I got some sad news today. The Pawn, one of my go-to western restaurants in Wanchai, has just announced that they will be closing doors in two weeks after 13 years. They will be replaced by a new Chinese fusion concept later this year. I thought their business had finally turned the corner during my last visit when I was asked to dine at the outdoor patio (indoor all full) but I guess I got it all wrong.
And I had the perfect chance to pay The Pawn one final visit this afternoon when I was in the neighborhood but one thing leads to another; finally, I decided to have lunch at Bakehouse instead (partially cuz I was pressed for time). I have been to this original branch of Bakehouse on many different occasions but surprise, surprise, this was my first dine-in experience.
Sourdough egg tart – Before I start ordering food (real food), I checked with my server to see if their signature sourdough egg tarts were ready to be served. I was given the green light that it was a go so I decided that's how I would start my lunch with.
The lukewarm egg tart was again very very tasty. The sourdough croissant crust with dozens of buttery layers of pastry really made it happen. The egg custard was beautiful too; felt like having a custardy creme brulee.
Fried chicken sandwich – I was supposed to have mushroom toast but my craving for meat got the better of me. There weren't many options there on the menu, with the chicken sandwich being the most appealing one.
There was a side story to this. I didn't feel like having spicy today so I asked my server in advance if the sauce in the burger was chili. She said no but the coleslaw was mixed with Sriracha mayo which was spicy so she said she would tell the kitchen staff to serve the coleslaw on the side. And I thought, the table service couldn't get any better than this. But I was very wrong again.
When my burger actually arrived, I took a big bite at it but to my surprise, it was pretty spicy. I went on to check the coleslaw which was delicious but it wasn't a bit spicy. So, I checked the toasted milk bun and then I realized, they actually put the Sriracha mayo directly to the buns, not the slaw. Well, that explains why the burger was spicy even without the coleslaw. Now I wonder where my server got it wrong. Did the kitchen staff mis-interpreted her request (customer doesn't eat spicy or he doesn't eat coleslaw?) or something else happened there?
Well, I wasn't going to lose sleep on this....
Back to the chicken burger itself....I thought it was seriously delicious. The lightly toasted milk bun was so spongy working well with the deep-fried chicken fillet. If and only if, there were coleslaw there between the chicken and bun, it would be perfect (it was a little dry without).
Coconut cheesecake – I have been thinking about their cheesecake since I saw it on their menu months ago. Certainly have some high expectation for it but it came up empty.
This really wasn't your typical cheesecake. It's coconut flavored cream cheese on the bottom, topped with a layer of blackcurrant coulis. Some crumbles and crushed toasted pistachio on top provided some textures to the dessert to make it slightly more interesting but for the most part, it's not the mind-blowing cheesecake with a classic Graham cracker crust that I was expecting.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: G14 Tai Wong Street East, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Website: https://bakehouse.hk/
Opening Hours: 8:00am - 6:00pm daily
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