Sunday 7 September 2008

Focaccino

Shop 2, Knutsfield Steps, 132 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Visited 7th October 2008


Focaccino; nice name. I met a couple of mates for a coffee Sunday afternoon and ended up being dragged here by the promise of best cheesecake in Hong Kong. This little cafe is tucked away on Knutsfield Steps, the little walkway in the Miramar Shopping Centre adjacent to Knutsfield Terrace. The modern decor is over stylised and has a bit of a franchise feel about it; which is probably fair enough as they also have branches in Shenzhen, Korea and the Philippines. To eat they've got all the usual selections of pasta, pizza and sandwiches plus a couple of daily specials. I kept things simple and ordered a coffee and grabbed a spoon to get intimate with half a slice of New York cheesecake. My cafe latte was OK though a bit too milky for my taste, the cake however was rather good. My mate had talked it up, but the deliciously rich, smooth cheesecake was everything he promised.

I'd probably have to disagree with the claim on Focaccino's website that it's "an authentic northern Italian trattoria and bar". To me the place had the vibe of a chain coffee shop and the un-inspirational coffee helped to reinforce this impression. There was nothing really wrong with Focaccino; it was clean, the staff smiled and it's got a cool name, it's just nothing about it remotely resembled "an authentic northern Italian trattoria and bar". In the end however it all worked out OK, Focaccino wasn't saved by a cappuccino or focaccia, but by a big thick slice of delicious New York cheesecake; cheesecake that's good enough to make me sit through another cup of average coffee for a couple of mouthfuls.
Visit restaurant website.

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