From Gastroposter Rosita Lam, via Instagram: Empress Cafe : Japanese mentaiko spaghetti www.facebook.com/thepearlorange
*Reposted from Gastropost Vancouver
12 November 2014
Vancouver Gastropost Mission 62 : Asian Noodle Smackdown
From Gastroposter Rosita Lam, via Instagram: *Reposted from Gastropost Vancouver
12 October 2014
01 October 2014
Cold-Overpriced to the Max | Cali-Mex
The first time I knew about Cali-Mex was when I passed by the outlet in Central when it was still under renovation and while I finally saw the opening of another branch in Wanchai, I went there to grab a quick lunch one day. There aren't many Mexican joints in HK, let alone good ones so I was really looking forward to giving this place a try. The branch in Wanchai is on Queen's Road East right next to Burger King and PP3 - quite conveniently located. Ordering's at the front, and there're seating on the second floor.
That afternoon I was craving for something light so I opted for the Baja fish taco ($98) in medium spice, which was definitely not cheap I thought. *still reminiscing the once-upon-a-time CAD 99cent tacos at Taco Bell* Food was ready pretty soon and I grabbed a free-seating-fast-food-style table upstairs. The order came in 3 taco shells, although the presentation didn't look too very appealing.
In fact, the food itself didn't taste that great either. The salsa and sour cream was cold, which of course I wasn't surprised but nothing else was even a tiny bit warm, not the taco shell, not the fish. While there're 3 tacos in an order, which worked out to be around $33 each, there was only one small piece of fish found in each one of them, and the rest was stuffed up with veg and sour cream.
This place is not worth my second try. I would much rather get a deluxe lunch combo at Tsui Wah WITH beverage at this price. At least they serve their food hot.
That afternoon I was craving for something light so I opted for the Baja fish taco ($98) in medium spice, which was definitely not cheap I thought. *still reminiscing the once-upon-a-time CAD 99cent tacos at Taco Bell* Food was ready pretty soon and I grabbed a free-seating-fast-food-style table upstairs. The order came in 3 taco shells, although the presentation didn't look too very appealing.
In fact, the food itself didn't taste that great either. The salsa and sour cream was cold, which of course I wasn't surprised but nothing else was even a tiny bit warm, not the taco shell, not the fish. While there're 3 tacos in an order, which worked out to be around $33 each, there was only one small piece of fish found in each one of them, and the rest was stuffed up with veg and sour cream.
This place is not worth my second try. I would much rather get a deluxe lunch combo at Tsui Wah WITH beverage at this price. At least they serve their food hot.
Cali-Mex, G/F 25 Queen's Road East, Wanchai, +852 2325 3005
District: Wanchai
Overall Rating: 2 / 5
30 September 2014
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
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
25 September 2014
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! ;)
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 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
16 September 2014
A Sexy Back With An Over-sized Perfume Box
More fall styles to come...
13 September 2014
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.
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
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
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