Saint's Alp Teahouse

> Location : Shop 221, 2/F, The Westwood, 8 Belcher's St,
Sai Wan, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Taiwanese and various types of drinks
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.saints-alp.com.hk/index.html

As the title tells you, this place is all about tea. from milk tea, green tea, frothy tea, black tea, oolong tea to much more, saint's alp teahouse provides plenty of different types of tea, juices, coffee and desserts. oatmeal cereal flakes, nata de coco, pearl tapioca, chocolate chips, yogurt, ice cream, agar of various coffee flavors are all compliments to all of their great drinks. the environment is more base on refreshment primarily with food on the side. yet, the food has caught a great deal of attention therefore making it more like a normal restaurant. location wise, saint's alp is located throughout hong kong island, kowloon and the new territories.

drinks isn't the only thing that drives saint's alp teahouse. their line of food also does a lot of damage. mostly base on taiwanese cuisine, they offer various siu sik, noodle soup, rice dishes, pizza, and toast. i would say, the two biggest things that drives this place is their marinated minced pork with steamed rice and their five different selection of toasts.

so what did i order? well, obviously the two things i just mentioned! besides what i ordered, taiwanese style rice wise, they also have shredded chicken in chia yi sauce and succulent piece of chicken. okay, back to what i ordered. taiwanese cuisine isn't famous for anything that seems to "colorful" (taiwanese style porkchop with rice, fried oyaster, etc) however, don't let those things and marinated minched pork, seemingly such a simple dish fool you. it is cooked and marinated in a flavorful (kinda salty) sauce. unlike a lot of minced meat dishes with rice in a lot of hong kong style diners which are starchy, taiwanese style stays away from that and is very dependent on the actual sauce. to some extent, the minced pork taste is similar to chinese style ja ja mien if that helps you think what it taste like. so saint's alp was good? i would concur for the most part! besides the minced pork, it also comes with some peanuts, and half an egg. marinated eggs is a very common compliments in taiwanese rice dishes. the only thing that i complain about is the amount of the minced pork. judging from the ratio between the amount of rice and minced pork, it was somewhat unbalanced. by the time i finished the minced pork, there was about 1/3 of the rice left. by then, you're craving for more of that minced pork which isn't there anymore =*( if they just give about another spoon full, it would be great. don't worry, it is not an inconsistency problem, i know that for a fact. but please don't let the portion problem fool you, if you want more, just order more! haha, 'cause it is still good.

secondly, taiwanese style toast. coming in five different flavors: pork patty toast with cheese, honeyed ham toast with cheese, coconut butter & toasted almond, garlic butler and blueberry filings. with all non meat versions, you can request condensed milk as a dipping sauce. so, just toast eh? no, not at all. these are thick (like two and a half to three slices of regular bread size) and starchy white toast. the outside texture especially the crust is firm and starchy making it very unique in taste and texture. the inside is soft and slightly cripsy kinda like toasted garlic bread that comes with pasta. when it comes, the toast is cut into four pieces. with my experience, i tried the garlic butler. the taste is very much like any restaurant base garlic bread but what made it a neat experience is the texture as i've mentioned multiple times. something kind of hard to explain you just have to experience yourself! next time, i'm definitely going with coconut butler since my sister in law told me it's good.

drink wise, i went with the dragon honey tea which is made out of an iced roasted oolong tea. a very simple drink. the combination of roasted oolong and mild taste of honey gave it a nice and refreshing taste. the slight foam ontop of the drink is a nice final touch for looks and the first taste's feel. overall, a good simple drink.

in the end, saint's alp teahouse is a nice place if you want to sit down and have a drink or even have a snack or light meal. i really wish they gave a little bit more of the minced pork. the pork was definitely good just not the portion, haha. environment wise, don't treat this place like a full time restaurant. if you're really hungry, make sure you order some sides to keep you filled. don't let this discourage you from visiting this place. the nature of this place is built base on drinks. food afterall is still a side thing but definitely not a non-highlight. anyhow, so i give this place combining both food and drinks...

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Chili N Spice

> Location : Shop 117, Podium Level 1, The Westwood,
8 Belcher's St., Sai Wan, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Thai fused with Singaporian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese
> Tel. # : (852) 2542-7777
> Website : http://kingparrot.com/eng/theme_chilli1_hk.php

Sorry it has been awhile, haha. but i gotta apologize again! since these two restaurants were unexpected visits, i didn't bring my camera with me =( however, i managed to take pictures with my camera phone with one place but the other i had to use my brother's which is low res. anyhow, i'll be visiting this place more times in the near future anyways so i'll surely replace them with better quality ones!

chili n spice is part of the king parrot group, which comprises of all sorts of cuisines from russian to shanghainese. chili n spice alone has four other branches: causeway bay, stanley, shatin, and tseung kwan o. when i first stepped into this place, there were a lot of nice decorations all around. the place is fairly big with a lower level and a higher level of seating. when i say higher level, it doesn't mean second story, but just a few steps higher up. the waitress' i had contact with all seem to be of thai or indonesian decent and their attitudes and service were overall very positive.

i ordered three things. firstly, i went with the tom yum gong as a soup starter. like thai simple kitchen which i reviewed the other week, they added some prawns in the soup. ingredient wise, it was pretty much the same (the usual coconut milk, basil leafs, mushrooms, etc). taste wise, there certainly is a difference. while simple thai had a more sour taste, chili n spice was a bit less sour yet you can sense a sweeter sensation. seriously, i wish to know what exactly is the standard for this thai soup. but judging it in a more artistic sense, chili n spice's tom yum gong is certainly in its own position because of the sweeter taste. note, the sweetness is not so much where it overwhelms the sourness. after all, the sour taste is the highlight of this and many thai soups. in the end, i definitely give this soup a go for ordering.

the second thing i ordered is the sauteed thai baby cabbage with black mushrooms. baby cabbage is a less common vegetable so check with your waiter before ordering! according to my brother, they don't always have this dish because of the baby cabbage. the reason for this (i believe) is because cabbages are a seasonal vegetable. they tend to do better in cooler weather and since it's still consider summer time right now, the heat won't help most of the cabbage crops. the base sauce of this dish is very much like a lot of thai sauteed style vegetable (e.g. morning glory). a bit salty but the baby cabbage's sweetness blends in well. the slices of carrots added into the dish also helped balance the taste. the black mushrooms were also very good. they were nice and juicy and easily bite into. i must say, besides morning glory, if you ever get a chance to order thai style baby cabbage, do it! yes, i know it's just vege, but this is vege that will make your mouth water!

on the side i want to discuss about presentation. this place doesn't give up on anything when it comes to presentation from what i see. the menu is very colorful and i could tell from it the plates and platters they use to hold their food are all very creative and unique. looking around the other tables definitely tell me so.

to connect this thought, our final dish is the chicken green curry with pumpkin and coconut milk. they also have a similar dish next to this one called duck green curry with lychee and coconut milk. both sounded very tempting but i had to go with the pumpkin since i have a lot of experience with thai curry and fruits before. first of all, presentation wise, they used this clay pot made into a shape of a chicken. obviously very unique. yes, chicken holding chicken, haha. this dish definitely is not mild at all. it is not super spicy but still enough where you need to drink some of the ice water here and there. besides the title of the dish, other known used ingredients are eggplants, basil leafs and this one round/green vegetable is used (i really want to figure out what this round green thing is! it's like the size of a cherry tomato but it's green and not as sour as a tomato). the chicken was cooked just right. not a minute more in fact. it seemingly had a raw texture to it but it is cooked of course. so it had a chewy texture when bite into. the green curry was spicy and sweet due to the coconut milk and probably some from the pumpkin. the eggplant, pumpkin and other vegetable were very soft and hold most of its taste from the cooking process. i think the overall combination of these ingredients are done very well. however, i personally would like to see this dish having a stronger taste to it. perhaps a little bit more sweeter in the green curry would do the job right. the green curry i had at central is the perfect example of what i think is green curry done right. however, take nothing away from chili n spice's green curry. the presentation and combination of ingredients is certainly a boost. taste is good but like i said sweeter would make it more memorable in my opinion.

in the end, chili n spice gave me a overall good first impression. there are still a lot i need to try from this place! the green curry just didn't quite get me going. so i couldn't give this place that extra half a point. the dish is still good! but not in the excellent status. for now, i give this place...

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Illy Expresso-Lord Stow's Bakery

> Location : 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Coffee, other refreshments and bakery
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.lordstow.com/

Within the excelsior hotel lies a tasty secret. a small coffee shop, illy expresso, on the ground floor features lisbon's finest egg tarts. on a side note, illy expresso carrys illy espresso coffee, which is the leader of premium espresso coffee from italy. for more information on this, please check here. so egg tarts! yes, besides macau restaurant, this place by far carries the best egg tarts you can taste in hong kong! so lisbon's finest eh? so what exactly is lord stow's bakery? let me quote directly from the website :

"Englishman, Andrew Stow opened Lord Stow's Bakery on Coloane Island, Macau in 1989. It was a modest affair, in a small village shop, in an area he loved. Local people quickly took to his European produce - a phenomenon in an area with no strong tradition of bread eating.

Andrew's philosophy was to ensure his produce was always fresh, healthy, natural and of the highest possible quality. He refused to allow his range to include the additives and preservatives so common in other bakeries. A year later, it was decided to add another item to his product range.

During a trip to Portugal in the mid-80s, Andrew had become familiar with their popular Pasteis de Nata - a kind of egg tart, which, centuries ago, had its orgins in the Lisbon waterfront area of Belem. Andrew decided he could improve on the traditional recipe and turn it into his own specialty. His Pharmaceutical background made him no stranger to experimentation and Andrew set forth. He began experimenting with his own version, dispening with the conventional ingredients of pork fat, flour and water and introducing some English touches. By doing so, he introduced these egg tarts to the Asian region in the form that they are now known."

"The Secret of the Egg Tart : The delight of a Lord Stow's egg tart is all in the crispness of the flaky pastry set up in contrast with the rich creamy filling.

Caramelized sugar gives the tart its slightly burnt appearance, which has become synonymous with Lord Stow's egg tarts.

Many people enjoy the added pleasure of a sprinkling of cinnamon on the top, a traditional Portuguese condiment to the egg tart."

so what did it taste like? the caramelized sugar on top of the egg tart along with the mostly egg white filling gives the egg tart a very delightful sweet taste! the sweetness isn't too sweet where it'll give you a sweet tooth. it is perfectly baked for a oh-so-yummy-taste! things like this is kinda hard to explain but the flaky pastry also gives the bite its finishing touch. it's kind of like eating pie. most of the time, people enjoying eating the crust more than the filling. but in this case, the filling and the pastry go hand in hand. just unbelievable!

besides the one in excelsior hong kong, lord stow's bakery can be found in thailand, japan, taiwan, philippines, korea and the original home, macau. all this information is listed on the official website! yeah, asia exclusive, haha. i have to say, this is the best egg tart i have ever eaten in my life! take nothing away from macau restaurant's egg tarts since they have the option of ordering egg white only ones. so yeah, that's all folks. carrying the world's best chain espresso coffee and the world's best egg tart deserves a good score. both i now know are of good quality. can things change? of course with further experiences. but for now, what's my take?

< 5 out of 5 >

Lamma Island Pizza Milano

> Location : 9/F, Cheung Hing Comm. Bldg., 37-43 Cochrane St.,
Central, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Italian pizza, calzone, pasta, salad, tiramisu
> Tel. # : (852) 2581-2848
> Website : N/A

Lamma island pizza milano's original home is, like the name of the restaurant, at lamma island. lamma island belongs on the new territory side of hong kong. located directly across from pizza express on the 9th floor, lamma island pizza milano is pretty hidden except for the big sign telling you where it is right above the 7-eleven. so after a creepy elevator ride (the elevator is fairly old making weird sounds kind of like in a video game or scary movie), haha, we got into the restaurant.

the restaurant isn't too big as guessed since most of these upper story lots of old buildings are usually like this. the restaurant can hold about 35-40 ish people max. the decoration and the colors used are all very traditional italian restaurant base / italy flag colors (green, white, red). it seems to me this restaurant is family base. the cook was chinese and knew cantonese and the waitress was filippino and she was the cook's husband. it was around peak lunch time and there was nobody to be seen except for us! so of course we were skeptical. however, it is somewhat hidden and on the 9th floor so they have the benefit of the doubt.

so there were two menus. the first menu is the original menu with salad, soup, bread, calzone, pizza, pasta and any type of usual italian flavors you can think of. the second menu is the lunch special menu (labelled as limited time), which features a set lunch with pasta or pizza to choose from. the pizza would give you an 8 inch size one. every set comes with a drink and also soup or salad. their version of a salad is a bruschetta like dish. it is four fresh slices of tomatoes with garlic and black pepper on top along with parsley sprinkled all over the dish. a little garnish for decoration in the middle. pricing ranges around the 50 hkd to 70 hkd. it might seem a lot but an 8 inch pizza is about 5 slices. they aren't fat slices but more like sicilian pizza crust. still, 5 for one person is a lot. i had 2-3 and i almost passed out, haha.

so of course, the restaurant name has the word pizza in it, i have to give pizza a try! so i went with what the waitress recommended, #14, italia: tomato, mozzarella, onion, mushrooms, pancetta bacon and garlic. all those ingredients seem understandable enough except for what? pancetta? well, pancetta bacon is an italian bacon made from rolled cured pork belly that is seasoned with cayenne, salt, garlic and other spices. yes, it must be good when cooked right? haha. so the pizza comes and the first thing i noticed was, "man, toppings are loaded!" you don't have to worry about the lack of ingredients and just all cheese and tomato sauce. lamma island pizza milano packs every inch of the pizza with toppings and that certainly won't disappoint you! the bacon certainly was very flavorful and every bite is just great. saltiness wise, it wasn't very salty like a lot of chain pizza places, it wasn't tasteness either of course. to me, it was done just right, right in the middle but a little bit over around the 65-70% mark of saltiness. the crust is a thin type like sicilian style. it was very crispy and consistent that way throughout the edge. they also provided tabasco sauce for the pizza which i actually tried a little. you know, it actually works out! haha. i don't think it's the greatest combination, a meaty pizza and tabasco sauce, however, i think it is still very unique and deserves an experience. i can certainly say for now, this pizza beats out the two i've tried at pizza express. not by a far amount, but right above it. enough said, i enjoyed it a lot!

so the second thing ordered was the tagliatella al salmone (smoked salmon in creamy curry sauce) set lunch pasta. first came the "salad." as described earlier, it was four slices of tomato. they were fairly fresh and the combination of the raw chopped garlic and parsley over the tomatoes was a nice touch. certainly, it was a simple salad but to me i think it's presented nicely and very healthy too. tomatoes give a lot of vitamin c and also garlic especially when raw helps the immune system a lot. taste wise, it kind of reminds you of a bruschetta but not as sour and lacking the garlic taste. very unique indeed. so on with the pasta. what caught my attention with this set lunch is the word "curry." italian food and curry don't quite match in my usual experiences. so i went with it. when it came, the pasta used is wheat or corn flour ciriole. the sauce on the pasta is rich but not super rich. most of the sauce sank to the bottom when it came. but when compared to t.e., it was a lot creamier. the taste of the sauce had a mild curry taste to it. the curry taste is of a curry powder like taste. the combination of the curry pasta with the smoked salmon is quite an interesting couple. ciriole is a heavy thick pasta so along with the creamy sauce, it is one heavy dish! the dish is very dependent on the smoked salmon. every bite should contain some. without it, it is still good but the taste is just a bit mild. overall, good and interesting but not as exciting as the pizza.

unexpected yet good, lamma island pizza milano's first experience was very good. i want to note that normal ordering of pizza is by 8 1/2 inch, 10 inch or 14 inch. 10 inch being medium sized with 6 topping filled slices. prices range from $65 hkd to $105 hkd for 10 inch and $105 hkd to $148 hkd for 14 inch. anyways, like always, things can change with further experiences, but for now, i'm giving it a great score of...

< 4 out of 5 >

Fisher Village

> Location : Guang Zhou, Guang Dong, Mainland China
> Cuisine : Chinese
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

Greetings from the mainland china! well, where i am isn't too far off from hong kong. just about an hour and a half taking the ferry, in shun de, china. if a person doesn't have to worry about all the fancy colorful living they expect to be apart of everyday, just being concern of the simple life, having enough money, shelter, food and so on, any decent city in the mainland can provide such things perfectly. everything is cheaper in china, especially when it comes to food. even fast food is cheaper for example micky dees. for instance, small french fries is 4 dollars r.m.b. compared to 8 dollars rmb in the states. divide those numbers by 8 and you'll have u.s. dollar. that's half the cost! the ice cream cone is even more insane. it's about a bit less than 1/3 of the price of what american's pay. so it's like 20 so cents for a vanilla ice cream cone. here's another example, 4 people for chinese dim sum. everybody eats just about right, for about 20 r.m.b. how about a bit fuller? 25 r.m.b. that's 25 divided by 8 = 3 dollars and some change u.s. dollars. a good breakfast for 4 people for 3 bucks? a normal human being from the states would say, "WTF?" haha. it's incredible, living cost is so low yet the standard is at a decent level to pretty good. of course when it comes to food, everybody who comes to the mainland needs to go through a little workout with their stomach a few times. things aren't super clean in most restaurants in china and things tend to be a little dirty in the food sometimes. in a sense, it's kinda like a vacine. after a few trails, your stomach won't have these problems anymore because you're immune to it. yes, i am vacinated! haha.

i've been here for about 3, 4 days now. i realize that if i stay here any longer, i'm gonna start gaining weight again! seriously, the chances of eating good chinese food here is far greater than any place. then again, it is CHINA, so of course thats the case if you think about it. but i'll like to spare you people with my words like always from my food reviews and give you some clickable photos and simple comments of them instead. yet, before i do, i'll like to comment on how people usually call each other here in the mainland. when people call each other here (if they don't know each other), they tend to say handsome boy or pretty girl. fat, skinny, ugly, or actually pretty, this phrase is still used quite often. seriously, i had a hard time getting use to using it at first because it just seems so 'fake.' but this has become like a habit of this country so in time i got use to it. hey, it's nice being called handsome all the time you know? =)

soooo.... i'll like to finally share to you my experience with this huge ass restuarant i went to in guongzhou (near shun de). the place is called fisher village. it's a place with a lot of seating area, performance stage, a wet market like area where you can look and order your seafood, dim sum, soup, drinks, anything you can imagine! a very exciting, type of feeling when you go there. before i share the photos, i'll like to say, in the mainland, the phrase 'what's for dinner?' has a totally different meaning. why? 'cause you never know what u're really having if you don't really ask! note to all the new viewers: i'm warning you now! if you just ate, don't look at the photos below like my friend diana. she threw up her dinner because of it. seriously! ^_~

all photos described clockwise from top left :



1) the restuarant logo and name in chinese and english at the front desk.
2) the staging area with performances every weekend.
3) all sort of vegetable on display for you to choose.
4) that's right, aligator meat. haha. didn't have it this time but it's like beef but chewier.



1) a picture of the wet market area and some of the seating area.
2) food on display for easier ordering!
3) a closer look at some of the dishes available.
4) a lot of seafood selection. anything you can imagine from turtles to eels.



1) a lot of chefs working hard to prepare food. the place is huge so it requires so many.
2) soy sauce chicken, bbq pork and all sorts of goodies.
3) these pots are all preparing different types of soup.
4) some type of sea shell being prepared by the female chef. looks tasty!



1) they call them 'fleas/ticks.' pretty big to be ticks though. haha. yes, you eat them!
2) more shell meat being grilled by the chef.
3) wtf is that? yes, they are bees. you fry them and yes eat them. haha. stuff like this is what i meant when i emphasized on 'what's for dinner,' haha.
4) the chef preparing haaka tofu. firm tofu with meat in the center and sour fermented cabbage. the best thing ever at this place.



1) haaka tofu. same as what i said above.
2) portuguese custard tart! like my other review.
3) surrounding the staging area is water filled with kois and turtles.
4) bbq pork, duck, a type of sausage with salted egg yolk, fat and bbq pork.



1) broiled clams in a type of soup with tofu and other things. so busy taking photos everybody ate it all before i even had some, doh!
2) a type of chinese squash steamed with garlic. very good stuff.
3) yes, that tick stuff. lol. yes, seems nasty but it's cooked in this sauce so when you eat it, it doesn't taste nasty at all. this stuff supposedly is good for your bladder / urinal path.
4) baby yellow jacket bees. stir fried with pepper chili, green onion, garlic and such. yes, seems nasty again but seriously, high in protein and tastes very good.

so yeah, i certainly spared you with all the words right? haha. fisher village is a very entertaining place. the wet market, ordering area, the stage performance, the decorations and huge area for you to roam around is all a plus. the food quality is good overall with selective dishes being excellent such as the haaka tofu. some are just about a bit over average but nothing horrible. if you want an overall great experience with the food taste, there are a good amount of places out there that can satisfy that need. pricing wise, it's more pricey compared to a lot of places out there. but for all the entertainment you get, it's definitely worth it. so anyways, to close things up, i hope everybody is doing well with their lives. like always, take care and good luck ~

< 4 out of 5 >

Shui He Tian

> Location : Shunde, Guangdong, Mainland China
> Cuisine : Shunde (Chinese)
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

According to chinese folk tales, a celestial being name lu dongbing made immortality pills on tiger nose peak (also known as the two finger peak due to its appearance) located in taihe. the completion of the pill led to a celebration with other celestial beings. they celebrated near the "pill making pool" which is within the wushan mountain where the tiger nose peak is at. during their celebration, two wild chickens flew into the pool and ate the immortality pills. after taking the pill, the chickens magically turned into two white phoenix. due to these events, these chickens and others that were bred from them have high medicinal properties because of the immortality pill.

in real life, these chickens are called silky (or silkie) bantam chicken. marco polo supposedly is the first westerner to bring news to the world about silky chicken. originally, they are called taihe chicken (taihe is a county in the jiangxi province of china) and the scientific name is gallus domesticus. they come in a few colors, but the most popular bred is of white feather like in the folk tale. their feathers are very smooth and hold a very attractive appearance compared to other chickens. yet, the most talked about thing when it comes to eating these chickens is the color. their skin, meat and bone is all black. this is the only type of chicken in the world that has this characterisitc. silky chicken are easily managed chickens. you can pretty much call them domestic animals due to their fairly obedient personalities. therefore making them show animals and pets in the western world. another interesting fact is that, silky chicken has five toes compared to four in other chickens.

in chiense medicine, one's health is split into four categories: yin, yang, qi and blood. according to some research, medicinal properties of silky chicken will overall help each of these categories. yang and qi equates to the warmness, activeness and metabolism part of the body. yin and blood refers to the flow, color, and circulation of the body. research also tells us it also helps women especially with gynecological dieases (reproductive problems). silky chicken contains a lot more amino acids and vitamins compared to other chickens such as various vitamin B, C, E, calcium, iron, phosphorous, nicotinic acid, and niacin.

cooking wise, most chinese use silky chicken in herbal soups and stews. usually ginseng being the most commonly used ingredient along with ginger and a red colored seed (i think it's called negla seed). all these extra ingredients plus other forms of combination with chinese herbs and such can help vitalize the body and fight a lot of dieases.

to connect with this little story, there's a really good restuarant around shun de called "siu wuo tian" but before i talk about all this chicken business, i want to share with you some dishes that are commonly good in most chinese restuarants here in southern mainland. and yes you can find all of this at "siu wuo tian" the first dish is braised pork with taro pot. in hong kong, it is hard to find fresh taro unless it is according to season. however, here in the mainland, you pretty much get to eat it fresh (for the most part) whenever you want! the dish is cooked in a special sauce until the taro (a bit firm still on the outside) and the pork is very soft. usually, the pork meat used in this dish contains more fat because that's the whole point of the dish. it is a very tasty (salty but not too salty and a bit sweet) dish and goes nicely with rice. usually, you use your chopstick and pick up a piece of taro and a piece of pork and eat it together like a sandwich. usually, the thing to look for in this dish is the freshness of the taro. if it breaks too easily when you pick it up and it seems watery when you eat it, then it is not fresh. anyways, if you ever get a chance, try it out!

chinese people and steam fish go hand in hand. if you go to chinese restuarants often, i'm sure you've seen steam fish all the time. yet here in the mainland, people tend to like to cut little fillets into the fish but leave the part connecting to the bone intact slightly. after all the parts are fillet, then the fish is steamed. this way, the cooking process is faster and even the eating process is easier too because everything is fillet for you. it is quite an interesting way to have your fish steamed. definitely something everybody should try if they love steamed fish.

lastly and most importantly is the silky chicken. no it's not in a stew or in a soup. it is actually just served like any chicken dish like soy sauce chicken or hannan chicken. because of the lack of burn marks, my best guess is that it is stir fry in a light soup base which in turn gave its taste. some ginseng and negla seeds are added along with some garnish on top. the taste is a saltiness sweet type flavor (the silky chicken already provided some of the sweetness by itself). it is one of the more famous dishes at "siu wuo tian" so yeah, definitely something worth ordering for its taste and of course for its nutritious / medicinal characteristics!

it is another level of rating restuarants here in the mainland. the standard and quality of the food, the skills of the chefs are just totally different. when it comes to chiense food, everything is simply up a notch. until one day i have a good understanding of the "standard" i gotta say "siu wuo tian" is a pretty good restuarant especially the silky chicken they serve. in addition to this, they also have a very good rice porridge. they cook it for so long in very high heat that the rice is broken down to very tiny pieces. anyhow, hope the little story and everything above was informative and entertaining!

< 4 out of 5 >

Genki Sushi

> Location : G/F Far East Finance Centre, 16 Harcourt Rd.,
Admiralty, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Japanese rotary sushi
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.genkisushi.com.sg/

So what exactly is rotary sushi? i remember the first time i saw a rotary sushi restaurant was in japan. i thought it was the coolest thing in the world, haha. okay okay, i still haven't explained what it is yet. rotary sushi is a type of restaurant where different sushi and dishes are put on top of a conveyor belt which goes along where the customers are sitting so they can reach out and pick and choose what kind of sushi they want to eat!

the place i went to in hong kong is at admiralty (technically central but it's like on the boarder i believe). it's walking distance to pacific place plaza and also there are other locations too. the place is called genki sushi. as you noticed from the plates, they are different colors and seem tacky. but they are actually color coded to indicate the different prices of the plates. yellow ($9 hkd), green ($12 hkd), purple ($15 hkd), red ($20 hkd), blue ($25 hkd), mix ($35 hkd). when you get the check, they just count how many plates you ate in respective of the colors and calculate your bill that way! you can also order your sushi through the waiters especially items that aren't usually on the conveyor belt such as hand rolls.

within your reach in every seat is ginger, wasabi, green tea powder, hot water dispenser, and soy sauce. to be a little more specific, you don't order your green tea through the waiter. as you can probably figure it out by now, there's a built in hot water dispenser at your seat, you just take a scoop of green tea powder and put some water in it! very easy to use and you don't need to always wait for your waiter to get water refills.

variety wise, genki sushi isn't the greatest but still most of the fish you could typically want you can get. built to be more of a come and go type restaurant and economical for people's pockets. yet for the price you pay compared to the quality you recieve, it is a pretty fair trade. comparing to some of the regular sit down japanese places, fish quality wise, genki will lose for sure. but like i said, the business isn't design to compete that way. lets just say, compared to a good amount of sit down's in southern california, the quality of genki sushi is on par if not a bit better! which says a lot about the freshness of the fish here in hong kong compared to the states.

this actually is my second experience at genki sushi. anyways, this time, the following fish is what i had and most of them are pictured in this entry (btw, i will name it in japanese first and english after so you can tell the difference when you go to a place that only lists in japanese): sake = salmon, hamachi = yellow tail, kohada = gizzard shad, kajiki toro = swordfish, aji = spanish mackerel, amaebi = sweet shrimp, shiro ebi = white shrimp, gyu tataki = half done beef, hotategai = scallop. the quality of all the items are very consistent to each other. when i bite into all the fishes, they didn't melt in my mouth nor was it chewy. i say it was about right in the middle or about a bit above the middle. as i said before in my previous entries, when raw fish melts in your mouth (besides toro = fatty tuna), it indicates the fish is not fresh / has been frozen for awhile. therefore, fresher fish is more chewy. average to be about $15 hkd for two pieces of sushi, that's about $2 US. usually, in the states, you have to pay on average $3.50 to $5.50 for every two pieces. now if you do the calculation, it isn't that bad of a deal!

lets talk about some of the less common fishes in the states that i mentioned about. kohada or shad, is actually from the same category as saba (mackerel). it's a silver skin fish that is very high in calcium. the taste of it is similar to saba but lighter in taste. gyu tataki is basically half cooked beef. seemingly raw, it's fresh enough and cooked just enough to be eatable. a very unique tasting experience. a smoky sensation when you taste it. lastly, kajiki toro is sword fish. it looks very similar to yellow tail at first but you could tell there's a slightly darker appearance.

the last three photos right next to this is the water dispenser i talked about earlier along with the green tea powder and other things, the photo of the side of the restaurant, and lastly some items on the conveyor belt you can choose from.

besides sushi/sashimi, you can also get temaki (hand rolls), maki (rolls), various appetizers, drinks, and party sets to make ordering easier. it's a fun and unique experience to visit to a rotary sushi restaurant. that in itself makes it up for the lack of top-notch quality. however like i said multiple times, the business isn't designed to work that way, the quality is already better than most sushi restaurants in the states and even some sit downs in hong kong (sadly and these places are more expensive too), and comparing to the price you pay, it equates the quality which is definitely fair. in the end, if you ever get a chance, go try genki or other similar types of places! hope this helps / was entertaining. take care and good luck ~

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Kappo Utsuki

> Location : G/F 19 Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Japanese
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

My twin mei-yee (like almost literally she is! she has the same birth year, month, day, country and maybe the same hospital but i gotta check up on that one, heh), took me to one of her favorite sushi restaurant in hong kong a few days ago. use to be more near sogo but now moved and somewhat hidden in the back streets, kappo utsuki in causeway bay is where we went to.

usually at a sushi place, i tend to just order sushi/sashimi and critique the freshness of the fish and the style and presentation of how they serve it. this time for a change, we went with a lunch set and see how it is. i went with mei-yee's favorite set which is the toro-don set. toro again as mentioned before means fatty tuna or to be more specific, the belly area of tuna. don meaning rice bowl.

the toro-don set comes with the toro-don itself (seaweed strips under the chopped up toro and wasabi/sesame over it), some soy sauce for the rice bowl, a bowl of udon, some sweet pickles, green beans and a chawanmushi (steamed egg custard cup). can't wait, i tackle the toro-don first. using my chopsticks, i mixed the wasabi in with the seaweed strips, rice and pour the soy sauce in also. after mixing it up pretty well, i begin tasting. the toro was nice and soft. mixed in with the flavor of the soy sauce and the seaweed, give it a crispy, head rushing spicy flavor. back tracking a little bit, when you order any sushi rice bowls, they will ask you if you want sushi rice or regular rice. for the inexperienced, sushi rice isn't just rice and water, it's rice (japanese style preffered), water, rice wine vinegar, sugar and some salt. in the end, it tastes a little sweet yet a bit sour from the vinegar. it's very good! so of course i chose sushi rice. if you think about it, your tongue is accepting a lot of flavors at the same time. sweet, sour, salty and head rushing spicy. so it's a very neat experience and very hard to explain. great overall.

as for the other parts of the lunch set, we have the udon which is a very typical udon soup base with green onions and tempura skin. nothing much to explain here. the noodles weren't overcooked or anything. a very plain dish but done right. good overall. the sweet pickles and the green beans were all very simple, fresh and done right. the chawanmushi was nice and soft, a little saltiness flavor to it. in a typical chawanmushi, a few eggs, some salt, soy sauce, sake, chicken, some type of mushroom (shitake usually) and some type of greens like green onions or trefoil for taste/decoration.

in the end, it was a very simple yet satisfying experience. the toro was very good and from what i heard from mei-yee, the toro they use during dinner is even better ($70 hkd difference but same size). therefore this experience is just the first step to greater things! thanks again to mei-yee for showing me this place! assuming the dinner fish is even better, i will definitely give 1/2 a point more if this review is base on it. since it's only lunch...

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Thai Simple Kitchen

> Location : 3/F., President Theatre, 517 Jaffe Rd.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Thai
> Tel. # : (852) 2838- 2896
> Website : N/A

First and foremost, please click on the photos this time for a larger image! anyways... tell me about it. rating something with a perfect score or near perfect score is tough. especially a person like me who have high expectations in things i enjoy. the environment, the customer service, the decorations on the food, the taste of the food itself, the price versus quality ratio all has to be correct. all these fields holds some type of exceptions depending on the business strategy and what not. so like i promised, i have a thai restaurant review just for you'll. even though most of you just look at the pictures, haha, i'm going to be as informative as possible for the the few that are around hong kong or might travel to hong kong!

i'm going to split this review into two experiences. the first about 4 days ago with rebecca, her cousin and cousin's girlfriend (much props again to her cousin for treating us and props to 'becca for taking some of the photos for me! ^_^ ) and second with family just yesterday.

located in 3/F. president theatre, 517 jaffe road, causeway bay, hong kong, a little unexpected entrance lies a restaurant with many faces. your first step inside is a nice sign that says thai simple kitchen and some decorations and a elavator leading up to the rear floor where the restaurant is at. once out of the elavator, you face a semi-dim environment with a lot of spotlighting, water flowing decorations, a small stage for performances (a lot of thai places in LA are like that), outside part of the restaurant, inside part of the restaurant, a big horizontal glass window looking outside and many other things. the most neat thing about this place is the outside part of the restaurant. although most know hong kong has humid weather, they placed a lot of high powered fans around to keep you cool and even a few 8-10 seating shacks closed in with clear plastic sheets with air conditioning inside. a very colorful environment and very exciting. so the first time, i sat outside but not inside the shacks.

we ordered six things. the first thing that came is the 'famous prawn soup' or as most would call it, 'tom yum gong.' one of the two infamous soups in thai restaurants (next to tom ka ka). the usual suspects in this soup are lemon grass, lime juice, chili, basil leafs and mushrooms. to make it a more high class pricey item, the menu adds some king prawns in it. tom yum gong is a very sour and spicy soup. of course, it did disappoint at this place. spicy (chili playing a role) and sour (lemon grass and lime juice playing a role). every taste keeps its strong flavors and nothing left out. when the soup comes, a fire is add on the bottom to keep its warmth for seconds and as a environmental decoration. a thai soup like this has to be the best starter you can have!

next up is the 'panang curry with prawn & coconut milk with vermicelli.' at first i thought it was going to be a bowl/pot with a lot of curry within. but when it came, i was very surprised. a side note, this place loves using king prawns. so why was i surprised? well, forget the bowl of rice, the vermicelli is your base for the panang curry. first of all, panang curry is your prime orange thai curry. it holds a very unique sweet flavor that no one can ever forget. so you have king prawn meat on top of the vermicelli mixed in with the panang curry. the decorations on the dish is splendid. with king prawn head, tail, with a decorative carot flower and some uncooked lettuce and cabbage as a green/white coloring base. usually, i would think vietnamese vermicelli with some fish sauce is good but vermicelli with panang curry? you know, this combination is a genius move! the softness of the vermicelli along with the very strong flavor of the thickly cooked panang curry is just so darn good. note, the curry is thick and not watery at all which is a positive. along with the king prawn meat, it's just good stuff!

so, you think you had enough king prawn? next we have the 'fried rice with prawn, chicken, longnan, garlic and shallot.' no prawn head this time but you just have the meat. this dish is presented well too. it comes in a wooden pot with a cover on top. open it up, you see all its wonders. this is one of the less strong tasting dish overall speaking. as of in, the taste is reliant on one or two of the ingredients. usually, fried rice is like that unless it's a wet fried rice like fujian style fried rice where the thick sauce covers everything. the highlight this dish, longnan is added which is a very similar fruit to lychee. it's a bit less sour than lychee but more sweet. it gives the fried rice a slight sweet flavor to it. the bit of saltiness comes from the dry pork meat. usually these things (comes in beef, fish also) goes with rice porridge, but adding this to this fried rice helps the higlighting of the taste. besides that, the taste has a sweet, soy sauce like taste to it. great presentation, conservative taste yet good overall.

now we have the strongest saltiness tasting dish. 'fried minced chicken with basil, chili.' this dish is very salty, very strong with its basil and chili taste (therefore spicy also). the dish also includes some mushrooms, green beans and red bell peppers. a very colorful presentation. this dish is definitely a rice matching dish so naturally it went with the fried rice that was discussed above. a dish that should be loved by people who loves spiciness and extremely strong flavors.

to the side of the restaurant outside, there's a grill for the 'griddle' portion of the menu. all sorts of seafood can be choose from. for our occasion, we went with the squid. like always, good color contrast in the presentation. the grilled squid goes with a thick sweet, sour garlic, chili type sauce. if you ever had the dressing on thai beef salad, it tastes very very similar to it. the squid is chewy with the grill like taste on it. along with the sauce, it adds a nice compliment to it. simple overall but of course, still very good in its own way.

hey, we all need fiber to help do our business right? so we went with the 'sauteed morning glory with bean paste and chili.' morning glory is one of my personal favorite vegetable. the various ways it could be cooked in (shrimp sauce, bean paste, chopped garlic), really makes it a versatile vegetable. in this dish, the bean paste helps highlight a lot. in addition to this, some of the bean is not grinded into paste which gives some additional chewing, taste to it. the bean paste gives that fermented, salty flavor to the morning glory. the chili gives the dish a slight spiciness to it which patches up the dish. good stuff definitely.

OKAY!! well, i'm not quite done yet. haha. so onto my second experience right away. sat inside one of those shacks that is air conditioned. the plastic covering keeps the AC inside really well away from that humid feeling. definitely a nice enclosed environment with a bunch of friends or family. the dish difference between my first and second experience is the 'pineapple fried rice' and the 'steamed mullet with lemon grass, basil, grape tomato, coconut milk, and lime.' the other dishes were also ordered from the first experience.

so instead fried rice coming with a wooden pot, it's fried rice coming in a half pineapple shell! pineapple fried rice is the most common rice dish among most thai food lovers. this one comes with rasins, squid (additional meat), mix vegetables (like those frozen bags with peas, kernal, etc). pineapple of course, chicken (base meat) and shrimp (additional meat). presentation wise, nothing but clever. since it's pineapple fried rice, it comes in a pineapple shell, haha. very much like the other fried rice, this dish is very dependent on the pineapple for the highlighting of the taste, sweetness. again, dry pork meat is added on top to make sure flavors are extracted with every bite. with the usually not added meat into the fried rice (squid, shrimp), it gives a somewhat mix sensation to the mouth. i would prefer limiting it down to chicken and shrimp if not just chicken. nevertheless, it was a good dish. my only complaint was, because they try to fit it into the pineapple, the portion wasn't a lot compared to the wooden pot one, but still, clever presentation.

last but not least, the steamed mullet. this dish took the longest for it to prepared. comes in a fish shaped plate with fire underneath, the sauce/soup base to this dish tastes pretty much like tom ka ka. comes with lemon grass, basil, grape tomato, coconut milk, and lime as said before, the flavor is about mild. i suggest when eating the mullet (it's a type of fish by the way), eat it in conjunction with the soup base. it gives every bite the sweet (coconut milk ) and sour (lime) sensation. i was expecting the sourness to be stronger, however it came mild. yet, it's a nice dish used last to settle off all the spicy, strong sour and sweet flavors if that's a better way to make this dish sound better. overall good, but i think it's one of those exceptional moments. which is, if i came tomorrow again, the taste could possibly be stronger. or perhaps it is intentional for it to be mild. presentation and everything wise, done very nicely.

4 simons with sombrero hats or 4.5? 5 is out of the question. i absolutely got to have no doubt at all to give it a 5. i'll say this right now, the service was a bit not as responsive as i would like. both times there, the responsiveness was very similar. when asking if a certain dish is coming or not, they would check for you but never come back sometimes to say if they checked and it's coming right away. attitude is between neutral to good. all this definitely threw away 0.5 out of the total. okay, it's not about the food, but the way i see how this business is geared, the customer service is a must. ultimately, this place is a must visit restaurant! nothing was mediocore. all was good to excellent. definitely a good thai place to go to! in the end...

< 4 out of 5 >

Modern China Restaurant

> Location : Shop # 1002, 10/F, Times Square, 1 Mantheson St.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Northern Chinese
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : HERE

So this is the third installment of northern chinese food review. thanks for reading, much appreciate it and somehow i hope you find it useful =) but like i say to all, come visit, i'll take u! hey, i didn't say you need to pay ^^

so once again, i've tasted xiao long bao (siu long bao if pronouced in cantonese) from a different restaurant. this time, in causeway bay again, i visited modern china restaurant. not a very original english name huh? haha. that's what i thought the first time i noticed. but don't let the name fool you, let the food do the talking! modern china restaurant is right next to a few major restaurant chains on the 10th floor of time square plaza. the place gets pretty packed once it gets around 6:30 pm on weekdays and on the weekends, go as early as you can, 'cause the wait will take awhile!

there are a few notable dishes to mention about and a few i will briefly explain just for reference sake. we'll save the 'best for last' and go with the alright dishes first. like the last two northern chinese cusines i've reviewed, i ordered the sauteed bean curd sheet with salted snow cabbage and pea. it's a classic northern chinese dish. well, to be accurate, the restaurant at world trade centre wasn't exactly this dish, but similar (the one at ifc is the same though). as the title of the dish says, it has sheets of bean curd, snow cabbage and peas. the dish is very light, meaning not heavy on salt or taste. it's a healthy vegetarian dish but this time compared to ifc, it's served hot not cold. there is a noticable difference between the two though IF the ingredients are the same in the cooking process. the hot version tends to be more watery and cooked right off the bat therefore some of the taste is dropped into the liquid. the cold version is obviously been sitting around a little bit to cool it down and chefs tend to dump the liquid. however, in the process, some liquid is still absorbed therefore the saltiness is preserved to some extent which gives the cold version a bit more taste. it's a matter of preference which version you like, in the end, it's a healthy traditional dish one should try at least once!

the second dish is spicy sesame chicken ordered as a whole or half a chicken. it's not exactly very spicy. i would categorize it has being minor. when you first taste it, you'll notice the sauce is of like a sweet soy sauce with a blend of spiciness. sesame is sprinkled ontop all over the chicken. the chicken meat is nice and fresh and easy to bite into. the skin like most chinese chicken dishes is left on. it's one of those northern delicacy one should definitely try. sometimes the sweetness along with the spiciness does remind you of thai food sometimes. the sensation's combination that is. anyhow, lets move on.

next we have the tianjin cabbage in cream sauce. made using tianjin cabbage, the sauce ontop is salty yet sweet and also sprinkled ontop is some smoked ham bits. the cabbage isn't cut into small pieces but pretty much a whole cabbage cut in half horizontally. this dish kind of reminds me of the creamy bracolli in white sauce spagahetti. not a lot of typical occasion in chinese cusine where you get to eat vegetable this way. yet, the creaminess isn't incredibly thick but just enough where you can feel that creamy sensation. of course again, the cream is mildly sweeten, salted. in the end, it's a very unique dish in terms of chinese culture.

okay, things are getting better and better. now we have fried bun or in cantonese, we call it man tao. usually, man tao is either steamed or fried to golden brown with a glazed texture. sometimes when man tao is steamed, chinese people like to mix it with taro in the bread when steamed or during chinese year new or even a person's birthday, the chinese tends to steam man tao with some pink coloring on it. they are simply food coloring added on for the purpose of symbolizing good luck just like the color red in chinese culture. in the case of what i'm eating, it's just a fried man tao with some sweet condensed milk sauce. it is always eaten like this when man tao is fried and it tastes incredibly good! the outside has a nice slight crispiness and the inside is still white and semi-soft, filling the aroma of bread. in the end, it's the combination of the condensed milk and the golden brown texture that gives this simple delicacy its infamousy. a lot of chinese restaurants have this, so don't forget to ask when u're at one even when u're in the states!

so second to last is the lanzhou style tan-tan noodle in spicy sauce. lanzhou noodle are streched noodles that could be made wide or slim. it's most famously cooked as a beef noodle soup way back in the 1600's during the qing dynasty all the way up till now. the lanzhou noodle here is used in a spicy sesame (peanuty) soup base with some green onion. according to the restaurant's website, it is one of the chef's recommendation. the spiciness of the dish grows on you but overall it's not very spicy. the soup is not extremely thick but you can still definitely get the full taste of sesame, peanuty flavor. the noodle is round and slim, very easy to bite into but it's not the sensation of lets say, ramen noodle or even flat noodles. has a very flexible feeling to it. besides the soup base, the green onion, there are also ground pork bits within. kind of reminds you of chinese ja ja mien but with a soup base or even taiwanese style ground beef rice. the aroma of the sesame and the chewiness of the lanzhou noodles gives the eater a wonderful feeling. it's hard to describe you just simply have to try it for yourself!

last but not least, xiao long bao! every order contains 8 xiao long bao. there are a few different types which uses different meat filling such as crab meat but of course to do a comparison with the other places, i had to order the regular pork one. i ordered two orders (don't worry, i didn't eat all 16, there were others with me, haha). the first order came and the first thing i noticed when i bite a small hole on top, is that, the xiao long bao skin is very soft and thin. but obviously not enough where it'll break even when you gently pick it up with you chopstick. this is a good thing. this is probably the most thin out of all the places i've been so lately. the soup within was great, sweet and blending in with the taste of vinegar at the very end. the meat within was slightly stiff. which isn't a big problem. that's why there was a second order. so i tried it again. the skin, same. the soup, same. the meat, nice and cooked perfectly this time! seriously, it has to be the best place so far in hong kong for xiao long bao. the soup amount within the skin is perfect too. with the skin being so thin and looking the soup seemingly about to break through, but still don't is just good steam timing and the quality of the skin that's used. actually, this isn't the first time i've been here. haha. after trying a few places, i had to come back and reconfirm this is still the best and yes it is!

so that's it for this review. thanks much for reading. note in the pictures, there are two dishes i did not talk about. one of which is a free starter dish which is chicken with a salsa like substance ontop. the other is something my sister in law ordered which i didn't even get to taste so i left it out in my discussion. it's cooked like how bird's nest noodles are cooked with strips of meat and vegetable and thick sauce. from what i know, it's minor in taste and not anything too special.

anyways, i'm out and with my cliche i shall say, take care and good luck ~

< 4 out of 5 >

S.W. Seafood & BBQ

> Location : 5406 Walnut Ave., Irvine,
California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Canton (Chinese)
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

In the city of irvine, there aren't a lot of big chinese restaurants around. there's the one in the same plaza as tako (it's right by jeffery). there's also sam woo on culver and deerfield. those are the more major chains around.

however, besides those two, s.w. seafood & bbq makes an interesting splash among the chinese cusine mix in irvine. like the user above said, the service is good. usually in traditional chinese places, it's about going to a restaurant often and people gettin to know you. it's not about good services for everybody.

the amont of food you get + the quality + the price is probably the best thing at this place. the food isn't super super good but it's well above average. the pricing isn't a lot. you can probably feed like 4 people and it'll cost you 20 ish the most during lunch. just a little bit more for dinner. the place isn't totally geared towards seafood but it's acceptable nonetheless. a lot of the dishes are pretty much cantonese style since the people running the restaurant are all pretty much cantonese. my favorite dishes has to be the beef, turnip hot pot (something to that extent, i don't know the specific english title) and the chicken with taro hot pot. i've tried many of their other dishes and most are safely above average.

i almost forgot about phoenix on culver and walnut. i think besides phoenix and s.w. seafood & bbq, the rest can be left out unless you wanna travel further to the asian cities (rowland heights, monterary park, etc). definitely a good place to go to for most chinese food eaters.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

A & J's

> Location : 14805 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine,
California 92620, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Simple Northern Chinese
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

It's definitely not a bad place for simple northern chinese food. a&j is a nice small simple restaurant order using a piece of paper kinda like ordering sushi at a sushi joint.

the fried meat bun, spicy or non spicy beef noodles, ja ja mien, potstickers, thounsand layer pancake and a lot of stuff are all very acceptable. definitely a different type of chinese food if you want to get away from the southern, canton style type of chinese food.

if u're vegetarian or just tryin to get healthy, their vegetarian delight is good too. comes with soup, rice, bean curd, vegetable, black fungus, mushrooms and other stuff. it has a good taste to it yet it's light and healthy

they also have a lot of small dishes to choose from like cucumbers, seaweed. they are a bit sweet but mostly sour cold dishes if u know what i'm talkin about. good to open up your appetite (sour things, especially food mixed with vinegar helps your appetite).

the pricing is normal and just right. the service is fine. it's located near taiko and right next to a hair salon on jeffery/walnut. help this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Houston's

> Location : 2991 Michelson Dr, Irvine,
California 92612, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : American
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.hillstone.com/

Houston's is a great place for ribs and the alike. heck, even the sandwiches are good. it's not a cheap place and like my friend raymond who started the review, it's a cut above places like black angus but right below places like ruth chris and other expensive steakhouses. the environment is very dim during the evening time. a big bar with a lot of tv's around it for sport fanatics.

the spanich dip is always good. one thing i always get when i go there. the ribs are very good also. juicy and of good quality. usually it's a place late 20's 30+ year old people go to. 'cause most dishes are in the high $10's and usually $20-30+. yet, don't let the price fool you. although it won't be like a claim jumper portion at houston's, what you get is consistently high quality. the salad, pastas are all good. and of course like i said, there's a bar, so if u're with the boys or on business outing, there's a wide variety of drinks u can order.

finally, like my man raymond said above, be pepared to spend about 40-60 a person if you want a decent meal for two (about 50 ish when i went with a friend. two entrees and one starter dish). you can probably get out with around 30 ish if u order the cheaper stuff like the sandwiches and the alike. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Philly's Best

> Location : 4250 Barranca Pkwy Ste R, Irvine,
California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Philadelphian Cheesesteak
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.eatphillysbest.com/

Seriously, out of every darn place in california i've been to for a cheesesteak, this is still the best out of anywhere else i've been to! get the philly's best or if u're not too into beef that day, the philly's best chicken is good too!

a lot of tv's so you can watch your sports and don't be hesitant if you wanna watch a different channel. just ask and they will switch it for you. it seems pricey at first but for the quality they give you, i don't mind it at all. i also have to mention, the onion rings with pizza sauce are great! i'm not overstating, but this are probably the meanest onion rings around the area. so give those bad boys a try next time you go!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 5 out of 5 >

Inka Grill

> Location : 23600 Rockfield Blvd Ste 2K, Lake Forest,
California 92630, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Peruvian
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

Peruvian cusine is great for anybody who hasn't tried it before. peru is the "capital" of potatos. in fact, sometimes people say french fries are originated from there since the europeans back in the days brought potatoes back from peru. my first time was at mario's in downtown l.a. so i had to find a place to go to since i live in the o.c. there are various places around the lakeforest area with peruvian cusine. however, my first attempt in o.c. is inka grill.

the place is not very big. about three booths and about 8-10 tables. but don't let the size fool you, let the food do the talkin! the place is decorated nicely with a southern america theme. slightly dim lighting to go with the mood.

i've tried a good amount of dishes from inka grill but i'm goin to try my best to remember everything. the most common peruvian dish is saltado. it's a dish with onion, potatoe strips (kinda like french fries), some special sauce mixed into it and your choice of meat (chicken, beef, seafood or vegetarian). the dish is served with rice and on the side, you can use this spicy guacamole sauce that heightens the taste and give yourself a spicy rush! it's a very delicious dish for first time peruvian food eaters and the portion they give you is very filling.

they also have these empanadas with different types of fillings in their starter menu that are very good too. i've also tried the fried yuka root, which is a type of root that has a similar texture to a potato but not quite. it comes with a special sauce to dip in. i've also had this lamb stew dish that is served with rice once. i think it was called mama's homecook lamb stew. i don't recall exactly what it tasted like since it was sometime ago but i do remember it was very very good! so u should definitely check into that.

definitely, u can't leave a peruvian restaurant without trying inca cola. it's a type of cola that is bright yellow in color and it tastes like bubblegum. it's very good and refreshing. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Mosun Sushi Sake Bar

> Location : 680 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach,
California 92651, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Japanese
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.mosunclubm.com/

Lets forget about the night club portion of mosun because the highlight of this place is still the food.

i've tried dozens of japanese places in so cal and if you want to talk about freshness / quality of the fish, this has to be the best out of all places i've been to period. at least i can say for certain around the o.c. area.

mosun's environment is very dim with very neat decorations. there's a water decoration thingy which is kinda neat with lcd tv's around the place. it's a nice environment for friends and even on a date.

the fish as i was talkin' about earlier is very fresh. just stay away from wednesday since it's half price day (usually when there are specials and discounts for sushi joints, they don't serve you the best quality stuff. so if you want to get the best, stay away from those. but if quatity is in your mood, then go right ahead!). the tuna, yellowtail, salmon, toro, white fish, mackeral and every type of fish you could imagine is all good. their rolls are very unique especially the lobster roll if i recall correctly. when eating sashimi, pay attention to the fish's chewiness. if it melts in your mouth really easily or even if you see the fish's color on the rice, then it's definitely not fresh/frozen/they added food coloring. fresh sashimi is always a bit chewy. kinda feeling the tendon's of the fish. the only exception to this fact is toro (fatty tuna). this is the only fish i know for a fact that should melt in your mouth for the most part. but of course for mosun, i highly highly doubt this will ever happen.

mosun even have a line of dessert. the one i remember having last time is the cream brule. it's very good if i recall correctly. anyhow, to end this, i gotta say again, it's the best place for sushi. it's a very young/hip place so it's hard to fit a family mood into a place like this. but with friends or on dates, it's definitely great. laguna beach wise, i heard there is another place supposedly better than mosun. but until i find out, this has to be the best in so cal i have ever had.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

India Cook House

> Location : 14130 Culver Dr., Irvine, California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Indian
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.indiacookhouseoc.com/

I can't say much about the specific ordering of dishes for this indian restaurant. however, i can tell u a good amount of what the lunch buffet is all about!

for $9 dollars, you can have a full indian lunch buffet. it's not some tiny buffet section in the restaurant, it's actually a decent size with a good amount of selections! all sorts of curry, chicken, lamb, desserts, all you can eat naan, a few kinds of indian fried foods, vegetables and a lot of other stuff! seriously, 9 bucks, not a lot for something like this!

i've been to the lunch buffet about 3, 4 times and everytime it tastes consistent from each other and very good! of course, it's a buffet after all, so the quality isn't top notch. however, judging it according to buffet quality, it really is better than a lot of places i've been to!

if you want buffet, got a lot of room in your stomach and want some indian food, i totally recommend you this place. it's next to caspian, hidden behind the dennys on culver. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Thai Spice

> Location : 15455 Jeffrey Rd., Ste 315, Irvine,
California 92618, U.S.A.
> Cusine : Thai fast food
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

For some quick thai food, thai spice does it job. i live fairly close to thai spice for like 3 years so i had a lot of experiences there. they may not use traditional ingredients in every dish, but for someone with a new tongue in thai food, it really is still some above average food.

as the name tells u, this place isn't kidding with the spiciness! you get to choose up to 4 or 5 different levels of spiciness. mild is usually good enough in my opinion unless you like to fight fire throughout your meal!

as one reviewer stated, their soup isn't exactly up to par with sit down restaurants. but still it's acceptable. most notably, tom ka ka and tom yum gong. i'm usually a sucker for their noodles. pad see u, pad thai, lad lan, pad kee mow, chicken curry noodle are all good (pardon the spelling). rice wise, i like the spicy chicken on rice over pineapple fried rice. just because of the consistent taste.

speaking of taste, because they change between 2-3 chefs now and then (i know of an older lady chef and a younger/middle age lookin chef), the consistency of some dishes can vary sometimes. due to this fact, picky eaters can feel negative about this. it has been a month or two since i've been there so things could have changed.

appetizer wise, their chicken wings are really good. spicy with a lot of honey and other ingredients, this to me is the best appetizer besides their fried tofu with the peanut sauce or the satay meats.

anyways, overall, it's one of the better place for asian semi-fast food around that area. if you go there often enough, u might even get free appetizers or drinks like me =) on a side note, they can make green curry even though it isn't on their menu. try requesting it, they might make it for you. i know they did for me! how did it taste? it's alright. not great but heck, i use to go there so often, i needed something else 'cause i had everything on the menu already!

i would give this place three stars. BUT because of their friendly service (at the very least to me ^^) and it is fast food after all (yet, the quality isn't horrible when the right chef is working, the old one i prefer), for a place like this, it deserves 3.5-4. since there's no 3.5, i'll give it a 4! hope this helps.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >