Ginzeng x Check In Taipei - GinZeng Tasting

I love Ginseng, I love the taste and the aroma of Ginseng. I drink Ginseng Tea all the time and even use Ginseng infused Shampoo from South Korea. I do not know there is a difference between American Ginseng (花旗參) and Chinese/ Korean Ginseng (人參) until I went for a tasting event hosted by Ginzeng at Check In Taipei. The event was rather educational and I feel lucky to understand different catergories of Ginseng all at once.

Bibo - Dine In A World of Art

Price: $$$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Bibo the quirkiest French fine dining restaurant in Central Soho, is a truly arts-meet-food restaurant in Hong Kong. The restaurant is basically a contemporary art gallery with murals, paintings and sculptures at every corner of the restaurant. Dishes are also a piece of art with glamourous presentation. Service is topnotch and is definitely better than many of the starred Michelin restaurants in Hong Kong. Once you have been to Bibo, you will fall in love with this place.

Grain de Sel - The New Takeaway Creperie

Price: $

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

The popular French creperie Fleur de Sel has recently opened a new take away concept creperie, Grain de Sel in the Sheung Wan neighbourhood. The new Grain de Sel offers traditional French galettes and crepes made with a new recipe and in a special machine to make take away feasible! Fans can now enjoy quality galettes anywhere they want!

Spade by Lassana - Festive Special Honey Toast

Price: $

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

There are something in honey toast box that we love. The beautiful appearance, the delicious toppings and the crunchy toast with soft and spongy inner. If you have been trying to queue for Dazzling Cafe without luck, I would recommend an equally nice cafe to you, Spade by Lassana.

Harvey Nichols - 2014 Christmas & New Year Menu

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Approaching the end of the year is the long anticipated Christmas! Hong Kong is always crazy about Christmas, Christmas lightings are up on the buildings along the seafront, decorations and Christmas trees are everywhere! And while people are getting excited for Christmas, restaurants are well prepared for Christmas as well. Harvey Nichols Restaurant & Bar is among one of them and has just launched their Christmas and New Year's Eve menu. I was invited over to join the preview of the festive menu and am happy to share with you all!

Beef & Liberty - Retry & Congrats for 2015 Bib Gourmand

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

First of all, a big congratulation to Beef and Liberty for being listed as the one and only Bib Gourmand burger restaurant on Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau 2015. If you read my previous preview on Beef & Liberty, I was upset about my burger being dry. I came back to Beef & Liberty under invitation as I was told Chef Neil Tomes improves his burgers' recipe from time to time. I wonder if my first was a bad time for Beef & Liberty, so I have to come back again.

Gaucho - Flame Grilled Argentinian Steakhouse

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★★

Flame on! Gaucho, the award wining Argentinian steakhouse originated in UK has recently made its stop in the steakhouse battle scene in Hong Kong. Located at the LHT Tower, the very heart of Central, Gaucho Hong Kong is the first flapship restaurant in Asia (Wo-hoo!). I am very excited about its opening, but not as excited as Henry, as Gaucho is his favourite steakhouse on Earth and he can talk hours about it. We thought reservation would be difficult, but to our surprise, we got our reservation pretty easily.

OR TEA? x Sohofama Tea Pairing Party

"Coffee or tea?" is a frequently asked question in every day's life. While coffee's bold flavour and aroma are often perferable, OR TEA? stands to urge consumers to drink tea that contains significantly more health benefits than coffee. OR TEA? blends contemporary art and tea together in their innovative series of tea line to arouse awareness. All teas are designed uniquely, each have their own design, benefits and personality to suit consumers for any mood and situation.

Mott 32 - Turkey Meets China

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★1/2

Approaching the end of the year is two very exiting seasons, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And the very first thing that comes in mind is TURKEY! Turkey promotions are everywhere and restaurants under the belt of my beloved culinary group Maximal Concepts, Mott32, Blue Butcher and Fish & Meats have all introduced their own version of turkey. And in Mott 32, it's going to be Peking Turkey! Sounds freaking awesome, isn't it?

Coffee Alley - Delicious Croissan'wich

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

Finally I got to try the Taiwanese coffee chain, Coffee Alley which landed in Hong Kong early last year 2013. While I was hoping the hype has gone down a bit after the opening of the Tsim Sha Tsui branch, I went to the Causeway Bay branch today and found out the queue was still crazy! I arrived 25 minutes before the cafe opened and to my very surprise, there was already a line of eager diners queuing along the stairs. Getting slightly worried, I counted the number of people ahead of me and looked up the available seating online and found 60 available. Phew...then I waited happily for the cafe to open, which they opened promptly at 12 noon.

Zafran - Theatre of Tapas

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Zafran, the Spanish Restaurant under Aqua Group, is among one of the popular Spanish Restaurants in Hong Kong. That's well known, but what you do not know is that Zafran now offers a 15 course degustation menu named "Theatre of Tapas". Created by Spanish Chef Pedro Samper, the menu is designed to bring his best version of Spanish on the table. Be prepared to be blown away!

85 South - Here Comes The Smokey Bird

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

I always go to 85 South whenever I have a barbecue crave. 85 South is consistent in their smoking technique which means it is pretty much assured that your meats are well seasoned and smoked. I missed their smoked turkey last year, so when I know they are smoking the bird again this year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was ecstatically happy. If you passed by 85 South in the coming weeks, I am sure you would be killed by the heavenly smokiness escaped from their kitchen!

Man Mo Café - Fusion East-Meets-West Dim Sum

The Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

Among the vintage and nostalgic stalls on the Upper Lascar Row of Cat Street lies a cosy restaurant Man Mo Café. Named after our beloved temple Man Mo Temple, Man Mo Café is not a cafe serving coffee but a fusion dim sum restaurant offering innovative East-meets-West dim sum.

Mangochacha - Legit Taiwanese Mango Shaved Ice

Price: $

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

My first encounter with Mango shaved ice was a few years ago in Ice Monster, Taipei where I fell straight in love with it. The reason why Taiwanese shaved ice is delicious and addicting is because of its lovely texture which is very different from the traditional crushed ice. MangoChaCha, a popular shaved ice dessert shop from Taiwan has recently made its stop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong and so I paid a visit.

Foodpanda - Efficient Online Food Ordering Platform (with $50 off discount code)

Foodpanda, the world's largest online food ordering platform active in more than 40 countries, has launched in Hong Kong with hundreds of restaurant choices at the click of a button! Hungry eaters can now enjoy hot delicious food from their favourite restaurants at home or during office hour! I have personally tried foodpandas service and was contended. Hence below I will share more about foodpanda and just don't forget to check out the $50 voucher especially offered just for my readers! Check the promotion code at the end! =)

Le Port Parfumé - Classic French Bistro with Innovating Dishes

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Nestled on Kau Yu Fong, an intimate looking restaurant captivates every passenger's attention. This very restaurant is called Le Port Parfumé, a French bistro with its literal French translation as fragrant harbour, apparently aiming to bring fresh seafood in French style to foodies in the neighbourhood.

Mango Tree - The Best Tom Yum Gnoong in HK

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

A shout out to all the lobster lovers out there, a final countdown to Mango Tree's delicious lobster promotion ending on 30th November 2014. If you have not tried (my personally reckoned) best Tom Yum Gnoong in town, the Tom Yum Lobster, you are seriously missing out!!

Stockton - The Mysterious British Whisky Bar

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

I have heard much raves about Stockton but do not understand why until tonight, when I finally set foot in Stockton.

It seems the 'no restaurant sign' is the new nom as more hip restaurants are doing it. With Stockton among one of the many wicked restaurants in town, do expect the same. The entrance of Stockton is well hidden through a tunnel of dark alley, you could spend a good 10 minutes keep reading the street number but could not find it. If you look at the picture below, Stockton's entrance is where the lady holding a piece of paper is standing.

Bouchon - Great Place + Great Food

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Bouchon, the French Bistro on Elgin Street, has always been on my to try list. Finally I went last Saturaday to celebrate my friends' birthday. We went in as a big group of 10, we got seated in the indoor bar table area since it was raining outside. We had an amazing time at Bouchon, and we all love it there.

Wildgrass - Meaty Sunday Brunch

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

Wildgrass is a casual country-style restaurant that offers organic nose-to-tail eating at Arbuthnot Road, Central. Wildgrass stresses on natural, sustainable ingredients cooked with traditional slow cooking method and nose-to-tail eating to embrace food with no wastage. They serve OBE beef from free roaming,  grass fed cattle in Australia Outback which gives more favourable meat. Wildgrass' Sunday Semi-buffet brunch is a good time to try their dishes in one go.

Yorkshire Pudding - Culinary Battle for Great Britain

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

With the Scottish Independence Referendum approaching on 18th September 2014, Yorkshire Pudding, the British Gastropub at the heart of soho, has held a culinary battleground between Scotland and Britain. With no political grounds, Yorkshire Pudding has designed two unbiased menus to accentuate the very best of both countries' cuisine. Get you palate ready for the battle and vote your favourite one!

Pierre Hermé x Ritz Carlton - Infiniment Citron Afternoon Tea

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Pierre Hermé has been my favourite macaron producer on the planet. I was very excited over the collaboration between Pierre Hermé Paris and Cafe 103 of Ritz Carlton Hong Kong which they designed a summery afternoon tea called 'Fetish Infiniment Citron Afternoon tea'. The special tea set features desserts made with Citrons from Sicilian, Italy. Are you ready for a refreshing and tarty journey, my fellow Pierre Hermé's fans?

Chicha - Indulge In a Delicious World of Peruvian

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Chicha is the first and the best Peruvian restaurant in Hong Kong offering an electric range of authentic Peruvian dishes. I have been there a few times and Chicha never lets me down. It's the restaurant perfect for romantic dates, fun friends and family gatherings.

Shin Mapo BBQ Restaurant - Latest Korean BBQ Invasion

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆

Shin Mapo BBQ Restaurant aka Maepogalmaegi or simply in Korean 마포갈매기 is one of the most popular Korean BBQ chain restaurant in Korea. With over 430 branches in Korea, Shin Mapo is literally around every corner. Hailing from its world wide successful establishment of over 50 restaurants in the world inc. China and Thailand, Shin Mapo finally stepped foot on the gourmet city Hong Kong.

Beef & Liberty - Dry Burgers

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★☆☆☆

Among numerous burger restaurants in Hong Kong, Beef & Liberty is a popular choice known for great burgers. I had been longing to try the burgers here and held great expectation. I came over on a Sunday for brunch but the restaurant was packed. I waited around half an hour for a table for four. Not too bad giving its popularity.

Cova - Dessert Buffet, Guilty Indulgence

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆

I am always a Cova Girl. It is difficult not to love Cova, their gelato, tarts, cakes and dining dishes are all delicious and addiciting. Yet I have never tried their evening dessert buffet before, as I am those who will die if I don't eat savoury food. I was invited by my friend F for a tasting for the evening dessert buffet, and so I went.

Campers - Homey Japanese Food

Price: $

Cravingness: ★★☆☆☆

I saw an Instagram feed earlier this week on a drooling looking curry dish, with title "Slow Cook Short rib Beef Curry". Hmmm sounds yum, asked where it is and turned out to be Campers, a homestyle Japanese restaurant at Quarry Bay.

TWG Tea - Pricey Afternoon Tea

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

TWG Tea, a Singapore origin world-widely known for its fine collection of tea blends, has a tea boutique in IFC Hong Kong. Despite offering a tea shopping experience, TWG Tea also has a tea salon that offers a sumptuous environment for tea lovers to enjoy a cup of tea.

BBQ 7080 - BBQ like a Korean

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Hailing from the success of their first restaurant at Tsim Sha Tsui, BBQ 7080 is now opened in Causeway Bay. Opened by Korean, this BBQ restaurant is meant to be authentic! I went to their Tsim Sha Tsui main branch once and the queue was crazy! If you want to try BBQ 7080, I highly recommend the branch at Causeway Bay. They accept telephone reservation too, so book in advance!

Fish & Meat New Brunch Menu

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

If bubbly brunch is your thing, you do not want to miss Fish & Meats new brunch menu. If you also love pancake, you will die to come here as they also recently launched a new buttermilk pancake station. The semi buffet brunch also comes with an eclectic array of appetisers, salads, seafood station, bruschetta station and a choice of main and dessert to pamper the diners for a lazy Sunday brunch!

Café Causette - Lobster & Bubbles Pop-up Menu

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

What I love dining at Mandarin Oriental is that they have celebrity chef and pop-up menus from time to time. The classy international restaurant Café Causette has just launched a new pop-up menu - Lobster & Bubbles, pairing the two lavish goodies together to excite our palate. The special menu is available everyday for dinner and weekdays for Lunch until 31 August, 2014.

Kowloon Culinary Wanderwalk

How well do you know Hong Kong? In fact, how well do you know Kowloon Island? Do you know why is local street stalls called Dai Pai Dong? Do you know what is the meaning of the Pawn Logo? Do you know there is a specific meaning on the direction of where the Tin Hau Statue faces? If you do not know the answer to the above questions, plus if you are a foodie, you might be interested in Urban Discovery's Kowloon Culinary Wanderwalk.

Azure - The New 8th Anniversary Dinner Menu

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Stepping into their 8th year, Azure Restaurant Slash Bar created a special 4-course set dinner to celebrate the event. The menu is designed to be refreshing to offset the crazy heat and disgusting humidity of Hong Kong's Summer. The menu is available daily from 1st August until 30 September 2014, priced at HKD588+10% per person. Mixologists at Azure also created eight refreshing Absolut cocktails, at a great price of HKD88! Come enjoy the cocktails at the rooftop at 30th floor to enjoy the cityscape before indulging yourself in good food.

Duddell's - The Second Attempt And...?

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★☆☆☆

I have a mix feelings towards Duddell's. I had a good dim sum experience but I also had a bad dining experience. I got an invitation from Duddell's offering a complimentary dinner tasting to make up the first bad experience that I had. Judging from great my dim sum lunch, I decided to give Duddell's a second chance. I also grabbed Su with me, wanting to see if they truly do improve. But do they? Please read on...

Featured Post | Hong Kong's Hidden Cuisine Gems

Hong Kong is a city of hidden gems. From the jeweled lights of the skyline to the illustrious shops, it is famous for some of the most concealed restaurants in the world. Incredible foods, exciting atmospheres, and exceptionally high standards place the following six restaurants at the top of an exclusive list.

Cafe O, Central

Price: $

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆

Cafe O is a modern international cafe and restaurant in Hong Kong offering a wide range of bakery, sandwiches, pastas, pizza and beverages. Cafe O opened its first flagship store in 2004 at Arbuthnot Road, Central, and is still mainly located at the western region of Hong Kong Island. Distinguishing itself from its surrounding fast food style cafes, Cafe O serves hot food such as egg Benedict's, pasta and pizza.

Armani Aqua - Salt Discovery

Price: $$$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

The Couture meets Cuisine restaurant Armani Aqua is introducing an interesting Salt Discovery Menu, where they pair exotic and rare centuries old salt around the globe with dishes and cocktails to tantalise and surprise your palate. The salt menu is available now in the a la carte menu or as a six courses tasting menu paired with seven different salts at HKD1288 (HKD1888 with wine pairing.). I was invited over to try the tasting menu, as a big fan of the Aqua group, I was very excited about it.

[Nha Trang] Duck Leg Egg Noodle Soup

After the Bun Cha Ca and two Banh Mi at the Dam market, Henry was still not satisfied! So we started looking around and found a drooling aroma floating in the air. Detective Henry soon found a huge pot of seemingly flavourful broth at a restaurant behind the street stalls. It turns out they sell Duck Leg Egg Noodle Soup! Heehee, we totally find a hidden gem. Read on!

[Nha Trang] Banh Mi Crave

We went to the Dam Market for lunch as we heard there are lots of street stall there. One of our objective is to get nice Banh Mi (Vietnamese Baguette). In Nha Trang Dam Market, you can get Banh Mi at the food truck or from the girl with a Banh Mi basket on the street! Lets see how their Banh Mi differs, shall we?

[Nha Trang] Corn on the Cob, 2 Ways!

One thing that I found interesting in Nha Trang is that some typical food you find in the globe tastes different here. So far I found mango, chips ie potatoes and sweet corn carry a chewier texture than the ones that I usually have. The chewiness is cute and addicting. Here in this post, I am going to talk about the corn on a cob in Nha Trang.

[Nha Trang] A fun day at the beautiful 100 Egg Mud Bath

When I say mud bath, does the idea gross you out? If you are, then you have a totally wrong idea in mud bath! The 100 Egg Mud Bath is the largest tourist attraction in Nha Trang offering fun and relaxation in one place. The park is great for family or young couples! I had an amazing time there at 100 Egg Bath and would recommend everyone visiting Nha Trang going, especially if you are a egg maniac.

Horng Ryen Jen Cake & Biscuits Store - The famous Sandwich Shop in Taiwan

I have travelled to Taiwan a lot of times for the past few years, mainly to visit my relatives but also for seeking food. I do not have the urge to visit Taiwan again yet, but this particular sandwich whose name I have only heard of recently, had me reconsidered visiting again. Just happens Henry went to Taiwan last weekend and I gave him a "bring back or no return" request for the sandwich. (Haha!) Turned out he brought me back a whole box! =D

Zebratasty - Your New Sandwich & Salad Shop in Kowloon Bay

Price: $ 

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

This might only interest the working group at Kowloon Bay as I am going to introduce a fine sandwich and salad delivery shop called Zebratasty in Kowloon Bay. Zebratasty is opened by two of my Uni friends. The passionate two are eager to become the best of its kind in the Kowloon Bay office area.

I am not recommending this shop because they are my friends, I am recommending it because the food tasted delicious. I dine at Pret all the time but I got bored to the never changing menu. The Grove next door is pricey given it's hideous portion, and it's not even fresh. I have tried almost everything on Zebratasty's menu, and I truly think they offers fresh delicious food at competitive price. Plus there is no minimum order amount for delivery!

Chez Patrick Deli - New Summer Menu

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆1/2

The causal French Bistro Chez Patrick Deli has launched a new summer menu, bringing the best seasonal ingredients to your table. I was invited over at their deli at Brim 28 for a tasting of the menu. The two course menu, including one entree, one main with a drink priced at around HKD400 per person. If you are seeking for simple and authentic French dishes, Chez Patrick Deli is the place for you.

Mini Bangkok - Mediocre Thai in Kownloon City

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★☆☆☆

Kowloon City is crowned for offering the best Thai food in Hong Kong. There are numerous Thai restaurants there and my favourite is the one called Cheong Fak. My last visit to Kowloon City was already a year ago, so I was very excited in trying Thai food in Kowloon City again. This time we went to a Thai restaurant called Mini Bangkok.

Mini Bangkok is among one of the famous Thai restaurant in Kowloon City. It gets so popular that they opened a neighborhood restaurant solely for barbecue & grill, they even have their own dessert shop around the area as well!

Ladies Afternoon Tea at Tea Saloon by AnotherFineDay

Price: $$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆

What style of afternoon tea are you? Grand? modern? classy or girly? If girly is your thing, you cannot miss the afternoon tea set at Tea Saloon by AnotherFineDay.

The tea saloon by AnotherFineDay is located in a peaceful neighborhood area at Mid-levels. I know, the location of Tea Saloon is not a welcoming one, but once you arrived the tea saloon, the stair climbing is worth it. The tea saloon is very eye catching with a lovely pastel purple wall in Victorian Style. You just cannot miss it!

La Vache - Mooooooooo!

Price: $$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Stage back a year ago to my gastronomy trip in Paris, I missed dinning at Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, a famous steak frites in Paris as my stomach got real upset after all the delicious food that I had. When I first heard about La Vache, the steak frites in soho, I got really excited. We failed a few times making a phone reservation, so we decided to just walk in tonight. And to our surprise, they have a (bar) table for us!

Isola Bar & Grill - Come Only for Its Magnificent View

Price: $$$$
Cravingness: ★★☆☆☆

It was a delightful surprise dining at Isola Bar & Grill as I always thought it was just a "shopping mall restaurant". It is the Italian restaurant that can offer you different vibes all in one place. The ambiance is lively at the bar, chill at the outdoor dining area and romantic over the main dining area.

[Nha Trang] Việt Nam Xưa - Come for the LOBSTER!

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Our first encounter with Vietnam Xua was at the airport travel counter of Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Resort. We thought the guy was the staff of the hotel but he handed us a leaflet of Việt Nam Xưa. We ignored him right away but he did quote us a good price to the city. We decided to pay Viet Nam Xua a visit after we passed by the restaurant one day and got attracted by its exotic vibe and fresh seafood stands at its front entrance.

Gin Sai - My First Kaiseki!

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★★☆

Kaiseki, an interesting multi course traditional Japanese dinner served in small plates, was something I have been longing to try. As to celebrate the season of Sakura, Gin Sai launches a special Sakura Kaiseki menu at HKD880 per person (min order for two people). I was lucky enough to be invited over to try the menu. Promoting along the Kaiseki menu is a Crab Special Menu priced at HKD780 per person (min order for two people). Both of the menu are seasonal and need to reserve a day in advanced.