causeway bay | Fork & Talk

A few weeks ago I walked past a place in Camden where the ice cream was being made while the customers waited. I was mesmerised and it had been a life long dream to be part of that creaming process and be able to add what I want.

“NOOOOO, you cannnn’tttt!” You say? Well it is possible with the help of liquid nitrogen!!!! However, we never got to try it out in London but decided go for every flavour that was offered when I found the Lab Made Cafe on the streets of Hong Kong.

Now unlike London the Hong Kong-ese tend not to go for your bog standard flavours so forget your vanillas or Oreo cookie for this event. We decided to try all four of the seasonal flavours. We tried: Tai Hing Chilled Milk Tea, Tai Mango and Coconut Rice, Sea Salt Gelto with crunchy caramel and Crispy White Chocolate with Greek Yoghurt and Strawberry Sauce.

Each cup of goodness is blended with cream and relevant flavours and then the dramatic stuff happens, the liquid nitrogen in poured in and the mixer over fills will cold smoke and then waaalaaa, your ice cream is ready. The flavours are so odd yet wholesome and nice, after a few scoops that is lol. Two scoops costs you £44 Hong Kong dollars which works out at about being £4.40 which is on the tad expensive end when you think about how much you get. It’s a cute but faddy ice cream place which Hong Kong is full of. A word of warning, the liquid nitrogen makes the ice cream melt ridiculously quickly so be prepared to knock it back quick. Interesting fact – Lab Made Cafe change their menu every two weeks so be prepared not to be able to try any of the flavours we mentioned.

Lab Made

Shop B, G/F, Soundview Plaza 2 – Midtown, 1-29 Tang Lung Street Causeway Bay

Our first eat in Hong Kong and what a feast it was. We met our friend and her fiancé for dinner on our first night and they had already decided that this was the place for us to try. Located in the World Trade Centre building it over looks the harbour. If you love fried food and love your katsu then you will love this place as they have ‘katsu-fied’ everything from pork to scallops. For a halal eater like myself I had to be uber carefully and asked them to separate the pork katsu from the rest of the meal.

Tonkatsu Seafood is a lovely intermit dining experience. Diners can sit in the main hall or opt for a cosy booth. The soft lighting adds to the uber relaxed atmosphere which make you forget the hustle and bustle and soaring temperatures outside.

The meals came with sticky Japanese rice and a range of condiments. What was fascinating about this meal was that once you have ordered you are given a bowl of roasted sesame seeds and a number of oils. You are required to crush the sesame seeds with a pestle and mortar and then add the oil which you like the taste of the most to create a paste which you will use as a dip for the rest of the meal for the rice and the katsu.

You are then served a platter of fried goodies which you can dip in the paste you have made or the other condiments on offer.

A meal for four came up to 650 Hong Kong dollars costing you £52 which is incredibly cheap given the location and the fact we were eating fresh oysters and scallops. Great experience for our first meal.