More to be found at Elephant Grounds

When Elephant Grounds popped onto the scene on Gough Street in Central at the Woaw Store, the name was synonymous with one thing only- ice-cream sandwiches. Forget the coffee that they were brewing, no no, people of Hong Kong were solely interested in this seemingly holy grail of desserts, the iPhone equivalent of ice-cream. A new flavour every weekend and a limited supply; their Instagram announcement of the fresh creation generating a wave of palpable excitement, such that friends were clamouring to get there early enough to get their hands on one. It took a while for this feverishness to die down and when it finally seemed a bit calmer, I casually swanned in one Sunday afternoon when in the area and got their Forbidden Crumble ice-cream sandwich which was a) beautiful to look at b) exciting, as apple crumble is one of my favourite desserts so I was already loving it without even tasting it c) bloody difficult to eat gracefully. Call it a sugar high, but I suddenly understood the craze. Cinnamon ice cream with green apple and a crumble cookie finished with caramelized apples and almonds tasted as delicious as it sounds and as I stood in the street between cars, gingerly biting into it, apple bits and almonds perilously sliding off rapidly melting ice-cream, I remember thinking it’d be grand to have another branch a little closer towards North Point. There is zero room inside the Woaw Store for a coffee and a natter and their other branch at Wong Chuk Hang is too out of the way.

And then, LO AND BEHOLD, the coffee gods heard our cries and Elephant Grounds materialised at Fashion Walk in Causeway Bay. (The other day I noticed that my beloved Xi Yan Sweets on Star Street has closed and has been taken over by another Elephant Grounds branch…WHAT ON EARTH?! Am not sure how I feel about this. Whilst I applaud EG’s ability to suddenly sprout another branch, I admit I am rather gutted by the disappearance of XYS to be honest, but luckily there’s still a branch in Tai Koo Shing.) 

Elephant Grounds, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay (image courtesy of Fashionwalk.com.hk)

But, back to EG and the branch in Causeway Bay is quite lovely and is the older, mature, more sophisticated and obviously much larger version of the Gough Street counterpart, with its minimalistic wooden tables and chairs and a cool counter top to perch at. The menu is more than just ice-cream sandwiches and coffee too. There’s a rather tasty selection of dishes including hamburger, salmon donburi, ramen and kale quinoa salad.

I’d already frequented this branch for the odd coffee or two with friends and love sitting outside watching the world go by.  I hadn’t really paid attention to their coffee philosophy of, “The finest beans. Appropriate roast. Correct brewing method. Great presentation”, but suffice it to say I have no complaints about their coffee, aside from the price, which is tad steep at $45, once you compare it to the cost of some of their dishes, but nonetheless their French Vanilla coffee is done nicely and you can’t go wrong with their latte.

French Vanilla Latte

On yet another horrendously rainy day, I was kindly invited to try out a couple of dishes from their brunch menu and sampled the Torched Salmon Donburi ($88) with an onsen egg, pickled cucumbers, mixed greens, roasted corn and sesame dressing and their EG burger ($106) which is 8oz of USDA prime beef patty wedged within a brioche bun served with a fried egg, cheddar cheese and fries.

The salmon donburi is a hearty size and prettily presented. I enjoyed the variety of ingredients going on in my bowl and of course, an onsen egg on top of anything will always make things that little bit tastier. The burger is also quite substantial- the beef patty meaty and juicy and topped with a good amount of melty cheese and another egg. Protein overload! The fries were good and I ended up munching on more than I intended despite needing to leave room for ice-cream!

Torched Salmon Donburi

EG Burger (this was bloody awkward to photograph!)

Ah yes, the ice-cream. Japanese Taro ice-cream, one of my favourite flavours. There’s a fairly extensive list of atypical flavours such as Thai iced tea and Rose water rhubarb, but the minute I heard Taro, I needed to try it. This was definitely the best part of the meal, and I love how the ice-cream includes candied taro chunks which really livens up the ice-cream to give it that extra texture. Absolutely delicious!

Japanese Taro Ice-cream with a Taro chip

Now that Fashion Walk has undergone yet another face-lift with EG and Burger Room amongst others moving in, the ‘hood is looking quite a lot more interesting. Although EG is meant to be all about the coffee, somehow the ice-cream became the headliner, whether deliberately or not, I don’t know. In any case, I admire how they are striving to expand their repertoire, so let’s see if the coffee and the food become as memorable as their sweet offerings.

Chopstixfix rating: 3.5/5

Shop C, G/F, 42-28 Paterson Street Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong / Mon – Fri: 11:00 am – Late/ Sat – Sun: 10:00 am – Late/ 852 2562 8688/ http://elephantgrounds.com/

This meal was by invitation- many thanks to the EG team for the kind hospitality.

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The Crêpe Escape

One of my first memories of a stonking good crêpe was back in uni days sinking my teeth into a glorious example of one from La Crêperie de Hampstead, which is London’s most typical Parisian Street Crêperie and rather legendary amongst North Londoners. Fast forward an X number of years (I cringe at the actual number) and a different part of the world, and I’m sitting down in La Crêperie in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. This Brittany restaurant chain is going from strength to strength, with branches in Sheung Wan and Wan Chai, as well as in Shanghai, Vietnam, Taipei and Phnom Penh. Their latest location in L Square in Lockhart Road is more spacious than the others but somehow still feels cosy, with little details that reflect the maritime culture of Brittany.

By kind invitation to their new Causeway Bay restaurant, I was able to take my temporary guy-tai friend along with me to nosh on some savoury and sweet pancakes. I was honestly rather excited, as for reasons that escape me, whenever I have tried to go to their Wan Chai branch randomly over the years, it’s always been shut! Though that is probably more my fault than theirs as I recall being struck by a hankering for pancakes at bizarre hours. Anyway, moving on….

So, they did try to tempt me with their Brittany cider (which I later had when I finally went to the Wan Chai branch for dinner with friends a fortnight later, which was delicious – tart with a sweet edge and very refreshing), but as it was a working day, we felt it safe to stick to their apple juice. Whilst this information is not of any import, what I’m trying to express is how much I loved their dinky little bowls that the cider and apple juice were served in. Très mignon! It reminded me of the bowls of hot chocolate my French exchange’s mum used to serve me for breakfast (the only highlight of that hideous exchange programme).

La Crêperie’s menu is quite extensive, with most of the ingredients imported from France. The main feature of the menu is of course the famous dish for which Brittany is known for- the galette. Most people are familiar with the normal dessert pancakes, but galettes are the savoury counterparts made with buckwheat and loaded with a variety of tasty fillings.

To accompany the launch of the new branch, there are naturally, new dishes on the menu. Nothing quite whets the appetite, especially when in a ravenous state, than the tempting wafts of black truffle. The black truffle made an appearance on our first dish- two mini galettes ($98). These were cooked (a little on the crispy side) with a quail egg bouncing seductively in the middle, emmental cheese and slices of French cooked ham draped around the egg yolk, before being finished off with aromatic blobs of black truffle paste. These were actually delightful little bites and although the galettes were a tiny bit overcooked on the bottom, they definitely left guy-tai K and I in eager anticipation of the full-scale versions.

Our next starter was the pan-fried foie gras with caramelised apples, apple cider and salted butter caramel sauce. This particular dish was no different to many of the standard foie-gras dishes peppered about HK restaurants, but I was happy to see a generously sized piece and the foie-gras had a gorgeous, crispy, sweet glaze and I did enjoy the accompanying apples which gave the dish a bit of a lift.

For mains, we shared the new galette on the block- La Capitaine ($128). This seafood creation boasted pan-fried scallops (on point) nestled on a fondue of leek, bacon, cream and flamed with Jameson Irish Whisky. The flavours came together excellently and we wolfed the entire galette down in silence- such was our enjoyment. I love how simply the dish was presented, but don’t be fooled as it is quite filling.

To end, we had the “Sexy Suzette”, which is a celebration of the famous “Crêpe Suzette” and in this version, is served with Mövenpick passion fruit and mango sorbet, lime juice, grilled almonds and flamed with Cointreau (HK$88). The Crêpe was lovely, the sorbet delish (it’s Mövenpick, what’s not to love?), but the Cointreau was just a tad too strong for my taste, though it did jolt me awake just as I was skimming the surface of a food coma.

K and I had a great meal at La Crêperie, and in fact, I returned, this time to their Wan Chai branch, a mere two weeks later (you don’t go in 4 years and then you go twice in a fortnight!). This time I had a more cheesy galette- Les Poulains, which had French raclette cheese, ham, smoked ham, potatoes and pickles lovingly wrapped in a crêpe. Omnomnomnom. Highly recommend this one if you like raclette, and what could be better than raclette in a galette?! And because I was extremely hungry, I followed that up with a sweet pancake. Le Sextant is a deliciously sexy concoction of Vanilla ice cream, caramelized apples and the all popular salted butter caramel. Pancake heaven. Unfortunately my friends, no photos of that particular outing as we were all too busy eating, or perhaps I should just blame it on poor lighting. In any case, if you are craving a serious crêpe escape, look no further than La Crêperie, which is probably coming to a neighbourhood near you, if their popularity is anything to go by!

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

La Crêperie Causeway Bay, 8/F, The L Square, 459-461 Lockhart Rd. Tel: +852 2898 7123 / La Crêperie
WanChai, 1/F, 100 Queen’s Road East. Tel: +852 25299280 / La Crêperie Sheung Wan,G/F, 69 Jervois Street. Tel: +852 26794666

Meal at Causeway Bay was by invitation- many thanks to the kind hospitality at La Crêperie and Jin Communications.

Mid-Afternoon Tea at The Continental

Tea. Boy, do I love tea….and scones. And what better time is there than to have it on a random day when I don’t have to shove people out of the way in a queue and fight for a table on a Sunday? Sometimes a girl just wants to have Afternoon Tea in the middle of the week and pretend to be a tai-tai. Even better yet, is being able to drag a part-time tai-tai and guy-tai (using the term tai-tai very loosely indeed) with me for a spot of gastronomic indulgence and a good chin-wag. The perks of having a flexible work schedule!

As an expat-Brit, I can say without a doubt, that a good Afternoon Tea is something that most of my friends and I are constantly on the look-out for in Hong Kong. Not that there is a lack of choices in our home away from home, but the hunt is always on, plus, I like admiring the tea sets (God, I’m turning into a granny..not to insult grannies, but you catch my drift). I realised quite recently that a friend of mine (also Brit) and I spend about 50% of our time together a) talking about b) making, and c) drinking tea. So you can imagine my delight when The Continental, a beautifully elegant, art-deco styled restaurant above Pacific Place, rolled out an Afternoon Tea set at a very reasonably priced $365 for two. Cheers to Rach of Through The Looking Glass who can always be relied on to scout for good teas!

The Continental, as the name suggests, is a little homage to European grand cafes with a menu that they say is, “Anglo French with a British sensibility”. The restaurant itself is gorgeous with a cavernous interior and classic bankers-lamp green leather booths that look good for a nap, and bronze orbed lights which always induce murmurs of, “Oooohh, so pretty!”. I dragged my friends to tea mid-week on two occasions, one including a baby in tow, and I was very impressed by how child-friendly this establishment is and how accommodating the staff are, especially with infant grabby hands and a penchant to crumble pastries and cake all over the table.

Tea was presented very prettily on a three-tiered cake stand with an array of savouries and sweets to tempt all palates. The Coronation Chicken and egg mayonnaise sandwiches were a hit and the most favoured sweets both times were the salted caramel chocolate bites, the crème fraiche mousse on shortbread and the green apple panna cotta. Part-time tai-tai friend made the rookie mistake of having a rather large lunch a mere 1.5 hours before tea, leaving me and guy-tai (also with absurdly small appetite), to clean up. I must say that although the tea is meant for two, it does feed three quite well! Best of all were the scones which were lovely and warm, a good size and not as heavy as some of its counterparts in other establishments. Baby E, on the second tea outing, seemed to enjoy the scones immensely, much to the exasperation of her dad who was trying to distract her with blander baby food. The only downside was the mini pot of frozen-solid clotted cream which was impossible to spread on the scones- this needs to be addressed toute suite, or else I’ll smuggle in my own cream.

Bellies and friends were happy and we all agreed that the atmosphere coupled with solid service and what is a frankly, decently priced afternoon tea for Hong Kong, makes The Continental a go-to restaurant for enjoying my Earl Grey and scones in style.

Chopstixfix rating: 3.5/5 (because of that solid clotted cream)

The Continental, Shop 406, 4/F Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong, +852 2704 5211 www.thecontinentalhongkong.com [Afternoon tea is served 3-5pm]

Macaron Magic at Pierre Hermé

Macarons are evil. These bite-sized, girly-coloured meringue-based nuggets of sugary goodness somehow make most girls weak at the knees or lose their minds, not to mention very grabby and extremely possessive once they get their mitts on a box. Call it the Gollum effect if you will.. and I’m no exception. So of course, the first thing many of my girlfriends and I did when Pierre Hermé finally opened its doors in Hong Kong in 2013, was immediately trot to IFC to gawk at the display of macarons, buy a box of 7 precious confections, stroke said box in a Gollum-like manner and then proceed to elegantly cram the goodies in our mouths.

Pierre Hermé Macaron heaven in IFC

Fast forward to last month and Pierre Hermé opened its third shop inside The Ritz-Carlton. Sadly I couldn’t make it to their afternoon tea party to celebrate and sample their afternoon tea sets  which were crafted especially for Valentine’s Day. However, I was lucky to have a chance to pop to their IFC shop for a sinful breakfast of macarons so I could try a couple of their non-regular flavours. The terrible feeling of having a breakfast of macarons was short-lived once I stepped inside and proceeded to gaze lovingly at the selection in front of me.

My precious

My normal go-to’s are Isaphan, Huile D’Olive, Celeste (Passion fruit, strawberries and rhubarb) and the Infiniment Pistache, so I was delighted that I got to try and now fall in love with different 5 flavours which were:

– Infiniment Rose (Rose & Rose Petals)

– Rose & Coing (Rose & Quince)

– Mogador (Milk Chocolate & Passion fruit)​

– Chuao (Chuao Chocolate & Blackcurrant) Not part of the usual line-up!

– Truffle Blanche & Noisette (White Truffle & Roasted Piedmont Hazelnut Slivers) Winter selection only

The amazing line-up

Honestly, all 5 were sensational, but I must say that the Mogador is my new favourite, with its delicate balance of milk chocolate and the slightly tart Passion fruit coming through. Another new love is the Truffle Blanche which I saved till last and really savoured. (Though I think the girls watching me eat would probably beg to differ as I doubt I spent more than 5 minutes in total wolfing all 5). The truffle was extremely aromatic and frankly, this macaron blew my mind. Thankfully the truffle is only available during the winter season otherwise I’d be tempted to constantly buy a box of ONLY this flavour.

Hello Truffle Blanche

One of my best friends in Singapore reaped the benefit of my “taste testing” when I visited her the following week with a box of all the above. It was one of the more hilarious things I’ve seen, seeing D’s eyes go wide at the sight of the macarons and trying really really hard to eat them slowly and painfully, with more will-power than I have, saving half, maybe a quarter, of some of the flavours for her husband. That’s true love right there.

Chopstixfix rating: 5/5 BECAUSE I LOVE MACARONS

Pierre Hermé Paris- IFC Mall Central, Shop 1019C Podium Level One (10am-9pm)/ Harbour City, Kowloon, Shop 2410, Level 2, Gateway Arcade (10am-10pm)/ The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, Kowloon, ICC, 1 Austin Road West (10am-8pm)

Many thanks to Pierre Hermé Paris- Hong Kong and Catch On for the kind invitation and letting a girl enjoy macarons with unabashed delight. 

Lunch in Chocolate Hévin

I am a chocolate window shopper. I let my eyes lovingly take in pretty displays of truffles, pralines and cocoa balls, and drink in my calories that way! Jean-Paul Hévin is one such chocolatier whose window-front on Lyndhurst Terrace is a visual pleasure whenever I walk past. Although I count myself lucky that I am not a chocolate junkie like Rach, I have demolished their chocolates before with gusto – I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are more than just these delicacies on offer.

Jean-Paul Hévin chocolate cake!

Who would have thought that behind those rows of tasty treats, there is also a proper feast to be had? Aside from Jean-Paul Hévin’s chocolates, or ‘black pearls’ as he calls them (as each piece is created from the highest-quality ingredients), the ‘Boutique et Bar à Chocolat’ has now launched a two-course set lunch. The set lunch comprises a soup or salad plus a main course of the day (which alternates between fish, meat and vegetarian pasta or risotto dishes) for a very reasonably priced $108 – and if you need to end on a sweet note, you can indulge in a slice of one of Jean-Paul Hévin’s six signature chocolate cakes for an additional $40.

When Rach and I stepped into the chocolate zone, our noses were immediately assailed by delicious wafts of cocoa – and sadly, our ears were also assaulted by the grating construction noises out on Lyndhurst Terrace! With our seats by the window (and outside din notwithstanding), the environment was relaxing and the meal quite delicious, making it a nice little spot for your lunch break if you work nearby.

With a choice of either the green pea soup or celeriac remoulade to start, Rach and I decided to get one of each so we could try a bit of both (sharing is caring, after all!). The celeriac remoulade, a lovely mildly piquant celeriac mash, was a scrumptious start to the lunch, going well with the green apple and Parma ham. Rach’s green pea soup was creamy and satisfying but importantly not overly heavy, paving the way for our mains.

Celeriac remoulade

Green pea soup

For mains that day, there was a sweetcorn risotto, a garlic herb roasted chicken thigh and a crispy sole fillet on offer. The meat and fish dishes were calling to us, with Rach going for the sole fillet, while I opted for the chicken.

It wasn’t that I necessarily went to Jean-Paul Hévin with low expectations, but as their forte is clearly chocolate, I did wonder how their savoury offerings would fare. After the starters, I was looking forward to the mains, and I was quietly impressed. My garlic roasted chicken was excellent – the meat succulent and the skin nice and crispy. The accompanying soft polenta and mushroom ratatouille was also good and I cleaned my plate with relish. Rach’s sole fillet was pleasing to the eye and equally well executed, with a delightful lemon chilli remoulade to give the fillet a bit of zest. The accompanying buttered new potatoes were also a hit.

Garlic-roasted chicken

Sole fillet

But one cannot leave a chocolatier without some chocolate, so Rach and I each ordered their signature ‘Chocolat chaud Parisien’, classic Parisien hot chocolate made using cocoa from Central America. I loved it – a happy medium of rich but not sickening, sweet but with the perfect amount of cocoa to prevent it from being just a cup of melted chocolate. The cocoa really shone through and I was surprised that I could actually detect some of the spicy tones alluded to on the menu.

Chocolat chaud Parisien

The ultimate sweet ending was our gâteaux au chocolat, and at an additional $40 to your set-lunch, it’s a very good deal indeed, especially if you are a chocoholic. I adore praline chocolate so I immediately jumped to attention when I saw their hazelnut Quinola Gâteaux, whilst Rach went for the classic Guayaquil, a densely layered chocolate almond dream.

Guayaquil gateaux

I was an utter glutton and finished the lot. My Quinola was divine and I could easily become a total chocoholic if I were to live or work anywhere near Jean-Paul Hévin!

I was pleasantly surprised by Jean-Paul Hévin’s set lunch and I am glad to see that they have made the leap from patisserie and chocolatier to small restaurant. Their dishes were well prepared, very enjoyable and at $108 for two-courses, extremely reasonable for the standard. Jean-Paul Hévin already makes for a sweet addition to Lyndhurst Terrace, but their lunch offerings ensure that they’re more than just a candy-coated shop front.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5 (That chocolate gateaux completely won me over)

The set lunch costs $108 (with an additional $40 for dessert) and is served Monday-Friday, 12-2pm.

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Jean-Paul Hévin Boutique and Chocolate Bar, No. 13, Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong, 2851 0633

www.jphevin.com.hk

You can also read this review on Sassy.

Patisserie heaven

Dessert, pastry, chocolate. These words speak to me and many women of guilty pleasures, extra calories, the naughty but oh so good end to a meal or a sneaky sugar fix during the day. But it makes us happy, and Hong Kong females are going to be ecstatic to hear about a branch of the French patisserie Paul Lafayet, in Windsor House in Causeway Bay, which opened 6 months ago.The original branch has been in operation for over a year in Tsim Sha Tsui, but frankly having a Causeway Bay shop means we no longer have to trek over to the dark side to get our Macaron fix.

Toni Younes is the French entrepreneur behind Paul Lafayet, (the name inspired by his Great-grandfather I am told), and is a world traveler and a food lover. Such is his passion for French food, pastisserie in particular, that he was compelled to open Paul Lafayet in Hong Kong to share the art of artisanal French pastry.  Two French chefs act as consultants – Alexandre Brusquet who worked for seven years with 3 Michelin Star chef at Paul Bocuse restaurants in Lyon, France and Pascal Schwalm who was the Intercontinental Hong Kong pastry chef for four years until the end of 2009. There is a kitchen offsite that delivers the fresh pastries twice a day to both branches.Paul Lafayet clearly targets females. Everything is just so…pretty. The presentation of their pastries, cakes and macarons is exquisite. Each sweet beautifully created and nestled safely behind glass, gawked at by passing children, mothers, groups of women and the odd lone female caught unaware as she walks through the mall who then stops and looks longingly at the cakes. And drools.I myself end up taking a bazillion photos of the display cabinet; it’s like a cake gallery. It should have had a place in Art HK. All the pastries are made from premium ingredients with no preservatives and are all Artisinal French style desserts.

I don’t have a sweet tooth, more a savoury one, my first inclination is to hanker after a bacon buttie rather than chocolate, but my dinner of dessert was sublime, I almost cried when I ate my Macaron. So God help those of you who love sweet things. It will be like Christmas, all birthdays and festivals have come at once.

The creme brulee is reputed to the best in Hong Kong. I can’t say that I’ve had every creme brulee in Hong Kong to judge this but, it was certainly the best I’ve ever had. It is hand-caramelised on site, (you can watch the shop girl wield the blow torch), and you can even take the bowl it comes in, home. The texture and the taste was unbelievable. Trust me when I say that every morsel must be savored, because before you know it, it’s all in your tummy and you’ll mourn for a few minutes. I adored the crunch of the crystallized sugar and the smoothness of the vanilla egg custard within glides off your tongue. I love how you can actually see the vanilla pods in the custard.The next two cakes were both gorgeous. The Craquelin au chocolate, made from 70% single origin dark chocolate with a crisp base, will satisfy anyone’s chocolate craving and more. Very rich, the chocolate was intense and a little too much for me (but I’m not a chocolate fiend unlike some).The Cremoso craquelin- a maccha mousseline with crispy praline chocolate, was divine and so delicate in flavour. The green tea penetrated through the mousseline with none of the bitterness you sometimes get in green tea puddings and I loved the praline finish.Ah macarons. Little round parcels of food joy. I selected four- jasmine, pistachio, oolong and sesame.I started with the lightest in flavour, the jasmine macaron, which was subtly infused and fragrant. All four were ambrosial but my absolute favourite was the sesame. I smile thinking about it.

If you’re thirsty, Paul Lafayet serves a selection of the fine Kusmi teas which were founded in 1867 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia and then taken to Paris by the company after the Revolution. I had the Prince Vladimir, a blend of Ceylon and China teas with scents of orange, lemon, vanilla, grapefruit and spices. A refreshingly smooth and elegant accompaniment to dessert.

And after this tasting, a few weeks later I attended a Paul Lafayet grand tasting event. Check these gorgeous cakes out!Paul Lafayet, Shop G13, G/F, Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay/ G23, G/F, K11,18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

(The super professional photos courtesy of Paul Lafayet- many thanks!)

Tiny bites of pleasure *CLOSED*

Riquiqui, or “Tiny” for the Francophones amongst you, is a wonderfully scrumptious new addition to the Lan Kwai Fong dining scene.

An intimate dessert bar hugs the open kitchen and allows you to watch Chef Amanda Cheng lovingly prepare your sweet treats while she enthusiastically explains each course in detail.

A three-course dessert set, including a drink, is offered at $200. The first and third courses are fixed, but the “main course” can be chosen from a menu that is changed daily. The only dessert regulars are the Pavlova and Napolean.There is no drinks menu but you may choose to have a glass of Chardonnay, Prosecco or dessert wine, a Mariage Frères tea or a coffee to accompany your courses.On my visit I had a truly exquisite cheesecake ball dipped in chocolate with a digestive cookie crumb coating as the first course.For mains, I went for the White Chocolate Mousse cube with a dark chocolate shell and Earl Grey ice-cream. My friend commented that this is what dreams are made of, and we thought the cube was inspired by the film Inception! The white chocolate mousse was faultless, creamy and smooth and offset perfectly by the dark chocolate shell that made a satisfying “crack” as you pierced through it. The ice-cream was beautiful; a delicate infusion of Earl Grey can be detected with a chocolatey edge.The last course was a Trio of Petite Fours. The malt Ovaltine bar was fantastic. Like a tall mug of Ovaltine, but compressed into a 2×2 inch bar, it was packed full of flavour and rounded off a fabulous night.

Absolutely one of the best places to go for dessert in HK. Can’t wait to go back, better prepare my waistline!

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

Riquiqui, 2/F 12 Wellington Street, Central, HK. Tel: 2868 3302 www.riquiqui.hk

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You can also check out my review at HK Spotlight/ World’s 50 Best Restaurants

Chopstixfix’s 2nd review for HK Spotlight!

Hi guys,

My 2nd review for HK Spotlight /World’s 50 Best Restaurants has just gone up!

A far cry from the spice of Yu Chuan, my recommendation this time is Riquiqui, the French private dessert kitchen.

The review on Riquiqui will be up on Chopstixfix soon!

Dessert Hideaway

My friend MZ and I just discovered another pudding place and frankly, I’m astonished no-one I know, knows about it.

Having said that, it is in a “blink and you’ll miss it” location, and I’m slightly gutted I didn’t find it earlier as I could have eaten a mountain of my favourite desserts by now. I could be selfish and keep the location to myself but I like to spread food love so here it is: Cōng Sǎo (聰 嫂) dessert, under the Holiday Inn Express behind Times Square.

Cōng Sǎo was packed when we went at 10pm and the friendly manager told us the favourites were the special Coconut dragon eye (longan) ice and the Durian crystal seeds.

I couldn’t work out from the picture what Durian crystal seeds meant but I thought I would try that next time as I wanted to have one of the mango puddings.

Cōng Sǎo is meant to specialise in all things mango and judging from their extensive menu, I have a long way to go before I finish sampling them all. MZ went for the coconut dragon eye ice and I ordered the ‘mango milkshake milk clot’ which isn’t the most appealing dessert name. Name aside, the mango milkshake was scrumptious: rich in mango flavour and coating a generous bowl of cold steamed milk pudding and slices of sweet, juicy mangoes. The milk pudding or ‘clot’ isn’t in the same league as the Yee Shun milk company’s but the combination was still great.

The coconut dragon eye ice was good, the shaved ice was an almost overpowering longan taste but very refreshing.

So, if you’re looking for a new pudding place, go and investigate Cong Sao for a change of scenery and a new twist on some of the traditional Chinese desserts.

Chopstixfix rating: 3.5/5

Cōng Sǎo (聰 嫂), Ground Floor, Holiday Inn Express, Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Tel: 2278 2622 (Branches also in Po Lam and Hang Hau on Tseung Kwan O Line)

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Sugar and butter high

Let me ask you a few questions…

1) Do you like sugar?

2) Do you like lots of butter?

3) Do you love peanut butter?

4) Do you like condensed milk?

and finally

5) Do you like the sound of all the above combined?

If you answered  “Yes” to all of the above, then you should get yourself down to the nearest Tsui Wah (yes, you read right, Tsui Wah).

What, you may ask, is so sugary and buttery and soooo very bad for you in this Cha chan teng that gets me salivating at the mere thought of it? Hmmm, let me tell you, there are in fact 2 snacks, 1 of them I discovered a short while ago and made me gasp in amazement that I was, until then, unaware of its existence and therefore a previously very deprived person.

The picture on the left is of my all time favourite comfort snack, yummy anytime of the day- the condensed milk pork chop bun. A very very generous spread of sweet condensed milk on buttered lightly toasted pork chop bun (without the pork chop obviously).

I adore the buttery taste against the sweetness of the condensed milk. Pure decadence.

But, there is something else even MORE buttery, sweet, rich and sinful.

Behold, the peanut butter and condensed milk on toast!! Having only found this combination spread on a waffle at the corner snack stall in Times Square in Causeway Bay, I was ecstatic that Tsui Wah also did this delectable snack.

I admit that after sharing the condensed milk pork bun, this was a little bit of a sugar overkill but I still savoured every bite.

My friend W accidentally ordered 2 plates of peanut butter and condensed milk toast which I am ashamed to say we finished!

So, if you have a sweet tooth and crave a sweet ending to your lunch or dinner (or even breakfast!), then I think this is the ultimate snack for you!

Tsui Wah, G/F- 2/F, 15-19 Wellington Street, Central, HK. Tel: 2525 6338. Other branches in Central, Aberdeen, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei.