Dean and David Makartplatz (Salzburg, AUSTRIA) ★☆☆☆☆

I thought Sunday would be the hardest day of the week for us to find a dining spot, but it turned out that Monday wasn’t any easier. As the official “rest day” for some restaurants that open on Saturday and/or Sunday, Salzburg’s dining scene on Monday was at a standstill.

After our extensive tour covering many of the city’s top attractions, we returned to the same area we started — near Makartplatz — to look for our dinner venue. But we soon found out that more than half of the restaurants weren’t open due to their regular closures.

Uncle Van, a popular Vietnamese restaurant, was one of the few that opened. However, as soon as we sat down, we realized they had a special “queuing” mechanism—not only for tables, but for taking orders as well. Apparently, their kitchen was way over capacity, and our server told us to sit back, relax, and wait our turn to be served.

After about 10 minutes, we sized up the situation and didn’t take long to realize that all of our neighbors were still waiting for their turn to place their order. It wasn’t hard to estimate that the wait would be a long one so we knew better and decided to look for supper elsewhere.

So the search began again, and we finally found a branch of Dean & David at Makartplatz, just across the street from Mozart Residence (Mozart-Wohnhaus), for a quick bite.

Dean & David is a restaurant chain focused on healthy eating and drinking. With around 100 branches across European countries like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it’s a melting pot of different cuisines serving everything from fruit juices and salad bowls to more.

We started with a couple of juices… Then we ordered two chicken teriyaki wraps.

I used to have these kinds of wraps all the time when I was in Vancouver, but this one was a totally different experience. Inside the super thick wrapper, there were all kinds of vegetables, including carrot, zucchini, and greens mixed with some pretty bland chicken fillets. But what really got us puzzled were the patches of rice.

With a wrapper as thick as our car tire, and a lack of teriyaki sauce, the whole thing really didn’t taste like something you’d want to put into your mouth. I’m okay with eating healthy, but even then, the healthy dish has to taste decent.

I'm glad we kind of overachieved with our sightseeing schedule tonight. Tomorrow, we can enjoy a late start.

Food Rating: 3.3/10

Price: €€

Address: Makartplatz 3, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Tel: +43 662 230895

Website: https://shop.deandavid.at/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm daily

Altes Hackerhaus (Munich, GERMANY) ★☆☆☆☆

After visiting the vibrant Marienplatz, it was time to head to today’s lunch spot.

Altes Hackerhaus is a historic, traditional Bavarian restaurant and the original “Stammhaus” tavern of the world-famous Hacker-Pschorr brewery. Located at the pedestrian street Sendlinger Straße, it was located in the bustling heart of Munich's Old Town, just a short five-minute walk from Marienplatz.

The restaurant has three distinct dining atmospheres: A cozy, wood-paneled traditional indoor rooms, a street-side patio seating along Sendlinger Straße and lastly, a quieter inner courtyard beer garden.

When we arrived, there was already a long line outside. Since we didn’t want to accidentally skip any queue process, we asked two staff members in black shirts whether we still needed to queue with an online reservation already secured. Both of them didn't seem to care and simply told us to ask the restaurant manager.

Unfortunately, some people already in line weren’t thrilled. A few guests yelled at us for having “online reservations” and one woman even mocked us with “hey, this is Munich!” (Munich restaurants don't take reservations?).

And there was the restaurant manager. He walked past us a few times but never stepped in to clarify things. So finally, I had enough and decided to go straight into the dining room only to find it completely empty and I showed him my online reservation email.

That’s when we learned that the lineup outside was for some kind of beer fest, completely unrelated to dining. The whole situation was incredibly frustrating and made us realize how poorly the management here was handling things. Still, after debating whether to leave, we decided to stay.

Anyway…

We decided to sit indoors, even though it was pretty hot without air-conditioning or fan.

Half crispy pork knuckle (€23.5) — This came with potato dumplings and cabbage salad. 

I thought the meat was a little rough (didn’t finish) and the dark beer gravy a little too salty for me.

Rösti (€???) — We were craving something crispy, so we ordered two rosti to share among the three of us. This was decent, but I preferred the ones we had in Switzerland before where the potatoes were cut into thinner, finer strips resulting in much better mouthfeel.

A few of us were just happy that this meal finally drew to a close. 

Jelloman shared some good news with me during the meal. She reconnected with a high school friend she hadn’t spoken to for over two decades. Her friend and her husband apparently moved to Munich seven years ago. When she saw Jelloman pinning herself in Munich on the social media, she reached out immediately — and now they’re meeting up at a local bar for drinks this afternoon. Looks like I’ll have some quality time with little nugget while Jelloman’s out.

Food Rating: 5.3/10

Price: €€€

Address: Sendlinger Straße 14, 80331 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Marienplatz / Sendlinger Tor

Tel: +49 89 2605026

Website: http://www.hackerhaus.de/

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

Rocco Riviera (Munich, GERMANY) ★☆☆☆☆

Our dinner venue was right next to quiet Wittelsbacherplatz, just a few steps from bustling Hofgarten (皇家花園). We thought it would be a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of Old Town but this meal turned out to be much busier than we all expected (more on that later).

Rocco Riviera is a hugely popular Italian restaurant and bar. Judging by the crowd there even before 6pm, you could tell it was a crowd favorite. We decided to join the atmosphere by grabbing a table just outside the restaurant, but that choice turned into a nightmare. 

Constant disturbances from flies, wasps, and bees made it impossible to enjoy the meal. We had no choice but to move inside before our dishes arrived, and the restaurant staff was kind enough to accommodate our request.

Vitello tonnato (€19) — The veal fillet was a little on the rough side, but the tuna sauce was a decent touch. There was plenty of rocket leaves, which added a good freshness and mouthfeel.

As newcomers to Munich’s dining scene, we’re definitely not experts, but this first dish reminded me how truly blessed we are as Hongkongers — we have so many great vitello tonnato options in Hong Kong. This one simply didn’t measure up.

Primavera Riviera salad (€16) — This was a sharing-style salad with garden greens, pickled artichokes, carrots, and olives — basically everything you’d expect in a classic primavera. For me, though, the dressing had a little too much acidity.

By this point, the flies and bees had clearly noticed our move inside and decided to follow. It made dinner really uncomfortable. With constant effort to fend off our “enemies”, we found it hard to relax and enjoy the meal.

Seafood spaghetti (€31) — There was an abundance of seafood — at least one piece each of prawn, scallop, octopus, clams, and mussels.

The al dente spaghetti itself wasn't bad but again, there are plenty of excellent Italian restaurants in Hong Kong that can do a much better seafood spaghetti than this.

Whole charcoal grilled seabass (€42) — The sea bass was served with gremolata sauce on the side.

The texture of the seabass was a little dry and rough, and for someone who isn’t a big fish lover, the number of small bones was also a problem.

In the end, it was a pretty forgettable experience. We were constantly attacked by flies, wasps and bees throughout the night. Little nugget was obviously upset, and while Jelloman and I tried to enjoy the meal, our attention kept being pulled away by the constant need to rebuff our new friends. The food was also somewhat disappointing — aside from the spaghetti dish (which was decent), the rest of the dishes just didn’t work.

So yes, “forgettable” is an understatement.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: €€€

Address: Wittelsbacher Platz 2, 80333 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Odeonsplatz

Tel: +49 89 2872-4421

Website: http://www.roccariviera.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm (Tue - Fri), 6:00pm - 12:00am (Mon - Sat)

Grissini (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★☆☆☆☆

Our meeting near Wan Chai ran a bit long so the thought to grab lunch in central or anywhere further away vanished. A few years ago, my usual go-to spot for lunch in Wan Chai would have been Roganic, but that ship sailed when they moved to Causeway Bay a couple of years ago. I figured it was time to find a new favorite.

One thing led to another, and I ended up at Grissini — a place I hadn’t visited for years. The food has always been decent but the service never really matched the billing, especially considering it’s a hotel restaurant.

After getting settled down for a while, my server finally came up and asked about my water preference. I told her, “Iced water, please.” Instead of moving on, she kept repeating the same question: “Still or sparkling?” Like a broken record. I repeated a couple of times that I just wanted “normal” water. In hindsight, I probably should have said that tap water was perfectly fine.

Eventually, I gave in and went with still. My water arrived eventually… with no ice (just great!).

Back for the food for a moment here.

As usual, I started with the restaurant’s signature grissini, the iconic long breadstick.

Vitello tonnato — The thin slices of lightly roasted milk fed veal were pretty tasty. The cloud of tuna sauce was a little excessive and over the top but not wanting to waste it, I decided to use the extra as a dipping sauce for my bread.

Linguina gamberi, alici, nduja — I dropped a few more bucks for the popular artisan linguine served with anchovy butter, nduja and Sicilian red prawn crudo.

The fresh linguine itself wasn’t bad but the combination of nduja and anchovy butter was too fiery and savory for the dish. There was no real room for the sweetness of the red prawn or the eggy linguine to come through and shine.

Tiramisu All' Amaretto — A trip to Grissini is never complete without trying their signature
Tiramisu all’amaretto. Their version strikes a nice balance of espresso, ladyfingers, mascarpone, and amaretto liqueur, and it stays beautifully pillowy. It’s probably my third favorite tiramisu in town right now, just behind Carna by Dario Cicchetti and Tosca di Angelo.

(Here's a list of my favorite tiramisu in town.)

All three dishes this afternoon were pretty decent but at this price point, the outcome was fully expected. 

Service, however, did not match expectations at all. After taking my water and food order, my server never came back to check on me again. It was Rugby Sevens week, and there were a couple of corporate dining groups sitting next to me, so she was clearly just focused on them. I was left topping up my own water for the entire afternoon. Bus staff saw me topping my own water too but yet none of them seemed to think it was worth stepping in (They were just there to clean the tables?).

Needless to say, this effectively marked my last-ever dining experience at Grissini.

Food Rating: 6.7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 2/F Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2584-7722
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm (Mon - Sat)

Délices tarte & café at Links Umeda (Osaka, JAPAN) ★☆☆☆☆

After spending about an hour on my own hunting down the best doughnuts in Osaka, I rejoined the team for a little afternoon tea session. Not that I really needed another sweet treat after all that indulgence, but hey, this is Japan!

As some of us were craving Japanese fruit tarts, we decided to stop by Délices Tarte & Café, located on the ground floor of Links Umeda (it's a mess here since many floors were under renovation).

Mom had been wanting to come back for their chestnut dessert, so this was her perfect chance.

But let’s talk about the service…

To be honest, I wasn’t too happy with how we were treated this afternoon. I get that this is more of a self-serve café, but when I told the hostess we had a group of six, all she did was throw up a “stop sign” and flatly told me there were no available tables.

And there wasn’t any kind of waitlist or queuing system in place, which made it incredibly awkward to try and wait for a table, especially in such a large space. It felt so disorganized and unwelcoming.

Mom did end up having her chestnut vermicelli while I decided to have nothing here as a silent protest for the poor service!

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1/F Links Umeda, 1−1 Ofukacho, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0011 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Umeda

Tel: +81 (0)6 4256-5161

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

Hang Heung Bakery Cafe Jordan 恆香冰室 佐敦店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★☆☆☆☆

I have a full-day training in Jordan today and as usual, it's always not a lot of fun trying to find a lunch venue out there.

Hang Heung Bakery Cafe (恆香冰室) was the first place I ran into on my search. If my memory serves me correctly, this used to be a beef brisket noodle joint not too long ago.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) – This was OK. The tea had a nice, silky smooth texture, but it was missing the fragrant aroma I was hoping for.

Sorrowful Rice (黯然銷魂飯) – Hong Kong's famous char siu egg rice. Judging by the (artificial) color of the barbecued pork, it's going to be a rough ride.

The meat was way too much on the lean side and as I said, there was way too much artificial coloring. I decided not to finish the dish and left early.

The servers here were obviously not ready to serve. I had a rude welcome myself and saw a grandma and her grandchild being treated with a poor attitude as well. They were so upset that they left without ordering anything. Unfortunately, this kind of experience seems all too common in the local F&B industry these days.

Food Rating: 2.9/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 43 Parkes Street, Jordan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Jordan

Tel: +852 2633-0331

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm daily

#.icafe アメ村でアイス (Osaka, JAPAN) ★☆☆☆☆

I wasn't ready to call it the night so right after dinner at Daimaru, we walked around the covered shopping street of Shinsaibashi-suji (心齋橋筋) before slowly heading towards the direction of our hotel. At around 9pm-ish, the crowd has thinned out considerably as most shops were already closed for the day but I wasn't in the mood of going to sleep early. So, we decided to make one final stop at Amerikamura (アメリカ村).

One of the reasons we were here was a chance to get ourselves a frosty ice-cream after I accidentally came across #.icafe (アメ村でアイス) on Google Map.

It took us a while to find the entrance to the building but we finally made it there. As it turned out, our ice-cream parlour was sharing the same venue as Poker Live, a popular venue for poker enthusiasts in Osaka. Interestingly, they were also sharing the same staff. 

I thought the American Village is the place to be for night life in Osaka so an empty cafe caught me a little by surprise.

But I think I know exactly why, after getting a first lick of my milk soft serve. 

This was very hard and icy; most definitely lacking the creamy, velvety quality of a typical soft serve.

Now, I can finally call it the night. Tomorrow will be our last full day in Osaka and we are spending it at LaLaport / Mitsui Outlet Park in Kadoma. I am hopeful that I could do some serious damage to my wallet.

Food Rating: 2.9/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2/F Tesla 158, 1-16-8 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0086 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Yotsubashi

Tel: +81 (0)6 6252-0003

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 3:00am daily

Lo Lai Cafe 老荔冰室 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★☆☆☆☆

The grand opening of the vintage-inspired café, Lo Lai Cafe (老荔冰室), is causing a stir in Lai Chi Kok these days. I have been there a couple of times recently since its opening but due to its immense popularity, getting a table has been virtually impossible.



Today, there was finally no lineup in front.

As with any visit to a new café, I began by trying out their iced milk tea. While the tea had decent strength, the aromatic quality was missing in action. A touch more milk would have elevated the experience, with a nice and silky texture but.....

For my breakfast dish, I elected to go with this signature breakfast pancake burger of theirs. It came with layers of hotcakes, and sandwiched in between them, fried luncheon meat and scrambled eggs. Like the one at No Milkshake No Life, it was served with maple syrup.

I thought the texture was all wrong. With the hotcakes, the luncheon meat and scrambled eggs hardly stood out. Bacons and fried eggs would have been much better match.  

Service is obviously a big question mark. I have seen (potential) guests yelled at and left before they even sat down. Hell, I had the same experience before when a young lady yelled at me to go back outside and queue up when I was only trying to ask if they have a table for one. Without a question, this falls into the "one-and-done" category. 

Food Rating: 3.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1, G/F, Sing Shun Centre, 495 Castle Peak Road, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 2330-3008

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 9:00pm  (Mon - Sat), 11:00am - 6:00pm (Sun)

Bebe Donut Ikseon-dong 베베도넛 익선 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★☆☆☆☆

Originated from Yongsan (龍山區), Bebe Donut (베베도넛) looks the perfect vintage American-style donut shops which are hard to come by in Asia these days.

Since we still have another hour to burn before dinner time, we decide to come in for a quick look.

Interestingly, they don't offer the "normal" doughnuts here which are typically ring-shaped or in the form of filled dough balls. Instead, they have these castella doughnuts in different flavors. 

Time to grab one and check it out at their throw-back dine-in area. 

Corn cream castella (₩5,500) – This looks more like a hot dog covered in corn powder!

Let's see what they have got in store for us.....

Underneath the sweet corn powder was a piece of French cruller that was really soft and musty. And no, it didn't have the slightly crisp outer layer one would expect from an ideal doughnut. Not surprisingly, half of this ended up in the garbage bin.

Food Rating: 2.9/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 135 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Jongno 3(sam)-ga

Tel: +82 0507 1400-9442

Website: www.instagram.com/bebedonutshop