Viet's Choice 越棧

Viet's Choice is a big Vietnamese chain with almost 20 branches in Hong Kong but I was told not to expect much from the Tai Po branch. As low as my expectation was I was still feeling rather underwhelmed afterwards. 

Curry chicken with vermicelli (HK$42).  The noodles were served separate from the actually rather delicious curry sauce.  

Vietnamese sausage (HK$42 for full portion).  They were box-standard Vietnamese sausages and I thought for HK$42 it's a rip off. 

Beef pho (HK$37).  The soup base is supposedly what made this chain famous at the beginning.  Maybe the standard had slipped after all these years as I found it very average.  The beef was quite tender and it saved a lot of grace for the dish.

Appetiser platter for two (HK$88).  Again everything was pretty average.

Viet's Choice  越棧
Shop 9A, Uptown Plaza, Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong.  Tel: 2653-2400

Lanciano Italian Restaurant

We found ourselves back to Lanciano again since choices in Tai Po are somewhat limited if one doesn't want Asian food.

Porcini soup (HK$ 55).  It was well seasoned and full of porcini flavour, but it could be creamier and richer in my opinion as supposed to the broth-y consistency.

Minestrone (HK$55).  It was total comfort food with a very tomato-y base and full of chunky vegetables.

Gnocchi al gorgonzola (HK$75). Very rich and filling, the gorgonzola cheese taste was prominent but not overwhelming.

Pizza Caprese (HK$130).  Pizza had a nice base but it was pretty average and could use a bit more olive oil.

Spaghetti alla carbonara (HK$125).  Very well executed with a perfect creamy yet not-too-wet sauce.

Spaghetti al goose liver (HK$125).  Pan fried goose liver with spaghetti tossed in duck fat and seasoning.  It's a signature dish and rightly so.

Risotto with lobster (HK$170).  The chunks of lobster meat were plentiful and delicious.  The risotto was a little under- cooked and I thought the fish broth was a bit too strong for me. 

Corkage was HK$110.  The chef seemed to perfect on pasta dishes and we will stick to them from now on.

Lanciano Italian Restaurant
G/F, 31-33 Yan Hing Street., Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong.  Tel: 2651-6660

Corner Cafe, Disney

After a morning of running around in Disney we were ready to sit down and eat whatever there was available. We were surprised it didn't take long for our big group to get a table at the cafe on Main Street. Even though Halloween food was the only option on the menu we gave it a go.

Cream of pumpkin soup which came with the kid's meal. It was the only normal looking dish and it was actually tasty.

Kimchi Ramen with beef short ribs and some Halloween touches. I thought two chicken's feet were excessive. I was quite worried and put off to be honest. The noodles and the rest of the fixings were OK. Very ordinary but I wasn't expecting much.
Fish fingers and fries for our little ones. They enjoyed pretty much everything except for the pappy broccoli. Go figure.
The pork chop and rice bake looked like a mess but it was actually delicious. We were not sure what the 2 pieces of lychee were supposed to be.
Some kind of pasta salad starter, which was part of a fish set.
Sole fillets in basil and some kind of orange sauce. The fish was frozen and had that stringy texture. Still it was probably the healthiest choice of all.
Corner Cafe

Main Street, Hong Kong Disneyland.

Under Bridge Spicy Crab

We finally got to go to Hong Kong and we wasted no time to go to Under Bridge again. We got there close to 9pm and managed to get a table quickly. The place was still really busy!

To start we had stir-fried clams with chili and black bean sauce. I am never a fan or black bean sauce but it goes really well with clams.

And this is what we were craving all those years: chili and garlic mud crab.
We picked a medium to large crab (~HK$600). The meat was sweet and fresh and to die for.
Scallops and broccoli. Big meaty scallops, simple but worked well.
String beans with olives and pork. I always find this dish too heavy tasting and in this case it was extra salty.
The excellent fried rice helped wash down everything nicely. We left with happy tummies.
Under Bridge Spicy Crab

405 -419 Lockhart Rd., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel: 2893-1289

Sushi U

Finding a lunch spot in Central can be tricky these days. The two places we had in mind had huge lineups on this particular day and we had to go with plan B. We stumbled upon Sushi U by chance and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food.

We got seated in one of many spacious tatami rooms. There were 7 or 8 lunch sets to choose from ranging from HK$150 to HK$250. My sashimi rice set had all the usual suspects. I was not particularly happy with the selections as I do not like cooked prawns, roes, nor octopus normally. Luckily everything was very fresh and I was happily polishing everything up at the end.

Teriyaki beef set. Lean and great cut of meat, V said it was delicious.
Interesting this is called the ladies' sushi set. Maybe the name is a reflection of the quantity, which we found to be plenty. If I remember correctly it is about the same price as my sushi set and I was secretly cursing myself for not ordering this set instead.
Red bean ice cream as dessert. Even the ice cream was delicious! We wonder what dinner is like at this place? Lunch was definitely good value although service was slow.
Sushi U

3/F, Century Square, 1-13 D'Aguilar St., Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2537-9393

Zelo Bar and Restaurant

We went to Zelo because we were too tired to walk anywhere else. We didn't have a lot of expectation and still we found our dishes pretty flat.

Wagyu burger and fries (HK$228). Who doesn't do Wagyu burger these days? Despite the wagyu beef burger was pretty standard but the fries were good.

Paella for two (HK$398). The portion was not big enough for two and we were not big eaters. There were clams, prawns and squid, all tasted pretty fresh. Could use more in quantity though.
Service was friendly but the place was infested with mosquito! I had 4 or 5 bites at the end and we had no idea where they came from?

Zelo Bar and Restaurant

Shop 007, LG1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong. Tel: 2918-1028

Rice Paper

A quick lunch at Rice Paper. To our surprises the lemongrass pork was delicious! Juicy and tender, it had all the right flavours and a nice presence of lemongrass.

My pho with Vietnamese pork sausages, on the other hand, was mediocre at best. The only up side was it was not heavy on MSG.
We had an order of soft-shell crab but it simply did not show up. We asked for it twice and subsequently cancelled it. By the time our bill came we saw the dish being carried out! Oh well. It was 3pm and the place was not busy at all so we had no idea why it took so long.

Rice Paper

Shop 3319, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, TST, Hong Kong. Tel: 3151-7801

Green Cottage

I finally made it back to Green Cottage 14 months since my previous visit. We had to order everything naturally!

Our spring rolls were piping hot and crispy.

We had 4 orders of nem chua (naem in Thai). We are famous at the restaurant as we consume them by the ton!
Eggs in sweet soy stew: a nostalgia for our early years, especially for my sister as she was constantly eating them when she was young.
Beef pho. The broth was not as good as before but it was still yummy.
Beef and noodles in curry soup. I wish I knew the secret of this curry soup as it's simply the best.
Green Cottage

2/F, Gigna Tower, 482 Jaffe Rd., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Tel: 2832-286

Bistro La Fourchette

It was almost 2:30 when we sat down at La Fourchette's "al fresco" table - over looking the mall.  I suspect we had just missed the lunch crowd as lunch can get so crowded in Pacific Place and I thought they say the economy is bad?

To be honest I wasn't really expecting much.  I knew the food would probably be OK as the place had always been churning out reliable dishes but hey isn't it what a bistro is all about.  

We both picked from the set-lunch menu.  My dad's onion soup seemed (and smelled) nice.

My beef consomme was very flavourful.  It's something that I would not even dream of making at home as there's so much work involved!

Burger with fries.  My dad totally OD'ed on white pepper here but he said the burger was fine.  I stole some of his fries and they were the usual frozen variety and nothing special.

Spaghetti with meat sauce.  Again very average but then I don't know what they could have possibly done for a dish as simple as this to make it nicer.  It's just meat sauce after all.
La Fourchette

L/G Pacicfic Place, Admiralty. Hong Kong. Tel: 2522-8830

Grappa's

Penne puttanesca (HK$100).  A simple but very delicious pasta dish with anchovies, olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Surprisingly I was not thirsty after the meal.  A bit pricey but acceptable when White Spot in the same mall wants over HK$60 for a burger combo.  

Grappa's Ristorante

Shop 132 Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong.  Tel: 2868-0086

Shiro

The tagline for Shiro is "where Sushi is Fashion".  I found that out after we had the meal.  Had I known I would have proceeded with caution.

The lunch menu was relatively small with a few items to choose from and they all seemed pretty pricey.  Bentos were a;sp available for around HK$200 each.  Since I was not clear whether the bentos were for take-away only or not and the waitress was no where to be seen I chose from the menu instead to save time and hassle.

My negi toro (HK$178) looked very fancy indeed.  Too bad it had no taste!  If I was blindfolded I would never have guessed that I was eating toro, or should I say fish for that matter.  Somehow the pile of mashed up fish didn't taste of anything.  The raw quail egg was pretty scary too.  A total disappointment and for what they are charging I would expect more!

Since there was not a whole lot of things to choose from we got an eel rice (HK$138) even though it was expensive.  Well at least we got 2 huge pieces of eel and they were actually quite nice, still we thought it was a bit over priced.

Lunch for two came to HK$370.  We had to pay for our tea and the non-existing service.

I think while sushi is fashion it should also be decent.  It's easy to forget that when you have a fancy/pretentious joint.

Shiro

Level 1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong.  Tel: 2155-8066

Happiness Cuisine

Our first visit to the very new and shiny but deserted Science Park in Tai Po.  My tax money!

We decided to give this restaurant a try when it was recommended by a number of people.  It's supposedly a nice alternative to the otherwise very crowded Tai Po restaurant scene.

Since I was still pregnant they wanted me to have a taste of this vinegar soup with pig's trotter and eggs.  I was told I didn't have to eat the trotters as all the "good stuff" should be infused in the vinegar based soup.  I took a sip.  IT WAS SOOOOO SWEET it was sickening.  Needless to say it put me right off the stuff and I never looked back even after my delivery.

Some kind of fish congee.  It was actually not bad.

BBQ pork neck.  It was probably the greasiest piece of meat I came across in my life.

Beef rice stick.  Again they managed to make it really greasy?  It's not just the sauce which was oily the white pastry itself was exceptionally greasy also.  Quite talented. 

Pan-fried turnip cake.  Again the cake slices were soaked in oil.  Yuck!

The usual dim sum dishes.  Nothing special.

More dim sum.  To be honest we were having indigestion before we even finished the meal.  Won't be going back again.
Happiness Cuisine

1/F, 1 Science Park West Ave, Shatin, Hong Kong. Tel: 2827-8803