Burger King, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

As a change from the recent entries where I have been fine-dining it up, we are in fast food territory for this blog. I finally decided to do the continental compare and contrast of Burger King, after LQ:ED's visit a few months back. It was Sunday afternoon in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay and although it was the weekend, there was not much of a queue at the counter, maybe because I was there just after 12pm so was served quickly.

I went for their flagship Whopper burger and opted for the meal, so I got fries and a soft drink, to which I chose cream soda.

My order

Service was fairly fast as you would expect from this kind of establishment. There was a slight wait for the burger but not long enough to make a fuss about. There were three tables on the ground floor in this branch and more upstairs but as these were all free I sat myself down on the lower level. The table I sat at was clear but had some leftover crumbs on it.

I unwrapped my burger and it looked ok, and that is how it tasted. The beef patty did not seem particularly freshly cooked (it was cooked through though) but the accompanying salad in the burger was fine. The fries were warmer and tasted fine as well, with the roght amount of salt. An extra sachet of tomato ketchup could have been provided, though. My cream soda was fizzy and sweet to wash down my food.

There is nothing to complain about Burger King yet nothing to shout about either. It does the job in terms of providing a quick and convenient lunch, although on average more expensive than their golden-arched rival in this city.

Scores:
Food: 3/5
Presentation: 2/5
Service: 3/5
Setting: 2/5

Overall: 10/20

Total Bill: $43 so about £3.60

I ate: Whopper Burger and Fries.

I drank: Cream Soda.

I wore: Jeans and tee-shirt.

Hong Kong Cuisine, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

This entry is on Good Friday, which was also six months since I got married thus making it a rather good day. As it was also a public holiday my wife and I had the day off and went to Hong Kong Cuisine just a short walk from our flat for a celebratory lunch.

It is located on the first floor of a side street so a little bit secluded. It has a fairly large dining area and we were able to get a seat no problem. We ordered a lunch set menu for two; some courses had a choice and this is how we got on.

A soup was on the menu and it was the first item to arrive. It was a 'Double Boiled Soup' with squid, marrow and pork. It was thin as expected and a very fresh taste to it with good flavour and nice chunks of meat and marrow.

Double Boiled Soup

Next came the dim sum dishes, where we were able to choose three types. We opted for 'Siu Long Bao', 'Har Gow' (Shanghai dumpling and prawn dumpling respectively) and Spring Roll. All the dishes came in two pieces, to match the number of diners. Usually in most dim sum restaurants, the portions served in the bamboo steamers number four so they are not too generous in their servings. However they make up in presentation and taste. The Shanghai Dumpling had a nice pork with soup filling and the prawn dumpling was had a really tasty prawn portion. The spring roll (not pictured) was crispy in its outer wrapping and had a decent vegetable filling.

Shanghai and Prawn Dumplings

Next came the 'mains', where we had the fried rice and stir fried choi sum from a list of their vegetables. Asparagus scallop egg white fried rice and served in a plate and then served in our bowls. This lovely dish was well fried (with healthy option of just using egg white) and finely chopped pieces of asparagus to add crunch to the dish and scallops for taste. The vegetables were fried in oil and probably some light seasoning only as there was no garnish on top but that did not detract from the good taste and crunchy texture, owing to the fresh ingredients they must use.

Fried Rice and Choi Sum

The set also came with a dessert choice, where I went for the green tea glutinous rice cake and my wife chose the red bean cake. My choice was sweet and sticky and an adequate finish to the meal. The good thing was that we were able to choose individual cakes as normally diners are only allowed one choice.

Red bean cake to the left, Green Tea Glutinous Rice cake to the right

Hong Kong cuisine is a very nice restaurant. It is expensive for the portions you receive (compared to a standard tea house) but they are obviously going for the higher end market, judging by the restaurant and  table setting and the way the food is presented and the way it tasted too. Although not overly generous with their portions we felt quite full in the end. The service was very good as well, with the waiters serving the food in  a friendly manner, clearing our dishes and tables efficiently ad pouring you your tea when they noticed your cup was empty. Worth another visit but on a nice occasion.

Table Setting

Scores:
Food: 3/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Setting: 4/5

Overall: 15/20

Total bill: $405, approximately 17GBP a head.

We ate: All of the above.

We drank: Jasmine Tea, a fragrant refreshment that went well with our food.

We wore: Our wedding bands.

Caprice, Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong

Following the entry on Amigo, we continue with the fine dining theme with a visit to Caprice a couple of days later for a Sunday lunch. My wife's aunt was in town and as she was not present at our wedding went here in lieu of our banquet.

This is the second entry for Caprice and as blogged before, this is one of the city's best restaurants so as soon as you enter the place you are in for a treat.

Along with my wife's aunt, there was my wife, mother-in-law and wife's elder aunt making up the dining party and we all chose Caprice's three course set lunch.

For my starter I chose carrot veloute with ravioli. This was a brilliant soup to start the lunch. Presentation wise it was colourful with the little bubbles and the ravioli placed in the middle.  It was really tasty too with good carrot flavour and there was cumin for a bit of spice. The ravioli was made with translucent pastry like a Chinese type dumpling and filled with chopped vegetables.

Carrot Veloute Soup

I chose Pork belly as my main course. This was a decent sized portion with a good balance of meat and fat. It was served on a bed of nicely wilted spinach and baby carrots with a pepper sauce as a good accompaniment. Also plated up was mashed sweetcorn (see the right of the plate), which was creamy and tasted like nachos.

Pork Belly

Petit fours came just before dessert, comprising of three different sweets for us. I cannot remember them all but one was marshmallow.

Petit Four

Whilst the petit four are nice, the dessert served afterwards just blows them out of the water. In Caprice's lunch set, patrons choose three desserts from their selection of six. I opted for a mango macaron, chocolate cake and a Panna cotta, All three were great: the macaron was light and had fresh mango flavour; the chocolate cake was rich and the the Panna cotta was cool and creamy with fresh berries on top.

Dessert. My selection on the left, my wife's to the right

Below are photographs of a selection of the other food ordered by the dining party.

Japanese Scallop Tartare, Granny Smith Apple, Cucumber and Lime

Chicken Pot au Feu with Tarragon Tagliarini

Star Garoupa with Ratatouille and Black Olive Confit

All of the food was accompanied with a glass of French Chardonnay (one glass of wine is included in the price) and sparkling water as drinks. I also had some tea with my dessert.

Everything about Caprice is fabulous, from the food; the crystal chandeliers; the waiters who always see you back to your seat when you return to the table to even the lemon scented soap in the bathroom. First class from this Michelin starred restaurant!

Scores:

Food: 5/5

Presentation: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Setting: 5/5

Overall: 20/20

I ate: Carrot Veloute, Cumin & Orange Scent, Florentine Ravioli; Crispy Capelin Pork Belly, Sweetcorn and Young Carrot in Pepper Sauce; Three Sweet Delights.

I drank: Chardonnay, San Pellegrino Sparkling Water, Earl Grey Tea.

I wore: Jeans, which are not actually allowed for Caprice (but they were smart and not torn or ripped in any way).

Total bill: c$3000, so about 50GBP a head.

Amigo, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

This is a late lunchquest, as I was dining with my wife on a Friday evening, for a special occasion. We went to Amigo, a restaurant serving more French food than its Spanish name suggests. It has been established for some time in Hong Kong and is located not far from where we stay, opposite the Happy Valley racecourse.

As we entered the building we were greeted by a waiter in his tuxedo who led us upstairs to the main dining hall. We then noticed that all the waiters all in tuxedos or tailcoat. We were one of the first diners to arrive but this place soon got very busy as it was the start of the weekend.

The style of the place is European, with no real definitive area. It can cater for a large number of diners but still has an intimate feel to it. When you reserve a table here they will provide you a little memo pads with your name on the cover, which is a nice little treat for each guest.

We both went for their set menu dinners, with my wife choosing three courses and me going all out for four.

My first dish was Foie Gras as an appetiser. There was a decent portion of the liver, which was was well fried but still moist and delicate and the bed of turnips it was laid above were crisp and fresh.

Foie Gras and Turnip

For my second course I chose chicken consommé with abalone. Soup was served at the right temperature for my taste buds and very thin but had enough flavour in it and sufficient slices of abalone for added opulence.

Chicken consomme.

At the same time when my soup arrived, my wife's choice of Clam Chowder came along too. The chowder was the opposite from my consomme as it was thick and packed with potatoes and clams. You can almost make out from the photograph below the rose shaped butter, which accompanied the warm crusty bread that came with the soups.

Wife's Clam Chowder, with bread roll and Rose shaped butter

Following from the soups, we were given a grapefruit sorbet to clean the palate, which had a very subtle bitter taste without being too sour.

I chose Sea bass as my main. The fish was fried and still moist and flaky, with good flavour. The sauce was creamy and tangy from the citrus they added. My wife had King prawn with Lobster sauce, which I tasted and thought was nice but maybe had too much going on with the seafood ingredients. Her dish came with a side order of potato and spinach, which was filled us up.

Main Courses: Foreground is Sea Bass, background is King Prawn (with Spinach & Potato side)

To finish off our meals, I had Creme Brûlée as my dessert and my wife chose Soufflé. My dessert was actually coffee flavoured, which was a very nice twist and not too overpowering nor bitter. the souffle was well presented and light tasting.

Dessert: Foreground in Creme Brule, background is Souffle.

The presentation of the food is done very well but I have to say that some of the crockery was slightly old and worn, not a good impression for a fine dining restaurant.

Service is excellent, with the waiters friendly and attentive and even some food is served by them with some final heating. There is also a a small band who roam around the restaurant singing songs at your request. They are a bit cheesy but talented enough and knew a decent range; someone asked them to sing Lady Gaga and they did just that, reeling off their version of Bad Romance. Another gift to my wife was a red rose when we were presented with the bill.

As noted above the decor of the restaurant is grand without being overly posh. It was romantic enough for a gentleman to propose to his girlfriend, now fiancee.

Amigo is the closest fine dining restaurant serving western food to where we live, so it is a convenient place to go for some posh and expensive food. It maybe a bit dated in terms of the fixtures and fittings but that does not detract it from producing some very good food with great service.

Scores:
Food: 4/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Setting: 4/5

Overall: 17/20

I ate: Foie Gras, Chicken Consomme, Sea Bass, Coffee flavoured Creme Brulee.

I drank: Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon, Still Mineral Water (which was free), Tea.

I wore: A pink (my wife's favourite colour) shirt.

Total bill: $2013, so about 85GBP a head.

Royal Palace, Wanchai, Hong Kong

I had a day off last Thursday so met up with my wife for lunch at the Royal Palace restaurant, which is located on the 8th floor of her office building, in the Wanchai area of Hong Kong Island.


It was quiet as I entered but soon people began flocking in. Its popularity may be due to the 40% discount it gives on their dim sum lunchtime menu.


This is what we ordered from their selection.


The first dish to arrive was wilted lettuce, which was cooked well enough so that it was not too soggy and with a soy sauce dip for a bit more flavour.


The Savoury Dumpling was sweet on the outside with pork filling on the inside and served not too hot. Nice but not as tasty as the one I had at YMF (refer to my previous blog on that restaurant)

Lettuce (background) and Savoury Dumpling

Their Spring Rolls were served cut into half portions and were crispy on the outside with decent meat-based filling. Similar to the savoury dumpling, these were not too hot, perhaps implying that the deep-fried dishes are not so freshly cooked.

Spring Roll

Steamed tripe with black bean sauce. I am quite partial to this delicacy; I like the chewy texture with the mild spiciness of the black beans. This one could have had a bit more flavour.

Tripe

'Soup in a Dumpling' is the literal translation of the dish shown below. The stock flavour was OK, the dumpling was like a large wonton and filled with porkmeat, crab stick and possibly shark's fin and was fine.

Dumpling Soup

Siu mai, a staple we usually get when eating dim sum. The steamer dish had the usual four numbers of these dumplings, which had a pork filling with crab roe on top and tasted very standard. These were a bit hotter than other dishes so probably more freshly cooked.


Red bean and coconut cake was the only sweet dish and was given to us free. However I myself did not have this as I had sufficient; my wife took them away for afternoon tea.

Siu Mai and Red Bean & Coconut Cake

Royal Palace does not quite live up to its regal name but its big dining hall setting is fine enough, with crockery and eating utensils clean and presentable. The service is efficient and friendly for HK dim sum restaurant standards. The food is fine and with the discount it is decent value for money; but on normal pricing days probably not so.




Scores:

Food: 3/5

Presentation: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Setting: 3/5

Overall: 12/20

Total bill: Approximately $130, so just over £5 a head.

I ate: all of the above.

I drank: Iron Buddha tea.

I wore: Not work clothes!

Top Snack, High 1 Ski Resort, South Korea

In my near two month hiatus between uploading blogs from late January to last week, I took in a skiing trip to South Korea in late February. So this is part of the 'Greater Hong Kong' series.


The Top Snack is aptly named as it is located on the top slopes of the High1 ski resort. The resort is quite new and so is this eatery. It has a canteen style to it, which is functional enough for skiers taking a break. The menu was not extensive, with Korean dishes being offered and at first we chose fish balls / rolls in soup and steamed bread rolls, which we managed to communicate in English.


Our food was served quickly as they were already prepared and came in crockery and cutlery, and we proceeded to find a seat to start eating, which was not too much trouble. 

First Course of Fish ball in soup and Steamed Buns

The fishmeat had a decent flavour after being cooked in the soup and a spicy sauce dip for an extra kick. The bread rolls were sweet and had a red bean filling, which was unexpected but nice enough and complemented the light dough outside.


I was still hungry so decided to get a hot dog and hot chocolate from a concessionary store, still within the building. The hot dog was a plain sausage one topped with mustard and tomato ketchup that was applied onto the bun. The hot dog was tasty enough and filling and the hot chocolate warm and sweet so a nice accompaniment.

Second Course of Hot Dog and Hot Chocolate

Top Snack does the job satisfactorily, providing sustenance to hunger skiers / boarders and filled me up ready for my afternoon's skiing action. The food is fine, the tables and chairs and clean and functional and considering its location, it very reasonably priced.


Scores:
Food: 3/5

Presentation: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Setting: 3/5

Overall: 12/20

Total bill: 13000 Won, so about £9.

I ate: Fishballs in soup; Steamed bread rolls; Hot dog.

I drank: Hot Chocolate and water.

I wore: Full skiing attire.