Contemporary Chinese food for hipsters – Dragon Noodles Academy

Youngsters nowdays are often reluctant to have Chinese food as many restaurants are rather old-fashioned, plus the recipes remain almost unchanged for years. Thank God the founders of Urban Park and Yum Cha has introduced this super cool Kung Fu themed Dragon Noodles Academy to the cuilinary scene.

Really loved the way they incorporate conventional Chinese decorations and Wing Chun training equipments into this modern restaurant, which only makes everything undeniable.

A great hangout place for yakitori - Tori Izakaya

To most Hongkongers, it’s always about all you can eat, sushi and sashimi when it comes to Japanese cuisine but come on, izakaya style food also makes up a fair share of this East Asian cuilinary experience. Tori Izakaya is one that is worth trying out in groups of 3 to 4.

Conveniently located at the heart of Causeway Bay, it’s a lovely dinner venue to enjoy dinner and a few drinks with friends right after work. The inside was like most other typical izakayas, where the tables and chairs are quite small and packed together. It was also really dark that we had to turn on the flashlights while reading the menu (and taking photos, of course).

My friends knew what to order so all I needed to do was to sit back and relax.

Our dinner began with razor clams ($108@) that were covered with spring onions and chopped garlic. It was fresh and bouncy but just a bit more seasoning was needed to hit the spot.

Onsen egg with tofu salad ($88) came in large portion full of chilled lettuce, silky smooth tofu, tomato slices, an oozing onsen egg and loads of sesame dressing. A healthy and tasty salad to prepare ourselves for the fatty food to be eaten.

Festive Tasting menu - One Minden Tapas Kitchen

Final countdown to Christmas and let’s keep the joyful vibe going! To give this festival a little twist, One Minden has launched a dinner tasting menu with a list of their specialty Spanish dishes.

The restaurant is medium sized but the tables and chairs are quite well arranged, leaving some private space for each group of patrons to chit chat and have their own great time.

Oh my god OM should get a best design award for their drinks menu - one that made every single drink look super appealing. Would have had a hard time deciding what to order if OM was not a Spanish restaurant.

Traditional Christmas and New Year Dinner Set – Brick Lane

Ho Ho Ho! It’s only 3 more days to the best festival of the year and I have already had my very first Xmas dinner at Brick Lane the night before. Priced at only $388 per person, it’s a fulfilling and quality festive set that kept my tummy happy without hurting the wallet.

Their homey and cozy décor made a great place to hang out with friends. And don’t forget to explore the outdoor seating area with awesome night views!

An adorable little Spanish spot - Chico Chica

Always loved Spanish food for the wide variety of tapas that are in small portions with innovative combination of ingredients. Great for greedy foodies and girls like me who like trying out numerous dishes without getting too full. Sai Ying Pun folks, Chico Chica is my recent recommendation.

CC is a tiny little restaurant that fits around 20 customers. Quite a small one but I liked that intimacy (LOL) we had with the chefs. I really enjoyed watching them at work and knowing how my food was prepared.

CC’s version of Sangria ($65) was slightly sweet with a very special aftertaste and depth that differentiated itself from the others out there. The owner explained that rum and vodka were added besides the usual suspects and thus the multiple flavours.

Preview of J.Co Donuts & Coffee Hong Kong

Donut lovers attention please! J.Co, the donut and coffee concept store originated in Indonesia and hugely popular in the southeast Asian region is landing in Hong Kong this week! I'm here to show off (oh well, share to be precise) my preview of their offerings~

Conveniently located on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai, J.Co's decor is similar to all the chain coffee shops out there with a casual and relaxing vibe for customers to have sweet bites while chilling out.

Quality lunch sets – Arashiyama Japanese Restaurant

Somehow Japanese cuisine is crazily popular in Hong Kong and the hype just never dies. Obviously I am a typical Hongkonger in this sense so I am having it from time to time. Here you go a review of my enjoyable lunch at Tsim Sha Tsui a couple weeks ago.

The place is spacious with minimal decoration (in a good way). White walls, black ceiling and wooden tables make it quite comfortable to dine at.

There are 16 options available for lunch and they all come with appetizer, salad, chawanmushi (Japaese steamed egg) and dessert. All you have to do is just to pick your favourite main dish and be prepared to dig in.

An eye-catching Spanish place in Tin Hau - Rojo

Despite having joined the workforce for only a few years, I feel that I am really old because of all the responsibilities and challenges in life. Setting a date for dinner among friends is undoubtedly one of them (LOL). It’s always a pain to get everyone available to meet up! Luckily we finally made it to Rojo the other night and let’s check out what we’ve had.

Jamón serrano toast ($68) was a great starter with super strong garlic aroma in chopped tomato. Went really well with Jamón serrano that was slightly greasy (in a good way) and savoury.

Asian Tapas night - Aroma

Having said that I hang out in Wan Chai area quite a lot, I seldom go beyond Wan Chai Road as most restaurants are congregated further down on Amoy Street and Tai Wong Street East. Last week, however, I went all the way to Stone Nullah Lane for dinner since this place is recommended by friends.

For those who might want to visit, pay attention to the door number as the entrance is extremely easy to be missed.

I was seated on the 2^nd floor with vintage and modern style décor. On the walls were full of fun posters and vinyl records. Quite a cozy and comfy place for dinner or happy hour with pop songs played in the background while not overwhelmingly loud.

Create your own don - Hokkaido Style Toyo Katte Don

Japanese restaurants are literally everywhere in Hong Kong that it constantly gives everyone a headache when deciding where to eat (when looking for quality Japanese cuisine :p). Luckily the newly opened Hokkaido style Toyo Katte Don can be a lifesaver for those who want a simple and seafoody meal.

It’s a tiny little Japanese style canteen with chairs and dining tables all packed together, not the most comfortable seating at but still neat and tidy.

Customers can design their own don by picking the seafood they want and there are a few other choices recommended by the restaurant for those who don’t want to think.

Not knowing what to order except our drinks, we lazily left it to the chef and what we’ve got were a double una don ($158) and an omakase don ($188).

Loved this apple soda since my first sip months ago. Tasted pleasingly sweet without being too artificial. A refreshing drink to wash down your food with.

Piri piri flame grilled chicken – Flaming Frango

Having your undergraduate degrees (or whatever courses) completed in Australia or the USA, I guess Nando’s is no stranger to students when it comes to flame grilled chicken. Cravings for their piri piri chicken and thick cut fries constantly hit even after I’m back and YAY we finally got Flaming Frango which serves these in Hong Kong (oh well…actually it’s been there for a while but I wasn’t aware of its existence until I got invited to their tasting night…my bad my bad)!

Party animals might have known about this long ago as Flaming Frango is located in the heart of buzzing Soho on Staunton Street. A great meal idea before or after your Friday drinks ;)

The restaurant offers a wide range of food items including small bites, burgers and wraps. Of course, their piri piri chickens are not to be missed.

Whether a booze hound or goodie goodie, you can surely find your favourite drinks from their all-round list of wine, beers, cocktails and soft drinks.

Tomahawk & lobster combo – Morton’s of Chicago

Morton’s of Chicago has been on my celebration dinner list since ages ago because of the numerous good reviews and their famous personalized anniversary/birthday menus. Should be a romantic dating spot but I was there for their latest seasonal menu with a bunch of friends and I don’t see why not.

I had mixed feelings, both excited and a bit anxious, about this dinner as it was my first ever Morton’s experience. Couldn’t help taking photos of their simplistic entrance with black and white tiles on the floor.

The décor inside is simply classy and elegant. With the iconic harbour view and their dim lights, it’s not difficult to understand why it’s a popular restaurant for celebrations.

韓國重量級炸雞 - NeNe Chicken

韓風的威力有沒有再厲害一點, 這兩年不單沒有減退的跡象, 好像還越來越強大, 炸雞店芝士排骨店一家接一家的開, 這次最新加入戰團的是全球有過千家分店、並起用韓國國民 MC 劉在錫代言的 NeNe Chicken

老實說我沒有看太多韓劇跟綜藝節目, 但單是聽到分店數字跟 Running Man 主持的光環也讓人超興奮, 且看食物水準是否跟名氣成正比

環境很不錯, 以黃色、黑色和白色作主調, 年輕有活力; 座位多但空間也足夠, 跟一班朋友邊吃邊聊天也不用怕吵到別人

中秋好去處 – 美心月餅 pop-up store

2016 年過得超快的, 轉眼又到了中秋節, 可是每年的活動都還是跟親友吃飯賞月, 了無新意, 今年大家就有福了, 適逢美心月餅成立 60 周年, 特地於 8 月 13 日至 9 月 16 日在銅鑼灣名店坊推出全港首個以中秋作主題的美心月餅 Pop-up store, 讓大家透過一系列有特色又應節的活動重拾中秋暖意, 跟家人共渡佳節, 這次很榮幸被邀請到 pop-up store 參加月餅手工梘工作坊, 在這裡介紹一下~

一到達就先參觀參觀, 整家店都走懷舊風, 好有感覺

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