Hot Summer, Cool Harbour City, Kowloon

From Harbour City to Nathan Road.....

Italian Tomato Cafe Jr., Wanchai, HK

Half year ago, on a bus ride back home from Admiralty and passed by the beginning of Hennessy Road, something very bright and red with a lovely tomato sign was so sharp. Italian Tomato cafe was once a regular place my friends and I used to visit. Without any hesitation, I came to this new branch for some good old memory. Turned out a horrible time. First the pumpkin soup was a yellow colour cornstarch seasoned water. The Caesar salad was with some cheap lousy dressing and the bruised chicken with months of fridge smell. The honey ham was so so and the pizza was made of some heavy cheap cheeze. At last, I thought the green tea cake can be something to make up for a lousy meal. Forget it. Never tasted such a tough and dry green tea cake. The whole meal for one person is about HK$110. Better go to UCC or Pokka cafe instead.

Canton Kitchen 嚐粵, Lynhurst Terrace 擺花街, Central HK

1.5 years ago Flower Trump drastically closed all of their branches including the original one on Lynhurst Terrace. Do miss it pretty much. As we noticed the original shop with a new name Canton Kitchen with all the old staff, we came in for a try. We ordered a deep fried eel, lotus stem patty, chicken feet in soy sauce, mushroom with veggie, beef brisket turnip casserole and veggie casserole. All of them are not bad, but the dishes are quite pricey at around HK$80-120. I'd rather go to East Ocean for something better.

La Cucina Italiana, QRE Plaza, Wanchai, HK

QRE Plaza (opposite to Hopewell Center on Queen's Rd. East, Wanchai) has a no. of western dining places, but in general I am not impressed with any of those including this one, though they are not the best, nor the worst. Neither would I appreciate that those shops often try to make their names sound like they are natives, but the fact is often on the opposite. First the bread basket isn't appealing and pizza bread (to go with the antipasti) reminds me of a famous Chinese classic novel figure 鍾無艷 (a lady with half face white and beautiful and the other half face in dark and spotty). So is the parma ham pizza that the parma ham was put on one side. The photo 6 - guess what? It's a tuna tartar with rocket leaves salad. At last, folks, don't get tricked it's very local when you see a bottle of Pelligrino was shown in this way (photo 8).

A steeping high Starbucks, Elign Street (Caine Rd), Mid-Level, HK

When I walked up to Caine Road on Elign Street, there I saw a Starbucks entrance on the back lane of Elign Street. It is so tall that it actually linked up to the main entrance on Caine Rd. For sure I had to check it out and had my favourite iced mocha and lamington cake. Starbucks is one the very few chain that would keep their drinks in consistent quality not just in HK but also many other SE Asian cities I have ever visited.

Satellite city Tseung Kwan O, New Territories HK

I have recently read a review that there are now 48 big or small shopping malls in this big satellite city (with around half million people living there). Out of curiosity, I came here for checking around this big housing estate Metropole 新都城 and its 4 community malls connected to the 4 corners of the MTR station. All I can say they have everything needed.