友情歲月古惑仔漫畫主題冰室 (尖沙咀)

I love theme cafes but it's rare for boyfriend to want to go to one. So, it was surprising when he mentioned he wanted to go here. The restaurant is themed after the comic 古惑仔 (English name: Teddy Boy). About a group of young triad members and their adventures. It was made into a popular series of movies starring Ekin Cheng.


The restaurant is located in Tsim Sha Tsui.




The bottom floor has a drawing of the movie characters.




The stairs have further drawings from the comic and leads you to the actual restaurant area on the second floor.







The restaurant has several drawings from the comic along with one area that talks briefly about the movie.




They even have an area showing memorabilia and the infamous chair.






They really went all the way with decor. The walls and tables all had drawings from the comic.







There was a vault on one side. This apparently held the VIP room if you want to do private gathering.




Menu is in English and Chinese. There is no 10% service charge. What they offer is typical cha chan teng items.

























They also offer a lunch menu. It comes with a drink. That is written in Chinese only.





We decided to order from the lunch menu. This is the char siu with egg over rice ($68). It was probably one of the most beautifully plate cha chan teng items I've ever had. Laid on a gold plate! Surprising of all, it was delicious! The egg was soft and fluffy. The char siu had the right amount of fat to meat. There was a generous layer of sauce underneath so the rice is fully soaked with it.





I had the beef stir fried rice noodles ($68). This looked very nice but it wasn't flavored enough.



The food was quite good and not slapped together.  Price was a bit more than the averge cha chan teng but then this is a theme restaurant. I'm quite impressed they put so much effort into the restaurant decoration. This is truly a great ode to the comic and definitely for fans. The place was filled with them as well. All of them taking photos.

After You Dessert Cafe (銅鑼灣)

After You Dessert Cafe is originally from Thailand well known for it's beautiful bingsu and pancakes.  However, they have now opened a pop-up cafe here in Hong Kong for a very short period of time. How short? Only two weeks! And thus, there is a LONG LONG line!

However, I got there just as it opened!  And there was no line at all! Only one person before me. Yep, dessert for breakfast! But just to let you know, when I left an hour later, a line  started to form! There is one line for dine in and the market. The other line is for take away only. So be sure to line in the correct one as it is long!




The front part is a mini market area where you can buy items. Some are local brands that are seen in a lot of places in Hong Kong. A bit disappointing to me.





However, they have one shelf of items from the After You Dessert Cafe. Biscuits and pancake mix along with other items like tote bags.




They also sell coffee items from Australian coffee shop Pablo & Rusty.






The back is the dine-in cafe area. It's really small.

They also have a fake fire place where you'll see loads of people trying to get a photo or selfie there.


Menu is in English and Chinese. There is no 10% service charge and you can pay with credit card unlike the info on Openrice.  You also must pay after you order. The pop-up doesn't offer the bingsu and the pancakes like the orignal shop. Instead you are offered cube toast and a cookie.




I had the seasonal item: an ice chocolate milk ($40). This was very chocolatey with lots of whipped cream. A chocolate Christmas tree was placed on top.




I also ordered the Baby Shibuya Honey Toast ($68). This was perfect for one. It came with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream along with a container of Shibuya honey syrup. Which is not 100% honey. Just sugar syrup mixed with honey. You can really tell from the taste as well.





The toast had a nice height. It was crunchy on the outside. The inside was soft and tearable. Tasting it without the honey, the bread was slightly sweet. 




Food was nice but not really worth lining up for.  But as it's only open for a short period, one can expect the only way to try this place is to queue up. Or just get there right when it opens.

KURI Cafe (九龍灣)

Hong Kong has many types of animal cafes: cats, dogs, bunnies even reptiles. And this one is  hedgehog cafe. Kuri Cafe is located in a small residential mall in Kowloon Bay that is not as fancy as Telford Plaza nearby.

But it was still pretty cute! There was a mascot of a hedgehog.




They even had some fairly nice looking products.


The cafe offers a viewing of real hedgehogs at allotted times. You must pre-book ahead of time and it costs $50. We didn't know and it was full so we couldn't see them.









The viewing area would happen here in an enclosed area.
As we couldn't  book a time slot, we decided to eat there anyways. Menu is in English and Chinese. There is no 10% service charge. They serve meals that include pasta or rice and choice  drink at a $28 discount.  Additional money can upgrade to get a salad, soup and ice cream. Ordering at the cashier and pick up the food when they call you. You also bring your own finished plates to an area for clean up when done.










They also have various desserts.





Boyfriend ordered an ice grapefruit tea. It was ok. Not too sweet with a bit of fruit taste.



I had the latte. It had a cute squiggle of a hedgehog on top. The coffee was not too bad. Smooth and quite strong.



This is the baked bolognese with cheese ($48). Portion here was a lot. It was pretty cheesy and sauce was rich though a bit oily. 



The other main we ordered was the spaghetti with garlic and shrimp ($58). This smelled very garlicky when it arrived. There was a good amount of shrimp that tasted very fresh. The pasta not al dente but at least not overcooked.




Overall, the food was ok and at this price, a fairly good deal. I wish we had prepared ahead of time to book a hedgehog viewing. Perhaps next time.

Animojo (中環)

I  love going to theme restaurants and animal related cafes. Especially cat ones. It's probably due to the fact I don't own a pet and  the place I live don't allow one. So, I spend my days mindlessly playing with other animals. But in Hong Kong there are so many cat cafes. There are a few dog ones and one rabbit cafe.  I heard there was a hedgehog one. Yet to find that one. But they are all cuddly and cute. Fuzzy and adorable. But what about those that love reptiles? Those creepy crawly things that make some squirm? Perhaps it's the closet goth in me, but I do find those fascinating. Snakes? Beautiful.


That is when I found that Hong Kong has a reptile cafe! You must be as shocked as I am. But it exists. In the middle of Central. Right across from Tai Kwun Cultural Arts Center! Yes, in the prime drinking area of Hong Kong exists a reptile cafe. And you don't even have to go up some building to find it. It's ground level.


I found it one day while walking to Tai Kwun. Photos, it said, was for diners only. Informing boyfriend about this curious place, we decided to pay it a visit one evening  for dinner. We wanted photos!


The restaurant exterior is decorated with various African animals and a few reptiles.

They even have a cute sign outside to beware of live animals.



The entire design of this place is so well thought out. Even the door entrance had their cafe logo which is quite cute looking.





The interior has tables on the sides. Glass cases that held the reptiles were in the middle and certain corners.  The cases were spacious and not cramped. Each held one or two reptiles so they have more than enough space. Each glass cage has a small sign explaining what the reptile is called, where it is from and what it eats. A truly educational experience!




Dotted on the walls are beautiful photography of various animals. Some photographed by the owner, Goatee Toni Kingston, the staff informed me. There are also items collected by the owner from his travels. The owner, Goatee Toni Kingston,  is a wildlife conservationist and presenter and owns Jurassic Garage.  A company that offers educational wildlife experiences for children, providing animals for filming and even professional snake removal.  They have been here since 2004! So, this is his cafe to exhibit his collection in a more accessible environment. After this experience, I've started to follow his social media footprint. He seems like a fascinating person!




However, there is a souvenir section where you can take pens, books and these awesome little guys!




Whenever I go to a cat cafe, I wonder if they are abused in anyway. If there is any sign of mistreatment. But from what I can tell, this place doesn't and it even has an explanation that this doesn't stress out the reptiles in any way. It seems the owner truly loves them all. I also found that the reptiles live in a private farmland in the New Territories so they will rotate the reptiles every so often for viewing! So, you get a new experience every time!


Photos are welcome as long as you do not use flash and don't tap the glass to grab their attention. Just let them be and with patience, you'll get some fantastic photos.  I'll show you the few of the favorites I took.


This iguana does what iguanas love to do best. Ignore you and sleep on.









This guy was my favorite!  It looked like a snake at first but it is actually a legless lizard! Sheltopusik from Russia. Also commonly known as a glass lizard for when it loses it's tail, it can break into pieces leading to a myth it shatters like glass. FASCINATIING! It breathed so strangely through this long slit that stretched along the length of the body.






And these guys! Giant Forest Scorpions from Malaysia.  These guys were found on the way to the washroom. A dark glass cage, there is a UV flashlight next to it. Turn it on and WOW! They glow in the dark! HOW AWESOME!




Reptiles  aside, this place does server food. Menu is in English and Chinese. As we were here for dinner, they had dinner sets. Sets include a drink, starter, main and daily dessert. Although this is not a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, they do strive to source all food with little impact on the environment. They even said the takeaway items were biodegradable. That's a lot of effort put in.






They also have a la carte for those don't want  a set.











They also have a kids menu as well.
The daily special is written on a blackboard in the back.


Boyfriend was a bit late arriving, so I ordered a latte ($42) while I waited.  The latte had beautiful latte art. The coffee smelled fantastic. A good balance of milk to espresso. Temperature was right. I was surprised. I was expecting a seriously good cup of coffee here. And here I was. A good cup of coffee! There was even a lovely buttery shortbread cookie to nibble on.







Once boyfriend arrived, we ordered. We decided on a la carte and the Hungry Snake Dinner Set ($368) as we've learned from past experiences in theme restaurants (and places in Central), portions are often quite small. Boy did we underestimate this place.

Yin Yang Fries ($58). They were called Yin Yang because they used sweet potato and potato for the fries. And these were really good. Crispy and perfectly seasoned. Not one was limp and soggy. These came with a chipotle ketchup and tartar sauce type mayo. Super good! Portion was generous as well.




Daily Cream Soup ($48). The daily soup was cream of corn. When it arrived I was a bit skeptical. Why was it so pale in color? But taking one spoonful, I was hit with the most intense corn flavor. It wasn't thick as usual cream soups are but it didn't need to be. It was rich tasting without the feeling of being too heavy. Portion was good and we could easily split this into two satisfying portions bowls of soup to share between us.



Crispy Berebere Spice Chicken ($188). They had a few African type dishes so we decided to give it a try. Boyfriend have had Ethiopian food back home in Seattle and the only thing I've had that was African was Peri Peri chicken and that was at Nandos which is  a chain restaurant. So, we tried something we never heard of.  This was really spicy! The heat just stayed with you but it was oddly only on the tongue and no where else. The chicken was tender though some parts were dry. But the spice mixture was fragrant though wow ... spicy.  It was laid on top of soft lentils and mashed potatoes. A truly filling plate of food.


The dinner set included a drink, starter, main and dessert for $368. There are good variety of choices to chose from.

Homemade Lemonade. This was really good though it had a hint of mint making the lemons a lot more fresh tasting. I also suspect they used something more than lemons. Perhaps calamansi? I'm unsure? It had a slight smokey taste that felt familiar but I couldn't quite place it.

Andaman Crab Casserole. This was a dip that came with a lot of toasted baguette slices and the starter from the set for one. And when I say a lot, I mean it was enough to eat all the dip! How many times have I gone to a place where they provide you dip but only give you what? 3 slices of something? And then you have either dip wasted or you finish the rest with a spoon? Finally a place that gives you not only enough stuff to dip in but the dip  The dip was amazing. Chunks of crab combined with stretchy cheese. This was for one person!


Outback Wagyu Beef Cheeks Stew Pot. This is the main chosen.  It came with what I thought was a small scoop of mashed potato but was I wrong! There was a lot of mashed potato in that bowl! It was crammed in.




The beef cheeks were soft and tender. Literally melted in my mouth. The carrots soaked in all the rich beefy sauce. And upon digging about, there were onions cooked so long it was sweet beyond comprehension. Portion here was more than generous.




Daily Dessert. The set included a dessert and this is the raspberry panna cotta. It was delicious. The raspberry puree on top was tart and balanced the richness of the panna cotta below. It was creamy and rich.



This is one of the most interesting restaurant in all of Hong Kong. The reptiles were fascinating. It was also educational as I did go home and look up what they were. Learning things I didn't know. The design of the restaurant was well thought out and detailed right down to even the door knobs in the washroom. It wasn't just slapped together like so many places in Hong Kong. And the food? How many times have I been to a theme or cat cafe where the food is not that good. Everything seems to be thrown into the restaurant decor or animals but  the food is just plain sad. And I expected that when we ordered food. I honestly felt it would be some sad slapped together sausages and toast and watery drinks. But wow .... the food was excellent. Portion sizes were generous. Not huge but not stingy. It's really all I ask when I go out for food. Just please give me an honest meal with (and I hate using this word) heart. I eat out a lot (as you can tell) and I have rarely come across a restaurant that honestly cared about what they served. This restaurant that not only cared about the animals but also the food provided to diners. I left feeling the owner wasn't here just to rip you off with some concept. And for that? This is one of my favorite restaurants this year so far. And  I will be back.

飛鷹餐廳 (深水埗)

During my father's generation, steaks were served on a hot sizzling iron plate. Served with vegetables on the side, it had to be sizzling. There was always a bowl of Western soup (either cream or borscht) and a fluffy sweet dinner roll. It was western in the eyes of Hong Kong back in the day.  This was fine dining. Now, these restaurants have dwindled away but they can still be found!


飛鷹餐廳 (English: Flying Eagle Restaurant) is one of these old style steakhouses. Entering the restaurant is like  blast from the past. It was also quite full on a weekday. There were a number of seniors there. Boyfriend and I were the youngest people in the entire restaurant!



Tables have table clothes with very old fashioned plastic place mats.


Menu is in English and Chinese but if you want the daily specials, that's  in Chinese. But those specials do not offer the sizzling hot plate of steak but old Hong Kong style pasta and rice. There is also no 10% service charge. Sets come with a coffee or tea.




As boyfriend wanted the sizzling steak, he received a dinner bun. It was big and really excellent. Nice and buttery sweet. I believe they make it themselves and not bought from some outside source like other places.




Boyfriend had the borscht soup. It was ok. Not as rich as Rose Kitchen but not too bad.





And then his sizzling hot plate of steak came. He ordered a tenderloin ($98) and chose a black pepper sauce. Unlike other places that offer the sizzling steak plate, they didn't pour the sauce at the table. Instead it was done at the kitchen and came sizzling to your table.  The steak was moist and tender. No detectable taste of baking soda to tenderize it. The sauce was rich but not too peppery. A lot better than Sweetheart Garden who has several branches across Hong Kong. And better than Golden Phoenix in Prince Edward. Yes, we've been to all the oldies because we love the hey days of yesteryear.  Fries and vegetables were not enough.




I ordered from the daily specials set and didn't get  a bun. But I did get soup. I chose the cream of chicken. It was like all the old styles ones. Just white cream with bits of chicken meat found throughout.


But I wanted this! Ox tongue spaghetti ($58)! I love old school ox tongue spaghetti. Portion was huge. Lots of sliced tongue that was super soft. Great tomato sauce with chunks of fresh tomato. Just like how my mom used to make it! All tasting like ketchup!

A great place if you want to reminisce on the past. The food was decent. Service was old school style. Don't expect much and don't expect apologies. Might be back!