元豐園 (尖沙咀)

7.5/10 plates emptied!

[Written by Gobay in Chinese, Carly in English]吉碟幫掙扎了很久，知道一介紹完元豐園之後，恐怕會逼滿了這小店，老實說，元豐園確是我們一行五人韓國餐廳的首選。但我們絕對不會不把好東西介紹給吉碟幫的一眾粉絲！
吉碟幫終於齊人來到這個讓人又愛又恨，服務差到街知巷聞但聽說是韓國人至愛的韓國餐廳。也許會讓部分打算『看文解氣、同仇敵愾』的食友失望——這篇食評其實是為元豐園正名的——因為餐廳的靈魂不是服務，是食物。
先大體說一下被人一致差評了很久的『服務』再說食物吧。當晚我們比預訂的時間晚了15分鐘，只見Lorling和韓籍老闆娘貌似求情，過不久我們就被手下留情『放進去』了，後來Lorling解釋說老闆娘只是和我們開玩笑。而整頓飯的過程中，服務還算周到，有位侍應大嬸還教我們怎麼喝米酒碰杯。在忠實粉絲Lorling和Dvd的講解下，我們知道了從前這裡的服務確是奇差，近半年才逐漸開始有改進，所以我們才見識不到傳聞中的『阿豬媽』脾氣。閒話不多說，以下的食物環節會讓大家知道為什麼我們想為這家餐廳正名。The Gang has been longing to try out Wong Pun Wong just because it was our Korean cuisine expert Lorling and DvD’s favorite authentic Korean restaurant in Hong Kong. Openrice reviews have been absolutely notorious and negative when it comes to rating the service, often leaving customers with a raging temper after visiting. We hope that this review will not raise your expectations on the service level, since in Carly’s opinion; it will never be good or even close to ideal. We call this the “complete” dining experience of Korean cuisine just because of the imperfect service, rather thrilling and perfect cooked Korean dishes, and you will be able to understand that, as soon as you glance over to see the place packed with Koreans. No, we were not kidding about the food.

《Barbeque Meat烤肉部分》
地道的韓式烤肉店，用的是鐵架氣爐火並不是炭火——一般人愛吃炭燒烤肉但純正的韓國本土烤肉店，其實很少是炭燒的，價錢問題。韓式烤肉其實是以醬汁或醃汁出名，其次就是肉的品種、質地和鮮度。我們點了以下幾款加一份韓式生菜（HKD50）：無骨烤牛肋骨、鐵鍋燒五花腩、和烤牛肉。Local Korean barbeque places are equipped with gasoline stoves made in metal instead of charcoal types. Though people usually opt for charcoal grilled meat, Korean authentic places seldom use that, most likely related to cost constraints. Korean barbeque is prominent for their sauce/marinated spices, followed by the beef origin, texture, and freshness. The Gang ordered one serving of mixed veggie (HKD50) to go with “evil” beef, so here goes the verdict:

 

【無骨烤牛肋骨 | HKD130】
這就是和之前我們去La Vache!吃的牛扒很相似的部位: 牛肋骨之間的肉，只是La Vache! 用的是Entrecôte，必須是上腰部的牛肋骨，所以牛肉味和口感都要更勝一籌。但無論如何，無骨的牛肋骨肉怎麼吃都是讓人感到幸福的！這裡是簡單地用黑胡椒末和油醃了一下，因為有韓式烤肉醬（據韓食達人Lorling解說，應該是由韓式豆瓣醬，辣醬加粟米糖漿，胡椒粉和麻油等自家烹煮，所以每間烤肉店都會有點不同），黑胡椒鹽麻油（必須提一下，這裡的麻油非常的香和惹味，很特別）和湯醬油的緣故。我們手上放著芝麻葉，放一片牛肋骨肉，加上些許烤肉醬，最後拌上半勺白飯，裹著一口送進嘴裡——肉汁瞬間包著有點糯米質感的白飯，加上甜辣的醬汁——不禁讓人想起了《孤獨的美食家》裡五郎的一次吃烤肉配白飯的經歷和整頓飯他臉上陶醉的表情！

 

【Grade Boneless beef ribs| HKD130】
Very close to the same cut of beef as we compared this with the Entrecôte part we had at La Vache! Beef ribs being the cut right above the waist of the cow, the rich beef flavor and texture at La Vache! is considered higher tier in quality compared to Won Pun Won. Not going to complain much for its reasonable price (Korean barbeque is so expensive these days; you always end up paying at least HKD350 pp for dinner). Boneless beef ribs have to be the favorite kind of thing for meat loves. Enjoy it simply with dipping the sizzling grilled beef in the mixture of sesame oil and grinded black pepper, Gobay noted that Won Pun Won’s sesame oil was particularly aromatic and special to go with barbequed beef. Korea guru Lorling stated that traditionally Korean Chilli bean sauce – blending red chilli paste with corn syrup and pepper powder will be offered at the table. Yet this really depends on restaurants, different dipping sauce will be offered, adding its own twist on the flavors and spices. Best way of enjoying delectable Korean grilled beef: arugula/fresh veggie, sizzling hot grilled beef ribs, add a bit of sweet chili paste to enhance the savory flavor, chewing that all together in one bite of rice. This, is, life.

 

【鐵鍋燒五花腩 | HKD120】
至於五花腩，席間我們看到旁邊的一桌韓國人，先是用泡菜抹勻了在鐵鍋面上烤炙，然後將五花腩放上一起烤，我們當晚沒有機會嘗試這種烤法，但絕對是別有風味。雖然這裡的五花腩不算是特別肥美，在鍋上煎後，陣陣的油香包在新鮮的生菜，沾上傳統風味的紅辣椒醬，不會太辣，放入口就嘗到剛煎起豬油的甘香，實在是叫人難以抗拒。Carly仍是覺得名家的燒肉比元豐園的質素高一點，對比是牛肋骨肉的肉質、醃製的醬料/醬油、味道，和五花腩的肥瘦比例。元豐園的燒肉是不俗，但名家的更見美味。

 

【Grilled Sliced Pork Belly|HKD120】
Another authentic way of enjoying Korean barbeque, fatty pork belly grilled till the edges of the fat turned sizzling golden brown, giving off an irresistible aroma. Best combo and rather traditional way of enjoying grilled pork belly was to wrap it with fresh veggie (lettuce or arugula), one small bite of rice, a bit of Korean chilli paste – never too spicy but elevates the sweetness and seasoning of the non-seasoned pork belly. Won pun won’s pork belly was not particularly fatty so it was not the best type of juicy pork you can have around, yet for its price, what more can you ask for.

 

【 和烤牛肉（醬醃）| HKD100】
醬牛肉則是醃製好的碎牛柳，不需要蘸醬味道就很足了。

 

【Marinated Beef Slices|HKD100】
Marinated beef slices were decent enough on its own, without dipping it into the barbeque sauce served on the table. Noteworthy that each Korean barbeque place has their own houseblend of dipping sauce – Carly’s personal favorite still goes to the simple combo of sea salt chunks mixed with sesame oil, even better, Myung Ga (名家) uses pink Himalayan salt, a type of rock salt that is not processed as much as household table salt.

《Others其他》

 

【海鮮煎餅 | HKD120】
Lorling說這裡的海鮮煎餅是全香港韓式餐廳做得最好的，吃完後我們大家都深以為然！它的優秀之處在於麵漿的調配，當然還有火候和炊具使用到家。煎餅的口感外脆內糯，而且厚度比一般的煎餅要薄，夾雜著海鮮青蔥的爽韌，口感前所未有的好，強烈推介必食，否則後悔！據Lorling和DvD說，這裡的海鮮煎餅水準每次如一地那麼出色，但是菜單上面沒有這道菜，要直接點。

【Seafood Pancake|HKD120】
Lorling acclaimed Wong Pun Wong’s Seafood pancake to be the best in town, Carly undoubtedly seconded that. Optimal balance of seafood meat, flour, spring onions, pan-fried till it turned slightly golden brown, heavenly crispy with a light touch, never too oily. Crunchy on the exterior, and somewhat chewy on the inside. Chopped green onions well-blended with chunky seafood bits of octopus and shrimps. Lorling and Dvd as frequent diners at Won Pun Won, acclaimed for their consistency of the excellent seafood pancake served every time. This item is not listed on their menu *shhh* you just need to order it secretly and hope that the ajummas (translated as middle-aged ladies in Korean) do not say no.

HKD250 (L) HKD130 (S)

 

【煎餃子 | HKD250 (L) HKD130 (S) 】
煎餃子也一樣出色，雖然是簡單的大白菜豬肉餡，但餃皮很脆並帶種爽的感覺，讓Gobay想起日本飲食漫畫『中華一番』裡面有場餃子大賽，主角在餃皮裡加了淮山蓉達到『爽』的口感。Lorling說只要在煎之前把餃子放進急凍等餃皮雪硬了再加水和油煎就可以達致這種口感，喜歡烹飪的食友可以試下這個方法。

HKD250 (L) HKD130 (S)

 

【Pan Fried Dumplings| HKD250 (L) HKD130 (S)】
Profoundly cooked dish of some intriguing pan-fried dumplings filled with chopped cabbage and minced pork. The dumplings were pan-fried till the dough and edges turned crispy and fresh choppy in a sensational way. To get the crispy crunchy texture, Lorling suggested that dumplings can be icy frozen in the fridge for a while before cooking them in scorching oil.

HKD350 (L) HKD280 (S)

 

【辣豬骨鍋 | HKD350 (L) HKD280 (S) 】
豬骨煲最好的部位應該是用豬膝和筒骨 (腿骨)，豬膝肉滑而且有很多筋，筋煮久了會變得很軟，膠質很豐富，筒骨裡的骨髓比較多，煲出來骨髓容易融入湯汁，令湯更鮮更濃。這裡主要用的是豬脊骨，連著骨的肉會比較多，肉質也挺滑，湯上面放了很多芝麻葉 (紫蘇)，是韓國人最常吃的蔬菜之一。芝麻葉的味道很獨特而強，吃不習慣的人可能不喜歡。湯不會太辣，吃著十分開胃，下飯一流！推薦喜歡吃豬骨煲火鍋的食友去之前有寫到的西環坤記煲仔小菜，那裡的豬骨就全部用豬膝和筒骨，也是另一種『豬骨』趣味。

HKD350 (L) HKD280 (S)

 

【Pork Bone & Potato Soup | HKD350 (L) HKD280 (S)】
Pork bone soup cooked bullocks and huge portions of soft, tender pork, the cuts close to the bones are succulent and soft. Gobay recommended using pork knuckles or bone marrows to cook them into a soup base as the tendon will easily turn soft and nutrients will dissolve into the soup, condensed in essences, mild heat on the palate. Handful of arugula leaves were added to the soup, one of Koreans’ favorite veggie. Arugula does come with a very unique and rather pungent flavor, people either love it or hate it. Mildly spicy soup base is very heartwarming and appetizing to go with rice. Kwan Kee in Sai Wan (So far still the highest rated restaurant by the Gang), pork knuckles and bone marrows are cooked to its perfection, another spot worth hitting!元豐園的服務水平改進了很多，但就算沒有改進，吉碟幫也覺得它的食物是值得點讚的！韓燒，香港開到近乎轉角就梗有一間在附近，但真心好吃的韓國餐廳不多，不是價錢偏貴，就是花臣玩太盡，味道又不怎麼樣。元豐園榮登Lorling與Dvd香港地最喜愛的韓式餐廳實在不為過。It was not surprising to see the wave of notorious reviews on Openrice for Won Pun Won for its unfriendly service, point taken, food is what you should be coming back for when visiting Korean authentic places.Unquestionably, Won Pun Won’s cooked dished scored some top marks on Emptyplates Gang’s list. Not the best in town for barbeque meat but definitely reasonably priced. Bill ended up around HKD250 per person for dinner, not too bad as we were all so stuffed, plus we ordered a bottle of rice wine on the side. You may even locate and pin down one of our Gang members there for dinner, happily munching away!

* Call in advance to book, better yet have a Korean to call

* Not the most ideal place for barbeque meat yet cooked dishes are lipsmackingly good

* Service is never going to be good here so just focus on the food itself

*最好預先致電訂位，韓國人致電訂位就更方便！

*不算是最高質的韓式燒烤，但其他熱食都是無得輸！

*服務永遠都不會算是好，去元豐園都只是為了食物。

韓冰 (尖沙咀)

5.5/10 plates emptied!  [Written by Carly]韓國食品的潮流流行了好一陣子，例如之前排極都排不到的Schoolfood，老店新羅寶與名家，炸雞店最近一，兩年更加是越開越多，試不完的一張名單。終於都輪到韓式甜品，傳統用水造的雪花冰於2013年四月被革新改造，把奶預先加進冰，再把冰粒刨至極細的雪花質感，加上鋪滿面的甜點，例如紅豆，煉奶，生果，蛋糕，餅乾碎。Hanbing韓冰只是開張剛數月，已經有很多甜品愛好者湧至，要在晚飯時間找位子也不太容易呢。座落於海港城人流不多的角落，環境開揚，卻不會像Cova Express那樣被路過的人都瞄一瞄，自成一角也很不錯。Literally everyone around in Hong Kong has been so into Korean cuisine from traditional barbeque beef, soju rice wine, soft serve with honeycomb, in color waffle cones, fish shaped cones..and the list goes on and on! Shoved away in one hidden corner of the bustling shopping malls of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hanbing specializes in Korean shaved ice desserts and some popular authentic snacks, not to mention a very modern collaboration of sweet-savory combo of deep fried gigantic cheeseballs.
Korean shaved ice, traditionally known as Patbingsu (팥빙수) which is water shaved ice with red bean paste and fruit toppings. The newly invented/modified version of Korean shaved ice dessert has been gaining huge popularity throughout South Korea, since April 2013 in Busan. By tradition, shaved ice desserts are from pure iced water so it tastes less sweet and rather simple. Now that milk and ice has been mixed together before shaving, shaved ice will contain both the natural milky and sweet flavoring, well-blended within and very enticing to munch on a hot summery day.

 

【Injeolmi Snow Ice | 豆粉雪花冰 | HKD68】
豆粉一向都是韓式雪花冰的恩物，一小塊被切得細細的年糕，軟腍煙，淡淡甜蜜與豆味濃郁的滋味配上被刨至綿綿細膩的雪花冰，口感與味道上都是「無得輸」。問題是刨得幾細緻，會不會太快溶，做得夠不夠綿滑。第一口的雪花冰比台灣的綿綿冰好吃得多，因為刨完的冰不會急速溶化，細膩又帶點豐盈的口感，適當的甜度，吃得多甜度亦會被冰粒中和，奶香配上天然豆味，豆粉一放入口中就，第一個雪花冰很快就被「殲滅」了。Ddeok is a type of Korean traditional rice cake, made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice flour, chopped into small pieces, soft chewy in texture. Injeolmi is a type of dried beans powder that quickly dissolves on your palate. You can never go wrong with these two irresistible components added to the mildly milky sweet shaved ice, the intense bean aroma and smooth and silky texture of the ice dessert, complemented by soft bouncy delectable mochi-like rice cake, this dessert is worth returning for; not a lot of places in Hong Kong offer good quality desserts which are not overloaded with chocolate, ice-cream, or any types of syrup and sugar. At least this natural flavored dessert can lift up your mood in a less guilty and light heavenly way!

 

【Blueberry Cheese Snow Ice | 藍莓芝士雪花冰 | HKD78】
有一大粒，一大粒的藍莓，說不上很新鮮但最低限度不「hea」，藍莓醬比一般的果占醬稀釋一點，但算是頗甜，有點人造，沒有天然的果香。一塊塊芝士蛋糕被切成四方形，口感冰冰的，帶點厚實，不是鬆軟剛焗好的芝士蛋糕，芝士味不會過濃，配上若隱若現的椰香夾在每一口的雪花冰，定會讓一眾女士心花怒放。唯一欠缺誠意的，就是用上Haagen Dazs雲喱拿雪糕，卻不是自家制的雪糕叫人有點失望吧，雪糕本身太甜，甜味很快溶進雪花冰中，加上較重味的芝士蛋糕，天然的牛奶雪花冰的味道立刻被淹沒了，吃到最後會稍微過甜。Blueberry and cheesecake combo is everyone’s favorite and with the colorful, bountiful shaved ice dessert served to the table, huge frozen blueberries, and fruity blueberry sauce dripping over the milky ice, topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Chunks of New York style cheesecake were a bit heavy and thick creamy compared to the mildly sweet milk shaved ice, Carly found the cheesecake to be too intense for her liking but some people may just find this right on the spot. More-than-what-your-stomach-can-fill shaved ice desserts are going to be the new hype as soon as the heat wave hits Hong Kong soon; it’s just going to be irresistible!

 

 

【Cheese Garlic Ball | 香蒜芝士脆脆波 | HKD58】
端上桌的時候，熱感十足，濃濃香噴噴的蒜香芝士味讓眾人引頸以待。大大個被炸得金黃的脆脆波，外表非常吸引。表面炸得不夠鬆脆，最奇怪的是芝士醬異常的甜，與本身蒜味極濃的內餡顯得格格不入。芝士醬只有顏色，香氣卻沒有味道，整體不算美味。更何況不是傳統的韓國食品，實屬花巧居多。The huge garlic ball looked scrumptiously good when it was served piping hot to the table. Golden deep fried with the overpowering mouthwatering garlic and cheese aroma caught everyone’s attention, unfortunately, this did not taste too good as the garlic paste was strangely too sweet (close to an artificial flavor), lack of cheese flavor, doesn't taste that awesome nor the deep fried bread dough was crispy enough on the crust, it tasted rather heavy with an overwhelming sweetness from the garlic butter. Not impressive, but at least this looked photogenic.有待改善的是，小店需要客人自己找位子，但另外收取加一服務費。侍應只是把食物端去你前面，連落單也是自己去到櫃頭點的，真心不知道「服務」從何以來？
Carly與Lorling到韓國當地旅行時，吃過更加美味的甜品，普通一間雪花冰已經輕易超越Hanbing韓冰的水準。整體而言，豆粉雪花冰的味道，質感，配搭與甜度是最討人喜悅的。藍莓芝士蛋糕雪花冰配搭顏色豐富，有點太甜，但滿足感十足。脆脆波實是虛有其表，味道有點嚇人。夾著這股甜不了的韓風，不知道韓冰能夠撐多久。作為甜品愛好者，在尖沙咀多了一個冰涼的選擇也算是不錯。10% of service charge was charged yet interestingly, it is more like a walk-in setting where diners will have to fight over seats (no kidding if it is a weekend after dinner time). Desserts will be served to your table but then you are still required to order at the counter yourself, Carly thought that the service charge was unreasonable just for the level of service. Liked how the dessert place is located at a less crowded corner of the mall, so you won’t feel like pedestrians are staring at you when you are eating (compared to the location of Cova Express in Harbor City), the Gang indeed spent some chilled fun time at Hanbing after dinner.

Both Carly and Lorling had better Korean treats in Seoul and couldn't help to think that the ones in Hong Kong are just newly opened to catch the quick train of fast money. Hanbing was alright in terms of food quality, service needs improvement, location-wise perfect for a group gathering. Let’s hope that these little dessert places survive as Hong Kong foodies can get easily forgetful sometimes.

Steak Frites by The Butchers Club (中環)

5/10 plates emptied! [Written by Carly]每次經過Little Bao, PMQ, Yardbird，都總會看見Butchers Club Steak Frites的新招牌，行上PMQ絕對不容易，想食好野點都要行多兩步。那天，Carly已經上床準備睡覺，但還在上臉書，看見Restaurant Week回來了，二話不說，立刻查看有沒有心水餐廳有平靚正的午餐優惠。FoFo 與Blue Butcher迅速fully booked。好吧，Steak Frites一直在Carly的to-try list上面，但平時午餐要HKD350就沒太多動力去試。Restaurant Week HKD198（連加一服務費）有沙律，牛排/龍蝦三文治，連甜品，Carly與友人行到有點喘氣都是值得的。Butchers Club的burgers早期已經試過，漢堡的質量尚算可以，肉味夠，但煎出來則有很多肉汁，有些卻很乾。鴨油炸薯塊亦很咸。今次再來就能夠一試他們的dry-aged steak，是不是特別美味，與眾不同？Restaurant Week is in town again! Carly was ready for bed that night and skimming facebook when she knew about the news that dining week is back! The first thing she wanted to book ahead was the ones with roaring acclaims and wave of positive reviews (It broke Carly’s heart when she knew that Harlan Comfort has closed down and FoFo and Blue Butcher were both fully booked already on the first day! Yikes!) Steak Frites by Butchers Club has been sitting on top of the to-try list for so long, Carly was so excited to see that they have joined Restaurant week for the first time and immediately booked ahead without any further due.Steak Frites as a dine-in yet cozy laidback restaurant recently opened by the aggressive Butchers Club owners, having them right next to PMQ, competition is fierce with Wilbur Burgers in PMQ, La Vache on Peel Street, and many other hot spots to hit before visiting Steak Frites while you can already grab a bite of their juicy dry-aged meat at Butchers Club Burgers – fairly new joint near the SOHO escalator closer to LKF. Restaurant week lunch menu consists of salad, steak sandwich, dessert – HKD198 service change included. Pretty reasonable priced compared to their regular lunch menu of HKD350 – salad and dry-aged 8oz steak.行了一大條斜路，再上了鋪頭入面的幾級樓梯，終於到了！坐了一整個午飯時間，都只是得三、四檯客，想必是地點太「隔涉」，附近又太多選擇，在SOHO區立足不單是食物要好吃，Butchers Club一定要想辦法吸引多點人流，平時的HKD350，雖然有8安士的牛排吃，但仍是相對貴了點，要有一定程度的消費能力，才會三百幾元午膳食一頓飯呢。【Wedge Salad |with cherry tomatoes, maple-glazed bacon and mustard cream dressing】
The server greeted us at our table and introduced herself as the first step to make the customers happy and offered the choice of whether we wanted to have the salad to go with blue cheese cream or mustard cream dressing. Carly opted for the mustard cream dressing, the wedge salad was half of fresh cabbage sliced, layered yet maintaining the shape of the original cabbage, surprisingly, you will still find layers of sauce mixed in between so the dressing was not just dripped over. Cherry tomatoes, mini in size, zippy fresh and naturally mild sweet. Maple-glazed bacon was cooked till the fat turned golden hard and it was a bit too sweet for bacon seasoning. Gladly, the mustard cream dressing was obviously homemade with the right thick and creamy dripping form, zesty and citrusy as Carly found the sauce too rich for a salad yet finished it off within just minutes.【椰菜沙律| 車厘茄，楓蜜煙肉，芥末醬汁】
大半個椰菜放在眼前，這沙律的份量很令人滿意。侍應貼心的提議，如果不喜歡藍紋芝士的重口味，可以選擇較多人接受的芥末醬汁。Carly不是芝士的愛好者，所以選擇了後者。細細粒，新鮮的車厘茄被切開一半，吃著的感覺很清新，不用多加調味醬汁，已經很好吃。楓蜜煎煮過的煙肉是北美一種慣常煙肉的吃法，目的就是要把煙肉本身的脂肪都煮至收乾金黃香脆的效果，甜甜的楓蜜能夠中和煙肉本身有點過份咸的特質。這沙律的煙肉沒有煮得香脆，厚身是不錯的，吃上口仍有一定的口感，只是有點過甜，味道不太自然。芥末醬汁意外地帶點微酸，不是來自檸檬的酸度，是白醋那不較突出的酸。每一層菜葉中間都沾滿醬汁，絕不是「求求其其淋幾滴就完場」，新鮮的沙律菜吃上口很清脆，絕對是一道不俗的開胃前菜！【Dry-Aged Steak Sandwich】
Wonder why dry-aged beef is much more expensive than regular steak. The process of dry-aging is expensive and time consuming as at least 15% of the fat will be lost, decreasing in its volume of size, what was enhanced is the extra buttery texture and rich flavor. As the beef is hung on coolers to be dried off for at least 30 days, moisture is lost yet the process softens the meat. Butchers Club is renowned for their dry-aged beef as they have their own labelled cows imported from New South Wales in Australia. Carly was a bit disappointed as the steak patty was flat, lacked meat juice and softness. Some parts were too chewy and tough as you cannot even chew it apart, knife was easier yet still, Carly gave up and wondered if their dry-aged steak was going to do any better. She glanced over the table next to her as some gentlemen ordered that, the steak did not look juicy nor did she see any meat juice left on the wooden board. Once again, it was up to Carly’s attention that Butchers Club has to work on the consistency of their food when they already have such fine quality streamline of ingredients and produces. Same with their burger stalls, it's almost like you go in and being left with an uneasy feeling of not sure if you are going to get ripped off – over HKD100 for a burger or simply stuffed with happy comfort food – satisfied with Double Happiness. The bun was fluffy enough just that it could have been better if it was toasted/grilled as well.【牛排三文治】
牛扒是薄薄的一塊夾在兩片白麵包中間，端上桌的時候，誠然有點失望，因為沒看見牛扒很大塊或多汁，所以與原本期望的有一點落差。兩塊白麵包做得鬆軟，不厚實，口感實屬不錯。中間夾著少許用砂糖煮過的洋蔥絲，甜甜脆脆的，沒有煮過久。薄片牛肉塊太有「嚼頭」，用牙齒也近乎嚼不開的牛肉，煮過時，所以肉汁都像被精蒸發掉，幸好還有點點的牛肉香。味道不怎樣出色，最糟糕是那塊咬不開的牛扒，夾在麵包中間，簡直讓食客增加苦惱。難道我要用刀叉吃漢堡包嗎？
【Triple-cooked Duck Fat Fries】
Carly is not going to lie but she has a strong liking for both salty and oily food. The duck fat fries were triple deep fried in duck fat, potatoes absorbed all the fatty goodness and natural savory flavor from the fat itself. Triple-cooked made the potatoes heavenly mushy and crispy on the crust – it was a bit greasy but what good does it do if comfort food was not fatty comforting? If only they could just skip the huge flakes of sea salt sprinkled onto those fries (wedges to be exact), it would have saved Carly’s kidney..

 

【鴨油炸薯塊】
好吃！因為炸薯塊炸得金黃香脆，在鴨油中前後炸三次的效果，就是厚厚的薯塊頗單熱辣辣且綿綿軟身，油脂中的天然咸味完全吸收在薯塊當中。每一口的薯仔都是被炸至極致的程度，雖然少許偏咸（倘若他們不額外撒鹽就更好了）和油膩，但如果炸物不是煮成這樣，又點會好吃呢？【Chocolate Cheesecake】
Overly sweet for much sugar was added to the dark chocolate cake, with a hint of mild bitterness, it was not too pleasant overall to blend it with cream cheese so chocolate cheesecake was not only unsatisfying, yet also too heavy after an oily meal of fries and steak sandwich. Plus the cheesecake was too dense and thick, it was still stuck to the fork, proven that the cake was not well-beaten till it turns smooth enough. The tart crust was the only thing that Carly could finish since it was not too sweet and average crumbly.
【朱古力芝士蛋糕】
真心甜，是Carly對這朱古力芝士蛋糕的評價。就連平時對甜度有較高容忍度的Carly，吃了幾口仍是放棄了。最糟糕的是，蛋糕質感太厚實，不夠較滑，味道太甜卻又帶點微苦與芝士的微酸。Carly最後選擇默默地吃掉味道還可以的餅底，不是特別鬆脆，有點腍身。始終不能對一間牛扒專門店的甜品太高要求吧。All in all, the HKD198 restaurant week was not bad even though the food was not particularly impressive. Friendly and attentive staff, location-wise was a bit remote even for Central white collars, the place was not crowded at all due to its location and regular lunch set deal as one will have to pay up to HKD350 for a steak lunch. The consistency of food quality from Butchers Club chain store remains in question again, quality ingredients is only going to score some high notes to one level, without excellent cooking techniques, customers will not be looking to turn their heads around with so many better choices for burgers, steaks or simply comfort food out there.

地點隔涉，閒日的午膳時間只有小貓三，四檯，服務態度亦很友善。港幣198（連加一）在SOHO區午餐水平來說還可以，偏貴。中環蘭貴坊還有很多其他選擇，知道Butchers Club自家dry-age的牛扒水準一直不夠穩定，去過Butchers Club Burgers的人就會知，三個漢堡總會有一個，或兩個（睇彩數）塊牛肉乾到喊。明顯地就是煮法的水準不夠平均。Steak Frites平常的午市套餐是港幣350一個人，牛扒本身質素一定不俗，但值不值就見人見智吧。

*Easier to find this once you locate PMQ 先找PMQ元創坊，Steak Frites就容易找很多

*Closed on Mondays 逢星期一關門

*If you aren’t too sure if you would like to pay for an expensive meal for beef, try out their Butcher Club Burgers first! 可以先試Butchers Club旗下的連鎖分店 Butchers Club Burgers，看看自己愛好與否

La Vache! (中環)

7/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly in English, Gobay in Chinese]大家都說這是一間法國餐廳，可是吃完了以後感覺是一家地道的美式餐廳！餐廳的位置很法式——位於中環偏上環的橫街，烏漆麻黑的招牌配大紅熒光燈店名「La Vache!」。Dvd告訴我們這是「Holy Cow!」的意思，對於牛扒專賣店是挺有趣的一語雙關的店名。
店內的裝潢和氣氛確實有種法國小餐館Bistro的格調：牆上是別緻的法國風景畫，座位後擺滿了同名紅酒「La Vache!」，擺滿甜品的小車，印有手繪小畫的三層廁紙（不得不說廁紙質量超級好，有點，太好過頭了），特別是桌上的手繪畫餐桌紙、紅白格子餐巾以及來自巴黎的扒等等都讓我們有種很放鬆的感覺——如果餐廳音樂不是那麼「美式奔放」而是維持「法式溫和」的話，會更適合大群人聊天聚會。Carly has been longing to try out the steak and frites at La Vache!; failed a couple of times to book as this little store in SOHO only accept bookings of more than 5. Holy Cow! It’s time for some juicy steak and some of Carly’s favorite comfort food fries. The Gang visited La Vache! on a Friday night, the place was soon packed, bustling and buzzing with young hipsters, white collars who were all ready for some juicy hearty meal to start off the weekend joy. Bright red neon signs of “La Vache!” and highlights of “Steak and Frites” was the first thing to garner your attention at the store front, hungry bunch has already formed a mini line up by 6ish. There must be a reason why this place is always ever so packed, anticipation makes the heart grow fonder; Carly could no longer hold back the excitement and was ready to feast on unlimited frites without hurting her wallet too much (will probably hurt the belly though)!Walk down the short staircase and you enter the world of meat lovers who care about ambience, food and quality. La Vache is located at the upper corner of Peel Street in SOHO, cute and modern cartoon drawings of French scenery, La Vache’s labelled house wine bottles were up against the sofa, creating this relaxed yet upbeat setting for social gatherings. Red and white checkered napkins reminded Gobay of the little French bistros, lined cartoon drawing printed on the triple layered Kleenex, buoyant American freestyle was subtly blended with the French bistro dining setting, the Gang was well-settled in their seats as they sip on the house red wine and listen to the America pop music playing loudly above their heads.食物除了甜品，就只有牛扒炸薯條餐，薯條任添，HKD258/份。這種套餐卻是十分美式，沒有我們印象中的法式餐廳會有的豐富選擇，也沒有精緻的擺盤，更沒有一貫出名的小份量讓你吃完了要去吃漢堡包才飽……這裡只有一種餐，而且份量絕對滿足。我們選了兩種熟度 “Medium-rare (三四成熟)” 和 “Medium (五成熟)” 來對比哪種熟度更適合這裡的優質牛扒。La Vache is definitely the place for people who are afraid to make decisions, there isn’t many to choose from anywhere, whether you want to stay healthy or decided to let it loose by munching tons of fries, both salad and frites are served unlimited with HKD258 dinner set including only one choice of steak. For this menu setting, considerably closer to American diner style, French bistros offer plentiful food choices, elegant fancy plates and containers, and “enlarged” portion of meals which urge you to go eat beef briskets（九記清湯腩）after the “meal” or “dining”. Carly had no complaints as she had her belts buckled, heaven for frites lovers like her! For steaks, most of us ordered “medium rare” and “medium”, to see how well the beef should be cooked to best fit La Vache’s steak.首先是法式餐廳必備的餐包 “Baguette”法式長棍麵包配牛油，外脆內軟，在香港算中等偏上的法包水平，Yum! 再來就是經典頭盤：鮮蔬核桃沙律——Dijon Mustard第戎芥末醬汁太濃，所以吃著很鹹，但核桃和櫻桃蘿蔔片讓人覺得十分清爽。Gobay, the bread expert, felt that the baguette quality was above average as the elongated baked bread was good crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. (Carly thought that it was quite a compliment from Gobay already!) We both agreed that La Grande Bouffe not far away from La Vache along Hollywood Road offers quite excellent baguette, that little French bistro (reasonably priced as well) might surprise you with their weekday lunch sets. Yet let’s not get distracted, we were close to being famished as we see the well tossed mixed greens salad, heavily coated in Dijon mustard based salad dressing, sauce was tad too thick, causing the salad leaves to lose its zippy crispy freshness, didn't think that mustard dressing always blends well with salad (honey mustard as an exception for its sweetness can kick off your appetite). The salad tasted heavy and overly salty for starters, no one could really finish their plate of “fresh” greens. Carly decided to just nibble off the walnuts and freshly chopped cherry radish sprinkled on top of the salad.我們當晚開了一支法國波爾多紅酒，為了不辜負傳說中的美味牛扒—— Château De La Croix 2010，這是法國Médoc地區的中級酒莊 (HKD450左右)，Gobay至愛的法國酒區Margaux也是在Médoc地區裡。這瓶酒是傳統的 “Carbernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend”，酒成紅寶石色，酒體較厚重(入口酒精濃度較高)，有明顯的黑莓和紅莓果香，入口順滑，用來配牛扒性價比相當不錯。The Gang opened a bottle of red wine that night to go with the steak. Château De La Croix 2010 is from Médoc region in Bordeaux, France. It is Cru Bourgeois of the most traditional style of “Carbernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend”. It demonstrates nice and clear ruby colors with strong aroma of ripen black current and red berries. It tastes smoother as you wait 15 minutes after being pouring it in the glass, with a medium-body and well-balanced acidity.主角牛扒上場，10安士的美國Prime-Grade Rib Steak，餐牌上寫的是Trimmed Entrecôte——就是牛肋骨之間的肉，以牛肉味濃，肉質細嫩著稱。牛扒外層的焦黑和內裡的鮮粉紅形成色彩碰撞，我們要求的medium-rare和medium的熟度都做得非常到位。本來以為它配的是普通的蜂蜜芥末，但原來是自家制的Béarnaise sauce——法式蛋黃醬，用白葡萄酒醋、蛋黃、紅蔥頭、胡椒粒和龍蒿(Tarragon)調配而成，比一般的蛋黃醬多了適度的酸和刺激感，配牛扒吃能中和油膩，而且它的粘稠又能增加肉在口中的奶油般質感。但對這裡的牛扒，推薦就這麼吃，什麼醬都不用點，因為本身撒有點鹽又事先用黑胡椒粒和牛油醃製過，所以簡單的吃就能嚐到濃郁的牛肉味和柔軟的口感，還有陣陣烤製焦香。這個價錢在晚餐時間，能吃到這樣質素和技術燒製出來的牛扒，實在讓人驚喜！*Drumroll* Warm plates were served to our table WAY BEFORE the steak arrived so the purpose of enjoying food on hot plates was just defeated as the plates soon turned cold. 10oz of America Prime grade Rib Steak, Trimmed Entrecôte, popularly known as the contre-fillet, portion of the sirloin on the opposite side of the bone from the fillet/tenderloin, famous for its rich beef flavor and refined texture. Dark brown on the exterior and bright pink, medium rare and medium was right on the spot. Homemade Béarnaise sauce, sauce made of clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks, white vinegar, and seasoned with herbs. Funny how people refer this sauce as one of the children of the “mother” Hollandaise sauce which everyone is very familiar with it to go with some egg benedicts, Béarnaise sauce is often more acidic to balance off some of the grease from the grilled meat, creating a flavorful creamy enjoyment on the palate with a dip of steak into the tad thick sauce. Gobay liked how the steak goes so well without any sauce, as it was well-seasoned with a sprinkle of black pepper and salt, simple as that, buttery belly-filling steak was soft tender, rich and moist to its core – sizzling grilled meat urged us to finish our steaks before it turns cold. For only HKD258 a dinner set, it was definitely one of the most reasonably priced and affordable steak houses in Hong Kong, not to mention it is located at one of the most pricey dining places in Hong Kong.還有可以不斷添加的炸薯條，是用牛肉油脂去炸的，我們一開始都在瘋狂猜測薯條上是否撒了類似雞粉的調味料，但細問之下，他們只是單純地用牛扒油炸就已經有足夠的鹹味，而且新鮮炸出來的幼細薯條熱辣辣的很脆很好吃。Unlimited supply of fries filled our hungry tummies with fingerlicking comfort food, when everyone was just so excited, guessing whether La Vache has seasoned their fries with chicken powder as it did have an exceptional stunning savory taste to it (not from regular salt). The waitress clarified that the no extra salt was added, as they deep fry the frites in beef oil for a natural salty flavoring, thin chopstick-like freshly fried potatoes are always the best, not to mention the lipsmacking steak to go with it.我們還試了甜品車Dessert Trolley上的幾款甜品，可惜都不甚如人意：
拿破崙千層酥尚算鬆脆，但太容易散開，而酥皮層壓得太厚實，中間的忌廉不夠多所以口感平衡不好。朱古力慕斯非常甜膩，旁邊配的鮮忌廉上檯時就已經化成一灘半液體物質，讓人無話可說（阿彌陀佛，忌廉你好好安息吧）。草莓撻，只能說放在上面的水果是挺新鮮的但餅底太厚而吉士忌廉部份亦不夠幼滑。
Dessert time! Carly has heard fairly good comments about the dessert at La Vache and she got really excited to see all the varieties which are offered here and picked a few to share with the group. Tried out some of the most authentic French desserts, let’s start with the one that is the less sweet. All the desserts were charged above 85 dollars per plate, considerably overpriced. Each of the dessert had an extra scoop of cream

 

 

Mille Feuille | 拿破崙千層酥【Mille Feuille】Generally a bit disappointed because the pastries were obviously left in open air for too long, given Hong Kong’s humidity, the pastries were not really crispy and to a certain point, hard flaky without the fluffy layers altering, not enough cream was layered in between, custard being rather mildly sweet, nothing extraordinary.

 

【Chocolate Mousse Cake】Dark chocolate mousse was cloying sweet so despite how enticing it looked, nearly everyone gave up after one or two bites. Texture-wise it wasn't too bad yet no one would really opt for an overly sweet piece of cake after such a filling meal especially when the bitter aroma of dark chocolate was lost in sight, the fresh fruits garnishing could not save the scene much either.

 

【Strawberry Tart】
Relatively satisfied with this tart amongst all three selections as the strawberries were indeed freshly cut and nicely lined up on the custard. Custard cream was not too creamy or rich; preferably more fresh vanilla beans could have been added to make this one decent tart. Worst part was the tart being moistened, lost the crunchy texture of an average tart crust.
Carly as a dessert lover could not bear to see the scene of having desserts leftover on the table, yet she really was not encouraged to nibble any more bites as she saw the sad melting whipped cream lying flat on the plates, it was already halfway melting when it was served to the table. As Gobay stated, “Cream, may your soul rest in peace.”【Hazelnut Puff 榛子泡芙】
不是太清楚記得這款類似泡芙的甜品到底是甚麼東東，是因為這甜食實在是不太美味，以至忘記了也不出奇。Carly依稀記得榛子的忌廉味道還可以，不太甜，但就不過香濃滑身。泡芙吃上口也不太脆身，似是留在空氣中太久，有點不新鮮的軟度。對於愛好甜品的Carly來說, La Vache的甜品或麵包都不太值得一試，想吃較正宗和美味的蛋糕，鬆餅就得去Passion by Gerard Dubois.
Everyone simply forgot about this dessert, it simply did not recall a thing by looking at the photo either. Clearly shows you how forgettable the taste it was, Carly vaguely remembered that it was some hazelnut puff, the puff being left in open air for too long, the moisture was absorbed into the pastry and made it non-fresh for sure. Hazelnut cream filling being mildly sweet, lacked the rich dense creaminess and nutty aroma to begin with.

總體而言，牛扒餐的性價比確實名不虛傳，非常適合牛肉愛好者來這裡覓食，推薦為必試餐廳！另外有個小資訊，有心的食客可以嘗試去發現一下：巴黎有間很類似的扒房，也是以賣牛扒餐聞名，也是賣的Prime Grade Entrecôte，名字就叫Le Relais de L’Entrecôte，頭盤配的也是核桃和櫻桃蘿蔔沙拉，價錢在2013年時是25.8歐元一份。而這家店在亞洲的唯一分店則是開在了灣仔，所以推薦食友去嘗試繼而比對一下那一家的Entrecôte更好吃。

The Gang and their food guests were overall impressed with the fine steak quality and being very reasonably priced, it is recommended as a must-try out of all the steakhouses in Hong Kong. Carly previously visited Gaucho and Tango – Argentinian steakhouses in Central area yet still think La Vache’s beef quality was exquisite and worth coming back for. These steakhouses are often found in Paris, majority of them serving Prime Grade Entrecôte，or named as Le Relais de L’Entrecôte. Their only store in Asia is located in Wanchai, the Gang will be visiting that place to compare its quality against La Vache! so stay tuned all you steak lovers out there!Gobay話你知：有關法國Médoc紅酒區
紅酒配牛扒是我們耳熟能詳的，但為什麼呢？物理上的原因是，牛肉的纖維粗，蛋白質成分高而且油份足，所以和酒體厚重(即常說的Medium body或者Full body)的紅酒搭配，當中的Tannin成分在碰上肉蛋白後，會產生化學反應，化解油膩而且令其軟化，這樣人的口腔裡就會長生一種十分幸福和愉快的感覺。
這裡推薦對葡萄酒有興趣的食友看弘兼憲史寫的葡萄酒講座系列。他把葡萄酒知識和圖畫結合起來，由淺入深而且包含了葡萄品種，酒區，分級等的資訊，非常適合入門者學習。言歸正傳，法國Médoc紅酒區可能很多食友都會覺得十分熟悉，因為那是法國的名酒故鄉，我們平常經常聽說的「貴到飛起」的名酒大多是出自這個地區，比如Lafite, Margaux, Latour和Mouton，五個一級酒莊有四間都是出自Médoc。至於要加深對名酒莊的認知，大家可以去看漫畫《神之水滴》，知識含量很大的漫畫。Gobay Food Knowledge Corner : French Médoc Red Wine District
We have been always told that red wine is the perfect match for steak but seldom have we known why. Crude fiber, high protein and the greasy nature defines the goodness of beef steaks. On the other hand, tannin in red wine helps to dissolve the fat and softens the texture of the meat which increases the enjoyment of eating by pairing beef steaks with red wine.
There is a series of books written by Hirokane Kenshi for beginners of wine: The Guide of Tasting Wines. Kenshi-san brilliantly showcases his knowledge in varietal differences, wine regions and classifications via comics and easy descriptions.
Many gourmets may be familiar with Médoc region already. The major ‘Grand Crus’ are from that region, e.g. Lafite, Margaux, Latour and Mouton. If you are keen in learning more about the noble wines, you may start with The Drops of God – a very informative Japanese comics of wines.

* 訂位：5人以上才可以預訂

* Only accepts booking of 5 or above

Cupping Room Coffee Roasters (灣仔)

6.5/10 plates emptied! [Written by Carly]Cupping Room的名氣越來越大這講法沒有錯，就算咖啡店開到成行成市，Carly亦對此感到有點困惑，也許是香港人無論年紀大一點或年輕一輩的，都會想在忙碌的生活中，閒來靜靜的享受週末的時光。All-day breakfast近期在香港更是大行其道，cafe差不多間間都有賓利迪蛋(Egg Benedict)，有意大利粉(pasta) ，弄得好吃的卻沒有幾多間。Carly至今在香港還未找到一間合心水的All-day Breakfast cafe，可能是對Egg Benedict的要求太高吧。Cupping Room拿過咖啡沖調師的獎項，由上環開到去灣仔的汕頭街，只要經過灣仔那附近一帶，競爭更見白熱化，門面光鮮的Coffee Academics，不乏粉絲的Caffe Habitu，帶有美國快餐和All-day Breakfast風的Veygo Cafe，評語不俗的Rabbit Hole，轉角亮麗雅緻，甜品種類繁多的Passion Cafe，平平地又要求不高去McCafe都得，點解一定要去Cupping Room?Carly最近又再到培養了喝咖啡的習慣，之前戒掉了好一陣子，但還是躲不過這股咖啡室cafe的熱熾旋風。好吧，放lunch的時間，港元一百二十至五十之間的水平，在中環灣仔一帶吃一餐lunch真的好閒，加一杯用心調沖的咖啡，打工仔，仲想點啊。
暗暗格仔紋的大玻璃，銅色和深木色主調的檯桌，很是討好。看上去不是很大的店鋪，但原來行上樓上還有一個閣樓可以容納多些顧客。二人桌上還印有Cupping Room logo的金牌，簡潔得來有性格，裝修不會過於擁擠逼人。喜歡這裡一點都不港式，又不會硬銷歐陸情懷又或者復古風，簡單的調子，單純務實地做好一間咖啡店。自然陽光在一個寒意甚濃的中午透進這寧靜的咖啡店，Carly已經滿心期待。A thriving cascades of cafes and coffee shops have been blooming in Hong Kong around all those tiny streets that you never really explore often, from Sai Wan, Sheung Wan, all the way to Wanchai and Causeway Bay, there are just too many that one can explore. Carly took up the challenge in search of her favourite cup of coffee, sounds easy, been tough around. Elephant grounds been scoring high with its dark roasted latte and perfect mocha, Veygo opening on the same street as Cupping Room indeed wanted to get into a fight, Caffe Habitu has a fan base for its specialty coffee and Passion cafe is just around the corner that offers luxurious desserts and beverages. Cupping Room, how are you going to win this fight? Sheung Wan store of Cupping Room received fairly good reviews and have entered into a closer ring of flight in Wan Chai, Carly dropped by on a weekday for lunch to explore whether this barista-awarded little store offers decent food as well. So here it goes.
Heartwarming natural sunlight beamed through the lined pattern windows into the cafe, seemingly not too big, there is an upper floor that can hold more coffee lovers. 2 people tables were explicitly designed for Cupping Room as the golden logo of “CR” caught Carly’s attention with a modern yet setback tone of darkish wooden color of chairs and decor made her felt settled in. 3 choices (including one vegetarian choice) for set lunches, we ordered two of the mains – pasta and grilled salmon.【Spaghetti & Pan-fried Chicken Breast with Garlic Creamy Sauce| pan-fried chicken breast, garlic, parmesan cheese, spaghetti in creamy sauce| HKD118】
Carly以前是頗喜歡Holly Brown 的意大利粉，尤其是用上天使麵的Carbonara，味道做到不錯再加一杯細咖啡，收你一百一十大元，問題是越來越貴，碟粉又越黎越細，咖啡質素更見下降。Cupping Room的午餐有三款主食，包括一素食選擇，雖然選擇不多，但總不能要求太多。多數來用餐的都是二人同行，氣氛悠遊，Carly看見不少人是訂位後到的，第一次撞上門就有位，Carly亦感到幸運。好吧，食物如何呢？誠言是有驚喜的，意大利粉份量不少，一大碟，女孩子們獨個吃掉會感到有點吃力，但意外的是，味道一點都不遜色。意大利粉一大卷一大卷的纏在一起，掛汁能力蠻強，口感不是那種港式煮到熟透軟身的意大利粉，保持了應有的嚼勁口感，Al dente很是不錯。醬汁不是濃湯白汁煮到稀釋的質感，應是自家製煮成的，因為白汁濃厚之餘，還有令人食指大動的蒜香，重點不會太咸，有香氣有味道，但不會過火。用心的製作是如何看得出來，還有一上桌就看見麵身點點芝士焗至金黃的效果，不但能夠增加香氣，吃上去還會更加香口滿足。Carly對於焗飯、焗意大利粉都情有獨鐘，Cupping Room簡單不過又何其美味的意大利粉已經讓Carly樂上大半天。最令Carly驚嘆的是煎雞塊的份量不少，有好幾塊，絕對不是for show。稍微煎過的雞胸肉可能會讓人卻步，大家都雞胸肉的印象都是又乾又「柴身」。雞味不是太突出，但Cupping Room的雞胸肉煮得剛剛好，吃到中間還是軟腍，一點都不乾，還是出奇的濕潤，不知道是煮的技巧高超，還是來貨用料較好吧。絕對算得上是不俗的意大利粉，用料、賣相、味道都甚有水準。Holly Brown’s pasta used to be quite nice for a rush lunch in Central yet their price kept climbing till a point, she felt that it was no longer worth it. Cupping Room accepts lunch bookings; Carly and her friend walked in and happily grabbed a table. Portion was considered big for a girl to finish and it smelt so good when it was served hot to the table, the key was how the al-dente spaghetti had parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and baked till it turned golden brown, simply splendid. The chunky garlic cream sauce was not very creamy yet was able to blend really well with the pasta and giving you a mouthful of drooling sauce. Surprisingly, the chicken breast was very soft and moist to the core, slightly pan-fried, and lightly seasoned, ample chunks of meat was not for show and Cupping Room definitely wanted fill your hungry tummies with good food, not just good coffee.【Slow cooked Salmon Fillet with Kale Salad, Poached Egg & Quinoa |Sous Vide salmon fillet with poached egg, Kale salad with Garlicnaise and quinoa | HKD148】
煎三文魚，其實在家裡都不難煮得好味，只要稍微加點鹽和黑椒碎，煎到魚油甘香，魚皮外層金黃香脆，不用花太大功夫就能夠輕易地帶出三文魚的鮮味。Cupping Room的三文魚煎得粉嫩，不會過熟，厚身的魚肉也不會煎得火候不均勻，slow cooked的煮法不單能夠溫和的煎香三文魚，同時間，又保持了肉質滑溜的層次。是稍為多了點油，旁邊的沙律用上較健康和冷門的Kale和煙韌帶嚼勁的superfood quinoa ，不常見都其實味道不錯，不會一味只是給你羅馬生菜Romaine Lettuce又或者火箭菜Rocket 。Poached egg的蛋黃呈較深的橙黃色，蛋黃緩緩地流出，加在一塊烘脆的麵包上，口感一流！只是Kale salad的蒜蓉忌廉汁味道有點過濃，放得太多，所以吃的時候，就覺得，「啊，好似好健康，但應該係真心肥！」。份量不算很多，但足夠醫飽女士們的肚子。Healthy choice of fish meat rather than carbs for a meal made Carly happy. Despite the fact that the slow cooked salmon was a bit oily (probably due to its natural fattiness), the fish was exceptionally soft, moist without losing its firm texture too. The choice of kale rather than normal arugula were used, indeed refreshing yet the garlic-based salad dressing was a bit overpowering and thick, which made the kale leaves lacked a bit of zippy fresh texture already. Superfood quinoa were mixed with the salad, not commonly served in Hong Kong, yet tastes interestingly chewy and incredibly healthy for its nutrients. Poached egg was cooked perfectly with orangish runny egg placed on the thin slice of toasted bread. Overall, with a nice balance of vegetables and meat, protein and dietary fiber can be equally satisfying compared to comfort food burgers.【Flat White】
咖啡豆的味道還算可以，聞一聞，幽幽的傳來一陣帶奶泡香的咖啡味，拉花看上去很優雅亮麗，比一般中價的咖啡店用心和出色。奶泡打得細滑，奶味不特別重。因為Flat white的咖啡味較濃，所以比較形合Carly的口味，還可以，卻說不上十分滿意。雖然還是比起Elephant Grounds烘焙出來的咖啡豆略為遜色，但Cupping Room的質量算是不錯，比起同一條街的Veygo，絕對會選擇Cupping Room。
There are a few ways of how to judge whether this cup of flat white is up to standards, latte art was pretty (at least better than a lot of average cafes), the coffee crema on top was darkish brown which tasted mildy robust, Carly would have to say that it lacked a bit of character as the coffee tone did not linger around much for its aftertaste or judging by its fragrance or scent. Milk foam was velvety and silkily smooth as it was not too thin or watery. Above average, yes. Best in town? Not quite there yet.【Latte】
Latte的味道比Flat White還要淡，只因Latte會把打至綿滑的奶泡與espresso based的咖啡沖得平均點，喝上口會較似一杯奶類咖啡，多於奶和特濃咖啡分間，層次上，Carly覺得是更單一，但性情溫和點。咖啡味道都很視乎個人口味，這個較淡身的latte就不太形合Carly的口味。用Latte的水準來比，Caffe Habitu 的Latte咖啡味性情言亦算溫純，但口感上較滑，不相不仲吧。
Latte was milder in its kind, considered to be relatively flat on the texture for a cup of coffee yet some people love the stronger milk flavor and Carly has to admit that lattes are more balanced as a whole. The milky foam was well-blended with the espresso, hints of coffee bean aroma were found, not too subtle, this may be the ideal cup of latte for people who love the balanced tone of milk and coffee.

【第二次造訪 | The 2nd Visit – Filter Coffee】Carly因為不太滿意上一次奶類咖啡的味道（不是不滿意，只是覺得可以更加出色而已），所以決定了給它們第二次機會，不竟Filter coffee和加入奶的咖啡是兩種喝法，Cupping Room夾著那麼大人氣，又拿了獎，不試多一次好像不太給面子。好吧，single origin coffee我不是試過得多，上一次在開業幾年，位於旺角黑布街的Knockbox coffee company，試過帶有巨峰提子甜味，但喝上口似臘腸味的咖啡，不太討好，有點嚇人。Cupping Room menu上面寫著這個來至Columbia Hulia, Betania/Washed – Butterscotch, Brownies, Lemon drop，帶有甜味的咖啡吸引了Carly的注意，在bar area等了一會兒，barista還很有善的走過來，給了給我一杯清水。一杯細細的外帶咖啡送到我手上，barista知道我不常喝filter coffee，還貼心的說，如果不喜歡的，可以幫我加糖或奶。喝一口，不太濃，有淡淡的牛油香味，brownies的朱古力味反然不突出，相反，後勁微微的檸檬酸則很清晰，這杯filter coffee ，因為個人口味，說不上很喜歡，但絕對不俗。
As Carly was not too impressed with the flat white last time, she paid another visit to try out their filter coffee. As she have previously tried out another popular little coffee shop in Mongkok – Knockbox coffee company, Carly knew that she was not a fan of pure coffee tasting (without sugar or milk), she picked the coffee beans from Columbia Hulia, butterscotch, brownies and lemon drop was stated on the menu, Carly had one sip, the subtle buttercream taste of butterscotch came first, very subtle of chocolate hints mixed within, and lastly a clear note of acidic lemon drop ended off the coffee tasting journey. Very interesting type of experience if you are a coffee lover, Cupping Room offers quite a few selections from floral, sweet, simple and complex. (not as many as Knockbox) and the food is definitely considered above average for cafes these days. Everything comes in a package, in one cup to be exact.服務態度整體不錯，Carly近期試過太多cafe，這裡的flat white咖啡香是有的，奶泡打得細滑有水準，但只是咖啡crema（沿著杯邊面頭的一層咖啡精華）不夠特出和甘重，簡單來說，不夠character。但因為午餐食物的質素，味道，和價錢也算是合理，Carly是會回來的。

*早起的鳥有咖啡喝，閒日收六點，週末收五點。

*午餐的餐單每隔一至兩個月會轉一次

*沒有加一服務費

* Opened only until 5pm for Sunday or 6pm for weekdays, pretty early! Only morning birds get to enjoy a cup of delicacy

* Lunch menu changes every 1 – 2 months

* No 10% service charge