Wins Cafe 永勝冰室 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

My quest to visit 100 local tea restaurants this year (since there's no traveling, I thought I do something special amidst the pandemic) took a positive step forward when I accidentally discovered a new one in Fortress Hill this afternoon.



Located on the first floor of a commercial building, I would never imagine there's a tea restaurant up there but I was actually tipped off by a security guard standing on the ground floor. I would imagine she works for Studio City who're the folks behind my newest discovery - Wins Cafe (永勝冰室).

I have to confess, I know nothing about gambling so the fact that they have these machines and multiple TVs showing different games mean absolutely nothing to me. I'm just here to fill up my tank. 

I will admit that I am starting to like my early work schedule a little more. Waking up at 5am obviously sucked but then I got to enjoy afternoon tea at 4pm. A fair trade-off?

Both chicken legs and wings feature prominently on the food menu here so I would assume they are the house specialties.

After a rather long wait (about 15-20 minutes), my order's finally ready. 

The tea set came with a small bowl of macaroni with assorted vegetables and ham.

Tea was a bit strong for my liking. I would have asked for additional milk if I wasn't in a hurry. But fearing that it might take another 15-20 minutes for my milk to arrive (ok, just a joke!), I decided to bite the bullets instead.

The long wait, as I was told, was because of this baby. Wins' signature deep-fried chicken leg which was made to order. Honestly, I thought it was just OK. I love the ones where they traditionally fried it with a thick batter. This came with a relatively thin one.

Overall, I thought the food was decent (tea wasn't though) but they have to fix the problem of the long waiting time. If a single tea set takes 15-20 minutes to be ready and I'm the only customer, how long would the wait be if you have a dozen customers? Another thing that bothers me was the shape of the cafe - very long and narrow. They've got the kitchen at one end and I was sitting at the other; for a self-service cafe, how would that work?

Food Rating: 4/10

Price: $$$

Address: 1/F, Wah Hoi Mansion, 258-260 Electric Road, North Point, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Fortress Hill

Tel: +852 2435-2590

 

Potluck Eatery (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Another weekend and yet another competition for little nugget to attend. This one took place in Jordan and following a very brief stay, we left the venue quickly looking for some afternoon snacks before dinner. It was then that we ran into a brand new restaurant, Potluck Eatery.

What first caught our eyes were the sunflowers placed at the entrance but we soon discovered that right behind those windows was a spacious and airy dining room waiting in the wing.

Potluck Eatery is still in the soft-opening stage so despite it was already 5pm, they were still offering their set lunch menu. I thought since we would be having dinner in about an hour anyways, why not give this place a chance for an early bird dinner?

The soup of the day was silky carrot soup. That was a pretty good start to the meal.

Pasta alla carbonara - Very creamy and little nugget was raving about the al dente pasta. Easily the best dish tonight.

Char-grilled rib-eye from New Zealand - Slightly disappointing was the charcoal grilled rib-eye. I could definitely see the charred marks but smoky flavors from a charcoal grill? None. And the texture wasn't particularly appealing.

Tortilla de patatas with bacon and spinach - It said on the menu that it takes 15-20 minutes so I assume it's coming straight out of the oven. But to my surprise (an unpleasant one), it was less than lukewarm upon its arrival. The flavors were definitely there, just that the texture and temperature weren't.

I guess I should be cutting them some slack since the restaurant was still in its soft-opening stage. But aside from the quality of their dishes, I thought the vibe was the only thing that would lure me back.

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Golden Gate Commercial Building, 136-138 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Jordan

Tel: +852 2640-0388

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm daily

Four x Four (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

One of the toughest part of being a parent these days is to stay sober and not go down the road of "tiger" parenting. It's easier to said than done but I always try to focus on giving my little nugget a happy childhood and not sacrifice for short-term gains. Academic achievements are important but I thought it's vital to get kids acquainted with sports at a very young age. Once my little one reached a certain age, he's been getting a steady diet of sports activities from swimming, taekwondo, fencing, soccer lessons.....this week, we were stepping up our effort to get him prepared for his first ever taekwondo competition.

As he was getting additional reps at Hin Keng Sports Centre (顯徑體育館), Jelloman and I, along with the other parents took a much needed break. We didn't know the neighborhood of Hin Keng all that well but thankfully, someone did and the next thing we knew, we were already sitting at a cafe called Four x Four, on the ground floor of a three-storey building waiting to be served.

This place looked a little dark, and a bit cramped but we weren't complaining much since it's still way better than waiting at the gym.   

Continental Breakfast ($45) - Fried egg, Montadella (or Italian sausage), toast and a small salad. Comes with a cup of English breakfast tea as well.

I didn't expect to find a tiny place in the middle of nowhere that serves a decent all-day breakfast like this. But while the food wasn't entirely bad, I couldn't stand a coffee shop with a bad vibe. The feeling of having coffee at someone's garage wasn't a great appeal. 

Food Rating: 4/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 15 Sheung Keng Hau Village, Tai Wai, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tai Wai / Hin Keng

Tel: +852 6996-4394

Opening Hours: 9:00am - 5:30pm daily

Peninsula Boutique (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I didn't know Jelloman had something up her sleeve for my birthday so just before our lunch at Gaddi's, I went down to Peninsula Boutique to get myself something sweet for tonight.

I struck out a number of times when I came here to get my favorite cakes this year. So, I was pretty used to seeing an empty display counter but not today! I guess the day is still young.



I was particularly happy to see the teapot again. It's becoming a seasonal item these days as it's only available a few times per year.

Tea pot - An inspiration from a traditional Chinese tea pot, this came with a white sesame seed madeleine base, layered with jasmine tea cream and osmanthus jelly.

It really felt like drinking jasmine tea but with a hint of osmanthus thanks to the osmanthus jelly in the middle.

Coconut Caramel - Another favorite of mine.

There's a tremendous balance between sweetness (coconut) and acidity (pineapple) with this dessert, and a bit of bitterness (caramel) to spice things up. The centre of soft coconut mousse, vanilla sponge, and outer layer of white chocolate and coconut flakes combined to give me a feeling that I was having marshmallow. The flavors would have been a bit dull without the juicy roasted pineapple and caramel cream in the middle; which was perfect.

Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Shop 7-9, The Peninsula Hong Kong, 19-21 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2920-2888
Website: www.peninsulaboutique.com/hk
Opening Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm daily

Gaddi's 吉地士 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After spending the entire morning at CHP, I’m finally a free man minutes past noon hour. Since I have absolutely no intention to waste any precious time from my afternoon off, I decided to venture straight over to the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. After kicking things off with quick strolls around a couple of empty shopping malls, I met up with my family for a long awaited lunch at Gaddi’s.

It’s been almost a year since I last got to sit around this elegant dining room. Nothing has changed since then; still as busy as ever despite the pandemic.

 
Did I mention that they have the best brioche in town? Always enjoyed this one with bacon.

 
Our amuse bouche was a deconstructed French onion soup. It wasn't introduced as one but it certainly tasted like one. Delicious onion foam was served on top of braised shallot along with a layer of onion jelly. A very nice start to the meal.

 
Concameau Mackerel, carrot variations, black garlic condiment, blood orange – Lightly torched mackerel was matched up nicely with the clean flavors of the carrot variations (purée and poached) and pearl onion.

I wasn't a huge fan of mackerel but I like the acidity from the blood orange working well with the richness of the mackerel.

 
Pan-seared foie gras, mango and pineapple chutney, long pepper – Some of us who were less health-conscious decided to drop a few extra bucks on one of Gaddi’s most popular dishes, their pan-seared foie gras.
 
This particular version was paired with mango and pineapple chutney. Trust me, it was very very delicious (based on the small piece I got from Jelloman). If my cholesterol level was any lower than it was, it would’ve been my natural choice.

 
Hokkaido scallops, watercress, Noirmoutier potatoes with seaweed, cockles – Everyone seemed to be less adventurous when it came to our main dish as all of us decided to pick the Hokkaido scallops over roasted Anjou quail.

And why not? The scallops were roasted to absolute perfection. I was pleasantly surprised how well they meshed with the earthy watercress flavors. Touted as some of the most expensive potatoes in the world, I thought the French potatoes from Noirmoutier Island were really nice and buttery, albeit not enough to steal the show (from the scallops).

Soft chocolate cake, sea salt caramel cream, cocoa crumble, hazelnut ice-cream – I had trouble picking out my dessert from an uninspiring list. Since everyone went with the panna cotta (the other choice was traditional creme brulee, yawn~), I thought I should take my chance with their soft chocolate cake instead.

This tasted exactly like a typical chocolate cake with a soft centre. No surprise there. For the first time since Chef Francois Delaire took over as the hotel's Executive Pastry Chef, I found myself not really looking forward to the dessert portion of the meal.

Coconut panna cotta, mango mousse, fresh fruits and French meringue – Well, this looked much much better. Very elegantly plated with fresh fruits and meringue on the outer circle of the mango mousse.

Very refreshing finish!

As usual, petite fours came from Peninsula Boutique's chocolate collection - caramel with sea salt, dark chocolate and citrus.

Just when I thought we were done here, our server brought out a “Hanami” cake, custom made with a "Happy Birthday Daddy!" sign next to it. This really looked too beautiful to eat. White chocolate Chantilly cream encasing fresh Japanese strawberry jelly, sakura cream and a unique crunchy sponge cake on top of a hazelnut sable base. Look at the cute little chocolate sakura tree. Very nice touch.

Little nugget couldn't help himself from humming the happy birthday song when he sees a birthday cake. I managed to make a quick birthday wish just before he unexpectedly blew off the candle. It was a wish for the end of the pandemic. I bet it's everyone's wish these days.

There's a reason I picked Gaddi's as the venue for our celebration this afternoon. It's the consistency in their offerings, quality and respect for their products. That's what it counts. We are so blessed with many French fine-dining restaurants in the city but there aren't many of them I rather have this meal at than Gaddi's.

Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 1/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong, 22 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2696-6763
Website: www.peninsula.com/en/hong-kong/hotel-fine-dining/gaddis-french-restaurant
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 7:00pm - 10:30pm (Tue - Sat)

Cafe Ceres (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I have a training at CHP this morning so I found myself in unfamiliar territory at 8a.m. looking for a place for breakfast. Anyone with a "normal" palate would have gone for a typical Hong Kong style breakfast at one of the "cha chaan tian" cuz there are many to offer in the heart of Kowloon City but not yours truly. Thankfully, it's my lucky day today (my birthday!) and it didn't take long for me to find a breakfast spot I like - Cafe Ceres.

Cafe Ceres is listed on Openrice as an Italian bakery shop but judging by its menu and setting, it's more like a coffee shop cum cafe. 

Poached egg, smoked salmon, Hollandaise sauce on English muffin - It didn't take long for me to find something I like to eat on the menu either.



I was craving for some smoked salmon this morning so this was perfect. Poached egg and smoked salmon served on a warm English muffin (could be warmer) with gluey Hollandaise sauce on top. Lovely presentation~

I immediately cut open the runny yolk to let it mesh with the sauce and muffin underneath.

The fact that I woke up really early this morning had allowed time for me to enjoy a cup of English breakfast tea as well. 

It's probably one of the most expensive breakfast one could ever find in Kowloon City ($98 if I'm not mistaken) but it was nice to kick off the morning the right way with a nutritious meal. After all, it was my birthday so I deserve something special.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 21 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: N/A

Tel: +852 2716-0089

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm daily

Issyokemen Kolor Tsuen Wan 一生懸麵 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

There was a time when good Japanese ramen shops are really hard to come by in Tsuen Wan but it's all in the past. Tsuen Wan is now home to many home grown talent including Issyokemen (一生懸麵), a local chain brought to us by a young chef who spent time working his way up in Japan, learning the fundamentals on how to make a perfect bowl of ramen.

Issyokemen is best known for its supreme tonkotsu ramen (pork bone soup) and tsukemen (沾麵) but I wasn't in the mood for either one so I took a flyer on their "White Soup" Tonkotsu Ramen (白湯豚骨拉麵) instead.

The collagen-rich pork bone based broth got even richer thanks to the addition of milk and sea salt adding to its incredible creaminess.

The soft-boiled egg was pretty nice too...

 

The char siu wasn't the most tender but I like the smokiness. 

All in all, it was a fairly nice meal. In fact, it reminded me of another ramen shop in Tsuen Wan, Ramen Dou (麵道) which is now defunct.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$

Address: Shop 3012, 3/F, Kolor Tsuen Wan I, 68 Chung On Street, Tsuen Wan, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsuen Wan

Tel: +852 2333-3012

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm daily