I’m having an afternoon meeting with the team to catch up on a few things. It’s going to be at least two hours so I thought I better get some snacks to cheer everyone up. Bakehouse’s sourdough egg tarts immediately came to mind.
Wanchai’s eateries, casual or fine-dining, always go through what I called a honeymoon period in their first two to three months. You see huge lineups, everybody puts food pictures up on IG but boom, business starts falling off a cliff after that. In fact, lots of new restaurants in Wanchai hardly survive to see their second year. But not Bakehouse. Fresh off its first anniversary, the artisan bakery by Gregoire Michaud is still going strong.
One would argue what the signature bakery items are at Bakehouse. There are so many of them, from their cruffin, custard donut to different flavors of handmade cookies. And most recently, I’ve been in love with their sourdough egg tarts.
A East-meets-west creation combining the local egg tart with sourdough croissant, this was the perfect afternoon snack whether you have a meeting or not. I don’t know how the buttery, flaky shell compares to that from Queen Sophie’s in terms of number of layers (368 layers!?) but judging from the mouthfeel, I’m guessing it’s pretty close. In fact, I found Bakehouse’s egg tart far more fulfilling.
Apart from the thick yet flaky shell, there’s also the filling which my colleagues referred to as “crème brulee”, a comparison I found right-on-the-money.
To sum it up, I would say, it tasted a bit like Portuguese egg tart from the first bite but they have traded the extra flakiness with a bit more crunch. That would be my assessment.
I'm definitely coming back for more (and the chocolate hazelnut doughnuts too).
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: G14 Tai Wong Street East, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Website: https://bakehouse.hk/
I'm spending some quality time with my family this weekend including some father-and-son bonding activities this afternoon (indoor cycling in Kwun Tong!). As soon as we finished up our cycling lesson, I decided to take an hour's break to catch some me time.
Located in the little-known Aegean Place between Kwun Tong and Ngau Tau Kok, Duo Patisserie is a French-style pastry shop caught in a wrong neighborhood but it's been getting some attention on the social media network. So, I thought it's worth checking out while I was in the area.
But sadly, only three choices available (chocolate truffle cake, caramel coffee cake and cheese baileys cake). I know, it's a Saturday.
Cheese and Baileys ($47) - I remembered seeing this on the social media so I am guessing it's a signature dessert or at least a popular item around here. The now-a-little-outdated mirror glaze was fun but I was more interested in what's inside.
I thought the texture was interesting. It was soft like marshmallow but there's no contrasting texture (nor flavor) in between the different layers so that was disappointing. When it comes to flavor, cream cheese and Baileys do look like an interesting match on paper but it ended up tasting more like a tiramisu (mascarpone and espresso).
Another thing I found odd was the venue. It was my first visit to Aegean Place and what I didn't know was that it's a fancy name for a food court. Most of the cafes here like Duo Patisserie share the same dining hall (as pictured below) and although I had no trouble sitting there enjoying my cake, it wasn't a pleasant enough place where I could sit all afternoon and chill out.
Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 5F4, G/F Hung To Centre, 94-96 How Ming Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Kwun Tong
Tel: +852 9381-2885
Website: www.facebook.com/duopatisserie.hk/
If Ecriture was the most anticipated restaurant opening in Hong Kong last year, then this year's title has got to belong to recently opened Louise at PMQ. Taking over the space previously occupied by one of my favorite restaurant Aberdeen Street Social, Louise is a brainchild between JIA Group and Chef Julien Royer of Odette Singapore which has just been freshly crowned Asia's Best Restaurant earlier this year.
Renowned designer Andre Fu (who's behind the design of the new St Regis Hotel in Wanchai) has turned the space into a more intimate and cozy place highlighted by its colonial chic decor.
Unlike Odette, Louise is more of a casual bistro serving hearty traditional French fare with a modern twist.
The weekday set menu is not available on Saturdays and Sundays. Instead, they offer a short and sharp brunch menu with a section dedicated to eggs.
Homemade brioche ($28) - Starting things off for us was a basket of buttery homemade brioche, served with butter and raspberry jam. Perfect start for my little one who's a huge bread lover.
Ôra King salmon gravlax, warm potato, dill cream ($238) - I love fuller, thicker slices of smoked salmon and salmon gravlax so these are right up my alley.
What impress me the most about these gravlax is the fact that they weren't overly cured so the texture was still nice and moist. A terrific starter with the slightly lemony dill cream marrying well with the distinct salmon flavors.
Polmard beef tartare, French fries, salad ($258) - Made with prized beef from renowned French butcher Polmard, our tartare dish was presented the traditional way with a raw egg yolk atop.
There were great depth of flavors coming from the aged Polmard beef, combining well with the garden green and pearl onion for a perfect, palate-pleasing finish.
Confit cod, white beans, chorizo, piquillos, mint ($348) - A beautifully plated dish with slices of confit cod fish sitting on a bed of diced chorizo, white beans, piquillos and mint, finished off with a trio of crispy chorizo wafer on top. Not an overly complicated dish but the interpretation was simply flawless.
Louise "Croaffle", whipped cream, maple syrup ($128) - A happy marriage between a flaky croissant and crispy waffle. This was served like a typical waffle with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup. Not a bad way to wrap up this meal at all.
“Mama Royer” yogurt cake and ice-cream, confit lemon ($118) - Less successful was Mama Royer's yogurt cake with yogurt ice-cream and confit lemon. This really tasted like a typical French pound cake with a zesty glaze. A dish I could probably do without.
It's a truly impressive meal. Nothing really fancy, just some simple, hearty French dishes done right.
If there's a blemish from this meal, it's probably the fact that dishes like glazed Challans duck, pan-seared French veal sweetbread and Brittany dover sole “Meunière” were not on the brunch menu. I guess a return trip is a must.
Food Rating: 7.3/10
Price: $$$$
Address: G/F, JPC, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 2866-0300
Website: www.louise.hk
