The Chinese Restaurant 凱悅軒 at Hyatt Regency (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★☆☆☆☆

Today is my second consecutive and final off-day this month. Unlike yesterday's lunch where I already made my booking months ago, I was still struggling to find a place this morning. But since I know mom probably prefers dim sum more than anything else, I have narrowed down my short list to a number of Chinese restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui before finally deciding on The Chinese Restaurant (凱悅軒) at Hyatt Regency TST.



I have heard about The Chinese Restaurant (what a bad name!) being the pioneer of dim sum buffet ($348 per head) but I have never been here before my entire life.

Since little nugget didn't have any class in the afternoon, I decided to drag him along to join me and his grandma for dim sum.

Barbecued pork with honey glaze (蜜汁叉燒) – Mom thought the meat was a little dry and lean, and I agreed. I didn't expect Spanish Iberian pork here but something with a little fat would be nice.

Steamed shrimp dumpling with bamboo shoot (筍尖蝦餃皇) – Bite-sized har gow with a bit of bamboo shoot. Not sure if the small portion was intentional.

Steamed pork dumpling with flying fish roe (飛魚子燒賣) – Not the best presentation.

Steamed himematsutake mushroom dumpling (姬松茸素粉果) – Mom thought this was one of the few decent dim sum they had here but I thought a little too wet for me.

Pan-fried turnip cake (香煎蘿蔔糕) – Not bad.

Baked chicken and mushroom pie (白汁磨菇雞粒批) – For me, this chicken mushroom puff and the beef tripe (which I didn't have a very good photo of) were the better dishes this afternoon. The rest probably won't make the cut for a hotel restaurant but I know they are on a budget when it's all-you-can-eat.

Traditional wok-fried rice vermicelli (家鄉炒米粉) – A little heavy-handed with salt and no "wok hei". I guess it's been sitting there and warmed for a while.

Mung bean soup with kelp (海帶綠豆沙) – Just two desserts on the menu. I wasn't in the mood for chilled hawthorn pudding so this was the only option.

I have to admit, I expected a lot more from a Chinese restaurant inside a 4-star hotel even when it's all-you-can-eat. Everything was just sub-par (but presentation was just horrible) from start to finish with service being the only bright spot for us. And to rub salt into the wound, the moment I saw diners walking around the dining room without their masks, I was thinking we might as well go to East Ocean or something of that caliber. At least, we're not spending $400 per head there.

Food Rating: 4/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 3/F, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 3721-7788

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 2:30pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Restaurant Petrus (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I am taking a couple of days off before September to clear my expiring annual leaves off the books. I was never a person known for planning ahead but months ago, I have already made lunch plans for my first off-day and it's going to be at Chef Uwe's Restaurant Petrus. Why Petrus? I was really amazed with their summer menu when I paid them a visit in April. Let's see if their autumn menu is nearly as good.



But even without the exquisite food menu here, this harbour view alone will always lure me back for more!

A nice collection of homemade bread was served with the usual lightly salted butter made of buttermilk from France to kick off the meal.

It was accompanied by the usual amuse here, cheese gougère filled with runny cream cheese which I thought was slightly truffled.

Tuna Loin – I had no idea what this dish would look like so when it eventually showed up, I was pleasantly surprised with its contemporary presentation.

It was a very busy dish with wonderfully balanced flavors. The almost raw tuna loin was perfectly matched with the clean flavors of heirloom tomatoes, finished off beautifully with a light sauce vierge made with chopped tomatoes, cherry and tuna belly. To add to the great depth of flavors, was the white peach "gelatin" which exploded with some nice sweetness to balance off the acidity and last but no least, the chanterelle mushrooms for some contrasting textures. Very nice start!

Obsiblue Prawn – I was expecting something raw here but these Obsiblue prawns came perfectly cooked.

Another nicely plated dish with the prawns sitting on a bed of finely-diced celery. There was great depth of flavors here starting with the sweetness of the Obsiblue prawns, matched superbly by the earthy notes of the watercress emulsion and the sharp acidity from the hint of lemon.

Boston Lobster – A minimalist dish with half of a lobster, a stuffed zucchini flower and a dash of lobster foam. A simple yet elegant presentation.

The charcoal grilled Boston lobster came with this perfectly bouncy texture and there were the diced zucchini and nuts on the bottom to add some nice crunch to the bite. 

The zucchini flower tempura was stuffed with minced prawns and delicate scallop mousse. Not bad.

Lychee – I was blown away by the chamomile dessert last time around so my expectation was a bit high coming in.....

This was another masterpiece. Hidden in the centre of the Oolong tea foam were Oolong brulee, lychee compote and a very refreshing raspberry sorbet. Just a perfect dessert for the summer.

My mignardises were again mini chocolate tart and freshly baked madeleine which felt like it's just come out of the oven.

It was another amazing meal at Michelin starred Restaurant Petrus. I had to wait a little longer than expected for my table but it was well worth the waiting time.

 

Food Rating: 7.6/10

Price: $$$$
Address: 56/F, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2820-8590
Website: Link
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:30pm - 11:00pm daily

Kikanbo Ramen 鬼金棒拉麵 Tsim Sha Tsui (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After spending the entire afternoon in different corners of Tsim Sha Tsui, we were all set to head home with some take-away food for dinner but not little nugget. He, still full of energy, demanded a ramen dinner right here and right now. And he's not going home without a bowl of Japanese ramen! 😨

Fortunately, I know Tsim Sha Tsui's ramen shops relatively well and before we broke a sweat, we already arrived in front of Kikanbo Ramen (鬼金棒拉麵) on Cameron Road.

The legendary Kikanbo Ramen is an import from Tokyo which arrived in Hong Kong back in 2019. The brainchild of Ma-la ramen master Masakazu Miura (三浦正和) took the ramen world by storm when they first launched in 2009. Chef Miura went on to further refine his craft over the years and his current blend of miso ramen is best known for the combination of its spicy and numbing sensation.

This guy is finally smiling! 😂

Karashibi miso ramen – Kikanbo's signature ramen features both bean sprouts and corn wok-fried under very high heat. Of course, I asked for no chili!

Unlike many miso ramen in Hong Kong, this came with more savory flavors (less sweetness) and not surprisingly, some extra kick despite we asked for "not spicy".

Karashibi miso ramen with seasoned egg – Little nugget had more or less the same thing but with his favorite seasoned soft-boiled egg.

The soft-boiled egg was nicely done. No complaints there at all.

The thick-cut pork rib was a little on the hard side though. (Little one's piece had a little more fat than mine).

I asked little one if the mild spiciness was okay with him and he kept nodding and nodding (and drinking iced water at the same time 😆).

I can really see the appeal of Kikanbo's ma-la ramen with the perfect marriage of spicy and numbing flavors. And I know how Hongkongers are crazy about mala.

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 20 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2481-2889

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

The Peninsula Boutique & Café (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After a quick lunch at Silvercord, we ventured over to K11 Musea and spent a bit of time there before taking a slow and deliberate walk to Hong Kong Space Museum for our main event this afternoon – Dinosaurs of Antarctica (極地尋龍) 3D.

I heard it's not easy to get tickets here. Let's hope if it's as good as advertised.

Well, more than half of us almost fell asleep during the show. I was probably the only one who managed to stay awake throughout the show. I thought it's not that bad but there's quite a bit of information to digest and I'm not sure if any of the kids there understood half of it.

Anyways, after the show, we decided to go across the street to the Peninsula Hotel to check out a few things there.

The Peninsula Boutique was part of the agenda because there's a little something I wanted to have a closer look in person.

Here they are~

Their festive pastry Luna for the upcoming Mid-Autumn festival.

Personally, it was sad for me to learn about the departure of Executive Pastry Chef François Delaire from The Peninsula Hong Kong. He's a favorite of mine but I guess it's bittersweet that he will be working just next door as the opening Executive Pastry Chef for The Regent Hong Kong in 2023.

Back to Luna for a moment. This is a new creation by new Executive Pastry Chef Baptiste Villefranque who I vaguely remembered had a cup of coffee at W Hotel Hong Kong.

This is an inspiration from the legendary Peninsula mooncake with Chef Villefranque taking it one step further.

Luna – Underneath the citrusy pastry concoction, we have a layer of white chocolate and variations of mandarin oranges all sitting on top of a light sponge cake and shortbread base.

I like the cake in the shape of a mooncake but that's about all the connection it has to the actual mooncake. I thought there were way too many layers of citrusy flavors from top to bottom for the sweetness of the white chocolate to cut through. The result? It was a little too acidic for me and to imagine myself having an acidic mooncake, it was just a very weird experience. 

I don't think it was the intention in the first place, to make this pastry reminiscent of an actual mooncake except for the exterior but it was hard not to make the comparison. (I thought Shake Shack did one heck of a job making a lava custard shake that really tastes like actual mooncake!)

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2696-6969

Website: Link

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm daily (Afternoon Indulgence tea set: 2:00pm - 6:00pm)

Social Place Silvercord 唐宮小聚 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We had a very BIG and late breakfast this morning pushing us back on our plans to go out for lunch today. As we have a show to catch at the HK Space Museum at 5pm, we took our time to get ready before finally arriving in Tsim Sha Tsui. It was almost 3pm already.



Little one was tasked with choosing the cuisine for today's lunch and he wasted no time indicating that he wanted to yumcha (飲茶). Since both Jelloman and I haven't been to Social Place (唐宮小聚) for a long time, we decided to check out Social Place at Silvercord.

Social Place's food menu has gone thru a lot of changes since my last visit. They are no longer serving traditional Cantonese dim sum, now just dim sum with modern twist.

Baked whole abalone puff (原隻鮑魚酥) – The whole abalone was nicely braised with great texture and flavors. And there were the braised enoki mushrooms underneath the abalone for some extra texture but the puff pastry was a little too flaky and not nearly buttery enough.

Signature roast pigeon (沙田乳鴿) – Still very very good. So juicy and succulent. The crispy skin was perfect.

Steamed shrimp dumpling (鳳眼蝦餃) – Similar to a har gow but with a different kind of wrapping highlighted by the shrimp on top. The wrapper, I thought, was flavored with carrot but it was very very light.

Fried glutinous rice dumplings (非常山竹) – I was expecting something along the line of a salty fried dumplings (鹹水角).

This was pretty nice. The filling of sweet corn and crab meat was matched with something like a cheese sauce.

Fried rice with (大肚婆炒飯) – Really tasted a lot better than what the presentation suggested. There were plenty of contrasting textures in there from the diced green beans, red rice, crab meat and corn.

Steamed glutinous rice dumpling with red bean paste (可愛南瓜) – There's always room for dessert for us and we have quite a long list to choose from. These little pumpkins were too cute to pass up on. 

I am not a fan of red bean paste but I have to admit, it was a good match with the glutinous rice.

Milk pudding (得意小豬) – Speaking of cute, little nugget spotted this from our neighbour.

A piggy-shaped milk pudding! 

I didn't get to try this myself but judging from my son's facial expression, it has to be pretty tasty.

Piggy swimming in a pool of soya milk! 

Despite the lack of traditional dim sum, I thought this turned out to be a pretty decent meal. My only complaints were the fact that (1) they had way too many spicy dishes on the menu which isn't too kids friendly and (2) as many already pointed out on the social media, service wasn't very attentive. But I'm okay as long as I don't need to go to the kitchen counter to claim my own dishes.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 303, 3/F, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 3168-1362

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 4:30pm, 5:30pm - 10:00 daily