When In Hong Kong: Go Jelly Crazy!

I love jello, jelly, gelatin… whatever you call it. It used to be my staple afternoon snack and I remember that I used to get all the grape flavored ones to eat and the red ones to use as my pretend lipstick. I still get to have my jello fix from time to time these days but in the form of coffee jelly, grass jelly or sago’t gulaman. But when we discovered a jello place in Hong Kong, R and I dropped by the place as frequent as we could.

Hello… uhm… sorry, I can’t read Chinese. But this is the place near Canal Road, Causeway Bay. 

R and I headed to the small restaurant one time after dinner. We got curious with why a lot of locals frequent the place and we were greeted by a friendly elder who I assume is the owner of the restaurant.  We told him our order—one bowl of black jello (HK$7). 

Service was quick and we got our bowl in less than 5 minutes.

It was pretty bland as is so R added this orange powder we saw on the edge of the table. 

We sparingly sprinkled some of the said powder and it turned the jello sweet. We then figured that it was sugar. And that was when we went crazy with it. 

It was just your usual bland jello but it being served chilled and topped with sugar made it a refreshing dessert, perfect to cap any meal.

When In Hong Kong: Go Crazy Over Salmon!

If I were to choose only one thing to eat the rest of my life, I would choose salmon. I just love it. I love the texture, the color… everything! (Well, except maybe the smell when it is still raw and extremely fishy.) And I saw a gold mine of salmon during our recent Hong Kong trip.

While exploring our hotel’s surrounding area, we noticed that there’s a line of stores near our hotel (located in Causeway Bay, near Canal Road) that sell salmon and hairy crabs. We decided to go to the one that sells ready to eat salmon and got Salmon, Salmon Roe and Sea Urchin with rice (HK$90) and Fried Soft Shell Crab Cutlet with rice (HK$38).

Despite the long queue, service was quick and we got our orders in less than 10 minutes. 

We enjoyed our rice bowls while standing as there were no dining tables or chairs available. They only had those bar tables on the opposite side of the showcases.

I first had a bite of the salmon bowl and it was so good. Though slightly expensive, you’d see that the store was generous with fresh salmon bits. The serving of sea urchin was a tad stingy but it was still okay given the price. The uni was soft and the taste made me reminisce the sea. The veggies added texture and crunch to the dish making it even more scrumptious.

The Fried Soft Shell Crab Cutlet was also delectable but it was quite dry without any sauce. I just wish that it had some salmon or something fresh and not deep fried. Then again… that price tag for one bowl is very attractive.

I wish we have this in Manila. 

Hong Kong Local Night: Noodle Soup

I forgot how frustrating it is to travel in Hong Kong. The language barrier was so high especially in small hole in the wall restaurants. I felt it even more during my most recent visit as R and I went to more small shops for that local vibe. And one of the restaurants we visited was... 

This restaurant. Sorry, (I can't read Chinese.)

The place was packed when we arrived so we assumed that the food served here is spectacular or bang for the buck. 

There was one table vacant when we got there. Since the sole server was busy cleaning and serving food to other customers, she hastily handed to us the menu in Chinese. Though R could read Chinese, he wasn't too familiar with it too. He was able to pick up the words beef, chicken, pork and the like but some were too confusing. 

When we asked for the server's attention for help, she misunderstood it for us being ready to order. Since she was still very busy, she handed a piece of paper and pen for us to jot down our orders. We cracked up! R's shocked face was just too funny. 

The server noticed that we were so puzzled and eventually handed an English menu. (Apparently, we just wasted brain cells.)

With a menu we could read with ease,we ordered Beef Noodles and Wonton Noodles (both at HKD20). 

Our piping hot bowls were served in less than 5 minutes. 

Both look pretty much the same except R's had beef while mine had wonton. The soup base, noodles and vegetables included were all the same. 

I must say, R's bowl was pretty good. It had richer flavors. The strips of beef were pretty good too for the price. My wonton noodle soup was delicious too though its flavors were not as rich.
It was fun to experience Hong Kong like a local. But I think I need to learn the language first. 

This restaurant is near Canal Road and just 5 minutes from Best Western Hotel, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

First Bite: Sen-Ryo

Having Chinese food for dinner for 3 nights straight made me crave for Japanese food in a whole new level. And I was so glad when C offered to meet us for dinner in Sen-Ryo, a Japanese sushi restaurant which is a notch higher than Genki Sushi.

Hello, Sen-Ryo!

The place was packed when we arrived. We had to wait for a few minutes before getting seats. 

And since I am a sucker for sushi conveyor belts, we got bar seats.

Sen-Ryo has a lot of sushi, sashimi and maki dishes to choose from and it was a challenge for me not to over order.

After a while, we decided to go with Prime Salmon (HK$22), Seared Salmon (HK$22), Fried Prawn Roll (HK$28), Dragon Roll (HK$22), Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crab (HK$48), and Spicy Salmon (HK$18). (We ordered two of some of the dishes.)

The first dishes to arrive (or pass by) were the delightful salmon sushi plates. The Prime Salmon was prime indeed with its quality cuts. It was fresh and the smooth and melts in your mouth type.

The seared salmon was divine too. Served slightly warm, it was a feast in my mouth. The smooth and silky texture of salmon and the delightful pop of salmon roe made this dish quite addicting. 

We ended up ordering two plates of this.

When in Hong Kong: Café de Coral

The Hong Kong food scene is quite overwhelming with all the choices this not so small country could offer. This is the very reason why I didn’t really list down the restaurants I want to visit because I’m bound to find a good restaurant or two in every street. But one restaurant included in A’s recommended restaurants was Café de Coral, a popular quick service restaurant chain in Hong Kong and since we were hungry and were in front of the place, we gave it a try.

Hello, Café de Coral.

The place is very much a notch higher fast food chain. You order in front and head inside to line up again for your food.

R got the Soya National Farm Chicken and BBQ Pork with Rice (HK$42) while mine was Soya National Farm Chicken and Roasted Duck with Rice (HK$42). We also upgraded and got their newest hot beverages. Unfortunately, I forgot what these were called but mine was with ginger.

R’s chicken and pork barbeque dish was great! The tender chicken and pork were glazed with the lovely sweet sauce and it went well with the blanched veggies. The pork though was slightly dry.

My dish, which just had duck instead of pork, was pretty good too. The duck meat was tender and well flavored too and the chicken, just as delightful as the one on R’s plate. The only thing I didn’t like about mine was that the duck was quite bony making it a bit troublesome to eat.

The drinks we ordered were perfect as it was getting chilly that late afternoon and it was freezing cold in the restaurant. We had to dilute it a bit though as the drinks were a bit too sweet to be thirst-quenching.

Overall, it was a pleasant early dinner (though I thought it would be cheaper than the usual restaurants).

Café de Coral has several branches in Hong Kong. Click here for the list of branches.

Love at First Bite: Sweets House Cha Cha

I am so overwhelmed with the food choices here in Hong Kong. There are just so many options. The supermarket alone, such as City Super, has a wide selection of snacks, drinks and yes, sashimi! I am so in love with it that just visiting the supermarket gives me the thrill I get from riding Space Mountain. And one night, R’s good friend C introduced a delightful soft served ice cream to us.

Hello, Sweets House Cha Cha!

This sweets concessionaire is located inside City Super, Times Square, Causeway Bay. Here you have two options for your soft serve, matcha or Hokkaido Milk. R opted for Matcha in waffle cone (HK$32) so I went for Hokkaido Milk with mochi (HK$34) which C also recommended (sans the mochi).

First served was R’s matcha and the first thing I noticed was the inviting vibrant green color of the matcha. It sure looks like it has a strong and powerful flavor. True enough, it did. And R liked it. It had that slight bitter taste that you’d get in matcha. This is a must-order for those who just could not get enough of green tea.

My Hokkaido Milk was served next and up close, you could mistake it as typical vanilla ice cream. But this one has a milkier and creamier taste. It was like eating sweet milk… in ice cream form.

When In Hong Kong: Ikea Bistro

I love Ikea. I simply could not resist visiting one whenever I find out that there’s one nearby. The adorable and affordable furniture pieces make me want to redesign my place ASAP. But aside from the smart space pieces, one thing I love about Ikea is… IKEA BISTRO. Oh meatballs!!!

Hello, Ikea!

It has been a while since I last visited one. I remember getting meatballs and soft-serve ice cream every time I visit. It was a sweet reward after walking around the huge Ikea store.

This time around, it was even more thrilling to look around especially since I now have my own space to spruce up. But let me skip my whole I-wanna-try-that, I-wanna-sit-on-that-one, and ooh-what-is-that-cool-thing phase and go straight to the mouthwatering snacks Ikea offers.

I was surprised that despite the massive size of the store, they scrimped on the bistro area. It makes you remember that you’re in Hong Kong where space is as precious (and expensive) as diamond.

Anyway, nothing can hinder me from getting my meatballs, even when the bistro is packed.

We got an order of Swedish Meatballs (HK$9, 5 pieces), Hotdog with Soft drink (HK$10), and Smokey Honey Sausage (HK$10, 3 pieces).