The other night, I was just complaining about the lack of good artisanal gelato in town in front of a few friends and obviously the BIG guy upstairs has been listening. Little that I knew my prayer would be answered so quickly!
So I was on my way to the bank to get my Korean wons when I came across this new gelateria in IFC right next to the TWG tea room. That was exactly what the doctor ordered as I have been fighting the heat all day long. I need something thirst quenching big time.
I'm talking about GROM, the new kid on the block who "grew up" in Turin Italy. The story started back in 2003 and they've now expanded to United States (LA, New York), Middle East (Dubai), Japan (Osaka), France (Paris) and Indonesia (Jakarta) with over 60 locations worldwide.
Like most popular gelateria these days, their gelatos are all made with high-quality fresh milk, cage-free eggs and of course, the best raw ingredients. They do not contain flavorings, colors, preservatives or emulsifiers of any kind so that's always good news for health conscious folks like us.
Despite the high rent at IFC, they're not charging outrageous prices for their gelato at all. One flavor (cone or cup) set us back at $35 only while I'm paying $59 for my 2-flavored cone (3 flavors - $69, 4 flavors - $99).
There are only 6 flavors available in July so I didn't have to waste a lot of energy deciding what I wanted.
Crema di Grom - pastry cream with corn biscuits and Ecuadoran chocolate chips. While both flavors were very nice and smooth, I thought the crema di Grom was a little bland despite having chocolate chips and corn biscuits in the mix. Very thirst quenching but I guess I'm more used to stronger and richer flavors.
Pistachio - This is just perfect. Very rich pistachio flavor along with a bit of crushed pistachio in the middle. Yes it's a tad sweeter than your pistachio ice-cream in Hong Kong but I will take this any day!
I have nothing but praises for this new gelateria.....well, except one. I think they should keep their gelato at a slightly cooler temperature coz mine was melting as soon as I took it off my server's hand.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 1023, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Hong Kong Station
There is no secret that Seasons by Olivier E has slowly creeped up on my favorite list of French restaurants in town these days. Seems like that I've been visiting this place every single month and this time, I'm even bringing my 5-month old nugget with me (thanks to their kids friendly policy).
I have always wanted to sit at the counter table to see all the chefs in full action but it's a little hard to achieve that with my nugget around.
Prawn, avocado, lobster jelly, romaine leaves - I'm probably sticking with this starter until they take it off the menu. Very lovely texture and fragrance coming from the lobster jelly and creamy avocado. Each layer has a slightly different bite and contrasting texture to it (thanks to the diced prawns) and I just love the sprinkling of espelette on top. Perfect to go with the chilled romaine leaves.
Escargots fricassée with Pastis and tomato sauce - Jelloman wanted this dish badly and who could fault her for this (I would have taken this as my second dish too if not for the fact that I have had it a number of times already).
This is very flavorful and obviously quite addictive. That was goooodd.
White "Paris" mushroom soup, fresh goat cheese foam - Some say Epuré has got the best white Paris mushroom soup in town but looks like Chef Olivier is catching up fast. This is silky smooth and very aromatic. I like the very rich mushroom flavors though a touch of truffle (or truffle oil) would probably bring this to another level.
Chilled melon soup with mint espuma, vodka granita - I fell in love with Chef Olivier's peach and plum soup last time I was here so I was expecting the same success from this chilled melon soup not as a dessert but a starter.
This is just the perfect cure for the nasty heat wave in the dog days of summer. Very refreshing and soothing for the taste buds. Love the way the mint espuma and vodka granita worked with the sweetness of the melon soup. Marvelous job!
Hokkaido seared scallops, tomatoes and pesto butter - For the first time this afternoon, everyone was on the same page as we all agreed on the main dish here. Well, this is a no-brainer considering how well this kitchen delivers their seafood dishes.
The Hokkaido scallops were pretty nicely done. The supporting cast of fresh tomatoes and pesto butter was good though not spectacular.
Guanaja 70% chocolate cream and Cassis coulis, pistachio ice-cream - As much as I love the peach and plum soup, I wanted to try something different this time around. So in comes the chocolate cream, cassis coulis and pistachio ice-cream.
This was just OK. I am a sucker for pistachio ice-cream (actually anything made with pistachio) so that part was alright but the chocolate cream was slightly disappointing. It felt like having a Magnum chocolate bar in a circular shape more than anything else.
Almond mousse with peach and plum soup, mango sorbet - Now I am regretting the fact that I didn't take a flyer on this dessert. Mom seemed to enjoy it very much as she raved about the perfect combination of sweetness and acidity in there.
Once again, I really enjoyed my meal here. As a matter of fact, out of all my recent visits to Seasons so far, the level of cuisine has been consistently high. Given the relatively acceptable price tag ($318 for 3-course) and Michelin star pedigree, it's difficult not to come back for more.
Food Rating: 7.1/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 308, 3/F, Lee Garden Two, 28 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 2505-6228
Website: www.seasonsbyolivier.com
Finding a quiet place in Tsim Sha Tsui for a couple of refreshing drinks is always a tall task but we finally manage to find that in Main Street Deli, the New York style diner in Langham Hotel Hong Kong.
I've always liked the retro American diner vibe around here and it's not difficult to find a quiet corner to chill out on a lazy afternoon.
I've been here a few times before but mainly for their burgers only so this is really my first time checking out their desserts.
Seven Layered chocolate supreme ($128) - I recalled having something like this before from a place called "Death by Chocolate" back in Vancouver. This is just a symphony of chocolate flavors, ranging from white chocolate, to milk chocolate and dark chocolate with slightly different texture.
I thought this is really tasty but make sure you have a companion with you when you order this coz it's very very heavy.
Given the summer heat wave, it's no surprise that we wanted something frosty from the drink menu and Main Street Deli always got the perfect solution for us to tackle that nasty heat. Their list of gourmet milkshakes is one of the best in the city and looks like they have just introduced some brand new flavors too.
Chunky monkey ($88) - This comes with a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream, nutella (lots of them!) and banana. You can't go wrong with this combination. Very refreshing and thirst quenching!
Classics Tiramisu ($88) - Slightly less thirst quenching was the tiramisu flavored milkshake. I believe they're using tiramisu ice-cream (Mövenpick?) while espresso and cocoa powder also appeared to be in the mix.
There's also a very good chance that you will run into a celebrity here. On this particular afternoon, we spotted Samantha Hai-Ling Ko (高海寧) sharing some afternoon snack with a female friend of hers.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Lower Lobby Level, The Langham Hong Kong, 8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2132-7898
Website: Link
