Didn't Have My Sweet Tooth Fix | Pantry Bread & Pastries

People are right when they say Hong Kong is very fast-paced and changes rapidly.  I left town for a mere 2 weeks and came back and saw many new shops on Queen's Road, one of them being Pantry.  I believe the Pantry in CWB has been around for some time and they are famous for their pastries and cookies.  I got off early one day and thought I'd buy home a dessert to fix my sweet tooth so I went to the new branch in Wanchai.

It's a bright and neat little bakery shop with all sorts of breads and cookies shelved on one side, all of which were welcome for sample tasting.

The other side were the cakes and apparently they do lunch sets too.

What really caught my eyes were the cute Lego block cakes ($54) which came in various colors.  The blue blueberry cheesecake sounded most safe so I bought that one home.

I took a first bite and thought...hmm, it's not the usual kinda cheesecake I had before, not the traditional style, and not even NY nor Japanese styles.  I thought the cheese texture and taste resembled ricotta cheese, not that I'm saying ricotta cheese is bad, but it's not what I was expecting for when I bought this cheesecake home.  Inside the cake, there was a layer of blueberry purée, cake and a crunch covered by the "cheese".

The cake itself looked cute and creative, perfect for photoshooting purposes, but the flavor was not fantastic.  Let's just say I didn't have my sweet tooth fix.  Likely I will give this bakery a second try, but will definitely go for the safer option of chocolate cake or cookies.


Pantry Bread & Pastries, G/F 101 Queen's Road East, Wanchai, +852 2577 3898
District:  Wanchai
Overall Rating:  3 / 5
Cost:  $54 per small cake


*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Healthy Food on a Fever Day | Gaba Concept

I called in sick one day and after visiting the doctor in CWB, I decided to grab some healthy food from Gaba on the way. To be honest, the location was a little awkward. Seated on the first floor of an old building on Lockhart Road, I had to beep the old-style intercom at the door on the ground floor for them to unlock the gate for me to go up the building, reminding me just exactly how many many years I haven’t gone up to these private venues for late-night drinking, which was THE thing 6.5 years ago when I came back to HK.

The cafe was quiet, not a surprise though on a weekday afternoon, but it was a cozy venue.   They even had my fav pink lily on each table, e-props.

I ordered the pasta du jour which was whole wheat pasta with pan-seared scallop. Scrumptious al dente spaghetti mixed with ginger, garlic and spring onion (like the dipping sauce for Chinese white cut chicken), the scallop was skillfully seared such that the inside remained raw.

I was already warned but how can a fever day go without sweets? So, I went ahead and ordered the Puffle – chocolate puff x waffle. It was a big portion and the fact that the ice-cream was home-made and sugar-free made me feel that much better. There’s always a trade-of course. The waffle was not orgasmic, probably because butter and cream and all those sorts of unhealthy ingredients were opted out of the recipe. I love the chocolate puffs and vanilla sauce though. They were very crunchy, and the dark chocolate sauce poured on top did not make the puffs too sweet.

    

Sank into Adele’s singing in the background the entire time, it was a relaxing and healthy experience at Gaba. Will definitely be back next time to try out their unique coffee selection and dessert. See the turntables? Hopefully can catch DJ in the house next time too! ;)

 

Gaba Concept, 1/F Diamond Mansion, 462-468 Lockhart Road, CWB, +852 3679 0348

Overall Rating:  4 / 5

Cost:  $200 ph - Lunch

*REPOSTED on OpenRice

A Sexy Back With An Over-sized Perfume Box

Perfect color for the fall season, I've chosen this Zalora teal cross-back dress in long sleeves ($119) and a cute Buy Something Borrowed perfume bottle clutch ($209) for Missy Chan.  Both purchased from www.zalora.com.hk


More fall styles to come...

Cocktails With a Healthy Asian Twist | Little LAB Central

After dinner at Ho Lee Fook on Friday, us girls decided to explore westbound of Soho to this new vibe little hub surrounding Aberdeen Street and landed in Little Lab Central. Although the bar looks just like any other bars in the area, the drinks on their menu definitely are not the usual ones you get outside.

The Newborn ($120) – premium spiced rum combined with a traditional Chinese ginger stew taste, you know the reddish-black collagen-loaded vinegar soup with pork knuckle – is a must try, despite of course, the absence of the collagen loading element. Rum, while lightly infused with homemade vinaigrette, made this a very refreshing drink after a heavy meal.

Spice rum with traditional Chinese ginger stew

Missy Leona ordered the L.A.B.’s Iced Tea ($120). The specialty iced tea cocktail was a refreshing gold rum based long drink with hints of botanical and tea tannic mixed with home blended dai-pai-dong tea syrup, though somewhat just another name for Long Island I thought. Missy Mastermind ordered the Ginseng in Black ($135), a manly blood-boosting drink which totally suited her style.

Poor Missy hr didn’t get off work till 10 so we ordered her some nibbles and an Orienated Romas ($120), another Chinese fusion alcoholic drink which tasted like cream soda + milk.

Apologies for the lack of info due to the fact that I was already half tipsy at this point. smile And hey look, at least I remember us getting freebie sweets from the bartender!

Little LAB Central, G/F 48-50 Staunton Street, Central
District:  Soho, Central
Overall Rating:  4 / 5
Cost:  $150 ph


*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Chic Décor but Average Food | Upper Modern Bistro

Following an oh-so-very-healthy "extreme sport" session of jogging on Bowen Road on Saturday, my girls and I thought we'd reward ourselves with a nice brunch. We called 30min before going and still managed to get ourselves a table, lucky us we thought. It was also definitely a good idea by me to at least have a shower before we headed there despite no make-up cuz first thing I saw after sitting down was a table across from us with a whole bunch of friends I know. The oversized Ksubi shades were definitely my lifesaver.

Having sat down we were a hungry bunch hogging the bag of warm crunchy baguette and sparkling water ($65), while not losing our etiquette of course.

Warm crunchy baguette

The girls all opted for the healthy option – fresh juice ($65), Roseberry-Apple ($65) and T-Fizz ($65) - while I was the only one to order a tiramisu martini ($128). What’s a meal without a drink, right? Right.

Roseberry-Apple – cranberry juice, apple juice, rose and soda

Cranberry juice, apple juice, rose and soda

T-Fizz – English breakfast tea, apple juice, elderflower, lemon juice and ginger ale

English breakfast tea, apple juice, elderflower, lemon juice, ginger ale

Tiramisu martini - pretty self-explanatory

Kahlua, Frangelico, baileys, milk, cream

Half satisfied already from the bread and drink, we can now take a look around and appreciate at the restaurant’s décor – bright, modern and chic with a mural ceiling made out of white and grey petals. Being a fan of modern art, I was automatically drawn to the attention of an oriental woman painting hung on the wall. The chairs here were the female-unfriendly kinds with huge openings at the back so there’s nowhere to put the purse except for on the lap…but then, you gotta use the napkin too, so yes in summary = annoying.

Modern interior

To be honest, food on the menu didn’t look too attractive and neither did the price, given it was only lunchtime. Thought I didn’t wanna waste my 7k of fat-burning jog, I went for the fish du jour ($188), which I already forgot what kind it was. Missy hr went for the egg benedict ($138), Missy Leona for the sandwich jambon-comté ($98) and Missy Mastermind for the 63º egg ($148), all of which were very average I would say. We shared the artichoke macaroni side ($128) which was at least slightly better with all the cheese. Like, how could it not? And hey, I didn’t even realize the side was actually even more expensive than a main until now??

Although the fish was cooked just right, the texture and the taste were not very overwhelming. The egg benedict, was an egg benedict. The bread for Missy Leona’s sandwich seemed to be from the same family as the basket of baguette we got which made her entire meal very dry, AND chewy. The 63º egg was the best dish. Well, that WAS their signature after all.
Overall, not very wow food but the ambiance was there, given the chic décor and location which was artfully tucked in a quiet street in Poho. Hmm, another been-there-done-that.


Upper Modern Bistro, 6-14 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, +852 2517 0977
District:  Poho, Sheung Wan
Overall Rating:  3.5 / 5
Cost:  $300 ph - Lunch


*REPOSTED on OpenRice

Holy Eff! Truly A "Blessing" In The Mouth? | Ho Lee Fook (口利福)

Located in the basement of lower Elgin Street, this Chinese fusion restaurant welcomes you with a whole wall of golden fortune cats and mah-jong, both of which in the Chinese culture are believed to bring one with prosperity and luck.  What a good start on a Friday evening after a hell's day at work with the Wicked 2-faced Devil.

You can be sure to get a peace of mind from bombarding group messages in your Whatsapp and work emails from your BB because mobile signal here was very weak, especially towards the back where we were sitting.  The industrial, rustic and slightly orientally artsy décor of this Chinese restaurant was what made the ambience different from the usual noisy and bright family-friendly Chinese cuisines.

And...cheers to TGIF and a break from the Wicked 2-faced Devil, we had the mule, lemongrass mix and some kinda cold tea mix.

Apparently Missy Leona and I were still pretty stuffed from the lunch at Bread St Kitchen so we went easy on the ordering this time.  Many dishes here were spicy so if you're not a fan of it, you should confirm with the server while making your orders.  The two appetizers arrived first - Yunnan style wagyu steak tartare and shredded chicken salad.  Although I felt that having the wagyu beef completely raw defeated the purpose of having wagyu, I still highly recommend the dish which had a dynamic flavor from the sweet and sour marinate and herbs ($138).  The cracker was so crunchy and good that I could not resist from having more.  The shredded chicken salad was also a slight twist from the traditional dish.  Marinated with sesame sauce and slightly hot, lettuce heart was used as the base of this salad ($88).

Since we couldn't have the pork belly at Bread St Kitchen during lunch, I've ordered the grilled pork belly here to make up for it.  Thick-cut and tender, this dish was served with roasted chili and roasted almond ($128).  The soy chicken was another highly recommended dish.  Came in generous half chicken portion, this poultry dish was cooked to the right tenderness and flavor.  I don't usually go for the breast in Chinese chicken dishes but this was done so well that us three girls kept digging into it ($160).

A very satisfying dinner with good food and company at a good price - truly a "blessing."  Look, we even had fortune cookies.  Left the restaurant as a happy soul.

Ho Lee Fook, 1-5 Elgin Street, Soho, Central, +852 2810 0860
District:  Soho
Must-try:  Yunnan style wagyu steak tartare, soy chicken
Overall Rating:  4 / 5
Cost:  $320 ph - Dinner


*REPOSTED on OpenRice

A Privileged Private Lunch | Bread Street Kitchen & Bar

Uh oh no phone number listed on the OpenRice page?  To show my dedication for good food I actually rang up LKF Hotel for the number so in case any of you wishing to call them to make a booking, number is 2230 1800.  And...you're welcome smile

Well well well, so yet another celebrity chef restaurant opening in HK.  This time I booked a table for 7 pax for Friday lunch with my 604 girls to have a sneak peek at Gordon Ramsay's debut restaurant in Hong Kong.

Walking up LKF with Missy Chan we automatically went to take the lift up to LKF Tower only to realize that it could not go directly to the Mezzanine floor so we got out from the LKF Hotel lobby and walked down the stairs to where Balalaika used to be.  Somehow we got lucky that day and were being put in the private room at the back of the restaurant although I didn't request for any special table.  Or perhaps they just didn't want us to disturb other customers with our subwoofered gossips and laughter?  The private room sat behind two glass doors with a good number of wines shelved along the walls.  Here's a selfie of it:

We also had a Caucasian waiter to standby and serve at our request.  How privileged!  He mentioned that Mr. Gordon Ramsay will be flying in for the following Thursday's private opening event, and unfortunately even the restaurant manager could not have a say in putting us on the invitation list.

Workaholic Missy Chan had to grab a quick bite then head back to office to work so she ordered the short-rib burger first...and the dish arrived literally within 5 minutes.  How efficient, but the burger was not served hot for some reason.  The short-rib was cooked to medium and tasted very juicy - alot better than the ones from Butchers Club Burger (follow here for my review http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2384700).  The burger was seasoned just right with a slight chargrilled fragrance.

The rest of us decided to order a few appetiziers and main to share.  Missy Meow, my G11 foodie girl and drinking partner-in-crime, arrived very very disappointed knowing that the pork belly was sold out (even though the restaurant actually just opened?).  She did keep mentioning about wanting to try the pork belly since morning brekkie time.  Missy Leona the workout-a-holic then suggested that we leave an annonymous feedback form with 'eff eff eff eff eff eff eff...' written all over it. That was only a joke of course.  Let's start with the least amazing dish - tamarind spiced chicken wings - tasted like Asian style teriyaki sauce wings this dish came as a slight disappointment.  The Burford brown egg was a resemblance of the calorie-loading tomato sauce and cheese in a lasgna.  Sea bass carpaccio was finally a refreshing dish which was nicely marinated to a slight chewiness.  The runner-up goes to the roasted veal carpaccio.  The after-taste from the truffle essence and white and black truffle shavings lasted till night time.  No, I'm not exaggerating - definitely a must-try appetizer.  And finally, the winner goes to the grilled beef short rib.  Honey-glazed and grilled to a subtle crisp on the outside, the inside was braised to a soft tenderness loaded with a full beef flavor.  A must must-try.

Work-a-holic Missy Chan left early, and amongst the remaining 6 of us ordered 2 roasted ocean trouts, 2 pork and fennel sausages, 1 beer battered code and a shepherd's pie, all very Britsy.  The highly-recommended-by-oncall-waiter ocean trouts came in a fusion wannabe yet turned out to be weird composition side of Chinese pak choy.  The pan-seared fish skin was cripsy, and the inside was intentionally left medium rare to keep the fish texture soft.  Not a highly recommended dish by me though.  The sausages were relatively better, juicy, and the lentils were surprisingly good given I'm never a big fan of beans.  They were cooked just right not to lose the chewy texture, and I believe alot of butter were being put into it to make it taste so good.  The chips that came with the battered fried fish were good in a way that they were not soggy like the wedges you usually get outside but the chef got a little too excited with the sea salt, and each one of us thought they were too salty.  The lamb in the shepherd's pie was nicely baked and the melted cheese on the top along with the mash made the dish all that much better.

The bill came at about $300 per head, and given we ordered from the a la carte menu which was the same as for dinner, we thought this price was reasonable.  I paid for $250 for Jamie's Italian lunch last time, and food from this Gordon Ramsay's chain were definitely more delicate and tasty, not to mention our private room and on-call waiter at our service.  Overall the mains were not that pricey but the appetizers actually were not that much cheaper than the mains which in summary meant that the appetizers were expensive although I felt that they did taste much better.  Good for another go and will definitely go light on the mains so can try out their desserts next time.

Bread Street Kitchen, Level M, LKF Hotel, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, +852 2230 1800
District:  LKF
Must-try:  Short rib burger, roasted veal carpaccio with truffle, honey glazed beef short ribs
Overall Rating:  4 / 5
Cost:  $300 ph - Lunch




*REPOSTED on OpenRice