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 >

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 >