The Press Room

I have been talking about this place for a long while, especially on the topic of French fries. On this Monday night, it was my day off and after watching the movie UP (what a great movie), my friend and I decided to come here for a relaxing dinner. This place brings back many memories, actually not so pleasant memories now that I think about it. It has nothing to do with food quality, it was something personal. One should look forward into the future instead of circling in the past asking why continuously. Anyhow, enough with the personal reflection here. We arrived at around 8:30pm but it was almost full, on a Monday night! I was surprised but it is a good thing I guess. (O yeah, a note worth mentioning, they are having a Free Flowing Wine Night every Monday!)



On the way to the main dining area, one would pass by the little oyster bar at the corner. Again I was still shocked at the number of people here on a Monday night! The atmosphere is soft and mild but it was rather noisy that night; then again, this place is called the Press Room which is suppose to be noisy right? While ordering, I asked for some free flowing wine to start it off.




(1) Oysters Selection
With the little oyster bar hiding in the corner, I cannot help myself but to order a few to try. On the menu there was a oyster platter selection but BEWARE, the selection of oysters under the platter option was very limited. To stay away from the limited choices (which we both dislike), we ordered 2 other kinds, a la carte style. We order Angel from Scotland and Fine de Claire from France. The Angel was very salty, way more salty than our expectation especially form a Scottish oyster. Fine de Claire, on the other hand, was way better. It was salty but not in the same sense as Angel because it was rich in oyster flavor to start off with and slowly brought out the sweet and bitter aftertaste. We both liked the Fine de Claire better.

(2) Baked Sea Snails
I liked the presentation very much, simple while elegant. The snails were placed on top of a pile of sea salt. (I wonder why it is called Sea Snails because it looked like Sea Whelk to me.) The flavor was good especially with "a bit" of the sea salt. I said "a bit" because if you tip the balance and got yourself a spoonful of the sea salt in your mouth, prepare to drink a lot of water because the sea salt used was very salty that it can dehydrate soon after. However, with the right amount, it went really well with the sea snails.



(3) Baby Chicken
I am not sure if I mention it before but in my opinion, chicken is a very difficult dish to master or to prepare in a restaurant because it is very easy to overcook it. The ability to prepare a good chicken dish, be it roasted or grilled, gives you a fair idea of the skills of the chef in that restaurant. I would not give the dish being served a thumbs up review not because the chicken quality was bad, it was actually tender throughout and relatively juicy even for the breast area; but it was the flavor of the herbs and spices used that I was rather disappointed. Most of the flavors were on the skin layer so if you are not a "chicken skin eater", you would not get much of a taste out of this dish. I eat chicken skin, so by ensuring my every bite of chicken has a small piece of skin to go along with it, it was a very decent dish.



(4) Daube De Boeuf (with Wagyu Beef Cheek)
Based on my understanding, it is a very difficult French dish to prepare because it requires long cooking time and skills. (at least that is my understanding) It was because of the difficulties in preparing this dish that I insisted on ordering it. The sauce was great, very rich but tasty in my opinion. The mash potatoes were good as well with strong butter flavor. While the Waygu Beef Cheek was very tender and soft that it almost required no chewing at all. (of course not to the point of melting in your mouth like some A5 Grade Wagyu steak but very soft indeed) However, while it was soft and tender, there seemed to be no beef taste to it at all. Is that how the beef cheek tastes like or lacked of it? humm ...



(5) French Fries
We ordered two sets because one was just not enough!!! The fries at this place is so far one of the best I have tried in Hong Kong. They remained crisp even after leaving it at room temperature for 10 or 15 minutes. The texture of the fries is one of the key elements I like to mention because although individual fries were sliced up from one single potato, they were not overly filling with a relative hallow interior. Flavor wise, only traces of salt was found, letting the rich potato flavor for my taste bud to enjoy. Thumbs up!

Likes:

• Great decor, atmosphere and ambiance
• French Fries
• Baked Sea Snails

Dislikes:

• A bit noisy (+ slight echoing effect when full house)
  
• Limited selection of oyster for the platter option
• lack of beef taste from the Wagyu beef cheek (is it suppose to taste like this? humm)

Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 500 per person

The Press Room
108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Tel: 2525 3444
http://www.thepressroom.com.hk/

The Yuu (Revisited)

When I was being asked to think of a dinning place with the following criteria, The Yuu somehow pops into my mind. Criteria: a) low carb b) non-raw food c) no seafood d) TST and e) comfortable. It was my second visit to this place but I was actually excited about trying some new items on its menu. Contrary to my own belief (or what it used to be), I actually enjoy trying new things; not just relating to food, but all sort of things. I would not say I am an adventurous person (... yet ... ) but I think I am one step closer than yesterday. There is a saying that the more you study, the less risk you are going to take because you have been informed or educated of the potential risks on every actions you take or decisions you make. But I have recently learned that to have a so-called meaningful life, it should be filled with risks. Life is all about risk, there is no point to be staying within the box or trying to make yourself fit within the box so to avoid or minimize risks. Thinking out of the the box, stay out of the box and live out of the box. There can be challenges as well as fun to out of the risks you are going to take. Anyhow, let me get back to the food items.



(1) Omelet with crab meat 蟹肉厚燒玉子
This is one of the famous items and since I enjoyed it last time, I ordered it again. However, it was rather disappointing. It was very watery for some reasons and the flavors were not as rich as last time. Maybe it was due to the busy hour on a Sat night? Whatever the reason was, the fact was that it was very watery and it somehow showed the inconsistency in the food quality. Revisiting a restaurant provides me the opportunity to review on the consistency factor of a great restaurant.



(2) Soft-shell crab Maki 軟殼蟹卷
This dish, on the other hand, maintained its quality. The soft-shell crab was fresh and crispy and the maki was tightly wrapped. No new surprises here.



(3) Robatayaki Selection
(Grilled Minced Chicken, Grilled OX tongue and chicken Soft bones) This order was another proof for its consistency in terms of food quality. The grilled ox tongue and minced chicken were under-grilled (and a bit cold as if placed at room temperature for a while). These set of skewers seem to be pre-grilled, possibly due the busy hour and that these items are popular items.




(4) Grilled Tofu
How I wish we did not order this dish! It was very dry and if it was grilled for a bit longer, it might turn into bean curd. I am used to grilled tofu or fried tofu to be crispy on the outside and very soft in the inside. Maybe it was the way it was but I personally did not enjoy it at all.



(5) Ginger Beef with Fried Rice in Hot Stone Pot
This dish I liked very much. The ginger mixed very well with the sliced beef in terms of flavors and when you mix them while the stone pot was still hot, the savoring smell would just make you very hungry.



(6) Kimchi Pork with Fried Rice in Hot Stone Pot
Another nice dish but the kimchi flavor was a bit weak. It the kimchi used was a bit more spicy, it would have been way better. I guess tonight was not a good night to go on a low crab diet with all the tasty stone pot rice.

Likes:

• Hot Stone Pot Rice
• Service remains great
  

Dislikes:

• Inconsistency of food quality (Omelet and Robatayaki Selection)

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

Previous visit date: 22 Jul 2009

The Yuu
4/F, Prosperous Centre,
1 Knutsford Terrace, TST
Tel: 2366 2999

Cafe Iguana @ Elements (Revisted)

After our Happy Hour session at SOHO No. 8, we headed over to Elements for some Mexican food because my friend who worked late wanted some Fajitas and what a great idea it was! Chili infused Tequila, here I come!! Compared with the last time I was here about a few weeks ago (First Visit), tonight the place was fully packed! I guess they did some very successful promotion. Fortunately, we did not have to wait long and we got the bench seat as well.



(1) Nachos
Lovely dish indeed! Not only does it look nice, it tasted very good. It was surprisingly good actually especially with the addition of corns. That is not a common ingredient you find ion Nachos (at least from my experiences) but the sweetness of it added a very good and refreshing flavors to it. Wonderfully prepared.



(2) Quesadillas
Another wonderful dish. The diced chicken tasted less dry than many other places so I asked the staff. Apparently chicken thighs were were instead of breast so the diced chicken remained relatively tender and juicy even after being grilled. The supply for various condiments was a nice touch too.



(3) Fajitas (steak)
We ordered this last time as well and we loved it. This time though, the sliced steak seemed smaller and a bit overcooked compared to last time. Actually there was more onions this time. Humm ... Anyhow, we enjoyed it and had to order more tortillas.



(4) Chili Infused Tequila
How can I come here without having this Chili Infused Tequila. This time it was served in a special rack with both the tequilas and the chaser. Try to drink down the tequila first and wait for a while before going for the chaser to allow the chili flavors to come out and rest in your mouth & throats. It was a great sensation indeed.

Likes:

• Nachos - especially the addition of corns
• Quesadillas - the use of chicken thighs is a good idea
• Fajitas (steak) - still good but slightly disappointing compare with last time
  

Dislikes:

• Lack of air conditioning once again.

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

Cafe Iguana
Shop R004, Civic Square, Elements,
1 Austin Road West, TST
Tel: 2196 8733

SOHO No 8

Carrying my bad mood into the evening, the best thing was to go for a happy hour session on this Friday evening. Initially my friends and I wanted to head to Yorkhshire Pudding but it was pretty full so instead we headed to Soho No. 8 next door. To our surprise, tonight was the first day it opened, the opening night! However, they can't serve alcoholic beverages yet unfortunately. Anyhow, we were too lazy to continue our search so we decided to give this place a try anyhow. The place is located right beside the mid level escalator and its logo is pretty catchy to attract attention to those passing by. Being its first opening night, I can still smell the renovation scent flowing in the air.

I could not really point out what kind of cuisine this place is serving, be it English, American or Italian because it serves different varieties. Let's call it international cuisine I guess. We sat on the first floor and we were informed that there is actually another dinning area on the second floor. (I wonder how it looked.) We also discovered that this restaurant belongs to the same group as the Yorkshire Pudding.



(1) Gunner
Since no alcoholic beverages were allowed, I ordered this drink called Gunner (from Yorkshire Pudding's drinks menu). I had no idea what was in there so I asked. Apparently it was a mixture of Ginger Ale + Ginger Beer + Bitters. Bitters is actually a highly concentrated food and beverages flavouring made from herbs and spices. Angostura Bitters was the brand they used. It reminds me of Unicum. I liked it but I think I will try a variation of Bitters drinks next time because I wanted a more concentrated Bitters flavors.



(2) Kaffir Lime Leaf Chicken Satay's
The presentation was nice but it was too salty for some reasons. In addition to the leaf taste, the flavor was more like Thai style herbs and spices. As you can see, it serves Asian delights as well so very international indeed. This dish would be nice to go with some cold beer ! Maybe next time.



(3) Baby Spinach Salad with Seasonal Pears, Feta and Toasted Spicy Walnuts
Since we were only having happy hour, we opted for some light salads while waiting for one of our friends who were still working very hard at the office. The combination of Seasonal Pears and Walnuts were very refreshing, just like what I had for lunch today, the Apple Brie Cheese Walnuts on Rye. A good dish to have on a hot and humid evening. The dish name mentioned about spicy walnut, nut I wonder what it means by spicy because they tasted like normal walnuts too be. O yes, a nice touch to serve the dressing on the side because I like minimal dressing on my salads and I can now pour the right amount to my liking.



(4) Romaine Hearts Salad with Quails Eggs, Crispy Parma Ham and Green Goddess Dressing
(With Grilled Prawns) Yummy quails eggs! The combination of ingredients was again very good. The romaines were crisp and fresh, quails eggs were tasty and the crispy parma hams were salty enough the balance the flavor of the dressing which was slightly sour. I still have no idea what a Goddess dressing is but an interesting name indeed. With the addition of the grilled prawns, this can serve as a main dish in my opinion. (o yes, the prawns were a bit salty as well)



Service wise, it was alright, very attentive but it reminded my of my Habibi experience. The staff came by the clean out our plates and drinks very frequently and ask if we wanted another beverages when my drink is still HALF FULL (maybe to them it was HALF EMPTY). As soon as I had my last sip of my first Gunner (I ordered two Gunners all together), someone came by immediately and picked it up and ask me if I wanted another one. Chill people, chill! There was no need to be that attentive or were they trying to rush us out on their first opening night on a Friday when they don't even allow to serve alcohol. Hmmm ... Anyhow, will go back to try their main dishes when they can serve alcohol !

Likes:

• Comfortable Atmosphere
• Good Salads

Dislikes:

• over-attentive services

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

SOHO No 8
8 Staunton Street,
SoHo, Central
Tel: 2536 9068

Le Velo the baker

I am really not in the mood for heavy or fancy meals these past few days. Maybe it is due to my monthly mood swing. I really have no idea. My friend asked me out for lunch today and she suggested something quick and light which I was more than happy to have. The place is very down-to-earth with a dozen or some tables. It looks more like a fast food joint than a bakery in my opinion.



My friend suggested me to have one of her favorites, which is the Apple Brie Cheese Walnut on Rye. Since I was not in the mood to think at all, I ordered the same thing. That was all I ordered. The first thing I realized was that the Rye was not what I expected. I thought it should be hard, very hard, but the bread used here was rather soft. Not the type of Rye bread I am used to. The combination of roasted walnut, sliced granny apples and sliced brie cheese was rather refreshing in my opinion. Such a combination is not for everyone, especially the brie cheese flavor. I like brie cheese and stronger the flavor the better. The type used here was not the strong type but good enough because otherwise it will overtake the flavors of the walnuts and apples. Also, the eating experience or sensation was interesting because in every bite, you will get chunk of the walnut in your mouth.

Likes:

• Refreshing combination of ingredients

Dislikes:

• can be very crowded
• Rye bread was not the hard type

Budget: Below HKD 100 per person

Le Velo the baker
G/F, Beautiful Group Tower
74 - 77 Connaught Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 3118 2895

MIKAWAYA 三河屋

After living in the neighborhood for over 2 years, I have never been to this restaurant. According to my friend who used to live around here, he recommended me to try their Japanese eel rice and deep-fried pork cutlet and egg rice. While awaiting for Typhoon signal 8 to be hoisted, I wandered around the Hung Hom area with my umbrella in search for this place. When I arrived around 8pm, it was full house but I only needed to wait for a few minutes because I was by myself and can sit anywhere inside this cozy little restaurant.



I can be pretty honest to say that this place is definitely not a comfortable place in terms of seating arrangement and environment. I was sweating continuously throughout the meal because of the lack of air conditioning. Based on my observation, the interior of the restaurant remained pretty much the same over the past 15 or even 20 years. However, all the surrounding factors give this place a "neighborhood diner" / "home cooking" atmosphere which I kind of enjoyed especially when dinning alone.

(1) Miso Soup
I ordered a set meal and it came with a msio soup. Just by the look of it, it was not very appetizing at all. It looked very watery. There were plenty of the ingredients such as seaweeds & beansprouts in the soup, and the miso flavor was surprisingly pretty well-balanced when compared with the many Japanese chain restaurants in Hong Kong which use extremely salty, powdery type miso mixture. I am not sure whether it was intentional or not to prepare the soup this way with a watery / diluted look, but I actually enjoyed it.



(2) Deep-Fried Pork Cutlet & Egg Rice (Katsudon)
Not bad at all. The sauce for such a rice dish is one of the most important ingredients and it was good quality sauce that was used for my Katsudon. Slightly sweet but a good match with the rest of the ingredients. The pork cutlet on the other hand, was a bit disappointing. The pork itself was rather tender but the batter was slightly too thick. In my opinion, the egg (scrambled?) acted as part of the sauce and it did a pretty good job here as well together with the onion and the actual sauce.



I will come back later for sure not only because I want to try other dishes but I also wanted to have the home cooking / neighborhood dining experiences. However, it will be on a cooler day when I return.

Likes:

• Sauce for the rice
• well-balanced miso flavor in the miso soup (even though it looked very watery)
• "home cooking" / "neighborhood diner" atmosphere
  

Dislikes:

• Uncomfortable seating environment
• Lack of air conditioning

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person

MIKAWAYA
Shop D, G/F, Lux Theatre,
14 Ming On Street, Hung Hom
Tel: 2330 7175

798 Unit & Co

I can't recall the last time I was here, maybe over a year ago or so. All I remembered was that I have not been back ever since for various reasons. Tonight, two friends and I decided to pay this place a visit. The decor of this restaurant (which applies to its TST outlet as well) carries a French Bistro style with a very soft and mild ambiance. The tile floor along with chalk board menu adds an extra touch of the authenticity to the whole atmosphere. What I found interesting was the choice of songs playing in the background. For example, 98 Degrees and Backstreet Boys ! These songs certain brought back some memories indeed.



(1) Salad of smoked trout, brie, mango & baby greens
A very refreshing salad especially with the diced mango on top. The tofu like rectangular looking thing was the brie and in terms of texture and flavors, it was rather ... humm ... interesting when eating it together with the mango. The same applies when eating the mango with the smoked trout. In my opinion, there was too much of a contrast in flavors when eating the so-called main ingredients together.



(2) Manila Clams
(in white wines, cream & parley sauce) The sauce was great, not too creamy and very rich in flavor. A lot of places tend to pour too much white wine during the making of the sauce, causing it overly strong with the wine flavor. Thumbs up on the sauce. However, the clams were a bit disappointing for me. For the few that I tried, they were not very fresh based on my experiences with seafood, both raw and cooked.



(3) Baked Portobella mushroom
Contrary to my expectation, nothing special about this dish. The flavor of the mushroom was a bit too salty and texture wise it very dry; definitely over-baked. Thumbs down. Very disappointing.



(4) Slow-baked oxtail risotto
Flavors were rich and it was great. The shredded oxtail were soft and tender. However, the risotto was overcooked. While it was creamy, the texture of the rice was too soft and lacked the chewy texture to it. Also, it was slightly too salty.



(5) Oven Roasted Long Bone Beef Short Ribs
Wow. When it was served, we all shouted "wow" together because it was huge! It was close to 48oz at least. Now I know why the words "Long Bone" were there on the menu. What a Ironic name tough, Long Bone ... Short Ribs ! Good that we were sharing this otherwise there was just no ways any one of us can finish it. We ordered it medium and medium it was. It was well roasted and the salt & spices were applied very evenly as well. Even the outer layer of the short ribs remained relatively tender after being roasted for a while. A well prepared dish and we all enjoyed it very much. A note of caution, in order to cut through this short ribs, prepare to use a lot of energy because I think it took me more effort than to cut a turkey!



(6) French Fries
Fries were freshly prepared and it came in a tin can similar to the Press Room. It came with ketchup and some gravy which was a nice touch. If they can be lighter on the salt it would be even better. I liked it but not as much as those from the Press Room. I personally prefer thinner fries. Potato wedge, on the other hand, is another story because I don't consider them fries. Wedges are Wedges !



(7) Mango-passion fruit & coconut trifle
An interesting dessert with Honey-Lemongrass sorbet on top. I really liked the sorbet because I like lemongrass and the sorbet has a very rich flavor of it as well. The jello-like texture of the orange and white layers were of mango and passion fruits flavors respectively. I could not really taste the coconut, likely due to the rich mango flavor. Together with the honey lemongrass sorbet, it was a very refreshing dessert on such a hot summer night.



(8) Creme brulee
It was surprisingly well prepared. Not too rich with the vanilla flavor and not too thick / creamy with its texture. The caramelized layer on top was evenly done and was crisp through out the whole dish. Not bad at all.

Likes:

• Decor / Atmosphere
• Oven Roasted Long Bone Beef Short Ribs - HUGE but Delicious !

Dislikes:

• Salad of smoked trout, brie, mango & baby greens (the contrast in flavors was rather too great for me)
• Slow-baked oxtail risotto (a bit too salty and overcooked risotto)
• Baked Portobella mushroom (too dry and salty again)

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

798 Unit & Co
Shop 1203, 12/F, Food Forum, Times Square,
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Tel: 2506 0611

Brunch Club @ CWB

Having been to the Brunch Club @ Soho, I can't help myself but go try out the Brunch Club CWB outlet. It was located on the second floor and leading up to it is a long stairways of what I like to call "lofty" style. Even the interior of the restaurant gives you that lofty feeling especially its walls which are half torn showing the red bricks underneath. (Well, I think those red bricks are planted there intentionally to give that lofty atmosphere because bricks are not common building materials in Hong Kong) I really like this environment especially on a Sunday afternoon. The atmosphere of a place is equally important as the quality of the food in my opinion.

This outlet is definitely bigger and more comfortable than the Soho one. Tables are more spacious and there is a swing chair of some sort at the rear end of the restaurant. We arrived there around 12:30pm and it was about half full. Although there were plenty of empty seats around, we were surprised to find that many were under reservation and many of the seats required us to leave before certain time. What I found most interesting was that among the other available non-window seats, someone actually made a specific reservation for the specific table which is beside a cement column? humm ... so whoever made this specific reservation will not even take an available windows seats but instead the cement column table? O well, who am I to judge, I was just surprised why we were asked to finish at a certain time when there were at least 3 tables available even for walk-in customers. Anyhow, I guess I will book in advance next time for a nice Sunday brunch.



(1) Eggs Benedict (smoked Salmon)
Since I ordered Mix Grill last time at the Soho outlet, I decided to order something new to try. The portion was rather generous and it came with a harsh brown and some salad on the side. Poached eggs were well prepared with plenty of liquid yoke remained inside. Timing is very important for poached eggs and I think they did a pretty good job with it. As for the hollandaise, while it was creamy, it was rather light in flavors. Overall a fair dish indeed. Another thing I almost forgot to add, the harsh brown was a bit too chunky and hard which was likely a result of being over-fried / overcooked in my opinion.



(2) Hong Kong Dog Rescue Sandwich
What an interesting name for a dish. It consisted of Avocado, Norwegian Smoked Salmon, cucumbers and mayo on homemade herb focaccia. Even with the dish in front of me, I was still confused as to why it was named as such. It basically looked just like any other focaccia sandwich.



(3) Chocolate and Banana Crepes
What would be better than to have some sweets after a meal. My friend ordered this chocolate and banana crepes but we were both shocked when it was served. Shock might be too strong a word but the presentation of the crepes was definitely not what we were expecting. All the chocolate and banana slices were on top of the crepes instead of inside. The only reason I can think of is because of the lesser time and effort required to do it this way. Such presentation and method of preparation reminds me of Superman ... with his red underwear outside his tights! Almost forgot to mention that the crepes was rather thick as well. Definitely not their best dessert and I do hope I am right too. Disappointing.



(4) Strawberries French Toast with Yogurt
I ordered something different, something I now hope I did not order. The diced strawberries, the strawberry sauce and the plain yogurt were very Sour, Sour and Sour respectively. Basically the whole dessert was very citrus, too citrus in my opinion. I really don't know how else I can describe it.

Likes:

• Decor / Atmosphere
• Eggs Benedict (smoked Salmon)

Dislikes:

• Overly citrus Strawberries French Toast with Yogurt
• Rather noisy when full (around 1:30pm)
• Interesting booking / reservation arrangement.
  

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

(Added 19 September 2009 - Finally, starting 26 September 2009, no more booking service is available, it will be on a first come first served & full parties basis)

Brunch Club and Supper
1/F, 13 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay
Tel: 2890 2125
http://www.brunch-club.org/