Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine 金不換泰國餐廳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I'm back at Harbour City to get a few things done including my little nugget's long awaited visit to Toy R Us. It's been a while since we last visited the popular shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui and quite honestly, I haven't seen such an empty Harbour City for decades. Not many people here at all. That's a frightening sight.

We decided to have our late lunch (3pm already!) at Sweet Basil (金不換泰國餐廳), a place I used to visit a lot in Whampoa. Not surprisingly, the restaurant wasn't anywhere close to full capacity, as everyone has been practicing social distancing.

Charcoal grilled pork neck - They have one of the best chargrilled pork's neck in town. And the chili sauce was just icing on the cake.

Thai pineapple fried rice - This came with lots of pineapple, cashew and seafood. Not bad.

I can't believe I'm writing about Sweet Basil but such is life with COVID-19. Hopefully, life can be back to normal soon and we can finally have something interesting to write about in the near future, such as some restaurant openings rather than closures.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop OT260-OT263, 2/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2730-1963

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

Takano Ramen 多賀野 K11 Musea (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I still have some expiring coupons with me so I'm going back to K11 Musea to get the unfinished business settled this weekend.

Like many Japanese ramen shops in town, Takano Ramen (多賀野) is a direct import from Japan but what they do have is a special pedigree - they are one of the few Japanese ramen shops who have garnered a Michelin star before.

I love a place that makes their own ramen noodles on the spot. It's the only way to keep their key ingredient fresh.

A final look before I retreat to my table.

Chashu and Duck Tsukemen Ramen ($168) - One of Takano Ramen's heart and soul, and by far their most expensive offering.

Nice to see their homemade flat noodles in action.

The pork and duck tsukemen soup made with pork, duck, chicken and fish was supposed to blow me away but it didn't. The lukewarm temperature had something to do with it. I like it a little warmer.

The barbecued pork was very nice with lovely smoky flavors bursting out immediately with my first bite.

The soft-boiled egg slightly marinated, was very tasty too.

Takano Soy Sauce Ramen ($128) - When it comes to Japanese ramen, little nugget is much less adventurous and he's sticking with his shoyu (soy sauce based) ramen. This wasn't your typical soy sauce ramen though; in fact, it's Takano's signature choice blending quality free range chicken, seafood and pork bones into the clear and sweet soy sauce soup base. Not bad.

Spicy Sesame Ramen ($138) - Takano's unique take on the modified Japanese-style dan dan ramen.

I was told it's just mildly spicy so the extra kick won't overpower the sesame flavors.

It came with tons of scallions.....

I have to admit, the dan dan noodle style sauce worked admirably with the flat noodles. In my opinion, the best out of the trio highlighted by the lovely spicy kick.

Food Rating: 5.9/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 220, 2/F, K11 Musea, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: East Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2881-8331

Website: www.facebook.com/Takanohk/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Mon Kee Cafe 旺記冰室 Tsim Sha Tsui (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

For the past two and a half months, I have been trying to refrain from going out as much as possible. I even skipped my regular visit to my hair stylist and went to a random hair salon near my house. We could all guess how that experience turned out.

But I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. Not in a million years. Instead, I'm picking a Sunday morning during the Easter holiday to come out to Tsim Sha Tsui and get my hair straighten out. Surprisingly, it was all very quiet. The MTR ride was smooth and without much of a crowd. Everything went really well and by 1:30pm, I was already done. To reward myself for a nearly perfect outing, I decided to go to Ashley Road and grab a quick bite at Mon Kee Cafe (旺記冰室).

Speaking of Ashley Road, it's been undergoing some major renovation work for the last little while. Most retail shops and restaurants have already moved out except Mon Kee and Goose Manor (裕。鵝莊), brought to us by the folks behind roast goose specialist Yue Kee (裕記大飯店) which I had the pleasure of visiting on a number of occasions.



The signature scrambled eggs with barbecued pork and shrimps, I haven't had this for ages!



This was seriously good stuff. There are three things that made Mon Kee hugely popular especially among tourists from mainland China - their pantyhose milk tea, silky smooth scrambled eggs made with Hokkaido eggs and that special homemade sweet soy. I managed to enjoy all three with this tea set ($59).



For some reason, the milk tea was a little too strong for my stomach this afternoon. It's likely the fact that I've been eating home a lot these days. I better get my stomach up to speed again soon.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$
Address: G/F, Kowloon Centre, 29-39 Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2617-2616
Opening Hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm daily