Cafe Loisl - A Viennese Corner in Sheung Wan

When the sun comes out after all these damp and rainy days, what's better than spending an afternoon alfresco enjoying a cup of coffee and a piece of delicious cake? The experience would even be greater if the location is quiet without people buzzing around and stressing you to finish your coffee. Cafe Loisl is one of the kind, you only have to walk up a bit for it.

This artisan Vienna style coffee house is located on the stair landing up Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan. People who have visited would describe it as an oasis, or a corner of Vienna in Hong Kong. Yes, these are all correct descriptions for Cafe Loisl. The place is furnished with a Viennese touch, from the chandelier, marble coffee tables, floor tiles, wall decors to tableware, all the details suggest the owner's passion to bring the Viennese coffee shop culture to Hong Kong.

 

For those who have been to Austria, or wish to go there, you'll be happy to find some of the very best of this beautiful country. Number one on my list is definitely the Sacher Torte, this devilish chocolate cake traditionally consists of two layers of dense chocolate sponge cake with a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle, coated in dark chocolate icing on the top and sides, and served with whipped cream. The version at Cafe Loisl is more like a chocolate truffle cake, with alternate layers of chocolate sponge cake and rich ganache, coated with smooth chocolate icings. A Viennese coffee is a must to go with this sumptuous cake. Apfelstrudel, or apple strudel, is also a traditional Viennese dessert available in the menu. I didn't get to try it this time but it looked like a nice treat for people who loves the combination of apples cooked with cinnamon in puff pastry. 

The mille feuilles was a bit on the heavy side with custard.It would have been awesome if there were more layers of puff pastry (and must be fresh and crispy). The taste was great though, just too heavy.

 

Apart from desserts, classics like bratwurst, omelette and currywurst were also available. I was just a happy girl at Cafe Loisl having the food I miss from Europe :)

Cafe Loisl
G/F, 8A Tai On Terrace - Pound Lane, Sheung Wan
9179 0209

Bricklane - The Egg Benedict Place

After an exciting night watching the Cheung Chau Bun Scrambling Competition, you shall be waking up at brunch time and it's just perfect time to see this post :) Bricklane is an eatery with reminiscence of its namesake in London East End. Located in a relatively quiet corner of Tsim Sha Tsui, it's a nice place to sit back and chit chat for an afternoon if you go for a late-brunch (at least after 2:30pm), so you could have better chance to avoid being kicked out after your meal.

They serve a phenomenal egg benedict with Parma ham (yes! they do have this unique offer), with a perfectly poached egg with flowy yolk and delicious buttery Hollandaise. I especially like its 'English muffin' which seems to be a piece of burger bun instead toasted with savory butter. It is not as chewy as English muffin but still lets the sauce and ham hang on it perfectly well. One precaution is that you can't let the bun soak in the sauce for too long or it'd become soggy pretty soon. So yummy I'll go back only for this!

They have a supersize beef burger in the menu, with a patty of 10oz beef. It looked good but too heavy for me so I ordered fish and chips. The presentation was fun with chips building a jenga tower and a piece of crispy fish fillet laying on top. However, both the fish and chips were a bit too oily...it disappointed me when I was only craving for french fries at that time.

Out of curiosity I also ordered a red velvet cake for the sake of comparing with the one I made. I think my cupcakes could also be priced at $65...on the menu it recommends to order some time in advance for the cream cheese filling to soften at room temperature. I asked to verify, and the server said no need coz. he could take it out from the fridge in the restaurant across the street (?!) Anyway, the cake was a bit too hard, but the taste was fine, just like the red velvet cakes I had in Southern US. It would really be better if the cake was allowed to soften for maybe half an hour, guess the servers was only trying to be helpful though.

Overall it was a pleasant and relaxing afternoon sitting by the windows of Bricklane. Its location and egg benedict were major contributing factors to this :)

Bricklane [Menu]
G/F, 2 Blenheim Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
2736 8893

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.

Shugetsu - Ramen full of love

Shugetsu's homemade ramen noodles are full of love, from ingredients to the perfectly served tsukemen, from production to service, you could feel Shugetsu's pride and insistence in bringing out the best of its ramen. Servers are highly attentive and informative, really impressive to have such service in HK, even during the regular business lunch hour :)

Shugetsu
Address: G/F, 5 Gough Street, Central
Tel: 2850 6009
URL: www.shugetsu.com.hk

K-roll - It all started with a 6-year old's lunch box

Apart from my fave K-fast food "Hungry Korean" (Ashley Road, TST), and the delicate-but-won't-break-the-bank choice "ChumChumMi" (Miramar Mall,TST), "K-Roll" in Sheung Wan is a new place to satisfy my K-food craving~ from kimbap, ramen to bibimbap, it has a bit of everything basic, and simple. And it all started with a 6-year old's lunch box in 2011...read their lovely story here

K-Roll
Address: Shop 6A, G/F, Sen Fat Building, 6 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan
Tel: 2234 5505

Shake 'em buns - Wakes your inner child

Shake'em buns' highlight is not only its variety of freshly made burgers (10 burger choices with creative names), but also it's thick french fries and creamy milkshakes - it wakes my inner child eating these stuff >w< tho even better if the meat patty is more seasoned, in my opinion

Shake'em Buns
Address: UG/F, 76 Wellington Street, Central
Tel: 2810 5533
Website: http://www.shakembuns.com/