Butterfly Patisserie (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My burnt cheesecake from La Viña didn't turn out very good but fortunately tonight, I have a backup plan.

Just before we left K11 Musea, I stopped by Butterfly Patisserie at Rosewood Hotel to get a little something to go with my hojicha cheesecake.

At 6:15pm, there really weren't much left. Just 4 kinds of pastries and 2 of those we've had a few times already. The remaining two were limited-time-only Christmas ball desserts.

Rum and Raisin Milk Chocolate Christmas Ball ($78) - I decided to get the white Christmas ball. But there was a minor accident on our way home (thanks to little nugget's little jab) and the lovely pastry didn't make it home in one piece.

This was really really delicate. Underneath the white chocolate crust was a layer of silky smooth milk chocolate mousse along with a delicious chocolate brownie base. But I thought what made this whole dessert work was the Rum and Raisin gelée sitting in the middle. That special kick really made all the difference in the world.

Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$
Address: 2/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 3891-8732
Website: www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/hong-kong/dining/butterfly-patisserie
Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

La Viña Cheesecake Pop-up at K11 Musea (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

For the second time this month, I stumbled upon the pop-up store of La Viña Cheesecake at K11 Musea. Originated from La Viña, a local restaurant and bar in San Sebastián three decades ago, Basque burnt cheesecakes are known for their incredibly creamy, soft and custard-like jiggly texture as well as its dark caramelized surface (thus referred to as burnt). Fast forward to 2020, everyone on earth wants a piece of it.

This La Viña brand we are seeing today at K11 is not really the folks from San Sebastián; instead they are a brand new concept brought to us by the guys behind The Cupping Room and Doubleshot in Central. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of having a slice of their famous burnt cheesecake at DoubleShot and came away mighty impressed. So now, I'm coming back for more.

But unfortunately like my previous visit, their original flavor was all sold out. All that was left, was the hōjicha flavor.

Like the original Basque cheesecake from San Sebastián, this came wrapped with parchment paper.

Before we head home to enjoy our cheesecake, we spent some time walking around the waterfront.

It's beautiful out here during sunset. 

Finally, I have my fork and knife ready, time to rock n roll!

Underneath the black surface, was the soft and creamy cheesecake which wasn't all that different from a typical cheesecake. The additional smokiness was very subtle, perhaps even unnoticed by some of the more trained palate. But the most disappointing part had to be the promised soft custard texture in the centre. Well, it wasn't there. Sad indeed.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop LA603, 6/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

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

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm (Sun - Thu), 12:00pm - 9:00pm (Fri - Sat)

Greyhound Café Galleria at K11 Musea (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Hong Kong's COVID-19 social distancing rules (dining part) are really spoiling our mood for Winter Solstice (and likely Christmas and New Year too) this year. Although I do understand the rationale behind, it was a tough pill to swallow. Originally, we have decided to stay home for our celebration but the gang finally agreed to a last-minute gathering at Greyhound Café Galleria in K11 Musea since most places were already fully booked.



Our meal started off with my favorite Thai milk tea.

Vietnamese spring roll - This came with shrimp, pork, chicken skin and of course, veggies. Not a fan.

Crab meat Thai omelette - I am a sucker for a lot of things including Thai omelette with crab meat. This was pretty nice and definitely not nearly as oily as the ones we had in Thailand.

Thai platter of Delight - Well, I haven't had this one before. There were different types of skewers, fish balls and meat balls. Kids probably love this. 

It's been a frustrating year. Just look at little nugget's face!

After the meal, we circled around K11 Musea including a quick visit to the Christmas Village. Little nugget finally got some life from all the running room in the terrace!

Yeah, 5 more days to go before Christmas. Now, where's the Christmas spirit this year???

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 327A & 327C, 3/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

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

Tel: +852 2394-6600

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