糖水舖甜品 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

With the closing of Amai No Dessert (甘の季節), we all thought we had lost a beloved spot for Cantonese desserts in Tsim Sha Tsui for good. But to our pleasant surprise, a new dessert shop has opened in the very same location — likely run by the same team behind Amai No Dessert.

The new establishment is called 糖水舖甜品 (No English name here). From what we observed during our visit, they are still offering the same dessert menu as the previous tenant.

Mango pomelo cream (楊枝甘露) ($50) – Little nugget’s favorite.

This wasn’t cheap but it tasted nearly as good as before, according to little one.

Peanut, cashew and walnut sweet soup (花生腰果合桃糊) ($40) – A lovely mix of peanut, cashew and walnut flavors.

Well, I dropped a few more bucks for a pair of sweet dumplings. There was no way anyone could beat out Kai Kai Dessert (佳佳甜品) when it comes to tong yuan (湯圓) with its paper-thin wrapper.

Happy to get our Cantonese dessert spot in Tsim sha Tsui back. Judging from the business they were getting from the tourists, they’re here to stay.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 6A Humphreys Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 5419-0634

Opening Hours: 3:00pm - 12:00am daily

T-yoogee PAFC Mall 平安金融中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My relaxing afternoon in Shenzhen is about to draw to a close but I still have one last destination to visit before my trip back home.

Last night, while searching for an afternoon tea spot in Futian, I came across T-yoogee, a newly opened European restaurant/Spanish tapas bar at PAFC Mall (平安金融中心), specializing in tea (more like coffee), brunch, grill, and more. Raving reviews have been flooding in from social media, especially Dianping (大众点评), so I thought it was worth the stop.

I arrived at T-yoogee slightly after 5pm and found the place buzzing. Judging from people flashing their cameras and taking selfies of their snacks, I guessed that they were mostly KOLs enjoying a new restaurant opening.

Black sesame oatmilk (黑芝麻燕麥奶) (¥28) — I had absolutely zero interest in any of the fruit teas on the menu so I went with this one. It was very milky with subtly rich black sesame flavors. A comforting hot drink perfect on a chilly afternoon in Shenzhen.

Carabinero prawn and ham (紅魔蝦火腿小吃) (¥39) — Thin slices of Spanish ham and a Carabinero prawn tail resting on a bed of savory mayo and butter brioche. This wasn't bad for the price, but I thought they could do much better. First and foremost, the mayo could have been infused with something from the sea to elevate the prawn — perhaps prawn bisque or sea urchin. That would have really been a nice finishing touch.

Salmon roes mini-toast (魚籽迷你吐司) (¥58) — This is more of a butter brioche topped with a layer of lightly flavored black truffle mayo and salmon roes.

I was expecting a bit of an "explosion" from the roes but that didn’t really materialize.

I like the relaxing vibe of this place. It’s very nice for both solo and group diners to chill out. I just wish there were places like this in Hong Kong so I won’t have to travel so far just for the vibe.  

Food Rating: 5.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop NLG05B, Level LG PAFC, 5033 Yitian Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福田街道福安社区益田路5033号平安金融中心NLG05B 号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 (755) 8656-6066

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/15/oSYk

True Shan Hotpot 三出山火鍋 COCO Park店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My friends have been raving about True Shan Hotpot (三出山火鍋) for months, with some even claiming it to be the best hotpot restaurant in Shenzhen right now. As a big fan of hotpot meals, I finally got my chance to check out their Coco Park location this afternoon

Hailed from Wuhan (武漢), True Shan is a highly popular hotpot chain that has taken the market by storm in recent years. Known for its forest-themed aesthetics and fresh ingredients from the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan region, I once waited over three hours for a table, but sadly, I was still unable to secure one for dinner.

But I knew for sure that lunch on a weekday would be much easier.

With only two soup bases to choose from (one spicy and one non-spicy), this was an easy choice to make!

I was told by my server to prepare my condiments ready while he got the broth ready.

True Shan 全湯鍋 (¥58) – The clear broth was garnished with coriander, celery, and dates. As it approached boiling point, I could smell subtle herbal notes in the air.

The set also included a small bowl of goodies like ox tongue (牛脷) and cabbage.

Winter melon mountain tea (冬瓜山茶) (¥22) – Something for my social media account! This was very nicely decorated and most definitely thirst-quenching. 

Cabbage (高山娃娃菜) (¥12) – I thought I could use more cabbage to balance out all the beef.

Grass-fed beef fillet (草育肥牛) (¥49) – Obviously, we have slightly different definitions of fatty beef (肥牛) in Hong Kong and across the border. This beef fillet was much less marbled than I expected for something labeled as fatty.

While it was a bit chewy, I can honestly say it was quite flavorful.

Grass-fed beef tenderloin (草育脊側肉) (¥48) – The tenderloin was much better marbled, offering a superior texture, albeit slightly less flavorful. 

Still, I would choose better texture any day.

Dining solo at a hotpot restaurant can be an enigma, as it limits the number of items you can try by yourself.

That said, a return visit is a must to get a better assessment of this place. One thing's for sure: I really like the vibe here.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop L2-2118, L2 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L2层L2-2118号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 15361633102

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/cc/QoPi

Kai Kai Dessert Mong Kok 佳佳甜品 旺角店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It became pretty obvious that none of us wanted to go home early. So, after settling the bill at Mirai (蕾), we decided to get ourselves something sweet. Kai Kai Dessert (佳佳甜品) wasn't exactly on top of my list after my last list there but it was the only dessert place we could recall in Mongkok.

Taro and sago with coconut milk (芋頭椰汁西米露) – I haven’t had this iconic dessert, one I grew up with, in decades. Honestly, it's not that hard to make. Still, not bad.

I was feuding with one of J.E.R.K.'s members (no surprise who) tonight so as soon as I finished my dessert, it was time to call it the night. 

Food Rating: 5.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 2, G/F, 1 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Mong Kok

Tel: +852 2601-0661

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

Mirai 蕾 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It's been a while since J.E.R.K. last met up so Master sifu and I decided to give our group chat a nudge with a shoutout. To our surprise, everyone happened to be free the following week, so we locked in a Wednesday evening for our long-overdue meet-up.

After tossing around a few dining ideas, we finally settled on Mirai (蕾), a modern izakaya known for its Japanese skewers, yakitori, and more.

The restaurant also doubles as a laid-back Japanese sake bar, perfect for unwinding over food and drinks.

With the extensive menu, and we honestly needed a few extra minutes just to process the options before we were ready to place our order.

Edamame (枝豆) — A light and healthy snack to kick things off.

Short rib green onion roll (牛小排嫰蔥卷) — The short rib was incredibly tender and juicy. I initially thought the green onion’s herby, vegetal flavor might clash with the beef but they balanced each other beautifully.

Bacon lychee roll (煙肉荔枝串) — Pretty tasty and well-matched. A sweet and savory combo done right.

Pork wrapped muscat roll (豚肉香印串) — My first time trying muscat with fatty pork. And wow, it worked. The rich, savory pork elevated the muscat's natural sweetness. Outstanding.

Tsukune (自家製月見雞肉棒) — The most disappointing dish of the night. The homemade chicken meatball looked more like a sausage and didn’t live up to expectations.

Chicken wing (盬燒手羽) — Decent. Nicely grilled with a smoky touch.

Eggplant (茄子) — I loved the thick cuts; super juicy and satisfying.

Zucchini (翠玉瓜) — One of the best dish of the night. Very juicy with a great char — simple but super well-executed.

As the first round of skewers hit the table, it quickly became clear that a few of us had changed — especially compared to 30 years ago when we first met. The shift toward health consciousness was unmistakable, and there was a collective hesitation to go all-in on the grilled goodies. Normally, I’m the last to care about things like that, but seeing everyone else being so responsible with their intake made me pause as well.

So, to our server’s mild confusion (okay, probably outright shock) — four grown men each had fewer than four skewers before asking for the bill. That’s got to be some sort of record at this place.

That said, it's been a while since I last had Japanese skewers in Hong Kong (these days, I save my yakitori adventures for Japan). And I have to admit, I missed them. Still, the seasoning on the skewers tonight was a little heavy-handed, which, in hindsight, partially explained why the guys hit the brakes so quickly.

Food Rating: 5.9/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 8, G/F, Ngai Hing Mansion, 2-24 Pak Po Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Mongkok

Tel: +852 9832-6636

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:00pm - 12:00am daily

Cha Thai 茶泰 Metroplaza (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It had been a while since I last dined at Metroplaza, so when my good colleague recommended a lunch venue, I didn't hesitate to say yes.

Our destination was Cha Thai (茶泰), a casual Thai restaurant with five locations across Hong Kong.

The iced Thai milk tea passed with flying colors, so we quickly turned our attention to the main course.

My main event was Pad Thai in Tom Yum Goong style. It wasn’t the best Pad Thai I’ve had in Hong Kong but for $69 including a drink, it felt like a dream. The noodles were decent, and it came with a generous amount of ingredients like river prawns to keep me happy.

And yes, I’ll definitely be coming back for more soon.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$

Address: Shop 501-510, 5/F, Metroplaza, 223 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Fong, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kwai Fong

Tel: +852 2349-3211

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:30pm daily

Three Coffee 叁號啡樓 (Foshan, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Chancheng District (禅城区), located in the heart of Foshan, is a vibrant blend of cultural heritage and modern economic development. It's not just the historic soul of the city but also a hotspot for stylish cafés and boutique coffee shops, many of which cluster around the charming Lingnan Tiandi (岭南天地) area.

After grabbing a quick pigeon lunch at Lingnan Tiandi, we found ourselves with an extra 30 minutes before catching the rapid train. With just enough time for one last sweet treat, I wasn’t going to let the moment pass me by.

Three Coffee (叁號啡樓), a hip, East-meets-West café near Lingnan Tiandi was an easy choice. 

One of their signature desserts, the ginger milk pudding tiramisu (姜汁撞奶提拉米蘇), had caught my eyes on the social media.

Unfortunately, I was greeted with the disappointing news that the dessert was already sold out. 😭😭

Was I going to leave empty-handed? No way. A quick drink, maybe? 

But then curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go for another dessert, eager to see how it would compare to those I'd tried in Shenzhen. While waiting for my dessert to be packed, I had the chance to explore the space. The café featured a cozy, laid-back seating area out front with a modern vibe. 

Tucked inside was a more formal dining area catering to full savory meals.

Thai milk tea Basque cheesecake (¥38) — When I finally got to taste it, my initial reaction was mixed. The flavor was slightly off-balance — the cheesecake lacked the usual cheesy note, and the Thai milk tea essence didn’t quite stand out.

If there’s one takeaway from this trip to Foshan, it’s this: desserts and drinks here aren’t quite the bargains you might expect. For comparison, back in Hong Kong, you can easily find a decent Basque cheesecake for around HK$50 as takeaway from many local bakeries. The one I had here — slightly underwhelming, cost around HK$42.

Still, the overall experience (ambiance, exploration and curiosity) made the visit worthwhile. Foshan has its own rhythm, and I was glad to catch a glimpse of it, even during a short stopover. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to check out the rest of my shortlisted cafés and coffee shops on my next trip.

Food Rating: 4.8/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: No.31 Donghua Xuan, 6 Dongrui road, Lingnan Tiandi Commercial Centre, Foshan, Guangzhou, China

佛山市禅城区祖庙岭南天地东瑞路6号东华轩别墅31座

Closest Metro Station: Zumaio (祖庙)

Tel: +86 13431691750

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/02/jKlk