Shoot First Eat Later

Lunch at Antonio’s, Tagaytay 2012

My dear friend, Ariel who’s from San Francisco came home for a short vacation last January. He’s the one who brings me to all the good restaurants whenever I go to San Francisco. This time it was my turn to bring him to my favorite restaurant in Tagaytay and possibly in the Philippines.

There’s something about Antonio’s that charms me. Aside from the excellent food I just love the ambiance of the place. I just don’t like the heat and flies during the summer. We went there last January when there was still a nice breeze.

I ordered a carafe of dalandan juice for Ariel. Their dalandan juice was intense in flavor and they use dalandan ice cubes so the juice won’t get diluted. However when we asked for extra ice plain ice cubes were given.

dalandan juice P600/carafe

The previous times (here and here) I ate at Antonio’s I wasn’t impressed with their bread. This time the bread reminded me of Chef Philippe’s crusty roll which was crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Rochelle and I are sad because Chef Philippe has shut down operations.

crusty roll

Each course comes with soup, salad, entree, dessert and coffee. The price of your meal depends on the entree you choose.

That day the soup was cream of chestnut soup which I found a bit too salty and didn’t really have a chestnut taste.

cream of chestnut soup

Normally I don’t order appetizers anymore but since there were 4 hungry people in our table I ordered the triple mushroom crepe.

triple mushroom crepe P355

I kid you not, we all groaned with the first bite. It was the cheesiest and most buttery mushroom crepe we have ever eaten. You can see all the butter that oozed out when I cut the crepe. Rochelle put all that garlic flavored butter to good use by dipping her crusty roll in it.

The crepe was perfect for sharing. I don’t think I can eat the whole crepe by myself for breakfast or lunch even though it wasn’t that big. It would have been too rich.

One of my favorite restaurant salads, meslun (assorted young salad leaves) with bleu d’Auvergne crumble, glazed walnuts, dried currants, cranberries w/ raspberry vinaigrette is the perfect combination of sweet, salty, sour, crunchy and chewy.

Antonio’s farm fresh mesclun salad with raspberry vinaigrette

Sisters, Rochelle and Chris, ordered two different dishes and shared it. The kitchen did a good job of plating the lamb chop and roasted duck breast in one plate. Rochelle said the lamb chop was a tad well done otherwise the flavor was excellent.

I tried a bit of the pan seared foie gras that came with the roasted duck breast infused with truffle and goji berries and loved it! It was thick and generous and just darn good. I think that was the highlight of the entire plate.

herbed roasted rack of lamb (P1,800) and roasted duck breast (P1,500)

Ariel and I had the beef fillet with wild mushrooms and gravy. He had it with my favorite pumpkin sage risoni which is actually pasta that looked like rice. I had an arugula salad with my steak.

Just like the two times I had this steak it was just perfectly cooked. The sauce was so flavorful without being overly rich. Even Ariel was impressed. I love this steak so much it’s hard for me to order something else even though I vow to try something new each time I go to Antonio’s. Why mess with a sure thing?

grilled beef fillet wild mushroom & pumpkin sage risoni P1,850

Each time I go to Antonio’s they have a different dessert menu. Some of the popular ones were still there though.

Antonio’s dessert menu January 2012

Rochelle was too happy with her poached pear. She felt the pear wasn’t cooked long enough for the port to infuse fully in the pear.

poached pear in port wine with vanilla ice cream

I’ve tried Royce’s chocolate covered potato chips before and didn’t like it. The salty potato chip and the sweet chocolate confused the flavors for me. I’d rather eat them separately. But since Ariel has never tried it that’s what he ordered. After eating all the chips he agreed with me. The mango coulis as a dip was interesting though.

chocolate potato chips with mango coulis

Chris had the safe and popular dark chocolate soufflé. She was happy.

dark chocolate souffle with cardamom creme anglaise

In my opinion I had the best dessert. I love anything chocolate with orange so as soon as I saw the words ‘mandarin orange coated with chocolate’ I knew it was the perfect choice.

mandarin orange coated with chocolate

I thought it was orange segments covered with chocolate. Instead it was strong, intensely flavored orange sorbet coated with dark chocolate. The chef recommended I use my fingers and that’s what I did. It was a beautiful mess. Lick, lick, lick… If they can only box this up and sell it in supermarkets I will be first in line to buy it.

French press coffee

It was the perfect meal, the service was ok, the food good as usual. Nothing to complain about except this pesky fly who wouldn’t give up. It was with us from start to end. We gave up shooing it and gave it the remains of the mango coulis. Enjoy fly!

After lunch we took an unguided walk to the breakfast place which opens on weekends only. During the week you can order from their breakfast menu while seating at the main dining area.

Breakfast at Antonio’s

They used the same bricks for the walkway. I wonder where they got these bricks with so much character. They looked really old to me.

They could have made the place look different but they kept the charm of the main house.

Only the furniture was different. Even the floors were covered with machuca tiles.

back entrance

Antonio’s
Barangay Neogan
Tagaytay City, Cavite
telephone: (046) 413 0975 or (046) 413 1054
cellphone: (0917) 899 2866
Email: antoniosfarm@yahoo.com
website

Sunday Lunch at Tsukiji

We were invited to Sunday lunch by our friends who had guests visiting from the USA. They made the best decision by having lunch at Tsukiji in Makati. The guests were very impressed, so was I.

This was only my second time to eat at Tsukiji so I was thrilled to have the chance to blog about it.

Our big group sat in this private function room. The kids sat outside.

The food in Tsukiji was expensive but the quality and taste was unparalleled for Manila’s standards. Take for example this kani (faux crabmeat) salad. The bowl was about medium sized and an order was probably good for 3-4 people to share as starters. I could finish one order as my whole meal. It cost P980 but I would order it again. The kani wasn’t like anything I’ve ever tasted or seen in any other Japanese restaurant. It was sweeter and the texture was finer and there was a generous amount in the salad. I also appreciated that the salad wasn’t drowning in mayonnaise.

kani special crab & mayonnaise salad P980

This was the best agadeshi tofu I’ve ever eaten. At P100 each it should be. The tofu was ultra fine and melted as soon as my teeth broke into the crispy exterior. I really liked the addition of grated radish and ginger in the well seasoned tempura sauce. No watery brown sauce here.

agedashi tofu P300

They fly in their fish from Japan that’s why you can be assured of the quality.

salmon sashimi P1,450

California maki P390

I eat mushrooms almost every day but I’ve never had it this good. So simple yet so tasty.

shimeji mushroom butteryaki P380

I think this fried rice came from one of the sets. I gave in and tried a little and really, really, really wanted to eat the whole bowl. The rice was almost sticky and the flavors were just perfect. I could have eaten this bowl of fried rice by itself.

vegetable fried rice

I pushed away the fried rice and comforted myself with this bowl of sautéed veggies with generous pieces of fish cake. Yehey carbs in an equally delicious form.

mixed veggies

The sukiyaki was quite big and good for sharing. As expected it was sweet and the beef was excellent.

sukiyaki set P870

This was grilled pacific seasonal saury fish from Japan.

shin sanma shioyaki set P540

The fish set came with a small dish of tuna sashimi and the appetizers below.

maguro tuna sashimi

I don’t know what the one on the left was called but whatever it was I loved it! It was salty and the texture was very interesting. The one on the right is called tarako oroshi or codfish roe.

tarako oroshi

Their tempuras were coated with just the right amount of batter, not too thick, not too thin and very crisp. Another plus was the lack of grease. The paper below the fried shrimp was barely wet from oil.

ebi tempura P650

kisu tempura P450

Look at all those veggies just barely coated with batter. In other restaurants you can barely discern the veggies hidden underneath thick batter.

kakiage tempura P450

Our hosts brought a couple of bottles of wine.

Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere

Eating at Tsukiji is definitely an experience you shouldn’t miss. You really get what you pay for. Next time I want to try their steaks since they had a lot of imported beef in their menu.

Tsukiji’s menu

Tsukiji
3rd Floor Milky Way Building
900 Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road)corner Paseo de Roxas,
Makati City 1200 Philippines
telephone:(+632) 843-4285, 812-2913

Private Rooms are available for groups of 5 to 30. Smoking and Non-Smoking seating are available. Menu is available in Japanese.

Open Daily
LUNCH: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
DINNER: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

website
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Lunch at BonChon Philippines

The first time I tried BonChon was in 2008 when I was in Virginia. I didn’t even have a blog then. I loved it so much that I had to eat BonChon every time I went to the USA. I hoped someone would bring it to Manila and in November 2011 my wish came true and the first branch in Ayala Triangle Gardens opened.

Andrea, the marketing honcho of BonChon Philippines has been inviting me to try out the local version for the longest time but I was on a strict diet for the past year. Finally last week I met her at their Libis branch for lunch.

I went there at 1:30 pm to avoid the lunch crowd. This branch was located next to The Spa which incidentally is owned by the same owners as BonChon.

menu

seasonal menu

New York Times article

The chicken wings I had in the US were enormous. I was worried that the wings in Manila would be tiny. I was pleased that the wings were plump enough to satisfy. True it wasn’t as huge as their American counterparts but they were definitely bigger than the ones from the chicken we buy in the market.

I’m so happy that the taste and crunch was exactly the same as the ones in the US. The chicken wasn’t oily at all and the sweet, salty flavor that I liked so much was the same.

soy garlic wings – 6 pcs for P185

This ws my first time to try the spicy wings and it literally blew me away! It was a bit too hot for my taste and I miss the sweetish flavor of the original wings. I thought it would be just a spicier version of the soy garlic wings. This was just plain spicy.

spicy wings – 6 pcs for P185

Only BonChon Manila has fried fish and I’m sorry for those abroad since you won’t get to try this yummy fish. The boneless strips of dory tasted exactly like the soy garlic wings. They were just as crispy and as tasty as the chicken. I couldn’t help myself and ate 2 of the fish strips.

fish & chips box P125

Yes even the squid tasted the same. It was crunchier than the average calamari and I wanted to finish it all too. If you don’t like chicken you can choose between the fish or the squid and get the same soy garlic goodness.

You would think that eating all these fried food would make me ‘suya‘ but surprisingly I enjoyed it all. Since I’ve stopped eating fried food for the past year I’m now so sensitive to the taste of oil (rancid or just a little old) and I’m happy to report that all these fried food didn’t have any aftertaste at all. Andrea guaranteed me that fresh, new oil was used for all their food and I believe her.

crispy squid ricebox P125

It’s really a great thing for a QSR (quick-service restaurant) to serve fresh salads. It’s a boon for dieters like me to have non-carb options. They use fresh Romaine lettuce which I prefer instead of iceberg lettuce which is cheaper but doesn’t have any nutritional value unlike it’s greener cousins.

Caesar salad P125

The ginger tofu is a good diet meal in itself. I just wish the tofu cubes were more crisp and salted before it reaches the salad.

ginger tofu salad P125

I was beyond full to even take a bite of the bulgogi wrap. I did take a tiny pinch of the meat and kimchi slaw and found it quite authentic in taste. I took home the left overs and my office staff loved the chicken and the bulgogi wrap.

bulgogi wrap P125

Andrea wanted me to try their new Korean frozen yogurt parfaits. I told Andrea I always eat froyo plain without any toppings so I will just try a little of each.

KoYo – banoffee pie and blueberry torte P70

Boy, with one bite of the tangy yogurt and the not sweet caramel sauce I was hooked. I couldn’t put my spoon down.

banoffee pie KoYo

My favorite part was their homemade graham cracker crust which was in no way even close to the ones you find in the crust of commercial cheesecakes. I don’t even eat the crust of those cheesecakes. This graham cracker mixture was chunky, crunchy, nutty, buttery and just plain addicting. It remained crunchy and distinct even when mixed with the tangy low fat yogurt. Yes I finished the whole cup. I don’t want to know how many calories are in this dessert.

I texted Andrea the next day that I was still dreaming of this KoYo. I hope you come up with new toppings for the KoYo soon.

Thanks again, Andrea and BonChon for the wonderful lunch and the doggie bag too.

BonChon
80 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Bagumbayan, Libis 1110
telephone: 655-1818, 655-8074

website
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Dinner at Hai Shin Lou

When you want to treat a big group of friends who have big appetites the best and most economical place is a Chinese restaurant. That’s what Jenny did for her birthday treat last January.

In the USA friends treat the birthday celebrant, in the Philippines the celebrant takes on the expensive burden of treating all her friends and family. Whew!

This was only my 3rd time to eat at Hai Shin Lou so I was quite excited to try new flavors and dishes.

I swear we didn’t talk about what to wear. Wearing black just happens a lot.

Deb chose the menu since she was a regular diner at Hai Shin Lou.

Hai Shin Lou set dinner menu

Instead of the usual peanuts they had addicting fried wonton skins.

fried wonton

Our dinner started with unusual and ultra yummy appetizers.

deep fried squid Peking style

stir fried seafood with egg white

I’ve never had shrimp cake like this in other Chinese restaurants. It was already good on it’s own but when when eaten with sesame caramelized walnuts it was even better. It was a really unusual pairing but it worked.

crispy minced shrimp cake with Taiwan pechay & sweet walnuts

Simple but very rich tasting chicken broth.

double boiled chicken soup with bamboo pith & dried scallops

Here’s the birthday girl smiling at the Peking duck.

To maximize the Peking duck Deb had it cooked 3 ways. The first way was the traditional duck meat in wrapper with leeks and hoisin sauce.

Peking duck

The second way was minced duck meat extended with water chestnuts. Iceberg lettuce cups are used as the wrapper this time.

minced duck with lettuce

After all the meat and skin from the Peking duck was utilized the remaining duck bones were fried and seasoned. There was still some meat left on the bones and the parts near the bones were the tastiest.

fried duck bones

stir fried asparagus & cuttlefish with French beans

steamed lapu lapu

I loved the fried sea mantis which tasted just like lobster.

peppercorn sea mantis

Tao Miao or pea shoots are seasonal veggies that come from Hong Kong. They are usually just sautéed with garlic. Topping it with a sauce made with dried scallops was outrageously good.

Hong Kong tao miao with dried scallops

braised e-fu noodles

The red tikoy from Hong Kong was yummy.

tikoy

mango sago with pomelo

Another terrific dinner with the amigas!!!

Hai Shin Lou Seafood King Restaurant
810 Arnaiz Ave., (Formerly Pasay Rd.) San Lorenzo Village,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 892-5148 / 752-7433 / 813-8491

website
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Dinner at Toro Restaurant and Bar

It was the almost the last day of 2011 and the holiday rush was over and we wanted to get together. We also wanted to celebrate our friend’s birthday.
Tisay suggested we eat at Toro a Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant in Bonifacio Global City.

The place was empty when we got there at 8:40 pm but we were told that all the tables were reserved. We promised to eat fast and they eventually gave us a table. It must have been for a late, very late party.

There were only a few of us who were in town for dinner that night.

We were blessed with Mitch’s presence who came all the way from Florida.

This is Pat, the birthday girl.

I was happy to see they have bastardized sushi that I love so much. This roll was stuffed with salmon, spicy mayo, jalapeño and deep fried. It was just spicy enough for me and so, so, so yummy!!! More spicy salmon mixture topped the fried rolls for extra dimension and flavor.

volcano roll P390

The spicy seafood salad was quite delicious too but I prefer the seafood crepe of Omakase since it has more dimension and texture.

spicy seafood salad P230

Our server suggested this soft taco which was essentially filled with the spicy seafood mixture above. I liked it without the tortilla wrapper better but this is the fusion part of the menu.

spicy seafood taco P330

I liked their version of the California maki using a fried ebi tempura in the roll.

California maki P250

I forgot what this was but basically their sushi were quite decent.

When I saw the words creamy spicy rock shrimp in the menu I was so excited I ordered it right away. I was so happy that my favorites from Morimoto and Nobu were finally in Manila. But to my huge disappointment it was nowhere near it’s namesakes. This was simply shrimp tempura drizzled with spicy dressing. It wouldn’t have been too bad except the tempura was all thick batter. I still dream of finding the same shrimp dish in Manila soon.

creamy spicy tempura rock shrimp P340

Toro had an extensive list on tapas on their menu and this is what our server highly suggested. It tasted like an ordinary taco to me, nothing fusion about it.

mini tacos served two ways P320

taco sauces

Now this dish was unique – braised short ribs dipped in batter and fried. It just proves once again that anything fried is delicious. The beef was very flavorful but some parts were just plain tough. I wish they braised the beef longer.

miso braisesd short rib tempura P420

Not the best age dashi tofu but not too bad.

age dashi tofu P340

They gave our birthday girl this beautiful dessert. Sweet fruit in an orange cup topped with ice cream.

Overall the food was just average. Maybe there were other special dishes we should have tried but based on the ones we ate I would still go to Omakase for better value.

Toro’s menú
soups & salads, tapas
baskets, main dishes, rice bowls, makis
makis, tacos, chimichurri skewers & gourmet sandwiches
desserts, dessert shots & degustation

Toro Restaurant & Bar
Unit 6, Ground Floor One McKinley Place,
4th Avenue between 25th and 26th street
(Located behind Mini Cooper showroom)
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Phone: (02) 846-9681
Mobile: 0917-555-TORO (8676)
Email: info@dinetoro.com
Operating Hours: 7 Days a Week 11:30am-3pm, 6pm-12am

Dim Sum at Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you will know that Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant is my favorite place for dim sum in Hong Kong.

It’s the first place we eat at when we arrive in Hong Kong and it’s the last meal we have before going to the airport. You can search my blog for all the posts on Chuk Yuen.

Each time we go to Chuk Yuen they have new offering in their dim sum menu depending on the season. Last December they had my favorite Chinese sausage in a bun. They normally have this during cold weather months only.

The sausage or lap cheong is fatty but the flavor is the best. It’s salty with just a tinge of sweetness. One bun contained pork sausage while other one used duck sausage which I love.

Chinese sausage ‘lap cheong’ bun HK$19

This plate of bok choy was my only concession to my diet. It was pretty good too!

bok choy

I don’t know why my mom loves these pan fried rice rolls since there’s nothing inside the rolls. You just dip them in a combination of hoisin and peanut sauce. I prefer the steamed rice rolls filled with barbecued pork or beef and mushroom.

fried rice rolls

This was another new dumpling on their menu.

steamed shrimp & pea shoot dumpling HK$22

Pea shoots or tao (dow) miao is a delicious vegetable not always available. I could taste the delicate flavors of the pea shoots in this dumpling. Excellent combination!

I need meat and I was curious what Kobe veal bones tasted like. It was darn good with bits of seared fat on the edges and lean meat near the bone. There wasn’t much in one order but I didn’t regret ordering this. A little guilty pleasure for an otherwise healthy lunch.

pan fried Kobe veal bones HK$25

Chuk Yuen’s dim sum menu

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant
Basement, Hong Kong Pacific centre
28 Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
telephone: +852-2722-0633

Coffee in Hong Kong

More coffee love from Hong Kong!! All these shots save for 1 were taken with my iPhone 4S’ camera. I didn’t want to lug around my camera while shopping so using the iPhone was just perfect when I felt like having coffee in the middle of the day.

One day I didn’t feel like eating ‘real lunch’ so I went to the Starbucks at iSquare mall for a cup of Komodo Dragon brewed coffee and a beef curry pie. The pie was just ok. I think the food choices in Manila’s Starbucks is so much better and varied.

beef curry pie

Isn’t their coppery mirrored ceiling awesome?

Look who else is enjoying Starbucks?

I normally drink hot coffee but when the weather outside is hot I want my coffee ice cold and Pokka Cafe is where to get it. We don’t have this brand in Manila but it’s another popular Japanese coffee chain that also serves pretty good food.

Pokka Coffee – Hokkaido Coffee Rocky HK$47

It was strong and I added a splash of their heavenly cream.

The best thing about this iced coffee is the coffee cubes they use. This way the coffee doesn’t get diluted and another bonus is you can keep adding cream and drinking good iced coffee.

I’ve also tried Pokka’s hot coffee. Pretty cup eh?

Pokka special blend coffee

Back to iSquare is another Japanese coffee chain called Cafe Key West.

Cafe Key West Sumiyaki Coffee HK$38

They use Key coffee which you can find in Manila’s Yumemiya Japanese Cafe. I liked their presentation too.

I have yet to try the this Italian store in Elements Mall called Caffe’ 1882 but I’ve tried their Caffe Vergano 1182 espresso in Eataly in New York.

I don’t know the origins of Cowboy Seven but I thought I’d give it a try when I was at The One mall. By the way that mall had so many coffee shops.

Cowboy Seven coffee

It was relatively cheaper at HK$24 but nothing really special for me to go back a second time.

I still prefer my faithful standby, uber cheap and strong coffee at Cafe de Coral. I took this picture at their branch at Harbour City around 3:00 pm. While everyone around me was slurping noodle soup or eating chicken wings for their afternoon tea I was drinking my HK$8 coffee. Yuuummm.

Cafe de Coral coffee

I have to confess. I’m not a big coffee spender. I just like trying different coffee. Most days (if not almost everyday) you will find me at HSBC Premiere Centers where I get free coffee.

All their branches have different brands of super automatic coffee machines like Jura, Saeco and Tiger. Each machine made different tasting coffee. I usually get double espresso shots topped with a cappuccino. I found the best tasting coffee at their Carnarvon branch in TST.

HSBC Premiere HK coffee

If you like buying coffee making parapharnelia like me I found the place which had the most Hario products which are mostly used in the coffee shops in the USA. All these are available at AEON MaxValu Prime supermarket at the LG2 of The One mall.

Hario drippers

Hario V60 plastic dripper $299

Hario V60 Coffee Server HK$135

They also have siphons, French press, moka pots and electric moka pots.

coffee makers

I’ve been eyeing that Hario Buono kettle below but at HK$499 it’s too expensive for an ordinary kettle with the perfect spout for pouring water into a drip coffee filter. I’ll stick to my French press for now.

Lunch at Grissini, Grand Hyatt Hotel Hong Kong

Grissini at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wanchai has the BEST Sunday lunch buffet in my opinion. If you are in Hong Kong for just a few days and want to splurge on one good meal then I suggest you book early for a precious seat at their popular Sunday lunch buffet.

Unfortunately we were there for a weekday pre-Christmas lunch with good friends who flew in from Manila and Houston.

The normally beautiful view of the Hong Kong harbour now looked like this.

Grissini means breadstick in Italian and these are the best I’ve ever eaten. My no carb diet was quickly forgotten as I scarf down at least 2 (that I’m admitting to) warm, light and super crunchy breadsticks.

breadsticks

They are even better with a soak in top quality extra virgin olive oil and super thick, super expensive and super sweet balsamic vinegar. This is the only place in Hong Kong that I’ve found that serves this.

I found a small bottle of this balsamic vinegar in the supermarket sold for HK$900!! This is the good stuff so be sure to ask for lots of it. I even dip fresh strawberries in this vinegar and it heightened the sweetness and flavor of the strawberry.

lunch menu

All of us chose either the two course set lunch for HK$358 or three courses for HK$420. I will list the individual price of each course so you will see it’s much cheaper to order the set course.

mozarella & tomato salad with basil & oregano HK$200

I actually had the two course set starting with the veal and of course dessert. The veal was tender but the taste was just ok. Nothing that deserved the price. But then we were paying for the ambiance too :D.

veal escalopes with Marsala and broccoli rabe HK$280

The dessert fared better but still wasn’t to die for.

dark chocolate & espresso petit pot with fresh berries HK$100

Others chose the limencello tart which was good too but I felt it lacked more lemony zing for my taste.

limoncello tart HK$100

I wish the chocolate truffles were made with dark chocolate instead. Imagine there was about 8 pieces left on the table since no one wanted to eat milk chocolate. What a shame to leave those behind. I really loved the white chewy, nutty cookies though.

petit fours

At least the coffee was strong and good.

I’d rather pay more to eat at Grissini on Sunday. Their weekday fare isn’t really that great in my opinion. Well it was a nice lunch among friends with endless stories and laughter. That was the most important thing.

coffee (at least HK$50)

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
1 Harbour Road,
Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Tel: +852 2588 1234

Hours:
Monday to Friday
Lunch – 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm
Dinner – 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Saturday
Dinner – 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Closed for lunch
Sunday Feast – 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm
Dinner – 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Holly Brown Coffee

I’m so happy that coffee love is spreading out in Hong Kong.

Holly Brown Coffee is a relatively new chain that has opened several branches in the city.

They also have gelato and some quick meals like waffles and pasta.

They also sell expensive blends of coffee.

I was shocked to learn that these prices were for a CUP of coffee. For HK$280 you can buy a bottle of Kopi Luwak beans in Manila.

specialty coffee menu

If you want to impress a date bring them to Holly Brown where you can have 2 cups of coffee and snacks for HK$1,000.

Holly Brown Coffee menu

Since I didn’t have a date to pay for my coffee I got a cup of espresso macchiato for HK$26. It was strong and chocolatey. I was happy I found great coffee in Hong Kong. But then there’s Cafe de Coral where I often get my afternoon coffee fix for HK$10. Both have a place in my heart.

espresso macchiato

Holly Brown Coffee
K11 Mall
G19, Ground Floor,18 Hanoi Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon
telephone: (852) 3122 4016

Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday
10:00am to 11:00pm

Philippine Airlines Food Mnl-Hkg-Mnl December 2011

I have a long backlog of posts with trips to Tagaytay, Cebu, Taipei, Hong Kong and Boracay. I decided to tackle them in order even though it’s delayed. This starts a series on my trip to Hong Kong last December 2011.

breakfast menu

I like that PAL offers local breads during their flights. It’s a nice introduction to foreigners. I managed to resist the ensaymada only because it looked different from the AWESOME ensaymada I had on a previous flight.

pan de sal and ensaymada

The menu said Brie and Edam but I got both Brie which I didn’t mind since it was good with the dried fruits specially the yummy dried mangoes which seemed homemade since it wasn’t as sweet as the commercial ones. It was also very thick and quite moist.

dried mango, dates, carrot, cucumber with Brie and Edam cheese

For breakfast I always choose the tried and tested bangus with adobo butter but I wanted to something different so I ordered the mushroom omelette even though I don’t like eggs. It was indeed soft and creamy but I wish there were more mushrooms inside.

The chicken burger was a bit firm but it was very flavorful. All in all a pretty healthy meal.

creamy mushroom omelette w/ chicken herbed patty

I found the seller of these delicious dried mango dipped in dark Belgian chocolate when I was in Cebu. Each piece cost P20 and I didn’t buy any since I knew I couldn’t stop at eating one piece.

Cebu Best Mango Chocolate

lunch menu

I read somewhere that ordering fish in an airplane is not a good idea but in Philippine Airlines I never get disappointed with their fish entrées.

I couldn’t believe the generous wedge of cheese and thick slices of ham for starters. It made the perfect sandwich with the whole grain roll from the bread basket. I wrapped up the sandwich and took it home with me. Hee hee… It was a yummy afternoon snack.

proscuitto cotto with cheese

The fish was perfectly cooked and flaky. I tried not to eat the creamy fattening sauce but it kept getting in the way. How can I resist the delicious but light coconut flavor? I didn’t taste the mango though.

steamed fish in mango coconut cream sauce

Wow!! The almond pudding tasted just like panna cotta. It was to die for!!!

almond pudding with lychee & mandarin orange

As usual the food was excellent. I love PAL’s food.