D recommended "Sushi Mori" for dinner. So I hit it up on OR and found a couple of identically named restaurants. I booked this one, thinking it was the right one. But no, apparently D was referring to the one at Caroline Hill Road.

Took a bad risk. 

Environment:
Decent. There is a sushi counter with about 10 seats, and quite a number of tables for parties of 4+. We had a nice cubicle which comfotably seated a party of 5. It is not noisy (Sunday dinner). Nice, simple Jap furnishing. 

Service: 
Decent. Tea was filled reguarly. However, servers could have been better informed about the types of sashimi that were served. 

Food: 
Puffer fish jerky 
Yum. Just like any other meaty jerky, but less meaty in flavor...yeah. Accompanied by QP mayo, yumyum. Balanced sweet/savory marinade. 

Chopped fatty tuna rolls
Interestingly, the rice was brown. I think I prefer white pearl rice which is more chewy and..just suits sushi better. Not remarkable. 

Mackerel nigiri
I was too ambitious, not ready for this yet. The flavour was quite strong and fishy. I have yet to develop the taste for this fish. 

"Red meat tuna" nigiri 
Nice! But I didn't get why the rice is brown. I think the flavour was somewhat affected by the rice. I think the rice wasn't "sticky" enough. 

Tamago  
This tamago was like an eggy, dense sponge cake. It was more sweet than savory and more cake-like than egg-like. I did not expect it to be this way and I prefer the more traditional tamago. This would almost qualify for a dessert.

Unagi (eel) don 
Bad. The star of the show - eel - was extremely rubbery and much of it could not be eaten. It was slightly fishy as well - and didn't have the pleasant grilled flavour that I expected. I thought the sauce would be pretty standard fare but somehow this one managed to be sub par. The rice was well-cooked, but there wasn't enough sauce. I would never order this dish here again - if you want decent Unagi don, go to Sushi Kuu (Central M88). We had a much better experience there, consistently too. 

Stirfried bitter gourd + tofu + egg + pork
The bitter gourd was, honest to its name, bitter. It was mediocre. Can order. 

Stir fried mixed vegetables 
Excellent dish - a mix of cabbage, carrots, shimeji, enoki. Perfectly seasoned. Not too salty, cabbage was just the right crunch. So good that we ordered an encore.  

Grilled miso cod 
The grilled miso cod was well-marinated and tasted fine. The shallow fried veggies served alongside the fish were yummy too - sweet potato and yam(?). However, the fish was not oily enough which resulted in a slightly rougher texture. Sushi Kuu's was better. But this is fine - not bad.

Mixed sashimi 
Did not try - nor did I hear amazing reviews.

Wagyu + eggplant fry up 
Waaay too oily. Eggplant tasted good but was completely immersed in oil; the wagyu was tender and thick cut. I don't really fancy beef so this dish did not impress me. 

Grilled yellowtail collar 
Not bad - there was a fair amount of meat to be shared, and it was not fishy. Not outstanding - not a must-get. It is not on the menu though, so you must ask about availability. 

Oxtail skewers 
Did not try.

Chicken skewers 
This was quite yummy! The chicken was juicy, tender and the sauce drizzled on top was sweet with syrupy consistency. Recommended. 

Conclusion: 
I would visit another restaurant for dinner because what we had was not worth $500 pax. There are dinner sets that go up to $1800 pax...

This morning, I started craving that moreish corned beef and egg toastie. The last time I had it was four...five? years ago. Hence this entry will be a bit too long as I record my entire experience. Please skip to the last 2 paragraphs for the comment on the food. 

**
I happened to be around Wanchai in the afternoon so I did my due diligence and decided on this paritulcar "ice room". There are two identically named "ice rooms" adjacent to each other. I just picked one of them randomly and sat myself down at one of the small two-seaters. 

A middle-aged waitress, who was sitting with two other lady colleagues lazily at the adjacent table, chit chatting about...something, turned around and asked me what I wanted - about five seconds after I sat down. Sorry, I haven't had time to consider the menu yet. In fact, there wasn't even a menu at my table or on the walls near me. No surprises there - people who come here are assumed to already know what they want, becuase it is all standard "ice room" fare. However, being the rare visitor who is almost a foreigner to ice rooms, I politely asked for the menu. I did not wish to get on the wrong side of the maitre-d'. 
Truthfully, I did not actually need the menu to order what I wanted because I already knew what I wanted. I just wanted to check the prices, and see what offerings they had for afternoon tea. Turns out that they do NOT have an afternoon tea menu which, for an "ice room"/ "local tea house", is quite rare. 

"What do you want?" demanded the waitress, plonking herself on the opposite stool.

"Do you have the corned beef egg toastie?" I inquired casually, trying to sound as local as I could. Then, I asked myself - why? From their accent, I could tell that they came from across the border. To whom was I trying to prove my localness? and for what? Did I feel the need to assert my localness because I felt it was being threatened?? 

"Yes. Toasted?"

"Yes please. Could I have whole wheat bread?"

"No more! We stopped supplying it long ago!" 

Then why is it still on the menu?

"Oh, I see."

"Drink?"

I hesitated. I did not need a drink because I had water, which is my preferred beverage of choice.

She stood up, pen poised over her notepad, waiting. 

The pressure. I gathered myself and decided I wanted an iced drink because it was a sweltering 34 degrees outside. But...but...what goes best with a corned beef and egg toastie? Iced lemon water? Honeyed ice lemon water? Iced chocolate...?

"Drink?" she pressed. 

"Um...a horlick, please."

"Cold?"

"Hot." I said, without even realizing it. I admit that I was slightly distracted, busy surveying my surroundings and pretending to be as aloof as possible to the group of seedy-looking blokes 2 tables away. 

She scribbled something, ripped off a small, brown note from her pad and dropped it on my table. It was my bill. She then sauntered out of the door and presumably into the adjacent store, where the kitchen was located. 

In less than 5 minutes, she returned with my food and drink and set it in front of me. Without a word, she returned to chitchatting with her sistaaas. I understood not a word of what they were saying, but I did not care. The object of my interest was in sight, and it was mine to devour. Although I was not provided with any utensils, and there was no parchment paper wrapped around the sandwich, and there were no napkins, I picked up the sandwich and took a large bite. 
**
Corned beef and egg toastie
I am not crazy about it because: too salty (although very moreish), too oily (hence very filling) and the bread was limp albeit toasted. Also, for some reason the sandwich wasn't hot. -_- The beef + egg fry up was a tad dry, and wasn't fluffy. The bread was too thin therefore did not cut the saltiness of the filling. 

It's just not my thing. Maybe it's a good toastie by normal standards. But I would not go back for it. Maybe a plain egg sandwich next time. The hot horlick drink was average- very sweet, a very generous heap of horlick powder, and I love the taste of horlick, so. 

Conculsion:
A local favorite for sure, but not a personal go-to for lunch. Maybe once in a blue moon. 

Queued up at the dine-in store for 1.5 hrs... just to learn right before we were seated that they ran out of mochi (both flavours), all parfaits, and hojicha flavored ice cream for the shaved ice bowl. 

Therefore we surrendered our stub and headed here instead. It is a 5-minute stroll away from the dine-in store. 

I got this "parfait" for $53:Consists of:
- 1/2 c. matcha + hojicha soft-serve swirl ice cream;
- 2 glutinous rice balls;
- ~1 tbsp. sweetened, grainy red bean "paste"; 
- 1/2 c. sweetened rice puffs (crisp, and quite sweet) 

Matcha/hojicha ice cream. D observed that the taste of the two were practically indistinguishable. In other words the matcha wasn't strong enough. The whole thing was on the sweet side and rather milky - like any mcdonalds vanilla soft serve. Not the most impressive matcha ice cream in town. 

Glutinous rice balls - disappointingly, one of mine was undercooked and around a quarter of it was quite raw and tough. Properly cooked, they would have been quite moreish, chewy, sticky, with a mild floury (why?) taste. 

Grainy red bean "paste": tooooooo sweet. Not a fan at all, but because matcha and red bean are a classic combination, they were put together. Would have preferred it a little less sweet. 

Sweetened rice puffs: i liked the fact that they were very crisp. In terms of what it's not: Rice Krispies, kamut puffs, rice puff, cheese ums, cheese sticks. Nope, each grain is a rugby-shaped nugget of sweetness. It is light but not airy. Crisp but not crunchy. Best eaten smeared with ice cream, or, when the ice cream melts slightly and coats the rice puffs. The texture is great. Like milk and cereal - sugary version of comfort food. 

Conclusion: 
Overall, not bad, but not outstanding. Definitely will not make a deliberate trip across the harbour just for this. As for a quick matcha ice cream fix - head over to The One - there's a cafe serving 15%, 25%, 40% and 50% matcha ice creams. Now that was a winner.

This is one the most pleasurable dining experiences I've had in HK in 2016 (granted, I've only been present in HK for less than a month in total).

Environment:
The restaurant is located inside a mall so...don't expect the authentic al fresco dining experience but at least the outside seating reduced the noise levels. Btw I dined at the corner table (sits 5) of the peripheral circle. You could request the same. 2 chairs + 1 u-shaped sofa to sit 3 comfortably. A merely decorative umbrella protrudes from the center of the dining table.

Service: 
Excellent. Loved all 3 waitresses who attended to us. They were friendly, agreeable and helpful. Also gave you a feeling that you were being taken care of. 

Food:
But...but...the star of the show is...the food! 

Menu: any 2 courses: $235; any 3 courses $275 (supplements required for specified dishes)

Lobster Bisque A well-seasoned lobster bisque, intensely fresh, lobstery, and the consistency was just right - not too thick, but not watery at all. The consistency was similar to that of a proper Borscht soup served at Czarina's, or Queen's cafe (not the watery type). Even my mother who is a picky eater had high praise for this. Recommended. 

"Colossal" Crab cakes I ordered this. I love crab cake. This one was just the right size for me, with a substantial amount of real and fresh crab meat, with a crunchy panko exterior and a soft, moreish interior. It tasted delicious. The seaweed butter medallaion on the top added to the creaminess and the small side salad dressed with a light vinagrette helped to balance out the full, rich flavor. The only improvement I could think of is a reduction of the thickness of the crust, because it is slightly bready and too "crunchy" for a crab cake, which I think requires a katsu-like lightness. However, the flavor was perfect. Highly recommended. 

Saint Maure Salad - goat cheese, haricot verts, cherry tomato, walnuts, red wine vinegar Tried just a bite. Not a big fan of goat cheese although it wasn't too pungent. Mediocre. 

Escargot Bourguignon - sauteed snails, persillade, brioche Dad said . I did not try the escargot itself but scraped off some of the sinful garlic butter, which was, buttery, garlicky, and delicious. I tried not to think about how I was, practically, shamelessly, eating butter. Mmm.

Steamed Sole Fillets  - mushroom duxelles mousse, parsley veloute, straw potatoes I ordered this, and finished 101% of it. This is what made my day, my month. First, I have never had this dish before. Second, don't be deceived by the word "steamed" and think tasteless, bland old peolpe's food. Think fresh, perrrrfectly salted / seasoned, tender, sous vide style fish fillet stuffed sandwiching a delicious mushroom mousse. I wish I took a photo of the cross-section of the fillet, but it tasted too good and I just couldn't think of anything else while ploughing through my entree. 

Must-order while it's still on the menu. Must order. 

Parsley veloute helped add some herby flavor to the fish, making it even more amazing. Straw potatoes added texture - basically a thin french fry, very crisp. 

Perfect dish. Can't stop raving about it. I would have this again anytime.

Cote de Porc The pork was perfectly cooked - juicy, tender in the middle, slightly pink, but seared well on the outside. Nicely seasoned. Apple is always a good complement to pork but I would have preferred something like applesauce as opposed to cubes of cooked apple, because applesauce spreads more easily. Maybe a combination of both elements on the dish would have been perfect. Recommended.

Bouillabaisse (+$50) Lacklustre. Portion too small, and flavour unremarkable - not too fresh. It was surprising because I thought, given the outstanding lobster bisque, it would not be unreasonable to expect amazing things from this dish as well. 

Not recommended. 

 Grilled grass-fed Australian steak (+$200 for two)This is for 2 men. This is a colossal piece of meat. I have no comment because I am not seasoned consumer of steak. I just know that the whole thing was ravenously inhaled by 2 men. When I picked at the meat hanging from the bone, I found that it was very oily and greasy, with a deep smoked/ grilled flavour, which I love (I love anything that's charred). The triple-cooked hand cut chips were...yummy. And so was that barnaise sauce. I think...if you like beef, you would love this. Cooked medium rare. 


Chocolate Fondant when it arrived.No surprises here, just a regular molten lava chocolate cake. Chocolate was slightly on the sweet side, and the vanilla ice cream was, regrettably, not creamy enough. 

Crepe Suzette Not bad. But, not remarkable. This one was slightly overcooked and a little bit thicker than I would have liked. The orange sauce wasn't alcoholic enough and a tad too sweet, so were the candied orange peels. But - all in all - it is not too bad. I think this would be a good choice to end the meal, coz it's very French, and is not too heavy. Liked the citrusy end.

Chocolate cigars for fathers  These were complimentary, and very unappealing. Far too sweet, basically chocolate-covered chocolate ganache. 

Conclusion: 
Will definitely be back for the highlighted items. Their lunch menu is almost identical and also at the same price..curiously. But but. I will be back. 

Sole fillet, don't get switched out yet, pretty please. I want you in my belly one more time.

I have been to Brunch Club a couple times in the past. Their quality is standard brunch fare that is consistently up to par. Things that I ordered before ranged from the mushroom risotto to eggs benedict, from salads to apple pie / tiramisu. Yet this time I made a new and pleasantly surprising discovery. 

DID YOU KNOW...
That they have a $85 deal consisting of: 
- x2 eggs, your style 
- bread (english muffin, croissant, whole wheat...) 
- 3 sides (includes protein, veggies, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, fruit, side salad, fruit salad...lots to choose from)?As you can see, I ordered 2 poached eggs, english muffin, smoked salmon, sauteed mushrooms, and a side salad. You might also notice that there is no hollandaise sauce (which I care little for) - but if you really want some, you can have some for an additional fee ($15, i think) You can pick any combination. They can all be protein. You can also add a fourth item for another extra fee (around $15-$25). 

Smoked salmon was std, muffins were std, salad was std, mushrooms were a little juicier and tastier than I imagined and the portion was quite generous. 

So there. Next time you feel like ordering eggs benedict (san hollandaise sauce) with a bit of variation, choose this $85 deal. Note: the $85 deal doesn't come with hash brown or side salad. It will be considered one of the "3 sides". 

Service:
Was great. Some staff do not speak cantonese. C and I sat there for a good 3 hours and nobody hustled us away, nor did anyone ask if we "wanted coffee" or "cared for a slice of cake". Sweet.

I'm missing Jap food so bad but my wallet has been pretty thin lately so...we picked Ootoya for an economical and reliable choice, and tucked right in. 

Since all the regular tables were full, we were given 2 seats at this secluded counter. All the better, because it was much quieter, and we could watch the chef cook (tamago). I wonder if you could request a seat here. 

After carefully inspecting ever offering on the menu, I decided NOT to order one of my all-time faves, but picked something I'd never had before......which I will never have again. Nope, I'm not a convert yet wrt natto. My friend Y, who is Japanese, informed me once of the benefits of eating these slimy things (including grated yam, okra, natto, and seaweed). Improves the blood vessels or something. Maybe that's why Japs are all so healthy and live so long. But. I...natto...no. 

None of the elements are particularly flavorsome. On top of a generous serving of pearl rice (yay!!) sits boiled okra, lightly seasoned cooked seaweed, shredded nori, natto, a blob of slimy grated yam, and a raw egg plopped in the middle. No seasonings whatsoever. It was as bland as anything. Given that I don't like raw egg (which I removed before diving in), there really wasn't much flavor to my bowl. So I liberally applied this sweet soy sauce on my don, which improved the taste slightly. For those who don't care for slimy food at all... stay away, because that's the sensation in every bite. Even your lips become gluey and sticky.

The good thing about this meal is the alleged health benefits. That's why I brought myself to finish almost everything. And it was surprisingly filling! Bland, flavorless lunch except the slightly putrid natto...even if it's traditional and authentic, me boat no float.

Conclusion:
Will return to Ootoya for other dishes, which are pretty decent. Glad I tried something new though.

Website: www.maureen.com.hk

Limited seats (12 normal + 8-10 at the bar), therefore reservations are recommended, just in case. However, the restaurant was pretty empty when we visited. 

Environment:
It is a long and narrow restaurant in an old and narrow building situated in the middle of a short and crowded street. It's nestled among auto-repair shops and as such, an unexpected occurrence in that part of Wanchai. You have to be highly intentional. There is another chic bar, TLF, along the same alley, which sends off pleasant vibes and easily allures unsuspecting visitors. Stay focused. 

D and I sat right at the entrance. It was chilly whenever the door opened. D had to put on a coat. 

Service:
OK la. I was on crutches and the waitress offered to store them in the back room while I ate. All smiles and helpful. There is a pitcher of lemon-infused water at the table with 2 glasses so they don't have to serve you. 

Food:
D and I shared. After skimming through the menu, D asked jokingly whether I would be ordering the vegetarian noodles. Hahaa. Seriously. That was surely a strong contender but D easily convinced me that we should get the salmon and duck instead, to share. 

Smoked crab with truffle potato noodles $78 This could've been very delicious IF the crab had been smoked to my liking AND the truffle flavour much stronger. The way the crab is currently smoked is...kind of unpleasant. As if you were eating the crab smoked with some nasty cigarette smoke. However, the crabmeat was not stale, and was quite cold and juicy. I enjoyed the texture of the potato noodles though - quite unexpected, but the texture is equivalent to some "tudou" dishes I had before in the mainland. I looked up Maureen's (presumably the owner and the namesake of this resto) blog and here's what she says about potato noodles (and I quote): 

"The texture of potatoes is very interesting because of the starch content, it is very soft when baked. Yet when we remove the starch from the potato, the texture is completely different, transforming itself from a mash like texture to a crunchy vegetable." 

(http://www.maureen.com.hk/2012/06/potato-noodles_23.html)

Truffle flavour could've been much more intense. There wasn't enough truffle paste mixed into the noodles. Maybe a drop more truffle oil. 

So, all in all, I didn't really enjoy this dish, due to lack of flavour and presence of unpleaseant smokiness. 

Charred vegetables - chinese kale / choy sum $58 First, I must declare my unnatural affinity towards all vegetables (without exception). Chinese kale (kai lan) is also one of my favorites, so...I would've liked it prepared any way. Charred kale was a first though! But that's not the main point. The star of the show is a brown paste/sauce which tasted like the essence of instant noodles. You're thinking MSG-unhealthy-artificial-salty-howcanthatbeyummy-butwaitidoloveinstantnoodles!! now. So...yes, it was fingerlicking good - but, just a light smear of the paste is sufficient to excite your tastebuds. Any more - and it'll be waaay too salty. Admittedly, the paste itself is extremely salty, but it's yummy. Consume in moderation and you'll be fine. 

So good when eaten together with the kai lan. Really. My brain is watering just thinking about it. D, my friend, enjoyed them equally. However, we did not fight over the last few pieces coz I shoved them into my mouth shamelessly, without inviting her to share. D can come back anytime she wants. I can't. 

Personally I think charred kai lan will taste better than charred choy sum because kai lan is firmer and doesn't wilt as easily as choy sum - giving it a pleasant crunch even when grilled.

I could have this every single day, for every single meal.   

Sous vide salmon + spinach noodles (spicy) + homemade Chinese soup $110  Sous vide salmon is overrated, imho. I have a sous vide baton at home (thanks bro) and after cooking my salmon fillet at precisely 52 degrees for 20 minutes, I held that limp, nothing-smelling piece of semi-cooked fish in my hand and thought: really needs some color and flavour. So I ended up firing up my pan and giving it a good sear on both sides, yeah baby! (fyi, I removed the skin before sousvide and pan-seared it separately. Nobody appreciates slimy skin!)

This one by Maureen - the fillet itself was quite fresh I believe - it's the method that ruined the dish. There was something off with the flavour as well actually. There was a slightly sour, citrusy taste...which would've been great on a piece of seared salmon, but somehow it did not work with this half-cooked version. It lacked flavour and the texture was almost mushy. Also, too much white fat that hadn't been rendered out..the slimy skin didn't redeem the dish either. If they sear the fish for 1 minute on each side after sous vide...it might be more appealing.  

All in all, disappointing - would not order again.

Duck leg in plum sauce + nooodles (spicy) + homemade Chinese soup $99 This, on the other hand, was stellar!! 5 stars! 6 if I have one extra! The texture, flavour, seasoning was perfect. Very generous serving. It was duck leg cooked in fat, but not confit style, because the skin was still moist. Extremely tender and juicy, very flavourful - a soy/sweet plum marinade. There should be some pear/apple in the marinade, which was served alongside the duck. The fruit was very crunchy. It's either snow pear or a crunchy apple. If you like strong, bold flavours, you gotta try this duck. Further, eating the noodles together with a scoop of duck jus is heaven. 
You can read more about a similar recipe here: http://www.maureen.com.hk/search/label/duck

Would order this again. Highly recommended. 

The noodles - topped with braised mushroom, pea shoots, shredded turnip / carrot, sesame oil (foam) 

Spinach noodles (w/ spice)

2

Spinach noodles (w/ spice)

D ordered plain, I went for the spinach ones. The noodles are also delightful. It seems to be a cross breed between Northern Dan Dan noodles and Southern wonton noodles: http://www.maureen.com.hk/2012/04/noodle-bar_17.html

The sauce used for tossing the noodles are a special and fragrant shallot sauce (absolutely delicious): http://www.maureen.com.hk/2012/11/noodle-sauce.html

The restaurant uses a sesame oil in foam form, for all the right reasons. See here: http://www.maureen.com.hk/2013/08/sesame-oil-foam.html. It is delicous when mixed in with the noodles. You really won't be left with a whole pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl. Makes you feel somewhat less guilty. 

Oh, you must ask for the spicy sauce (which is served on the side). It's a szechuan kind of spiciness - a bit goes a long way. 

Conclusion:
D and I finished almost everything, which says a lot about the food (and our appetites). At least I downed my entire bowl of noodles. Oh...so fat, so full.....so good.

Will definitely go again for the charred VEG, noodles, and the other slow-cooked meats on the menu. There is a dinner special priced at $200 which gives you a taste of...4 items? 

Quick summary: I might lunch here every single day if I could (note: I am a diehard veggie fanatic!!). 

Environment:
Very packed. No privacy. Wooden tables and chairs. Elbow to elbow. Small table top. Very noisy during lunch hour (even on a Sunday, because church-goers from Island ECC might make their way here!!). 

Service:
Home-style, friendly, easy-going, not pushy. They'll gently inform you that ordering tea costs about as much as ordering a special drink (yuzu tea?) so you might as well go for the latter. 

Food:
CAUTION: rather large portions. 
Set lunch of tender, melt-in-the-mouth 7-hr slow-cooked pork cartilage

7-hour slow cooked pork cartilage lunch set - This is melt-in-mouth heavenly. Intense flavou rs and moreish. Must try! ... $ 70

1

7-hour slow cooked pork cartilage lunch set - This is melt-in-mouth heavenly. Intense flavou rs and moreish. Must try! ... $ 70

MUST TRY. This pork cartilage dish is to die for!! Positively amazing. The meat was so tender, juicy and flavourful. Not one single bite was drab, dry or disappointing. You could tease the meat apart with your fingers. The delicious dark sauce coating the chunk of meat is delicious when mixed with white pearl rice. I cannot get enough of this dish.

14-type of vegetable salad (with peanut/sesame? dressing) ~$65Absolutely delightful. the 14 types of veg include - pumpkin, asparagus, red onion, courgette, lotus root, carrot, mushroom, green beans, potato, sweet potato, tomato, cauliflower, broccoli...not sure what the last one is. There is no magic to this dish - fresh, organic ingredients simply sauteed and doused in a generous drizzle of a yummy sesame/peanut-based dressing. The peanut sauce is quite tart and might be home-made. It's a bit thicker than the usual sesame dressing you get at most Jap restaurants, and is deeper in flavour. Sort of like a roasted sesame dressing with some sweet&sour sauce added. Those who are not too fond of vegetables would not be impressed. However, you are sure to benefit from the nutrients embodied in this dish! 

15-type warm vegetable set lunch (with peanut/sesame? dressing) ~$70? This dish is a variation of the above dish. The vegetables are simply steamed and there seems to be...no oil at all in the veg! Very wholesome and healthy. I asked for dressing on the side. The set comes with a large bowl of boiled pearl rice so yummy (you can ask for half portion) and a vegetable-based consomme. Note that the veggies also come in Jap curry sauce, which I eyed enviously as the adjacent table lapped up the delicious curry sauce with the veggies. 

Conclusion:
Need I say more? So many more dishes I want to try. I will be back. 

This is another one of those newly opened chic eateries trying to do a modern twist on traditional cuisine. Sometimes it works. Sometimes. 

Environment:
A long, rather narrow dining room, open kitchen, half-filled with high tables (uncomfortable seating). There are a couple seats directly facing Aberdeen St and it is rather unpleasant becuase of the noise. We sat close to the entrance as well so..it was rather distractingly noisy. There's a long table at the back of the room, right next to the loo. Not very pleasant either and extremely packed. All in all not a particularly comfortable space. Would probably want to leave after all the food is cleared from the table - not good for long deep conversations. 

Service:
Below par. Water refills weren't timely. Although the waiters were polite, they weren't particularly helpful. 

Food:
The main problem with the food...is that there isn't much variety. The menu is a one-page affair with some variations on basic staples...disappointingly homogeneous!

Spicy kimchi pancakesI'm not a big fan of spicy food so I didn't really enjoy these pancakes. However, in terms of texture, the topmost later was quite crisp - and the middle was quite pasty. The crisp layer was very, very thin...too thin. Overall, too doughy, *floppy*, and too spicy for me - I wanted to taste more green onion. 

House bibimpbapJust a very average bibimbap. Nothing much to say. 

Brown bossam pork bellyAccording to Moyo's Fb - this dish is "Stir fried outside then steamed in bean paste broth for two hours, with green shallots and rocket kimchi". The pork belly was tender but you need to add sauce to make it tasty. Also, omitting the fat, it's not really enough for 4 girls to share. Portions are somewhat small. 

Tofu saladAgain, what you see is what you get and there's nothing special about this salad - tofu, lotus crisps and bettroot crisps, greens...doused in a failsafe sesame dressing. Not impressive at all and wouldn't go for this again. 

Conclusion:
Perhaps we should've tried the kimchi disco fries or the carbonara rice cakes, which seem to be the more popular items here. However, I am not minded to return. So we'll leave it at that. Also, the four of us left feeling extremely unsatisfied and basically ended up at another resto.

Perhaps it would be better to come solely for the speciality items - and fill yourself up with a bowl of fishball noodles prior to or after the visit.

Pizza cravings are not so easy to satisfy. Nice pizzas are not easy to come by. Personally I prefer thin(ner), crunchy on the edge, solid cursts. Personally most things taste better with mushroom/truffle. Personally I don't prefer very cheesy pizzas. And personally I don't like greasy pizzas. 

Environment:
The space is small and you can only order takeaway. The waiting space is also quite limited. But you probably won't have to wait any longer than 5 minutes for your order, so it's fine. 

Food:Large size: 22" x 10" 
Personal size: 7" x 10" Don't miss the lunch combos! Regrettably, their salads are pretty minimalistic - not a very good deal at all.  Truffle pizza (with mixed mushrooms, truffle mayo, runny egg, rocket) $98
D and I order this to share. This size is pretty perfect (more filling than I imagined actually) for two girls. Close-up:This truffle pizza hit all the right spots. The truffley aromas and flavours were intense. The truffle cream worked even better than truffle shavings in bringing out the distinctive, earthy taste. The mushrooms were fat and fragrant. There was a moderate layer of soft, mild melting cheese. Peppery rocket works great with mushrooms of course. And the raw egg cracked on top of the pizza right after it came out of the fiery furnace was quite delightful. I usually do not eat raw eggs (and have a particular aversion towards raw egg yolk), but since the crust was quite dry, the runny yolks made each bite pleasantly moist, almost juicy, in a good way. 

The pizza base is not Neapolitan style. The crust is quite dense, like a thick pita bread which does not yield to the weight of the ingredients it carries. There is a solid crunch when you bite the edges. It is not crisp. It is satisfying and delicious. 

Conclusion:
All in all, pretty darn delicious, although slightly on the steep side. Thanks D for accommodating my fungal cravings - will most certainly be back!