Tag Archives: review

The Paperworks

June 20, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

The pop up bar/restaurant/music venue of the summer. Set in between warehouses and the train tracks of elephant and castle this is the perfect venue for that Friday feeling.

Walking into the venue you almost feel like you are at some sort of music festival which is so not my thing. However, with the crowed being young urban professionals like myself I was safe in the knowledge there would be no mosh pits or beer spraying. Instead I was knocking back prossecco like it was going out of fashion.

There are a number of bars and food stands dotted all over the venue. My attention went straight to the lobster grill which had a long cue. I had to find out what the fuss was about. For half a lobster, salad and chips you pay £15 and have the food prepared in front of you. I was uber excited to watch my lobster sizzle away on the grill.
One thing I hadn’t really thought about was how I was going to eat this thing. There are some bench seating options which unfortunately for myself and my friends were taken up on this night. We ended up sitting on railway sleepers and eating off our laps. The next hurdle was how to eat the lobster with only a plastic knife and fork. I realised very early on that there would be a lot of wastage as there was no way I would be able to get all the meat off it with those. I have to admit it was a lot of fun trying.

The lobster itself was not the freshest thing I have eaten nor was it meaty. The chips were the largest I have ever seen and were much better than the lobster. The salad was a bit of a waste as it wilted from the heat of the other food. Not worth the £15 price tag.

Despite the food The Paperworks is a cool and chilled out venue. People sitting on the floor having a chin wag, bodies dancing in free spaces, live music blaring and every under the London Sky.

Calm and happiness are the two things I will link to this little pop up. Great for a summers evening.

Ladies, word of warning, this is not a place for heels or suede shoes. You will be facing a range of different terrains: gravel, grit, stones and dirt. Play safe and stick to flats. I learnt the hard way.

The Paperworks
48-50 Newington Causeway, London
www.thepaperworks.co.uk

breakfast, English

Sawyer & Gray

June 17, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

I love no meal more than breakfast! My perfect weekend consists of a lie in followed by a trip to Saint Espresso. With their mini cup flat white in hand I head to Chapel market to get freshest ingredients for my most important meal of the day.

There is something quite luxurious about taking time to prepare breakfast. Lots of love goes into the process and I enjoy the fact that afterwards I can kick back on a sofa without feeling guilty.

But obviously not every weekend is the same. It was a bright Saturday morning, I got up unusually early. With gym session scheduled for 11, it gave me just enough time to grab some breaky with my really close friend.

She is also quite a foody and told me that I absolutely have to meet her at Highbury & Islington so she can take me to her new favourite coffee house – Sawyer & Gray.

As you walk in you are charmed at the door step with the eclectic interior. We chose a cosy booth downstairs, perfect for a little gossip over coffee.

Even though breakfast was followed by a session at the gym, I failed at making a healthy choice and went with their most scrumptious breakfast on the menu – Avocado on toast with poached eggs and bacon.

I am a sucker for food being served on a wooden plank. It’s such Instagram classic!

Food was yummy, my only wish was for more avocado, which I’m sure they would have given me if I wasn’t too lazy to ask.

Coffee was true to form, delicious! Service was really friendly, efficient and laid back. Five stars to Sawyer and Gray for capturing a great weekend spirit!

Sawyer & Gray

290 Saint Paul’s Road, Islington, London N1 2LH

http://www.sawyerandgray.co.uk

English

Stoke Park

June 13, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Stoke Park is Europe’s leading 5 AA star hotel, spa and golf course and I found myself there a few times for different occasions. What I have always loved about UK’s hospitality standard is that when they say 5 star, they mean 5 star. Stoke Park’s service is impeccable, you feel at home and it’s one place where i have truly been able to forget about the world I have left behind in London.

Stoke Park is an oasis of parkland, lakes and gardens, located just an hour away from London. I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful landscape! I was lucky to see it both in full bloom of summer and in stunning autumn palette.

My most memorable time here was for Father’s Day 2014. My father is a brilliant golfer who is travelling all corners of the world with the game. Stoke Park was on his list of courses to play, so when I heard he was visiting London, I knew exactly the place where we could go for a treat.

Golf break included one night stay at the hotel, a game of golf, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Between steam room and swimming pool we took a quick lunch at San Marco, Italian brasserie with tables situated on a leafy terrace. Weather was perfect – sunny with a soft breeze. I ordered a crisp tuna salad. Portion was very generous, but uber fresh and so delicious, I wiped my place clean, despite wanting a very small lunch. Atmosphere at San Marco is lovely, I love that guests were encouraged to have lunch and drinks in their spa robes.

I loved the decor of the rooms, unlike the rest of the resort, this room was an eclectic take on classic British. Who can resist a little leopard print?!

As my father left for a game of golf, the rest of my day was filled with more steam room, swimming and sunbathing sessions.

For dinner we booked a table at Stoke Park’s 3 AA Rosettes Humphry’s restaurant. It was the perfect setting for a special occasion. Restaurant offers panoramic views of the estate and the lake. l can only imagine how stunning weddings here must be!

We opted for ‘a little bit of everything’ kind of dinner.

Honey Goat’s Cheese with Beetroot Textures, and Celery Leaves

Roasted Duck Breast with Apple and Celeriac Rosti, Caramelised Apples and Calvados Jus

Pan-roasted Sea Bass with Petit Ratatouille Stuffed Courgette Flower, Chorizo and Broad Bean ‘Ragout’, Martini Velouté

Dorset Crab and Avocado Tian with Cucumber Jelly, Soft Boiled Quails Egg and Pink Grapefruit Salsa

Bitter Chocolate Box filled with Caramel and Chocolate Mousse, Spiced Cointreau Gel, Clementine Sorbet, Hazelnut Tuile and Caramel Sauce.

This meal was fabulous from start to finish. Each course flowed perfectly into the next and flavors were both delicate and surprising. Service was impeccable and we have thoroughly enjoyed our evening. I would highly recommend visiting Humphry’s if you find yourself in Stoke Park.

I loved Stoke Park so much I got massive blues on my taxi ride home. Little did I know it would only be less than 4 months and I’d be back! Yes!

Stoke Park
Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, SL2 4PG
http://www.stokepark.com

Italian

Pizza East

June 11, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

Shoreditch, the epicenter of ‘cool’ in London. Home to some of the trendiest bars and restaurants, it is the place to be when you want a plod go hang with your amigos.

Pizza East is always heaving with people so you would be quite the optimist if you think you can go without a reservation on the weekend. Pizza East is great if you want to dine with large groups of people because of the ample seating and space to move. It sits on top of a club called Concrete, not our cup of tea but the perfect place to head if you want a place to chill or boogy after your meal and trust us, you will need an after place for Pizza East as like most places has a two hour timer on each table.

The interior is rustic and industrial so very at home with the Shoreditch vibe. They have a wonderful open kitchen and bar where you can sit and watch the action of preparation. True to form for a lot of places in East London prices are cheap.

However, I think the positives that we have mentioned are actually pretty superficial. The food is nothing to rave about and if you love pizza prepare to be disappointed. The menu is Italian fusion so you will see Mac ‘n’ cheese on the menu which from our previous visit was great. The pizza‘s here are majorly lacking in flavour which ever you pick. Elena and I went for an aubergine/pesto pizza and an asparagus and ham (speck) pizza. The pizzas are very tough and the base has no taste which is a shame as there is A LOT OF BASE. Toppings are seriously lacking and not evenly distributed so you end up having a number of slices that are just cheese and tomato.

Service is a tad ridiculous and there is an air of disorganisation. We ordered our starters at 7pm when we had arrived. We were excited to have olives with toasted almonds and prawns with avocado and chilli. The starters were brought to us at 8:15pm once we had eaten half way through our dry and tasteless pizzas. There was no shock or horror from the staff about the forgetting of the starters which communicated that this mess up was a regular thing. The prawn dish was again tasteless and the avocados were over ripped. The olives were the best part of our meal however, it’s not like Pizza East did anything to them but merely served them from the packaging they were bought in.

This meal was a real shame as we really were looking forward to some tasty pizza. We read some other reviews of Pizza East to ensure we hadn’t just visited on the worst night of their life but it seems Pizza East have a pretty strong bad reputation amongst fellow foodies. I think next time we fancy some traditional Italian pizza we will head to La Porchetta in Angel to avoid disappointment.

Pizza East
56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ
www.pizzaeast.com

English

Fera at Claridge’s

June 8, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

As we dismounted from horses (Uber cab), we were greeted like princesses by the staff of Claridges, exactly how we love to be treated after a Sunday morning heavy gym sessions.

The interior of Claridges is a timeless example of Art Deco excellence. As you walk through the twirling door you are transported into the glamour of the 1920s and you can almost hear the echoes of jazz coming from the ballroom. For design freaks like us we really appreciated this architectural heaven in Mayfair.

We came for a Sunday luncheon to Fera, one of Claridges restaurants. We thought we deserved a treat as I was feeling a tad down about work over the last couple of weeks and this was definitely mood lifting. Upon arrival we felt the five star luxury service with the warm genuine greeting by all. As we looked through the stunning menu we were served wafers with cheese foam and flowers. It was crisp and creamy and there were different flavours popping out with every tongue lash.

Once we had ordered we were served a warm wedge of rye bread which was freshly baked, it was served with hand churned butter. It was all so moorish I could have eaten a couple of more wedges.

For starters Elena had the Spring Velouté with Smoked Pork, turnips, ramsons and herbs. The Spring Velouté was theatrically poured around the dish in front of us. Every element of the dish brung its own flavour. The ramson, something we had never tasted (we think) brought a warm garlic flavour and the idea that we should really be using this ingredient in our own cooking.

I had the Smoked Mackerel, Pickles Mushrooms, Dandelions and Apple Marigold. The mackerel wasn’t overly smoked but had a subtle undertone with every bite. The mushroom pickles were tiny and brought little pops of that vinegary flavour to the dish. The dandelion leaves brought a fresh and spicy twist to the dish. This truly was a feast for the taste buds.

For mains Elena had the Cornish Cod, gem lettuce hearts and leaves, parley and jersey pearls. The cod just flaked away so easily and melted in the mouth.

I had Reg’s corn fed chicken with BBQ leek, onions and celeriac cream. The chicken has a lushious crispy skin. The chicken tasted sweet throughout with was a lovely flavour indeed. The celeriac cream was smooth and rich and I could have eaten a whole bowel full.

Desserts were again so well thought out with each taste and texture on the dish. Elena naturally went for the chocolate option and had a stunning Smoked chocolate cream with pecan ice cream and verjus caramel. As your tongue wraps around the chocolate you get that initial chocolate taste we are all used to but then you get the smokey after taste which was lovely but took a few scoops getting used to. A very rich and decedent dessert.

I had something more traditional yet equally as delicious. Bramley apple cake with cinnamon ice cream and pecans. The cake was freshly baked and warm, such a comforting feeling in the mouth. The pops of pecans added another dimension to the dish, delicious.

As we paid for our for our stunning meal we were given some sweets to leave us with the sweetest memory. Marshmallows and fudge, small yet intense.

A special meal for a special Sunday. There was a touch of class and luxury for every step of this meal, something we could easily get used to. We can not wait to have an excuse to come back to Fera at Claridges.

Fera at Claridge’s
49 Brook St, London W1K 4HR
feraatclaridges.co.uk

Coffee Break, Hungarian

Coffee Break: Louis Hungarian Patisserie

June 6, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

Call me bias if you must but I firmly stand by my opinion that European cakes are the best in the world. America always goes over the top with sugar where Asia don’t add enough, Great Britain’s cakes are a bit like their weather – soggy. Europe’s love affair with dessert started very early with first baked cake recorded in 17th century. From then on baking became an art form adored by everyone from Paris to Russia. Patisseries in Europe are amazing. We saw some examples of a grand patisserie first-hand in Lisbon. From the decor to the selection of cakes, your tea time in Europe has been transformed to a formal affair with silver service.

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You can imagine my delight as I spotted a Hungarian patisserie in Hampstead. As soon as I spotted the sign I started dreaming of fluffy Hungarian cremes… unfortunately they didn’t have them on the menu, so I opted for a very similar cake called ‘Creme Slice’. This slice was not as sweet as it looks. It was a gorgeous combination of creme lighter than air and crispy layered pasty. Of course the portion was bigger than one can eat, so had to be shared.

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Cheese cake is not as you and me know it. Hungarian cheese cake reminded me of polenta cake by texture. It didn’t even smell of cheese, with a slight sweetness and lemon flavoring it seemed a bit dry. A little bit disappointing. Perhaps it’s a good excuse to go back and try all Louis Patisserie’s cakes.

The decor takes you back in time. The galore of cakes is displayed on the front window, main room is a mixture of dark brown leather covered sofas and wood paneled walls. Sweet old lady with white apron serves tea in sets are delightfully floral. She doesn’t speak a word of English which in my book enhances the experience of a foreign cafe.

Louis patisserie was dead quiet despite a few tables with customers. Everyone was talking with hushed voices, slowly flipping pages of a newspaper and quietly sipping on their coffee. It was quite nice and relaxing for a change.

For £12 we had a cappuccino, hot chocolate and two desserts. It’s a little pricier than your regular coffee shop but worth paying extra for a taste of Hungary.

P.S. Beware – they only accept cash.

Louis Patisserie
32 Heath Street, London NW3 6TE

Asian, Chinese

Yung Kee

June 1, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

‘I want roasted goose’, the chant we couldn’t stop hearing from our friend Birth who joined us in Hong Kong from Thailand. So on our last day we went to the prestigious Yung Kee Restaurant near Central Station. Yung Lee’s roasted goose is so famous that they offer a packaging service for their goose should you wish to take it on a flight home. Of course, our friend Birth had to take advantage of this service as soon as we arrived and got them to prepare two whole gooses to take back to Thailand. He paid a whooping 1200 HKD for two roasted gooses so you can imagine how pricy the rest of the menu is going to be.

The decor is very stereotypical of what we would class as a ‘Chinese’ restaurant with the rich and royal colours of gold and red, Ming vases and gold Chinese dragons. It really is a treat for the eyes. The restaurant has been running since the 1940s and it has that air of class and elegance from this period. The restaurant are so proud of their accomplishments over the years that the first five pages of their menu are dedicated to the awards that they have one.

Naturally we ordered the roast goose for ourselves but only a quarter for 200 HKD. Honestly, I’m not sure what all the fuss is about and it was the first time I have eat goose and I won’t be rushing to eat this meat again. The glaze which was used to make the skin so crispy was nice and sweet but after two slices I couldn’t eat anymore.

Another recommendation from reviews we read was the shredded jelly fish. The idea of eating the jelly fish was not the most appetising thought but when in Rome……
It’s a cold dish with translucent jelly strips and sprinklings of sesame seeds. Looking at the dish you would never think it’s jelly fish. Taste and texture reminds me of seaweed. However, we could only must a bite or two before the idea of it being a jelly fish we were consuming became to haunt the tummy.

We also ordered prawn fried rice, BBQ pork vermicelli noodles, beef flat noodles and egg plant with crab meat.

Now, I’ve mentioned this before, if you avoid pork and try and follow a halal diet you need to be careful in Hong Kong, they love putting pork into the most strangest dishes without even stating so in the menu for example putting it on top of a seasonal vegetable dish or in this case cutting it into chunks and putting it into a dish called prawn fried rice. Best advise I can offer is to speak to the waiters that can communicate in English and make it very clear that you can’t eat pork. However, I’m sorry to say that some lie so it’s best to have a friend who speaks the lingo. Anyway, rant over.

The food here is good but out of everything we have eaten it is nothing to rave about. It is a good tourist attraction to just say you have been here. For what we were eating the total cost was ridiculous and the bill came to 1,298 HKD between four people. It was the only place that has charged for green tea for our entire stay not sure how that can be justified.

Yung Kee
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

Asian, Chinese

Sevva

May 31, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Since we arrived in Hong Kong our friend Catherine wouldn’t stop talking about Sevva, the roof top bar her fiancé took her too for their first date and proposal. We could tell it meant a lot to her so Elena and I decided to book dinner and drinks there to kick off her hen party. We spent the entire week avoiding her requests to go there for some drinks just so we could surprise her.

Sevva sits on top of the 25th floor of the Prince’s Building in Central. It has a roof top bar with a stunning view of Hong Kong and the islands close by as it sits near the harbor. During the evening it has the most stunning views as the whole city lights up so we can understand how it made an impressive first date. Sevva has an indoor restaurant which just stunning.

The menu is a fusion menu so expect to see some strange combinations of foods and some adaptations of some world classics.

A selection of starters including caprese salad and pea soup.

Wagye beef cheek and ox tongue pot pie with porcini fries.

Spaghetti with champagne sauce, king prawns and crab roe.

Like most of these places that cost a fortune and are in the most stunning places, the food is not the best feature by far and well Sevva was exactly that. This is the reason why I won’t be going to details of each dish.

Service however was at a five star rating. The staff were attentive and most helpful throughout. The restaurant manager was so kind and gave us a complimentary dessert platter when he heard we were a hen party. The best dessert we have had in Hong Kong so far, with cakes so light and airy.

After dinner we spent hours on the roof top bar reminiscing about the old days and talking about the possibilities in our futures as we gazed over the skylines of Hong Kong. We truly had an incredible time!

Cost wise it was the most expensive meal in Hong Kong as would be expected. We paid 1,572 HKD each which is about £130 which included drinks and meal. Regardless of whether the food wasn’t up to scratch everything else made it worth it. We love Sevva but maybe it’s more a drinks and dessert place rather than a full meal.

Sevva
Prince’s Building 25th Floor, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

Asian, Chinese, Seafood

Crowd Restaurant

May 30, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Being in Hong Kong a country surrounded in water you are guaranteed to have some amazing fish. We had to find the best seafood in Hong Kong and I’m pretty sure we have come close to it.

In the back streets of the Wan Chai district is a little restaurant where you see the integration of the expats and the locals over the fruits of the seas.

Crowd Restaurant on Gresson St is a small local restaurant with no frills so expect to be seated shoulder to shoulder to strangers.

As we sat down to feast our expat friends started doing the most unusual things which we now understand are standard practice in places like these for good measure.

The waiters gave us our chopsticks and crockery and a teapot of green tea. One of our friends proceeded to wash the chopsticks and crockery in the green tea to clean them. We noticed the other tables were also conducting this process. We found out that even though establishments like these washed their utensils people preferred to re-wash them for hygiene assurance.

We ordered the famous Hong Kong hairy crab that everyone kept telling us about. We also ordered: razor clams, Thai seafood soup, scallop and prawn stir fried vermicelli noodles and sticky rice.

The hairy crab is covered in fried garlic which is lovely with the crab meat. It was the most expensive dish on their menu costing 200 HKD but so worth it. The crab is covered in batter and deep fried which makes you keep licking the shell. Damn, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The razor clams look so odd, almost like small pieces of bamboo that have been split open. They are coated in black bean sauce so go great with the rice. The meat in the clams isn’t the perfect oval we are used to so prepared to pull something stringy looking out of the shell. Don’t worry, it tastes better than clams.

Our favourite dish was the scallop and prawn stir fried vermicelli noodles. I for sure couldn’t stop eating it at all. The noodles we so light with a generous helping of scallops and prawns fresh from the sea.

The Thai soup had a different range of fresh and tangy flavours which you naturally associate with Thai food.

The food came to a grand total of 680 HKD between five people were we’re stuffed. Paying £13.60 each for the amount of fresh seafood we consumed feels like we were almost stealing.

If you don’t mind a tight squeeze in a charming local dine then definitely visit Crowd Restaurant.

Crowd Restaurant
14A Gresson St, Hong Kong

Asian, Chinese

Crystal Jade

May 29, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Something we have learnt about China is that there is NO CHINESE FOOD. What we mean by that is that there are 10 regional cuisines that make up Chinese food: Shanghaiese, Chui Chow, Hakka, Sichuan, Hunan, Fujian, Yunnan, Beijing and Xinxiang. There are a few more but these are said to be the most predominate here in China and Hong Kong. Each from a different region or a settlement. So we are being awfully abstract when we say we feel like ‘Chinese’ tonight.

We went to a lovely restaurant called Crystal Jade in Wan Chai. Shanghainese food from what we have found is a lot mellower and has a slight sweetness to it in comparison to your other Chinese regional cuisine. Noodle soups are a big thing but unfortunately as they has pork added to all their bases so I couldn’t have any. However, Elena and the rest of the crew ordered a pot of beef noodles and peanut noodles to start with. There were a number of condiments available to add flavour which is another process for eating Shanghaiese food.

The restaurant were kind enough to give me a bowl of plain vermicelli noodles so I could add condiments without the pork based soup so I was happy.

For main we ordered sweet and sour fish and steamed vegetables. The sweet and sour fish looked rather impressive. The flavours are a lot more subtle than that tangy and intoxicatingly sweet stuff we get in London. Usually chicken is the meat we would associate with sweet and sour dishes, but our local friends said that fish was actually the preferred choice in Hong Kong. The fish is deep fried and covered in the sauce. The meat just melts in the mouth and is delicious.

Crystal Jade is a nice and cosy place to eat with groups of friends. Seating is made up of booths and tables and it has a traditional yet modern look about it.

Crystal Jade

Shop 310, Tai Yau Plaza, 181 Johnston Road Wan Chai.

Asian, Chinese, Vegetarian

LockCha Tea House

May 28, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

So after our questionable Michelin experience at Tim Ho Wan yesterday we searched for another dim sum eatery and came across LockCha Tea House situated in Hong Kong park.

We hoped that our second experience of dim sum would settle the question of whether dim sum is really meant to be squidgy and wet or are the textures right from what we know of dim sum in London.

LockCha Tea House is in the stunning location of Hong Kong park with its iconic water feature and peaceful atmosphere. The tea house has a huge range of Chinese teas to offer for any palette. The waiters are always ready to assist you in making a selection which for novices like ourselves was a big help.

Once the tea is selected the waiters will perform a traditional tea ceremony ritual which we were in ore of.

Watching the gentle movements of the washing of the cup and the brewing of the tea brung a sense of calm which was a total disconnect to what Hong Kong is all about. Where ever you may go in Hong Kong to eat there is the feeling panic and a culture of service with no smile but service with a growl. The staff at LockCha are friendly and approachable and it was nice to have that western touch to service after being without it for three days.

The dim sum on offer is all vegetarian and there is only a small selection to chose from which makes life a lot easier when you think about the length of the menus you are usually subjected to in most restaurants in Hong Kong.

As you can see we pretty much had most of the menu and regretted NOTHING. We ate and ate and yet we felt so good eating it.

The dim sum was largely steamed and were all made up of fresh vegetables so it felt like we were eating uber healthy in comparison to the majority of the week.

This has been the best dim sum experience ever. Such a range of subtle flavours and textures added with the fact you can’t feel you arteries clogging up with oil just makes it a double thumbs up.

The dim sum wasn’t gooey or wet like at Tim Ho Wan and after having this dim sum meal we can now confirm that LockCha Tea House has the best dim sum in Hong Kong. Luck was on our side today as we didn’t even have to wait for a table, we had heard horror stories of wait times but we managed to get away with it. Luck of the British 🙂 Beware, LockCha Tea House do not take reservations so build in some time just incase you have to wait.

Whilst making a trip to LockCha make sure you spend some time looking around the Hong Kong park, it truly is lovely.

Calm, peaceful and the best dim sum we have tastes so far.

LockCha Tea House
Ground Floor, The K.S. Lo Gallery, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty, Hong Kong Park, Central, Hong Kong

Asian, Burger, Chinese

Little Bao

May 28, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

‘Been around the world, ayayayayaya, I can’t find my burger….’, UNTIL WE CAME TO HONG KONG!!!!

Fans, as you know we have been on a life long mission to find the best burger in the world and well we think we have found the best one (so far). The unusual thing is that it can be found in Hong Kong of all places in a little place called Little Bao in the Soho expat district.

Begone the brioche bun and hello the steamed bun!

Begone the pattie and hello pork belly or Szechuan chicken fillings!

It’s time for us to leave the UK and USA and embrace Asia.

Little Bao is a tiny diner style restaurant in Soho. Not really a big gathering kind of place as you will either be facing the wall or the kitchen.

The tunes were banging out funk, as chefs were flipping burgers to the beat. We were quickly talked through the menu and decided on four starters and a burger each.

This is one of those places that puts all it’s passion into food and good service. There are no frills to your dining experience, it’s stripped back to a plate, chopstick and a napkin.

We started meal off with Brussels sprouts, which you would think is an odd thing to find in Hong Kong. But with a sprinkle of fresh chilli, peanuts and fish sauce this could-be-boring dish was re-styled as a great starter with an Asian twist. We are definitely stealing this recipe for our next Christmas dinner.

Next up were Truffle Fries topped with fried mushrooms. We could smell the truffle oil even before they landed on our table, it was a truly moorish sharing platter. Give them a quick toss and tuck in! I’d choose those over cheesy fries anytime!

Hot chicken was a real show piece. I kick myself for not taking a photo of these drum sticks next to a bottle of coke for scale, but they were practically the same size. Giant succulent spicy drum sticks. The batter crust was almost caramel like, you had to tap it with your chopstick and like a creme brûlée, it would crack open to revel a very tender chicken meat.

Short-rib pan fried dumplings were yummy! Rib meat was minced and so tender with pasty light and crunchy. You’d think we had finished our meal, but no no no, we haven’t even got to the mains yet!

Bao, typical Chinese steamed bun, was warmed up on a stove before it took in ridiculous amount of stuffing. We tried their famous pork belly Bao, Szechuan chicken and beef.

Now this was the perfect burger. Flavours were delicate and extremely delicious. No ingredient was overlooked. Bao bun made it really easy to stuff in your mouth and in true burger style it was a messy affair.

We can’t recommend Little Bao enough, whether you are in Hong Kong for a week or a day please make time for Little Bao, as we guarantee it will be a meal to remember!

Little Bao

6 Staunton St. Central, Hong Kong.

www.little-bao.com

Asian, Chinese

Tim Ho Wan

May 27, 2015 Fork & Talk 2 Comments

Fancy Michelin starred food for less than a £15 for two???? Well head to Tim Ho Wan for apparently the best dim sum in Hong Kong. This cute place has been awarded with one Michelin star and well we couldn’t pass up the chance to tick it off our list.

The owner of Tim Ho Wan once used to be the head chef at the Four Seasons Hotel and was crowned the dim sum specialist. He then ventured out on his own to bring us Tim Ho Wan.

Turn over is quick and this is definitely not a fine dining experience so please be prepared to sit at Hong Kong train station for this dine. The clients are both locals and tourists which gives you a good idea of the buzz it has.

Ordering – You are expected to fill out the menu card to state what you want before you are seated and the dishes are brought to you as they are made. Expect bamboo baskets to fly across your face as the waitress are continuously running around cleaning dishes as you finish. It is not the most relaxed atmosphere.

Cheap it definitely is, we are just not sure what we think of it. The only reason we say this is that the textures are a lot different to what we know and it was all a bit too squidgy and slippery for our liking. However, saying that this could actually be how dim sum is meant to be, so we would like to try another dim sum place while we are here, to be able to safely say whether this is the best or not.

Saying all that, the food is lovely and we can recommend the beef meat balls and the fried prawn dumplings. The seafood dishes are definitely the ones that stand out.

We were not a fan of the bean curd as we found, too wet and tasteless.

We were later told the signature dish is the pork rolls, which unfortunately I was never going to have. Elena shed a tear as she never got to have them, so if you manage to have it then let us know what was missed.

Tomorrow, we will be going to LockCha Tea House for lunch so will compare and let you know.

Tim Ho Wan

Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station

Asian, breakfast, Coffee Break

Teakha

May 27, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

A trendy and kitch tea shop, Teakha really made an awesome tea experience this morning. Home blended teas and freshly baked cakes and pastries, this little sanctuary really put a smile on our faces as we took shelter for the code black torrential rain that swept across Hong Kong this morning.

We got to the tea shop at 11am to staff who happily told us their tea was not ready and their cakes hadn’t finished baking. One thing you will realise in Hong Kong is that they are not early risers and nor are they breakfast people so expect the start to the day to be slow. Usually Elena would have had a heart attack at the thought of being denied food yet as we saw they were brewing their own teas and were frantically mixing batters and shoving them into ovens, well we knew we were in for a treat.

The staff kindly allowed us to take shelter indoors while they finished and we shift through their menu. I ordered the Rose Tea which came with a frothy top, caramel drizzle and edible rose petals. The aroma is that of fresh rosa petals and the taste is just like sweet rose water. Will definitely try and make something like this at home. Elena ordered an aromatic black tea which was earthy in flavour and rich.

We ordered the most amazing cakes. Elena ordered a chai caramel brown which came straight out of the oven so was warm and gooey on the inside. I ordered a chamomile, buttermilk and custard tart which reminded me a lot of a traditional New York cheesecake, milky, light and airy. Delicious.

Beware, it is not a traditional tea house and is very modern. It is an expat hotspot as the flavours here are more for the western diner. This place is cute and stunning and we wish we could try the other things on the menu.

Two things Teakha made us realise were:

1. We should always pack a scarf or sweater as the air conditioning inside was freezing and that goes for all restaurants in Hong Kong

2. We really want to try a traditional Chinese tea house before we leave and obviously share those details with you

Teakha

Shop B, 18 Tai Ping Shan Road SOHO Sheung Wan.

Japanese

Sen-Ryo

May 26, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

Okay, so it’s our third meal and we haven’t got any closer to eating Chinese food yet. We keep being blinded by all these other kitch restaurants but we will be dining Chinese style for dinner for sure.

Having spent the afternoon browsing flower and bird markets in Mong Kok, we were too tired to travel back to Central for lunch. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try some sushi so we went with the first open restaurant we could find. You know how we love sushi!!!! Also, being a Street Fighter lover I went crazy at the association with Ryo “adooookin!”.

The interior is very traditional with soft lighting and dark wooden cladding everywhere. Seating is a mixture of booths and bar seating which is cosy. Something interesting we found out on our visit was they apparently Hong Kong is full of single female diners and so therefore a lot of the bar seating was actually designed for them. However, don’t be feeling sad for them, these are the Hong Kong power women that have amazing careers and have little time for social hang outs.

Sen-Ryo have a bit of an Argos approach to ordering food. You have a catalogue (menu) from which you select dishes from and you simply fill in the sheet and hand it to the waiter and wait for your platters to arrive. I think we have had some incredible sushi presentation in the past so the presentation was a tad disappointing. Though still nice and appetising. We had a selection of nice sushi offerings from tuna rolls to jumbo rolls (made with eel here so be careful as eel seems to feature a lot in the sushi of the orient). A must try is the fried egg which is comes in cubes taste like a sweet omelette. Another thing to recommend is the tuna sashimi which just melts in the mouth. Actually, saying that all the fish is just stunning and fresh, really makes you question what ‘fresh’ seafood actually is a home.