All posts tagged: dessert

Tapisco, Lisbon: The Best of Modern Portuguese Fine Dining

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Dining experiences are very personal and often subjective. With only three days in Lisbon, and endless lists of restaurants, I was starting to feel exhausted at the thought of deciding where to eat next. Except for a handful of wine bars, the typical recommendations were not speaking to me. For example, even though more than five people suggested Ramiro in the span of 24 hours (I’m sure it’s excellent), I just wasn’t in the mood for prawns, crabs and clams, no matter how big, fresh and juicy they were. Then I came across Tapisco and it was almost like I had a eureka moment. It wasn’t on any ‘Restaurants you must visit in Lisbon’ lists, but I stumbled across it when browsing photos on Instagram. This is usually my process of restaurant research – it’s painstakingly inefficient, but often accurately helps me find what I know I would personally enjoy. Striking the perfect balance I was immediately sold by the laid back bright vibes of Tapisco and photos of its squid ink paella. They had comfortable …

Little Creatures: Spacious Hideaway for Craft Beers in Kennedy Town 

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In Hong Kong, we’re blessed with a lot of things: crazy skyscrapers, beautiful natural landscape, diversity of cuisines and abundance of activities. But I think we could all easily agree on one thing we lack: space. So while there’s no shortage of cute bars for craft beer, Little Creatures really stood out for its large comfortable space. They had high ceilings and plushy sofa seats – for once, two people wouldn’t be told off for wanting to occupy a 4-6 person table. But I was also surprised to learn the lengthy history behind Little Creatures. They’ve been in the craft beer market for many years, originating from Australia, and only recently introduced their passion to Kennedy Town. Some of their signature beers are brewed in-house, while some are imported. Beer Tasting Paddle: 6 x 100ml *must order* As soon as the waiter mentioned a “beer paddle” with six types of beers to try, I wasn’t even interested in seeing the menu anymore. You start with a light one and progress rightwards through the paddle. I genuinely enjoyed all six of the …

Pici: New Cute Italian Pasta Bar in Wan Chai

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I was immediately sold by the description of Pici as a casual pasta bar tucked behind the small streets in the Star Street area of Wan Chai. It seemed like the perfect spot to suggest trying for three girls catching up on a implicitly-agreed chilled out early Friday night. Cozy bustling vibes in a quiet corner Tucked away deep into the quieter alleyways of Wan Chai, this small pasta establishment had curated lively vibes and charm on its own. In fact, given that this restaurant had only opened on 25 January and I was visiting on 3 February, I thought, surely we would be able to get a seat (they don’t take reservations). Thankfully my friends arrived at 6:55pm and grabbed the last three-person seat because when I got there at 7:03pm, a few people were waiting outside already. Vitello Tonnato  – HK$80 I found out about this dish when I was dining at Cochin and absolutely fell in love with all the mesh of flavours. When I saw it on the menu, I thought …

SPIGA: New Free Flow Champagne Italian Brunch

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‘Brunch‘ has two very different meanings. The first comes with wooden tables, latte art and eggs. The other comes with champagne and… an abundance of all things edible. Unsurprisingly, the second is the version of brunch this new Italian restaurant in Central – SPIGA – is going for. Weekend Brunch Deal at SPIGA – HK$388 per person Weekend brunch at SPIGA is reasonably priced at HK$388 per person, which includes their antipasti buffet, a choice of main course and dessert buffet. You can add on HK$260 for free-flow Veuve Clicquot champagne, mimosas, red/white wine, Peroni and Bloody Mary; or add on HK$140 for free-flow prosecco in place of the champagne. More importantly, I loved the ambience here. On a Sunday afternoon it was extremely lively, with some casual live music which wasn’t too loud either. They have large ceiling-to-floor windows which let in a comfortable amount of daylight, cultivating the perfect laid back brunch vibes. Antipasti Buffet The antipasti buffet counter was not huge, but most options on the table were very tempting, and turned out to be delicious too. Given that I obviously prefer quality …

Aberdeen Street Social: A Simple Satisfying Set Menu (8-31 Aug 2016)

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I’ve heard many good things about Aberdeen Street Social. I knew it was a perfect spot for after work cocktails, especially given its casual relaxing vibes within PMQ, which kind of takes you away from office-building-vibes. But since “casual British dining” is rarely my craving, I had only managed to visit for drinks until recently.   Feedme Guru’s Exclusive 6-Course Menu for HK$450 When Feedme Guru started promoting their exclusive menu here, it almost looked like a set menu tailored for me! The items and ingredients seemed straight forward, yet are the types of food you actually want to eat: scallops, steak and chocolate-intense dessert, to name some of the components. It was a casual meal, and although comprised of ‘6-courses’, it wasn’t at all intimidatingly long. In fact, the first and last course are nibbles and petits fours, so it’s more of a 4-course meal. They’re only serving this menu til 31 August 2016 – so see the full details here and book now! English Heirloom Tomato Salad It might be the weather or stress, but I’ve been …

Giando: Authentic Italian with the Best Ingredients

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When an Italian chef is the sole owner of a restaurant, you know things can go really really right. To add to this wonderful microeconomic backdrop, Chef Gianni Caprioli makes it a personal mission to ensure only excellent quality ingredients are used. In fact, I was told 95% of their ingredients are imported directly from Italy – including their eggs. Chefs of top Italian restaurants have been spotted eating here a number of times. I first came here on a Saturday and returned the next Sunday again. With this in mind, it’s not a question of whether you should dine here, but a question of what to order when you come here. Had I come here earlier, it definitely would be among the 5 Italian Restaurants in Hong Kong that Do Stand Out, for being the most authentic and featuring the best quality ingredients. Weekend Brunch at HK$338 for 3-Courses I love my ‘epic brunches‘ and this place would definitely rank high if I ever came up with such a list. The 3-course set runs from 12-3pm …

Tartine: More than just Open-faced Sandwiches

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The only reason I procrastinated a visit to the relatively newly opened Tartine was because I wasn’t sure when I’d be up for such a carb-intense meal… since I Google-d that tartines are these French-style open-faced sandwiches (photos below). It did indeed turn out to be as carb-y as expected, but once we tried their truffle sandwiches, no one cared anymore. Plus, they do have much more delicious items on offer in addition to the tartines – which I think are equally a highlight. Cold cuts, Cheese and Starters We started with a cold cuts (HK$168) and a cheese platter (HK$168) – the quality of both were excellent. Then I found out this place is actually opened by the same guys behind ON Dining… no wonder. The truffle sandwiches is a dish you’re guaranteed to want encores of. Creamy truffle filling was wrapped with a super buttery and toasted yet soft brioche – the truffle taste was not super intense, but it was still a crowd pleaser. The Tartines We sampled three different tartines and the Lobster & Homemade Bechamel Tartine …