Simplylife: Bread and Wine @ IFC

When it comes to food, the more simple the dish is, the harder it is to perfect; the same applies to life. It is hard to achieve a simple yet satisfying life style. It is easier said than done! Alright, enough blah-ing and back to food! Finding a decent place for brunch on a Sunday afternoon is harder than expected. I have been in search for such a place for a long while and often resulted in disappointment. The best example was my visits to the Brunch Club over the last few months. On my determined quest to discover new and better brunch outlets, my friends and I attempted Simplylife @ IFC.



The old Canteen fast food joint has been transformed into this upscale bistro with both self-serving and full services offerings. With the large windows and sun shines, you may mistaken it as alfresco dining. The self-serving section (via the open kitchen & bakery) mainly concentrates on bread, sandwiches, salad and pizza; while hot food items are prepared at the other end of the main dining area.



I liked the fact that they do not squeeze the tables together to get the most seats out of the available space. Most tables were well spaced with sufficient privacy between tables.



(1) English Big Breakfast
My friend ordered the big breakfast. It looked promising but I can only rely on my friend's feedback because I was not allowed to try due to her extreme hunger! According to my friend, the grilled tomato was cold and the same applied to the baked beans as well. I surely did not expect the grilled tomato be be cold unless it was prepared way in advance. Anyhow, I better try it myself to really get the real taste of the various items. O by the way, the mushroom was very good because it was stir-fried with garlic to give it an extra kick in flavors.



(2) Cappuccino
I ordered a cappuccino in advance before my dish was served. It was just alright. The milk foam was very good but the ratio of the foam and milk was off definitely with too much milk. More like Latte than Cappuccino. The amount of milk somehow weakened the coffee flavor in my opinion.



(3) Organic Omelet with oven-dried tomato and hash brown potatoes
The dish looked promising with cheese flowing out from the side. My choice of fillings included mushroom, ham and cheddar cheese. It was alright, very soft in the middle but not enough fillings. I cannot help myself but to compare the omelet with the one I had from RED @ IFC a few weeks ago because it was huge with plenty of fillings and a wider selection of fillings as well. Anyhow, it wasn't bad at all but for about the same price, I would opt for RED @ IFC not for the food alone but also the alfresco element. Almost forgot to mention that the oven-dried tomato was COLD!!!! The cold oven-dried tomato kind of ruined the whole dish for me.



(4) Espresso (Double)
I have heard good things about their coffee so I gave them a second chance after the Cappuccino earlier. It was good, very good indeed; way better than the coffee beverages. It carried a slight earthy flavor but smooth enough for my taste-bud. I am still learning about my coffee but I liked it, simple as that. However, I honestly did not understand why on earth would they serve my double espresso in such a large cup???



One thing I do want to share was their service. It was surprisingly attentive and professional as well. The team was well trained and we had a great time despite the few set backs with some of their food. I would definitely return on a lazy Sunday afternoon, looking forward to enjoy my brunch in this great atmosphere, hopefully with an improved attitude towards food details such as cold grilled tomatoes and baked beans.

Likes:

• Great Service
• Espresso
• Very nice decor + atmosphere for Sunday brunch

Dislikes:

• Espresso on such a large cup?
• Cold grilled tomato , oven-dried tomato and baked beans

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Simplylife: Bread and Wine
Shop 1081, IFC Mall
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 852 2234 7356
http://www.maxims.com.hk/tc/main.asp


View Larger Map

Tai Ping Koon 太平館餐廳

I am a loyal diner at Tai Ping Koon (太平館餐廳) not only for its consistency in terms of food quality but also the homely feeling of its environment. It seemed to have the same decor as 5 years ago when I first visited and with the same strong air conditioning blowing right on top of your head! Don't expect top-notch services but do except skilled and extremely responsive services from the team of experienced staff. Tai Ping Koon is very famous for its Swiss Chicken Wings or more accurately the so-called Swiss sauce (瑞士汁). While items with Swiss sauce were good, my favorite item remains to be the ox-tongue.



(1) Tea
I am a coffee person but for some odd reasons, I ordered tea tonight. I am glad that I did because otherwise I would not have the chance to see something I haven't encountered for a long while which is the stainless steel "tea filter"! Of course you may see it in those upscale establishment serving traditional English after tea sets but at local Chinese food joints, it is becoming a rare item. Well, it wasn't the greatest tea but it was comforting especially a DIY cup of tea instead of those Hong Kong styled milk tea with everything added already.



(2) Boiled Corned Ox-tongue
It was salty but it was salty in a very delicious way. It looked plain but not the taste for sure. When I say the salty flavor was very complex, it was very complex indeed. It may sound crazy but I was making the following noises while eating this with spoonful of rice: HUMMM, YUMMM, HUMM followed by another series of HUMMMMs. It was a simple boiled ox-tongue yet very satisfying indeed! Soft and tender: who needs wagyu beef, this ox-tongue almost melted in my mouth as well!

Likes:

• Boiled Corned Ox-tongue - salty but in a good and delicious way.
• Boiled Corned Ox-tongue - soft and tender! almost melted in my mouth
• Boiled Corned Ox-tongue - generous portions
• (ooops, did I repeat my Likes? ... o well)

Dislikes:

• Air Conditioning too strong and too cold!

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Tai Ping Koon Restaurant
6 Pak Sha Road, CWB
Tel: 852 2576 9161
http://www.taipingkoon.com/home.html


View Larger Map

SML @ Times Square

There have been much hype about this place recently and I can finally give this a try. First thing first, when I called in to book for a table, I was repeatedly being reminded within that 30 seconds conversation that I only have 1.5 hours to dine and must leave before a certain time! (of course unless I book like 8:30pm or 9:00pm then I MIGHT be able to sit longer!) What is wrong with restaurants nowadays? There are actually a few I can name on top of my head that impose a time limit for diners! I am not eating wonton noodles at some hawkers center for cry out loud, I am paying good money for a decent meal and I expect to enjoy them as long as I want! Anyhow, enough blah-ing from me at the moment and let's get on to the venue and food.



In addition to the interesting figure at the entrance, the main dining area was large and filled with three long wooden table like those school canteen bench. It somehow reminded me of the movie Harry Potter and the long dining table. And yes, due to the setup of the tables and seats, you will be sitting shoulder to shoulder with a stranger. (I think this setup created a certain confusion for wait staff when it comes to serving the right parties, a dedicated server must be assigned to minimize confusion)



While ordering, I noticed something that ... captured my attention. It was not the fact that the place offers Small, Medium and Large dishes for all items as its name SML suggested, it was the menu itself. The menu was bilingual, English and Chinese, but in Simplified Chinese ! I guess the Press Room Group which operates this restaurant has bigger plans ahead of them. Anyhow, the idea of offering small, medium and large dishes was not a new idea, some Chinese restaurants like Lei Garden has some offerings with such options. Nonetheless it was a good idea because there are people who like to try little of many things!



(1) French Fries (M)
I was actually expecting Press Room quality fries but it wasn't. Rather disappointed.



(2) Salon tartare (M)
Nicely presented indeed! Also, we can pick and choose the different garnishes to go with the salmon. The liquid was a lime juice which was actually a good mix. Of course I preferred the quail eggs!



(3) Caesar Salad (L)
Not surprises here as well but it was a refreshing salad to start with. A bit more dressing would be nice.



(4) Crispy Pork Belly + Red Cabbage-apple Coleslaw (M)
It was too fatty. The fatty layers occupied over 50% of the piece of meat! The flavor was a bit too strong and too salty as well. We finished the whole dish by separating the fat from the meat of course! One more thing, it was not served at optimal temperature in my opinion, a thumbs down. (I tried the item as soon as it was served already) Many items must have been semi prepared in one way or the other but they should try to maintain the food temperature as well.



(5) Spicy Lamb Kebab + Mint Yoghurt + Onion Salad (M)
A decent surprise indeed. Rich in flavor and meat was tender. However, it was the food temperature that bothered me. Not of optimal temperature for sure! I think it was the fact that most dishes we ordered were served all at once within minutes of each other! (More on this topic below) Anyhow, I love lamb so I can eat as it without the mint yoghurt, give both ways a try.



(6) Grilled US Hanger Steak + Chips (M)

The steak was pre-cut !!!?? I want my steak as a whole piece and I like to cut it myself! There were too much sauce all over the steak and it was at room temperature! (I tried the steak after the crispy pork belly as soon as both items were served) The sauce was very strong that it overtook the beef flavor. Although the beef was tender, the overall impression was disappointing indeed.

(added 12 Nov 2009: thanks to Babedoplhin, now I learn that Hanger Steak is usually served pre-sliced, am learning new things everyday, yeah! Much remain to be learned! )

(7) Seared Seabass (M)
Maybe it was difficult to pre-cooked fish so it was rather delightful and served at optimal temperature. Very flaky and tender, a well prepared dish. The sauce was light, just enough bring out the fish taste of the seabass. Also, the skin was very crispy as well!



(8) Pot of Chocolate + Chocolate mousse + Fudge (M)
Interesting presentation with chewy fudge cubes on top and chocolate mousse at the bottom. It was rather sweet even with the cream but a very nice dessert to end the meal if you are a chocolate lover like I am.



(9) Caramel Profiteroles + butterscotch sauce (M)
I did not try any but it reminded me of Beard Papa's cream puffs. It looked sweet and according to my friends, it was very sweet indeed with the butter scotch sauce.

One other thing I like to mention ONCE AGAIN was that the food/dishes came almost all at once! The problem? Food temperature! Some items were already served way under the optimal temperature and leaving all the food on the table just worsen the problem. Plus it made me feel like we were being rushed! If you are to come and give it a try, order the items one after another for optimal temperature. It was interesting to find the following words on the menu as well which acted as a disclaimer for my above mentioned compliant: "each dish is served when ready." So ... the serving order of dishes can be quite random since each dish is to be served when ready. Interesting isn't it!

Likes:

• Salon tartare - the do-it-yourself (DIY) elements of the garnishes
• Seared Seabass - finally something of optimal temperature! flaky and tender
• Spicy Lam Kebab - tender and rich in flavors (but not at optimal temperature when served)

Dislikes:

• Grilled US Hanger Steak - too much sauce, sauce too strong and was served @ room temperature + PRE-SLICED!(thanks to Babedoplhin, now I learn that Hanger Steak is usually served pre-sliced, learning new things everyday, yeah!)
  
• Crispy Pork Belly - too fatty with too many fatty layers
• the school canteen seating arrangement might not be for everyone
  

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

S|M|L
Shop 1105, 11/F, Times Square,
1 Matheson Street, CWB
Tel: 852 2577 3444


View Larger Map

Hemingway's by the Bay

Among the works of Ernest Hemingway, my favorite is The Old Man and The Sea followed by Farewell to Arms. If this Discovery Bay's D Deck restaurant Hemingway's by the Bay is to publish a book, I think it should be called The Chef and The Sea! Why you ask? Simple, it was because the afternoon I was there, the CHEF has left the kitchen and likely to be out in the sea fishing for some fresh seafood which the kitchen ran out of! The al fresco dining area was nice especially on this wonderful afternoon with a light cool breeze together with the sea view.



(1) Apple Sour + Blueberry Nut Smoothies
After my first sip of the the Apple Sour, I immediately withdrew myself from it because it was not just very sour but very unusually in my own opinion. What do you know, it was actually okay when compared with the blueberry Nut smoothies my friend ordered. It EXTREMELY watery and rather flavorless for some odd reasons. A picture is worth a thousand words so take a look at the zoomed in picture below regarding the WATERY aspect of this drink. The layers were visible only after a few minutes. Two Thumbs down!


(2) Steamed Mussels
(with a lightly spiced tomato broth and served with cumin toasted bread) I really didn't understand why it was called broth when thick paste was found! Before getting to the mussel, the cumin toasted bread was very hard but flavor wise it was alright in general.



As for the mussels (and the paste), they were definitely overcooked! Many of the mussels escaped the shells and there were many empty shells! It seemed there were more capers than mussels in this dish! Once again, what broth? It should be lightly spiced tomato paste with excessive amount of capers?? The empty shells (likely due to mussels being overcooked) really disappointed me!



(3) Seafood Paella
Just from the look how it was served, one can be sure that the paella was not cooked from the accompanied pan! It must have been cooked somewhere else and place in this pan for serving because a good paella should be served "flat" on a big pan! It should be wide round and shallow! I was already disappointed at this stage.



How was the taste? It was rather dry and tasteless despite the vivid color of the rice and ingredients! The prawns accordingly to my friend was very firm and seemed like frozen prawns. There were plenty of empty mussels shells again. I thought I was eating Chinese fried rice for a second! Another thumbs down!



(4) Pan-fried Crab Cakes
Now the pan-fried crab cakes, it looked decent but it was rather loose in texture and lacked real crab meat. It contained plenty of flour though. Relatively speaking, this one was more enjoyable than the other two items ordered.

Likes:

• Atmosphere / alfresco dining

Dislikes:

• Steamed Mussels - too many empty shells, mussels overcooked and tomato paste instead of broth!
• Seafood Paella - dry, flavorless and not cooked or served directly from a paella pan
• Blueberry Nut Smoothies - too watery!

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

Hemingway's by the Bay
D Deck G09, DB Plaza, Discovery Bay
Tel: 852 2987 8855
http://www.hemingwaysdb.com/


View Larger Map

Mr. November 2009

I am very honored for being selected as Mr. November through the kind words of WOM Guide (http://www.womguide.com) in this month's Members Choice. Thanks guys!

Brunch Club @ CWB (who said 3rd time is the charm?)

This entry has to jump the queue! Been to the Brunch Club and Supper twice before and tonight I was here for the 3rd visit looking for some desserts. I ordered a Lemon & Sugar Waffles. By the name of it, it seemed normal enough right? Well, apparently it should have been Waffles with Lemon and Sugar instead! I understand that there is a similar traditional English dish called Lemon & Sugar Pancakes whereby sugar icing is added along with a few slices of lemon on the side. However, I did not expect my Lemon & Sugar Waffle to come with only traces of icing, big slices of cocktail lemons and .... yes and a sugar container of packaged sugar (for coffee and tea)! (Fine! I will give them the credit that they use Fairtrade white sugar stick) The packaged sugar container was served together with the waffles and the staff clearly informed me that "here is the sugar for your waffles."

What on earth was I suppose to do with them? Sprinkle some of those white sugar on top? or some brown coffee sugar crystals? or wait, maybe some Equal Sugar Sweetener? Afterall, all three options were there for me to pick! Was it just my problem concerning the use of packaged sugar for this particular dessert? Feel free to enlighten me, please!

Dislikes: Pretty self explanatory am I right?

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person

Brunch Club and Supper

1/F, 13 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay

Tel: 2890 2125

http://www.brunch-club.org/

View Larger Map

RED @ IFC

It was a sudden decision of mine to visit RED @ IFC on this lovely Saturday afternoon for a relaxing brunch! My last visit here was a while ago spending the afternoon under the sun reading. This time I can give their food items a try. You may ask why the restaurant opted for a self-serving approach, it is because this outdoor podium / alfresco dining area is a public area and hence no service can be provided. I am perfectly fine with that as long as I can enjoy my food under the sun. Just look around, it is not an everyday chance one can relax and enjoy a meal with such a view of Hong Kong.



It was perfect to me, not humid and not too hot (under the shade of course!). There were actually a lot of people dining here at this hour, all looking for some sun shines I imagined. If the weather is to get cooler (likely in a month or so), I might just spend the whole day here read, drinking cocktails and just to chill!



(1) 3-Egg Omelette
It was HUGE and thick! I think there were more than 3 eggs. Among the many fillings selection, I picked mushroom, baked ham, sweet corns and cheddar cheese. Wow, there were plenty of ingredients / fillings in that omelette as well. I love the sweet corns which added hints of sweetness to the whole dish. The omelette itself was a bit overcook but definitely acceptable. No surprises for the fries. As for the cappuccino, while it was rather weak, the foam was a surprise. It was very fine and creamy, not bad at all.

Likes:

• atmosphere / alfresco dining
• very creamy foam from the cappuccino
• plenty of fillings / ingredients !

Dislikes:

• weak coffee

Avg Spending: HKD 100 -200 per person

Red Bar and Restaurant
4/F, IFC Mall
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 8129 8882
http://www.pure-red.com/en/hongkong/




View Larger Map

Super Star Seafood Restaurant 鴻星海鮮酒家

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Wanda
Wanda who?
Wanda have some hairy crab?

Alright, it is lame but it did put a little smile on your face right? Anyhow, the hairy crab (aka Chinese mitten crab 大閘蟹) season has arrived! To my knowledge, the male crabs which have more meat usually mature around September and female crabs which have more roe mature around October. There is a specific way to open a hairy crab (or any crab for that matter) and you can check out Geoff's Twitchen for more details.



Apparently there were some special promotion after 8:30pm and it was very crowded by the time my friend and I arrived around 8:40pm. There were many hairy crab dinner sets and among the many, we picked one the slightly more expensive one because they have a Coconut Bird's Nest Sweet Soup as dessert. (Note: the set came with 3 hairy crab, one female and two male)

(1) Chinese Hua Diao Wine
The set comes with a cup / glass of Chinese Hua Diao Wine (20 years so it claimed). It was served at room temperature and without the dried plums I like. The scent was alright but no surprises in my opinion.




(2) Xiao Loong Bao (Hairy Crab Roe)
Although the dough skin was rather thick, the dumpling contained a lot of meat and roe juice which were delightful indeed. I guess one should not be deceived by the look of the Xiao Loong Bao until you got the chance to actually tried it.



(3) Hairy Crab (Male)
The male crab is known for its meat and not its roe. It took me a long while to open it because it was hot. One simple way to distinguish if the crab is male or female is to look at its bottom. Male has a pointy triangular shaped outline whereas female has a rather round outline. (You can check the picture of a female crab in the next section for a clearer picture of it)



The color of the roe was rather pale and not very vivid but the meat was tender. I would not consider this finger food but it was something fun to eat with my fingers. It required skills and patience to really finish each crab!



(4) Hairy Crab (Female)
As pointed out early, female crab can be identified by the shape of its bottom. Female has a round shape while male has a shape triangular shape.



The roe of the female hairy crab was way more vivid and tasteful compared with the male one. The roe actually has some traces of sweetness to it which was nice indeed.



(5) Shark Fin Soup
After the crab came the sharp fin soup. Not surprised here, it was thick but a bit too salty by default. I had to add some red vinegar to balance the flavors.



(6) Stir-fried scallops with XO sauce
The flavors were great but the scallops were a bit too dry likely due to overcooking. The greens were Zucchini or perhaps Chinese Zucchini? I am not sure what those are called in English. Actually, if the sauce can be a bit more spicy it would be great.



(7) Stir-fried Prawns and Vegi
We were expecting more prawns actually, there were two prawns only! Not surprise and enough said!



(8) Steamed Sticky Rice
This was a surprise indeed. Although there was only a thin layer of sticky rice, it was great! Not overly sticky but chewy enough. Unlike those stir-fried sticky rice, the steamed version I had was definitely less greasy. Plus, the ingredients were not mixed so you adjust your desired level of flavors by putting as much or as little as you want.



(9) Coconut Bird's Nest Sweet Soup
This should have been one of the highlights of the night but it was rather disappointing. It was rich in coconut flavors but the soup was too watery and a bit too sweet. There were visible amount of Bird's Nest pieces floating around but definitely not plenty!

Likes:

• Steamed Sticky Rice - surprisingly good, not too greasy and you can adjust your own level of flavors
• Hairy Crab (Female) - sweet and creamy roe !
• Xiao Loong Bao (Hairy Crab Roe) - surprisingly juicy inside

Dislikes:

• Coconut Bird's Nest Sweet Soup - too watery, too sweet, too much coconut flavors
• Shark Fin Soup - a bit too salty by default (red vinegar would help)

Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 500 per person

Super Star Seafood Restaurant 鴻星海鮮酒家
Shop 4101, Gateway 2, Harbour City,
17 Canton Road, TST
Tel: 852 2628 0336
http://www.superstargroup.com.hk/



View Larger Map