Tag Archives: Coffee

The One With 1081 Open Kitchen – Great Spot For A Sunday Breakfast

6 February, 2015 10:00 am | Leave a Comment |

Living in Hong Kong can make one spoilt for choice when it comes good breakfast spots on weekends. I usually spent my breakfasts at Happy Valley Bar & Grill, but on one fine Sunday I decided to make my way to 1081 Open Kitchen at IFC for a spot of breakfast with a dear friend.

This place used to be called Simply Life. The terrific view into the beautiful Hong Kong harbour and selection of delicious pastries remain unchanged. My choice of a scone was heavy in butter, making it a decadent treat with an equally energising cup of coffee, served in a beautiful porcelain cup and dish.

Great Sunday breakfasts are made of this.

Note: Some of the window-side seats are part of the adjoining restaurants. You can use it for breakfast up until 10.30 a.m., when you have to vacant the tables for lunch service.

EAT | 1081 Open Kitchen |Shop 1081, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong | Tel: +852 2234 7356

Posted in: Central, Western | Tagged: , , , ,

The One With Cupping Class At Habitu Cafe – A Coffee Connoisseur Experience

8 November, 2011 11:00 am | Leave a Comment |

Ten things I didn’t know about coffee, but I do know now.

Cupping Class At Caffe HABITU - Coffee Academy & Roasting Studio

#1 That cupping is not only a Chinese medical term. Nor only a dirty word. But it’s also a coffee tasting technique, where coffee samples are prepared and tasted one by one.

Cupping Class At Caffe HABITU - Coffee Academy & Roasting Studio

#2 That coffee is best tasted at its purest form; that is, without sugar nor milk. Like wine tasting, to best experience coffee, you gotta smell it, slurp it, drink it, and then breathe through your nose. Really.

Cupping Class At Caffe HABITU - Coffee Academy & Roasting Studio

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Posted in: Food & Dining | Tagged:

The One With Espressamente Illy – Dessert On The Go

23 November, 2010 8:00 am | Leave a Comment |

When in doubt, go for coffee. That’s my solution to the eternal problem of oh-I-still-want-to-eat-but-so-full-after-dinner.

So after our dinner, Ms. Khoo (otherwise affectionately known as The Gal Who Shop Too Much) dragged me to Espressamente Illy at K11, loudly proclaiming that they have the best dessert ever.

And who I am saying no to FREE dessert, right? ;)

Chocolate Brownie, HKD34

Dessert at Illy's (K11, Tsim Sha Tsui)

Her choice. Apparently it wasn’t heated enough to her preference, so she returned the brownie to the friendly barista for a reheat. I was pleasantly surprised that the brownie was heated to the point of melting but without getting it burnt. Nice job! It must have been heavenly as Ms. Khoo was rendered speechless for the first couple of mouthfuls. I didn’t try because I have my own sin to indulge in.

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Posted in: Dessert, Tsim Sha Tsui | Tagged: , , ,

The One With The Surprising Chocolate Cake At Zelo Bar

17 August, 2010 11:11 pm | 1 Comment |

Indulge me in this.

It was a quiet afternoon, and you were meeting someone new. Someone you do not know much about, and spoken to only once or twice before. You were meeting up because both of you are craving for companionship, and… to be perfectly honest, you were slightly more than intrigued by this new persona who was, at that moment, a blank canvass to you.

What is the socially acceptable (read: not making yourself to be a complete dork in the process) thing to do in such a situation?

Zelo Bar & Restaurant at Pacific Place Mall

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Posted in: Admiralty, Dessert | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

The One With A Great Wednesday Morning

23 June, 2010 2:05 am | Leave a Comment |

The One With A Great Wednesday Morning

Three things happened to make my Wednesday morning extraordinarily good.

#1 Instead of the usual lethargy and dread waking up every morning, my head was buzzing with the business idea I cooked up last night, and I am all geared to make that a reality

#2 I overpaid the taxi driver twenty bucks, and he horned after me to return the extra. How gratifying. Usually I am the one who return extra change to sellers

#3 Decided to give Pacific Coffee a try when my favorite Starbucks closed down. Was checking in and telling my friend I took his advice… only to turn around and saw him walking into the same outlet.

All in all, a good day. Life is made of small moments like this.

(Photo Credit)

Posted in: Daily Diary | Tagged: , , ,

The One With The Exceptional Starbucks Experience

8 June, 2010 9:04 am | 1 Comment |

My favourite breakfast for the month.

Dear Starbucks,

The news that your Hysan Avenue branch is closing down hit me hard. Especially so since I have been to that particular outlet for more than fifty times in the space of two months.

Yes, I am the Foursquare mayor of that branch.

It took me some time to get used to visiting your Times Square branch. However, this morning you had a little surprise for me. Your staff from the Hysan branch were relocated here, and they remember my usual morning order. The joy and comfort of familiar faces were very comforting.

Thank you for keeping your customer experience consistent and engaging, no matter what your commercial circumstances may be. As you might know, you are very important to me.

Yours sincerely,
Razlan

Posted in: Daily Diary | Tagged: ,