantonese Cuisine (譽八仙粤菜) a little more for its velvety (綿) texture. 

This was just OK.

Guangzhou-style steamed rice rolls with fatty char siu and scrambled eggs (廣式叉燒滑蛋腸) (¥33) — As I promised myself, I would try at least one brand-new dim sum here and there are quite a few options on the menu this afternoon.

This was pretty tasty. The rice rolls looked more “transparent” than most ones we’ve seen at Cantonese restaurants, which actually gave us a clearer view of the fillings — diced vegetables, runny scrambled eggs (just a tiny bit), and, of course, fatty barbecued pork.

I always enjoy having steamed rice rolls so I knew I would love this. One thing they could really improve here was using less fatty barbecued pork, which sometimes made the rice rolls a bit chewy.

So glad I’m back in the swing of things again. Next up, some game time, and hopefully I can squeeze in an afternoon tea afterwards.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L233, East Zone, Level 2 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场东区L233号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (755) 8299-8870

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/39/WOi