All posts tagged: recommendations

Dragon Noodles Academy: Peking Duck, Lobster Noodles and More

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It’s always been a mission to find good quality Chinese food around Central which offers comfortable seating (to entertain visitors, for example), yet is not extortionately priced, excessively formal or terribly outdated. Dragon Noodles Academy seems to fulfil this particular demand quite perfectly. That said, I actually just came here on a random week night after the gym… so it can be pretty casual too. The Newest Hip Chinese place-to-be The decor of this place makes it a hip spot-to-be, yet the seating wasn’t claustrophobic like many hip restaurants are in Hong Kong these days. It has a good dose of excessive Chinese-y designs: think lion dance heads, wing chun props, golden dragons on the wall etc. At the same time, it still felt casual enough – the overly formal settings at some higher end Chinese restaurants tend to make me feel uncomfortable. They also have two semi-private large round tables, which can accommodate up to 12 people. These spots are perfect for slightly laid back work lunches or dinners. Lobster tail soup noodles (HK$149) They have a whole section of different …

8 New Restaurants for Weekday Lunch Dates

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It was January 2015 when I came up with a list of 10 restaurants in Central for lunch dates – you know, for when someone is counting on you to make a decision on where to go for that team lunch or catch up. But the Hong Kong dining scene evolves quickly (i.e. restaurants frequently close) and people get bored easily – so here are some of my latest suggestions. This time, the list goes beyond Central and to the wider CBD area of Hong Kong. Leave a comment below and share your favourite lunch spot! For locations, check out the map at the end of the post. 1. Mercato – Italian (Central) I first visited Mercato for dinner (see the full review here). I loved the food and vibes so much that I was eager to return for lunch, especially given the restaurant’s convenient location in California Tower. At HK$198 for two-courses, the set lunch didn’t seem like an amazing deal. But the portions were extremely generous, especially for the salmon tartare starter which I …

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 …

5 Italian Restaurants in Hong Kong that Do Stand Out

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The thing about Italian food in Hong Kong is that it’s abundant. So it’s not often you come across an Italian restaurant that really stands out. I mean we live in a city already saturated with good eateries, many of which serve Italian-ish dishes. So when it comes to the “best Italian food” I find it impossible to pick one out, but I definitely have a short list of favourites that I’d visit again and again. Here are five Italian spots I’d definitely recommend: Carbone – Hip vibes and a perfect lemon cheesecake Carbone is my safest choice to recommend in most cases because it’s a restaurant that most people would find cool, comfortable and yum. The Black Sheep Restaurant group definitely knows what it takes to set up new spots with good vibes (like the Vietnamese Le Garcon Saigon). So Carbone would be my go-to for a social gathering, since it has a lively ambience and a good selection of drinks too. The food: I love the fact that you’re always greeted with a basket of really delicious garlic bread, …

Stone Nullah Tavern: Hearty American Food and Crazy Happy Hours

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After writing about the 5 Restaurants Worth Revisiting Again and Again, a few food-loving peeps seemed to unanimously agree that Stone Nullah Tavern should be included too. Well after hearing much about their great new menu, I finally gave it a try last week. So many dishes to recommend The fact that I’m having so much difficulty in avoiding labelling all dishes *must order*, is evidence of how consistently outstanding the dishes served here are. You can expect an extremely satisfying meal here, that’ll most certainly force you to skip breakfast the next day. Plus, the cocktails are also great! Buffalo oysters *must order* These have got to be the best cooked oysters I’ve ever had. They were deep fried but the inside was cooked perfectly – still soft and juicy. They were placed atop spicy buffalo wings sauce then covered in a blue cheese sauce. The description itself left us salivating enough, but even that was an undersell! Nachos with crispy pig ears *must order* This was one dish I could not stop continuously digging at. The …

Mak Man Kee: Must try wonton and shrimp roe noodles in Jordan

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I missed my stop to Tsim Sha Tsui one lunch time and randomly ended up in Jordan. There were many restaurants to choose from but for no particular reason, we ended up at Mak Man Kee Noodles. The place got super packed after sitting down for 10-15 mins. When our wonton noodles came, we had a feeling this place was a lot more popular than we had known! Shrimp roe noodles *must order* I always purposely go to one cafe in Macau (皇冠小館) that famously serves delicious shrimp roe noodles, so I was excited to see this on the menu at Mak Man Kee Noodles as I rarely do at my usual go-to wonton places in Hong Kong. Actually, these tasted pretty similar to the one I had in Macau. Shrimp-only wontons On the menu, these are called shrimp-only wontons, but I have a feeling a teeny bit of pork was in it, just to lump the whole thing together. The shrimp in the filling was pretty massive and had a welcomed crunch when bitten into. It was wrapped …

5 great Asian lunch spots in Tsim Sha Tsui for under HK$100

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In Central, when you’re paying less than HK$100, it’s hard to get good food that’s not designed for your desk, barring cha chan tengs and places with uncomfortable seating. As such, Tsim Sha Tsui has become my favourite destination for lunch as it’s only two MTR stops away, food is much cheaper and you can easily avoid table wait time. Here are some of my best value-for-money recommendations for lunch: New Bangkok Restaurant New Bangkok Restaurant Thai – New Bangkok Restaurant (6/F iSQUARE) The restaurant is kind of hidden in the corner on 6/F between Shanghai Popo and the Hokkaido ramen place. They fry their noodles and rice really well (with “wok hay”) and so I would also recommend their Pad Thai. Their tom yum soup noodles was so-so though. Another key highlight of this place is definitely the price. Lunch set includes good soup and a drink; we paid HK$45 per person (shocking!!!). New Bangkok Restaurant is located on 6/F of iSQUARE. Not sure if they take reservations but they are usually not full during lunch time. …