Bittenbug’s Weblog

C and I tend to indulge in at least one nice meal every weekend, and last Saturday we choose to lunch at Tatsu at Sinoplaza in Causeway Bay. We had heard good things about the restaurant and wanted to go check it out on our limited budget, which means lunch.

We arrived just after 12pm, their opening time, and were surprised not to be the first. In fact, there were already two Japanese families at the back. I always find excellent food where nationals go, and Tatsu was no different.

We were asked to take off our shoes at the entrance. Since we knew about the rule, we had worn berks to the restaurant. Clever weren’t we?!? Ha. Although there were tables available, they were all reserved and we were offered two spots at the counter, right in front of the Japanese chef and his assistant. We took it anyways, and sat down.

We ordered a tonkatsu set and a tempura set, which arrived within 15 minutes. The tonkatsu set was excellent. Although the katsu wasn’t as thick at the one we had at Tonkichi, it was juicy and succulent, full of that black pork goodness. It also came with some other appetizers, such as tamago and miso soup, which were good.

The tamago was particularly worth noting, I woofed it down almost immediately even though I usually don’t touch that. The bowl of rice was also excellent, the right crunch and stickiness. We literally cleaned out the bowl. The rice reminded me of the bowl of nigata rice I had at Doraya, another favorite with Japanese nationals.

The tempura I thought was decidedly average, compared to the tonkatsu. It wasn’t bad, but perhaps showed that it wasn’t the restaurant’s speciality. I shared C’s sweet potato and pumpkin, and it was obviously dense. I also ate a bite of the prawn and I thought it lacked the sweet taste and crunch that I associate with good tempura.

After we finished, we were served dessert and coffee. The red bean cake was chewy, and very memorable. C loved the coffee there, though I thought it was just alright. I’ve become rather picky about the coffee I drink, perhaps one of those things Seattleites do.

C thought the service was excellent. I think they were mostly effective, though aloof. There wasn’t the effervescence, though that was fine by me. It was a nice touch that they had taken out our shoes and had that waiting for us once we walked out. C says she’ll like to be back, and I’m thinking yes.

There seems to have been a burger craze in Hong Kong this past year, which isn’t a bad thing. When I first moved here, I lamented the lack of good burgers in town, and found temporary solace in Triple-O burgers.

Singapore doesn’t have great burgers either, but at least there was Burger King and Mos Burger, but obviously none of that stood up to the great burgers we had in Seattle. After leaving the west coast I was resigned to not having any more good burgers.

But as I said, burgers seem to be the rage nowadays. We have the chains such as BK, Mos and Freshness Burger all making inroads into the city, while on the high end we’ve got Shake ‘Em Buns, Slims and Duke’s Burger…among others.

I’ve been to Shake ‘Em Buns twice so far, and both times we had Debbie Does Dallas, which is simply their BBQ burger. The burger chains simply cannot compare. I was blown away the first time I went because it had been ages since I’ve come across such a thick and juicy patty. Of course it wasn’t perfect, both times the mayo made the entire burger feel way too greasy. The burger wasn’t overly expensive, but the sides and drinks were definitely too costly.

Another time a PR brought me to Duke’s Burger for lunch, and that was excellent, though I doubt I’ll be back on my own dime. For lunch we could pick two “toppings” and I had blue cheese and bacon, and the elements just melded together nearly perfectly. But that said, it was expensive for just a burger and some curly fries. That’s the problem for me, I’m really not sure I want to pay premium prices for just a burger.

I sometimes wonder if and when this fad will pass. Will there really be sustained demand for burgers, or will it come to pass like so many other food fads, such as apple strudel (in Singapore at least), bubble tea, donuts.

It brings to mind a book I once read in college about the McDonalds franchise in Asia. The thesis then was that Asia looks at burgers and fast food differently. For Asians, burgers are a snack and not the comfort food and staple it is in the west. I do hope the good burger places are here to stay, so I won’t miss Dick’s in Seattle quite as much.

Just for kicks, A Hamburger Today is a great site to indulge in the wonder world of burgers. Enjoy!

I know some coffee connoisseurs find the java at Cafe Zambra great, but the food here was atrocious and I don’t see myself back for a second visit.

We came for lunch on a saturday afternoon, after some strong reviews on openrice, but were sorely disappointed. The vegetable soup was so watery, to say it was bad is a compliment of sorts. At that point, I would’ve gladly woofed down canned soup over that sludge. The mains that came – a pasta and a minced beef pie – were equally bad. The pie crust was soggy after it was reheated, and the only saving grace on the plate were the decidedly average potatoes. The pasta was tasteless, and watery, much like the soup.

C had coffee together with her set and she thought it was ok, and certainly not as good as rumoured. I doubt I’ll be back even if the coffee was good, it just turned me off way too bad.

We read about this place in our weekly read, 饮食男女, which had a special on tempura. I’ve always had a thing for fried food, and especially when it’s perfectly fried and not dripping in grease.

The tempura we had at Iwanami fit that bill well. I wouldn’t say it’s the best tempura I’ve ever had – that honor goes to a rather high-end restaurant I was invited to in Tokyo – but it wasn’t darn bad.

We ordered two different sets, a tempura bowl for about $90 and another set where we could pick out about 10 pieces for $110. Aside from the tempura, we had salad as a starter, and a surprisingly solid miso soup, which was chock full of fresh salmon. These prices seem reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.

But C and I both agreed that the cheaper tempura bowl was more satisfying. Perhaps the deciding factor was the yummy sauce that was drizzled on the rice, it just seemed to go down better.

That’s not to say the set wasn’t good, it was, but didn’t leave as deep an impression. The general quality of the tempura on both sets as impeccable. The pumpkin and sweet potato were both very fresh and light, and I reckon to be Japanese produce. I wasn’t so impressed by the fish, which was a little too cardboardish for me. But on both sets, the prawns were outstanding, and no doubt the best I’ve had in Hong Kong so far.

We’ll probably be back after we exhaust our whole to-eat list, but it probably won’t be anytime soon unless I develop a sudden urge for tempura.

I used to frequent 永合成餐廳 a lot more when I worked around the corner but haven’t been since my office moved away from Central a year ago.

This old institution near the Sheung Wan market had slipped my mind until one day, C and I were browsing online for a place to lunch because we had errands to run in the area. This place came to mind, and I was hoping it wouldn’t be half as packed on a weekend – and it wasn’t, thankfully.

This time I stayed faithful to the staples I always have when I’m here, 窩蛋牛肉飯 and 洋葱豬扒 which were every bit as good as I remembered it to be. The 煲仔飯 arrived about 10 minutes after we sat down piping hot and we mixed the raw yoke into the minced beef and tucked in. I always enjoyed the porkchops which were every bit as succulent that day, albeit slightly saltier than I would’ve liked. But then, my palate has always been very sensitive to salt, C seemed to think it was fine.

Halfway through our meal we saw a pair of tourists come in, clutching a torn guide book and speaking between themselves in English, gesturing from the menu. I’m surprised that they could find their way there, but it’s great testament to the popularity of this place.

The reviews on openrice have been average, and to be honest the consistency of quality and rather non-existant service might contribute to that, but the food on most times I’ve been has been good and I’ve got no problems recommending it to friends.

*Note, this was written in early January.

I took C to The Press Room for dinner on her birthday, after some positive reviews on openrice and others, and we had some pleasant surprises.

Most of that came from the food. We were first served a loaf of bread, which was below average – hard and cold. But they redeemed themselves with the onion soup gratinee and lobster risotto, which we got to share.

First the onion soup. It was a sizable portion, topped with a cheese puff pastry, that accents the soup really well. It wasn’t some boring cheddar, probably more a swiss like Gruyère which really brought out the sweetness of the onion soup. It was great, but we let it sit for a while when the lobster risotto was served, and the pastry became too soggy.

C and I agreed that the lobster risotto was our highlight – and that’s saying a lot because I never like risotto. Another sizable serving, the risotto was done al dente with generous servings of lobster. From the first bite to the last, the dish was infused with lobster essence. Full marks from me.

We went for the coq au vin next, because we didn’t want anything too heavy. This was just average, and a little salty for my taste, but it was meat falling off the bone. The pomme frites that came with it are some of the best I’ve had in a while. Thinner than your regular MC fries, it was golden brown and after 20 minutes, still good. And what’s more, it didn’t come across oily or greasy.

We ordered another side of garlic cheese bread, which was also good, though a little expensive at $45. By the time we were getting through the chicken, we barely had space to eat it. I ate half, and it was rich in garlic and cheese, though the cheese wasnt’ as good as the one that came with the soup.

Although we were stuffed by this point, we still went for dessert and coffee. Not wanting anything too rich, we opted for the apple and blackberry crumble. I thought it was a little sour for my taste, but she liked it as a palate cleanser. The flavors were better balanced when eaten with some vanilla ice cream.

Service, as others have noted, is average at best and subpar at worst. Mostly, the servers seemed aloof, and more inclined to serve the westerners. The same waitress who didn’t seem to see us waving to get an order or the bill, talked animatedly to a western couple and their baby throughout the dinner service. Also, they heard me wrong and served me a burger which we didn’t order.