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. 
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.
Visit restaurant website.
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.
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