Krispy Kreme

> Location : 51 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : American Doughnuts
> Tel. # : (852) 2580-8338
> Website : http://www.krispykreme.com.hk/

What else do I need to explain? Krispy Kreme in Hong Kong is the same old goodness from the states! Starting off at the Causeway Bay location on Lee Garden Road, Krispy Kreme Hong Kong has expanded to Central (address listed above) and also at the Times Square MTR station.

Various selections of doughnuts, coffee, chilled drinks and also early bird specials, Krispy Kreme Hong Kong serves it all! Some of the selections they serve besides the infamous original glazed are caramel kreme crunch, strawberry shortcake, New York cheesecake, and glazed raspberry filled. There are 11 other choices for you to choose!

Pricing wise, for each original glazed, it costs $10 HKD and $88 per dozen. For everything else, it's $12 HKD each and $110 per dozen. There's also a two dozen deal of original glazed for $168 HKD! A good choice if you want to treat your co-workers to some doughnut goodness.

As for their coffee, this is what their advertisement has to say, "Krispy Kreme ensures that our coffee meets the same exacting standards as our doughnuts, We believe that the perfect doughnut deserves the perfect cup of coffee. That is why we are proud to serve Illy premium blend coffee in all our stores, Illy coffee produces a single, unique and unmistakable blend of traditional coffee that will complement your Krispy Kreme experience." Illy coffee? A famous Italian coffee company for over 70 years, you can't go wrong with that!

So what are you waiting for? How does it taste? It's a world wide thing, don't waste time reading what I have to say anymore! Just go now to your nearest location and enjoy some doughnut goodness today!

< 4 out of 5 >

Beard Papa Sweets

> Location : No. 16-B2, Jumbo Sogo, Gloucester Rd.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Dessert
> Tel. # : (852) 2833-2483
> Website : http://www.muginohousa.com/ http://www.beardpapa.com.cn/

Also with six other locations throughout Hong Kong, Beard Papa Sweets isn't a rookie in the sweets business. Started in Osaka, Japan in 1999 by Yuji Hirota, Beard Papa Sweets has spread throughout the globe in places such as The United States, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Australia. So what's the big deal? Known for its cream puffs, the best way to describe it is by Beard Papa themselves: "A crunchy puff pastry filled with our fresh and all natural original custard combined with whipped cream." Seriously, I never was interested at first, but after taking a bite just the other day, I'm convinced!

In Hong Kong, the regular puffs comes in two flavors: The first one is the original vanilla flavor which is milky sweet and the second is green tea flavoring ($10 HKD for one). Special Ice cream Puffs are also sold for $14 HKD each! Other special flavors coming in a petit size (a smaller version of the normal puffs, 3 for $10 HKD) includes Chocolate, Coffee, Earl Grey Tea, Pumpkin, and Strawberry. The secret to addiction to me is that the pastry is crunchy, flaky and full of that nice custard flavoring topped with powder sugar above. In addition to this, the cream is nice and cool (not as cold as ice cream but still comforting to the mouth) with this sweetness that is balanced and milky-like rich! Good stuff indeed.

Besides the infamous cream puffs, Hong Kong Beard Papa Sweets also features Cornet, Eclair, Chocolate Croissant, various types of tarts (cheese, almond, lemon, etc.), tiramisu, cheese cake stick, pudding (mango, maple syrup) and a lot of other goodies! Check out the website for details (I posted both China's website and the American website). In the end, there's definitely a reason why Beard Papa Sweets is throughout this planet! If you haven't had the chance to try, go soon!

< 4 1/2 out of 5 >

Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant

> Location : Alpha House Basement 27-33 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Shanghainese
> Tel. # : (852) 2366-7244
> Website : http://www.wukong.com.hk/

> Update (12/04/06): Visited the Wu Kong at Casueway Bay recently. I wanted to report two new dishes I had and the consistency of both restaurants. Overall, the quality / taste of the Tsim Sha Tsui compared to the Causeway Bay outlet is just as good. There's a slight difference in the menu (plus/subtract certain dishes) but the popular ones are intact.

One of the new dishes I had is the stewed pork in brown sauce. It's a very popular dish in Shanghai. Basically it's very soft and tender pork meat that melts in your mouth with a tasty/sweet brown sauce. With some vegetables on the bottom. Definitely great stuff with rice!

The other dish I had is the Fried yellow croaker cooked in wine sauce. This is an amazing dish. The fried fish is basically dipped in wine sauce before served. You still get a slight fried texture in your mouth, that common fish taste and that extra sensation of wine in your mouth. It is kind of like chicken in wine sauce but a bit more exciting!

I am definitely a fan of this place now! So check it out if you ever get a chance. I can safely give this place half an extra point now because of the consistency and the new dishes impressed me. I actually had xiao long bao again. The quality this time is a tad bit better than last. Anyhow, my verdict this time is...

< 4 1/2 out of 5 >

> Original Review: Shanghai cuisine can vary in taste because it derives a lot of its dishes from its surrounding neighbors. Yet, through the decades of the cuisine's evolution, naturally, it has become a cuisine of its own! From xiao long bao to sweet and sour spare ribs to various siu sik and wine flavored dishes, Shanghai cuisine definitely touches every part of one's taste bud. Recently, I visited one of the top-rated Shanghai restaraunt here in Hong Kong. This place is called Wu Kong! Wu Kong has two locations in Hong Kong: The main location is in Causeway Bay at Times Square's food forum and the second location is at Tsim Sha Tsui which is where I ate at.

Wu Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui location is located on the basement floor. The entrance is small and somewhat hidden but once inside, it is actually bigger than you would expect. The Ceiling of the place is kind of low (maybe just to me since i'm taller than the average asian, haha) but that shouldn't be a problem because the food will make it up! The service at Wu Kong is great and the menu is plentiful. In addition to all this, there place at night was packed! No empty seats and people still waiting outside to get in.

Now lets go straight to the dishes I had! First up we have some siu sik or in english, small dishes (dim sum). Braised Shanghai Wheat-Bran is the first to come. The wheat-bran contained a sweet-like flavor. On the side, there are some black fungus which is a good healthy pair just like the wheat-bran. Overall, this is a healthy and interesting dish with a nice sweet flavor to it.

Next siu sik dish is the supreme jelly fish. Other visable ingredients are black vinegar, green onions, and sesame oil. The flavor of the dish is lightly salty with a define black vinegar taste. The jelly fish is crisp. Overall, this is a good dish to try out!

Now for one of the most attractive shanghai cuisine dishes! Wine chicken, wine fish and other wine marinaded dishes is quite a delicacy. For my experience, I had the chicken wing in wine sauce. Usually, these dishes are served cold or at room temeperature. The chicken in our case was served at room temperature, tender and the taste was somewhat salty with a define taste of wine. My educated guess would tell me rice wine is used to marinate this dish. The combination of the chicken taste, marinate ingredients and the wine flavor makes it quite an experience. It is truly something that is hard to describe. If you try this dish in other Shanghai/Chinese restaurants, it might be called drunken chicken as this is the common literally translated name from chinese. When this dish is served cold, usually gelatins are formed from the sauce. Anyways, definitely recommended!

Continuing with siu sik dishes, we now have the mixed shreds seaweed and jelly fish with legume. This dish is served cold with shreds of four season string beans which is "legume" in the dish title. The taste has a slight sesame oil flavor to it also. Similar to the last jelly fish dish, the highlighting factor from the last dish (vinegar) now in this dish is replaced by the seaweed and the string bean flavors. In the end, it is a nice dish again but if I had to choose, I would definitely go with this one because of the variety of ingredients.

Ending the siu sik dishes, we have the deep fried bean curd rolls stuffed with mushrooms. This rolls are slightly crispy and mild in taste. I was expecting a deep fried dish like this to have a stronger, definite flavor to it (sweet, salty, etc). Not much to say about this dish except that this is the only weak link of my entire experience which is good for the restaurant and but for this dish!

Beginning with the normal dishes, we have the steamed shanghai pork dumplings. Like the marinade wine dishes, steamed dumplings (xiao long bao) is another highlight of Shanghai cuisine. If you've read my Northern Chinese/Shanghai restaurant reviews, what makes a xiao long bao good is in three factors: the tenderness of the meat, the sweetness of the soup inside and the softness/durability of the dumpling skin. At Wu Kong's, the meat was tender, the juice was good but slightly salty and lastly, the skin was a tad bit hard. The slight hardness of the dumpling skin was a down point but naturally gave it its durability (skin not easily broken). But as I said, the best xiao long bao in my opinion is where the skin is nice and soft yet durable enough for you to pick up and not spill the soup within. Overall, the xiao long bao is good but definitely could be better.

Before I continue, let me educate you on how the soup gets into the dumpling. Gelatin is formed using steamed chicken stock and pork rind traditionally. Yet these days, a lot of xiao long bao are ready-made gelatin packets instead of hand made. The gelatin are usually cut into small pieces or cubes wrapped around with the meat and into the dumpling skin. For further and very specific information, check out Kuidaore's food website!

Next up is the stewed spare ribs with bean paste sauce in casserole. First off, another visable ingredient are green onions. This dish is the heaviest of the bunch seemingly. The taste is mildly sweet and the meat is tender for the most part. I was anticipating for a stronger flavor. It isn't bad but it definitely gets the job done for most eaters.

Okay, almost to the end! Next we have the Tofu skin dumpling. This has to be the most intriguing dish of the night! this "dumpling's" skin is made out of tofu. This tofu dumpling is filled with vegetables and mushrooms inside. This is a very light flavored dish yet due to its uniqueness and its emphasis on being a healthy dish, it is definitely a must for ordering! Also, the firm tofu dumpling is surrounded by a thick mildly flavored sauce.

Last but not least is the steam shad fish. Shad fish is a type of fish that contains a lot of small, thin bones. It is a must use fish for cooking this famous Shanghai fish dish. The sauce that surrounds the shad fish is a very fishy-sweet flavor. Most Chinese steamed fish would generally give you some type of salty flavor but this is different because the sweet flavor dominates your taste bud (of course, not candy like sweet). The dish is topped off with shrimp and smoked ham. Mostly for decorations in my opinion. The shad fish was tender overall and on a side note, this fish was frozen from northern China. This is definitely a must order if you enjoy fish and something totally unique!

In the end, Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant is a great place to visit. Trying out so many dishes, 90% of what I had didn't disappoint me. My only complaints aren't big problems so it's very positive. I am undecisive with my final verdict because there's this hump that I don't think Wu Kong has gotten quite over yet. What exactly is it? Well, as a northen Chinese restaurant, it is important to know how to perfect your steamed dumplings! The skin as I mentioned before was hard. This probably was either due to it being left out for a bit after steaming or the skin used was thicker. Traditionally, the thinner the better yet being able to hold onto the meat and soup while picking it up with your chopsticks! Secondly, the soup was a tad bit salty and not sweet enough. Mainly due to this but I must tell you, not exactly the biggest problem if you're not a picky person like me =), my final verdict is...

< 4 out of 5 >

Itamae-Sushi

> Location : Shop 1-3, G/F., Excelsior Plaza, Yee On Bldg.,
24-26 East Point Rd., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Japanese Sushi
> Tel. # : (852) 2110-8504
> Website : N/A

Have you ever been to a restaurant where it's so hard to get table even for 1 or 2 people? Well, I'm not talkin' about like booking a table that is available a few months later like in the movie "lake house." Gosh, if there's a place like that, tell me where! haha. So what exactly am i talkin' about? Itamae-Sushi. There's is no reservations for this place and it's first come first serve base on available seating. For dinner time, it opens around 5:30 PM and there is already a hand full of people waiting to get in. In about another 30 min., expect a whole bunch of people outside getting tickets to wait to get a seat! Base on my multiple experiences, if you want an easier time getting in, go early!

Itamae-Sushi has three locations. The first One is the one I'm reviewing at Causeway Bay and the other two are at Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok, Kowloon. The environment of this place isn't very big but used efficiently. The sushi bar is 360 degrees with multiple sushi chefs at your service. Along with the chefs, there's rotory sushi going around 360 degrees also. Besides the bar, there's also some regular seating on the side. The lighting is somewhat dim and again the space is well used.

What truly makes Itamae-Sushi special isn't just the location (it's right by Sogo and some of the most crowded streets of Causeway Bay), but it is the variety. Besides your usual salmon, tuna, eel, mackerel, yellowtail and so on, you have even more special choices such as striped jack, Japanese jack mackerel, fatty yellowtail, fatty salmon, fatty tuna of two types, rudder fish, salty saury, Japanese flounder and so much more. In addition to fishes, there's also different types of semi-raw japanese beef, horse flesh (yes, horse meat, haha), different types of shell seafood, roasted items, sashimi, handrolls, cut rolls, desserts and so much other stuff I can't list them all! Each table contains four different types of paper menu for you to mark on and some are both sides. They even list the items that are shipped fresh daily from japan! Of course, each table has a regular colored booklet menu to see the pictures and choose some additional items not listed in the paper menus. That truly tells you how much choices you have!

For my outing, i ordered some rudder fish, tuna, Japanese flounder, the fatty tuna with more fat and tendons, fatty yellowtail, Japanese jack mackerel, itamae roll, roasted eel and the 5A Japanese beef. Let me describe as much specific details as I can from each item. The Japanese jack mackerel is somewhat thin, nice and soft like regular mackerel or spanish mackerel. The fatty tuna was nice and fat! I can feel the oily sensation. Fatty yellowtail is a first for me. It was nice and thick with some minor tendons. The rudder fish has some tendons too. None of the fishes simply melted in my mouth which proves its freshness except for the tuna which slightly did but certainly a lot better than a lot of places I had in Southern California! 5A Japanese beef? I believe 5A stands for the quality level of the beef (I didn't get a chance to ask). The beef wasn't completely raw, a nice size not too thin, semi-roasted and had a very juicy, beefy taste to it. It certainly was great! The roasted eel tasted just like what eel should taste like in most Japanese restaurants. As for the Itamae roll, it contained scallop, salmon, salmon roe, and sea urchin (uni). It was one of those thiner, round and bigger type of rolls. Well decorated and tasted good. As for dessert, the pumpkin ice cream! The ice cream literally comes in a pumpkin. The ice cream was nice, cold and not too soft. It holds a milky pumpkin flavor to it. Quality wise, it was an alright amount yet definitely worth it because it isn't expensive and its taste. Most of the fishes served contain at least some nice minor garnish on the side if not some taste complements/garnish ontop of the fish such as wasabi, fried rice flour bits, green onions, specific types of sauces, turnip strips, onion trips, and other things.

Price wise, it is reasonable and for people from the states, you will find it cheap! As low as $9 HKD to $45 HKD for each order for sushi (it's more like $20-30 per order to start out with in the states), handrolls, cut rolls, drinks, desserts, and noodles. For sashimi and other special items, it can go as high as a hundred to a few hundred HKD per order. Some are simply 2 pieces and some are more. Overall, the quantity and extra quality (because it is sashimi) justifies the cost.

Price, variety, quality and location. What more can you ask for? I am certain if you pay a bit to a grip more, you can find even better quality but not too much better (where a typical eater can't tell the difference) in Hong Kong. Yet, the price and quality ratio is very good along with the variety and location. The only negative thing is the waiting if you go late but that is normal because of its popularity. I've been to some well-decorated high class looking Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong and base on its freshness, price, choices, it's just horrible. I don't need to go any further because I am sure you get my point about this place! Itamae-Sushi is a great place if you consider all these factors I just listed. A must visit for anybody in Hong Kong!

< 4 1/2 out of 5 >

Augustin's Waffles

> Location : Times Square, Basement 1, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Belgium Waffles
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.citysuper.com.hk/

Usually when it comes with waffles or even pancakes, almost anybody would think of it as breakfast food only. But waffles as a snack? In Europe, it is a totally different situation! Augustin Peiffer, the man behind Augustin's Waffles, teamed up with City Super to bring these pleasant aroma, tasty Liege (Belgium) waffles to Hong Kong! This decision was based on the "Best of Belgium" event at City Super back in 2005. Since the unveiling of Augustin's Waffles at that event, City Super now host these delicious waffles at the Times Square (Casueway Bay) and New Town Plaza (Shatin) City Super outlets.

To bring you the best traditional Belgian waffles, fresh yeast and smelted caramelized pearl sugar are used to make the waffles on the spot! Everytime you walk by the Augustin's Waffles booth, you can't help but notice the pleasant aroma of the waffles. For $15 HKD a piece about the size of adult male's hand, it really isn't bad! I suggest you to wait for the freshly cooked waffles instead of the ones that are already cooked and put on the side. Even though they reheat the waffle on the waffle maker for the ones placed on the side, I think the ones right off the waffle makers tastes much better because it's toasty, the texture and slight heighten sweetness. The ones reheated gets a bit dry which makes the eating experience dull. So make sure you wait for the ones that are still cooking!

< 4 out of 5 >

Reflexion Natural Dining

> Location : East Point Centre New Wing, 555 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : European-Asian Fusion
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.reflexion.com.hk/

Located on the 12th floor of sogo department store, Reflexion is a very comfortable, well-decorated restaurant. serving european style asian cuisine, reflexion is definitely intriguing especially when it's located within a department store. the area isn't very big but the decoration as just mentioned negates this notion. if you're waiting for a seat, there's are four very comfortable seats with reading material nearby. water flowing bamboo decorations and many other eye-catching designs. before i continue, here's a little introduction straight from the reflexion website: "Our family has been involved with innovative and high quality cuisine for over 100 years in Switzerland. Our philosophy througout the decades has been to use only the finest ingredients, the most natural vegetables and fruits, and to source only grain-fed meats and the freshest seasonal food.

Today, we are inviting you to our first restaurant in Asia right here in Hong Kong. We have secured a long-term partnership with SOGO and our vision is to combine our European and Japanese know-how to develop service standards, food and ambiance dedicated to your special needs and desires, in other words, a reflection of your sense."

alright, alright enough with all this extra stuff! so how was the food? lets just say i was being very observant or this place would score below a 3. why simon why? i applaud the many years of experience, but besides environment, eye-catching, soothing decorations, and designs, the other important fact is taste. now, don't stop reading let me finish here! okay, so reflexion has a lunch set menu, dinner set menu and also a section of daily specials. since it's lunch time, i took a peak at the lunch sets. deprived of indian food lately, with the closest thing resembling indian food, my eye went straight to the "mild chicken marsala curry served with jasmine rice" ($48 hkd). each set comes with a drink, a salad or soup and also your main course. as the menu indicated, the restaurant uses no msg, 100% olive oil. so the salad comes, a small good looking salad. it has cherry tomatoes, lettuce, red lettuce, cucumber, beats and using black currant dressing (it seems like pomegranate). the salad was very raw, very fresh and definitely as the website advertised, they use the freshest stuff. the dressing was very neat with a sweet slightly fruity sour sensation. not your typical heavy on dressing salad. fresh, healthy, good stuff.

so, you begin this review like there suppose to be a drop somewhere right? so here comes the marsala curry. consistency is the key to every place you eat at right? fresh, i can't deny. organic bean sprouts, not too hard, not too soft potatoes (just right), jasmine rice, all good stuff. chicken? well done! soft, tender, i really loved the texture and just the way its done. a "life saver" i would call it in this review. so what's left? the marsala curry. one word, salty. i'm not particularly sensitive with any types of taste. i can stand the extremes of a lot of flavors. however, the curry is just so salty, there was a frown on simon's face =*( was it a consistency issue? like i said in the beginning, i was being observant. so i saw the table next to mine ordered the same dish. watched his expressions and trying to read the words coming out of his mouth. he didn't seem to twitch or acted negatively. so what's my take? inconsistency. i'll give this place the benefit of the doubt 'cause simon is a nice guy! by some lucky chance, the bad chicken marsala curry dish comes to a food critic. well, my sister in law and mother was around too. my mother had similar reaction as me (salty) with her dish and my sister in law seem to have a decent reaction. so yes, the chicken and fresh ingredients was the plus and i thank the people of this restaurant for being persistent with their words. so the verdict, yes the points. a struggle between two scores and the good chicken and ingredients allowed me to choose the higher score...

< 3 out of 5 >

Lanna Thai

> Location : Shop # 1101, 11/F, Times Square, 1 Mantheson St.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Thai
> Tel. # : (852) 2506-3303
> Website : N/A

Wow simon, thai cuisine again? haha. well, i wanted to try this neat place where they serve malaysian food and you eat it on a banana leaf. however, my brother brought up this new thai restaurant inside times square so i decided on that! wow simon, still, it's thai! see, the thing is, this place only opened for like about 2 months and hell, i haven't found any english friendly reviews online of it, so i have to be the first one to put one up!

lanna thai is located within times square on the 11th floor. yes, one above modern china restaurant! speaking of "modern," when you first enter lanna thai, the decoration is especially modern yet you get this very high class feeling as you walk to your seat. the atmosphere is slightly dimmed with different colored lighting on certain walls giving it a very layback mood. high class indeed, the menu tells you that this place isn't particularly cheap. here's a good comparison. their appetizer costs just as much as a regular dish at most standard chinese restaurant. about ranging around $60 to $80 hkd. their entrees are around $100 (some are a bit less) all the way up to $200 hkd so. usually cost justifies the quality and at this place, it definitely does that! yes, the cliche, "you get what you pay for" comes to mind. food wise, the following on the different sections of the menu: grill, sharkfin and soup, meat and poultry, seafood, curry, vegetable, noodle, rice, salad and dessert.

first up, hey what's new? haha, it's tom yum kong with chicken (this place spells it with the "k" and some places use "g"). the last three thai places, the menu only indicated with prawn and this place, you had the choice of both! tired of prawns, i went back to the old fashion chicken tom yum kong. one thing i must say is, the waitress' will warn you with specific orders, that the item is originally spicy unless request to lighten the spiciness. this place's "normal" spiciness is hotter than the last three places i went to (thai simple kitchen, chili n spice, cafe siam). it's not too bad if you eat spicy stuff once in awhile. for people who don't too often, it will be somewhat difficult. so request them to lighten it if you can't take the heat! besides the replacement of prawns with chicken, the ingredients within the tom yum kong are pretty much the same. the one thing that was different from what i usually experience is the addition of bean sprouts. it makes the soup more crowded but i don't think it does much to the taste. essentially, an additional vegetable for you to eat. soup wise, spicy as i've hinted. it doesn't seem to be very sour. perhaps the extra spiciness neutralizes your senses to make you think it isn't too sour. still, you can definitely pick up the sourness from the lemon juice and lemon grass. the chicken was nice and soft, easy to eat. this tom yum kong definitely has its own unique position from the other reviews i've done. these exceptions are rather hard to explain until you really try it yourself! $48 hkd for chicken per person and $52 hkd for prawn per person.

next up, we have the green papaya & beef strip salad with chilli & fresh coriander ($75 hkd). this thai papaya salad is like a fusion between thai beef salad and thai papaya salad. one thing that catches your attention is the rawness of the slides of beef. seemingly not cooked long enough, the beef is about medium rare or about a tiny bit less and just cooked just right. it has the roasted flavor to it which is really good. fried wanton strips (the like) is added giving this salad a chinese chicken salad look to it. with lettuce as the base, the green papaya is set on top of. the papaya is very crisp and fresh. the sour, slight sweetness from the lime juice and fish sauce (fish sauce is added in a lot of these sour tasting thai dishes) within the green papaya along with the roasted sensation of the beef with the crispy fried strips give every bite a mouthful of sensation. forgetting to mention, crushed peanuts are also spread slightly into the salad giving another thing for your mouth to register. an extremely well put combination. it is not your usual thai papaya salad with carrot strips and cherry tomatoes (the traditional version can be ordered), but it is still a very well done dish!

satay chicken! no, i lied. haha. but it's a fusion dish up next. hai nan chicken in bangkok style ($128 hkd). so basically, hai nan chicken is a malaysian highlight. it is steamed chicken served with chili or grinded ginger and onion oil sauce along with rice that is cooked with garlic, oil (or chicken fat) and some chicken broth. definitely a simple yet really good experience. so what's different with bangkok style? according to the waitress, the chicken is spiced with thai style ingredients and on the side, served with this sour and spicy sauce. usually, hai nan chicken steamed is a pale yellowish texture on the skin. lanna thai's bangkok style holds a golden brown texture on the skin most likely due to its marinade and spices. the taste difference is that, i think the bangkok style has more define taste to it and not extremely dependent on the chili or ginger sauce in malaysian style. along with the spicy and sour sauce provided, lanna thai's hai nan chicken was definitely very unique. i think this dish is a good twist but not superb. the chicken itself was done very well, holding a tender texture. cucumber and red pepper base/decoration was used along with some side lettuce garnishes. overall, the tenderness of the chicken, the more define taste due to the spcies along with a hot and sour sauce makes this dish a definite order choice.

you can't leave a thai place until you have some sauteed thai vegetables! i got a good kick out of thai baby cabbage from chili n spice last time so i had to go with more cabbages this time! at lanna's, they didn't have any baby cabbage. however, their cabbage still isn't huge and not too far from baby size. one of the cabbage dish they have is the sauteed bamboo fungus, mixed mushrooms & cabbage sprout ($85 hkd). like always, you get the usual thai sauteed vegetable flavor like with morning glory. however, this particular dish is designed to be more light and refreshing so the sauteed flavor isn't as strong but still noticeable. usual sauteed flavors come with shrimp paste or bean curb paste so it's more salty. in the end, this is a standout dish from all the spicy, sour and sweet flavors.

last but not least, is my favorite dish next to the papaya salad dish. cod fish with red curry ($118 hkd). of course not just curry and fish, there's also red and green bell pepper, onions, thai green eggplants and squash along with some spices that look like vegetables, but are just there for the taste and looks. just a little additional information, when you think eggplants, it isn't just the long purple looking vege. egg plants also come in small round shapes like a golf ball! thai green eggplants is a green and golf ball size vege. sorta reminds you of a cherry tomato but green. anyways! there's about three good size cod's in this dish so don't worry about the lack of meat in this dish, heh. the red curry is nice and rich holding a very pleasant sweet taste. the dish isn't as spicy as the other ones i mentioned, just having a mild spiciness to it. if you've eaten cod fish before, you know it's really hard to cook it wrong. cod fish has a very easy to bite into texture in short or longer cooking time and usually holds a very distinct taste even with little marinade before cooking. due to the eating friendly nature of this fish along with the rich and tasty red curry, these two things end up going hand in hand making this a very wonderful and visual friendly dish (colorful, contrast). definitely three thumbs up if i had a third thumb. haha.

so finally, the end of this review! let me take a breather now, haha. before i give a score, i also want to mention about service. the waitress' and waiters were overall very helpful. the manager that night was also very helpful with various random questions i asked him about the restaurant. price wise, i must say it's not cheap. the taste, decoration, presentation of the dishes does justify the price for the most part. i just believe if you pick the right places, you can probably find matching quality dishes for a cheaper price. chances of doing so are probably slim and even if you do, not every dish you order can be as consistent as a place like lanna thai. one thing i want to bring to light is that, a lot of thai restaurants i go to around hong kong don't use the official thai name for some of the dishes. i mean, i understand it is hard to know what exactly it is if you've never ordered it before or don't read the language. however, you can always put the description right below it to clarify things. it is more friendly to experienced and native people to the cuisine and also adds an informative/intriguing look to the menu for first timers and such. on the side, i also got one of their desserts. it's a coconut jelly dessert which comes in six pieces. not much i can say beisdes that, it's a nice addition to the lineup! anyhow, so what's my final take?

< 4 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 >

Hyakunin Issyu

> Location : Shop T02, Lv. 3, Hang Lung Centre,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Japanese Shabu Shabu
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.hyakunin-issyu.com.hk

After watching dragon tiger gate (review of the movie below) at causeway bay a few days ago, my brother, sis in law, niece and i went to a hot pot restaurant called, hyakunin issyu. base on a dark environment with some small spotlights and unique decorations, hyakunin issyu gave me an impression of the melting pot in the states. why did i say that? well, first of all, this restaurant is a shabu shabu place which is literally for people who still don't know, boiling water with a bunch of uncook food (vege, meat, etc) and sauces and dipping it and cooking the food on the dining table. very much like chinese hot pot if that helps your memory. but what got me to remind me of the melting pot is because you have the choice to choose different soup base kinda like choosing your different meat cookin' base / cheese and such. more on this later.

the menu and ordering is primarily base on set ordering. a set (depending on how many people), basically consist of different amount of small dishes (green beans in peanut sauce and sardine is what we had), sushi (tuna, salmon, white fish, squid), meat (pork, chicken, beef), odon, tampura (various vegetables and shrimp) and a soup base of your choice. there are various soup bases consisting of tomato, soy milk, pumpkin, regular and maybe one other i forgot to take notice of (Sorry!). please take note that, these soup base don't just consist of what i just mentioned, but it's only the primary ingredient. since my brother has been there and tried the soy milk base, we went with that since he said it's really good. before we shabu shabu with the soy milk base, we went with regular boiling water first using the sauces (sesame and a ponsu like sauce). using boiling water, we first ate our beef and vegetable first. reaction? good beef. fresh but nothing particularly out of the ordinary yet. afterwards, we replaced it with the soy milk base and did something base on our personal perference. first we let the soup base boil. afterwards we each each pour some into our bowls. the udon is still untouch and now we finally dump them into soup base. remember, the udon is pretty much cooked already. leave it in there for like 30 seconds to 1 min max. take it out, put it into your bowl of soy milk soup (it's not just soy milk, it's a mixture of that and other things. so it's a taste of sweetness a bit salty flavor), let it soak just a little bit and enjoy! no need for any sauces. the extremely unique and strong flavor of the soup base does the job as a sauce and u can drink it like soup because it is a "soup base" after all. with about 1/4 or so soup base left in the pot, we used it to cook whats left of the beef, using the soup base as sauce again. wow, just excellent! one wouldn't think soy milk would even make sense. but remember, it isn't the only thing in there but it is the primary part of the soup base.

i really have nothing special to talk about with the small dishes. one of the small dishes contained scallops, sardine and some green beans with peanut sauce. the scallops were dry and not fresh. the sardine is alright and the green beans were neat but nothing special. well, it is just a small starter dish so not a major problem. next? some sushi. we had two rounds. the first round, salmon, tuna, both melted in my mouth. according to my fish eating experience and some knowledge coming from some sushi chefs, when sashimi melts in your mouth, most likely it is NOT fresh. the only exception is fatty tuna a.k.a. toro. since i pointed that out, yes, the fish weren't fresh. the next round of sushi was better. some salmon and tuna again with white fish and squid. my guess it came from another fish, the salmon this time was nice and chewy which concludes its freshness. the tuna melted and looking at the rice below it, some of the color came off into the rice which REALLY told me it's not fresh. haha. it's not common but it does happen when it gets sit around for awhile or even worst, sometimes people actually put food coloring into it to make unfresh fish look fresher. anyways, the white fish was perfectly fine and the squid also. after this, we got a grilled horse mackerel. horse mackerel is usually one of the more expensive type of mackerel. if the fish name dont ring a bell, mackerel in japanese is called 'saba.' another type is spanish mackerel. it tasted okay. i think it was a bit overcooked. so it was a bit stiff. so i had to give my thumbs down for the last two dishes.

so in conclusion, the main purpose for you to visit hyakunin issyu is to eat the shabu shabu. but sometimes, the chef that day could have its off day so the things i thought were bad could be good other days. it's not good to be inconsistent but that's just a notion to ponder on. the soy milk soup base was just unexpectedly excellent and something you should definitely try when going there. i'll report to u'll the other types when i get a chance. anyways, that's it! thanks for reading!

< 3 out of 5 >

Lu Yang Cun

> Location : Shop P401-403, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Rd.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Shanghainese (Chinese)
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : HERE

Shanghainese cusine or more often people say northern chinese food tends to be more spicy, heavier, etc. but that doesn't mean it's bad, that's just the style. there can be lighter food too, but that's just how people tend to describe it. so today, i hit up a shanghainese restaurant with my sis in law, bro, dad and niece felicity at the world trade centre in causeway bay. the place is called, Lu Yang Cun. it was like a brunch meal around 11 am and the place was pretty empty when we got there 'cause it was pretty early. service wise, i recieve no bad vibes from all of the waiter/waitress' so that's a plus. they all served well. now moving on, there are six notable dishes i'll like to share. 1) sweet and sour pork spare ribs: now try not to think of sweet and sour as of in the typical 'fried rice, 2 items chinese places in america,' the sweetness to this dish (pictured in the top left) is just right. this means, it's not so sweet where it'll give u tooth aches. the sourness to it is light and the texture of the pork is perfect. u bite into it, goes into it easily, sweet, a tint of sourness, a good siu sik (look up a previous review for a definition of siu sik) if u like chinese style spare ribs! 2) minced indian kalimena herb and dried bean curd in seame oil (pictured top right): this dish is very similar to the one i ate at ifc the other day. but the vegetable used is different and it's more minced and delicate. it's a very interesting dish 'cause every spoon full of it, the sesame oil along with the herb stands out the most respectively. it's more of a room temperature/cold dish. it's not a strong dish (taste wise) but it's a definite healthy (to most extent) chinese delicacy. 3) drunken chicken (pictured middle left): some of u might wonder, drunken? did the chicken have a shot of 151 before it got its head chopped off? well, not exactly, pretty much, it's another cold dish where the chicken is cooked along with chinese rice wine. no frying involved, just all steamming. in the end of the process, dependin' on the cook, they will cool it down and somehow keep the chicken slightly cold but not too cold. it seems weird at first, but if u taste it, it's the greatest food with alkie besides chocolate with rum filling! 4) shanghai spring onion pancake (pictured middle right): when i was lookin' at the menu, i coulda swore i knew what it was going to taste like or maybe some of u people are thinkin' about that too, but when i bite into that thing, it was kinda like a crusty texture from a pie's crust. but when u look at it, it seems doughy but then again it's like kinda in between doughy and crusty. along with the onions in between, it was a unique onion pancake experience. 'cause throughout china, this dish is made differently. and i am sure some of u people can think of some now. the taste was just right, not too salty. thumbs up mos def. 5) xiao long bao (pictured buttom left): so, i have comparisons now! compared to the xiao long bao i had at ifc tower, the skin was a bit thicker. i'm not sure why, but either the skin was really thicker or i think steamming it just a little bit more coulda get rid of that mentality. meaning, a lot of xiao long bao skin are the same but steammin' it less could make it tougher/thicker. but just judging by what i ate, the thickness was a slight minus but that's like 1-2 pts out of 10 difference. i gotta give the plus to the place at ifc. but take nothing away from this place, everything else about the xiao long bao was very good still! 6) lastly with the last picture, we have the gluttious rice (sticky rice) with spare rib wrapped with lotus leaf: this is just a twist to typical cantonese dim sum. there's a dim sum dish called chicken with sticky rice. pretty much the same thing but with chicken, mushrooms and a few minor parts. but the one here was very simple. the spare rib here wasn't as strong in taste as the spare rib described above, but the most important factor was that the spare rib flavor is reflected upon the sticky rice and i believe they cooked it with the sauce they cooked the spare rib in. a sweetish, soy saucy sauce. which gives the sticky rice a dark brown color to it.

so yeah, wow, that took awhile to type! we ordered two other things, but they were more individual plates so i didn't really get to try much to type anything here. so there u have it, more food coma from me thru reading. haha. thanks for readin' and hope it was helpful! so afterwards, don't ask me why, i ended up literally 10 minutes later, in another restaurant. it's a place my family goes to very often in central. but i'll save that for next time. haha.

like always, until next time, take care and good luck ~

< 4 out of 5 >