All posts tagged: beef

Imperial Treasure, Hong Kong: New Go-to Michelin-Quality Chinese Restaurant

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Even though Imperial Treasure was awarded Two Michelin Stars in Shanghai last year, and has been a household brand name in Singapore for many more years, I admittedly had not heard of this restaurant until it opened in One Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui recently. When I mentioned I was coming here to a Singaporean friend visiting town, the familiarity of the name had her burst into excitement. Apparently it’s her go-to Chinese restaurant in Singapore. Over there, they have established many different dining concepts: casual dim sum, hot pot, Peking duck and even congee. Presentable, yet still affordable While Imperial Treasure has a range of different concepts in Singapore, the one in Hong Kong is a higher-end Chinese restaurant – the type you would go to for a nice dim sum lunch or proper extended family dinner or even business meals. In fact, its beautiful views over Victoria Harbour means that it’s also appropriate to treat your colleagues or clients from out of town here. As I inspected the regular a la carte menu, I breathed with relief that it was not …

Uma Nota: As Good As Brazilian-Japanese Sounds

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We were talking about how beautiful Brazilian-Japanese babies are, comparing it to how good this combination would be with food, as we stood around on Peel Street sipping on cocktails and waiting to be seated. Uma Nota opened only about two months ago and has already amassed a crowd waiting outside its doors. I’m definitely guilty of adding to their table wait time, as I was there for the second time in just three days. Apart from their good food, I was eager to come back despite the short time lapse from my first visit (48 hours), because the ambience felt pretty perfect for a small four-person gathering. Cocktails On my second visit, we waited about 30-40mins for our table. But the wait was pretty bearable as we stood around trying out their cocktails. I was initially drawn to their Caipirinhas (HK$90), since they had a dedicated section for it and it’s apparently the ‘official cocktail’ of Brazil. The A Fresca version, made with a fresh fruit of the day (passionfruit) was sweet, fruity and pleasant – albeit a tad …

Mamasita’s Cantina: Casual Fun Mexican Food

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I was both excited and nervous when I heard a new Mexican restaurant was coming to Central. Excited because apart from Calimex, Little Burro and Brickhouse, there haven’t been many Mexican spots opening up in the recent few years (have there..?). Nervous because I heard it was under the same group as My Tai Tai – which I honestly feel serves mediocre chain restaurant-like Thai food a few floors down. Ok, My Tai Tai is not that bad, but because we have Kowloon City and a whole lot of other new Thai restaurants flooding the city lately, My Tai Tai just doesn’t live up to Hong Kong Thai food standards. Mamasita’s Cantina is cute and very colourfully decorated – it’s home to the perfect ambience if you’re looking for casual good vibes with a group of friends. In fact, there were at least four big groups dining there when we went on a Thursday night. Guacamole Dip – HK$88 *must order* Starting with some guacamole and chips is an unspoken must if you’re having Mexican food, so I …

Popsy Modern Kitchen: A Quirky Creative Dining Experience

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The first time I visited Popsy Modern Kitchen was for brunch and I remember…. The food was alright – I ordered lamb chops. But with so many different meals lined up each week, you have to be even better than ‘good’ in Hong Kong. When I finally returned to try out their British themed ‘Mockingbird Experience’ menu (book here) designed in collaboration with Feedme Guru, the meal was a completely different story. Intrigued by the drastic improvement, I then heard that they had overhauled their entire kitchen team only 1-2 months ago! The founder is extremely artsy and while the interior is a little much for someone so un-artsy like me, the dishes were intriguingly creative – and I mean, not only the plating, but also the layering of flavours, textures and ingredients. There’s so much attention placed on the finest of details, to the millimetre of every dish, I just can’t even bring myself to pretend that I’m sophisticated enough to appreciate it all. But it was definitely a very interesting and delicious experience, with more than a …

Le Relais de L’Entrecote: Fuss-Free French Steak Frites

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Before I found my number one steakhouse of choice in Hong Kong, Grand Hyatt Steakhouse, I compiled a list of Top Classic Steakhouses in Hong Kong, which I personally think captures most of the best quality steaks on offer in this city. But all the places listed were expensive ones, where you’d be spending potentially HK$1200 or even more per person. That’s not something we can all afford to do on a weekly or fortnightly basis, which is why Le Relais de L’Entrecote can easily become a regular steak spot for me. I wouldn’t call it a steakhouse because there is only one choice of dish on offer and you can’t choose your cut – they only serve sirloin. But at the bargain price of just HK$288, you’re getting a decently sized piece of meat which is cooked pretty perfectly, unlimited fries, and a salad as starters. Bread & Salad We started with some delicious French baguettes and a walnut salad. They were both good and a light way to kickstart our dinner. Steak Frites The …

3 Casual Spots for a Satisfying Bowl of Beef Pho

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A hot bowl of beef pho is the best kind of comfort food. Even with the sometimes unbearably hot weather in Hong Kong, I still crave sipping on the flavourful broth of a good bowl of these Vietnamese soup noodles. I used to go to Bep a lot; their food in general is pretty good. However, in the past year or so, a number of Vietnamese restaurants have opened up and they’re definitely good competition. Le Garcon Saigon and Viet Kitchen pop up to my mind to be the delicious new(ish) ones. But when it comes to beef pho, the super casual spots seem to do it right. Maybe it’s because they invest all their efforts perfecting the broth, rather than inventing interesting new menu items. There’s a place in my stomach for both, but let’s talk about the beef pho here! 1. Le Pho: All-Rounded Le Pho is the latest teeny pho spot to catch my eye on Lyndhurst Terrace. Most of the seats are by the bar (high stools), so it’s very very casual. It’s …

Under Vacuum: Sous Vide Steak Sandwich under HK$50

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Since 5 Great Asian Lunch Spots in Tsim Sha Tsui for under HK$100, I haven’t really found many places which had really good ‘deals’. But I think this newly discovered kiosk in TST east comes pretty close. You can get a decent meal here for under HK$50 and considering it includes steak, that’s gotta be a pretty good deal. The downside is that it’s a kiosk after all and they only do takeaway orders. I sat in the park benches nearby, which was quite pleasant but I can imagine it getting too hot and humid for that very soon. I’m quite opposed to al desko dining but that may be the only choice with this place soon… 8-hour sous vide Steak Sandwich *must order* The steak and cheese sandwich definitely looks like the most appealing item on the menu. The meat is cooked sous vide and turned out to be as tender as its cooking method would suggest. This costs HK$48 and you have to add HK$5 for the scrambled egg. Since every dish is …