Dressed, IFC mall Central, HK

A salad at HK$60 for 4 choices of veggie and extra $ for some meat items like (spiced chicken at an extra of HK$8 and egg white at $8.  There are even more of these kinds of extras at over HK$20).  So this salad is at HK$76.  The romaine lettuce is too old and chewy.  The spiced chicken is simply sweet hard over-thousand-nights fridge left over.  Then I got curious to get a gingered pear smoothie at HK$38.  It's just ice and syrup with some imaginary scent of pear and a very light ginger aroma.  No next time!

添好運點心專門店 Tim Ho Wan dim sum shop HK Airport Express Terminal mall, Central HK

 Its first shop in Mongkok made its glorious days after Michelin gave a one star.  In just a few years, 3 more branches were opened including this one at the basement 2nd floor of the HK Airport Express station terminal - good for those who had their city check-in, to grab a few dim sum before going to the airport.  In fact, there were quite many other shops which failed due to the location that most people were in such a rush.  However, Tim Ho Wan turned this twist of fate and stopped those who would rather take the risk of missing the flight than a shouldn't-miss dim sum meal.
This time I got baked BBQ pork buns, shrimp dumplings, steamed sponge cake and beef balls.  All are pretty good and in a classic cooking style, except the sponge cake is a bit bitter.

Pepper lunch, food court, Hysan Place Causeway Bay HK

 Passed by this stall many times but didn't get in the long line.  Finally got my order.  As noted on the paper wrapping the sizzling hot plate, gotta stir the food on the plate immediately.  The nice aroma is the essential part of this self-made "stir-fried" rice.  That told why the teenagers love this and wouldn't mind waiting in long line.  The ingredients weren't something special.  However, not only it saved the cost (cooking) but also some fun for the customers to stir-fry their own meal.

All the way with soup and salad, Singapore

There are several chains like Soup Delicious and Soup Spoon in Singapore offering some soup and salad set at a price range from S$7.5 to 12.5. The good thing to choose salad is that you can decide which salad dressing or without salad dressing so that the taste doesn't matter as long as the veggie is fresh enough. Besides, it's the cheapest and healthiest choice, as compared to other meals.

Pret a Manger, March Arch, London

This shop was the first London cafe that I visited on my first trip in London 10 years ago. Interesting that I didn't visit this branch in Hong Kong even though they have been here for 5-6 years. So 10 years later, I chose to stay a hotel near March Arch (the intersection of Hyde Park and Oxford Street. Surprisingly the hotel is just next to this shop. It's really nice to see it and definitely I needed to go in for a breakfast. Their mocha is pretty good beside their nice sandwiches which are only made for the day. What's more, that's where I learned about Dolphin-friendly tuna they used in their sandwich 10 years ago. However, at this time, they didn't specify on what tuna they use. Maybe it's endorsed. Let's see if we can find some human-friendly pork, vampire-friendly beef, or eagle-friendly chicken.

Grove, Sandwich and pasta shop, Quarry Bay, HK

The original shop is on the intersection of O'Brien Road and Jaffee Road in Wanchai and still there. The shop was first opened in the mid. year of 2003, right after the SARS devastation. Back then, it served only sandwiches and salad at moderate prices (from HK$10-15). The good thing of their sandwich is that they use wheat bread and quite some veggie. That's an attraction for people to care about health, especially after SARS. Last year, I was happy to see it opened its 6th branch in Quarry Bay. I was also amazed at their keeping at the moderate prices and even with more choices for half and full portion (from HK$10-28). Just pay a few dollars, you can get a freshly brewed coffee (Movenpick). So a full portion of a tuna sandwich and a asparagus mushroom pasta with 2 coffee at just HK$72. Later on, I ordered one chicken panini grilled (HK$30). Health wise and money wise, this is a good alternate choice than the other fast food chain.

Baked pork chop rice 焗豬扒飯, Cafe de Coral 大家樂, Quarry Bay HK

After the Singapore stir fried vermicelli, this popular dish shouldn't be missed. I don't like much of Cafe de Coral but I have to admit that their baked pork chop rice is pretty good - tender and nicely fried pork chop (1 big piece), nice tomato sauce with onion, carrot, tomato and pineapple making it very aromatic with the fried rice. I had an iced red bean drink 紅豆冰. There it went a nice summer fast food meal.

Bon Chon Korean chicken shop, soi 13 Thonglor BKK

Got curious to try this one as it claimed to expand a lot of branches in the States. The shop is quite in a fast food shop deco., but the price is not fast shop standard. So we ordered some deep fried chicken, stir fried beef, kimchi dumpling and tofu salad. Most of the food taste like "Calbee (triple shot)" food - heavily seasoned. The only good thing about the crispy chicken is that they had the deep frying in 2 steps in order to have the heavy syrup to coat the chicken in the final deep frying. They kimchi dumpling is very hot but it's in the chili paste hot, not the fresh chili hot. The other 2 are average. If you like some heavily seasoned food, this is the choice definitely.

Apita (Uny) food court, Taikooshing HK

Food court offers various types of food, from noodle soup, steak, stir fried, combo meal to burgers. Uny's basement has changed quite a few times. In the recent 10 years, some food stalls like Wing On BBQ shop, Curry House and Sweet & Thai have been there while all others come and go. It has a reason.

1. Veggie chicken with rice HK$45. Surprised to see half chicken is served. Though we can't expect a fresh chicken at this price, at least the chicken is not over or under cooked and some ginger/salt to season. The rice is huge. This meal is good for 2 persons actually.

2. Can't get away with the nice Thai smile of the lady in Thai & Sweet. Ordered this stir fried flat noodle with veggie and pork in basil, HK$35. Nice stir frying and I like lots of veggie put in it. This way it's not dried out.

3. the shop Sweet & Thai. 4. the shop Wing On BBQ.

There's no place like home - Jollibee for our Filipino friends in HK

For those who has been to Philippines, this name Jollibee shouldn't be a stranger. This HK branch is in the heart of Central, next to Worldwide Plaza. Taking a combo meal is at around HK$35-40 as compared to HK$25-29 of KFC meal. The local Filipino maids seem not to care about it. Here they feel like home, at least a half day suspense feeling closer to home. Why bother with a few dollars more.

1. the deep fried chicken isn't bad and in general Filipinos are pretty good at deep frying.

3. Really feeling like home. 4. the entrance at the side street next to Worldwide Plaza.

$1 burger, Burger King Hong Kong

Burger King has been launching various promotions. After the free burger together with any meal combo, $8 each for selected items, today I couldn't resist this $1 burger on a $10 drink purchase, even after a big meal. That means $11 for 1 burger and a drink. BTW, the burger's quality hasn't dropped. Lots of veggie and the beef patty nicely grilled, and I think it is the only one which the photo looks exactly the same. Unlike the others, often it is claimed as "reference".

A day of eating eating and eating, Bangkok, Thailand

Have you ever thought of a breakfast taking a grilled chicken and stir fired bitter gourd leaves and a strawberry shortcake as a pre-lunch snack? So on 19th Feb., I made an upside down journey for keeping on eating eating and eating.... Note not all the food would be posted below.

1/2. first stop is Thung Kruen for a grilled chicken, steamed roll and a stir fried veggie.

3/4/5. taking cakes at 12noon at Mousses and Merringues plus an iced coffee.

6/7. stopped by Cake Walk on soi 13, Thonglor.

8. this table used to be a preferred seat of our Angel. 9. Earl Grey Choco. cake at 12:40noon

10. the decoration. 11. a refreshing iced tea. *warning.... the iced coffee was too sweet for me to finish. So I didn't drink that iced coffee at Mousses and Merringues. Taking coffee with condensed milk and lemon iced tea would upset your stomach.

12. late lunch at Another Hound at 1:40pm. Took a somtam (with bacon and guava and green apple). This recipe is really innovative and I love it. Never thought guava, green apple can go so well with green papaya. Bacon is also good with dried shrimp. 13. a Strawberry shake.

14. chicken wings. a must. 15. banana shake.

16. before taking a tea snack at triple O's, I took a frozen yoghurt at Buddhi Belly. OK, a mushroom burger at 5pm. 17. some chips too.

18. dinner at Tung Lai Shun soi 41. sea weed. not recommended as it's a bit smelly. 19. preserved egg with tofu. Quite average.

20. cucumber. Also average. 21. Dry fried string beans. Should have been fried a bit longer until more burnt.

22. dumpling. also at average. 23. Lion head meat ball on veggie. Personally I don't like baby cabbage 娃娃菜 and some restaurant often cook this veggie to replace the original big cabbage (津白). I really don't like some people often mix those up by not telling the customers in the first place. These 2 veggies are so much different in flavour. The former one is just some shallow sweet without the fragrance of veggie. The latter one is so good for being braised to release its original aroma.

24. pan fried dumpling. Also at average. 25. smoked chicken. First it's not that smoked aromatic. Second it doesn't have any chicken flavour.