15 Manhattan Plaza, 23 Sai Chine St, Yuen Long
Visited 29th June 2010
I’m always keen to check out a new Yuen Long restaurant, especially if they’re serving burgers and fish and chips. Joey and I met up with a couple of mates to check out the Homey Café on what must have been one of their first nights of opening. This small restaurant is located on the corner just near the Immigration building in Manhattan Plaza. Inside 
it’s simply decked out, but well done; there’s a big blackboard, open kitchen and comfortable booth seating.
The food at the Homey Café is really more American diner than European café; it’s all about burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, with a few fried snacks, salads and pasta dishes. We started off sharing a plate of potato skins; topped with bacon, spring onion and sour cream these were pretty standard, but really well done and deliciously fluffy. My friends all went for burgers while I thought I’d give the lamb kebab a shot. The kebab consisted of two skewers of really tender grilled lamb, pita pockets and salad. I wasn’t expecting great things and was surprised how good this was, especially the delicious lamb. Joey’s fish burger was served in a surprisingly good white roll which was jammed with a couple of crisp, crumbed fillets; again all good though the fish was perhaps a little flavourless. My mates enjoyed a steakhouse burger 
and double cheese burger; big juicy pieces of meat that were interestingly served on a wholemeal bun. They hadn’t finalised their liquor license yet so we just grabbed a few beers from a convenience store.
I enjoyed my meal at the Homey Café; the food was fresh, well prepared and tasty. While the Homey Café isn’t somewhere you’d go for a gourmet meal or a date, I'd certainly recommend it as an excellent spot for lunch or a casual dinner. The guy running the show was really friendly and staff generally enthusiastic about doing a good job. At just over $75 each I'm certainly not complaining about the bill. There are no surprises at the Homey Cafe, just simple food, well done.
105 Rua da Cordoaria, Coloane Village, Macau
Visited 13th June 2010 
A weekend in Macau with Joey and Sunday morning we found ourselves exploring Coloane Village. While there’s plenty to see in terms of temples, dragon boat shipyards and muddy channel views, Colane is really famous for its egg tarts. The place responsible is Lord Stow’s who have built a little empire that includes Lord Stow's Cafe, the original Lord Stow's Bakery and Lord Stow’s Garden Café where we found ourselves. With an outlet at the Venetian and franchises in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines Lord Stow’s has certainly grown from its humble Coloane roots. Though I'm always a little sceptical about "must try" and "best in Macau" style claims we decided we had to sample a couple of egg tarts. The Garden Café itself is a nice airy restaurant with a few outdoor tables.
The menu is a bit of random mix; there’s a selection of Thai dishes, but also plenty of other stuff including Cornish Pasties, lasagne, salads, baked potatoes. It actually reminded me a lot of café menus in the UK, though that could have just been the baked potato. The emphasis is on healthy ingredients and nearly everything is homemade on site. We ordered Thai fried chicken with rice for simple reason the people on the next table were munching into it and it looked
good. The chicken was crisp, well cooked and tender. It came served with rice and a couple of homemade sambals. I got really old school and ordered a coke float while Joey went for a honey and fruit tea. While the float was awesome unfortunately the coffee I had to finish was terrible; weak and lacking flavour it was really disappointing. Oh and the egg tarts you ask; best in the world? Well they were delicate wee things and really liked the custard filling; however the oily pastry was a touch burnt on bottom. While I really liked them ‘best in the world’ is a big call.
To be honest I wasn't expecting much apart from hype from Lord Stow’s, but I really did enjoy my visit. The café itself was a relaxed and pleasant place for lunch, while the staff were efficient and ultra friendly. Our grub came to a reasonable $114 and there was no mention of deceitful service charge. While not really Macanese in style everything was pretty tasty apart from the appalling coffee; something that needs to be fixed if they are going to call themselves a ‘café’. Wondering Coloane is a very pleasant way to spend a morning in Macau and our lunch at Lord Stow’s Garden Café certainly went down well 
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26 Main St, Yung Shue Wan
Visited 23rd May 2010
It's a long weekend and I'm stuck in Hong Kong. Too somewhat make up for these horrendous circumstances we decided the only sensible thing was to have a bit of a holiday on Lamma Island. A barbecue at a friend's in Pak Kok Saturday evening and a night on the couch did a lot to make up for not being Bangkok or Beijing. Sunday we wandered over the hill to Yung Shue Wan and met a mate for lunch before hitting the beach. His choice was Green Cottage a new little place towards the ferry end of Main St. We grabbed a table overlooking the harbour on their little terrace.
Green Cottage serves pretty standard café fare, but as Lamma is Hong Kong’s hippie haven the menu is mainly vegetarian and organic. I went for a lunch set that included soup, mushroom burger and coffee. Joey had already had a serve of eggs so stole the soup from my set and ordered a mango smoothie. Though not massive the burger was
tasty; the portobello mushroom was really juicy and the additions of red onion marmalade and cheddar were a nice touch. It came with a simple side salad and a few homemade baked wedges; the potato ones were terrible undercooked, while the sweet potato ones were delicious. The carrot and ginger soup was obviously homemade, with plenty of grated veggies and the interesting addition of some oyster mushrooms; it was a satisfying dish though pretty basic and heavy on the ginger. Joey’s smoothie was good, while the two lattes I drank were just OK.
Our relaxed lunch at Green Cottage was part of a great little ‘holiday’ on Lamma. The tasty homemade food was packed with healthy, fresh ingredients, though a couple of the dishes needed a little refinement. Value wise it’s pretty good: the main meals are listed at $68, but their lunch set, which adds house coffee and soup or salad for $78, is better value. The staff were friendly, efficient and relaxed which went a long way to creating that chilled café atmosphere so often missing in Hong Kong. I also liked the fact that glasses of flavoured tap water were offered and constantly refilled. Green Cottage does a lot of the right things; they just need to sort their coffee. 
Rua Direita Carlos Eugenio, Taipa, Macau
Visited 20th March 2010
Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei is famous for the same culinary treat that Macau is perhaps most famous for; the pork chop bun. A hot cooked pork chop, slapped in a white roll is a simple, but a beautiful thing; a treat that certainly meets my idea of a good time. Despite Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei's mammoth reputation I hesitated to visit for ages because of talk of the massive queue that greets the daily 3pm arrival of the buns. I'd heard plenty of stories of people waiting well over half an hour to try and get one before they sell out at around five. I was on day trip to Macau with a visiting mate and we wondered into Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei mid afternoon, where, despite the pulse of punters, we managed to snag a table.
We stuck with the crowd favourite as this was just meant to be a little snack to tie us over between lunch and sightseeing and the drinks (OK lots of drinks; we're talking flaming cocktails in skulls) and dinner that followed. The pork chop buns at Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei aren't massive, but where they
excel is the flavour of the tender, marinated grilled pork. The unbuttered, unflavoured soft white roll is an excuse to soak up the delicious dripping pork juice (let's call it juice rather than fat shall we). It's such a simple but satisfying snack.
With tasty pork rolls at a bargain price of MOP16 each, what's not to like about Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei? Well the queue is an obvious nuisance, and while you can't knock success, I wonder if the food's good or special enough to merit lining up for 30-40 minutes? I certainly wouldn't bother standing around so long for a sandwich, when plenty of other places offer similar (if perhaps not quite as good) fare. All that being said, I really do like Cafe Tai Lei Low Kei; the tasty food and outdoor setting in Taipa Old Town make for an authentic and fun stop. If you can grab a table or nab a bun without having to battle the crowds I'd seriously recommend it.
Level 1, IFC Mall, Central
Visited 31st December
It's strange that I've never managed to make it to Simplylife Bread and Wine before; my mother lives in Australia yet she seems to be something of a regular. Anyway, located on the first floor of the IFC mall this joint is both a restaurant and a cafe. The restaurant is off to the side while the casual cafe seating has views over Victoria Harbour and Kowloon, though the low angle means the foreground is chocked with buses. As
I entered, the busy open kitchen, rows of pretty pastries and a wine covered wall all vied for my attention.
I suppose the 'cafe' is more of an upmarket sandwich bar as they mainly sell pastries and pre-made sandwiches. I wasn't overly hungry so went for a small, toasted panini with cheese and prosciutto and a cafe latte. The crisp, grilled sandwich was good; filled with plenty of salty prosciutto and a gooey cheese it was a nourishing and tasty lunch. The coffee was decent though I was a bit disappointed that it was served in a paper cup; I saw mugs there and it would have been nice if the barista asked me for my preference. I did glance at the main restaurant's menu and it looked interesting so I'll have to come back and check it out.
Simplylife Bread and Wine is a good spot for lunch in the IFC; the bread is tasty and obviously fresh, while the views aren't half bad. Value wise it was pretty fair; my sandwich was $32 ($48 for a large) and the coffee was $22. If you compare Simply Life Bread and Wine to Starbucks and Pacific Coffee you have to wonder why anyone bothers to visit the chains. At Simply Life the food is miles ahead, while the coffee is better and cheaper. I do find this rather interesting as Simplylife is run by the Maxim's Group who also hold the Hong Kong franchise for Starbucks - one works, one doesn't.
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The Beach, Big Wave Bay
Visited 6th June 2009
Big Wave Bay, located on Hong Kong Island's east coast, is remarkably remote; far from the hustle and bustle of Central it's a very, very long way from Yuen Long. A late start and blistering mid-day sun meant that our planned stroll along the Dragon's Back was perhaps a little more uncomfortable than expected. On arriving at Big Wave Bay our group of famished hikers headed straight to the Blue Room. This rather cool open air cafe sits right on the beach. It's a pretty basic setup with a concrete floor and plastic outdoor furniture, but piles of cushions, hip tunes and a big mural covering the wall help
give it a relaxed, groovy feel. Its location and decor remind me a lot of an Australian surf live saving club.
The Blue Room isn't about five star dinning, but more just honest sustenance with and a menu piled with burgers, sandwiches, pasta and plenty of snacks. We were all peckish and quickly ordered a round of burgers; I went for a bacon and cheese one. The fat burger was served in a basket atop of a pile of crisp wedges. All up it was pretty satisfying experience. The thick, juicy patty was topped with several rashers of bacon and melting cheese, the bread roll was surprisingly good and I was happy to see some salad (fresh onion, tomato and lettuce) stuffed in. I also snuck a few bites of a grilled chicken burger and was impressed with the tender chicken fillets and fresh salsa. To drink it was bottles of cold beer.
I like the Blue Room. I may be biased because it and the setting remind me of Australia, but it is definitely a pretty cool spot. The food is reasonably priced and the beer cheap; $75 each for the burgers and $25 for a beer. Food orders are made at the register and the blokes running the place are friendly. Relaxed and fun the Blue Room is the spot at Big Wave Bay and Big Wave Bay is one of Hong Kong's top beaches, I just wish it was all closer to Yuen Long...
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70 Peel St, Soho, Central
Visited 12th March
Tucked away on the upper fringes of Soho is the Brunch Club; a firm favourite amongst a group of my friends. It's setup more like a café 
than a formal restaurant; racks of magazines, comfortable couches, candles and a small courtyard out back. I was personally rather taken by the masses of flowers littering the place. Of course like every good Hong Kong restaurant they also have a second branch; in this case Brunch and Supper Club in Causeway Bay.
The menu consists of mainly western dishes as well as the popular all day breakfast options. We decided to share a set dinner and get (at my friend's insistence) an additional serve of eggs Benedict. Of the several available choices for each course and we opted for cauliflower and bacon soup, seared tuna salad, barbecued quails and lemon and raspberry tart to finish. The soup was pretty good with plenty of bacon chunks, while the tuna was OK; coated in sesame, the rare meat was tasty, though it was let down by the basic and rather average salad of lettuce and a couple of cherry tomatoes. The quails consisted of one and half grilled plum
p little birds served atop wilted spinach and pan-fried new potatoes; a nice dish. The lemon tart we had for dessert was tart and tasty, though the sliver we got was pretty thin and was topped with fake 'cream in a can'; always a turnoff. The highlight of the meal was definitely the eggs Benedict; well poached soft eggs, delightful lightly toasted, super soft muffins and a rich creamy sauce. I enjoyed a couple of glasses of crisp Willow Bridge Semillon Sav Blanc and my friend a banana smoothie.
Brunch club offers a pleasant, relaxed setting and friendly service; this is a big plus in the world of Soho restaurants were artificial, fake formality rules the day. I enjoyed my meal and I thought the set dinner pretty good value at $222 for the four courses and the eggs Benedict a bargain at $68, though $38 for a banana smoothie was perhaps pushing things a bit. It's called the Brunch Club and the best thing we had were the eggs, my suggestion; go for brunch!
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12 Travessa de S. Domingos, Macao
Visited 6th December 2008
Surprise, joy and a waves of ecstatic glee; Café Ou Mon is back! This little coffee shop, that's meant to be just near
Senado Square, strangely vanished for over a year in time-warp like renovations. The 'new look', renovated Café Ou Mon doesn't really look that different, it's just a tidied up version of the same simple European charm; the polished counter at the back displays tasty cakes while the wooden tables and chairs are always packed with punters.
Café Ou Mon keeps things simple; there's a choice of daily soup, plate and dessert, but it's the baked goods that most come for. I went for a pork chop bun. The thin, char-grilled pork was slapped between a crispy ciabatta style roll that offered a tasty change from the usual round white rolls. My friends ordered an assortment of goodies including the famous 'milk buns' toasted and filled with delicious ham and salty cheese, beautifully flaky Portuguese egg tarts and a lemon cake that was divine. Unlike the
milkshake style beverages produced by Hong Kong's coffee chains Café Ou Mon offers real coffee and the cafe latte I ordered was perfect; it wasn't overly milky or sweet, just simple well made coffee.
Café Ou Mon really is a little haven of civility. Service is normally excellent as the blokes who run the place are friendly, efficient and on the ball; our waitress was polite, but did unfortunately get one item confused. All up our bill came to MOP190 for coffee, cake and sandwiches for four of us, at MOP45 a head that's certainly fair value in any one's book. I'm so glad Café Ou Mon has finally reappeared.
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.
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108 Hollywood Road, Hong Kong
Visited 27th June 2008
Friday night saw me trudging down Hollywood Rd with shoddy directions and instructions to find number 104. When I stumbled into Classified - which is definitely in Sheung Wan, not Central - my fatigue quickly turned to excitement. A less formal café attached to the prestigious Press Room restaurant, Classified specialises in wine and cheese as well as offering snacks, coffee and desserts. Downstairs it's an open cafe with a few tables, magazines and a tempting cake display, but the magic is all on the second floor. Climbing the stairs you are greeted by a room dominated by a mass
ive, communal table, but it's the walls that grab your attention - three are covered in bottles of glorious wine while the fourth offers magnificent views of the temperature controlled cheese room.
Enclosed in such temptation I managed to hold firm and order 'proper food' - a serve of mushroom risotto - before indulging in the sweet ecstasy of cheese heaven. The plate of risotto wasn't a huge, but was well made and tasty. It was creamy and the richness of the mushrooms was nicely contrasted with a handful of fresh, peppery rocket. It came time for cheese and we shared five different varieties between three of us. We were able to try a few sneaky samples before deciding and the selection we chose came with quince paste
and heavy brown bread. The cheeses were perfectly ripe and truly divine. There's a little more to life then cheese and we worked our way through bottles of Bisol Prosecco and Perrin Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2005. The fresh, crisp Prosecco worked a treat with dinner; while the sweet Muscat was a nice match with the cheese; though I'm not sure it impressed me enough for the $430 price tag.
What's not to love about Classified? The service by friendly and knowledgeable staff was exceptional, the environment is relaxed, yet pleasant and the range of wine and cheese is outstanding. $85 for the risotto was certainly fair and while the booze wasn't cheap, the quality was excellent and selection well thought out. Classified is the sort of place you could visit for lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or a late night snack, the only worry would be making yourself leave; highly recommended.
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25 Queens Rd East, Wanchai
Visited 25th June 2008
Wednesday was rather eventful: a typhoon signal 8 meant school was cancelled, I spent an eternity shopping in the never ending maze of frustration that is IKEA and my umbrella split in two and blew away down Leighton Rd in the middle of Causeway Bay. When I staggered into il Bel Paese I was tied, wet, frustrated and craving caffeine. This deli, come café, come produce store is one of my favourite places for lunch on Hong Kong Island. Downstairs there’s a takeaway counter and a fabulous selection of cheeses and 
cured meats, while upstairs there’s a few tables in the middle of tempting shelves of Italian wine and dry goods.
I ordered a coffee and a serve of spaghetti with meatballs and retired upstairs to dry out and refuel. The pasta was just what I needed on such a wet and raucous day; the tasty pork meatballs were smeared in a lush tomato sauce that was enhanced with generous amounts of olive oil and fresh oregano leaves. In Italian tradition everything at il Bel Paese is severed with bread and the slices of airy white loaf I was given worked a treat to soak up the left over sauce.
I go out of my way to eat at il Bel Pacese as the traditional food is honest, tasty and good value. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, service is informal and relaxed, lacking any of the stiff formality and pretentiousness that dominates so many of Hong Kong’s western restaurants. The fantastic selection of Italian groceries are good value, especially compared with the piracy just up the road at the so called ‘Great’. The one problem is not walking with too many bottles of Italian wine.
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11 Sha Tsui Path, Sai Kung
Visited 9th March
The tourists are in town and we're seeing the sites; Stanley one day, Sai Kong the next - both I might add as about as far as you can get from 'good old Yuen Long'. Sai Kung's expat population means that there are plenty of alternate dinning options when you've got people too fussy for the seafood places lining the waterfront. Keeping things simple we again went for the bakery option; Ali Oli and after a drawn out battle managed to snatch an outdoor table.
Ali Oli sells all the tasty goodies that it should including: fresh bread, cakes, biscuits, slices, pies, pastries and sandwiches, plus coffee and an assortment of deli items like dips, salads and homemade jam. I'm an Australian and it's something of a patriotic duty to eat pies, so for the second day running I had a meat pie for lunch; life was good. This seems to becoming something of a pie blog; but the offending item did look pretty impressive. It was filled with tasty, chunky meat, but unfortunately was ruined by sickly sweet pastry. It looked like I was sitting in a western style bakery, it looked like I was eating a western style meat pie, but oh no what I was eating was disappointment. To be fair to Ali Oli my coffee was good and the others were happy with their lunches, I was just burdened with a pie that should have been savoury and wasn't.
Ali Oli does a lot of things right; it serves a big range of tasty looking produce, the coffee's good, the prices fair and it offers a refreshingly casual environment that is not seen often enough in Hong Kong's western restaurants. OK my pie was ruined by revoltingly sweet pastry, yet
there are a couple of things that could have been better. Sundays are busy in Sai Kung, yet Ali Oli was a little too disorderly; getting a table was a battle of push and shove, while service at the counter was confusing and disorganised. Oh and another thing that really annoys me is allowing dogs at a restaurant table; keep the mutts and their stupid bandannas outside!
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Shop 102 Stanley Plaza, Stanley
Visited 8th March 2008
A Saturday trip to Stanley to stock up on tack with the tourists at least had the compensation of being able to slip into Saffron for a 'sly pie'. Hong Kong seems to have a 'bakery' on every corner, yet unfortunately the vast majority are absolute rubbish: serving nothing but stale sponge cakes and sweet bread with the crusts cut off. Saffron on the other hand is a real bak
ery. Located in Stanley Plaza it doesn't have a sea view, but the range of cakes on display is almost better. There's plenty of treats to take home including great looking loaves; apparently they also have branches in Tai Tam and Quarry Bay.
The good people at Saffron describe their massive selection of goodies as "artesian breads, enticing salads, scrumptious sandwiches and fabulous cakes". I went with a beef and burgundy pie, a side salad and a coffee. The pie was superb with thick chunks of tender beef, diced vegetables and an obvious rich flavour imparted from the wine. The watercress based salad was lovely and the coffee of an impressive standard. The others all ate cakes, slices and muffins and there murmurs of satisfaction were obvious, though I reckon Dad regrets not get stuck into a pie; the fool.
Saffron reminds me of how bakeries should be, only better. Their range of produce is fantastic and there's something there to temp everyone; even big jars of old school mixed lollies for kids (and Naomi). Prices are reasonable, the staff friendly and most importantly the food is superb. Saffron comes highly recommend and surely a couple of coffees there are a better option than being dragged through that market.
10-12 Staunton St, Soho
Visited 20th January 2008
A mate was visiting from Singapore and I'd given him a thorough tour of Lan Kwai Fong the previous nig
ht. As we'd had Yum Cha Saturday and we were meeting another mate in Central for Sunday breakfast we decided a good old fashioned fry up was in order. Perched next to the mid-level escalator, Staunton's Wine Bar is something of a Soho landmark. They've a good winelist and on weekend afternoons happy drinkers spill forth all over the street. When I'm in Soho I often head to Staunton's for coffee because it's served in the best big mugs in Hong Kong.
It was hungry and hung-over and it only took me about a second to decide upon a 'full English breakfast'. The packed plate placed before me was piled with two poached eggs, bacon, a sausage, baked beans, a grilled tomato and mushrooms. It all hot, freshly cooked and just what I needed. The bacon was crisp and the eggs were perfectly done. I admit I'm from Melbourne - home of the c
afe breakfast - and I'm critical, but for me bread is often the weak link of a cooked breakfast. In this case it was a couple of thin slices of average, brown, 'supermarket style' stuff; serviceable, but some Ciabatta or Turkish bread would have been fantastic or even just a good quality fresh, thick cut loaf. My meal was well cooked and tasty, but it wasn't excellent; the bread was a turn-off and the pool of sloppy canned baked beans did nothing for me.
I like Staunton's; it's always a good place to stop for coffee, beer or bacon. The service is professional, the decor light and airy and the prices fair for SoHo; my fry-up was $108 and the couple of coffees I drunk $32 each. My meal was tasty, but basic and the rest of their breakfast menu is of the same ilk; good but not interesting or exciting. I'd love to see Staunton's offering a few more creative options; all up satisfying but simple.
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79 Main St, Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island
Visited 18th November
I like Lamma Island. The ferry trip from Central takes you away from the hustle and bustle to a peaceful green place were opportunities abound for a kicked back lifestyle; if only for an afternoon. Lamma's also a great spot for a stroll with a 5km trail that winds between the two main villages. Many prefer to finish the walk at the well-know seafood restaurants of Sok Kwu Wan, but Naomi and I went the other way and ended up at Yung Shue Wan. This thriving little village has a diverse populatio
n and good selection of bars and restaurants. The Bookworm Cafe pushes a vegetarian ethos, while its mismatched furniture, bulging bookshelves and artwork give it a funky bohemian feel.
The menu has an emphasis on organic, vegetarian wholefoods, with an interesting choice of sandwiches, soup, dhal and pasta. I couldn't go past 'eggs Florentine', while Naomi was tempted by the daily special; a goats cheese and roasted zucchini and tomato quiche. My eggs were served atop a muffin with mushrooms in addition to the usual spinach. They were well cooked and the addition of mushrooms was good, though the sauce was perhaps a little thick and congealed. Naomi's quiche was excellent and came with a couple of salads including one made from fresh beetroot - something you don't see often enough in Hong Kong. I gulped down a couple of decent cafe lattés and Naomi went for the exotically named 'Peaceful Warrior'; a blend of banana, apple and pear, wh
ich though tasty was off-puttingly warm. We both enjoyed out breakfast, though looking around at what others were eating much of the food looked very similar, something I reckon often happens in 'wholefood' style restaurants.
The Bookworm Cafe wins on atmosphere, it's relaxed and comfortable; the sort of place were you can sit back watch the afternoon disappear with coffee and the paper. While the staff were friendly, they were not particularly efficient it and it grated me to see the waiter sitting around reading while I was struggling to order another latté. The serves were generous and I thought our meals was pretty good value at $80 each, though I was a little resentful at having to pay 10% 'service' charge for such average 'service', especially when it wasn't mentioned on the menu. If you're heading to Lamma Island the Bookworm Cafe isn't a bad place for breakfast or lunch, just don't be too impatient to order your meal or that second cup of coffee.
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57 Peel St, Soho, Central
Visited Saturday 21 April
It was Saturday night and somewhat strangely I was lucky enough to be going for a drink with four women. As I was led through the lanes and backstreets of Central I didn't know where we were going, but I was pretty sure it wasn't to the bars of Wanchai. We ended up was the tiny, chocolate themed cafe, Chocolux. Coffee, cakes, crepes and chocolate based cocktails are the mainstay of Chocolux and they generally look excellent. I tasted a rich hot brownie sundae and a hot molten Chocolate cake that's centre oozed delightful, chocolate goo; both were superb. I also sipped a chocolate martini, which was lovely with the chocolate being a lot more subtle than I expected. The coffee I had was good and the glass of Bordeaux very drinkable. If I had to find fault with Chocolux it would be its limited range of alcoholic drinks. It is the sort of place you go to sit and chat, while sipping and nibbling. Some more interesting selections on the wine list, including more by the glass options, along with some premium brand spirits rather than just the cheap, generic brands they stock for cocktails would go a long way.
Chocolux really is a delightful, late night treat. Rich chocolate desserts, cocktails and coffee should be enough of an attraction for anyone. A recommended stop for pure self indulgence.
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9 Stauntons St, Soho, Central, HK
Visited 31st March
The Hong Kong 7s were absolute, undeniable, craziness. Saturday afternoon we watched Australia beat France, we clapped, we cheered, and then we snuck away to Soho. Tucked away just around the top of the mid-levels escalator and across the road from the bright lights of the Staunton's Wine Bar is Portobello; where we searched for sanity and cafe late.On entering Portobello you are greeted by a bulging cake display and slick bar. The cafe's narrow, intimate seating and cosy, but refined atmosphere gives it a slight European feel. The menu consists of sandwiches, snacks and a splurge of cakes. The choice of tea was impressive and the wine list contained a couple of interesting options. I was however a little sceptical about how long some of the bottles had been sitting there half full.Keen for a snack Naomi ordered a toasted mozzarella, tomato panini and a hot chocolate. I was content with a sobering coffee. The drinks were both fine, with the hot chocolate gaining some very positive praise. The panini was OK, but totally under cooked, though the staff were happy to make it "more crispy". Though nothing screamed excellence, everything about Portobello was satisfactory; the service was fine, the food fine and the prices fair (for Soho). Perhaps the best thing about Portobello was its tranquil atmosphere. It really was an oasis of sanity amongst the seething crowds of drunk and disorderly. Visit cafe Website
it’s simply decked out, but well done; there’s a big blackboard, open kitchen and comfortable booth seating.
and double cheese burger; big juicy pieces of meat that were interestingly served on a wholemeal bun. They hadn’t finalised their liquor license yet so we just grabbed a few beers from a convenience store.
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