Pound and Roll (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

After spending the entire afternoon walking around K11 Musea, it was time to sit down and indulge ourselves in something sweet. But rather surprisingly, all the restaurants and cafes were already stuffed with customers so we decided that we were better off having our afternoon tea elsewhere. Next thing we knew, we were already on our way back to our old friend, K11 Art Mall for a quick look. We ended up sitting down at Pound and Roll since both Jelloman and little nugget have never been there.

I recalled having dinner here not long ago and was reasonably happy with their fusion dishes. But their bread and butter, pound cakes and roll cakes (thus their name)? Well, let's find out.....

Out of the three flavors of pound cakes, we ended up choosing this Earl Grey one. It was served with vanilla ice-cream and apple slices. 

Meh, this was really nothing special at all. I am a bit surprised it was what the cafe was named after (thus making me believe that it's their signature pastry!). 

The truffle fries, on the other hand, were much better. All three of us just couldn't stop eating them.

And we have the perfect drink to wash down the cheesy truffled fries with - mixed berries milkshake.



One thing was certain after today's encounter - I would never come back for their cakes! But the savory dishes probably deserve another chance.

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$
Address: Shop B104, B1/F, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 3618-4683
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm daily

The Mandarin Cake Shop (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

2021 is just around the corner but there are still a few things I needed to catch up with before year end. That includes a couple of medical examinations which have been postponed over and over again due to COVID-19. 

After arriving at the clinic at exactly 8:45am, I was escorted into this room where I had an injection. The next thing I knew I was lying on a bed and then I finally remembered, I have yet to have breakfast this morning! Of course, I waited for the good doctor to see me with his report first.  

The exam results came out clean so it was time for a brief celebration! I wasn't looking for something heavy though. Instead, something sweet at the recently renovated The Mandarin Cake Shop sounds like a great idea.

I haven't been back to The Mandarin Cake Shop as much as I would like this year because of the pandemic. Like everybody else, I have not been dining out at all this year so this was a very nice return trip.

Here, they always have some of the best baked goods in Central.

And the Christmas themed pastries are already out!

Well, this is what I call a perfect breakfast (for the sweet tooth). Yeah, I was low in blood sugar level.

I thought they have some of the most underrated doughnuts here.

This was very pillowy. I prefer custard cream over raspberry jam but I won't mind having a couple of these everyday.

Christmas Ball - This came with chantilly cream, cherry compote and chocolate.

A very light dessert. It was quite decent but definitely not the most delicious cake I have the pleasure of tasting here.

I'm still a little dizzy after breakfast so I am probably going to head home and get some rest in the afternoon.

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2825-4008
Website: www.mandarinoriental.com.hk/hongkong/fine-dining/the-mandarin-cake-shop
Opening Hours: 8:00am - 8:00pm daily

Lee Lo Mei 李好味 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I have been trying to find myself an excuse to go back to Lee Lo Mei (李好味) since our last visit 3 years ago. Finally, I got one tonight after our Korean dinner at Hansik Goo (More on that later).

Obviously, little nugget was still very hungry after our highly anticipated Korean meal. Instead of venturing over to another place, I thought it would be much easier to stay within the same building, and Lee Lo Mei situated right underneath Hansik Goo (obviously by the ownership) was the perfect choice. At least that was the message I tried to get across.

Unsurprisingly, not much have changed over the last 3 years. Still the same décor and even the food menu looks all too familiar.

Crab-ulous Noodles (與李蟹逅) ($198) - Little one said he wanted pasta (originally noodle soup but daddy asked him to re-consider) and as always, his wish was my command.

This looked pretty tasty. The pasta noodles, tossed with chives oil, cherry tomato, Thai basil, lime and lobster tomato sauce, finished off with a pile of fresh crab meat and chives on top. The pasta could have been a bit more al dente but nevertheless, a very nice East-meets-West dish. We have asked the kitchen not to add XO sauce to the dish as little one would be having it on by himself but even without it, it came with some spicy kick.

Ginger Bomb (破漿重圓) ($98) - This was the dish I always wanted to come back for. The ginger soup bomb was of course made with spherification from molecular cuisine. 

I was warned about the heat (not from the ginger, but the high temperature of the ginger soup) so I waited a while before sipping one into my mouth. Well, turned out it was as "explosive" as advertised. As soon as the thin gelatin on the outside exploded, a strong burst of warm ginger soup went straight through my throat (I think some into my lung). I couldn't stop coughing and 15-20 minutes (and a few trips to the bathroom) later, I finally got it out of my system. 

Anyways.....I noticed this being a little sweeter last time around (a bit lighter color too). The flavors from the peanuts and candied melon really didn't register (likely because of the explosion) but the heat from the ginger ever so powerful. As if I was having real ginger soup.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F-1/F 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station

Tel: +852 2896-7688

Website: www.leelomei.hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 12:00am (Sun - Thu), 12:00pm - 2:00am (Fri - Sat)

Hansik Goo (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

We waited 5 weeks for our reservation at Yakitori Torisho (燒鳥 鳥匠) but this one took more than 3 months. In fact, I've all but forgotten about the booking until they rang me up last week to confirm our table.

Of course, I'm talking about Hansik Goo, a modern Korean restaurant by ZS Hospitality Group in collaboration with acclaimed Korean chef Mingoo Kang (of two Michelin starred Mingles in Seoul). Without a question, it's one of the toughest table to book in Hong Kong right now but I've heard some great things about their waiting list. My friend with spoiled taste buds, Agent-I who was on their waiting list, was informed this week that they could offer her a table. And the funny thing was, she was sitting right next to us tonight!

Hansik Goo is the first collaboration for Chef Kang outside of Korea so I didn't know what to expect. Should I expect something along the line of what was served at Mingles? Let's find out...

Dinner started off with a basket of Bugak, an assortment of seasonal Korean chips made from fish skin, pepper, seaweed and perilla leaf.

It does taste like the Chinese style deep-fried fish skin. Pretty tasty with some mild spiciness.

Following the Korean chips was the second course of the tasting menu, a small salad with home pickled tomato, purple onion, pepper and octopus (and mandarin?).

This was served with a tangy, sweet and spicy Korean sauce, Chogochujang.

Next up was Korean-style beef tartare with Australian Wagyu, quail egg, Jerusalem artichoke chips and Korean pear. Not bad (but I was expecting more, perhaps a modern twist).

I didn't feel like having raw beef tonight so after informing my server with my preference, they have replaced the beef tartare with a vegetarian dish for me - Korean acorn with cucumber and pear. I have always enjoyed the different jangs (sauce/paste) from the Korean cuisine and this sweet one with some mild spicy kick was a nice one to go with the vegetables. Nice way to whet my appetite.

The fourth dish was Samgye Risotto, Chef Kang's modern take on the traditional ginseng chicken rice. 

The fried chicken roulade, served on a bed of Korean glutinous rice was finished off beautifully with a soothing chicken consommé. Without a doubt in my mind, the best dish of the night.

The 2-year kimchi which was supposed to be eaten together with the chicken roulade.

Jeon, the chef's choice of seasonal fritters was next.

There was the deep-fried sea bream with the thin egg batter, and homemade meatballs with diced vegetables.

The meatball worked well with the extra kick from the Korean chili paste. 

Jelloman has been looking forward to her soft-boiled pork belly since we sat down.

Very soft and tender. 

The accompanying seaweed noodles, served cold with chunks of cucumber hidden underneath.

This was pretty yummy. Just love the powdery texture of the seaweed.

But not sure if the two really meshed well together.

For dessert, I decided to go for Garu, a Korean grain ice cream served with crispy puffed rice cracker on the side.

The grain ice-cream didn't taste grainy at all. In fact, I thought it tasted a bit like white sesame.

Jelloman had the cinnamon punch granita with pear sorbet and her favorite Korean persimmon instead. Not bad she said.

The dishes tonight were all well cooked with some of the finest ingredients from the market. Service, I thought, was also top-notch and they needed to be, considering they have so much explaining to do with so many ingredients involved in each and every dish. But having said that, there was a part of me that was somewhat disappointed with the dining experience. I have been looking forward to some wows all night, well they never came (well, maybe except for the ginseng chicken dish.). 

Later I got the chance to talk to Agent-I about this meal and I think she was right to remind me that this was more about honest cooking and seeing/experiencing the Korean food culture through Chef Kang's eyes. Maybe she's right. Perhaps I should have set my expectation differently. 

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 2/F 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station

Tel: +852 2798-8768

Website: www.hansikgoo.hk

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 10:pm (Mon - Sat)

Yakitori Torisho 燒鳥 鳥匠 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After patiently waiting for 5 weeks, finally it was our turn to check out Yakitori Torisho (燒鳥 鳥匠), a newly opened yakitori shop right in front of the cobble stoned road of Pottinger Street next to H Code.



It was barely 6pm but Yakitori Torisho was already full except this quiet corner that they've reserved for us (luxury of having a 4-year old dining with us).

To say that the 5-week wait was totally worthwhile was a little pre-matured but the aroma of Japanese skewers getting grilled over flame (Yes, charcoal grill!) certainly got me adrenaline pumping.

Chicken Stock Carbonara Udon ($88) - First up, the yakitori shop's signature carbonara udon. This was made like a typical carbonara except they have swapped the pasta with Japanese udon. They key here was obviously the chicken stock, making the soupy udon very rich in flavors. Very good start. 

Chicken Oyster ($45) - They have a separate section on rare cuts so of course, we had to sample a few including this chicken oyster skewer (right). The round shaped meat was very tender and pillowy. Yum~!

Chicken Belly ($42) - This came with a bit of tendon and muscle (left). The texture was firm so presumably the chicken did a fair amount of abdominal exercise. I thought it tasted a bit like meat from a chicken leg.

Chicken Wing ($45) - Deboned and grilled to absolute perfection. Crispy on the outside and soft inside. We ended up ordering a few more of these simply because we couldn't stop eating them!

Pork Belly and Asparagus Roll ($42) - Always a good combination there. Pretty good.

Ground Chicken Meat ($45) - Tsukune, or Japanese minced chicken meatballs, is always a good measuring stick on how good a yakitori shop really is.

This was pretty tasty. Like most yakitori places, they have added soft bones to the minced chicken to give it more bite. Unlike the sauce from Kido, this one was sweet adding to the powerful finish.

Egg Roll Skewers ($35) - Soft and pillowy exactly like what we would expect from a Japanese egg roll. Won't mind a bit more smoky flavors though.

Fried Tofu ($45) - Nicely done working well with the fresh spring onion.

Shiitake Mushrooms ($35) - Something for little nugget. 

Pancetta ($45) - They have a version of this with cheese but I decided to get just the grilled pancetta instead. 

I was a little worried that this would taste like rubber after absorbing the heat on the grill but to my pleasant surprise, it was perfect. Still very tender and juicy, with the perfect proportion of fat and meat. Finished off beautifully with a touch of mustard seed on top.

We weren't all that hungry to kick off the meal so after a couple of rounds, all three of us were done like grandmother's cookies. I signaled our server for the menu so I could take a look at their desserts but Jelloman decided we've had enough tonight already. As any wise man would do, I took the advice from my better half and asked for the bill instead.

This was a much much better meal than the one we had at Kido (木戶串燒串揚), another highly touted yakitori kushiage place which was opened in 2020. A much shorter menu but who cares as long as the skewers all taste brilliant.

Food Rating: 7.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: LG/F, Harilela House, 79 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 2727-0117

Website: www.yakitori-torisho.com

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm daily