Pricey Small Scoop | Gino's Gelato

Had my virgin...hike at Twin Peaks with Mr. K on Saturday and after 2.5 hours of intensive Step Master, I decided to reward myself with a sweet treat at Gino's. They have gelato and yogurt which comes in quite a wide range of flavors.


I always like my ice-cream in waffle cones, and I chose the passion fruit flavored yogurt thinking I wanted something more fruity under a 30 degrees sunny afternoon.  Mr. K was very stuffed from the heavy lunch though so we shared the cone.



I believe it was something like $45 for the one small scoop of ice-cream which I thought didn't even taste like passion fruit although Mr. K kept insisting something was wrong with my tastebuds. The waffle was average - at least it wasn't soggy.

Passion fruit yogurt in cone

The shop wasn't very big but could still fit two small tables and bench seats so we ate the cone there thinking that the cream could last longer under the air con than in the heat outside but very soon I found out that the air con might've been broken since it was getting warmer and warmer as we sat down nibbling on the scoop.  Don't think the cone was worth the price but I guess anything works after a 2.5 hour intensive workout.  Things in Stanley do tend to be overpriced anyway.


*Photo courtesy of Mr. K






Gino's Gelato, Shop 5, G/F, Stanley Plaza, Stanley, +852 2899 0314
District:  Island South
Overall Rating:  3 / 5
Cost:  $45 ph


*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Traditional Moon cakes with an Untraditional Twist

A series of phenomenon are set to occur on September 9^th this year.  Well yes, Apple is going to announce its launching of the new iPhone 6…but it is also a day (or night?) when we will have a supermoon, the third and last occurrence this year.  With the moon coming closest to the earth in its yearly orbit, this is also the day after the celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.  Not only is the festival traditionally known as a time of family gathering under the humongous bright moon, but also a time for kids to play with lanterns, and everybody else to stuff themselves with the 1000-kcal white lotus paste and yolk moon cakes.  Well, if you’re one of those who ain't big fan of moon cakes just like me, one of these five traditional treats with an untraditional twist might be able to arouse your appetite.

1. Haagen Dazs

Imagine substituting the dense white lotus paste with creamy ice-cream.  Oh yes, mid-autumn just can’t get any better now.  Haagen Dazs’ Twilight Collection is showcasing the strawberry “moon” surrounded by eight “stars”, flavored in chocolate, Belgian chocolate, blueberries and cream, summer berries and cream, caramel biscuits, strawberry, vanilla, macadamia nuts, and cookies and cream.  How can anybody be disappointed?

Original price:  $599 (discounts applicable to Haagen Dazs VIP and selected credit cards)
Address:  http://haagen-dazs.com.hk/html/shops/index.aspx?lang=en-US

2. Ms B’s Cakery

Celebrate mid-autumn the posh way.  Ms B’s has launched its Signature Moon cake which comes in 2 or 4 pieces.  Beautifully wrapped in their fancy cake boxes, these are literally cakes – vanilla chiffon as the base topped with mango and coconut mousse with fresh pomelo and cream.  These designs were apparently inspired by Chinese lanterns.  Ms B must really be a contemporary (and abstract) (food) artist.

Price:  $280 for a set of 2 or $520 for a set of 4
Address:  39 Gough Street, Central / Shop 202, Level 2 Pacific Place, Admiralty / Shop G111, G/F Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, TST





3. Passion by Gerarld Dubois
Death by chocolate.  You may not be able to associate the moon with this dark-colored chunk of chocolate brownie but just take a bite, and you may be surprised to find the passion fruit "moon" hidden within.  A must-try for all the chocolate lovers, at an economical price too, well at least relatively.

Price:  $49 each.  Buy at least 2 pieces to have them wrapped in an elegantly ribboned box for free.

Address:  74-78 Johnston Road, Wanchai / Shop A, G/F Lyton Building, 32-48 Mody Road, TST

4. Chui Lau Heung

While mid-autumn’s supposed to be a time for family gathering, I’m not sure if these exotic durian moon cakes from Chui Lau Heung would gather people together or actually scare them off.  Comes in a box of four, you get to pick from flavors ranging from D24 to D13 to Musang King and many more.  But oh, all of them are still durian-flavored.  There’s no escape, sorry.  Although I absolutely adore durians, I never know they come in so many variations.  Let’s have a little Durian-101 here (left to right, top to bottom):

1.    D24 – sweet, tender and flavor-rich

2.    D24 charcoal – rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron; all good for detoxing (Really? Hmm…)

3.    D13 – less fructose than D24 and reddish orange in color.  Grown in Segamat of Johor, Malaysia

4.    XO – full bodied flavor and fragrance

5.    Zu Zi Kia – creamy with a tint of milky flavor

6.    Mao Shan Wong (Musang King) – name should say it all.  King of durians.

7.    Golden Phoenix – golden and creamy

Prices vary.  Check their website for ordering locations:  http://chuilauheung.com

5. The China Club

Mysteriously tucked inside the Old Bank of China building, The China Club is well known not only for its exquisite Chinese dining and decor but also the Chinese art paintings and sculptures inside the club.  Living up to its name, The China Club this year launched its exclusive traditional moon cakes boxed in a beautiful Chinese palace.  It does look rather exaggerated, but isn't that part of the Chinese culture nowadays?

Price: $388 for a "palace" box of 6
Address:  13/F Old Bank of China Building, Bank Street, Central

Happy Mooncake Festival!  (And, I can’t wait for iPhone 6 to be out!  Already getting really sick and tired of my 4S...)

*Reposted on FoodnSpot

Highly Recommended Takeaway Dessert Shop | Oddies

What really caught my eye in the middle of a random local street in Wanchai was the neat and transparent decor of this little newly opened ice-cream shop. It’s not just any random local dessert shop though. Just as its name suggests, desserts being sold here are put together by odd, yet surprisingly go-well-together ingredients. Other than the usual 5 dessert being served on the regular menu, a different special flavor is served for a limited time every weekend.

Having reached my early thirties, my risk aversion suggested that I opt for the low-fat gelato on matcha panna cotta, fresh mango, sesame crumble and caramelized almond meringue, finished with an edible pansy flower and butterfly waffle, named “Oddies Garden,” at a price of $49. I’m never a big fan of paying for overpriced take-away dessert but this Oddies Garden was surely worth its money. Cute presentation similar to those served in Ms B yet half the price, this cup of scrumptious dessert was a piece of art standalone with the detailed edible butterfly and carefully layered goodies.

The gelato was very very smooth and reminded me of the ones I had in Florence many years ago, although they did melt quickly in this summer heat so I really had to nibble against the clock. Sweetness of the matcha panna cotta was adjusted just right which went extremely well with the exotic taste of the fresh mango. The pansy flower and butterfly waffle were better off left alone as visual art appreciation though, unless you are really feeling extremely hungry that day.

Pretty edible pansy flower and butterfly waffle

I never understand why there’re always long line-ups for the small scoop of overpriced $44 gimmick ice-cream at Lab Made in Tai Hang, while a hearty good quality dessert at Oddies is sold for only 5 bucks more and yet, it’s almost always empty whenever I passed by this hidden gem. Oddies is definitely one of my top picks, and let’s hope that I won't gain another 10 pounds from my bi-weekly visits…!


Oddies, G/F 149 Wanchai Road, Wanchai, +852 9155 5185
Distict:  Wanchai
Overall Rating:  4.5 / 5
Cost:  $50 per cup

*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Michelin Service | Tate Dining Room & Bar

Once in a blue moon I've asked Mr. K out for dinner on Friday.  Only because it's his birthday though.  Mind you, I don't normally take initiative in asking guys out...!!!  And, having made 14 phone calls on Monday I only managed to book 2 restaurants and got myself waitlisted for the remaining 12.  So I suppose that's why Route To Success-101 always says one should plan ahead of time (which of course I did but Mr. K had to change the day from Sat to Fri).  Simply insane.  But luckily, Tate was one of the 12 waitlisted which called me back for an available table so I took it immediately.

One thing I really have to point out is Tate's star service.  I did call a number of times to make all sorts of ma-q-fan requests like arranging for a loner table, birthday cake message and keeping my credit card for payment at the end.  Considerate pearlorange even requested for a menu without the price which they actually didn't have but said could have it arranged so when I arrived 10min earlier to leave them my cc, I was very impressed that they printed two sets of whole new menu for us and even had them nicely binded.  Definitely e-props for that.

Dinner came in a choice of the 6-course sensualist menu or 9-course gastronomy with optional wine pairings, which changes every season so it was still something new for Mr. K even though he's been here before.  We both opted for the sensualist without wine pairing and ordered white separately.  We didn't take picture of the amuse bouche but if I remembered correctly it was a mini cheese puff served with edible branch sticks.

The first out of six courses served was the flamed salmon tartare which was garnished with five different ingredients - chives, wasabi cream, gherkin, rice crispy balls and caviar.

Foie gras mustard ice-cream.  The blueberry sauce and mustard ice-cream balanced out the rich flavor of the liver terrine, making it a refreshing second dish.

Next was the Dalian abalone topped with a Taiyouren egg and a puny piece of uni.  Oops, I played a little rough and bursted the runny egg, kinda on purpose though heehee. I like it better as a dip.

Onto the second half of the sensualist was the sakura ebi tagliolini.  At this point I was actually already 70% full and offered a good portion of my pasta to Mr. K.  Nonetheless, it was cooked to al dente with a soft tint of lobster flavor, and even a non-fan of pasta like me thought it was a delicious carb dish topped with the fried sakura ebi.

Second last course and a heavily meated one was the lavender Challandais duck breast.  Tender and juicy and randomly scattered not so randomly on the serving plate.

Do not think that the final course, carrot cheesecake, was a carrot-flavored cheesecake because the very carroty carrot sorbet was actually served separately from the cheese which was put inside a white chocolate shell.  We did have fun taking the sphere shell apart...

Now, this was the part that I liked the most, and no, not because it's that candle-blowing wish-making moment.  I thought the Zen Garden built on a layer of caster sugar was a very innovative form of serving the petits fours.  I almost had an orgasm seeing those perfectly made round circles on the sweet sand, almost.  Well, I DO have OCD.

A very good birthday dinner with excellent service.  They've earned my 20% gratuity.

Tate Dining Room & Bar, G/F, 59 Elgin St, Soho, Central, +852 2555 2172

District:  Soho

Must-try:  Zen Garden

Overall Rating:  4 / 5

Cost:  $1,200 ph - Dinner

*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Having Street Food In Style | Mr. Bing (老金煎餅)

Before heading to class my friend and I decided to grab something light so we went to Mr Bing. When we got there my friend was shocked and immediately said this was basically what I was eating off a hawker at some random street in Shenzhen some months back (yes, I basically eat ANYTHING, my friend of course was just watching me eat then) except this was served with pretty packaging and under a rooftop and all. So, we ordered the two signature bing's and a marinated cucumber side to share. The Mandarin speaking lady who was cooking our bing asked wo-men-yao-bu-yao-la but we said bu-yao since my friend was not a big fan of spicy food. Both the peking duck bing and the sesame chicken bing were served fresh and moist and piping hot. Both were good but I prefer the peking duck bing more because the sweetness in the hoi sin sauce really brought out the flavor of the meat. I'm not a big fan of carbs, and I like how the bing wasn't made too thick to overstuff my little tummy.

The sesame oil and vinegar formed the main flavoring in the crunchy marinated cucumber.

And lastly, a fridge to help yourself to the pop and pre-packed cold drinks.

Venue:  Mr. Bing

District:  Central

Must-try:  Peking duck bing

Overall Rating:  3.5 / 5

Cost:  $55 ph - Lunch

Address:  LG & G/F, 83 Wellington Street, Central

Link:  http://mr-bing.com/

*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Satisfying Weekday Lunch | Izumi Curry

I'm excited to have another Japanese curry shop added to my list of weekday lunch options. Getting up the building during lunch hour was always a hassle though, and I waited for 5 min under the rain for the lift. We arrived the restaurant at around 1220pm and still managed to get a table, not sure if that's an indication or what though.

They've got a lunch menu and almost everything they serve was a curry dish. There's 5% discount if you pay and leave by 1245pm which obviously, could not be the case for us. All the sets came with a salad and a drink, and I thought the price was pretty reasonable.

The salad was fresh with Japanese sesame dressing.

The presentation of the food was very Japanesey - neat, tidy and clean - upon serving you can be sure that there'd be no curry dripping on the sides of the plates or chunks of rice floating about in various directions on the sauce. The hamburg steak omlette curry rice I ordered came with a scrambled egg. The chef must've used a lot of butter into making it though cuz it was indeed really tasty (how evil!). The hamburg steak was cooked just right to medium well so I could still taste that juicy and tender texture. Along with the curry sauce and rice I was no doubt going to skip dinner that day.

My gfs ordered beef omlette curry rice and tonkatsu sweet curry rice. I thought the original curry tasted better though. The sweet curry was a little...hard to explain. Try for yourself if you feel like being adventurous. I didn't try the tonkatsu but it looked really good, and I'm sure it tasted good as well since my friend finished the entire plate. It was the last thing to arrive though, and my friend waited for about 20 min for it.

Pretty good food at that price at that location. Will definitely come back...but gotta make sure I skip brekkie and dinner in that same day.


Venue:  Izumi Curry
District:  Central
Overall Rating:  4 / 5
Cost:  $80 ph - Lunch
Address:  7/F, The Loop, 33 Wellington Street, Central

*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Casual Italian Dining | Jamie's Italian

I just realized how important it is to have friends who don't need to work in situations like this when you wanna be one of the first batch to try out THE new restaurant in town which virtually needs months in advance booking and walk-in waits take around 1.5 hour on average. Jamie's opens at 12pm for lunch, and my dear buddies arrived at 1145am to get a table first. I was told that there was already a queue formed on the ground floor at that time. Knowing that I won't make it there until 20 past at the earliest, I told them to go ahead to order and surprise me. When I arrived at 1220pm, there was a HUGE crowd of people lining up, and I felt that I must've had alot of hate stares for skipping the queue and heading straight to the escalator.
"Hey", *muah muah*, sat down, "how's your trip", yadiyadiyada, ordered my drink, first dish arrived. The polenta chips arrived pretty - and tasted pretty too - served hot and crunchy on the outside with a little bit of chewiness. Topped with rosemary leaves, the dish served well as a prelude to our little weekday girlies catch-up lunch session.

The cauliflower and cheese fritters were crunchy and cheesy and tasty, and the orange fennel and bocconcini salad was pretty refreshing and fruity.

Next came four cans of canned juice. For one sec I thought why I was rushing for 20 min to come and have canned food, and just right before I was about to raise my voice and complain, the waiter quickly explained that those were not for us to eat. Oh, ok. They were actually for holding up the fish and cured meat planks. The taste of the nibbles, however, were not as impressive as they were displayed.

So, what's up with the malnourished midget mussel?

After clearing the nibbles we still had two orders of small pasta which we had been waiting over an hour and a half for. I had to followup with the waiter twice before they arrived at 140pm, 20 to gotta-be-back-at-desk. I quickly had a quickie on the tagliatelle bolognese and squid-ink speghetti before hopping out of the couch to leave. The squid-ink spaghetti was done al-dente and the scallop tasted fresh except it was a little bit too salty. The tagliatelle bolognese looked pretty cute (or no?) - like some curled up pig / cow intestines you get from local Chinese joint. Now, this was slightly overcooked and got a little soggy.

Complimentary service charge was not included in the bill, and the total came to $660 for 3 people. I would say this is pretty reasonably priced but quite overrated as usual especially with the huge, crazy line-up's. To be fair I wasn't having very high expectations though having tried a few Jamie restaurants in London. It's just his usual style - simple, casual dining at reasonable price. Not worth the wait though, come back in a few months' time.

Venue:  Jamie's Italian

District:  Causeway Bay

Must-try:  Polenta chips

Overall Rating:  4 / 5

Cost:  $220 ph - Lunch

Address:  2/F, Soundview Plaza 2 - Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay

Link:  http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/hongkong

*REPOSTED on OpenRice and FoodnSpot

A Little Getaway from the Buzzing City | Spices Restaurant (香辣軒)

Saturday night Mr. K brought me to this SE Asian restaurant for dinner. Although I really enjoy alfresco dining, the fact that we're still having 30 degrees Celcius on an autumn evening made me opt for the indoor option. The restaurant was set inside a colonial building, and the use of wood and bamboo with a high ceiling created a southeast Asian-influenced interior decor. It wasn't a busy night, and having the corner all for ourselves meant it wasn't a sin to take my G11 out for foodp0rn photoshooting.

No SE Asian meals would go without fruits so we started our dinner with the passion fruit (or mango?) cocktail along with the crab meat pomelo salad. I'm not a picky eater (although I did try my bestest effort in picking out the finely sliced-up raw shallots from the dish), but I agreed with Mr. K that the salad could go a bit more generous on the fish sauce as it wasn't salty enough - appreciated that the crab meat was fresh though!

Naan bread was ok. At least it wasn't oily and did well in sucking up the curry flavor from the curry dish we had. Was it curry beef? Oops I really can't remember...but I do remember hoping that they could've added bit more spices / coconut milk into the curry sauce.

E-props for the tandoori chicken though!! Like I say, life is full of surprises, and the chicken did its job with its moist, tender texture and tint of char-grilled flavor. I couldn't resist from having a tiny spoonful of rice to go along with it.

We dishearteningly passed on the dessert since neither of us could fit any more nip of food into the tummy. Overall, it was a quiet and well-spent evening away from the city. The location does offer the option to end a night with a stroll at the nearby Repulse Bay Beach.

*Photos courtesy of Mr. K


Venue:  Spices Restaurant
District:  Island South
Cost:  $300 ph - Dinner
Overall Rating:  4 / 5
Address:  G/F, The Arcade, 109 Repulse Bay Road, Repulse Bay

*REPOSTED on OpenRice