Sbakery by Mama Soo (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Little nugget is a big fan of authentic, rich, and decadent New York–style cheesecake. He much prefers its dense, firm, velvety texture over the lighter, airier, soufflé-like style you often find in Basque or Japanese cheesecake. So after I was out running errands in Sheung Wan—and knowing it's been months since he last indulged in one, I decided to tackle the hilly streets to pick up one of the city’s best for him.

Sbakery by Mama Soo is one of Hong Kong’s most beloved spots for New York–style cheesecake. It started as a wildly popular online bakery, and it’s still praised for its traditional, no-frills recipes, carefully balanced to deliver thick, creamy cheese alongside a tangy sour-cream layer and a crisp, crunchy biscuit base. You really can’t go wrong with their Original New York Cheesecake or Blueberry Cheesecake, but there are also fun alternatives worth trying, like Tiramisu Cheesecake and Lemon Meringue Cheesecake, for a different flavor or texture profile.

Blueberry New York cheesecake — What stood out the most was the cream cheese body — dense, thick, and remarkably velvety. It's the kind of quality you’d expect from a picture-perfect New York cheesecake. The Graham cracker base was another highlight — a buttery, tightly packed cookie-crumb crust that adds satisfying crunch and helps balance the richness of the layers above. Absolutely beautiful.

All in all, it was one of the more satisfying New York cheesecakes we’ve had in a while. Adding it to my top 10 list of cheesecakes in Hong Kong is an easy decision.

Food Rating: 7.1/10

Price: $$$$

Address: G/F, 22-24A Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 5666-5796

Website: http://www.sbakerybymamasoo.com/

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 6:30pm (Wed - Sun)

Five Guys Neuhauser (Munich, GERMANY) ★★★☆☆

My son has been hounding me to take him to Five Guys for a frosty shake ever since we spotted its outpost in Old Town yesterday afternoon — and he simply won’t let it go.

This location sits right on pedestrian Neuhauser Straße and spans over three stories. Apparently, the locals are crazy about their smoky burgers, fries, and shakes. So before the popular American burger joint officially opened at 10:30am, there was already a modest line waiting outside. 

Milkshake (€7.65) — Unlike Five Guys in Hong Kong, you don’t choose the flavor of the ice cream for your shake. It defaults to vanilla, but you can customize it with up to 10 add-ins — think Oreo cookies, bacon, pistachios, peanut butter, strawberries, and more. They enhance the vanilla flavor, but mainly serve as accents rather than taking center stage.

To be honest, I was kind of glad little guy brought us there, because by the time we arrived, I was super thirsty. 

I guess the 12-hour flight had quietly drained us.

Price: €€€

Address: Neuhauser Straße 1, 80331 München-Altstadt-Lehel, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Karlsplatz / Marienplatz

Tel: +49 89 2354-8362

Website: https://fiveguys.de/

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 11:30pm (Sun - Thu), 10:30am - 12:00am (Fri - Sat)

No Milkshake No Life Morning Queue (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Little nugget has been longing for a chance to return to his favorite burger joint — No Milkshake No Life (NMNL), for a while. When his written examination finally wrapped up this week, I thought it was definitely time for a little celebration.

Interestingly, No Milkshake No Life has started offering a booking service now, though it was only available through WhatsApp (or call).

As usual, we kicked things off with a couple of frosty milkshakes. I ordered an Oreo shake to whet my appetite. 

As for little nugget, the brand new taro shake.

NMNL Signature Pancake Burger ($112) — Buttermilk pancakes with bacon, fried eggs, and portobello mushroom in the middle, finished with NMNL’s secret recipe savory honey syrup.

It was just as satisfying as little one remembered.

He was obviously taking his time to cherish this moment!

Grilled Chicken and Egg Burger ($72) — I hadn’t tried their chicken burger before, but it was surprisingly delicious. The chicken steak paired really well with the generous amount of caramelized onion.

That was another great outing at NMNLML. I’m really glad we made the trip over for this one.

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G01, G/F, Mei Kwai House, 13 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Shek Kip Mei

Tel: +852 9816-3818

Website: www.nomilkshakenolife.com

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm (Tue - Sun)

Gentle Pasta PAFC Mall 黑手制面 平安金融中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Gentle Pasta (黑手制面) is an American pasta bar with a Chinese-fusion twist that’s been on my to‑do list for ages. I finally found an outpost near my hangout spots in Shenzhen this week and just couldn’t wait to try out their pasta dishes.

We arrived slightly after 5pm and not surprisingly, there were still tables available both inside and outside the restaurant.

I wasted no time scrolling through their electronic food menu and it was indeed full of enticing fusion dishes from starter to mains.

A little bit of humor. 🤣🤣🤣

Caesar salad (凱蕯沙律) (¥25) — I needed some fibre and this Caesar salad was just perfect. I don’t like salads drowning in salad dressing so this was spot on.

Pumpkin cream soup (烤南瓜堅果奶油湯) — This was included as part of the pasta set. Silky and creamy, it struck a pleasant balance of sweet and savory.

Crispy tofu with crab roes (蟹黃配酥炸雲朶豆腐) (¥38) — Very Chinese in style. The fluffy crab-roe sauce was nicely complemented by a lovely acidic counterpoint from purple onion and what I thought was ginger.

Deep fried squid (酥炸魷魚) (¥33) — Nicely executed. The accompanying aioli tasted a little like fermented black beans with a bit of spicy kick.

Genovese sea king pasta (熱那亞風騷海皇意麵) (¥66) — The first main event tonight was a new creation here. The linguini was nicely tossed in a tomato based sauce with prawns, squid and clams, finished off with shaved Parmesan and chili oil. This was pretty delicious and the extra kick added a nice touch to the dish.

French red wine braised beef ribs pasta (法式紅酒燉牛肋排意麵) (¥78) — Same lovely texture from the linguine, topped with a braised rib. 

Comforting and rich.

We finally got to dine at one of the buzziest pasta bars in Guangzhou, and the food mostly lived up to the hype. Both the starters and pasta were very good, and I just love the wide selection of east-meets-west fusion. My only gripe: a restaurant celebrated for its fresh-made pasta should offer more than just linguine. Angel hair, lasagne, pappardelle — anyone?

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop 110, Level 1 South Tower, 5033 Yitian Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福田街道福安社区益田路5033号平安金融中心南塔L1层110号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 13543918357

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/3d/bEdM

Pasta & Co. (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★★☆

After three really BIG meals to start off this trip, I thought I should start enjoying some lighter ones for the rest of the way. With my expected return from Jiufen (九份) this morning, I had already booked my lunch venue via Inline last night.

Known for its fresh, handmade pasta and vibrant atmosphere, Pasta & Co. is a contemporary American and Italian restaurant located in Taipei's Zhongshan District (中山區), curated by Chef Timothy Lu (呂學明). Chef Lu honed his skills at some of the most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants in New York such as Masa and Bouley. He is known for his passion for adding a modern twist to traditional Italian dishes.

As soon as I checked in with the receptionist, I was led to a counter seat where the journey began.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I love watching chefs at work and this was the perfect spot to do so.

Apart from their fresh handmade pasta, they also offer a wide selection of comfort food, including bone marrow toast, sticky wings, risotto croquettes and more.

Roasted pumpkin soup (香烤南瓜濃湯) (NT$160) — Since I had a big breakfast this morning, I wanted something light to start off the meal. The roasted pumpkin soup was finished with olive oil, croutons, and fresh chives.

This wasn’t bad, but when they say velouté or 濃湯, I'd expect it to be super rich and creamy—this one didn’t quite meet that standard.

Creamy bottarga radiatori (奶香烏魚子蜂巢麵) (NT$450) —  Just when I was starting to worry about how the rest of the meal would go, this dish totally blew me away.

The ridged, ruffled-shaped pasta was the perfect choice for trapping a thick, creamy, and hearty sauce like this one, made with Yilan mullet roe (宜蘭烏魚子) and French cream. Most dishes involving mullet roe tend to be salty and therefore overpowering but this was subtle and comforting. I thought the al dente texture of the pasta was executed to perfection, and the sauce was an absolute masterpiece. I would definitely return just for this!

My whirlwind 48 hours in Taipei is about to draw to a close but I still have time for one more destination. Guess where I'll be going!?

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: No. 9, Section 3, Nanjing East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Songjiang Nanjing / Nanjing Fuxing

Tel: +886 2-2506-9070

Website: http://www.pastacotaiwan.com/

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 3:30pm, 5:30pm - 11:00pm  daily

 

No Milkshake No Life Morning Queue (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

With the new school year just getting underway, little nugget has been working hard to get back into shape for better academic results. Understandably, we haven’t had much time, or appetite, for food adventures lately, as we've mostly stayed home and studied through the weekends. To my surprise, the little boy finally spoke up today and asked if we could go somewhere nice for dinner. His choice? No Milkshake No Life – Morning Queue.

Needless to say, I was all too happy to oblige. I’ve always been a fan of No Milkshake No Life’s over-the-top milkshakes and those indulgent pancake burgers.

Oreo milkshake ($59) – It was a pretty hot day out there today so we all got ourselves a frosty drink to start off the meal. To no one's surprise, little one and his old man got off to a fast start with an Oreo shake.

Wagyu cheese and egg burger with cajun fries ($138) – This burger came stacked with a juicy wagyu beef patty (Australian, I assume?), caramelized onions, fried egg, melted cheese, and a house-made secret sauce.

It's been a while since we last visited NMNL so maybe it was nostalgia, but this really hit the spot (except for the fries which were a little too heavy-handed with seasoning).

Signature pancake burger ($112) – My teammates each went for the pancake burger, one of the most popular and unique items on the menu.

Two fluffy buttermilk pancakes sandwiched with crispy bacon, fried eggs, and juicy portobello mushrooms in between. As usual, it was finished off with their savory-sweet syrup.

Safe to say, this guy was thrilled to be reunited with his favorite burger again.

Nagoya wings ($52) – These single-bone chicken wings were coated in a slightly-thick and crunchy batter and drizzled with a teriyaki-style sauce that was savory, sweet and spicy at the same time.

It was great to be back after more than a year. With everyone leaving full and happy, maybe we should really do this a little more often.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G01, G/F, Mei Kwai House, 13 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Shek Kip Mei

Tel: +852 9816-3818

Website: www.nomilkshakenolife.com

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm (Tue - Sun)

Shake Shack MixC World 萬象天地店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I miss the days when Hong Kong truly came alive at night. Lately, whenever we were on the streets after 9pm, most restaurants and cafés were already shuttered for the day. It's a far cry from what it used to be before the pandemic.

Shenzhen certainly tells a different story, especially MixC World (萬象天地) in Nanshan. Even at 11pm, the upscale mall was buzzing with energy. Some of the eateries remained open and packed, and the air very much filled with life. It felt like a place that simply refused to sleep.

We weren't in the mood to sit down for a bite so we ended up grabbing a few items from Shake Shack on the go instead.

Of course, a meal at Shake Shack won't be complete without a couple of these frosty shakes.

Time to get back to the hotel and unwrap our midnight snack in the comfort of our room.

Crispy shrimps (¥38) – The texture of these white shrimps was actually quite satisfying. Stringy and bouncy in a good way but the spicy kick was a little over the top for me.

Hot Chicken (¥53) – The deep-fried chicken steak had a nice crunch and decent flavor, but again, the seasoning was way too peppery and spicy easily overpowering the natural taste of the chicken. We ended up not finishing it.

What stuck with me most was the atmosphere at MixC World tonight. Even late into the night, the place was alive and vibrant. People hanging out at cafés and restaurants, with no intention of going home. It was a refreshing contrast, a glimpse of the nightlife we’ve all been missing in Hong Kong.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: NL101, MixC World, Shennan Road, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China

深圳市南山区深南大道华润万象天地NL101号铺

Closest Metro Station: Hi-Tech Park (高新园)

Tel: +86 (755) 2691-3606

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

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/fc/wQZJ