貢茶 (尖沙咀)

First, a friend was twittering her way in Hung Hom, raving over the list of new joints favored by foodies alike. Then the news that GONG CHA has opened its doors in Tsim Sha Tsui, near the Star Ferry Terminal. The tide of tea-lovers have not tided over here, and that, without a visible queue like the joints in Mongkok and a lack of arrow signs and ads to show the way, yield a highly undesirable result -- I got lost wandering the arcade, swallowing hard with high anticipation every turn along the way, until I reached 3rd floor. There it was, GONG CHA, occupying on a tiny shop tucked in a corner, as if being casted off and away to the dark attic of an ancient arcade where people have passed by and forgotten over the years.

There was nothing worth describing about the decor and everything else, as I do plan to write about the joint in MK, so I'll save that for later. The product du jour is of course the standard TEA WITH "MILK CAP" ("奶蓋紅茶", as the salesperson calmly translated it for me). Costing $12, the serving you will get is a large version, and I do believe there ain't any smaller version, nor should there be, given that you will need and want the big one with the 1 inch thick "cap" of dairy on the top.

After some careful construction the tea was served to me, with a sticker that explains how to drink it:
1. Take the lid off, gently sip the creamy top in --> feel the richness of it
2. Use the straw, sip the tea from under the cap --> feel the depth of the tea.
3. Put the lid back on, and carefully stir the dairy part into the tea, gently mixing it (carefully not to spill any) until the mixture becomes the desired level of homogenity.
4. Sip it up and enjoy!!

I followed the directions, and first felt the thick coolness of the cream. It felt like sipping in a thin layer of softly whipped cream, with clotted cream mixed into it. It also tasted slightly salty, to my surprise, but that soon was mellowed out by a sweeter taste from the chilled tea. Tea wasn't quite as strong as I thought it would be, but sweetness was well balanced leaving a trail of slighty "wheaty" aftertaste, instead of the usual Earl Grey/ Orange Pekoe/ Breakfast Tea aftertaste...The milk and the tea match with each other. I realize that there is no need to add extra "tapioca pearls" unless you do enjoy more texture to chew on while you drink your dessert. Good thing the beverage is cool enough to last through the entire time from beginning to finish. (It lasted long enough to go from third floor down to the Ferry).

Maybe it's still new, and people are not lining up for Gong Cha yet, but get this, even in the hottest of a summer day, you will still find better room for lineup here at Gong Cha TST because there is air conditioning, the downside may just be having fewer choices on the special beverages you often get in Mongkok. For the time being, I wouldn't mind coming back again for other teas, perhaps more frequently than I usually allow myself for a sweet fix!

Note: Like many Taiwanese tea-joints. You can request your beverage with less sugar, and more/less ice. Mine shown here is a reduced sugar version (75% of original)

長發麵家 (深水埗)

Dinner was good, really good in fact. There were leftovers, doggie-bags too. The drinkers were very well satisfied for the night. They had a swing on their steps as they headed out onto the streets. The lightbulbs were extra bright and blurry for them, but suited me just fine as we skipped our steps next door for just another extra load into for the palate before we head home.

The blazing flames of an old stove on the streetside lit up half the space, as wooden tables and fold-up stools set against a wall painted a dull emerald green, and the menus in small frames hung from the wall. On the other side men in their skimpy white vests stuck to their sweaty backs, running around serving dishes of steamy hot noodles -- soup or stirred. We were on a high for the night, as we promptly placed our orders -- Stir noodles with soy sauce (豉油撈麵, $18) and Stir thick noodles with meat sauce (炸醬撈粗,$26). Each order comes with a bowl of hot broth. which was believed to be the soul of the entire dish.

In less than no time the noodles arrived. The stir noodles with soy sauce arrived in a small mount. Glossy brown strands gloriously landed on a shallow green soup dish, garnished with chopped scallions. I seemed to detect a whiff of nutty aroma from it, perhaps from the noodles, or maybe it was the broth? Turned out it was the secret ingredient that creates this aroma -- LARD, or more specifically, pig's fat. The noodles were slick and easy to pick up in small strands. The texture was slightly chewy, sort of like al dente, and with a more wheaty taste to it. The sweet soy sauce also provided its dark brown colour, as the taste matches with the depth contributed from the pig's fat. The broth that accompanied, was faintly briny with a delicate sweetness from dried fish used for the long simmering process. It was clear and light golden in colour, and as soothing as real chicken soup when you need some warmth and comfort in the stomach.

The Thick noodles with spicy meat sauce was attractive enough as it is -- thin golden bunch of noodles resting in a bowl, topped and partially garnished by a thick ladle of sauce filled with shreds of pork. The sauce, the colour of light burgendy with a little magenta mixed in, bears the depth in terms of flavour. It seemed to have a little sweetness, heat, and soy-sauce savoriness within it, as different sensation crisscross along the palates. The thick noodles provided the perfect canvas for the sauce to shine as a bright star, without letting it dominate the attention as the noodles itself has a crisp texture and can mop up every bit of sauce to give the dish more substance.

Noodles here may not be of big servings, nor do they bear a lot of variations featuring different types of meatballs or wontons with different fillings. It reminds me what suppers or midnight snacks are like in the old days. This is it, passing the vendors selling boiling congee and simmering offals (and the chop-chop clicking of the metallic scissors). With swift motions the vendors here with a wire colander in one hand and long chopsticks in another, the guys skillfully scooped the noodles from boiling water just in time. As the hand jerked at the colander, the noodles bounced up in the air, without us noticing, the hand with the chopstick has taken up a ladle with soy sauce and down it pour, the bounced up noodles were quickly coloured into dark brown as it landed back into the colander. The transformation is quite a show, and for those who have not had noodles here, really should consider coming along. The noodles itself is the reason to pay a visit, and everything else -- the quintessence of outdoor dining at a local vendor, comes as extras.

江仔記粉麵專家 (銅鑼灣)

For some time 江仔記 has boasted itself and its fishballs of some legendary status, followed by a rush of demands to try them. After some trials in the past I was tempted to think it deserved the title, and that was some years ago when I didn't know the difference. Luckily enough I've had the chances to eat around the city -- to try places OTHER THAN this one. Little did I realized, that there is a whole new world of fishballs out there, and this self-proclaimed expert may need to look deeper into what they say they're good at.

We arrived just after the peak hours, to find many people still, we were led up to the dingier upstairs to sit. The ceiling was extremely low (Careful, mind your head). Little did I know what "mind your head" also entailed into consideration that you're about to have a disappointing meal -- the sign was also a standin warning to tell others that they could expect no less than mediocrity. Read on.

魚三味河, served in bowls with the company's name on it, looks slightly tacky with the name, but sadly pale on the fish broth. Bits of 冬菜 and scallions afloat the broth. I would've preferred the topping to be Chinese celery instead. Moving on, "3 ways" turned out to be the legendary "fish balls " (and fish cakes), fish and pork dumplings (魚皮餃), and fish rolls (魚扎) -- something rather lost through the tide of time, no longer in the popularity radar because it's complicated to make and frankly, not a lot of people appreciate it.

The rice noodles were stuck into a giant lump, while the broth was faintly milky and faintly tasting like anything at all. The dumplings were good enough. The wrappers, made partly with ground fish, tasted appropriately "fishy", while the pork filling wasn't much saltier than the wrapper. That I'll give plenty of credit to the makers. The fish rolls -- originally made with fish finely minced until mushy. Each roll is made by gathering a small mount of fish mixture, quickly smeared across the cutting board and on it place a matchstick each of carrot, celery and fatty pork, quickly roll the entire thing until it resembles a thick thumb.

The fish rolls turned out, only looked the part. It lacked the texture crunch of the veggies and the fish mixture was just too soft. It managed to stay in shape and not fall apart, (unlike my expectation and anticipation, each shattered into pieces by now). It's also too salty through and through. The fish balls (and cakes) were really something to get mad at. They were neither the bouncy type nor the soft gooey type. Oh I know, they were the flavorless type -- not exactly flavorless. The fish balls tasted fishy enough, but not the refreshingly welcoming taste. The fishcakes' 'crust' detached from the inside, and let's not forget it's made from the same fishball mixture which means. It's all the same taste.

When the food is bad, everything else you notice seem to get worse -- the floor is slippery, the dishes piling up in buckets, the best service was like barking commands, and when you pay the check in exact change seems like they're throwing the money at you (not aiming). I wondered if the limited time success of the fishballs has grown all over its heads, that after the glory has passed they still maintained that very sense of pride that dared the customers to impress them. Maybe this emperor really need some new 'balls' to improve on what they're selling to the customers, and I'm not just meaning the ones made with fish.

王記糖水 (北角)

Having eaten at 呂仔記, which satisfied my curiosity more than my anticipation for its Mixed Bean Dessert (喳咋), I was looking for something else up to the par. 王記 has now been a good choice for that, since 強記 has these odd weird hours that I insist that they don't open whenever I decided to head over there when I have the craving -- I found the steam arising when the buses pass through everytime I did NOT have the craving, but when on foot I arrive there with a thirst for something warm and scrumptious -- the only thing that greet me there is the shut gate of cold steel.

王記 is popular among people in this neighborhood. Closed on Sundays, you can easily find many people lining up on most nights (except when the popular items have sold out, then the lines subside) One of many nights our family has stood in lines here -- through nights with the North-wind blowing harsh on us, or blazing hot nights standing on the streetside. Cars parked outside and around the curb while the drivers sneak in for the line.

Mixed-Bean Dessert, served hot, costs $12 (small) and $14 (large). We have always ordered the large one, as it serves 2 hungry souls. The mixture was light brown, with the rich aroma of coconut throughout. When it was ladled into a styrofoam bowl (I know...not environmental friendly enough), the whiff of air transformed into a spray of richly condensed coconut essence and a very thick bean-soup, not unlike the Southern BLACK BEAN SOUP. The multiple contrasting textures were outstanding -- the chickpeas, the mung beans, the red kidney beans are all soft but not mushy. The taro root, appropriately cubed, was simmered down to starchy cubes with good coconut flavour soaked in. Don't worry if you think it's not rich enough, you can always request for an addition of evaporated milk to create that "Jackson Pollock" squiggles on the top. This also adds to the smoothness of the "soup" itself.

The congees here are popular supper-item as well, so are many desserts with pulses (beans) as well. The Mixed Bean one has been a favorite for a long time, and whenever the craving starts when we're close to home, instead of heading over to Wan Chai, 王記 is a good alternative. People who have the same craving for desserts like we do will arrive the block with anticipation, see the sign and quickly line-up as if they are born to do so. This night many wiping off sweat on their foreheads and back, and many may have complained about the heat, the weather, the long lines, and all that. Yet all the complaints were soothed by a bowlful of desserts to our own liking, and that, is perhaps the best cure for anything disgruntled beings out there.

Word of advice, don't attempt to cut the line, there's a fair chance that you won't get anything if you get caught doing it. (plus you get the blames for disrupting the order of many hungry people!! It reminds me that it always takes efforts to get what we want, it may not always involve all of blood, sweat, and tears, but those who don't follow the rules of the game may never get what they want -- here it's desserts, and in life -- depends on what the game players chase after respectively.

太平洋咖啡 (鰂魚涌)

There are those times of the day when you absolutely NEED coffee -- as if downing cups after cups of black water in gulps will make you feel better, more energized, more awake, and perhaps, mentally more alert. Then there are times when you WANT coffee, which will bring you to a cozy setting where you can chill and be yourself. At the most unfortunate coincidence a Cafe Habitu has just opened across the street a month ago, and mysteriously closed its doors when nobody was watching. Its expectancy as short-lived as the milk foam on one of poorly-executed cappuccino out there. The inner voice was urging for coffee, and then a sign called to me -- a new Pacific Coffee Company has opened its doors inside the new skyscraper. I looked closer, intrigued, it's on the 37th floor. Was it for the public? Oh yes, it's the level where the elevators meet, and apparently for the entire building's dwellers to have their caffeine fix built in the building. Smart move!! The exhilaration has taken over my NEED for coffee, now assuming that if "from everywhere in the district you can see glimpses of this building", then this building must have a pretty good view on its own. Affordable coffee with a good view, what more can you ask for?

The elevator will spit you out on 37th floor, and the coffee stand was on the other side. It's the usual settings -- you know it: The coffee counter, shelf full of bread and bagels, and a small fridge for the alternative beverages. Next to this you'll get those comfy sofa-for-one with matching short tables, leaning right against the spectacular sea view. We ordered our drinks, and just sat there facing the sea, overlooking the calmness within it all.

Cafe Mocha (Alto, $38) is the chocolatey concoction not unlike a dessert on its own. For those who have had this at Pacific Coffee will know that it's faintly sweet on the top and VERY sweet at the bottom. I patiently waited until two shots of espresso was added in, and instructed the barista to stir it up before adding the whipped cream. Did I mention they only have paper cups as well? Fret no more, the Mocha was ok for a mainstream coffee place, except if I were being picky about it, I would've wanted a coffee more smoky and less floral to match with the chocolate mixture they use,

Caramel Latte (Alto, $38) is another sweet beverages Pacific Coffee Company offers here. It's an ordinary latte with caramel syrup, and caramel sauce squiggles topping a light layer of milk foam. I can't say the entire thing was well-executed, since the caramel sauce bears a slightly 'fake' taste. It didn't taste very sugary here, and frankly with an aftertaste like this I would have opted for the hazelnut or even vanilla variety instead.

Sinking into the sofas, where we talked briefly and enjoyed the view of the Eastern district -- not a full view, as there are buildings "in the way" (We're on 37th floor, afterall, should we go up to 57th floor, I assume the view could really be considered "spectacular") On a light summery day, escaping from the scorching sun and sip coffee is just as enjoyable as one can get to chill out. It does not always have to be palm tree and hammock, or sunny beaches with seawaves brushing the shore. Affordable Coffee with a good view could easily become a more realistic take of a break, under soothing light tunes of the acoustics, it's difficult not to like this place, even if the coffee is not the best out there.