Smile Yogurt - The frozen yogurt means to make people smile

This is one of the most mouth-watering dessert shop displays in Hong Kong. With a mission to make people smile, Smile Yogurt totally lives up to it.

Original flavor is the only yogurt flavor served in this store, but I think a single perfect flavor would suffice. The yogurt itself has a moderately firm texture that holds the beautiful swirl well until you finish the whole cup.

Accompanying the yogurt are the wonderful house-made toppings such as vanilla noodles, crumbles, passion fruit banana compotes, chocolate explosive mikados, strawberry meringues, lychee rose sauce, osmanthus jelly...etc. The menu comprises of frozen yogurt cups in different combinations, some popular ones are Banana Split, Vanilla Sky and Pink Lady. Looking at the menu, they are already mouth-watering, taking a spoon you are going to fall head over heels in love.

To make one smile, it takes sincerity and a mind for detail to make sure every frozen yogurt cup served is of perfection. While standing at the bar enjoying my froyo, I observed the froyo-makers and gave my full respect to them as I saw them putting red berry crisps (something considered as sprinkles to be sprinkled on)  one-by-one evenly on the yogurt swirl like decorating a piece of jewelry with gemstones. I appreciate food vendors who could turn something simple into amusements by creativity and a persistence for quality. Keep smiling :)

Smile Yogurt & Dessert Bar
Kowloon City branch - 2382 6669 - G/F No.65, Lion Rock Road Kowloon City, Kowloon
Tsim Sha Tsui K11 Branch - 2138 6210 - Unit G15A, G/F, K11, 18 Hanoi road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Causeway Bay Hysan Place Branch - 2811 8321 - Shop 509, 5/F Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road,Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 

Party tips:
Dessert cups are available for parties to delight your guests. Their mikado pretzel sticks are also pretty party gifts too!

Yokozuna vs Shugetsu - A Japanese Ramen Battle

Yokozuna Ramen Restaurant in Yau Ma Tei is famous for its red cherry shrimp ramen, marinated soft-boiled eggs, and pan-fried pork belly. As it's even better-known for its constant long queue, I've been discouraged many times to try. Thanks to my friends, I finally got to get in after an hour and a half of waiting (by them) on a Friday night.

Shugetsu, the rival ramen shop in this battle, is located in Sheung Wan, which is an overseas branch of its original shop in Japan’s Ehime prefecture. As introduced in my previous post, Shugetsu - Ramen full of love, it is famous for its homemade thick soba, and the broth made of a  special savory soy sauce from Ehime.

Here is the battle, I am going to compare 3 signature dishes from both with a 5* rating scale (the more * the better of coz). Since I haven't decided to write this post during my visits to the two stores, some pictures are missing. Anyway, hope you could imagine by the words.

Round 1 - Ramen
Yokozuna Ramen (miso base): ** The soup was light and ordinary, none of the ingredient stood out. The soba was okay but not too impressive, a bit too soft though.

Shugetsu Ramen (intense soy broth): *** I liked the broth, though it was a bit too oily, the bamboo shoot and the spring onion were loud on top of the already strong taste of the soy sauce broth. Good? can't really say. Bad? not at all. The soba was ideally chewy without being too thick/thin.

Round 2 - Tsukemen (Dipping noodles) 
Yokozuna: *** The soul of this dish - the dipping broth lacked character, it tasted nice but seemed missing something. The clear broth adding to the dipping broth suggested a taste of water with unintended seaweed flavor. The highlight was the pan-fried pork belly though, which was well flavored and tender.

Shugetsu: **** The soup, its signature soy sauce based broth was too much on the oily side, but I appreciated the taste of the sauce and it's added with vinegar, marinated bamboo shoots and spring onion, which made the dip such a bomb. I still think its taste was too strong but it's yummy as a dip for the perfect thick soba. The downside was the pity amount of kurobuta pork belly soaked in the broth that made it even saltier. There's a lovely clear chicken broth to add to the dipping soup after you finish the soba, I'd suggest you take the chicken broth by itself, or add the dipping soup in the chicken broth instead of vice versa.

Round 3 - Marinated soft-boiled egg
Yokozuna: ***** Need to order separately. It's claimed to be germ-less and more importantly it tasted good! The yolk was in perfect equilibrium between the liquid and solid state, nice!
Shugetsu: ***** Comes with the ramen. The egg well absorbed the tasty soy sauce during the marination, delicious! The only thing was the slight over-cooking, pity

Personally, I prefer Shugetsu better. For those who pursue excitement and details in the taste, I think Shugetsu outdoes Yokozuna in this way. Though both are good ramen restaurants in Hong Kong for a reason and it would be great if restaurants and food vendors take an effort to listen to customers' opinions and advance or maintain high standards.

Hot Dogs are going gourmet!

Trend Watch: Hot Dogs | By HK Magazine

Hot diggity! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, hot dogs are having a moment right now. Typically thought of as sustenance for the undiscerning; a go-to solution for when you’re low on cash, time or both, these traditionally greasy, sodium-laden treats are being reinvented as (relatively) classy snacks by foodies around the city. Hungry hordes are flocking to gourmet hot dog stands like they’re going out of fashion.

One of the first hot dog specialists to arrive in Hong Kong was Hot Dog Link (Shop C, 67D Waterloo Rd., Ho Man Tin, 2624-4002), which has been in business for a formidable 20-plus years. Founded by master German sausage maker Konrad Pschorr, the extensive menu features imported sausages grilled to perfection accompanied by buns of your choosing. Calorie counters rejoice: you can also skip the buns and go for just the wieners solo. The décor may be homely and the surroundings cramped, but the long queues outside this shop are here to stay.

Fast approaching its 10-month anniversary is Wonderdog (12 Haven St., Causeway Bay, 2886-8052), created by radio DJ personality Tarzan. The space itself assumes an air of quirkiness, with colorful chalkboard menus, pop art illustrations and dangling light bulbs aplenty. Wonderdog’s intriguing toppings selection includes wasabi, Japanese seaweed and prawns. Challenge yourself to the hot-as-hell, sauce-drenched Devil Dog if you dare.

Then there’s Brat (7 Elgin St., Central, 2549-3088). A two-year-old monochromatic space on tranquil Elgin Street, Brat serves top-quality American sausages made from chicken, turkey, beef or pork, containing delectable ingredients such as lemon, portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Presentation matches the décor, with hot dogs arriving in front of you on a nifty wooden chopping board. Their gourmet sausages are also available for retail, so hardcore frankfurter fans can go ahead and stock up.

Having just opened in November last year, Yonge Piggies (1 Jervois St., Sheung Wan, 2104-7218) may be the new kid on the block, but its crowd of devotees isn’t any less sizable. Get a taste of authentic Canadian street meat with YP’s choices of hickory-smoked, honey garlic, picante pepper and cheddar sausage—and don’t forget to pair the dogs with chili fries and an awesome milkshake. Complete with bright red ventilation pipes, steel counters and pinup girl and piglet wall art, the space is retro-cool and allows for casual street-side dining.

The Frank (Lab Concept, Queensway Plaza, 93 Queensway, Admiralty, 2640-9111), the brainchild of the group behind Triple O and Yo Mama, is another newish establishment that opened its doors last year. The design is clean and bright, almost European-chic, and their frankfurters come in generous portions. Try the Korean (kimchi on a chicken frank) for an interesting departure from your classic ketchup/mustard combo, or go all out and down the Suicide (fear not, you won’t actually die from the spice).

Way on the other side of town but worth a visit is Pi Hot Dog Gallery (Shops 44 and 49, 1/F, Waldorf Centre, 170-184 Sai Lau Kok Rd., Tsuen Wan, 2417-9363), opened for a bit over a year. Expect a fully customizable and lengthy selection of hot dogs here, including cheese-filled cheddar dogs and jumbo deluxe dogs.

Coffees in Taipei

During my recent trip to Taipei I had the leisure to take time trying a number of different coffees. How could one possibly resist coffee in a city abundant of quality cafes?! Among Ethiopia Harrar mocha, Hawaiian kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and the house blend ice drip coffee of the renowned Fongda Coffee, which would you choose? For me, I chose to have them all :)