Bittenbug’s Weblog

The first thing I turn to every time I pick up the newest edition of HK magazine is the dining pages, and I was seriously irked to see that this week’s focus being Tin Hau. Again? I fumed silently.

Tin Hau’s been getting a lot of press for being an upcoming dining destination, and that’s led to a lot of “intruders” into my area. Ha, sounds protectionist eh, but think about how I’ve got to bear with the torrents of visitors to Victoria Park (and therefore Tin Hau) during all those festivals, and you’ve got to have some sympathy for me.

But jokes aside, there are some great restaurants and cafes in the area. Tea & Herb, which I wrote about, is just one of them. I’ll like to eventually write reviews for all of them, but until I get to that, I’ll let the good people at openrice do it for me.

Chinese:
發記飯店
華姐清湯腩
留家廚房
康記粥店

Japanese:
順日本料理
燒鳥亭
a la umai

Western:
Pumpernickel
Tea & Herb
Les Artistes Cafe
Ziti’s Pizza

Dessert:
Mimosa Pastisserie
晶晶甜品
明記甜品
甜姨姨
無名炭爐伯伯雞蛋仔

Tea & Herb is one of our favorite neighborhood cafes, about a 10 minute walk from our flat. It’s very comfortable to have a leisurely breakfast on a weekend, usually sunday morning for us.

We haven’t been for some time, because C and I had an agreement to tighten our belts. But now that our finances have improved – she’s gotten a new job and I’ve somewhat settled into my new place – we can afford to indulge a little more. And so this morning I suggested that we have breakfast at Tea & Herb.

One of the reasons why I like it so much is the 街坊 feel of it all. That’s quite a misnomer if you think of it, since that term has such Chinese connotations. But I love how it is mostly residents that come to this secluded little “European” cafe that’s tucked away in one of the side streets. These are people who come in shorts and slippers to enjoy breakfast and while away the morning.

This morning when we arrive at slightly past 10am, half the tables were already gone, and we snagged a seat by the bay windows which were open; perfect for people watching. After browsing through the menu, we decided against the eggs benedict, which we often take, for sets that were less runny. I took a set of poached eggs, bacon and mushrooms, while C went for the french crepes with a sunny side up.

Once our orders were taken, we sat back and browsed through the magazines that were available. There was a slight breeze, which helped set the mood for a relaxing meal. C and I chatted about wellcome coupons (yes, we’re quite that domesticated) while waiting for our food.

Our garden salads and breverages arrived first, and after about 10 minutes the sets came as well. I waited for the toasted bread to come before tucking in because I wanted to mop up the runny yoke.

I usually balk at expensive breakfasts, and while Tea & Herb is certainly pricey (the bill came at $140 for two), it was a filling and satisfying meal. As C told me when we were walking out, “Every element was nearly perfect.”

That’s perhaps higher praise than I would’ve given, but it was definitely above average, and is testament to Tin Hau’s growing status as a dining destination (but more on that later).

My set was very filling, and the poached eggs were very very good. I poked through one runny yoke, which went very well with the toast. The mushrooms were a tad under salted, even for my palate, almost tasteless really. I guess a dash of olive oil or some kind of spice would’ve made it much better. The bacon was nice and crispy, not greasy at all, and just the way I like it. C seems to think I’m always over browning the bacon, so T&H’s version seems to suit her more. The starting salad was also very fresh, and came with sweet ripened cherry tomatoes that played against the balsamic vinegar very nicely.

C’s set was even more filling. I ate bites of it, which had cheese, ham, mushrooms and tomatoes sandwiched inside a crepe. She broke the yoke and let it coat the crepe…which just made the whole thing look like a artery clogger, but who cares, it’s breakfast.

I couldn’t finish my second egg because I’m worried about my cholesterol, but I wanted to do an experiment. Could I separate out the egg white without breaking the yoke? If I succeed, does it mean the yoke’s fresher? I don’t know, but I gave it a shot anyways and here’s the result…

A side note about the tea here. I buy my tea leaves from this place because I can’t think of a better place to buy organic earl gray tea leaves at such a reasonable price. I remember reading from somewhere that it’s imported from Germany. The tea’s very fragrant without being overpowering, and definitely has a stronger tea flavor than your regular lipton or twinnings tea bag.

One weekend, my mom, C and I decided to take a walk around Stanley. Of course the reason was to buy some cheap bedsheets for my aunt, and I went along to humor my mom. It helped that I had always wanted to eat at a few places in Stanley, and I made that my motivation.

C had always talked glowingly about Boathouse and I wanted to see whether it was worth all that praise, so we headed there after shopping. There was a short wait and we stood under the blazing sun for about 10 minutes before we got a table under the tent. It wasn’t my mom’s first choice, but we didn’t want to wait anymore, plus it was nice to people watch.

While waiting in line, we saw a lady with her young son sharing a plate of guinness ribs and they looked great. We ordered that and a plate of fish and chips to share. The food came in about 15 minutes, and our ribs looked every bit as good as the lady’s. The ribs were meaty and sweet, but I couldn’t quite see the guinness in it, aside from the dark color of the ribs. It had a smoky aftertaste, perhaps too smoky.

While I liked the ribs, I couldn’t help the comparison to ribs from Tony Romas. Is that fair? The ribs from Tony have always been enjoyable because the meat falls off the bone. Boathouse’s was much chunkier and meaty, but it didn’t have the same satisfying finish for me. The toughness of some pieces also detracted from the experience, though I have to give credit to the restaurant for really sizable portions. I think I got my money’s worth.

But the fish and chips were disappointing. The portions were similarly large, but what came was tasteless fish in soggy batter. I had heard good things about the fish and chips here and was eagerly hoping for some surprises, but nope, didn’t happen.

C and I were in TST one evening and were scouting around somewhere to eat after watching a show at the arts center and walked to Ashley Road a little off Harbourcity. We didn’t have anything planned so we glanced through what was available and settled on Gaylord. It was just slightly pass 6pm and we were, unsurprisingly, the first there.

They had a buffet but that wasn’t ready yet, so we settled for ala carte, which on hindsight could’ve been a mistake. The food was good, perhaps the best Indian food I’ve had in Hong Kong for a long time, but it was also pricey. I think the two of us spent about $300, which is more than I like to pay for a simple dinner. The buffet might have come under $200 if we had waited.

Anyways, we had butter chicken and palak paneer, both of which were excellent, though the portions were a little small for the price we paid. You can see from the photos that the curries came in rather small bowls than I’m used to. We also had basmati rice, garlic naan and C had a glass of lassi (which at $40, was quite a rip off).

The curries were very good. The butter chicken was thick and rich and had just enough heat for me. And the small bowls had a surprisingly full amount of chicken pieces. The palak paneer, C and I agreed, was slightly more dissapointing. I thought the spinach curry was thicker than I’m used to, and the cheese not as chewy as I would’ve like it, but still we mopped up the entire bowl.

I’ve always been a fan of the two curries since I moved to Seattle, but particularly butter chicken. I don’t take chili well, so the tomatoey base with just the right blend of spices is usually my choice. I sample the other curries when I eat at Indian buffets (which were plentiful in Seattle), and have come to really like the cuisine. I really didn’t know what I had missed out on, spending most of my life in Singapore and not really eaten much curry.

But now that I’ve come to appreciate Indian food. My next stop when I head home is Muthu’s Curry, the flagship at Racecourse Road.

Ha, Berrygood’s probably one of the corniest names I’ve heard in a while but it does grow on you. We first read about this new yogurt joint in Central from last week’s 饮食男女, and we went on friday after lunch for some dessert.

We walked to graham street and found Berrygood. The owners haven’t finished furnishing the place (the pictures were still on the floor, and work tools could be seen around) but it already looks nice. They chose an ultra-modern, contemporary theme, quite in sync with the art galleries that surround the shop. The mainly white and bright pink furnishings melds the bright sunny Californian vibe with the chic urban feel of the east coast.

Back to the food. They essentially have two flavors of yogurt each day it seems, either plain and a fruity flavor of the day or a swirl of two. We went for the medium (there are three sizes), which came with two toppings. Like other ice cream places, it’s a mix between sweets/cookies, and fresh fruit.

We had the lychee yogurt with sides of fresh mango and strawberries. C was all praises for the yogurt, she kept grinning while eating spoon after spoon. I thought the lychee was perhaps sweeter than I would’ve liked, but the sour fruit, especially the mango, offset that. It was very nice on a blistering day.

We’ll be back, and we wish the owners luck in their dessert endeavor.