Big Boils Club Tsuen Wan 荃灣大滾友火鍋 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

My busy season is coming up soon and like I always do in previous years, I squeeze in a few group gatherings just before the start of heavy loading. I wasn’t the one calling the shots tonight but I was glad that someone picked a hotpot restaurant. It’s been a while since I last had hotpot dinner locally so it gave me something to look forward to tonight.

Big Boils Hotpot (大滾友) has a number of locations in Hong Kong and I was told the prices ain’t cheap but the combination of vintage vibe and innovative dishes is always difficult to turn down.

I got some much needed time to get my personalized sauce ready.

Obviously, making an entrance is important and here comes the broth. The clear broth with winter melon and seafood looks like a hand full. We were all waiting patiently (or taking photos one way or another), while our server sliced the gourd wide open.

     

Beef platter (牛肉拼盤) – This comes with different cuts of beef including beef tongue and with of course different degrees of marbling. Not bad.

Lamb – Very succulent and to a certain degree, it was more tasty than some of the beef cuts.

Dumpling with crab roes (蟹黃餃) – Very nice presentation but this was just OK. I always think anything that has to do with crab roes is overrated (just me).

Luncheon meat - I don’t remember us having luncheon meat for hotpot when I was a kid but it’s now a fixture in any hotpot meal. This was thick and savory, which was always a nice combo.

Handcrafted squid balls with goose liver (手打鵝肝墨汁墨魚丸) – The squid balls were decent but the flavors from the goose liver hardly registered.

Crab meat (蟹柳) – One dish we could probably do without.

Bean curd roll (響岭) – Yeah, always a crowd pleaser. Takes a few seconds to be ready and never disappoints. 👍🏻

Flambéed douhua with caramel (火焰焦糖豆腐花) – Another Instagrammable dish, this from the dessert department.

The tofu pudding, topped nicely with brown sugar powder, got a flashy flambe finish.

I thought tonight's dinner was a little pricey. $500-600 per head for a hotpot meal is pretty standard these days but at least, they should be serving us more than paper-thin meat.

Food Rating: 5.1/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop A&B, G/F, Kapok Mansion, 125-133 Castle Peak Road - Tsuen Wan, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsuen Wan

Tel: +852 2383-2268

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 1:00am daily

Mido Cafe 美都餐室 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Little guy’s P2 final assessment starts next week and for about two weeks or so, we have shut down our “operations” over the weekend to solely focus on the upcoming tasks to get him up to speed on his examination. This weekend will be the last one in terms of preparation so we (me, our parents and helper) have been put on “high alert” 🚨 by none other than the Commander in charge, Jelloman herself.

As I deem myself as a distraction to everybody when I was in the house, I decided to head out for a very late lunch at 3pm this afternoon. After wandering around Yau Ma Tei for a bit, the idea of visiting the vintage Mido Cafe (美都餐室) suddenly came to mind.

First opened in 1950, Mido Cafe briefly closed down in 2022 due to Covid-19 but has now reopened for business to much fanfare.

Of course, I had to get behind one of these booth seats by the window overlooking historic Temple Street (廟街).

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) – The richness of tea flavors was missing a bit but there was enough milk to lend a delightful creamy texture.

Chicken a la king with rice (白汁雞皇飯) – It took a while for the kitchen to prepare this but it finally arrived before I raise my hand asking for its whereabout.

This was way better than the typical chicken a la king from an old-school cafe. For starter, the cream sauce wasn’t like glue sticking to the steamed rice. Instead, it was light but flavorful working well with the chicken fillet, mushroom and thin strips of pepper.

Mido has often been labelled as a tourist trap due to their relatively aggressive price for a cha chaan teng but I think there’s something to like about this 74-year old place that is worth their price tag.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 63 Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Yau Ma Tei

Tel: +852 2384-6402

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm (Thu - Tue)

 

Cheung Hing Restaurant 祥興茶餐廳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I stumbled upon this old-school tea restaurant a few times before when I walked past Hoi Lai Estate (海麗邨) but this was the first time I had the chance to sit down for a sip of tea.

At 5pm on a Saturday afternoon, there were only a few souls around enjoying their afternoon tea.

The tea here (熱奶茶) at Cheung Hing Restaurant (祥興茶餐廳) was pretty strong and fragrant but there wasn’t enough milk to stand up to the richness of the tea. Yet, this is probably one of the better cup of milk tea I have in Lai chi Kok over the past few years. I won’t mind coming back just for the tea alone.

I haven’t had anything to eat all day so I ordered my favorite Yangzhou fried rice (揚州炒飯) as an afternoon treat for myself. This had pretty decent wok hei (鑊氣) and the final touch with Maggi (美極) was so nostalgic!

Cheung Hing reminds me of the fast food joints (快餐店) that used to be so popular back in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, there was one near our home by the name of Yuen Cheong (源昌) that we used to get take-away food from all the time (mostly on the weekends). I miss these nostalgic places from my childhood.

Food Rating: 4.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Hoi Lai Shopping Centre, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 3514-6346

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 9:30pm daily

LonFood One Avenue 農畉 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Well, I thought I have more time before the train departs but I was wrong. I took way too much time walking over to One Avenue (卓悦中心) and now I found myself with around 40 minutes left for my supper.



LonFood (農畉) is a restaurant and cafe that focuses on healthy food and sustainability. They have a number of locations around Shenzhen but I have never had the opportunity to check them out personally.

Their industrial décor is very much up my alley.

LonFood's healthy red juice (農畉紅蔬汁) (¥35) – I haven't had anything healthy all day so a healthy red juice made with dragon fruit and beetroot was exactly what the doctor ordered. This was really foamy like a smoothie. Refreshing!

Squid-ink spaghetti with crab roes and seafood (蟹膏海鮮墨魚麵) (¥78) – A very busy pasta dish with the squid-ink spaghetti nicely tossed in a spicy sauce made with cherry tomatoes, chilli, squid, shrimp and seafood bisque, finished off with a sprinkle of golden-color crab roes powder.

This was a pretty nice dish. Only if they could tone down the spicy kick a bit, it would have been the perfect dish for me tonight. 

They should have a dish like this in Hong Kong and I think it would probably be called a "typhoon shelter" pasta (避風塘意粉).

Food Rating: 5.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop L150, East Zone, Level 1 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路OneAvenue卓悦中心商场东区L150

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (755) 8326-1339

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/b9/Vrs

The Mandarin Cake Shop 文華餅店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My second last destination tonight is Shum Yip Upperhills (深業上城), an upscale entertainment hub that combines a luxurious shopping mall with two of the most popular hotels in Futian, The Mandarin Oriental (深圳文華東方酒店) and Muji Hotel (深圳無印良品飯店). After a long long walk that led me from the Upperhills subway station to the mall, I started looking for The Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen which is supposed to be directly connected to Level 3 of the shopping complex but it took me a while before finally getting there.

Located on the ground floor of the hotel is The Mandarin Cake Shop (文華餅店), one of the best French patisserie there is in Shenzhen.

The name, The Mandarin Cake Shop, speaks for itself. Very simple but elegant décor.

I decided to sit down for another dessert before dinner.

After 6pm, everything here is offered at half price! Music to my ears....👂👂

Fleur de Vanille (香草之花) (¥68) – A stunning flower-shaped pastry with a vanilla theme.

This came with various textures of vanilla including vanilla biscuit moelleux, vanilla rice pudding, vanilla praline croustillant, vanilla bavarois, and vanilla ganache.

As much as I love vanilla, something seemed to be missing here. The tiny bit of caramel on the bottom really helped with providing the pastry with some contrasting flavors, something that didn't taste like vanilla but there had to be more of it to balance the sweetness of the rest of the dessert, which was primarily vanilla.

It was my first visit to Upperhills but I don't know if I would be back. The walk from the subway station took at least 10 minutes and the shops at the mall were more or less the same as those found in any other malls in Futian. Yes, the space here is incredible but I just didn't see the point of heading over here just for the hip space (and there's no arcade game centre here 🙅). 

Food Rating: 6.2/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Block A UpperHills, No. 5001 Huanggang Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区华富街道莲花一村社区皇岗路5001号深业上城F2

Closest Metro Station: Upperhills (深业上城)

Tel: +86 (755) 8182-9302

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/c7/oM5c

Marier Wagashi Cake Shop 玛莉叶洋菓子 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I am making my final stop of this walking tour in Meilin at Marier Wagashi Cake Shop (玛莉叶洋菓子), a Japanese inspired cake shop on the ground floor of what looks like a residential building. 



It's rare to find a western-style pastry shop in Shenzhen, let alone one that's situated in a residential district. More often than not, they are housed inside a luxurious 5-star hotel (probably from an international chain). 

The signage here suggested that they have branches in Tokyo and Taipei but the name just didn't ring a bell.

Strawberry milk (草莓牛奶) (¥38) – I am not sure if they have drawn their inspiration from a Japanese strawberry shortcake but....I kind of like the topping of this cake. It looks like a perfect sunny-side-up egg. 

But the taste? Hm...not so much. The layers of sponge cake and strawberry cream were OK but there were a lot of improvement areas there that I won't dare to touch on.

Food Rating: 4.8/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: No.3 Tower 6, Xianke Garden, Meihua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区梅华路先科花园6栋3号

Closest Metro Station: Shangmeilin (上梅林)

Tel: +86 (755) 2360-7249

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:45pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/c2/lgt

Baker's Base Meilin 梅林店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I'm back in Shenzhen this afternoon following a quick lunch at the recently opened Jimmy's Kitchen. There isn't much in my itinerary today other than a stop at the arcade centre and perhaps some café hopping. As planned, I spent more than an hour at Injoy (卓悅匯) collecting my game cards and just before it got dark outside, I began walking slowly towards Xiameilin (下梅林).



My first planned stop was at Baker's Base, a café cum French boulangerie hidden in the middle of a residential area. 

I didn't have time to sit down for a sip of coffee but I did what I had to do, sample some of their baked goods. 

I really admire the passion of the folks behind Baker's Base. Opening a French bakery in a quiet neighborhood like this one isn't an easy decision to make. Today, they've got a small selection of baked goods that included some homemade croissant and baguette but nothing too fancy.

I ended up getting myself a pain au chocolat (¥20). This was probably less flaky and buttery than what I used to see from a pain au chocolat and for ¥20, I expected a little more.

I had to make my stay a very brief one cuz I still had another destination to catch in Meilin.



Finding a good home-grown French boulangerie in Shenzhen is sometimes harder than winning the lottery but at least, I saw the passion and heart from this little bakery shop.

Food Rating: 4.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: 12 Guangxia Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区梅林广夏路12号

Closest Metro Station: Shangmeilin (上梅林)

Tel: +86 18589062315

Opening Hours: 8:30am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/e2/Bfs

Jimmy's Kitchen (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

The legendary Jimmy's Kitchen got a new lease of life two months ago with their new home at Pedder Building. Taking over the space that used to be the flagship store of Abercrombie & Fitch, the revitalized institution is now conveniently situated next to the Central MTR station.

I am taking the afternoon off work so I got all the time in the world to check out this latest iteration of the city's iconic century-old establishment.

Once I showed up at the reception desk, I was asked if I would be interested in sitting at one of these counter tables. Well, not today. I would be much happier parking at a quiet corner facing the bar.

I spent some time looking at their revamped food menu and not surprisingly, I was able to find most of their signature dishes from the old days. That included beetroot and vegetable Borscht, chicken a la king, chicken Supreme 'Kiev' and the crowd favorite baked Alaska.

Roasted beetroot, mango vinegar, parsley cream – I was looking forward to kicking off the meal with their cured salmon as my starter but it was all sold out at 1:30pm.

Not that I would get panicked or anything cuz I am such a sucker for beets. This would serve me just fine. I've got some roasted beets served on a bed of minty parsley cream, and topped nicely with mango vinegar and red pepper. There was a really nice mix of sweetness and acidity. I didn't think it would work but the minty notes did harmonize with the sweet and earthy beetroot.

Seared scallops, sand carrot, curry remoulade, Iberico – I decided to get myself some seared scallops as my main dish.

Again, they had an impressive mix of flavors and textures, starting with the crunch from the sand carrots, bitterness from the watercress and then a mild kick from the curry, all on top of the sweetness of the scallops. A beautifully designed and well-executed dish. 

Earl grey tea, vanilla mascarpone, cocoa powder – This tasted a bit like a tiramisu but they traded the coffee and liquor with earl grey tea. Really not my cup of tea to be honest. I was expecting something else. Something not in the form of a cake.

Between the casual and fine dining options, it was always tough to find middle ground in Central but I thought the newly revamped Jimmy's Kitchen slides in there perfectly. This was an unexpectedly nice meal (except the dessert part) with some really palatable dishes. I am sure I will be back in the very near future.

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: M/F, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 2526-5293

Website: https://linktr.ee/jimmyskitchenhk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 11:00pm daily

Sun Heung Yuen 新香園 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

With all the recent disappointments I had with my breakfast spots in Sham Shui Po, I decided to turn my attention to Sun Heung Yuen (新香園), a more “tried-and-tested” option. It was just a few shops from where I had my misfortunes over the past few weeks. 

As usual, I started things off with a glass of iced milk tea. This was usually the strength here as their tea was often touted as one of smoothest and richest in the area but it wasn’t the case this morning. I had a chit-chat with a neighboring customer and we both agreed that the balance (of milk and tea) was slightly off today resulting in some unexpected bitterness in the tea.

For my breakfast dish, I went off an unusual choice of instant noodles served with pork liver (豬膶). This took a while to be ready (perhaps not many customers asking for pork liver this morning) but it eventually did.

I thought the broth was a little bland and the pork liver was pretty rubbery. Not a good combination. Perhaps I should have stuck with the restaurant’s signature dishes in the first place.  

This neighborhood is getting a little tired. Maybe I should go a little further for my breakfast next week.

Food Rating: 3.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 186 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sham Shui Po

Tel: +852 2728-7118

Opening Hours: 6:30am - 11:45pm daily