Feather & Bone OP Mall (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We are visiting yet another farm in NT this afternoon. Supposingly, we're having something simple for lunch before arriving at the farm but I had enough of simple meals of late. So, I proposed going to Tsuen Wan West for brunch and take it from there.

Our last visit to OP Mall didn't work out well for us. We got pinballed around (between restaurants) before settling for a subpar lunch (didn't write about it of course).

Feather & Bone was one of our choices then but the wait was long and it didn't materialize. This time around, I made sure that I have secured advance booking.

Feather & Bone is an American steakhouse, butcher shop and grocery store all under one roof. I like the concept of it; and I think we could definitely use more of these places in Hong Kong.

We could order different cuts from the butcher counter to be cooked right at their grill. 

A special "Feather & Bone" knife!

French Onion Soup ($98) - Our annual trip to France is likely a foregone conclusion this year so I thought why not order a bowl of French onion soup to pretend that we were in France!?

This was so good....with loads of onions. It had the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I also like the fact that they didn't dip the French bread into the soup.

Steak & Eggs ($188) - The grain-fed rib-eye cooked to medium-rare was served with wilted spinach and two sunny-side up eggs. Interestingly, the red powder on top tasted a bit like bacon. 

Fish & Chips ($178) - Beer battered halibut served with chips and house-made tartar sauce. The size of the halibut fillet could've been a bit more generous but I guess for Sunday brunch, it's fine. We didn't want to stuff ourselves before running around the farm.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G09, G/F, OP Mall, 100 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsuen Wan West

Tel: +852 2618-8160

Website: www.featherandbone.com.hk

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

Dang Wen Li by Dominique Ansel 當文歷餅店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Recognizing the fact that traveling around the world is no longer an option for us travel-hungry Hongkongers, Dang Wen Li by Dominque Ansel (當文歷餅店) decided to launch an exclusive limited-time-only "Around the world" series. This series consisted of five desserts inspired by the award-winning pastry chef’s favorite holiday destinations.

These look absolutely amazing and I have the daunting task of picking which one(s) to take home with me (Soufflé Pancake - Japan, Taco - Mexico, Fromage - France, Mango Sticky Rice - Thailand and Pretzel - USA).

Even the take-away box, they have made it look like a small luggage with a special "Dang Wei Li Airlines" luggage tag over it. Very thoughtful.



Two of my favorite travel destinations - France and Thailand. I decided to take a picture of this just in case there was an accident (a planned one by my little nugget!) on our way that knocked them totally.

Fromage (France) - This looks exactly like a wheel of Brie cheese from France. 

The Brie cheese sponge cake, made with silky brie mousse and a light airy cheese sponge cake, was set atop a thin Fontina cheese sablé cookie base.

Very soft and airy, and a little spongy with rich Brie cheese flavors. It really did feel like having real French cheese. I will definitely get an encore of this very shortly.

Mango Sticky Rice (Thailand) - A mango cut open.....but where's the sticky rice? 

Underneath the fresh mango compote were layers of soft glutinous rice sponge cake and coconut rice cream.

It tasted exactly like having mango sticky rice. Both the textures and flavors were all there! Wow~

Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop OT G63A, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2613-8618
Website: www.dangwenli.com
Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm daily

Dessert Forest 甜品森林 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

For years, Agent-I has been telling me about a hidden gem in Mei Foo called Dessert Forest (甜品森林), famous for its Chinese and western desserts.

I honestly didn't pay much attention considering that I don't really go to Mei Foo that often. But today, I'm starting a new therapy session there and sounds like I'll get the chance to finally check it out myself.

Apart from their signature sweets, the little 8-seater cafe also offers a small selection of pasta dishes. But let's focus on the desserts for now.

Walnut sweet soup (合桃糊) - I haven't had walnut sweet soup for ages. Some said it's seasonal but for the most part, I think it's all supply and demand. Not many folks ask for it so a lot of dessert shops simply decide not to carry it on their menu.

This was a lot sweeter than I thought and without the usual mild bitterness. For anyone who's tired of having black sesame soup and Chinese almond tea, a very nice alternative!

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop N29C1, 2-8 Humbert Street, Mei Foo Sun Chuen Stage 6, Mei Foo, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Mei Foo

Tel: +852 6979-5156

Opening Hours: 12:30pm - 11:30pm (Wed - Mon), 7:30pm - 11:30pm (Tue)

Ciao Chow Italian Cafeteria LKF (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I met up with my dental surgeon one last time before having my crown ready for my implant. After the brief check-up (and a long long wait), I was off and running. Since it was already lunch time, I figured I might as well have an early one first before heading back to my office.

It's been years since I last dined here at Ciao Chow Italian Cafeteria on the ground level of California Tower. They have one of the best tiramisu in town but that's all I could remember about this place.

But I wasn't picky this afternoon. Just wanted to get it over with and back to work right away.

Kale salad - I decided to start things off with something healthy. Really love the bite from the pine nuts, almonds and croutons but the acidity was a bit too overwhelming thanks to the gluey cranberry dressing. Didn't finish this one.

Obviously, my server also noticed that I didn't finish my salad so he came over and had a quick chat with me asking if everything was alright. I was up front with him by telling him that they were way too heavy-handed with the cranberry dressing. To my pleasant surprise, he decided to offer me another starter, anything from the starter menu.

I ended up picking another salad - Caesar salad and I insisted that I only needed a small portion of it.

The small Caesar was way way better. The romaine lettuce was crisp, combining well with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, Caesar dressing and pancetta. Yeah, the quail eggs weren't healthy but I could live with that once in a while.

Penne Salmone and Panna - I have been longing for some pasta all week and this was my final choice. I thought the salmon cream was really delicate and the penne perfectly al dente. They have obviously redeemed themselves after a rocky start. 

On a normal day, I would have asked for a slice of tiramisu in a heartbeat. But I decided not to do so this afternoon cuz I was supposed to eat healthy today (a self-imposed healthy meal). So when my server came over again to ask if I wanted dessert, I hesitantly rejected the idea and asked for the bill instead. 

P.S. The meal wasn't a bad one (saved by the service from my server) but for $300, there's got to be better choice out there.

Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: G/F, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2344-0005
Website: www.ciaochow.com.hk

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 6:00pm daily

Beans The Rambler at Maritime Square (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I was still feeling a little full from my late lunch but it was time to meet up with the gang after their long day at the farm. As planned, we were meeting up at Maritime Square in Tsing Yi (the closest shopping complex to the farm) but I would go and try to get a table at Bean The Rambler in advance.



The plan worked out perfectly for us and we were able to secure two tables behind the entrance. It almost felt like a private dining area for the six of us.

Spaghetti with crab and salted egg yolk - I don't exactly recall how long I've been visiting Beans regularly in Tsuen Wan. It's probably not Day One but I'm guessing at least 6 to 7 years. It's great to see how they've expanded to different parts of the city.

Most recently, this is my favorite pasta dish from their menu. I love the little Chinese twist. 

I've noticed that they touched up a bit on the presentation making it look like a dish from an upscale restaurant. That's nice to see. As usual, the pasta was perfectly al dente working well with the gluey salted egg yolk sauce. 

Scallop and crab meat pizza - Not nearly as good as the pasta. In fact, it reminded me of my Pizza Hut delivery. Looks like they only added the toppings midway through the cooking.

Everest - Of course, the name came from Mount Everest, the highest mountain above sea level from the face of the earth. 

I thought the presentation wasn't great but the silky coconut mousse was a fairly good match with the caramel banana jelly and vanilla sponge. I have always thought Beans is a little underrated as a patisserie.

Like all Beans cafe, Beans The Rambler has a no-reservation policy.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$

Address: Shop 222, 2/F, Maritime Square II, 33 Tsing King Road, Tsing Yi, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsing Yi

Tel: +852 2690-2222

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

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

I originally thought there wasn't much to write about on this meal but since I love anything with "Made in Hong Kong" theme, I decided to drop a few words here.

It was a very late lunch at 4:30pm. Jelloman and little nugget were out early for an outdoor activity so I was the "Home Alone" kid (almost had that feeling) doing absolutely nothing at home until I realized that I had to eat.

It was my third time dining at Pound & Roll in K11 Art Mall already. I picked this place for no reason other than the fact that I couldn't come up with a better place (been to ATUM too many times in recent weeks already). I thought this wasn't a bad choice.

Lunch started off with a small tomato soup. Didn't really like all the tomato skin in there.

The main event was a premium version of our tea restaurant classic, fried egg with luncheon meat on a bed of steamed rice. Instead of our beloved luncheon meat, I got a couple slices of pork loin. I had to admit the pork loin was pretty tender and juicy; and they meshed so well with the sweet soy and fried egg. I did order steamed rice to go with it but they decided I should have multigrain rice instead.

I got to enjoy my cup of milk tea a bit (without little one yelling over my shoulder). When I finally checked my watch, it was only 5pm so another few hours to go before I meet up with the gang for dinner. Yeah, more food in a few hours.....

Food Rating: 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

Wing Hing Ice Room 永興冰室 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

My request to visit at least 100 different cha chaan tengs (茶餐廳) in 2021 continues this afternoon. This time, the journey brought us to Prince Edward, a neighborhood I know all that well thanks to my childhood days of living and schooling here.

But Wing Hing Ice Room (永興冰室) is obviously not around when I was a kid. Time to check this place out...

Homemade pineapple bun - Before I could take a picture of it, Jelloman accidentally flipped it over and it landed head over heel. Not a pretty sight.

French Toast - A cha chaan teng classic.

This wasn't bad but the bread could have been a little more pillowy in the middle. And a little more peanut butter in the filling would've made this peanut butter freak a very happy camper.

Pantyhose milk tea - I thought the tea was a little too strong for me. A bit more milk would be perfect.

It looks like the kitchen is having an off day today although they could not be faulted for the "miscue" with the pineapple bun.

Food Rating: 4/10

Price: $$

Address: G/F, Hanley House, 776-778 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Mongkok

Tel: +852 2988-5566

Opening Hours: 6:00am - 11:00pm daily

The Pawn (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I am back to The Pawn for a quick British meal before my meeting this afternoon. It’s been a while since my last visit so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But what a sigh of relief when I saw a dining room full of satisfied diners!

From what I’ve read, The Pawn is no longer tied to Chef Tom Aikens but their cuisine remains very modern British (or European) with a slight touch of Asian.

My starter was potato soup infused with curry. It was served with a dab of potato purée and a crispy tuile. I have never had curried potato soup before so it was definitely a breathe of fresh air. 

Didn’t expect potato and curry working so well together.

My main dish was a well decorated seafood risotto, with tomato, baby cucumber and basil.

This wasn’t bad. Thought the squid meshed really well with the tomato risotto but the catfish, to a much lesser extent.

My lunch was finally completed thanks to a very small dessert, sliced of poached pear served with mascarpone ice cream, almond crisp and pear gel. A nice exclamation point.

As usual, the portion was a little small but all three dishes did enough to keep my stomach happy. Mission accomplished.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 2/F, 62 Johnston Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2866-3444
Website: www.thepawn.com.hk
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 1:00am (Mon - Sat), 11:30am - 1:00am (Sun)