RabbitHole Coffee & Roaster (灣仔)

8/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]這篇食評，寫了良久，想好好的把它完成之時，就被告知他們會光榮結業——五月十七日，不知道何時何地才能夠與這可愛兔子團聚。這間全城我最喜愛的咖啡店結業後，又得開始新一輪的尋尋覓覓，好不期待呢～ 以下是一個月前寫的食評但遲遲未post，希望為自己最喜歡的咖啡店留下最後的點滴。Rabbithole will be closing on May 17, 2015. Heartbreaking but Carly truly hopes that it will not be forever, hope that the rabbit disappears around the corner and will come hoping back before you know it!
______________________________好吧，容許我說一句，近期喝太多咖啡了。上環，中環，灣仔，去到銅鑼灣都有幾十間咖啡店試到你不想再試，Carly去過很多間，太多間，Rabbithole的flat white是她全城最愛。第一次光顧，那一天午飯時間無多，但肚子非常餓，加上咖啡癮起，偶然的機會就跳進了這兔子洞，驚喜萬分。果然是一個洞，沒有錯，內部裝潢暗暗，微黃泛橙紅的烏絲燈泡從天花板吊掛在食客的頭頂，自然木色的五張長檯，配上黑色鐵造的高腳凳。色調冷冷的，但這裡的咖啡沖調師都十分友善，會詳盡介紹不同調配的咖啡豆有何不同。
Carly前後去了數次（無數次，哈），咖啡水準很穩定，奶泡打得尤其綿滑濃香，咖啡豆烘焙出色有性格。最與別不同的是，雖然Pura牛奶經已絕跡香港，Rabbithole仍是堅持用上來至澳洲的牛奶，奶味自然味醇香滑，奶泡沖出來亦不會太薄身，Coco Espresso, Barista Jam, Coffee Academics, Fuel都是用Meiji的牛奶，奶味亦不俗，但就是沒人個人之處，不能彰顯咖啡店本身的個性。
Carly愛上這兔子洞的格調，最重要是一杯令人稱心滿意的咖啡，味道、香氣歷久不散，難以忘懷。First time visiting Rabbithole and read some reviews on Openrice and realized that the place has been above average but not exceptionally good. Coffee is something personal, some people like strong coffee, some like them mild, some focuses on the aftertaste, some on the aroma. Nonetheless, a cup of delish will bring you unforgettable memories and is often considered as one’s peace state of mind. You will quickly relate Rabbithole’s story with the famous childhood tale Alice in the Wonderland – Alice followed the mysterious rabbit and entered a land of fantasy and charms. To top that off, Rabbithole’s interior design was one of the darkish tones, wooden texture, high tables and black colored metal stools. Vintage orange light bulbs stylishly hanging from the ceiling, not too bright, just enough for you to take a close look at your cup of coffee or whatever magazine you are reading. Baristas and staff are very warm welcoming and friendly, willing to explain into details on the differences between house and specialty blends. Expats and white collars that need to grab a quick bite or caffeine rush flocked into the little store, the Rabbithole suddenly went all bustled and jollied with people who wanted to escape from the busy life they have outside. Hop in!

 

【Flat White – Brazil Single Origin | HKD42】
They ran out of their specialty blends that day when Carly first visited, she picked a cup of Flat White – single origin coffee beans from Brazil. Fragrant aroma was stunning and very pleasant; Brazil beans are renowned for their scent but not aftertaste so this cup of Flat White lacked much of that. By the time Carly finished this cup of heaven, she realized that there was something different, out of all the flat whites she had in Hong Kong, Rabbithole’s milky velvety flat white never let her down. Carly admired how Rabbithole was very consistent and down to earth with their quality for what they are offering to the table - wide-range selection from mid to full roast espresso blends. Liked how the ones from Indonesia were honey like sweet, slightly bitter and earthy in taste.一杯奶香咖啡永遠都那麼稱心如意，就是有一個星期沒喝到Rabbithole的咖啡會很傷心，還記得第一次試的巴西的咖啡豆，咖啡味不苦澀，帶點輕微的回甘，花香氣較重，少少甜，喝後令人心曠神怡。

 

【Flat White – White Rabbit Blend & Black Rabbit Espresso Blend】

Carly’s second visit was a reassurance of excellent coffee was served at RabbitHole consistently. Black Rabbit Espresso blend has a rich dark chocolate sweetness, extremely nutty and buttery flavor, sugar cane like finish has captured the heart of Carly like no other cafe has done so and it will be a mission impossible to find another blend that has the same intense level of nutty aroma and roast level. White Rabbit blend has a simpler taste with a hint of lemon zest finish and biscuit like sugary level, at the same time, very well-balanced and mind-soothing on the palate.

在一個週日午膳的繁忙時間，RabbitHole的Barista依然用心，一絲不苟的拉出如此令人心動的拉花，真心值得一讚。Carly還特意道謝了Barista的拉花。第二、三次光顧Rabbithole後，Carly已確定自己愛上了這咖啡店。

 

【Korean BBQ Beef Sandwich| HKD55】
Available during weekday lunch!

 

 

【Smoked Duck Breast with Red Wine Sauce Sandwich|HKD55】
Available during weekday lunch!Funny thing was – Carly wasn't planning to pay Rabbithole another visit so soon but she took a quick stroll around the streets – recently nominated Empress Cafe – roast level of their espresso blends were not bad, full bodied yet lacked character, newly opened COO Bakery and Cafe – yet to try that out, Barista Contest Runner-up Cupping Room – stronger character in terms of aftertaste and floral notes, American/New Zealand style Veygo Cafe – relatively bland taste of house blend, and Coffee Academics – too much milk for the cup of flat white Carly drank and roast level was not as profound as Fuel - blossoming in Hong Kong. Carly gives her vote of top 3 to Rabbithole, Fuel, and Coco Espresso.Bye bye for now! Carly will be hopping around before the perfect rabbit comes along in the near future, never say never, never say goodbye!

*Closes at 8pm daily

* Closing on May 17 2015

The Pudding Nouveau (大坑)

6.5/10 plates emptied! [Written by Carly]要在香港找一間高水準的all-day breakfast吃brunch絕非易事，Carly與Lorling從加拿大回港後，仍然未能找到一間合心水的all-day breakfast餐廳。在大坑覓食並非難事，有一大堆選擇，近這一年，競爭更是越演越激烈。Pizza (Piccolo vs. Pizzaza)，越南（火車頭），cafe (Classified vs. Nocte) vs. 茶餐廳，中式甜品（谷媽媽，小甜谷）vs. 西式甜品 (Lab Made vs. Soft Creme) ，還有拉麵（拉麵來vs. BB Ramen），差點忘了日式燒肉。大坑的to-try list是吃不完的啦，Carly與從未入過大坑的Dvd，Lorling和Lyoe來到大坑就找上了一間不錯的餐廳。The Pudding Nouveau，開業差不多一年有多，曾經上過Openrice十大餐廳，人龍排到打晒蛇餅，吃不到的客人很憤慨。誠然，Carly覺得人不多的brunch place才算是最理想，有誰想在週末的下午時間擠擁在餐廳一起用膳，恨不得戶外有天然冷氣可以野餐。Tai Hang, hidden corner tucked away in the middle of buzzing Causeway Bay and peaceful Tin Hau, expats strolling with their dogs, diners who have expectations on the kind of food they are enjoying, and foodies who are ready for good food essentially. Carly was always a fan of this place, dreaming that one day she will live here, Causeway bay within walking distance and so close to all the good food around.
As Carly has been on this quest in search of a decent all-day breakfast place and Pudding Nouveau might be the spot worth hitting.All the items from all-day breakfast menu, includes a cup of Americano or hot tea, additional drinks will cost more, depending on your mood for that day.

 

【Egg Benedict with Smoked Salmon|with housemade fresh baguette|煙燻三文魚|HKD108】
極度流心的水煮蛋呈橙黃色，荷蘭汁味不夠濃，稀釋了點，煙三文魚咬幾口有點散散的感覺，整體尚算滿意。不是用上傳統英式鬆餅（English muffin），自家制的法式麵包也頗出色，輕盈香脆，不會焗太久以致太硬身或刮口，好一道比一般火腿健康的賓尼迪蛋。Look at that poached egg! Hollandaise sauce was a bit watery, not thick nor rich enough in taste. Smoked salmon was alright, not superb in kind, some bits were crumbling into bits as you take bites into it. Highlight was definitely the housemade baguette which did not turn soggy even when it was draped with hollandaise sauce; light crispy on the toasted edges and soft in white bread.

 

【Cray Fish with Giant Croissant, served with French Fries in black truffle mayo sauce|HKD118 】
Noteworthy that bread bakery products are fairly decent in quality at Pudding Nouveau as they are freshly produced by Lassana Limited (sister restaurants like Spade and Express Bar, focuses on desserts and patisserie). Considerably one of the best bread offered to the table for an all-day breakfast place – better than Bricklane , Holy Chef, and R&B for sure. Handful of sizable cray fish (mini lobster kind) mixed with mayo, lightly seasoned with salt, well complemented with the buttery, flaky, non-oily croissant. The Gang loved this simple sandwich to its bits, more so, the golden fries served on the side, just one dip into that scrumptious, indulgent homemade black truffle mayo – original mayo with truffle oil drizzled on top and mixed with black truffle bits. Would be perfect if slight improvement can be made on the cray fish as it was slightly overcooked: not bouncy and smooth on the surface.小龍蝦份量足夠，看上去已感滿足，雖然有點過熟，口感上有點「鞋」身，但味道補救了，配上濃稠適中的蛋黃醬，豐盈的美味。自家制的大大個牛角包更是值得一讚，不會過油，帶著陣陣牛油香，鬆脆可口。還有Carly最愛的黑松露蛋黃醬配炸薯條，黑松露味濃，蛋黃醬中夾著點點黑松露碎和香油，叫人怎樣抗拒！我們四個人一盤當然不夠分呢~

 

【Duck Confit & Waffle|油封鴨脾配窩夫|HKD138】
Waffle has been such the “Wild Card” these days and it’s the new thing against all the matcha craze and soft serve hype. Carly picture waffles as the western kind of Hong Kong eggettes （雞蛋仔）, for its buttery fragrant, light crispy touch and drooling syrup (as much as you want). Better yet, it goes so well with any kind of savory snack – Duck Confit being the ROCKSTAR, cooked to its perfection. Duck leg baked first then deep fried later: Duck skin being exceptionally crunchy without being greasy, seasoned on the spot, and served piping hot with an irresistible fragrant. Duck leg meat was juicy and tender, delectable to make this as the signature dish. Sunny side up egg to complete your all-day breakfast appetite. One bite of meat and one bite of mildly sweet waffles – everyone just munched away merrily.這道油封鴨脾絕不簡單，熱烘烘的端上桌，已經香氣撲鼻，非常誘人。鴨脾先焗後炸，肉汁都被鎖住了，入口肉質嫩滑，外層的鴨皮被炸至金黃香脆，每一口都聽到咬下去那「脆啵啵」的聲音，有質素的油封鴨脾就是這樣煉成的。略嫌乾的話，配上一口太陽蛋，流心的蛋黃會增添一份層次感。近期窩夫當道，咸食配甜品是另一絕配，只因味濃的食品都不被甜品的甜中和了，一起融和在口中。窩夫夾著淡淡的蛋香，鬆軟不會太實，是討人喜愛的口感。

 

【Peach Smoothie|蜜桃沙冰|HKD42】
Icy drink to pull off if it was summer, Carly was glad that it was not too sweetened yet it did lack the fruitiness you may be looking for.沙冰的碎冰感不俗，每一口都有點點的碎冰，像是要為你去油膩。吃All-day breakfast本身就是一件極肥的不事，為的就是那份滿足感。這杯蜜桃沙冰不算甜，但果味亦不夠，只有一片罐頭蜜桃。夏天喝這個，的確能夠消暑！

 

【Green Tea Milkshake|綠茶奶昔|HKD52】
Relatively rich milkshake in matcha flavor! Not too sweet and the homemade green tea ice cream was creamy and milky, not very pronounced in green tea flavor yet not bad.呷一口，是一杯頗有份量的飲品，不止卡路里，質感算是厚身。自家制的綠茶雪糕茶味不太突出，奶脂味濃，要獨自喝掉一杯也絕非易事。

 

【Yakult Soda|乳酸梳打|HKD56】
Dvd could taste the hint of mint in the aftertaste, this was not sour enough for a Yakult soda, tasted bland in general.乳酸梳打底部呈深藍色，帶點微酸，略嫌益力多味不夠重，幸好不太甜，酸一點會更加開胃。

 

【Flat White|奶香咖啡|HKD56】
Carly lost count on how many cups of flat white she has drank recently (she’s on a quest to find one perfect cup of flat white). Lassana group specializes in coffee and they do roast their beans, think it might have been the grading of the coffee machine. Milk foam was relatively dense and thick but not velvety enough as it did not blend well with the coffee, Meiji milk was used and it did not have the rich milk flavor compared to Australian milk brands. Coffee bean aroma was average, not particularly outstanding in terms of nutty or floral notes. Strong on the nose but weak on aftertaste.Carly近期真的喝過無數杯Flat White，無論色、香、味，拉花亮麗程度，至今仍是覺得RabbitHole與Fuel質素最好，Coco Espresso的Barista Latte也不俗。The Pudding Nouveau的Flat White算是不過不失，第一口會嘗到咖啡豆的濃香，不是特別的果酸或果香太重的一種，只會縈繞在鼻腔的位置，餘香卻不能持久。不太理想的是奶泡有點太厚身，入口不算滑，水準一般。

 

【Mixberry Waffle|什莓窩夫|HKD68】
Homemade icecream is always the best! Comparatively thick and heavy on the milk, not very berry tutti-fruity but considered decent. Carly thought that waffles at Pudding Nouveau was better than Ocio (yet to try Waffills do a comparison) for it was fluffy but not too airy, subtle in eggy fragrant.
窩夫鬆脆可口，淡淡蛋香不過甜，相當討好。自家制的什莓雪糕仍是奶脂味是較重的一種，果味還可以，甜度適中。質感有點像Dreyers，只是Pudding Nouveau的較重身，吃完不會覺得像吃了一陣風。

 

【Apple Crumble|焗蘋果金寶|HKD62】
Simple dessert, difficult to cooked to its perfection. Loved the homemade vanilla scoop of ice-cream, pronounced in vanilla scent, mildly sweet and creamy. Caramel sauce with the right consistency and thickness. Overall, the apple crumble lacked cinnamon powder so taste bland without the right sugary kick to this dessert, apples were chopped irregularly, some crumble bits were crushed till it turned powdery, not very ideal, and the apple sauce was soggy and watery, bit of consistency in thickness would have been better.蘋果金寶是Lorling其中一款摰愛的甜品，看似簡單，易學難精。鋪滿面的消化餅碎有大有細，太碎的有點像粉，倘若大細能平均一點會更好。在眾多自家制的雪糕入面，Carly最滿意是這一球雲喱拿雪糕，看見點點雲喱拿種子就知道質素已經不錯，入口香濃幼滑，又不會過甜。雪糕還能形成一種「冰」與「火」的新食感，別有另一番體驗。蘋果粒也是大細不一，調味上肉桂粉不夠多，所以整體味道不太香甜。另一建議，因為甜品盤有一定程度的深度，一匙不能夠一次過享受餅碎加蘋果醬的享受，如果用上淺一點的碗，就能避免甜品吃到底的時候過濕。If you happen to drop by Tai Hang, this place is definitely worth a hit and the duck confit is worth coming back for! It’s usually crowded during weekend, may be a long wait as the place can only fit about 18 people, so you may want to visit the place once it is opened at noon.整體食物質素高過飲品，窩夫好味與否，實屬見仁見智，最低限度香脆程度和牛油香都是令人滿意的。油封鴨脾技巧高超，一試難忘，鴨肉的油香與窩夫的牛油香配搭一絕，不能錯過。啊，還有新鮮麵包與自家制的雪糕在本地餐廳更是難得一見，誠意十足，值得一試！

* Closed on Tuesdays 星期二休息

Motorino (灣仔)

7/10 plates emptied!

[Written by Gobay in Chinese, Carly in English]一踏入Motorino，我們就看到那個著名的磚窯爐，比起Soho區的Peak Bar Restaurant 顯然是小巫見大巫，即使如此，在灣仔寸土尺金的地方搭建窯爐也是「蠻拼的」，精神可嘉！這裡先來一個小知識普及：為什麼大家對有磚窯爐的pizza店有種異常的朝拜之心？——磚窯爐，意大利人稱 “Pompeii Oven”， 呈圓拱形，在裡面焚燒果木(比如松木、蘋果木等等。這裡用的是杏仁木。)，熱力可達攝氏450度，而且溫度不會有很大的起伏，均衡持久的熱力在非常短的時間內就把餅底烤至鬆脆，這樣放在餅底上的新鮮材料就可以維持原始的味道，不至於受長時間烘烤而鮮味流失。並非說電爐不好，只是窯爐更好，特別是來自意大利Napoli地區的手工磚窯。Motorino, being praised for its freshly baked pizza right from the Pompeii Oven – traditional Italian brick oven, even though still considerably smaller than the one at Peak Bar Restaurant. Pompeii Ovens, dome shaped, wood fired in pinewood, Applewood and Motorino uses local almond wood, can be heated up to 450 degrees. These authentic ovens are famous for its consistency and stability in temperature control, heat being evenly distributed, reaching intense fiery flames in just seconds, and perfect for pizza baking. Pizza dough will only need 1 minute to be cooked through, preserving the natural flavors and freshness of the toppings. Not saying that electronic ovens are no good, just Pompeii ovens are better, better yet the ones from Italy Napoli area are one of the best.餐廳的裝潢是很傳統的歐陸式風格：紅磚牆，鐵椅，木檯。廚房是開放式的，這和國外pizza店很相似，客人甚至能看到廚師搓麵團和將pizza放入窯中。我們坐在近街靠窗的大檯，邊欣賞著美食的製作過程，邊享受著初春時分的淡淡暖陽，談天說地，懶洋洋的期待著，感覺真好！Very traditional European interior décor with red brown bricked walls, metal chairs, wooden long tables, open kitchen, laidback ambience was swinging in the air. You can even catch a glimpse of chefs shoving pizza doughs into the oven. The Gang sat by the window side, bathing under the warmth of sunshine, glancing over the cooking process of hearty food, enjoying the time spent together, we quickly settled in while our minds wandering around and awaited for freshly baked pizzas!我們點了三個午市套餐 (週一至五提供，HKD128/份，每份包括一個蔬菜類頭盤(三款)和一個9寸Pizza(四款)——絕對夠飽！)，散點了兩個頭盤和一個pizza，下面一一來點評。We ordered three lunch sets (available on weekdays – HKD128/set including one choice of greens (3 choices) & 9 inch pizza (4 selections), on the side, ordered 2 more appetizers and 1 pizza, 1 calzone for al carte.

                                            《午市套餐之頭盤(Antipasti) 》

午市套餐之頭盤(Antipasti)

 

【 Mixed Greens Salad w/ Balsamic Vinegar & Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 蔬菜沙律拌意大利酒醋】
這個沙律讓我們想起在擺花街Jean-Paul Hevin法國菜餐廳的那個沙律，意大利葡萄酒醋汁分量剛好地沾在每片菜葉上，碟子裡沒有殘留多餘的水分，挺好。所以用葡萄酒醋有個好處：貴！下手的時候就懂得『知慳識儉』……至於沒有多餘水分，這個比較花功夫，洗完菜後要逐片擦乾(貨源高級也可以直接解包裝使用，不用洗，這在華人社會還是比較少)。
This reminded us of the well-tossed salad we once had Jean Paul Hevin and this was well-presented with balsamic vinegar evenly spread on each leaf of greens, the right balance of acidity to start off this guilty meal!【 Fennel Salad w/ Olives, Orange & Pecorino | 橄欖茴香香橙沙律配Pecorino芝士】
春天(三、四月)是球莖茴香當造，它的口感很像椰菜花，但水分更多故更脆身，就像是富士蘋果質地但結合了蔬菜香味(聞說茴香有陣淡淡的八角香氣但當時並沒聞到，有興趣的食友下次可以嘗試食前嗅一下)。Pecorino，幾乎每道前菜都看到它的身影而且顏色非常白，所以Gobay推斷應該是Pecorino Romano，這種芝士非常適合磨碎了混合麵包，沙律或醃肉一起食用。它是用綿羊奶製作的，介於山羊奶和牛乳之間，是腸胃對牛奶比較敏感但又喜愛芝士的食友的恩物。聽說古羅馬時期會在製作過程中加入做葡萄酒後剩餘的榨乾葡萄來蓋著發酵，所以會有淡淡果香。果香就欠奉了，感覺也不像是陳年過很久的Pecorino，吃著質地不硬，味道也不很濃烈，鹹味中透出一些nuttiness(果仁香味)，和清新的茴香香橙搭配相得益彰，推薦！Fennel being crunchy, slightly sweet, often used in Italian cuisine, as its best by the time from autumn to early spring. Gobay depicted fennels like Fuji apples with a crisp of fruityfragrant. Pecorino, type of hard Italian cheese, milky white, made from the milk of ewe – female sheep. Very suitable to mix with bread, salad or preserved meat; ewe’s milk is milder in kind, better for people who have sensitive stomachs! Old tales trace back to ancient times of Rome, dried grapes will be placed upon the cheese containers during aging process to add that extra hint of fruitiness. Pecorino at Motorino was not particularly fruity or refined in quality yet the cheese scent was rather mild, salty with a subtle nuttiness, complemented with the fresh funnels and mandarins, makes a fine appetizing salad!

 

【 Roasted Squash w/ Aubergine, Pecorino & E.V. Olive Oil | 烤煮西葫蘆和茄子配Pecorino芝士】
碟底大片橘紅色的浮油一開始嚇到我們，可入口之後發現並沒有想像中的很油膩的感覺，溫熱的西葫蘆和茄子熟度剛好，軟軟的，Like!Orange-ish oil did scare us a bit, debating whether this was too oily for starters. Luckily, the roasted squash and aubergine (round mini shaped eggplants) were not too oily, nicely roasted as it was still warm when we enjoyed it.

                                               《午市套餐之主菜(Pizze) 》

午市套餐之主菜

 

【Margherita, Tomato sauce, Mozzarella Di Bufala, Basil, Pecorino, E.V. Olive Oil | 瑪格麗特女王薄餅，番茄醬、意大利水牛奶芝士Buffalo Mozzarella、羅勒、Pecorino芝士、初榨橄欖油】
這款經典的Pizza相信無人不知是以瑪格麗特女王之名命名。Mozzarella的白，番茄醬的紅和羅勒的綠代表了意大利國旗的三色。這家紐約聞名已久的意大利pizza 餐廳是標榜做Napoli 風格的pizza，即是餅底質地像薄身的Focaccia 麵包，外表香脆，內裡質地蓬鬆香軟。不知道是否我們專注攝影的緣故致使錯過了它熱騰騰出爐上檯的最佳時機，所以吃著有點過韌，建議大家盡量一上檯就開動。是次Pizza 烤得太燶，雖說帶焦黑的餅邊和看似火焰山凹凸不平的餅面是Napoli pizza 的特色，但過多的焦黑看著還是讓人有點兒惶惶不安。Pizza整體味道不俗，芝士的柔韌口感不錯，Carly更覺得番茄醬的味道特別吸引。這裡的番茄和芝士都是由意大利進口，當然高質素。

Well-known for naming the Margherita pizza after their queen, being the hallmarks of Italian pizza – white from mozzarella, red from tomato sauce and, green from basil resembles the national Italy flag. Motorino is renowned for their Napoli style of pizza, hence the thin crust of Focaccia-like texture, crispy on the outside, soft slightly chewy on the inside. Being slightly over-burnt, we all joked that this meal will cost us cancer afterwards (touchwood!). Mozzarella cheese being soft chewy and elastic, and tomato sauce tasted fresh, rich and sweet. Cheese and tomato sauce both imported directly from Italy was crucial for one delectable Margherita.【 Brussels Sprout, Fior Di Latte, Garlic, Pecorino, Smoked Pancetta, E.V. Olive Oil | 甘藍芽球薄餅，Fior Di Latte (即Mozzarella)芝士、Pecorino芝士、煙燻火腿、初榨橄欖油】

這款Pizza是Motorino餐廳的自創品牌Pizza。外觀上看，甘藍芽球近一半的葉都是焦黑的，是「很有深度的黑色」——黑透了，很不健康。可是聞著非常香，因為新鮮的緣故，每一片未被烤焦的半截很脆綠，依然散發著甘藍芽球獨特的芥蘭加椰菜之香甜味，致令Gobay忍不住拿在手上一聞再聞捨不得動嘴。「Fior Di Latte」其實就是Mozzarella，用普通鮮牛奶製成的，我們經常提及的前一款pizza用的Mozzarella Di Bufalo則是特指用意大利特定產區的水牛奶製成的Mozzarella，比較矜貴的一種。「Fior Di Latte」在意大利語中指「Flower of Milk」，所以也有人稱它為「奶花奶酪」。它是橢圓型的，好像雪白的剝殼雞蛋，平常要保存在乳清中。一分為二的時候，它的纖維性就顯現得很清楚了，入口有嚼勁，柔韌牽絲，所以Mozzarella一直是舉世聞名的最受歡迎芝士之一，主要就是源於它的口感和不霸道的奶香。對比前一個，這個烤得太焦了，讓我們還未吃心裡就大打折扣。但它沒加特別醬汁，味道純粹，原汁原味，喜歡甘藍芽球的食友應該會喜歡這款pizza的，如果它不那麼「黑漆漆」的話。Motorino’s own creative pizza combo with unique yet intriguing toppings of Brussel sprouts, unfortunately, too burnt on our pizza, it was still spreading this freshness whiff mix of cabbage and Chinese broccoli, Gobay simply couldn’t resist. Fior Di Latte, higher grade of Mozzarella, in Italian means “Flower of Milk”, semi-soft yet elastic chewy on the palate, combust of milky and mildly subtle cheesy flavor, excellent melting qualities, makes it the perfect component to go with freshly oven baked pizza, never too overpowering. This pizza was clearly over-burnt, yet we fancied it for its originality as no extra sauce was added. For Brussels sprout fans, this is the one pizza that you will adore!

午市套餐之主菜

 

【Soppressata Piccante, Tomato sauce, Fior Di Latte, Spicy Soppressata, Fresh Chilies, Garlic, Oregano, Pecorino, E.V. Olive Oil | 意大利辣肉腸薄餅，番茄醬、Fior Di Latte芝士、Pecorino芝士、新鮮辣椒、蒜片、牛至、初榨橄欖油】

這款的主角加了意大利辣肉腸，餅底前沿非常薄，我們拿起時番茄醬汁已經快浸透餅底，十分影響口感，再者味道很鹹。Soppressata香腸本身就很重口味，因為用茴香，黑胡椒等多種香料醃製而成，如果再加上番茄醬的酸鹹，不再特殊處理就會有點太過。建議吃的時候把前部分捲起，然後從側面咬，那麼厚厚的餅邊就能中和過分的鹹味。新鮮小辣椒被切成圈直接放在pizza上，蒜片也一樣切片撒上，所以不小心吃到辣椒圈的會覺得很辣，但辣味是怡人的，刺激的熱力在舌尖上散開，接著第二口的pizza辣味就會慢慢消失。Soppressata is a type of Italian dry salami, often pressed with basil, black peppers and hot peppers. Salty and pungent to begin with, hence, often used as one simple topping for pizza, complemented with sweet tomato paste. You could taste the fiery spice and was tad too salty, Gobay recommended to curl up the pizza slice and start to eat from the side on the crusts, balancing off some of the thick sauce and sliced sausages. Fresh red peppers were chopped and sprinkled on top with garlic flakes; indeed this can be quite spicy yet appealing for one authentic Italian pizza dining experience.

                                                  《散點之頭盤(Antipasti) 》

 

【Cockle Clam Crostino al Bianco | 白汁煮歐洲大蜆(鳥蛤)伴意式脆焗麵包| HKD 118】
這個前菜也是得到我們一直讚賞的。白汁的香草牛油味很濃郁，但入口卻清淡，可能加了白葡萄酒的緣故。鳥蛤非常新鮮，大隻而且肉質鮮甜肥美多汁，用半個殼舀起部分白汁和蛤肉一起吃下，頓時整個人都「春天」了！Crostino就是香草脆焗麵包，通常是這類有蠻多醬汁，而且融合了海鮮鮮味的菜式，配一塊香草麵包是再好不過了，感覺和喝牛油海鮮湯一樣。Spring-like appetizer! Creamy garlicky white sauce smelled really buttery, well-balanced sauce with a hint of white wine. Cockle clams are edible saltwater clams, heart-shaped when viewed from the end. Motorino’s clams were large in size, juicy and chubby, after chucking the delicious clam, use the empty shell to scoop a mouthful of buttery white sauce, mmmmmm. Dip the crispy crostino bread into that irresistible sauce that is never too oily, yes, uh huh, heaven.
《散點之主菜(Pizze) 》【Cremini Mushroom, Fior Di Latte, Sweet Sausage, Garlic, Thyme, Pecorino, Gaeta Olives, E.V. Olive Oil | 切片小褐菇薄餅，Fior Di Latte芝士、甜肉腸、蒜片、迷迭香、Pecorino芝士、Gaeta黑橄欖、初榨橄欖油| HKD 158】

切成大片的小褐菇鋪滿了整個pizza讓人看著就覺得很足料。另外還撒了許多撕碎的Gaeta橄欖肉，加上肉腸及各種香料混合一起，味道很不錯，而且這個餅底不燶也沒有之前的韌，是四款裡味道口感結合得最好的pizza。稍微介紹一下Gaeta橄欖，它屬於黑橄欖也就是熟成的橄欖拿去醃製，用紫色形容它會更貼切。它產自Lazio大區，鄰近羅馬東部，而「Gaeta」是那片橄欖土地的名字。比起希臘名種黑橄欖，柔軟如肉的Kalamata，它的口感會更有韌性和咬口，稍鹹。這裡的橄欖質量非常不錯，可見進口的都是正宗『筍貨』。Bountiful mushrooms layered on top of the chewy Napoli pizza, embedded with a bed of shredded Gaeta olives, sausages and herb mix, quite the intriguing combo to munch on a summery day at noon, epitomizing your cravings for some authentic taste of Italian comfort food. Allow us to introduce Gaeta olives: these small oval olives are wrinkled dark purple Italian olives with a tender texture and slightly acidic pickled taste. Originated from Lazio, close to East of Rome, harvested from the area of Gaeta; compared to ultra-soft Kalamata olives, Gaeta ones are slightly chewy and briny. Motorino’s olives were in decent quality, clearly imported directly from Italy. This was considered one of the better pizzas, without being over burnt, too dry or chewy, fresh mushrooms were able to balance off some of the saltiness from sausages and Gaeta olives.

《甜品篇(Dolci) 》

 

【Nutella Calzone朱古力榛子醬半月形餡餅|HKD78】
半月形狀的餡餅用上Pizza的餅皮，把眾人最喜愛又最邪惡的朱古力榛子醬和棉花糖交融在一起。只要咬一口煙韌的餡餅，在高溫的烘焗後，雪白軟綿的棉花糖已半溶，粘粘的叫人吃著也陶醉。配上人見人愛的朱古力榛子醬，對，無錯，「真心肥」又「勁甜」，但這款甜品實在是無得輸，唯有之後去做gym吧（Carly想道）。吉碟幫吃完四個九寸pizza後，再加上一款激肥的甜品，很滿足！Also known as folded up pizza, Calzones, are great for packing up your favorite treats, baking it in one treasure box. Don't think anyone will disagree that Nutella and marshmallows is the best couple ever – this was TOO sweet in a guilty comforting way.Just one thing, marshmallows and Nutella spread was not evenly spread out in the Calzone so some bites were mouthful of pure chocolate and hazelnut jam and then some corners you only get a tiny bit of those gooey melted marshmallows.整體而言，Pizza的質感和味道與傳統Napoli Pizza比較，有些許「友達以上，戀人未滿」的感覺。但作為一件連鎖Pizza店，而且標榜快餐(店名Motorino在意大利語裡面表示小摩托車，創辦人曾在某美國訪問表示是寓意快餐的意思)，Pizza的質量算是不錯了。“If only we were together, but not quite there yet” was the overall comment from Gobay on Motorino’s Napoli pizza. Carly personally ranked Motorino higher than Pizza Express (undoubtedly a chain commercialized pizza eatery). Liked how the Wanchai branch is tucked away on Ship Street, located just proximate to Ham & Sherry, if we did not like the lunch menu of Ham & Sherry much (weekly change) then we can just drop by Motorino for mind-soothing freshly baked pizza. Carly was also surprised that the servers did know and was capable of explaining the menu in details, service was not as bad as the reviews online. For just around HKD150, Motorino is an extra option for Wanchai and Central diners.

 

《Gobay話你知》意大利傳統Pizza: Napoli Style與Lazio Style
Napoli風格上面簡介了一些，關於傳統Napoli Pizza，意大利有個非牟利組織AVPN ——Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana ，是專門為了宣傳並保護真正傳統的Napoli pizza。其實Napoli Pizza已經有歐盟的「傳統特產保證認證標章」(Traditional Specialities Guaranteed - TSG)，類似我們經常聽說的聯合國非物質文化遺產的意味。要獲得AVPN認證為「Vera Pizza Napoletana」 需要符合非常多的規定，最主要是：用燃木的磚窯爐溫度達450°C左右、“00”號的麵粉(筋度夠而且幼細)、特定產區的番茄(有個詳細的列表，只能用表上的番茄)、特別認證的Mozzarella芝士、海鹽和規定規格的酵母、烤製時間不得超過90秒等等。而且不能擀麵棍只能用手去搓麵團，所以正宗Napoli Pizza的形狀出來都是不規則的圓形。麵團經過長達十多個小時的發酵後延展性會變得很好，可以抻成非常均勻的超薄麵餅。稍微說一下其中一種AVPN建議使用的番茄，有D.O.P產地認證的San Marzano Tomato——沒錯，你沒有眼花，就是像葡萄酒一樣有等級和認證的…番茄！它外形比較修長，酸度沒有本地番茄那麼高，而由於水土和晝夜溫差大的關係，它有種很複雜的甜味，即使是罐裝番茄醬，都散發一種濃郁的美味。
目前沒有聽說香港有哪家pizza餐廳有拿到這個認證(歡迎知道哪裡有的食友推介)，上海倒是有兩間。Gobay打去同Motorino餐廳經理確認的時候，經理表示他們知道有這個認證，但目前香港分店暫時沒有計劃要申請。目前美加一共有97間是擁有這個認證的Pizza餐廳，比起2012年時候的20間驟升了近4倍，可見美加一帶對Napoli Pizza的熱愛。當然，只要pizza味道好，有沒有認證也只是見仁見智了。
關於Lazio風格，很多人會稱其為羅馬風格，其實羅馬只是Lazio即拉齊奧大區下的一部分。它是一種更薄更脆的pizza，也沒有Napoli pizza那麼規矩多多。前文提及的Peak Bar Restaurant有很地道的Lazio風格pizza和一個很樸素但巨大的磚窯爐。有興趣的食友可以一試比對一下兩種風格的pizza。Gobay’s Food Knowledge Corner: Napoli Style vs. Lazio Style
Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, Italian non-profit organization, founded in 1984 in Naples, aims to promote and protect the true “Napoli Pizza”; restaurants will have to fulfill standards on ingredients, how it is cooked and prepared, and certain equipment to become their honored member that serves the most authentic Napoli pizza. For instance, “00” doppio zero refined flour, tomatoes of specific kinds, certified mozzarella cheese or fior di latte, fresh basil, only sea salt, specific brand of yeast have to be used as ingredients. Pizza dough to be crafted by hand, creating the rather irregular circular pizza base, baked to its unique aroma from the wood-fired Pompeii Oven under temperature reaching 450 degrees, emerges from the oven, delivering its characteristic aroma – perfumed and fragrant and elastic on the palate.

None of Hong Kong restaurants have been AVPN approved yet, surprisingly, several of them located in Shanghai, Taiwan, and Singapore. Gobay called Motorino’s restaurant manager to see if they had any intention in applying for AVPN approval and it did not seem that they were interested. There are more than 90 North America pizza restaurants which are AVPN-approved, compared to the figure of 20 back in 2012. Evidently, North Americans are a fan of Napoli pizzas.Lazio style of pizza, a.k.a Rome tradition, is one of the twenty administrative regions in Italy, situated in central peninsular section of Italy. Angelic light and crispy, less of a hassle on standards compared to Napoli pizzas. Gobay strongly recommended the Gang to go try out Peak Bar Restaurant in SOHO area of Central for their simply put brick oven, Carly quick jotted down this on their to-try list, next stop to hit! Quest of the Gang’s favorite pizza begins!

Texas Burger (天后)

 

5/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly in English, Gobay in Chinese]
吉碟幫為了尋找塵世中的漢堡包真味，都真的付出不少「肥胖」的代價，甚至連Carly打電話訂位都被人誤叫成"Calories"！（Carly到現今還是未能釋懷，哈哈哈）目前為止我們試過幾多呢？有點貴族feel的Beef & Liberty「尚牛社會」；賣貴徂好多的Butcher's Club；貴在部煙燻機的Big Joe's；勝在唔貴的Burgerman；貴族漢堡始祖的Burgeroom；矜貴只限脆薯粒的The Chop House和「幾貴都食唔返」可一不可再的Ham&Sherry...現在我們來到去年6月新開的Texas Burger來探究它是如何吸引家庭觀眾，年青一代，甚至旅居本地的外國人的！Just thinking about how many burger places the Gang has hit, Carly dare not to think about the calories she had intake for the past few months. The stormy fiery hype of burgers has not shown any signs of halting, notably the best gourmet diner – Beef & Liberty, acclaimed yet not so worthy – Butchers Club, equipped with an unique smoking machine – Big Joe’s, not-going-to-hurt-your wallet Burgerman, somewhat high-end-ish Burgeroom, lipsmacking tater tots – the Chop House, once-in-a-lifetime burger experience – Ham & Sherry. Finally, it was the Gang’s turn to visit Texas Burger. Opened since June 2014, attracting flock of families, expats, younger generations to indulge themselves with comfort food.Texas Burger strongly focuses on offering a wide range of menu selections from wings, salad, pasta, ribs, burgers (red meat, white meat, vegetarian), milkshake, desserts, beer and beverages. Indeed quite a lot of choices for a little store that cannot fit more than 30 people. Honestly, too many for one burger diners to specialize in gourmet dining. Looking at the crowd, there are families with kids, teenagers with parents, grandparents, and young couples of course. Tin Hau has never been so energized with more western restaurants blossoming; Texas burgers undoubtedly catered to a large crowd of diners who needed the extra option of western food as they only get to have desserts, Vietnamese, cha chaan teng or Thailand cuisine around. Even though the store was not so spacious, the wide-ranging selection will let anyone easily settled in and stuffed for sure.不得不感嘆這裡的菜單「包羅萬有」的程度：近10款Burger，紅肉白肉素食無一或缺；義粉沙律小食奶昔亦一應俱全。對於只能容納不足30人的店面，這份菜牌的野心大得有些不是很實際。當然，門口的人龍還是讓人不能小覷。天后，一個充斥著東南亞食肆的地區，多了一個西式餐廳的選擇本身就已經很討喜，難怪人流不絕。【Forest Mushrooms Salad野菌沙律 |HKD62】
|Mesclun mix, assorted mushrooms, roasted pumpkin & radish, fried French onion, roasted sesame dressing|雜沙律菜，烤雜錦精選香菌，燒南瓜，小紅蘿蔔，脆炸洋蔥絲，烘焙芝麻醋沙律汁|
Let’s kick off the fatty meal with some fresh greens! Well-tossed salad with right amount of salad dressing, roasted pumpkin and radish were zippy fresh, deep fried shredded onions were flavorsome with acidic appetizing salad. Not bad. If only mushrooms were not chopped and more mushrooms can be added, both Carly and Lorling would have been happier.在食物質素方面，野菌沙律裡的小紅蘿蔔和脆炸洋蔥絲加了不少的春天爽鮮感，沙律醬份量恰到好處，如果蘑菇的量可以多些而且沒有被切得過碎，Carly和Lorling都會點讚！【Veggie Burger素食漢堡 |HKD83】
|Grilled housemade savory veggie patty, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, melted monterey Jack cheese, aioli|烤自製素食漢堡扒，牛油果，生菜，蕃茄，熔化蒙特利傑克芝士，法式香蒜醬|The homemade savory veggie patty was not juicy or soft, Carly guessed the main ingredient was chick peas as the patty appeared rather orange in color with hints of green. Not too impressed with the thin slice of patty, considerably dry. Dvd stated that this made him miss Beef & Liberty’s unbeatable veggie Falafel burger, Lorling seconded that. Luckily, the avocado sauce saved the bun a bit.
這個素食burger建議應該考慮要從餐牌上移除。主要的成份有米飯和鷹嘴豆蓉，可惜入口就好像一塊加了比較過量雞粉的麵團，沒有素食burger的新鮮感覺。

 

【Texas BBQ Burger 德州燒烤漢堡|HKD88】
|6oz beef patty, baked crisp bacons, deep-fried onion ring, lettuce, melted cheddar cheese, signature smoked Jalapeno BBQ sauce|6安士煙燻牛肉漢堡，焗脆煙肉，炸洋蔥圈，生菜，熔化車打芝士，秘制墨西哥青椒燒烤醬|

The best burger in house! Australian beef is rather flavorsome and juicy after grilling. Regarding seasoning, tad sweet yet very enjoyable smoked BBQ sauce; and the crunchy onion ring made this one decent burger to munch off. The logo of TB was engraved and toasted on the bun, making this signature dish notably the highlight of the night.這當之無愧是店裡的招牌漢堡。澳洲牛肉被事先醃製並煙燻過，煙燻的味道和醬汁的甜味滲透均勻，加上脆炸洋蔥圈增添的口感，味道不俗。而且"TB"作為店名簡寫被烤在麵包上，形態上也比較突出。

 

【Foie Gras Beef Burger煙燻鵝肝漢堡|HKD153】
|6oz beef patty, Seared Foie Gras, Balsamic Reduction, pickled red onions & arugula salad, Toasted Brioche Bun|6安士煙燻牛肉漢堡，香煎鵝肝片，意式濃縮黑醋汁，甜酸紅洋蔥圈，芝麻菜沙律|
Bun being slightly over-burnt, it came out crumbly dry and hardened. Whenever Carly sees Foie Gras burger, the greasy experience at Burgeroom rang the bell. Gobay always thought that foie gras should not go with beef patties as both of them are considered heavy, rich flavored food; not the best combo to put them together. A thin slice of Pan fried foie gras: fairly dry, lacking the fatty good oil. Pickled red onions were nice crunchy and citrusy. But the brioche bun was left in the oven for too long, hardened to a point that everyone just left the buns on the serving wooden boards.麵包炕得過乾以致吃著有「啵啵脆」的感覺，對burger而言是非常不好的。吃上口的時候，先是脆（乾）得過份的包刮口，還未有嘗到中間的牛肉，已想放棄。而肥膩的鴨肝馬上激起Carly早前在Burgeroom吃同款Burger的油膩經歷。Gobay一直都覺得鴨肝/鵝肝與漢堡包根本就是「勉強沒幸福」的代表組合，兩者都是味濃，油脂重的食物，而且水生動物的騷味本身和陸生動物的味道就不合。鴨肝本身質地不算上乘，所以偏乾油份不足，加上漢堡扒也不甚出色，整體味道自然就不怎討好。

 

【Gourmet Fish Burger香脆鱈魚漢堡|HKD83】
|Deep Fried tender fillet of Pollock, red cheddar cheese, lettuce, grilled pineapple tartar sauce, white balsamic flakes, toasted sesame bun|炸嫩滑冰島鱈魚柳，英式紅車打芝士，生菜，烤菠蘿他他醬，白酒醋脆片，芝麻包|
New item! The sauce was alright with chopped pineapple, along with fruity sweet and a right punch of sourness for the tartar sauce. The sesame bun was not as dry as the other ones yet the deep fried fish was dry to its core, Gobay even tasted had the frozen fillet aftertaste after trying the battered fish that was deep fried for way too long.這款魚之堡是新款，強烈建議換魚扒或者不要提供這款堡。醬汁加了碎菠蘿，同塔塔醬蠻配搭，但魚扒實在太乾柴，甚至清晰試到有雪藏味！油炸的時間亦過長致使魚肉咬開成塊狀剝落......有點兒可怕......

 

【Chicken & Bacon Burger烤雞煙肉漢堡|HKD73】
|Grilled tender chicken breast, baked crisp bacons, lettuce, tomatoes, Monterey jack cheese, aioli, toasted ciabatta|烤嫩滑雞胸，焗脆煙肉，生菜，蕃茄，蒙特利傑克芝士，法式香蒜醬，意式軟包|

Chicken was ultra moist, tender, and well-seasoned – Carly is often impressed by places that can ace chicken breast cooking so nicely. Baked bacon was a bit overdone so it lost the fatty oily goodness compared to when bacon is cooked till a point that the oil drizzles a little over the rest of the food. Aioli was pretty nice for its mouth drooling taste of garlicky cream sauce, ciabatta bread was dry, and lacked the crispiness on the crust and fluffy airy texture on the interior. Relatively better in terms of flavor and quality out of all the burgers we had.雞肉的水準得到大家一致好評，認為是屬於當晚驚喜之作。雞胸肉保持了濕潤，幼滑的口感，胡椒鹽加香草的經典調味也沒出差池，法式香蒜醬加上最後的潤色，使得雞肉在口中更加美味，當然，這種美味是相對當晚其他菜色而言的。麵包雖然自稱是義大利拖鞋飽，但它的乾硬程度真的讓人禁不住怒喝一句『別自欺欺人了！你根本是拖鞋，不是飽！』。【Potato Wedges 薯塊】
Deep fried, rather like baked style potato wedges. Seasoned with a pinch of salt, pepper, and rosemary herbs, some of them were mushy inside, and could have been moister. Side dishes for burgers are often very important to conclude whether the burger combo was legit – Chop House’s tater tots is still our favorite in town. Mini pot of coleslaw was served next to the fries yet flavor wise was just average as it came a bit watery and bland in taste.
炸薯角普普通通，有些內裡粉嫩但有些不然。The Chop House的脆薯粒依然是吉碟幫的城中至愛，因為漢堡包餐中配菜的味道有時等於burger本身。美式椰菜沙律毫無特色矗立在旁，讓人有種「吃也不是，不吃也不是」的莫名情緒，很困擾！【T.B Nachos招牌烤芝士薯條|HKD78】
|Ultimate fries, jalapeno, black olive, Velveeta cheese sauce, crispy bacon bites, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream|特脆薯條，墨西哥青椒片，黑水欖片，美國芝士醬，脆煙肉碎，牛油果醬，莎莎醬，酸忌廉|

New item! Fries were average, jalapeno chopped in rather big chunks, and sour cream, cheese and bacon flavors were nowhere to be found. This results in a lacking of the authentic sour and herbs aroma. Guacamole, being so finely grinded, lacked the uneven raw fresh textural experience. The color of the guacamole turned dimmed as if they were not fresh from the basket, it might’ve been the fact that avocado was grinded in the blender instead of randomly squashing it softly, much like apples turning dark yellow being exposed in open air for too long.
這也是一個新菜式，而這個"混醬"的搭配，讓人吃的時候有種「悲天憫人」的情懷，因為暗綠色的牛油果醬和大大塊的墨西哥青椒，一邊吃一邊心裡默念『粒粒皆辛苦，我唔可以浪費這盤薯仔…』芝士和煙肉的味道無影無蹤，牛油果更被打成蓉而喪失了粒狀口感和新鮮感。讓人傷心的是，最近街市的牛油果一點都不便宜！

 

【Carolina BBQ Ribs卡羅萊納燒烤骨|HKD136】
|Tex-Mex Coleslaw, southern BBQ Sauce, fries|配特色卷心菜沙律，燒烤汁，炸薯條|New Item! The barbeque ribs were very flavorsome, drenched in thick smokey barbeque sauce. The seasoning was just right with a slightly sweet, acidic kick to go with some meaty, soft, tender pork ribs which you can easily shred and separate. Very American style kind of homey dish that suits the cozy tiny space at Texas burgers.烤豬肋骨味道不俗，醬汁微甜帶酸又有點「攻鼻」的煙燻香氣，而肉質尚算柔軟，非常美國風格的食物。

All of the milkshakes are served in rather large size of 14oz servings.
所有奶昔都以14安士的「大架勢」示人，看著誘惑，味道如何呢？

 

【Tropical Forest Milkshake 14oz|HKD43】
|Guava, mango, passion fruit, lime ice-cream, sliced pineapple|石榴，芒果，熱情果，青檸雪糕，菠蘿片|
Very tropical and exotic flavors bursting from the not-so-thick milkshake, passion fruit and mango fruit scents were the most profound. For anyone that loves a summery drink, this will not let you down.
從包含的水果就可以看出這是一杯「熱帶風情」，奶昔雖不夠濃稠，但熱情果和芒果味道很突出。作為夏日特飲，它也是不錯之選。【Funky Monkey Milkshake 14oz|HKD43】
|Vanilla ice-cream, banana, peanut butter, chocolate, syrup, whipping cream, explosive chocolate|雲喱拿雪糕，香蕉，花生醬，朱古力糖漿，忌廉，朱古力爆炸糖|
Banana and chocolate flavor stood out after one quick sip, then the wave of peanut better came gushing through, Lyoe described as the “breakfast” drink. Quite indeed a spot-on description for this.這是被Lyoe形容為「早餐飲品」的奶昔。的確非常貼切：香蕉，朱古力，花生醬－－還有比這個更早餐的組合嗎？如果加上兩塊方飽，絕對可以作早餐出售！

 

【Trilogy of Chocolate Milkshake 14oz|HKD49】
|Chocolate ice-cream, mint jelly, chocolate syrup, whipping cream, explosive chocolate, oreo cookie|朱古力雪糕，薄荷啫喱，朱古力糖漿，忌廉，朱古力爆炸糖，曲奇|
Rather mild bland chocolate milkshake, very subtle hint of mint flavor. If only extra chocolate ice-cream was added or oreo chunks and crumbs, then it would be the most evil and intriguing components that for a heavy chocolate milkshake.朱古力三重奏，薄荷味非常微弱，如果多一些朱古力雪糕和奧力奧曲奇碎就更能增加誘惑。整體感覺比較稀，仿佛是兌了水的朱古力奶。

 

【Berry Lover Milkshake 14oz |HKD49】
|Strawberry ice-cream, raspberry, blue berry, whipping cream, fresh berries|草莓雪糕，木莓，藍莓，忌廉，新鮮雜莓子|
Carly’s favorite and considered the best milkshake out of all four of them for its fruity berry aroma was natural and mildly sweet. Nothing can go wrong with mixed berries as long as fresh berries are well-blended with the ice-cream based milkshake.
Carly當晚最讚賞的奶昔，沒有之一！豐富的藍莓味自然微甜，水果香氣濃郁，再加草莓雪糕，確實屬於該店出品中口味最正常的奶昔了。

 

【Rustic Apple Tart鄉村蘋果批|HKD56】
|Sea salted toffee, whipped cream, candied walnuts|海監拖肥，甜忌廉，蜜餞核桃|
Toffee lacked the sea salt savory flavor, whipped cream was halfway melting, walnuts? Were there walnuts? The apple tart was lying flat, unappealing at sight, served just warm to the table. Taste-wise was alright but apples chunks were not very impressive, Carly gave up after one scoop.拖肥並沒有所說的海鹽滋味，而甜忌廉更加有一半處於自我放棄的融化狀態。至於蜜餞核桃，我們覺得它只存在於我們的幻想當中，因為是找不到的！整個蘋果批非常不振奮食慾的置於碟中，我們相看兩無奈，看久生厭…

A scoop of Movenpick ice-cream | 配一球雪糕

 

【Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake朱古力軟蛋糕|HKD52】
|A scoop of Movenpick ice-cream|配一球雪糕|

Oh my..Fudge cake is supposed to be soft chewy on the inside and crusty on the dark chocolate based edges. Yet this was just not right, not right for an American dessert. The cake was hardened, not chewy.. Rather disastrous piece of cake Carly would have to say, she dug into the vanilla Movenpick ice-cream on the side and ignored the fudge cake completely.軟蛋糕專屬的外軟內煙韌的口感在這裡完全找不到，而那一球Movenpick雪糕則被默默地消滅了，因為是唯一可取的。On average of HKD160 per person spent for the night, price range is considered above average around Tin Hau area, yet acceptable for dining out these days. It is easily a hit and miss if you haven’t tried out this place before. Make sure you order the recommended items from us ☺ Or if you are looking for a homey American fast food dining experience, Texas Burgers will be the place for you.人均160元在天后區不算低端消費了，如果你碰巧入天后，碰巧想食burger，又碰巧附近沒有別的選擇，那你就去嚐嚐我們的推薦菜式吧。

* Opens everyday

* Monday to Wednesday walk-in is easier or simply come after 8:30pm

Valérie (新蒲崗)

6/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]Valérie店主的態度都很親切，獨力經營生意，又要整餅，又要顧及物流送貨。知道開一間網上餅店也絕非易事，Carly更加欣賞靠一雙手闖天下的年輕人，特別是甜品師傅。同樣是朱古力，雞蛋，糖，牛奶的幾種基本元素，在有心人手中，平凡亦會顯見不平凡。我們吉碟幫親愛的Lorling生日將至，差不多吃遍香港有名甜品蛋糕店的Carly苦惱了良久，要怎樣挑一個不是慕絲的黑朱古力蛋糕給Lorling，另一方面，也要形合不嗜甜的Gobay，蛋糕必須重質又重量。在不少雜誌見過Valérie Pastry被專訪的報道，Carly與Lorling都「心郁郁」（心動）想試很久，最後訂了一個五吋蛋糕，另外特意訂了四個迷你蛋糕，像Gobay說道，『眾星伴月』的為我們的壽星女賀生辰。Another birthday celebration for our Gang member – our beloved photo designer Lorling What is better than having one alluring beautifully decorated birthday cake plus mini ones on the side to satisfy Lorling’s sweet tooth, Carly knew that she didn't make a wrong decision.【CocoCoffee 可可咖啡八層蛋糕| 5 inch cake HKD223】
Very appealing and glamorous just by sight as you see coffee brittles and gold glittered white chocolate decor garnished the cake very professionally with gold patterned chocolate thins around the corners. Lorling was a fan of dark chocolate yet does not like mousse cakes in general, this did give Carly quite a headache as dark chocolate cakes are often in mousse form. Valérie’s CocoCoffee cake has layers of coffee cream and dark chocolate sponge cake altering evenly, finishing it off with a layer of crunchy chocolate flaky crisp as the cake base. Everyone acclaimed this as this was not sweet and very rich and dense in coffee aroma. Dark chocolate sponge cake was tad too dry, creating this huge contrast compared to the buttery coffee cream, the light flaky crunch highlighted the cake, often Carly’s favorite part. Petite Amanda’s Plaisir Sucré is still by far the best in town in terms of opera-like pastry for its flawless balance and angelic textural crunchiness & creaminess combo of hazelnut, milk chocolate ganache, and chocolate crunch. Valérie’s CocoCoffee may not be the best in town, yet for its price and well-decorated garnishment, Carly did not complain further.

Valerie自家制的八層蛋糕是傳統經典Opera cake的變奏版，用上牛油狀的咖啡慕絲和黑朱古力雪芳蛋糕，一層夾一層的形成口感上的強烈對比，咖啡慕絲濃滑帶點厚實，朱古力雪芳蛋糕則太乾身。咖啡味特別香濃，眾人都盛讚整體味道不太甜，就算是男士們亦吃得津津有味。裝飾亮麗精緻不在話下，加上Lorling不喜歡吃慕絲的關係，這款生日蛋糕就正合我們心意，不是一般常見軟滑的忌廉。只是略嫌海綿蛋糕偏乾。朱古力味也不太突出，偏淡，Carly猜想應該不是用上高級的Valrhona朱古力。5吋蛋糕，價錢很公道，這蛋糕質素與味道雖然不及agnès b. Café， Petite Amanda或Tony Wong，但絕對值得一試。看得出店主非常用心的製作，誠意十足，值得一讚。【Salute to Rocher 向金莎致敬|HKD36】
眾人一看見dome圓頂形狀的蛋糕就想知道金色的包裝紙金光閃閃，能否吃下肚。哈哈，吃這一個要反轉蛋糕徒手拆掉金色手工紙，就會看見貌似金莎的放大版蛋糕。吃一口，雲喱拿慕絲軟滑輕盈，看見點點的新鮮雲喱拿豆種子，雲喱拿味不重，配上中間流心的榛子ganache，整體都太甜了。但終究榛子朱古力這配搭始終是魅力沒法擋，很邪惡呢。Everyone glared at the golden packaging wrapped around the dome shaped cake, wondering if it was edible. Luckily no one dared to try as you will have to flip around the cake to remove the golden foil to reveal the enlarged version of Rocher chocolate cake, velvety and over-the-top smooth vanilla mousse was scrumptious, just that the relatively watery hazelnut paste was a bit overly sugary. *munch* a nutty roasted hazelnut is hidden in the cake to complete the cravings for dessert lovers out there who loves Rocher to the end of the world.【Crunchy Lemon 檸檬脆脆|HKD30】
Refreshing and fruity pastry! Gobay liked this most out of all the cakes for its energizing tutti-fruity lemon zest and relatively lighter version of cream mousse, it was a bit bouncy compared to the rest of the cakes. White chocolate coated corn flakes were crunchy and crispy, mildly sweetened without going over-the-top. Lorling even noticed that the lemon cake was decorated like a cat’s paw, very lovable and delightful summery cake indeed!

清甜之選，檸檬慕絲有些微Q彈的口感，不是一般朱古力或雲喱拿的流心軟滑狀，而且不會過甜，帶點微酸，亦很討好。Lorling留意到蛋糕面的裝飾似是貓爪的圖樣，很可愛！最難以抗拒的是鋪在最底層的脆脆，甜甜的白朱古力粟米片，吃完一口又一口，細過掌心、迷你的檸檬脆脆蛋糕極速地消失於無形！【Passion Fruit Valrhona 64% 熱情果香濃巧克力慕絲|HKD30】
Valrhona dark chocolate glazed dome shape cake was very rich and dense in chocolate flavor, the only thing that could have been improved is the passion fruit jelly was a bit too solid creating this rather vast contrast on the palate when you take a bite into the smooth mousse, the jelly was separated apart, falling out from the dome, not the most ideal form of filling. Passion fruit scent was rather pungent; if you are not a great fan of passion fruit, feel free to opt for other chocolate-themed cakes from Valérie.

Dome圓頂形的朱古力蛋糕真的吃不少，Valérie的黑朱古力慕絲味濃，豐盈香滑，不算太甜，是中上質素的巧克力慕絲，第一口已經嚐到果味突出的熱情果甜蜜。唯一美中不足的是中間的熱情果啫喱有點過實，與外層香滑的朱古力慕絲相對上有太強烈的對比，不太合得來。吃到中間的時候，果凍還掉了出來，與慕絲蛋糕分離了。【Midori Mont Blanc 栗子貓貓|HKD35】
非常可愛的造型，Carly不知道從何時開始喜歡上貓貓，誠然，Carly媽媽常說女兒性格像貓，心情不好的時候，怎麼找都找不著，「無晒影」。有美食的時候或者肚子餓的時候，就自然會「浦頭」。大家想知多點，這隻Midori綠子貓貓在facebook上有自己的粉絲專頁，真實的貓貓超萌，非常可愛！獨愛栗子蛋糕的Carly，覺得Valérie的栗子蓉打得頗出色，軟滑香濃，可惜味道有點偏甜。Carly吃過很多Mont Blanc，至今仍是覺得Passion by Gerard Dubois 的Passion Fruit Mont Blanc，配搭做得出色，味道亦有驚喜，大家不防一試。Valérie的栗子蛋糕則是造型和質感取勝，配上內裡帶點白朱古力的慕絲，軟滑甜蜜，加上實脆的餅底，整體算不俗。Midori cat has its own fanpage on Facebook and this has been so far the cutest Mont Blanc Carly has ever had, even though the real Midori cat is cuter Carly’s mom often complains that her daughter has a “cat temper”, she hides and scowls away when she’s in a bad mood, and only when she needs good food for hungry tummy, then she will curl up next to you and go purring. Mont Blanc has to be one of Carly’s favorite and she is still in search of the best chestnut based dessert in Hong Kong. Valerie’s Mont Blanc was ultra creamy smooth and exceptionally delicate, though tad sweet, the cream mousse was profoundly smooth on the interior too, rum cream was too subtle and she hardly tasted any. Carly still voted for Passion fruit Mont Blanc offered at Passion by Gerard Dubois as the passion fruit mousse was very well-blended with the creamy chestnut mousse. Valerie’s own twist was not bad for its adorable design and exquisitely demonstrated skills in making intriguing chestnut mousse.

* Options of ordering online or by phone 網上或電話訂蛋糕均可

* Order 3 days in advance 三天前預訂