Manteigaria (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I’m back at Manteigaria for the first time since they debuted in Hong Kong back in June. The artisan bakery from Portugal, who has gained a loyal fanbase over the years, opened its first store in Hong Kong near The Central Market (中環街市), and I was on hand during its first week of operation to get my first taste of their signature pastel de nata. 

I brought some home for my team, and they just love the texture of the vanilla-infused egg custard and the crisp but slightly chewy shell. So, I wrote it down as a note to myself — a return visit is a must.

And return I did in August — but not to their Hong Kong outpost. Instead, I went to their branch in the heart of Paris, just steps from our apartment hotel during our stay in Paris. The textures and flavors were exactly how I remembered them from June.

Here in Hong Kong, it looks like the price has gone up a little since my first visit (now $15 each), but the flavors remain top-notch.

While Hongkongers might find it a little too sweet for their liking, I love the hint of vanilla and cinnamon. It makes it unique from the local egg tarts.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop B G/F, Man Hing Commercial Building, 79-83 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 6336-5059

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

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

Bistrot's Suzette (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After spending two weeks in Europe (mostly France), I thought I wouldn’t be having another French or modern European meal anytime soon.

Located in the recently opened Cullinan Sky Mall in Kai Tak, Bistrot’s Suzette is a French bistro in collaboration with consultant chef Tiff Lo (former owner-chef at the acclaimed French bistro Jean May in Wanchai) offering honest, hearty French comfort food in a casual, relaxed setting.

I chose a seat a few steps from the bar to watch the kitchen staff at work behind the scenes.

Egg mimosa with smoked salmon (法式魔鬼蛋配煙三文魚) — Their set lunch is usually a two or three course affair. I decided to drop a few bucks more for an egg mimosa to start off the meal.

The egg was topped neatly with smoked salmon, mayonnaise, dill and capers.

Roasted chicken supreme with creamy mushroom sauce (法式燒雞胸配蘑菇忌廉汁) — The portion was a little small for a main dish.

It looked like a chicken leg (from a spring chicken) rather than the chicken breast listed on the menu.

But I thought the mushroom sauce was well executed, with a good depth of flavor. Not bad.

We had way too many desserts during our time in Europe so I decided to skip a sweet ending this afternoon. Instead, it was time to head back to work.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G02, G/F, Cullinan Sky Mall, 10 Concorde Road, Kai Tak, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kai Tak

Tel: +852 3188-8896

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm daily  

Regent Hotel Cake Shop (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Jelloman’s birthday is coming up soon, so I’ve been on the lookout for a birthday cake for her as part of the celebration. This is always going to be a tough call, since we’ve already exhausted most of the cake options over the years.

The Regent Hotel Cake Shop came to mind after I stumbled upon its small but refined selection of pastries on social media. I thought it was worth trying for this occasion.

They are only offering a handful of birthday cake options including honeycomb cake, strawberry Charlotte cake, Peruvian chocolate cake, and different flavors of mille-feuille.

Honeycomb cake ($368) — One of the more popular creations here.

This wasn’t a sophisticatedly designed cake. The delicate layer of pecan sponge was hugged by some deeply aromatic longan honey mousse, supposedly to create a palate-soothing experience.

I thought the heart and soul of the cake — the organic longan honey harvested from a local farm in Hong Kong’s New Territories, would provide the highly distinct, floral sweetness to elevate the pillowy sponge. But those floral flavors never stood out as planned. Yes, there was sweetness (honey) and a lemony note (citrus coulis) to pair with the sponge, but it still wasn’t quite enough to satisfy the more discerning palates.

Texture-wise, there was also something sorely missing — something crisp or crunchy to add contrast to the soft, fluffy textures.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: East Tsim Sha Tsui / Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2721-1211

Website: https://regenthkshop.com/collections/cake

Doughman Bakery & Coffee Tsuen Wan (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Little nugget is an absolute sucker for mango pomelo sago cream (楊枝甘露) so when I saw on the social media that Doughman Bakery is launching a limited-time only mango pomelo sago danish (楊枝甘露丹麥酥), I knew I had to get one for him.

Interestingly, it is only available at their Tsuen wan outpost but not their original Lai chi Kok flagship.

With this price tag, I knew immediately that it’s going to be a pretty tough sell.

Mango pomelo sago danish (楊枝甘露丹麥酥) ($33) — I joked with little guy that this looked and tasted a bit more like a Chinese youtiao.

I was hoping it would be rich and buttery, with a delicate, flaky crust but that wasn’t entirely the case. At the same time, the mango pomelo sago cream custard was way too artificial, lacking the freshness and fruitiness I was hoping for.

Like Jelloman said, it’s much less refined than any artisanal baked goods from the shop. They tried too hard to make this work.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 208-212, 2/F, Tsuen Kam Centre, 300-350 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, NT, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsuen Wan

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

Santa Nata (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

The acclaimed Santa Nata from London has opened its first Asian venture in Central this July. Known for its 300-year-old traditional monastery recipe for making Pastel de Nata (Portuguese egg tarts), the brand has added an exciting twist to the local food scene just after Lisbon-based Manteigaria was welcomed here last month.

The shop features an open kitchen, allowing customers to watch their pastry chefs work diligently behind the scenes.

Pastel de Nata ($14) — This was noticeably less sweet than the ones from Manteigaria or those we’ve tasted in Portugal. Perhaps the recipe has been finely tuned to better suit local palates?

What I enjoyed most was the flaky pastry shell and the caramelized custard centre, infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Overall, the flavor is gentler on the palate, thanks to its subtler sweetness.

Verdict:

Known for my seriously spoiled sweet tooth, I would say the Pastel de Nata from Santa Nata and Manteigaria are equally delicious. The difference really comes down to preference: do you like it sweeter (more authentic) or slightly less sweet (more healthy)?

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 25-27 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 3594-5724

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

Torikaze 鳥かぜ (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

For months, I have been waiting for a call on my waitlist from the team behind Torikaze (鳥かぜ), an acclaimed Japanese Yakitori restaurant on the 45th floor of Gloucester Tower at the Landmark Building under the direction of Tokyo master chef Yoshiteru Ikegawa. It shares the same floor with other prestigious eateries including two-Michelin-starred Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. But as many friends pointed out, the wait could drag on for a few months so I wasn’t holding my breath.

But there was light at the end of the tunnel at last. Back in July before we took off for Europe, I was randomly browsing the internet — one of my habits, like I always do and decided to check whether any seats had opened up at Torikaze. And there it was, one single seat available for a Wednesday afternoon lunch. It meant taking time off work, but if that’s what it takes, then it’s worth it.

I was still feeling the effects of jet lag after returning from our long holidays. As I walked gingerly through the labyrinth of narrow corridors, I finally arrived at Torikaze.

I’m not dreaming. Seriously, it’s real. I can tell the moment I step in, with the smokiness and that unmistakable aroma in the air.

One thing that stood out immediately from the lunch menu: there really wasn’t much to choose from. Altogether, there were four lunch sets, each including a different number of skewers and a main. There was no à la carte option so if you wanted extra skewers, you couldn’t simply add them on.

The set I chose was the most expensive one ($498) with five kinds of yakitori and two kinds of kushiyaki. It was served in an omakase-style format (no choice), with no main dish. Just an unlimited supply of steamed rice. I thought it was an easy pick for me since the other sets only offered up to three skewers at most, and I came here for their skewers.

First up, a small salad to whet my appetizer.

Okra — Topped nicely with bonito flakes but I thought it could be more charred on the surface.

Knee — Obviously from the local three yellow chicken (三黃雞). My server told me it was the meat extracted specifically from the knee-cap area. Not surprisingly, it was very meaty (啖啖肉), with a lovely smokiness from the charcoal grill.

Neck — Firm, slightly chewy in a good way with the occasional crunch. Again wonderfully smoky.

Breast — My server pointed out that this was near the organ area (exactly what he said) so there was a fair amount of fat attached. It was very tender.

Wing — Not bad.

Asparagus — Surprisingly tender.

Chicken meatball — This skewer of chicken meatballs was pretty tasty. The smokiness was clearly front and centre again. I was slightly surprised it didn’t include some hidden crunch from soft bones. Those are always a joy.

Dessert was a simple lemon sorbet, finished with lemon zest and a touch of sea salt. I was one of the last batches of customers, trying to enjoy things slowly but they kind of wanted to clean the place up for dinner service and rushed us out a bit.

To be honest, it’s hard to assess the meal properly, because it was so short. Everything was served in less than an hour (I didn’t time it, but it felt like about 40–45 minutes maximum). I didn’t really get time to reflect on the last skewer before the next one came out.

All in all, it wasn’t quite the culinary experience I was hoping for although yes, the chicken skewers were really delicious.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$$$

Address: Forty-Five, 43-45/F, Gloucester Tower, LANDMARK ATRIUM, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 3501-8585

Website: https://www.torikaze.hk/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Mon - Sat)

Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery Hunghom Wuhu Residence 沖繩二段料理 紅磡蕪湖居店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

There were two things we did a lot in August this year — having important meetings and hosting farewell gatherings. I’m glad those are finally behind us, and tomorrow will be a new day.

After yet another important meeting this morning, I caught up with a colleague for a quick lunch at Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery (沖繩二段料理) at Hunghom Wuhu Residence (紅磡蕪湖居). But my mind was kind of wandering about 5,614 miles away.

It’s been a while since I last had beef sukiyaki, but in the past two weeks I had two of them already, including this one here. Somehow, the broth was lighter than I could imagine, but the beef was soaking up the essence reasonably well. Not bad.

And there’s always room for dessert. Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery has always occurred to me as an Okinawan doughnut shop, but they’ve also got other sweet treats like waffles served with frosty ice cream. Yum!

The reason why I was so upbeat this afternoon? Tonight, I’ll embark on one of the longest journeys I can remember: 15 days across three European countries, covering who knows how many cities. It’s only our second trip to Europe since the pandemic, and I’m really geared up for it.

The most important part of all, there will be no business emails or conference calls for the next two weeks. Amazing, isn’t it?

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, Wuhu Residence, 111 Wuhu Street, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Hung Hom / Homantin

Tel: +852 3483-6048

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm daily

Jervois Cafe Sheung Wan 蘇杭冰室 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I’m back in Sheung Wan, looking for my deep-fried chicken (upper) thigh fix (生炸雞脾🍗) this afternoon. Mid-August is fast approaching, and I still haven’t made it to Jervois Café (蘇杭冰室) for my favorite deep-fried chicken thigh in town. This might be my last chance to go before our long trip to Europe in a few days.

The iced milk tea here has always been a nice complement to their hearty dishes and it proved to be just as good this afternoon.

The main event. The chicken thigh was pretty tasty as always, and it was perfectly matched by that runny scrambled egg. So good but it’ll be at least early September before I can get another crack at it.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 3 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2352-7778

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

Cafe de Papa Lai Chi Kok 一樂冰室 荔枝角店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I heard about this new cha chaan teng opening at Hoi Lai Shopping Centre (海麗商場) a couple of weeks ago. It’s a little far for me, but if they have a good iced milk tea, I won’t mind walking a mile for it.

Apparently, this Cafe de Papa (一樂冰室) chain has around ten branches across Hong Kong, mostly in residential areas. I bet it’s great news for people living here but they already have Seasons Cafe (四季餐廳) in the same mall.

Iced milk tea — The tea flavor wasn’t strong or robust, but you wouldn’t know it just from looking at the color. It was creamy and velvety smooth, though — and that’s what matters most.

Macaroni in tomato soup with grilled pork chop — The macaroni and tomato soup were quite decent. I could’ve done without the thick pork chop, which was a little on the hard side. Perhaps they didn't pound it properly on the chopping board?

Scrambled egg and butter toast — The scrambled eggs could've been more runny. The toast was fine.



I don’t see this as an upgrade or a downgrade from Seasons Cafe, which is almost right next to it. I guess it serves as a serviceable alternative.

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 5-6, G/F, Hoi Lai Shopping Centre, 100 Sham Mong Road, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok

Tel: +852 3514-6346

My Second-Ever Football Game at Kai Tak Stadium

Thanks to our good friends, for the second year in a row, we’ve been given tickets to a live football match at Kai Tak Stadium. This time around, the seats were even better.

Tonight’s match was a duel between Chelsea and Juventus. I only knew a handful of players from both squads, and honestly for me, it wasn’t really about the teams or the scoreline. It was about the incredible atmosphere. Sitting 10 rows up from the pitch, surrounded by 40,000+ others, the whole experience was electric.

I’ve never watched a football game this close. The only thing I’ve experienced which was remotely similar was attending ice hockey games — something I’ve done quite a few times. But this was different. At this distance, the game seemed to move in slow motion. You don’t get those wide, TV-style angles, but you do get to see the players’ reactions up close and their subtle movements, and the tension you can’t quite capture on screen. 

I guess that’s why these tickets cost so much.

Little nugget was my companion tonight, and he was super hyped. He started off a little nervous — no idea why, because he wasn’t the one on the pitch battling for the possession of the ball. So why the butterflies? 

But once the game got going, he was fully into it.

As a world-class city, Hong Kong deserves a world-class sporting facility like Kai Tak.