ANTIQUE Patisserie & Fine Chocolates (Revisited)

After hours of reading documents, replying emails and fixing presentations, I needed a break! I can of course head down to the nearest pub for a few drinks during Happy Hour but not today, I wanted to spend a few moments under a more quiet environment. I picked ANTIQUE near my office.



The Christmas tree has been setup and Christmas music was all around! It is indeed hard to find a place in Hong Kong with similar decor and atmosphere in my opinion. Not to mention the fireplace and the Christmas tree with all the ornaments hanging all over!



While looking for items to order, I spotted the Macarons tree! Why are all the Macarons being protected / guarded with some many soldiers? ... Fine! I will move along then.



Hello Gingerbread Man! I am sorry, I mean Chef Gingerbread Man, how are you doing and what's with the big smile on your face?? o o o ... you are looking at your friends over there ...



Ahh, how cute is that! Mr Snowman just made a new friend with Gingerbread Man Jr..



(1) Apple Pie Steamer
It was rather sweet, with hints of ginger / gingerbread flavors to it. Make sure you request it to be less sweet if you are not that into sweet. (Did I just use the word sweet 3 times in one sentence??) Although it was very sweet, I was happy with it because afterall, Christmas is coming soon and Christmas is all about love, loving each other, so the sweeter the love the better right?



(2) Pumpkin Cheesecake
It mainly consisted of pumpkin puree and cheeseeee. The little pumpkin on top was made out of Marzipan (almond paste and sugar) and sat comfortably on top of a pile of cornflakes I think. Not too sweet and not too cheesy to eat before my dinner.



Helloooooo Mr Snowman #2, what are you doing under the Christmas tree? O o o you are waiting for your Christmas gifts? Silly, boxing day is not here yet but very soon, very soon indeed!

Likes:

• Christmas Tree! Certainly makes you feel Christmas is around the corner!
• Pumpkin Cheesecake - strong cheese flavor and love the mushy texture of the cheesecake

Dislikes:

• Steamer a bit too sweet
• Lighting a bit too mild (but it is the same mild lighting that gives out the homely feeling the tea room.
  

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person

ANTIQUE Patisserie & Fine Chocolates
Shop 2, G/F.,
46 Lyndhurst Terrace Soho, Central
Tel: 852 2542 2816
http://www.antiquepatisserie.com/


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Triple O's by White Spot

This entry is inspired by Mochachocolata Rita's recent venture to Duke's Burger and Jin's latest entry on McDonald's. Strongly influenced by their mouth-watering experiences, I was craving for burgers as well!! As I passed by Triple O's at Harbour City after my XMAS CD shopping spree, I went straight towards to counter without much hesitation. Instead of a meaty burger, I opted for the fish!!

(1) Fish Burger
The fish fillet was thick and the battered layer was crispy. The inside was moist and flaky, wonderful indeed. There were plenty of cooked onion and tartar sauce as well. So how would I review? Well, I was licking most of my fingers at the end so to from the phrase from KFC, it was "finger lickin' good"! (what I regret the most was that I SHOULD HAVE ORDERED THE MILKSHAKE!!!)

Likes:

• Fish Fillet was thick, crispy out the outside and moist + flaky in the inside

Dislikes

• the heated bun was a bit too soft (maybe I was grabbing it too hard?)

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person

Triple O's by White Spot
#3001-DB, Level 3, Citysuper
Harbour City, Canton Road, TST, Kowloon
Tel: 852 2387 7000
http://www.tripleos.hk/



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1/5 Nuevo

This entry took me a while to write up because (1) I am lazy (2) I am lazy and (3) I am very lazy! I have passed by this establishment way too many times but never really got the chance try it. Since I felt like Spanish Tapas on this evening, why not give this place a try. So what do I think of it? I was 1/5 satisfied with the food but I was 5/5 happy to have a wonderful dining companion with me this special evening! I can go on forever about how much fun this evening and how the both of us took pictures of the food with undivided concentration; but let me get back to the review first. It was to my surprise that the actual dining area was rather small, almost half of the establishment is dedicated to the bar area with about a dozen of tables for diners.



(1) Eggs & onion dips
It was literally eggs and onion dips, how unoriginal! Truly no surprises in my opinion.




(2) Goose liver pies with port wine sauce
We were attracted by the name of this dish and the presentation was interesting enough that we took quite a while to take pictures of it from different directions. However, taste wise we can't even find hints of the goose liver flavors, perhaps overtaken by the rich port wine sauce??




(3) Chorizo sauteed with onions
Too salty, too oily and too chewy! Enough said.



(4) Pata negra iberico ham
Based on my humble knowledge with cured ham, pata negra or Jamón iberico ham (which consists of different variations as well) is of better grade than the slightly varied Jamón serrano. If we were to try, why not try the better grade right? It was to be ordered by the grams and was cut right in front of us.



It was good. Not too salty and very thinly cut. The flavor was very intense as it should be; a great way to stimulate my taste buds before the mains!



(5) Sea-bass, scallops ceviche
Definitely not something we expected; I mean not how we imagined it would look like. It was more like a dip to me, a very lightly flavored dip to be exact. I could not remember how the diced sea-bass and scallops tasted like, likely because there were not surprises.



(6) Seafood paella
Where can I find good paella in HK??? Not here (nor at Hemingway's by the Bay @ Discovery Bay) for sure. It was rather dry but at least it was served in the right paella pan compared with Hemingway's! Plenty of ingredients and flavors were alright, it was the dryness of the whole thing that they really need to work on!



(7) Steak Frites
Looks alright? Yeah, it tasted alright as well. We ordered Medium Rare and it came Medium Rare. Meat was tender enough that we gave it a passing rate. Fries on the other hand, no, it failed because it was rather stale and plain.




(8) baked chocolate cake & caramelized baked apple tart
One word: SWEET! Sorry I mean 2 words: TOO SWEET! Both the baked chocolate cake and caramelized baked apple tarts were way too sweet for my liking. The apple slices in the apple tart seemed to be soaked in sugar for a long while that even with the ice cream the sweetness remained. The sweetness of the apple tart and chocolate cake took over my sense of taste to a point that I thought I would get a sugar overdose!

Likes:

• Pata negra iberico ham - very thinly sliced + flavors were rich and intense, very good.

Dislikes:

• Desserts way too sweet
• Seafood Paella - too dry! I really want to find a great Paella place!
  
• Chorizo sauteed with onions - too salty & too greasy!

Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 500 per person

1/5 Nuevo
9 Star Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: 852 2529 2300
http://www.elite-concepts.com/eatplusdrink.php?id=50


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Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳

Wan Chai to me is like the Kowloon City of the Hong Kong Island, full of various cuisines and local food establishments. There are many hidden gems in this neighborhood and all you have to do is to explore in the name of good food! Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳 has been in the neighborhood for while and it is well known for this Fish Balls, Beef Brisket & Beef Entails. Don't expect comfortable seats or great decor because you will find none of the above. What you will find is a homely and down-to-earth environment with a neighborhood joint atmosphere that can be as comforting as an upscale establishment depending on the occasion and your mood at the time. If you are lucky enough you may find one of two diners with one of their legs up on the stool!



I was here on a weeknight, late weeknight to be more exact. After a few drinks over happy hour, all I wanted was something quick and comforting. A warm bowl of noodles would be nice! Not in the mood to think, I pointed to an item with the word Beef Brisket in it. Apparently I ordered flat rice noodle with Beef Brisket, Fish Balls and Beef Balls plus a dish of lettuce and a bottle of coke.



It was as comforting as I expected with a rich and intense soup base. The rice noodle was smooth and slightly chewy as well. Alright, plenty of MSG but a regular dose of MSG would not be that harmful right? The Beef Brisket was very tender and the flavor was as tense and rich as the soup. Thumbs up! The Beef Balls on the other hand was rather ordinary, chewy but no surprises. As for Fish Balls, well not exactly ball because the shape was irregular and more like square I guess, was soft and bouncy. It is rather hard to describe the texture because in Chinese I would use the adjective 爽 but the direct translation to English is "refreshing" which cannot accurately capture the essence of the texture. O yes, and the portion was rather generous as well!



One thing I like to mention is their service. You might not expect much service from such local establishment but there are exceptions. (perhaps I was lucky?) One of the staff politely warned me about how I placed my camera on top of an open stool and suggested me to move it somewhere safer. Thank you indeed!

Likes:

• Soup Base - rich and intense, very comforting
• Beef Brisket - tender and beefy with intense flavors like the soup base
• Fish Balls - soft and "bouncy" (aka 爽 in Chinese)

Dislikes:

• Quite heavy on MSG.... MSG makes me sleepyyyyyy
  
• Quite noisy

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person

Wah Lam Noodle Restaurant 華南粉麵茶餐廳
G/F & 1/F, 5-11 Thomson Rd, Wan Chai
Tel: 852 2527 2478


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El Greco

When it comes to alfresco dining, there are only a handful of such restaurants in Hong Kong. It might have to do with the humidity and heat during the summer time or perhaps pollution or lack of financially feasible real estate. I was introduced to this restaurant on my friend's birthday lunch during one Sunday afternoon few weeks ago when the temperature started to drop below 30C. The place is not the easiest to find because it is tugged somewhere in Ap Lei Chau . For me it was a definite occasion to make it all the way to there.



It was alfresco alright but not exactly I imagined it. The outdoor dining area was basically in the middle of a pathway between the Hung Shing Rest Garden. So we were facing facing the park. The indoor section was nicely decorated with some Mediterranean touches. There aren't many authentic Mediterranean cuisine in Hong Kong and I was kind of excited when scanning over the menu, hoping to feel satisfied at the end of the meal. While waiting for all my friends to arrive, I ordered the Kronenbourg 1664 to chill myself down from the walk / exercises I did in search for this place only minutes ago.



(1) Mezze Platter (Humus, meltzanosalata, with tabouleh, tarama and pita bread)
Humus dips! Yum!! It was a great way to start the meal. Among the various sauces / dips and bite size items, I like the tarama dip which was made of carp roe. Together with the pita bread ... hummm ... wonderful!




(2) Keftedes (Minced lamb meat balls in herb tomato sauce and cumin topped with yogurt)
The herb flavors were very strong and complex but the texture of the meat balls were not bad, slightly chewy as well.



(3) Bakaliaro Keftedes (Cod Croquettes on cream garlic sauce with lemon)
A very creamy garlic sauce indeed with a rather strong flavors to it. The cod croquettes were filled with mashed potatoes as they should but there were only traces of cod and its flavor in there unfortunately.



(4) Oxtapodaki (Grilled Octopus salad with steamed potato topped with olive oil)
Octopus was freshly grilled but overly chewy! Not much of a salad if you ask me; a little more generous would not hurt in my opinion.



(5) Lambraki (grilled whole seabass with steam lemon potatoes and thyme)
The savory smell can be detected meters away with the fish on the sizzling hot plate. flavor wise it was good but the meat was a bit too dry to my liking. I like my grilled fish the way it was served, with the lemon juice. For some reasons, I enjoy de-boning fish, it is fun!



(6) Sardelles Sth Skara (Grilled sardines in vine leaves marinated with lemon and fresh oregano)
The grilled sardines were more moist than the seabass, perhaps because it was wrapped in a sense. I still preferred the seabass because it was more meaty and seemed to have a strong fish flavors compared to this one.



(7) Pork Souvlaki
Too chewy and just a few tiny pieces of them!? Not suited for sharing. Flavors were alright but meat was just too chewy! It took quite a long time before it was served as well!



(8) Pasxhati (Leg of lamb slow roasted and grilled with bulgur)
A delightful surprise indeed. Not only was it rich and deep flavor, the texture was just right, tenderly chewy! We ordered two dishes at the end.



(9) Bifteki sth skara (grilled Merguez Burger with pita bread, cucumber, red onion and sour cream)
Interesting looking burger but rather hard to share. The meat patty was surprising tender and rich in flavors, lamb to be exact. Merguez can be made with lamb, beef or mixture of both according to wiki and the one we had was made with lamb. I think it was the sour cream that I really liked and it was a great match in terms of the marriage of flavors.



(10) Kotopoulo Pastitsatha apo tin kerkyra (clay pot chicken roasted in fragrant tomato sauce)
This dish can served up to two people as suggested or in our case, over 10 people! The clay pot was huge and contained a whole chicken. The chicken was heavily seasoned but slightly too dry. The rice was alright but not enough flavors, quite a bit of contrast compared with the chicken itself.

Likes:

• Alfresco (sort of)
• Pasxhati- wonderfully flavored and the texture was just right, not overly chewy with slight tenderness.
  

Dislikes:

• Although alfresco, every now and then you will see a lady with a garbage trolley pass by the tables + location location location!
  
• Lambraki - a bit too dry
• Kotopoulo Pastitsatha apo tin kerkyra - chicken a bit too dry but very rich in flavors

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

El Greco
G/F, 5 Wai Fung Street,
Ap Lei Chau Main Street, Ap Lei Chau
Tel: 852 2328 2138


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