With all the success we had from our first Eatigo experience, I knew it won't be very long before we go back to the well again. Like the first time around, as soon as I saw the characters "5"-"0"-"%" on the screen, my heart started to pounce a little faster.
By following the "50% off" signs on Eatigo, we shortlisted a couple of restaurants before finally picking Man Ho (萬豪中菜廳), the Chinese restaurant on the third floor of Marriott Hotel in Admiralty as the lucky winner. I had the pleasure of visiting Man Ho just once before but that was at their other location in Chek Lap Kok. This branch is obviously a lot more convenient geographically but with all the choices available in Admiralty, it's not surprising that I have never been here before.
This place is absolutely huge but judging from the condition of the wallpaper, furniture and carpet, it's definitely due for a major facelift.
They are currently doing a promotion on Yunnan wild mushrooms so there's a whole section in the food menu showcasing around a dozen dishes with the Yunnan mushroom theme but we decided to pass.
Deep-fried seafood spring roll with mayo (海皇沙律春卷) ($80) - I haven't had spring roll for a long long time These were very flaky with a lot of mayo oozing out following every bite.
Pretty tasty but personally, I'd like to see a bit more diced seafood in there to complement the shrimp.
Steamed morel mushroom dumplings (摩利野菌餃) ($80) - Very very nice. The morel mushrooms were well seasoned and the touch of truffle was perfect. The best out of the three dumplings for sure.
Steamed shrimp dumplings (水晶鮮蝦餃) ($80) - The har gow came with bite sized shrimp meat wrapped under a thin and delicate wrapper. Not bad.
Steamed crab claw dumplings with beetroot (紅菜頭蟹鉗餃) ($80) - This one stood out from a relatively traditional dim sum menu.
Pretty interesting idea to have the steamed crab claw wrapped in a beetroot flavored wrapper. This would taste a lot better if the crab claw was a little more meaty!
Deep-fried crab claw with shrimp mousse (百花釀蟹鉗) ($108) - The star of the afternoon without question. This was partly due to the fact that we have not been to a traditional Chinese banquet for a long time so everyone was missing this classic from the wedding banquet menu!
I have to admit, this was really yummy. Very nice crispy batter working well with the silky smooth shrimp mousse and crab claw. I would obviously like to see a more meaty crab claw but for $108 (after the discount, $54 a pop!), I ain't complaining.
Baked barbecued pork pastries with sesame (香麻叉燒酥) ($80) - The wheels didn't exactly fall off but the regression began right here with the BBQ pork pastries which was decent but uninspiring.
Steamed barbecued pork buns (蜜汁叉燒包) ($70) - Pretty average. One would expect a bit better quality from a hotel restaurant.
Fried noodle with shredded pork and chives (韮皇肉絲炒麵) ($200) - The fried noodle was fine but the sauce was a tad too gluey for me.
Cantonese sponge cake with Indian almond seeds (㰖仁馬拉糕) ($80) - Nice and eggy with pillowy texture.
The bill comes to $710 thanks to Eatigo's special 50% off discount. For the overall quality displayed here, I'd be kicking myself if I was on the hook for $1,200+ without the discount.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Level 3, JW Marriott Hotel Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2810-8366
Today's quick lunch at Bib n Hops reminded me just how much I missed spicy food these days so right after work, I decided to run over to Samsen (泰麵) to spice things up again.
Samsen, which is one of the few authentic Thai noodle house in the city, has been on my radar for a long time already. I remembered checking this place out on a number of occasions when it first opened last winter but only to turn back when I saw the crowd in front. Tonight was a different story as I managed to arrive 15 minutes before its opening time (at 6:30pm) and guess what, I was fifth in the queue. Not a bad start!
As a solo diner, I just love sitting at the counter tables and watch the chefs work. Of course, it didn't hurt to have owner-chef Adam Cliff on the other side of the counter. He's very animated in his open kitchen and it was really a lot of fun watching him directing traffic behind the scene.
Thai iced milk tea ($38) - There's no way I would start the meal with anything other than a good old Thai iced milk tea in my hand. This was really rich and full of flavors.
Pad thai with tiger prawns ($118) - I was going to have a bowl of fish noodles but that brutal experience last week held me back. On second thoughts, perhaps I should go for their pad thai instead.
All it took was around 3 to 4 minutes and it's ready to be served. I really like the rice noodles. Very nicely executed with fantastic "wok hei". There were at least 5 to 6 pieces of tiger prawns in there, all with a lovely bouncy texture too.
Thai omelet with crab meat, spring onions and Siracha sauce ($118) - Like the pad thai, this was a little expensive but for a fan of Thai omelet, it was a no-brainer.
Pretty fluffy with a lot of crab meat in the middle. Slightly on the greasy side but let's worry about that after the meal.
It's amazing how much we are willing to pay for authenticity these days. The same authentic Thai street food would have cost just a fraction of what I've paid here tonight ($300), if I was in Thailand. But I was happy to have finally come and experienced what a lot of local foodies have claimed to be one of the best openings in 2016.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: G/F, 68 Stone Nullah Lane, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2234-0001
I was in unfamiliar territory looking for a place for a quick lunch this afternoon. San Po Kong doesn't really jump out as a gourmet paradise so I knew chances of finding something good were bleak.
We ended up walking into a relatively new German restaurant called Das Bier at Mikiki Shopping Mall. It's been a while since I last had a German meal in Hong Kong so honestly, I didn't know what to expect. While my colleagues all went with grilled chicken ($58), I decided to check out their eisbein pork knuckle ($88), a German-style pickled ham hock that is cured and slightly boiled. Ordering an authentic German dish at a German restaurant was my game plan but that proved to be a very poor decision.
First and foremost, the dish took forever to arrive. There was no bread or soup to start things off so I was left sitting there starved while I patiently waited for my turn (Turns out everybody who ordered this dish in the restaurant was waiting!). That was just brutal! For a tiny little 20-seat restaurant, if the kitchen is not capable of handling 20 orders within a short time span, then I think they've got a problem!
So, my ham hock finally arrived when my colleagues have already finished lunch and were almost ready to leave. I started taking it apart and mixed it up with the German sauerkraut which was served on the side. After such a long wait, I thought this better tasted really good but sadly, it didn't.
Food Rating: 3.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: G03B, G/F, Mikiki, 638 Prince Edward Road East, San Po Kong, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wong Tai Sin
Tel: +852 2359-3899
It's amazing how they keep finding space after space for expansion at Harbour City these days. After carving out a place (out of nowhere) for the extremely popular The Cheesecake Factory just a few months ago, they did it again and unveiled a new wing at the ocean terminal. This new wing which used to be part of the cruise terminal, will be home to a number of upscale restaurants including Ana Ten (天穴), a Japanese restaurant which has just opened this month.
One of the biggest selling points here is of course, their patio which boasts a very nice harbour view.
But it was a little warm this afternoon so I decided to enjoy the view from the inside.
Everything comes at a price. I thought this harbour view and incredible vibe would burn a hole in my pocket but to my pleasant surprise, it didn't!
The lunch menu offers a wide variety of dishes in the form of sushi, sashimi, grilled meat, seafood, Japanese curry, skewers and so on, all of which come with a small salad bowl, miso soup, egg custard and dessert. These lunch combo runs from $108 (udon noodle with beef) all the way up to around $400.
Deluxe sushi set ($258) - This came with three pieces of tuna rolls and seven pieces of sushi (tuna, eel, squid...etc). Not bad but I will give the edge to Umai Sushikan, another relatively new Japanese restaurant in the same shopping mall.
Stir-fried Japanese pork with ginger sauce ($158) - Pretty decent.
Kurobuta pork cutlets with curry ($138) - I thought the pork cutlets were slightly disappointing but I guess I shouldn't be expecting too much in the first place. If I crave for some high-quality deep fried pork cutlets, I should have gone to a real tonkatsu place.
If you happen to be spending your lunch hours at Harbour City, Ana Ten is really not a big choice for lunch. The price is quite acceptable for its view and service but don't expect too much from the food menu.
Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop OTE 304, Level 3, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2701-9881
Website: www.lubuds.com/portfolio-view/ana-ten/
My buddy V and I are meeting up tonight for his early birthday dinner. Since he will be spending his birthday week in Tokyo, we thought we should get this one out of his way quick before he starts peppering himself with all the good food in Asia's gourmet capital later next week.
I love a food menu that is short and sharp so I don't have to spend half an hour flipping through the pages. Neighborhood has exactly that, with just 21 short descriptions based on what's fresh and seasonal from the market today, all on the same A4 page.
Aquitaine beef and oyster tartare ($225) - We thought we couldn't possibly go wrong by starting with their Aquitaine beef tartare. I love the refreshing and clean flavors from the raw beef meshing well with the small bits of raw oysters. Very nice to go with the bread.
Pigeon eggs with escargot butter ($150) - The pigeon eggs were really soft and pillowy, and I distinctly remembered one of the egg yolk being soft and yummy like a soft-boiled egg. Initially, I was a bit worried about the pigeon eggs working together with garlic and herb butter but they proved my worries wrong right after my very first bite.
And how thoughtful was that to serve them with a vintage escargot pot?
Beef tripe gratin ($165) - I still recalled one of the best beef tripe gratin I ever had at Linguini Fini many years ago. They don't make this dish anymore so I was left stranded for years trying to find a place with the perfect beef tripe gratin. Now it looks like I have finally found it!
This was just very very good (and addictive). The shredded cheese and herbs were spot on and only if they could hold back a bit on the chili powder, it would have been perfect.
Sea urchin risotto ($240) - Amazing dish with a generous portion of briny sea urchin sitting on top of a bed of creamy risotto. Delish~
Chocolate palette ($85) - Surprisingly after just 4 dishes, both of us were already throwing in the white towel so at this point, we went straight for dessert. Between the chocolate palette and French toast with ice-cream, it was a pretty easy choice for us since we both like chocolate.
This was very tasty. Love the rich and velvety chocolate ganache and the hint of raspberry provided a nice kick of acidity.
It's been almost 3 years since I last enjoyed Neighborhood's comforting French-Italian fare. Like my previous visit, I found this meal to be quite enjoyable and satisfying. Perhaps I should seriously consider coming more often.
Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: G/F, 61-63 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 2617-0891
