Monthly Archives: August 2013

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The One With Caffè HABITŪ The Table – Perfect Dessert Galore

30 August, 2013 11:29 pm | 2 Comments |

Where G.O.D once stood in Causeway Bay has now been replaced by the incredibly tacky and unbelievably bright Sasa Supreme. I don’t know about you, but I am about to have enough of new shops catering to mainlanders replacing iconic Hong Kong establishments.

Probably the only saving grace was that the gem hidden inside the building on the first floor, Caffè HABITŪ The Table remains in tact.

caffè HABITŪ the table

The entire restaurant was refurbished; now The Table spots some low lighting, chic-looking furniture and the same friendly service. Gone was its hip interior to match the GOD’s brand; luckily the new vibe wasn’t as tacky as the endless counters of cosmetic threatening to overwhelm you right outside its door.

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Posted in: Causeway Bay, Dessert, Western

The One With The Great Kebab Factory – Posh & Sizzling Indian Fare

22 August, 2013 11:13 pm | Leave a Comment |

I had always wanted to try The Great Kebab Factory, ever after reading Dim Sum Diaries’ review on the Indian restaurant located right in the smack of Lan Kwai Fong. So when I saw a Groupon deal for a somewhat like a kebab tasting menu, I knew it was too much of an irresistible deal for me. Located at the 19th floor of Wellington Place, locating the restaurant was easy, but I wasn’t ready for what was in store for me.

The Great Indian Kebab Factory

Despite its name, the restaurant is far from being a “factory”. As I stepped out of the lift and walked into the restaurant, I was awed by how posh everything looked. The warm lighting, clever use of multicoloured lamps, velveted furniture and deep dark wood created an atmosphere both cosy yet stylish.

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Posted in: Central, Indian

The One With Brilliantly Bangkok – A World of Difference

19 August, 2013 8:14 pm | Leave a Comment |

Three months after my trip to Bangkok, I am finally done with my blog posts. I am fully aware this is becoming too common on this blog but like people say, it’s better late than never, eh?

Brilliantly Bangkok Day 1

Though I have been to Bangkok a couple of times in the past few years, this trip was majorly different in a few ways. For some reasons better left unsaid, I get to try way more variety of food and new restaurants and roadside snacks this time round. Bangkok, to me, is synonymous to great food and it was only befitting that I glutton out as much as possible.

(Note to self: Yes, I am also fully aware that almost every holiday destinations are synonymous to food to me nowadays. Ah, the life of a traveling foodie!)

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Posted in: Bangkok | Tagged:

The One With Keung Kee Seafood Restaurant – Famous Shatin Chicken Porridge

18 August, 2013 12:15 am | Leave a Comment |

When someone tells you that a particular Chinese restaurant in a certain part of Hong Kong is “popular” with locals, and “famous” for some local delicacies, you can be assured of three things – a maddeningly long queue, some probably rude and loud wait staff, and medieval queue number system.

I will be the first to admit it – I hate queuing for food. For someone who seem to spend half his salary on food, I expect service, quality and peace of mind when it comes to eating out. To take a number and wait for your turn in packed restaurants made me feel like I am begging them to serve me food.

And no one likes to beg.

But it was a weekend night in Shatin, and we wanted something local, simple and “blogworthy” for me. So I found myself at Keung Kee Seafood Restaurant, famous for its Shatin chicken porridge.

Keung Kee Shatin Chicken Porridge 1

The wait wasn’t long, perhaps fifteen minutes max, but with the loud reception, merry-go-round fellow diners waiting their turns on cheap plastic stools, that wait time felt like eternity. And when we were given a table for two squashed between two larger tables, placed right smack in front of some utility cupboards, I felt outraged.

And then I looked at the menu.

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Posted in: Chinese, Shatin

The One With The Mixing Bowl HK – The Joy Is In The Making

16 August, 2013 10:04 pm | Leave a Comment |

There’s something terribly satisfying about making your own bread. Especially when you are overworked, stressed and those hours on the treadmills just won’t cut it anymore.

The Mixing Bowl HK

So one weekend afternoon I found myself at The Mixing Bowl HK, a cozy apartment slash baking studio for an afternoon of bread-baking and merry-making. Friendly duo Victor and Kyle certainly turned on their charm as a table of strangers (there were four of us) try their hands to, literally speaking, raise the bread.

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Posted in: Food & Dining, Sheung Wan

The One With Jiang Shan Hui – A Fiery Meal It Was Not

9 August, 2013 8:26 pm | Leave a Comment |

My discovery on Groupon continues at Jiang Shan Hui which offers a mix of Shanghainese and Sichuan cuisine. When I saw what’s on offer – drunken chicken by award winning chef – I was intrigued. I walked by the past often enough during my Sheung Wan days, but never thought of “popping up”. If you are like me who can’t read Chinese, you always live in the fear that this will be that restaurant where the waitresses will mock you for being an illiterate Chinese and derisively laugh off my request for an English menu. Though I am happy to report this unlikely incident seldom happens, and it certainly did not at Jiang Shan Hui.

Because it was a set Groupon menu. Hah.

Jiang Shan Hui Chinese Cuisine

Platter of appertiser.

The starters for the night were rather uninspiring. I was looking forward to a steaming bowl of hot and spicy soup; what eventually transpired was a tepid serving of gooey starch. The platter of appetiser – shredded chicken in crystal flower sheet in sesame sauce, pork jelly in Zhejiang style, cucumber – fared better. I particularly enjoyed the crystal flower sheet. Very slurpy and fragrant with the sesame sauce (which I almost mistaken for peanut sauce, LOL). The xiao long bao was just alright, nothing to shout about.

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Posted in: Chinese, Sheung Wan, Sichuan | Tagged:

The One With This Man & His Bags – An Almost Fashionable Story

6 August, 2013 10:51 am | 4 Comments |

I am not known for my bags. Shoes maybe, but even so, my days as the Prince of Shoes were long over since my shoe cupboard overflowed and I had to throw away the nice boxes and start lining up my shoes on the floor.

But bags… for me, bags are a different story. I view them mainly from a utility stand point. Is it practical? Can I carry it to work? To play? Will it last for overlong travel? Can I bring it up to a mountain?

My considerations were practical, and that’s because I am a man.

But recently I came to discover another wardrobe problem – I am running out of place to store my bags. The usual spots were stacked up waist high. It was only when I was trying to store my latest purchase to the collection that a strange, new thought crossed my mind….

… do I have too many bags?

I started to leaf through my bags, and a flood of memory started to come back. Like I said, I don’t “shop” for bag, but when I see a nice bag, usually I will buy them. This could happen anytime, anywhere, online or off, so each bag come with a story.

So let me try to inject a little sense of style to this blog by introducing to you my five favorite bags as of this morning. (If you ask me again this afternoon, I would probably change my mind. And just because I am a man doesn’t mean I can’t flounder like a woman.)

MOCA Taipei Sling Bag

MOCA Taipei sling bag, bought earlier this year from (of course) MOCA Taipei. I was so happy with my visit to the museum that I had to buy something back for myself. This bag is practical and aptly sized for a quick visit to the nearby with my iPad and books for a leisure weekend brunch over beer.

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Posted in: Daily Diary