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

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

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