So Kee Coffee & Milk Tea 蘇記咖啡、奶茶 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

So Kee Coffee & Milk Tea (蘇記咖啡、奶茶) is a highly popular traditional Hong Kong–style stall located on the 2nd floor of the Tai Po Hui Market and Cooked Food Centre (大埔墟街市及熟食中心). It’s a favorite with locals for its exceptionally smooth milk tea and its robust ginger soup beef macaroni.

My team and I are in Tai Po for some business engagement and decided to stop by So Kee for its signature milk tea.

Once we found a table in the corner, we finally got served our iced milk tea. It was made from a custom blend of several tea leaves, and the result was incredibly silky and aromatic. Unfortunately, there wasn’t quite enough condensed milk to deliver that perfect creamy finish.

Still, it was a great moment — just enough time to enjoy a sip of tea before we got back to work.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$

Address: Shop CFS37, 2/F, Tai Po Hui Market and Cooked Food Centre, 8 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tai Po Market

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 2:30pm (Tue - Sun)

Bakehouse Bakery & Restaurant Shatin (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I have a few business errands to take care of in Tai Po today, and I’m meeting up with the team for car pooling at the New Town Plaza Shopping Centre (沙田新城市廣場). With a bit of spare time left, I thought I’d pop over to Bakehouse to grab a small treat.

One of these days, I really need to sit down for a proper meal here but for now, I’ll settle for a chocolate hazelnut doughnut ($42). This was incredibly pillowy, and the generous portion of chocolate hazelnut custard left me totally stuffed well after our lunch hours. It was sooo good!

I have to admit, I hate going to this vendor’s place. A visit once a year is my absolute maximum tolerable limit. 

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 247, 2/F, New Town Plaza Phase I, 18-19 Sha Tin Centre Street, Shatin, Hong Kong

Closest Train Station: Shatin

Website: https://www.bakehouse.hk/locations#Shatin

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Thu), 8:00am - 9:30pm (Fri - Sun)

Mayflower Andaz Shenzhen Bay 五月花 深圳灣安達仕酒店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I’m back in Nanshan District in Shenzhen this afternoon. It’s always nice to spend a lazy afternoon here without the weekend crowds.

I decided to make an unplanned trip to Andaz Shenzhen Bay (深圳灣安達仕酒店) for the exquisitely crafted pastries at Mayflower (五月花).

As expected, the café and cake shop wasn’t busy on a Monday.

The two desserts we enjoyed here last time were good but not quite great, so this time I went with something completely different. Their signature Pecan Napoléon certainly looked tempting, but I felt like “less is more”.

Sea salt yogurt cheesecake (海鹽酸奶芝士蛋糕) (¥88) — A simple cheesecake.

The texture was fluffy and creamy, and it was finished with a thin layer of tangy yogurt. That smooth, sweet-and-sour yogurt, along with two fresh mango balls, did a great job of cutting through the richness of the cheesecake. I thought the base made with graham cracker crumbs was right on the spot.

It was the exact get-away I needed in the middle of my busy work schedule. Now time to head to the shopping mall and pick up some bread for my teammates.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥¥

Address: Lobby Level, Andaz Shenzhen Bay, 2600 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区科苑南路2600号深圳灣安達仕酒店

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 (755) 8139-0067

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/2e/PHZk