Daap (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I'm back in Sheung Wan to check out the fusion dishes at Daap this afternoon after attending a company event.



I managed to squeeze in just before their last order despite without advance booking.

Roast chestnut velouté with morel mushrooms – I had this last time I was here and thought it was really smooth and delicate. That was again the case today. Solid start~!

Argentinian red prawns three ways pasta – I thought about having the chicken roulade but thought better of it. As I didn't have a wealth of time to spend here, one of their pasta dish would be a great fit. At the end, I went with the same Argentinian red prawn fettuccine I did last time around.

This was pretty nicely done. The sauce was again a little on the sweeter side but they had the dried shrimps, shrimp oil and crushed nuts to add to the (savory) flavors and textures. 

This was a very satisfying lunch. Definitely won't mind coming back again for some other fusion dishes down the stretch.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Wai Hing Commercial Building, 20 Wing Kut Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 9680-7456

Website: www.instagram.com/daap.hk/?hl=en

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Tue - Fri), 10:30am - 4:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Sat - Sun)

Chun Luk Link CentralWalk 珍祿 領展中心城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Following my first-ever hair spa treatment, we ventured back to Link CentralWalk (領展中心城) in hope of catching an early dinner before heading back to Hong Kong. Our initial plan was a return trip to Wuzhuang (吳莊), a place which has been very high on Jelloman's list in recent time. But as soon as we saw the crowd in front of the popular Chinese restaurant there, we knew chances were slim picking and we quickly turned our attention to Chun Luk (珍祿) next door.

Compared to Wuzhuang, Chun Luk boasts a more refined ambiance with an upscale interior décor and a sophisticated food menu to match.

Crispy bean curd skin roll with vegetables & black truffle (黑松露潤澤素鵝) (¥48) – The crispy bean curd rolls were delicately stuffed with diced vegetables all in green color giving the dish a very elegant presentation. Not bad.

Crispy suckling pigeon (脆皮玻璃乳鴿) (¥56) – Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside. Very nicely done.

Baked prawns in sea urchin sauce (海膽醬焗蝦球) (¥98) – Each succulent prawn, enveloped in a crispy batter, was perfectly adorned with a drizzle of umami-rich sea urchin sauce. This, along with the roasted pigeon, already punched our tickets for a second visit. 

Simmered rice in lobster soup (招牌龍蝦湯泡飯) (¥78) – The piping hot lobster broth arrived together with a plate full of puff rice. 

Our server was kind enough to let me get a few photos of the lobster broth alone before putting the puff rice in. This was pretty decent but I thought there was a slightly artificial undertone to the lobster flavors of the broth.

This worked out better than we originally thought. While the bill came in a little higher compared to what we might be spending next door at Wuzhuang, the dishes were notably more refined and sophisticated here.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 062, M/F, 3 Fuhua Road 1st, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华一路3号领展中心城 M层 062铺

Closest Metro Station: Convention & Exhibition Center station (會展中心)

Tel: +86 (755) 2388-3856

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/4d/DO-i

My First Hair Spa Experience

3:20pm, almost five hours since we crossed border this morning, Jelloman and I finally arrived for our hair spa treatment.

Mumu Qing Si (沐沐青絲) (福田 Coco Park店) has recently become Jelloman’s go-to spa house ever since she discovered about hair spa in China a few months ago. And she just couldn’t stop going these days. Today, I stepped in as her partner in crime with her usual partners unavailable to make the trip.

After picking out the package we wanted, we got changed into our respective uniforms and it didn’t take long before we were escorted into our room.

Each of these treatment rooms was equipped with two separate hair washing counters. I started lying down and soon, I smelt a strong aroma of tea coming my way (I picked a treatment with tea which was supposed to be very good with revitalizing weakening hair, @¥158/65 minutes).

They appeared to have a special routine first with a hair rinse using warm water infused with tea, which was then followed by a few rounds of massage on my skull. This would go on repeatedly for 20 to 30 minutes.

Before I knew it, I passed out during the treatment and my therapist had to wake me up for the next course of action which took place in a different room.

I was seated in a lounge with half a dozen seats where she started drying my hair first with a towel and then a hair dryer. Next thing I knew she began giving me a massage from head to shoulder. This would go on for another 10 minutes or so.

I would say, this was a very unique experience. For someone who enjoys massage and spa treatment, it can be quite an addictive event. Simply ask Jelloman and she would tell you that was exactly the case.

Mumu Qing Si is conveniently located on the second floor of Excellence Times Plaza (時代廣場), right across the street from the Ping A Financial Centre (PAFC).

The prices on different packages can be found here. 

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop A211, 2/F Excellence Times Plaza, 4068 Yitian Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区益田路4068号卓越时代广场1期2楼A211号

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/35/nGGi

海門魚仔店 · 潮汕味 Coco Park 店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Jelloman wanted to put little nugget’s examination preparation on the back burner and instead went for a relaxing hair spa in Shenzhen this weekend. Of course, I am always game and as soon as I heard about the plan, I immediately grabbed my smartphone and got ourselves a pair of train tickets to Futian.

First thing first, we kickstarted our day with a quick bite at our usual breakfast spot followed by a few hours of gaming which led us into early afternoon.

Just before our spa appointment, we managed to squeeze in a quick lunch at Coco Park. As 海門魚仔店 · 潮汕味 has surfaced in our radar screen for a while now, we figured it would be the right time to check it off our list.

This is a Chiu Chow restaurant in a similar mold as 碼頭見 領展中心店 which is not too far from here.

Assorted marinated meat platter (鹵水拼盤) (¥69) – This came with a few savory goodness from the traditional Chiu Chow cuisine including marinated eggs, sliced goose meat, intestines, gizzards and pig’s ears but flavors and texture-wise, none of them really stood out. Jelloman and I both agreed that the pig’s ears were missing some serious crunch and overall, the supreme soy lacked the expected strength and depth (it didn’t lack in color though). Not good.

Sautéed “long leg choy sum” with garlic (蒜蓉炒高腳菜心) (¥36) – The in-season long leg choy sum again offered some seriously strong bite making it a very good companion with the steamed rice.

Chiu chow style oyster pancake (𧐢仔烙) (¥46) – This was supposed to be the main event but disappointingly, it failed to hit the target.

Inside the pancakes was mostly just flour without much oysters and not surprisingly, it didn’t taste anywhere like the ones we had at 碼頭見. It wasn’t even close. 

Food Rating: 4.3/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop L3-019, L3 COCO Park, 268 Fuhua Road 3rd, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华三路268号星河COCO Park 一期L3层L3-019号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 18128823429

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/88/WNzf

Delish Kitchen by ALOT (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Jelloman and I had a relatively easy afternoon today. After dropping little nugget off for his boy scout activities, we ventured over to Kai Tak station to spend the rest of the afternoon.

Our original plan was to visit the soon-to-be opened Sogo but not surprisingly, none of the shops were open yet so we decided to turn our attention to Airside instead.

First up, it was time for lunch and we picked out Delish Kitchen by ALOT, a cafe serving an array of comforting and healthy dishes inspired by cuisines from all over the world.

This place is huge.

Pumpkin soup – Thick like a purée, which wasn’t a bad thing today. Jelloman and I were both very hungry!

Avocado garden salad – The salad was topped with fresh crab meat and crab roes, finished off with a honey balsamic dressing. This dish sparked a conversation between us about the exorbitant prices in Hong Kong nowadays. The portion size for a main dish is so disappointingly small.

Linguine with assorted seafood – I love the fact that it was packed with seafood (scallop, squid, mussels etc.), mushrooms and cherry tomatoes but the pasta was a tad dry not clogging up the sauce made with tomato and basil all that well. A similar dish at Ohayo by ocio (おはよう) was handled way better albeit with less seafood.

Not a meal I would write home about for sure but we gotta kill a couple of hours off the clock. Now, just two more hours before we go back to pick little one up again. 

Food Rating: 5.3/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop L316, 3/F, AIRSIDE, 2 Concorde Road, Kai Tak, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kai Tak

Tel: +852 2528-1908

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

Ramen Cubism 立体派 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Moments after visiting my favorite bakery in Soho, I ventured over to the Central side to pay a visit to one of my favorite Japanese ramen shops in town, Ramen Cubism (立体派).

Hidden in the basement of a commercial building between Stanley Street and Wellington Street just steps from Lan Kwai Fong, Ramen Cubism was the first international flagship brand of Japanese celebrity ramen chef Takao Hayashi back in 2019. 

Premium Cubism (特級白湯拉麵) – The Premium Cubism featuring a creamy white broth which was both rich and deep in flavor. The thickness of the broth was perfect for the flat noodles. 

The pork belly was nice and tender.

The soft-boiled egg perfectly executed as well.

Of course, this was what I came here for, the famous white broth which was simmered with both chicken and duck resulting in a hearty and delicate flavor for the palate.

Well, I could actually do without the fried gyoza. 

Food Rating: 6.9/10
Price: $$$
Address: Basement, Yuen Yick Building, 27-29 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2399-0811
Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

Vission Bakery (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I was in Soho for a number of things this afternoon and after missing out on two of my potential lunch spots, I found myself wandering around Central-Mid-Levels Escalators where I stumbled upon Vission Bakery, one of the city's top bakeries.

Tiramisu danish – I had this more than a year ago and still had very fond memories of munching my way through the tiramisu custard cream and super flaky pastry base.

 

Very very delicious. 

One of the reasons that brought me to Soho/Sheung Wan was Medora, a new concept by Chef Vicky Cheng (鄭永麒) who's the mastermind behind Michelin-starred VEA. Too bad they had already had their last-order when I arrived.

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: $$$$

Address: LG/F, Chui Man House, 7 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Website: www.vissionbakery.com

Opening Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 9:00am - 9:00pm (Sat - Sun)

Choi Hung Caa Caan 彩虹茶餐廳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

The reviving dining scene of Lai Chi Kok welcomes a new member this week. Situated across the street from D2 Place 2, Choi Hung Caa Caan (彩虹茶餐廳) is another cha chaan teng joining an army of existing ones catering to the clientele from the industry-heavy area.



This place used to be a canteen attached to the industry centre.

The breakfast menu is a simple one highlighted by the cafe's signature purple potato oatmeal.

It didn't take long before my breakfast set arrived.

The iced milk tea was a pretty good one striking a nice balance between the milk and tea flavors.

I went with their satay beef noodle soup (沙嗲牛肉麵) and this was when I was left speechless. The beef was so rubbery like worn-out tires and just way too heavy-handed with satay sauce.

Lai Chi Kok has been blessed with the arrival of several new cha chaan tengs in recent years, but regrettably, none have proven to be as promising as Lok Tin.

Food Rating: 3.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 7, G/F Elite Industrial Centre, 883 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Opening Hours: 6:00am - 9:45pm daily

Tai Ping Koon Restaurant Granville Road 太平館餐廳 尖沙咀加連威老道 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

The limited-time only Gigantamax raids of Pokemon Go has brought me to Tsim Sha Tsui this afternoon. After spending a few hours walking around different parts of TST, I began to realize that I have yet to have lunch around 3:30pm. 

This was when I found myself stumbling upon Tai Ping Koon Restaurant (太平館餐廳), a longstanding restaurant specializing at Hong Kong style cuisine with a western twist. I decided to come in and check out their afternoon tea menu.

The tea was very very strong today, perhaps it was my empty stomach which wasn't holding up well against the richness of the tea.

This was what I came in for, their signature fried flat noodles with sliced beef in premium soy sauce (瑞士汁炒牛河)! I was left craving for more due to the very small portion. 

Enough rest, time to head out again and battle with these Gigantamax pokemons. 

Food Rating: 5.7/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 40 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2721-3559

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