The buzzing sound of the electronic coffee mill grinding the house blend into fragrant powders. The flicking of a switch turned powdered coffee into liquid darkness, topped with a thick layer of beige crema. The "sss...sss..." sound of steam tunnel heating and foaming the milk at the same time. With magical twists and turns of the hand and wist movements a perfect cup of coffee is created. The aromatic beverage that can fix everything from holiday mood to blues of solitude.

Latte art, recently highly recommended as an edible art form, depends on the artistry of the barista. Here at Soft Aroma the art takes the cutest forms constructed above milk form -- the face of a piflet topping a Caffe Mocha, while a cartoon frog atop a simple caffe Latte. Art aside, Soft Aroma is cozy with chocolate brown tables set against chestnut brown sofa and chairs to match. On one side of the bulletin showed news clippings while lomo shots and post-it notes show of words of encouragement and compliments from others.

Unlike Fuel at IFC focusing on the lethal combination of coffee and jazz, Soft Aroma is gearing towards the Classic Rock and Soft Pop music as familiar melodies ring through the room from Joanna Wong to Norah Jones. The minutes tick by yet there is no sign of any clock anywhere, nor should there be. Time, afterall, is for those who are in a hurry, so unfittingly ironic at a cafe where people are supposed to relax and unwind with a warm mugful of coffee in their hands, leaving out the hustles of daily life at the front porch where smokers can huff away their troubles outside.

Caffe Latte ($23) is textbook perfect, with one shot of espresso topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of milk foam. It is soft and delicate to the touch and goes down easy without the stinging sour aftertaste. Caffe Mocha ($25) takes latte with a chocolate twist, but unlike other mochas with a dominating chocolate part, here chocolate and coffee are well balanced, and the creaminess of steamed milk offsets the two strong flavours. Caramel Aroma ($25) is a sweeter version of coffees with a darker caramel taste lurking beneath an otherwise simple latte. It's like a drinkable dessert, I think.

Here, coffee lovers savour the moments as sweet and satisfying as the coffees can get, the soft aroma arises everytime an order is placed, with a mixture of pungency and welcoming familiarity not easily created at home. Yes, it is as much ambience as the coffee that make a good cafe run. Soft Aroma's coffees may be focusing on sweet variations of the original, but the essence of chilling a bit during a quick escape from the lives of many who "bust their bottoms" is delicated and effortlessly captured here.

Having finished my coffee and writing this on the premise, I looked out the glass from the inside. Workers unloading boxes after boxes on an ordinary weekend morning, stores pulling up metal gates ready to open for the day. Passers-by smile as the warm sun shines into their hearts, kicking out the blues from repeated days of rain. It shines on me too, as I walked up welcoming the sun in open arm. Now how's that for a good morning, with the joy of a perfect coffee pastime!

試新店有趣的地方是很多時候新店的食客未算太多, 可以很店主交流一下, 有問題可以問, 又有時店主會分享個別"小故事"等等.早前看著這裡開了, 午市人山人海的, 心想OR應該早有食友光顧了, 是日到來, 連食家蔡瀾的相片都登上了. 坐在比較擠的店子裡, 看餐牌見有"金牌撈麵", 有十多款配料可選5款. 店主見我還未選好, 主動跟我說原來"任選5款"的食客指定的, 其實如果選不了, 可以"每樣要d". 好多時唔係menu 上面就少d人問咁話...

先端上一碗熱湯, 蒸氣帶著濃郁的豬骨和雞的香味. 湯是現煲現賣的. 用上了豬骨和雞, 加上比較西式的甘筍和西芹煮成. 味道幾濃, 湯裡的白蘿蔔清甜腍軟, 另有一隻餃子, 原來是此店的另一招牌菜. 相片中的就是蔡瀾一口氣清了一碗8隻餃子. 肉餡用了新鮮剁碎的豬肉, 混合了娃娃菜包起的. (另有白菜/韭菜). 餃子沒有一般的鹹, 在清淡中更有"homemade"的感覺.

撈麵上的時候擺得很美, 樣樣餸料放滿一碟. 幾乎是看不到麵的. 店主見我吃辣, 特地拿來自家製的四川辣椒油. 用的是最辣的辣椒炒成, 當他說開店至今未有人能把四川辣椒油吃完, 對嗜辣的我急不及待試試. 數一數配料, 一共有10樣, 雖然各款只有一件, 但深信"貴精不貴多"的我當然沒有介意. 魚蛋, 墨魚丸, 和"鮑片" 都是夠味的, 鹵水雞翼和冬菇同樣都炆得夠腍, 軟熟並且入味, 只是唔太夠熱. 煎釀3寶(茄子, 青椒, 豆卜)煎得幾香脆, 魚肉亦有點點的果皮香. 牛腩是出色之作, 炆的時間長但沒有散開成為"牛腩碎", 而且柱侯醬味幾濃. 榨菜肉絲是全部配料中最濃味的. 只吃榨菜有點鹹, 但配上麵則是剛剛好.

撈的麵我選了粗麵, 做得是沒有楊記麵家的"薄"且帶點脆, 但此店的麵質的確不錯. 配麵的汁亦是經調味過的甜豉油. 不經不覺辣油已一點點給吃下了. 其實也是因為吃慣了麻辣才不覺得辣度有升級吧! 臨走前店主特地給我試試"金牌撈麵"上沒有的豬手. 也是入味腍滑之作, 跟店主約定了, 下次來試豬手麵和餃子, 配上另一'自家製品'的四川泡椒.

另有酸辣粉供應, 用的是米粉, 並非紅薯粉. 而配料則有不常見的金針, 雲耳和酸菜等. 舖面座位不多, 外賣亦是好的選擇,

是日又回到銅鑼灣找吃的, 在"八八八"和"一平安"之間想了很久. 終於決定去從未去過的前者. 午市並不多人, 來到的時候剛剛一點,竟然是不用等位即時入座. 午餐要了兩個--各自一碗拉麵配一個小型的飯. 我點了鹽味拉麵+鰻魚飯, 朋友則點了豬骨拉麵+咖哩飯.

午餐並不見到有人要 a la carte, 連餐牌都只是一張的午餐而已. 食物來得很快, 五分鐘左右飯先上桌. 咖哩飯是碟頭上的, 白飯旁的咖哩伴著一堆醃製的薑. 咖哩味道較淡, 汁亦比較稀. 掛不上飯粒. 薯仔煮得幾腍的. 鰻魚飯的份量多一點, 2片的鰻魚似是從微波爐加熱完端上的 -- 肉質很腍, 不似是燒過的, 但不會過鹹, 這點是可取的.

拉麵來的時候熱呼呼的. 先來的鹽味拉麵湯底不算濃, 但配菜中有我喜歡吃的筍條. 也算不錯的. 豬骨湯麵是較令人失望的, 湯底不如'一平安'的濃滑. 麵亦煮過頭了, 有點腍. 配菜大致上相同. 但整體相比之下還是鹽味拉麵較優勝.

"八八八拉麵"的店子不算大, 座位有點擠, 不像"一平安"的寬落和舒適. 但勝在不用等位. 而且價錢相宜, 不過下次想吃更好的豬骨湯底拉麵, 還是會先到樓上"一平安"去...

Don't you just love the ideas of trends coming and going -- Stockmarket trends fashion trends, food trends...etc. While thinking you can only go so far with the crunching numbers or the mixing and matching along the lines of the little black dress, food trends are more variant in terms of the type of change you can have...consider the quintessence of raw materials being prepared by a group of men and women in white chef's jackets -- in the kitchen that is. BURGERS, an American staple, has never gone out of style or off the culinary radar of many throughout the years. PRO-BURGER of Central, is joining many in the quest to revamp the ultimate classic for the American style of generosity.

"Follow your nose" is my advice locating Pro-Burger. The familiar smell of hot grease on hot plate will lead you to a tiny 5-seat joint, with kitchen occupying one side and stools on the other. No staff in freshly starched white uniform, (but they do wear baseball caps), but they are too busy multitasking between flipping burgers, toasting sesame-flecked buns and frying potato wedges. I heard of a burger with a 300+ gram patty. Upon seeing the picture, I was determined to try just exactly how PRO this burger joint could be.

Staffing is adequate as orders crunch in the cash machines faster than the burger flipping acts -- char, flip, cover, and char some more. The clinking of the metal spatulas sounded slightly familiar with the Japanese Teppanyaki, only in a rather foreign rustic way. A promising splash of hot fat arise as potato wedges sink deep with a sizzle. When the wedges emerged again they have a golden brown coating, followed by an intoxicating aroma of starch fried in hot grease.

The burger arrived promptly enough, so disproportionately large and dripping with fat, accompanied in the burger by crisp lettuce and deep red tomato slices. The halved burger, pictured here, is too large even for a grown adult like myself. The filling -- the center of the patty, was quiveringly rare with a moisture resembling a blue steak. Digging in, the patty was slightly than it should be, but the centre was moist. Each bite seemed laden with herbs like thyme and oregano. As I wondered what good dry herbs would make than fresh ones, I realized that my expectation was a pro burger was not entirely satisfied by the enormous burger. The herbs have overpowered the sheer intensity of essential beefiness in a burger, in a way as if the kitchen staff has misread the recipe mistaking "pinch" with "punch". Savoring the beef I realized that the crusty sesame buns could soak up the drizzling fat from the meat patty itself, despite they are crusty on their own. The lettuce, cheese and tomatoes are satisfactory.

While the burger itself was good but not great, the potato wedges were not forotten. The generosity part has stopped after the burger and the soda by the can (served with a cupful of ice and a slice of lemon). The potato wedges tasted strangely starchy somehow, and only faintly reminded me that they are not from a potato cut earlier but rather, somewhere in a paper bag in the deep freeze.

The combo will fittingly fill up a hungry man with an enormous appetite and no doubt will Pro-Burger attracts a lot of folks curious enough to register with their carnivorous nature at some point. Yet the burger itself , so enormous and out of proportion (not just the size, but the meat/seasoning proportions) was not so great. I think it deserves a visit if you have never been, and even better if you will ignore the part where the chef developing the burger is hotel-training, bearing in mind that it is not the "training in 5 star hotel" that makes the burger, but the meat itself.

繼續在西環覓食. 小時候跟家人在正街附近找吃的. 當然這麼多年都以"源記"為focal point. 周圍的店舖都是以做街坊生意為主. 嘉潤的格局是簡單不過. 賣的從粥品, 腸粉, 到豆漿及紅,綠豆沙等. 粥的款式向來都是左配右搭之類.

家附近的粥店沒有艇仔粥, 今天要了, 加碟齋腸粉. 艇仔粥賣相過得去, 好像少了些什麼似的. 吃一口就知道少了花生. 但魷魚, 豬皮 及肉碎. 粥底是太稀, 但致命傷反而是欠缺米香. 潮州粥是稀的, 但有米的味道, 這碗的確欠奉. 此時店裡人客不少, 每枱都有要腸粉, 但是要的是炸兩. 見油條一點不脆就要了齋腸, 就是沒看見有人整腸粉. 見伙記從暖櫃中拿出來, 心已涼了一截. 腸粉是出奇地軟, 但並不是"米味濃郁"的那種, 而是腍的一夾即爛的. 豉油還是過量了, 所以吃了一半就放棄了.

以為最壞的已經過去...誰知前頭的"開放式廚房"上竟然好messy, 當然沒有expect跟連鎖式店舖的廚房一般"企理", 但以"混亂"來形容亦不為過. 最好的安排當然要把生和熟分開放入冰箱...這方面當然希望店方會明白和處理恰當.但食物的質素參差, 應該是除了衛生以外短期不會光顧的原因了.

和家人買完東西, 想在灣仔找點吃的. 週末九點鐘的灣仔銅鑼灣大坑都仍然人山人海. 在天后下車, 心想worst case scenario還可到"順豐"吃碗排骨面. 走在街上食肆不算滿. 看見"越南仔",是那些"經常路過但從沒吃過"的店子. 走進去, 沒多久有人遞上餐牌. 看了看, 點了個生牛肉湯河, 番茄牛腩湯河, 還有小吃拚盤(內有春捲, 香茅雞翼, 及蒸粉包).

生牛河不一會就到了. 沒有熱得滾燙的那份感覺. 手放碗邊, 是熱的, 還好. 要生牛河的時候湯一定要夠熱和夠味. 缺一不可. 熱倒是不夠的. 過了一會生牛仍是生的, 湯底亦說不上是佳品 -- 濃是濃, 但味道不怎麼"牛". 是那一種混合了各樣肉類煲成一大煲的味道. 河粉是夠滑的, 但是過腍了. 牛肉是半生熟的 (因為湯遲遲未煮熟牛肉), 幾嫩, 還可以的. ""番茄牛腩湯河"是更差了. 一整碗不紅不橙的令人擔心. 湯底味道及質感都十分"番茄" -- 是茄膏加某牌子番茄湯的濃縮版味道. 有點牛肉味, 但難掩monotonous番茄的味道. 每一口都是番茄和一陣擋不住的八角味. 還有一點點至原粒的八角以示"真材實料".整碗頓變成了"八角牛腩粉"...牛腩是急凍牛肋條切細了. 炆得腍軟,但八角味仍是太重...河粉是可以的, 比生牛河的還好點.只是真的不能多喝一點..小吃拚盤裡的春捲有兩款 -- 餡料是一樣的. 都是甘筍和豬肉的. 粉包是較精彩的一味 -- 有沙葛, 冬菇, 和豬肉等, 都切成丁, 味道清淡但值得一讚是粉皮尚算滑的. 香茅雞翼只屬合格. 上桌時並不很熱. 味道亦欠新鮮的香茅味道.

此店的環境算幾舒適的,但服務平平. 應該有一陣子都只會"經過"這裡了...

note: 晚飯期間碰見兩位食友進來準備開餐. 不願多一個喊面, 把他們送往"順豐"去了...

The new local fast food restaurant -- brightly lit, brightly decorated with mirrors, colourful walls, tables, chairs and booths all the colour of picket-fence white. They take up huge dining space with so little elbow room that make you feel squished when the place is packed and empty and left-alone when the place is only half full. While the food is so intentionally all-rounded to cater EVERYONE who can possibly want food with a local twist of Japanese, Korean, Southeast-Asian and Chinese, the focus of it being local is often shifted, and very often, ignored.

One of these has just opened its doors a few weeks ago, in C.C.Wu Building. I never quite looked at how big this place could be back when it's an "everyday" store, but now the "bright and shiny" joint was getting to me, It's very white to begin with (when there weren't many people). I settled down in the booth at the corner. As I started looking up my desired dish, I realized that one who has problems choosing will be unlikely to make up their mind anytime soon. But I was determined to have something bad -- healthwise at least.

I ordered "French Toast" with Pork Cutlet and scrambled eggs, with Milk Tea (hot) alongside. I've always adored the French Toast, be it the original "Pain Perdu" or the localized deep fried version. The latter, when made perfectly, has the decided crunch on the golden brown exterior and soft as cushion inside. Unfortunately this one was nowhere near it. For starters it wasn't hot enough -- the pat of butter didn't melt. Not a good sign, I cut it open, to find that the sandwich has been generously smothered with fine peanut butter up to the edges of the bread. Although not near crispy and temperature wasn't right, drenched in golden syrup makes everything go down easy.

Scrambled eggs was a major disappointment, and I'm not comparing that to the one you can get all-day-long at Australia Milk Company, Consider how it looks, it's flat, like a flattened Japanese omelette, instead of runny and creamy. It was also bland, not very eggy and forgettably.

The pork cutlet, however, was the winner which won major points. The coating was thin and the pork itself was marinated throughout. The coating remained crunchy and attached to the meat even though it has cooled to room temperature. The milk tea was satisfactorily served in the tin mug.

Service was exactly the kind you'll get in these new brand of Cha-Chaan-Ting. You'll get the kind of attention you deserve, really. But the cleaniness level was really high, and everything was packed in an orderly manner. Looking over, the whole Hoinanese chicken this place prides itself on are piled up on a showcasing window of the kitchen -- not so orderly there. This may be a convenient place for lunch especially when you're in a hurry. Everything comes in a flash. That, for the "speed > food " and not particularly picky crowd, is just about as ok as you can get...

上次經過了這裡只停下看一看. 是日又回來附近辦點事, 便來了這裡. 前身好像曾經是"坤記牛腩麵". 現在竟變了賣魚蛋的? 甫進去, 仍然是掛著幾塊牛腩的, 格局是街坊老店樣子, 有電視播著. 要了雙丸河加魚片頭, 說是這裡較受歡迎的.

不到5分鐘上桌, 湯是較淡的, 嚐不出味來. 先說河粉, 是比平時吃的較厚身, 入口嫩滑, 並非那些在湯裡泡一泡即變成半糊狀的. 魚蛋和片頭兩者都有點過鹹, 但魚味還可以的. 魚片頭質感是軟了點. 不像有炸過的. 牛丸是最好吃的. 顏色是較淺色的, 而且是彈牙的"粗丸" . 此店另有其他粉麵等, 但老闆推介的多是back to basics 的選擇...無論店名轉變多少次, 有些東西始終是簡單的出色...

Discovering a new establishment gives me a sense of satisfaction not unlike feeling a new outlet where I can exercise my passion within. At times the discoveries are made en route to another destination, or at other times they can be found through an accidental detour on the journey. There it was, up in a dingy building in Central is the boutique that doubles as the office of FRANCESCA.

First opened in Switzerland, and now a new location for this small business comprised of no more than a few people covering most of the companies’ duties. Cornelia Francesca MAEDA, owner of the company she named after herself, is no stranger to chocolate, and by that I mean chocolate itself and the chocolates her brand is all about.

The boutique is located in a small space of minimalist designs not unlike a meeting space with a glass counter showcasing the chocolates. Marked at $25 each there are the truffles (Champagne, Rum, Rosewater, Pure Criollo). The special thing about FRANCESCA is that each piece is placed in a dainty golden box not unlike a special gift for friends and loved ones. The heart-shaped ROSEWATER Chocolate is comprised of a whipped ganache flavored with rosewater – sweet and floral without getting overly fragrant, encased in a shell so thin that gives way to the bite. The CRIOLLO is a dense one filled so intensely with cocoa (minus the overdose in bitterness) that has a slightly nutty finish. The round Rum truffle is also thin on the coating, but the ganache is denser than the Rosewater kin, and has a slight liqueur aftertaste not unlike roasted chestnuts.

Other than the truffles, FRANCESCA introduces the chocolate bars (labeled “Grand Cru”) as well, which are equally exciting. There are typical flavours like almonds, but look for an herbal take on chocolate bars with rosemary and thyme folded within. I was assured, that it would feel like savoring chocolate through a brief stroll in the pine forest. Through brief conversations, our views on chocolate and preferences were shared, as well as pleasurable experiences on chocolates that were too good to be true.

While many chocolate lovers count on the percentage of cocoa content to tell them if their choices are dark-enough, they seemed to have forgotten that the very origin of the cocoa bean itself can affect the taste of the chocolate. A 64% Java may be more smoky than nutty on the aftertaste compared to a Madagascar on the same cocoa content. It’s crucial to note that it’s not just about the percentage that we’re after, but also the type of chocolate used in the chocolates we consume.

Throughout the enjoyable company of the brand’s owner I have come to realized that FRANCESCA is more than just a newly developed brand, or a chocolate boutique which displays its own creations, but one that show us other glimpses into the world of chocolate not unlike different variations on the same theme. The MILK (no sugar added) CHOCOLATE BAR ($68/100g bar) has minimal sugar content, yet when it enters the mouth it yields a familiar taste of caramel as the chocolate slowly mellows out and widespread onto every taste bud on the tongue until the dairy taste subsides, followed by a sharper hit of cocoa in the chocolate. The ORGANIC FAIRTRADE DARK CHOCOLATE BAR is another magical journey where the mild aroma of fresh walnut collides with the crisp texture of the chocolate bar. The intertwining sensations of bitterness, laced with the tinge of stimulating acidic notes, then sweet (like lollipop), and back to bitterness, and again the sweetness…excites the palates and seduces the mind as if chocolate has cleansed the mind anew.

The brand is still relatively new, and with many activities planned ahead, Francesca (the owner) intends to expand on her repertoire to sharing views across chocolate lovers alike with sharing and tasting classes. In time there will be more adventurous flavors coming out. That’d be good news for Chocolate-lovers, and perhaps a good place to recognize that chocolate tasting can be something similar to wine-tasting – throughout the process you can locate a favorite of your own.

Reveling in the sheer luxury of this experience, I savored the deceptive simplicity of the boutique and the chocolates it featured, as well as the aromatic notes of cocoa that lingered on my palate as I walked out of FRANCESCA, feeling the climatic joy that the city now has a place where chocolate is more than just a commodity, but something to be appreciated and treasured, in so many levels we have never imagined possible.

從來都覺得車仔麵是一種注重食物材料的質感對比多於材料本身的味道. 如牛筋, 麵筋, 豬皮, 腐皮等, 味道全靠湯汁長時間的炆煮及調味. 如加糖和醋成酸甜齋, 柱侯炆牛筋等. 如湯汁做得好, 有足夠的火侯, 煮出來的"料"應該差不了多少.

是日到西環新記吃車仔麵, 是舊店搬過來的, 跟銅鑼灣店是同一個師傅的. 見價錢比分店便宜, 要了3餸的 (鴨腎, 牛筋, 和大腸), 另加油麵. 午市人多, 但三兩下手勢已經上桌. 辣椒油是自家製的貨色, 辛辣程度較一般魚蛋粉店的高, 湯底要了鹵水, 味道不太濃, 或許是份量不夠吧(見廚房最後下的是1勺清湯加半勺鹵水)生菜是最簡單的鮮甜. 油麵亦是普通的貨色.

牛筋是3樣配料中最好吃的. 軟滑但沒有溶化成"啫喱". 亦炆得入味. 裡裡外外都是濃的柱侯醬的味道. 大腸跟鴨腎都沒炆夠. 大腸是肥美, 但質感則像象膠一般韌, 有幾塊是再大牙力也未必能把它咬開. 吃了兩塊便放棄了. 鴨腎好不了多少. 但硬歸硬, 味道帶有五香味, 跟湯底的鹵水是不同的味道. 望進廚房裡, 一盆盆煮好了的雞翼尖跟冬菇一樣的深色.(是醬油的關係). 雞翼尖是有色但味較淡.

新記在銅鑼灣的分店也可算是人龍食店.這裡的食物未必是如口碑所說的一般好,質素只能給ok,