More fall styles to come...
Showing posts with label missychan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missychan. Show all posts
16 September 2014
A Sexy Back With An Over-sized Perfume Box
More fall styles to come...
12 September 2014
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
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
14 August 2014
A Meal With a View | Penthouse by Harlan Goldstein
We were actually heading straight to Jamie's Italian for lunch but having stood in line for 40 min we started to leave and went to Penthouse instead. We didn't make any booking and luckily someone had a no-show so we got a table for 2 pax immediately. I gave the view-facing seat for my friend, and I realized having sat for 5 min, nobody came to even gave us some water until I called someone over. Anyway, the lunch set is an open salad bar with optional main course. Since we were already short on time (it IS a weekday afterall) we passed on the main and only went for the salad bar. I was having quite high expectations for this place cuz look, even the guy from Jamie's Italian next door came to have lunch here HAHA.
Eating on a sunny day with a view over Victoria Harbor really made my day. At first I thought the servers were quite rude in making faces at me when I made order but I think it's actually because of the bright sun shining behind me...they were actually pretty friendly.
The salad bar was stacked with parmasan cheese and cold cuts - parma ham and two kinds of saucisson. There's also focaccia with pesto on the side, assorted salad vegetable, beans, peas and pine nuts to summarize. I did go a little crazy on the peas though!
My friend innocently made the comment that the restaurant was so considerate in serving the desert in bite-size portions. Well...yes? The plates were actually pretty small so I did see a majority of the people having to go back and forth for a few more rounds of food.
A comment on the side which I'd like to make is the bathroom - very thoughtful indeed. Before starting each meal I'd make sure my sanitized, washed hands do not come in contact with anything such as the bathroom door before I return to my seat. The bathrooms here were built with swinging bar doors which I found so amazing not having to push the door open with my paper towel wrapped fingers. You have no idea how much that means to a hygenic freak. 
I would most likely give this place a second try but will definitely come in the weekend where slow eating wouldn't have been a sin. Gotta try their main next time too cuz with that cost on top, might as well just go all-in. I ended the meal with a view with a sinful iced chocolate while my friend had a latte. The barista was really trying, I guess.
I would most likely give this place a second try but will definitely come in the weekend where slow eating wouldn't have been a sin. Gotta try their main next time too cuz with that cost on top, might as well just go all-in. I ended the meal with a view with a sinful iced chocolate while my friend had a latte. The barista was really trying, I guess.
 |
| Well, he did try. |
Venue: Penthouse by Harlan Goldstein
District: CWB
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Cost: $260 ph - Lunch (salad bar only)
Address: 30/F Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay
Address: 30/F Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay
清淡味道吃不清淡的午餐 | Empire City Roasted Duck (大都烤鴨)
Lunch time 過海到尖沙咀食飯跟行去LKF/Soho不會差太多時閒但選擇就多好多。所以我跟同事確定到地鐵站一上的K11商場隨便選一間餐廳。到了K11一路上電梯上到其中一層看到有好幾間餐廳便沖進去了不需等位的大都烤鴨，因爲同事說夜晚來的話通常都要排長龍。
這裡裝修都挺豪華，還掛了像水晶的燈。
不想用腦叫菜便點了個二人套餐。先來了前菜，some kinda 豬肉和蠔油菇菇。菇菇很細心的切開還有很香的麻油味。
之後上dish的次序已經不記得了，反正飢餓時來甚麽都會吃吧。。。以下圖片次序不分前後 - si油皇鴨條炒菇菇，小籠包，菇菇竹笙燉湯，si油皇炒麵，豆腐蒸魚塊。
真是很多菇菇和si油皇炒東東的一餐。價錢不算平。On average 些食物味道我覺得偏淡，不足夠令我有十分的開胃。如果晚飯需要排超長隊我一定不會來。走時看到對面餐廳滿座兼排長龍我終于明白這裡為甚麽有那麽多空位。
Venue: 大都烤鴨 Empire City Roasted Duck
District: TST
Cost: $150 ph - Lunch
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5
Crossover of world's two most fattening pastries | Urban Bakery
During weekday lunch hour this place is usually very packed with long queues so I had to pass each time I wanna grab a quick bite. But today since my colleague was really craving for the signature pastry, I was oh so very kind enough to go and get it for her. I went at 12pm sharp to avoid the crowd, and as a gesture, she did offer me to have a bite...
I always thought these things are just gimmick but out of my surprise, the Ball Law Cowssant was actually pretty good - flaky and crunchy and everything you can imagine from a good croissant with a tint of sweetness. Oh, you could opt for an extra slice of butter too (or margarine?), which would cost you $12 on top of the $18 Cowssant (yeah I know, doesn't really make sense to pay $30 for a croissant which you can finish in 3 bites, well ok maybe 5, I DO have a small mouth).
Not sure if the chinese x français Ball Law Cowssant could fill up your tummy on a hungry day but for this price, it isn't a bad afternoon snack / munchie to fight the Monday blues.
Venue: Urban Bakery Works
District: Central
Must-try: Ball Law Cowssant
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Cost: $13 (for plain Cowssant only)
Address: 3/F The Landmark, 12-16 Des Voeux Road Central, Central
*REPOSTED on OpenRice
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| Ball Law Cowssant - very crunchy and flaky |
Venue: Urban Bakery Works
District: Central
Must-try: Ball Law Cowssant
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Cost: $13 (for plain Cowssant only)
Address: 3/F The Landmark, 12-16 Des Voeux Road Central, Central
*REPOSTED on OpenRice
12 August 2014
WC Burger Joint | The Butchers Club Burger
While bosses were not in my colleague and I decided to check out The Butchers Club Burger to see for ourselves what the hype was all about. This was my second encounter with The Butchers Club chain, and the first being the sister store in Aberdeen. Now with that as the backdrop, I was in fact not totally satisfied with this $100 burger, especially having to walk 15-min over under the 32 degrees Celsius heat.
Anyhow, we were lucky to find two indoor seats at 1215pm, and I went straight to the queue to make my order. Didn't know why the cashier girl took sooo long to take orders - there's basically only THE burger and THE fries on the food menu. I ordered a $20 canned coke light for my colleague and I opted for the healthier (and cheaper) option of fresh juice in the local shop just around the corner (oops!).
Two original burgers, one order of duck fat fries and a canned pop costed to a total of *ching ching* $240. I would say this is an acceptable price, yet definitely not cheap, for dry-aged beef or so as they claimed on the website. They do have root beer and cherry coke on the menu FYI, at a cost of $30 each, canned.
After 13min or so our food arrived. Burger itself was not big, but to be fair, the meat patty was pretty thick, at least so wide that I wasn't able to bite through the entire deck of burger at one go. And no, this isn't a place to show your proper dining etiquette - they don't have forks so gotta go with your hands!
The bun was grilled but was apparently served at room temperature by the time our order arrived. The beef was juicy, tender and cooked just right, but I felt that the overall burger was lacking flavor so I had to add some hot sauce onto it.
The fattening sauce was generously applied on the bun though and the taste of melted butter was good (how could it not, right?).
The potato wedges were a little too salty, perhaps that's their way of balancing the lack of flavor of the burger? But, at least the fries were not soggy!
So what's the hype all about? Probably because it's an affordable burger joint in the proximity of Star Street with Caucasian chefs? Been there, done that. Not likely I'll have another go at it although it's conveniently located in my hood.
Venue: The Butchers Club Burger
District: Wanchai
Overall rating: 3 / 5
Cost: $150 ph - Lunch
Address: G/F Rialto Building, 2 Landale Street, Wanchai
Link: http://www.butchersclub.com.hk
*REPOSTED on OpenRice
Anyhow, we were lucky to find two indoor seats at 1215pm, and I went straight to the queue to make my order. Didn't know why the cashier girl took sooo long to take orders - there's basically only THE burger and THE fries on the food menu. I ordered a $20 canned coke light for my colleague and I opted for the healthier (and cheaper) option of fresh juice in the local shop just around the corner (oops!).
Two original burgers, one order of duck fat fries and a canned pop costed to a total of *ching ching* $240. I would say this is an acceptable price, yet definitely not cheap, for dry-aged beef or so as they claimed on the website. They do have root beer and cherry coke on the menu FYI, at a cost of $30 each, canned.
After 13min or so our food arrived. Burger itself was not big, but to be fair, the meat patty was pretty thick, at least so wide that I wasn't able to bite through the entire deck of burger at one go. And no, this isn't a place to show your proper dining etiquette - they don't have forks so gotta go with your hands!
The bun was grilled but was apparently served at room temperature by the time our order arrived. The beef was juicy, tender and cooked just right, but I felt that the overall burger was lacking flavor so I had to add some hot sauce onto it.
 |
| Beef cooked just right |
The fattening sauce was generously applied on the bun though and the taste of melted butter was good (how could it not, right?).
 |
| Generous fattening sauce (mayo?) |
The potato wedges were a little too salty, perhaps that's their way of balancing the lack of flavor of the burger? But, at least the fries were not soggy!
So what's the hype all about? Probably because it's an affordable burger joint in the proximity of Star Street with Caucasian chefs? Been there, done that. Not likely I'll have another go at it although it's conveniently located in my hood.
Venue: The Butchers Club Burger
District: Wanchai
Overall rating: 3 / 5
Cost: $150 ph - Lunch
Address: G/F Rialto Building, 2 Landale Street, Wanchai
Link: http://www.butchersclub.com.hk
*REPOSTED on OpenRice
10 August 2014
Chloé Moments Afternoon Tea | Cafe Causette
This limited time only Chloé crossover Mandarin Oriental afternoon tea to me was a reminiscence of the Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea at The Berkeley's in London. The price here definitely beats the latter though. At only $278 for one or $488 for two, the MO crossover tea set is quite reasonably price I would say, although no, there is no complimentary gift from Chloé as it was marketed, or at least not free unless you make a purchase at the store first...! We did book for the tea session a few weeks in advance.
While I presume afternoon tea sessions are normally for girls to gossip and catch up with each other, the table we got definitely didn't offer the privacy to do so. We were literally sitting right next to the two guys at our neighboring table. Otherwise, the cafe offers quite a bright and comfortable setting with big windows overlooking Statue Square.
The scones arrived first, in a MO tin box. They were fairly decent I would say although they did not arrive hot, or even warm. I usually go for the clotted cream with scones but MO is best known for their rose jam, so I did go splurging on that with my two pastries this time.
The afternoon set came in three tiers - top two were savories and bottom tier was for sweet pastries.
I wouldn't say the food was wow but overall it was a well-spent afternoon at the hotel.
Venue: Cafe Causette @ Mandarin Oriental HK
District: Central
Must-try: Scones with rose jam
Overall rating: 4 / 5
Cost: $260 ph - Afternoon tea
Address: M/F Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
*REPOSTED on OpenRice
The scones arrived first, in a MO tin box. They were fairly decent I would say although they did not arrive hot, or even warm. I usually go for the clotted cream with scones but MO is best known for their rose jam, so I did go splurging on that with my two pastries this time.
 |
| Plain and raisin scones with clotted cream and rose jam |
The afternoon set came in three tiers - top two were savories and bottom tier was for sweet pastries.
I wouldn't say the food was wow but overall it was a well-spent afternoon at the hotel.
Venue: Cafe Causette @ Mandarin Oriental HK
District: Central
Must-try: Scones with rose jam
Overall rating: 4 / 5
Cost: $260 ph - Afternoon tea
Address: M/F Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
*REPOSTED on OpenRice
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