7/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Gobay & Carly]The Gang一行四人踏進這一個充滿濃厚美國氣氛的意大利餐廳，像進入了另一個與外隔絕的世界，只有牆上掛滿了七十年代的美國人家庭照，泛黃的燈光讓人只想盡情享受一餐。這時隔壁一桌坐滿了八位看上去像四十歲以上的女士突然高聲大笑。
「哇！做咩啊？哈哈，嚇死人咩。」
「做咩無見你一排尐皮膚好徂恁多嘅？究竟你平時用開邊隻護膚品架，識你恁多年，皺紋都唔多條。」
「嘻嘻嘻。生日唔使特別好口嘅，新年都未到。」
「但你就黎去韓國旅行嘛～」
「就知你無好野。」
「嘻！你當可憐下我因為學校尐百厭星多徂好多皺紋啊。」
「你得閒練下氣功就得架啦。」
「係真唔係？」
「我個個禮拜練兩，三日。」太太邊吃一口Little Italy馳名的Table Pizza邊說道。
「唔單止皮膚好徂，就連心情都會好尐！」
我在旁一邊聽，一邊吃著Zuppa di Mussels 番茄白汁燴青口，不管那麼多，還是慢慢享受星期五晚與the Gang一行四人的晚餐最好不過。Little Italy was always one of my favorite Italian food places in Festival walk. The place is famous for its ginormous portions and sharing-friendly style as it best suits 6+people gatherings. Love their laid-back, family-style ambiance for the American style “Italian food”, I wouldn't say their food is authentic at all but you will get what I mean once you step into the restaurant and see walls full of picture frames of Americans who have moved to Italy as migrants, vintage candle lights and lamps hanging on the walls, and the washroom that keeps looping the recordings of basic Italian course.
店名寫著“Fine Italian Food”──但我們都覺得無論氛圍還是食物，都有濃濃的美國味道。首先就是桌上一摞厚碟子，一壺大冰水──正宗的義大利餐廳是不會放這些在桌子上的。 我們都很喜歡餐廳的裝潢，牆壁上掛滿和義大利歷史有關的人像和風景，昏黃的色調，古老的吊燈，懷舊的桌椅…一切都讓人感到很親切，非常適合朋友和家庭聚會。Focaccia & Sardinian Pane Carasau basket 麵包籃
The Focaccia bread had slight olive and herbs blend to it, it was fluffy enough to go with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pane Carasau as the other choice was a type of light crisp which is so hard to resist on a hungry night of Friday!
Focaccia就是香草橄欖油麵包，Pane Carasau是另一種薄脆型的麵包。義大利餐廳裡吃麵包的方式就是蘸黑醋和橄欖油（“添油加醋” ，哈！）這裡的麵包很不錯，Focaccia是要有點蛋糕的鬆軟，又有麵包的柔韌，軟軟地加上香草的香味，和油醋汁一起吃，健康又美味。Zuppa di Mussels 番茄白汁燴青口 HKD$172
Little Italy serves the regular blue mussels that are relatively skinnier in medium size. The tomato-based sauce highlighted the whole dish as its slight acidity definitely starts your appetite for the night.這是不太喜好海鮮的Carly都盛讚的菜，必食！它跟Frites 的青口不一樣，湯汁是番茄洋蔥湯加了香草，酸酸的和爽口彈牙大隻的青口混在一起，是一道狠適合夏天吃的，開胃！Prosciutto and Melon 義大利火腿配蜜瓜 HKD$128
One of the frequent dishes I would order as the melon always come out mellow and sweet plus my favorite prosciutto – even though it would have been better with Parma Ham but it was good enough for its price and quality.
傳統經典菜式。當晚大家都覺得蜜瓜很夠甜，還不錯。我一直以為這道菜是Parma Ham配蜜瓜，所以我就想這質量好像有點騙人，哈哈哈！原來是普通的Prosciutto，蜜瓜再軟身一點，感覺會更好。Scalloped Potatoes 白芝士汁焗薯片 HKD$65
As a huge potato fan, this recommended dish on Openrice met my expectations. Potatoes were sliced evenly yet could have been thinner to blend better with the cheesy cream sauce. It smelled really good when it was brought to the table so you can tell it was freshly baked from the oven and slightly crusted on the top.
經Carly的介紹，這是地道美國菜，形容把薯仔切成薄片，像半透明的帶子一樣，加上芝士碎和牛油做成的，菜的本身是不含帶子的，呵呵～對於狂熱薯仔愛好者Carly來說，簡直是“夢一場”──這裡的scalloped potato還是挺不錯的，薯仔粉粉的，好吃～Seafood Risotto 義大利海鮮飯 HKD$228
Even our tagalong Lyoe commented that the dish was not appealing at all so you can picture that this was the worst dish for the night. The rice was over cooked, considered to be too moist for a risotto. Bits of mussels, shrimp were found but taste was certainly bland. I felt like spooning chunks of carbs down my throat instead of enjoying a supposedly decent risotto from this prominent place.
很遺憾地，這道海鮮義大利燴飯經我們一致通過當選當晚「最不具任何美味特質」的菜。雖然有青口，有新鮮蝦仁，但是味道不鮮美，不濃烈，甚至可以說是平淡乏味。外觀也沒有讓人食指大動，甚至我們的Tagalong Lyoe說了一句「這個一看到就飽了」 。確實，它的米飯一部份煮得太久，米飯都煮開邊了，一點柔韌咬口都沒有，少量煮得稍嫌不夠，咬下去還咬得到米心。在我們為這道令人大失所望的差Seafood Risotto默哀之時，侍應捧著我們期待而久的Portabello Mushroom Table Pizza走過來。不知道是那裡殺出來的小孩在餐廳裡玩耍奔跳（我都話哩間餐廳好受一家大細歡迎），小孩狠狠的撞到了這位侍應！我們的Pizza啊！
「哇！」
就在電光火石間，隔壁的阿太站起來，半個馬步，一個轉身，剛好托著侍應的盤子，救了我們的Pizza! 我們一行四人又驚又喜目定口呆，這一班太太除了懂氣功，是不是也懂武功？！Portabello Mushroom Table Pizza (Truffle paste, Arugula and Pesto sauce) 黑松菌配意菇薄餅 HKD$218
Here come Carly’s and Lorling’s favorite and we are sharing our ultimate tip of trying the best table pizza at Little Italy. Order Portabello Mushroom with the additional topping of sausages to add that extra savory flavor and sausage fat/oil to complement the truffle paste & pesto sauce.
People say you can never go wrong with truffle and as a truffle fan, I would say that you will need the right ingredients to balance the aroma, flavor and experience how truffle can make great food. It was served hot, huge in portion as usual, yet slightly dry for the cheese appeared in thin crust and pizza crust on edges turned slightly hard. Not enough cheese! Nonetheless, I still had two slices just to kill my cravings for this. After this dish, it was certain to say that Little Italy’s food quality dropped since my last visit few months ago.
這是讓Carly和Lorling念念不忘的必食項目!推薦喜愛松露的朋友嘗試一下，會有驚喜的。這個Pizza雖然不是地道的義大利薄底批，口感像烘焗得鬆脆的Focaccia，Carly和Lorling評說當晚的烤得太乾了，再濕潤一點會更好吃。但這也可以理解的，通常週五晚上座無虛席的餐廳，菜品很少有能維持一貫水準的。個人比較傾向於新鮮的松露切片配最簡單的菜，嘻嘻！Pizza我吃過香港較地道的薄批是SOHO區的Peak Bar。
總體來說，價錢偏貴，服務倒是挺好的，人也友善，再忙的時候還是達到「呼之則來」的水準。「Happy Birthday to you~ Happy Birthday to you~」原來是其中一位太太的大日子，侍應們也加入一眾大唱生日歌。
「我二十年係會唔會好似佢地恁？」Carly問。
「唔會啦，諗恁多。」Lorling望一望太太們。
「好似佢地有咩唔好啊？」Lyoe呆呆的說。
生日歌唱畢，一輪拍照後，阿太太沒有彎前身吹熄蠟蠋卻把力量集中於手掌，一個掌風，呼，火熄了。
「你頭先見唔見到？」Gobay瞪大眼問道。
Lorling已經開始笑到停唔到，Gobay又笑埋一份。
「哈哈哈！天啊！難道…難道佢地係…？」Carly笑到停唔到。
「哈哈哈！我估係！」只有Gobay回應，因為Lorling笑到講唔到野，標晒眼水。
「哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈，救命，笑到好辛苦。」最冷靜個個應該是Lyoe，他立即一語道破，「哈！估唔到我地今晚會遇上峨嵋派一班師太！」。
這個epic的星期五晚上就在一片停不了的笑聲下完滿結束。哈哈哈。（出掌）
Gobay’s food knowledge corner:
Portabello mushroom, 又稱Portabella,拉丁文是Agaricus Bisporus。網站普遍都是顯示大褐菇或大啡菇，但其實在DK蘑菇圖鑒裡面的學名是雙孢蘑菇。它現在已是眾所週知、大規模被種植的食用菌，從白色到褐色都有，比一般的香菇要貴。Citysuper, Olivers, Taste等超級市場都有發售，我試過買來燒烤，把菇柄切除，塗上淘大蒜茸、牛油、少許香草，用錫紙包住烤焗大約10分鐘，香氣四溢，那肉肉的豐滿口感，人間極品！

7/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]My favorite happy hour place in Wan Chai, the night can start with your favorite beer – Stella? Hoegaarden? Let’s go for something less ordinary? You will be amazed by the BEER Bible they have at Frites which offers all premium and local brands from Belgium. I often come for their mussels and happy hour and when I’m in the mood – I would just randomly choose a brand from their “Bible” as a part of food/alcohol exploration! Beer time! Stella was good as usual, one of everyone’s all-time favorite, this came with the restaurant week dinner menu set which was HKD 348 per person.講到灣仔一班人想去Happy hour的話，最好就訂定位皆因Frites Belgium on Tap真係幾旺。諗返起第一次黎哩到食佢地既青口就場立即愛上，無論味道，價錢，環境都好適合一大打工仔黎Happy hour，再加上他們獨有的「啤酒聖經」，搜羅比利時大大小小的啤酒，唔使成日飲Hoegaarden, Stella, Corona 之餘仲試到好多唔同既口味如生果味，都好適合女仔試。Then we went for the unordinary LUCIFER BEER from Belgium – outstanding fruit blend and aroma with a mild sweetness & bitterness of malt syrup taste to it. It sounds devilish yet it would be great drink if you are looking for something deeper than Stella.「魔鬼啤酒」聽落去好得意，點徂支試。出奇地一點都唔邪惡，反然啤酒帶有淡淡的生果味，但又比一般的啤酒重麥味且小甜。酒精度亦比平時的高3%，所以就能被稱之為「魔鬼啤酒」吧。STEAK TARTARE - With all the trimmings and grilled baguette
The egg yolk served with the steak tartare made the whole sauce really creamy and flavorful, diced herbs, onions were added so the flavor was rich. I had to eat it with the nicely grilled baguette to tone down the overall saltiness but overall not bad!
這個Steak tartare調味醃得不錯，有食得出的香草香氣和洋蔥粒。加上一隻生雞蛋黃，令口感特別滑與「杰」身。雖然這碟頭盤吃上口濃味了點，但送上烤過的百吉包多士與隨碟的生菜就剛剛好了。FRITES HOUSE MUSSELS - Diced tomato, garlic, onion, light cream and fresh chives
Frites mussels are my ALL-TIME FAVOURITE! The mussels are often fresh and medium-big in size combined with the creamy & milky sauce of tomato, onion, cream and chives, my case is closed. I have yet to try the rest of the flavors like pesto and laksa but I know I will always just come back for their mussels which you can enjoy with their flagship frites! Frites are medium-size cut, freshly fried and the potatoes were cooked till it’s fluffy and soft. As the ultimate potato fan, I would rate their frites here 9 out of 10! Just one point for its portions could be bigger!主角出場了！就是一大煲的肥美青口！本身有得多口味如Pesto，Laksa等供應，但又覺得classic的house mussels是最好的，所以每次都點這口味。青口的品種是屬於較短手，肥肥的，較厚肉，令平時不太吃青口的我不停地吃。煮青口的汁吃得出有放香草，蕃茄粒，洋蔥粒，而且還有淡淡的奶香。配上我最喜愛的薯條！Frites的frites果然不是浪得虛名，炸得脆脆的，薯條有薯味且吃上來綿綿的，水準相當不錯！每次來都不會失望的。750 GRAM ROASTED PORK KNUCKLE - Served with caramelised roasted vegetables
Pork Knuckle smelled so good to prove that it is nicely roasted with all the big chunks of onions, potatoes, carrots and zucchini. The meat was tender, could be juicier and the roasted skin could be crispier, it was probably roasted with a relatively lower temperature to ensure the pork was cooked thoroughly yet didn’t add the crispier crunch to it.
大大份燒豬膝切件上碟，伴著烤得香香的薯仔粒，紅蘿蔔，紅洋蔥與翠玉瓜。略嫌外皮烤得不夠脆，肉一點乾身，但整體還是好味的。
It is debatable as to whether this is really authentic Belgium food but at least the food quality was decent and reasonably priced. The Wan Chai branch has an outdoor area which will be great for autumn weather as you can just enjoy your mussels, frites, with a bottle of premium brewed Belgium beer.
係唔係正宗比利時啤酒就唔知，不夠哩到既比利時啤酒就真係無得輸，價值大眾化又多選擇。你係灣仔返工既話，又點可以唔過去Frites Belgium on Tap的戶外區到吹下海風，嘆返杯啤酒呢？

7/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly in English, Gobay in Chinese]
Loved the laid-back atmosphere, cozy space and sunlight glazing through the windows for a Wednesday evening, mid-week – means time for a break! The gang brings you to this chill out corner in Causeway bay which is yet to be discovered for its juicy burgers, fabulous homemade sauce, and old-fashioned American style tater tots! It would be a great hangout place for group of 6 or more just that the place is absolutely spacious and relaxing.銅鑼灣ChopHouse—— 好鍾意這裡的氣氛，非常舒服，有種美國式的自由和慵懶感，非常適合朋友聚餐。Deep Fried Squid with mesclun salad and balsamic vinaigrette
Average salad with vinegar dressing and mixed greens, the squid was well-seasoned and deep fried, even though I would very much hoped that the outer crust will be crispier, the overall quality was moderate.
看到這道菜時，我突然想起在意大利Positano海岸吃的雜錦炸海鮮拼盤。炸物和蔬菜我不建議擺在同一個碟子裡，因為蔬菜的水汽會使得本身酥脆的表皮變軟，炸物變涼。所以這道菜還是沒有給我 太大的驚喜。但蔬菜沙拉是很新鮮的，咬下去那種水水，清脆的感覺完全表現了它的鮮度。
Pumpkin Soup with deep fried tortilla strip
Relatively bland taste soup, guess I would fancy more of a pea bean paste kind of taste when it comes to veggie soup, more creamy as well. Have higher expectations for my fav food like pumpkin, need to do the veggie justice.
最近越來越覺得韓國燒烤店的南瓜湯比較出色。用南瓜做湯最重要是選料，南瓜好的話不需要如何特別的烹調。日本的小南瓜一直都是很貴很出眾的，粉嫩甜糯，可惜這裡的南瓜湯明顯不及。Pork Ragout Rigatoni with cherry tomato and parmesan cheese
Rigatoni texture was al dente (cooked just right), the only one thing that I would complain about this dish is that it lacks a bit of parmesan cheese (which was mentioned on the menu) and too much olive oil. The pork bits, eggplant, cherry tomatoes were fresh and well-seasoned to meet the expectations of a restaurant week lunch menu main dish.
口感剛好的Rigatoni, 是意大利地道的標準。香港人應該會希望再軟化一D。過多的橄欖油和過少的Parmesan芝士令人感覺到這間確實只是一間“非意大利餐廳”但若以這個角度出發，作為香港餐廳週主題午餐單的主食，它也算是不過不失。Beef, Bacon & Cheddar Burger with chop house bbq sauce
Juicy meat patty with bacon crisp is always the best combination for a burger and this is one of the best dishes offered by the Chop House. They serve the burgers with their homemade sauce like chili mustard and sweet onions – liked them more than the regular bbq sauce on the burger and it added extra flavors to the juicy meat patty. The juice kept drizzled onto the plate as you take bites into it.這裡額外提供了三種特製醬：Beetroot chutney(紅菜頭辣醬), Chili mustard(辣味黃芥末), caramelized onion(洋蔥醬)給這個牛肉煙肉漢堡。漢堡可以再厚D，肉汁再豐富D，煙肉煎得相當香口，加辣味黃芥末獲得我們四個一致認可，絲絲的辣意滲進舌尖，加上牛肉汁，脆煙肉…呵呵呵，星期三的午餐，我們似乎太懂得慰勞自己了。我們的漢堡專家Lorling一語中的，中環花旗銀行大廈的SimplyLife出的漢堡最好味，但水準時時變化，無辦法維持。
Gobay Food knowledge:
“Chutney”: 就是把某種蔬果磨碎或切粒加香料做成酸辣醬。源自印度，本來是在南亞流行的，但是西方餐飲一直都很喜愛創作各式各樣的chutney。個人覺得Apply chutney真的很美味！Tater tots!
Super surprised when the golden fried tater tots were served with the sandwich and burgers! I think I cried a bit (almost!) when I finally had tater tots after they disappeared from Hong Kong since Hardees were all closed down when I was a kid. I WILL BE BACK! Just for the crispness and mouthful of potatoes/hash brown bits as you pop them one by one, the grated potatoes seem to be happily dancing on your mouth palette.
這個味道是驚艷的！其實它就是簡單的炸薯仔粒，沒什麼花巧的地方，但用料，油溫，時間的配合缺一不可。一口一個，咬下薄薄的脆皮後，裡面薯仔在舌上均勻地散開，配上酸甜的茄醬，那種享受很難形容，因為口感很飽滿，很富足。原來好味是很簡單的。Slow-smoked BBQ Pork with OOO-EEE sauce
OOO-EEE sauce had its unique sharp taste to it – strong vinegar flavor to the bbq-based sauce. The pull pork was ok but then crispy baguette was not crispy at all. Would just go for another type of sandwich next time.
百吉包的口感一D都唔脆，豬肉絲的肉味還可以，既漢堡之後食有點失望，但餐廳自製的“OOO-EEE”醬真的十分獨特，帶有強烈的醋香味，和燒烤醬混合一起，只能說口味方面見仁見智了。Walnut Brownie with almond flakes and chopped mint
“Dry” is all I have to say for this dessert. Brownies are supposed to be moist. There were only walnut tiny pieces in there, I gave up after one spoon.
這個甜品三個字可概括：乾錚錚，它的精髓本應是濕潤而有咬勁。而且核桃少得可憐，我們的Carly至愛甜品，但依然只吃了一口。Restaurant week menu was average quality but the a la carte burgers are definitely some of the finer quality ones in town, combined with the decent setting of the space – the Gang will return for the tater tots, burgers and happy hour!

Favorite dish: Chargrilled beef tenderloin, Spaghetti meatballs
5/10 plates emptied! [Written by Carly]

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Was greatly anticipating to be wow-ed away by this restaurant week place and the food turned out to be just ordinary, I am not sure if the restaurant week menu has done its justice or it was just because the menu wasn't worth HKD328. I think I would have rated this restaurant higher if the dinner menu was around HKD250

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Parma ham with buffalo mozzarella and rocket
Overall quality was decent. They must have been too heavy on the olive oil as this appetizer was a bit too oily combined with the cheese. Liked the flavor of mozzarella and parma ham – they just can’t really go too wrong.

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Classic Caesar salad with pancetta and shaved Parmesan
Chunky fresh cuts of romaine lettuce and bits of pancetta, there was enough shaved parmesan cheese for the whole salad and my case is settled

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Pan-roasted Salmon, with French beans and bois boudran sauce
Here comes the main dish. The pan-roasted Salmon was cooked just right – tender, juicy, and still a bit pink in the middle.

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Spaghetti meatballs, with tomato passata and fresh herbs
Liked how the sauce was tomato and herbs based, pasta was al dente and meatballs were nice in terms of flavor and texture as well.

Chargrilled beef tenderloin, with celeriac puree and marsala jus ...

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Chargrilled beef tenderloin, with celeriac puree and marsala jus ...

Chargrilled beef tenderloin, with celeriac puree and marsala jus
Beef tenderloin was cooked to its perfection as the quality of the beef was tender enough and nicely charred on the sides. I was amazed by the fact that the puree and jus did not come out really wine-like taste but it had a truffle scent to it! Topped off with some brilliant shiitake mushrooms and the beef portion was too big for a girl to finish!

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Java chocolate pudding with condensed milk gelato
The supposedly molten chocolate cake came out disfigured for most of our dishes (yes, really) and it was too sweet after a few bites, the gelato was alright for its taste and creaminess.

0

Vanilla panna cotta with olive oil caramel
The panna cotta was a bit waterly and was not rich in flavor at all, really mediocre dessert I would say.

0

I saw people ordering a la carte menu next to us and they seemed to look really good, the restaurant was not crowded at all so if you are looking for a laid back Italian food place in SOHO then this can be one of your options. Overall restaurant week dinner experience was average but then the place was a great spot in SOHO to chill and relax as it is not crowded and greeted by warm-welcoming service.

Recommended dishes: Crispy berkshire pork roll, Tempura roll
6.5/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]Restaurant week review! I was anticipating and thrilled to know about Hong Kong’s annual restaurant week event and booked ahead some of the restaurants that had good reviews. Now it is time to verify whether this restaurant week thing is honestly legit.To brighten up a Tuesday regular weekday, restaurant week lunch was something that we anticipated for quite some time. We ordered some drinks just to lighten up the vibe – Apple Sour. Wasn’t super special for it was just apple juice & lime & sprite. Overall food quality was average and the rolls were especially good for it has a modern twist to it. Regular lunch sets were cheaper at around HKD 170 to 230 range compared to the restaurant week HKD 248 set. Seats were comfy and quiet for a nice hangout during your busy workday in Central.
Tuna & Salmon Tataki - Grill-seared tuna and salmon, served with wafu mustard
Quite liked their half cooked tuna and salmon, salmon was better. It was best served with its homemade mustard mix and black peppercorn on top of the grill-seared appetizer.

0

Rolls Combo* Sushi roll of tempura
Green bean lotus root and chili bean mayonnaise, sprinkled with black sesame. The chili bean mayo was flavorful with crispy shrimp tempura in it. Liked it muchJ* Sushi roll of crispy berkshire pork
My favourite dish out of the whole menu! The crispy berkshire pork was not really crispy but the egg mayo and onions added a lot of flavor to the roll itself and all the flavors blends well together as the not-so-crispy yet juicy pork complements well with the pan-fried basil crumbs. The basil crumbs covered the roll to make the overall dish standout. The decent seaweed wrapped around the roll woahed me as well for its refreshing ocean taste. Talking about it just makes me craving for it now *mmmhmmm*Tori Namatsuke - Grilled sliced chicken with assorted pickles
Average chicken which was a bit cold when served to the table. Uni Seabass  - Grilled seabass with sea urchin sauce
Overall flavor of this dish was a bit bland as I expected the sea urchin bits and sauce will add its magic to the seabass. The seabass was good by itself as the fish was not too oily and cooked just right.

I would want to come try their regular lunch sets instead of the restaurant week menu for its price/value ratio since their rolls are actually pretty decent. *Ha* okie, tummy nice and full now, time to get back to work. *Carly runs off*
 

趣事:老闆娘十年如一之外，還有一班十年都唔變樣的伙計
9 /10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]不經不覺，原來已經光顧新景園已超過八年。第一次吃的時候，當年是個黃毛丫頭大學一年級在灣仔會計師樓做intern，不記得是誰說這間咖喱豬好食。不得了，一食就食到依家，在中環上班的日子，feel like super guilty food的話就會來吃新景園。十二點半後到，一定要等齊人才可就坐。
某日晚上，剛好在新景園附近跳Zumba，我與Lorling就走黎食少少野先去跳舞。點了兩道小菜，夜晚無咩人黎，慢慢吃著。
「ehh? 你頭先有無見個侍應？！」我邊吃邊問。
「邊個侍應？」Lorling正吃著粟米斑塊。
「好似啤啤熊樣個個啊。」
「哈哈，你點解成日都覺得人地似啤啤熊？」
「唔知啊，chub chub地就似架啦。」
「嗯。無留意喎。」
「佢好似唔同徂髮型。」Lorling轉身一望。
「咦，好似係喎。」
「但係同我地平時見個個咁似樣嘅…」
未幾，就見兩個樣子極似的啤啤熊侍應走出來。
「！？」
「孖生兄弟？」我驚奇問道。
「係喎！好似樣！」
「哈哈。我次次都黎食lunch，所以無見過另外個個！嚇死人咩，我仲以為我有幻覺可以咁快轉髮型。入一入去，出返黎有好似唔同徂。」
「哈。兩個好似熊啤啤恁既侍應。」新景園的員工全部好像吃了防腐劑，十年如一。難道哩度既咖喱豬有神奇魔法，越食越後生？！（給自己多一個藉口來吃comfort food，實情係食一餐咖喱豬，唔跑返幾粒鐘都搞唔掂）講徂好多開場白了，實情哩到既咖喱豬真係無得輸！
每一次黎食都保持一貫的水準，食到撐住肚皮超滿足恁走。好，黎介紹一下先！馬拉盞炒通菜：超有鑊氣，而且通菜好新鮮，睼得出炒出黎既顏色好翠綠！細通菜好食過大通菜，誠意推介哩碟小菜俾大家，午飯時間都可以點。蕃茄斑腩飯：
淡淡的茄汁味道很港式風格，好唔好食就見人見智啦。但大大件魚柳炸得不錯，夠脆不油膩，粉漿不太厚所以每一啖食落去都係魚柳，味道不錯幾好。
[Written by Gobay]主角出場啦！
咖喱豬扒飯:
炸豬扒，一般都覺得外酥裡嫩就是好的。我一直疑惑為什麽厚切炸豬扒一直都是宣傳的璩頭，直到看過一部日本漫畫，裡面提到把厚豬扒先在高溫油裡快炸，再在低溫油裡慢炸，就能外層酥脆，裡面還能肉汁多多。厚切炸豬扒很難做，也沒有漫畫說得簡單。反觀這裡的炸豬扒，很務實，它就係將大塊豬里脊肉拍鬆拍薄，直至將肉筋拍斷，再裹上脆漿(曾聽說有用淮山粉或薯粉混入脆漿中能使外皮更鬆脆，沒試過，呵呵)高溫炸幾分鐘就出鍋，薄薄熱熱脆脆的，味道非常好，甚至不需要蘸任何咖喱都可以一口氣吃完。咖喱味道也不錯，如果四川麻辣火鍋是10分辣，它也有3-4分辣度。咖喱的精華在於辣中帶甜，形成味覺平衡，這裡做得不過不失，似是偏印度的咖喱風格。米飯是香港普遍受歡迎的尖仔米，顆粒分明，乾乾的正好配濕潤咖喱，口感一流，加上粉嫩的薯仔一起食，簡直像在口中響起交響樂。雖然一個咖喱飯要價近HKD70, 但確實值得!乾炒牛河：
雖然哩度乾炒牛河出名，但算是中規中矩吧，碟上的油不算多，牛肉片也嫩。但感覺還是正斗的炒牛河比較好吃。

Recommended dishes: Passion Fruit Mont Blanc, Milles Feuilles, Salmon & Herbs Quiche
8/10 plates emptied![Written by Carly]
All I can say about this place is – one word: mind-soothing. And why is that? My first time visiting this corner shop of Passion was after a day of tiring work, crashed system, and non-stop blabbering client meetings. Dragging a worn-down body on the road of Wanchai, skimming through the streets, and aiming to grab a quick bite before dance class, turned around the corner and this little bright shimmering store stood in front of me, I ended up not wanting to leave this blissful place as the evening vibe with a sweet kick of desserts completed my day.Ate salad first so as to feel less guilty about the desserts later on. Daily specials include 8 different options for you to choose for your green portions. Mandarin Beetroot Salad, California Shell Salad, Apple Celery Salad, Moroccan Couscous Salad, Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Fruity Turkey Salad, Bounty of Eden. I will have to say my all-time-favorites are California Shell Salad, Apple Celery Salad, and Fruity Turkey Salad.California Shell Salad
The salad dressing of California Shell Salad is creamy and rich in flavor which seemingly has a base of thousand island dressing to it – the shell pasta are filled with the rich dressing mixed with the herb scent.Apply Celery Salad
A lighter choice with chunky fresh red and green apples and streaks of celery, loved the natural taste to it without too much dressing or cream sauce.
Fruity Turkey Salad
Liked how the turkey salad is mixed with dried cranberries, walnuts, and healthier choice of meat – turkey. Turkey contains less fat than other meats like chicken, beef or poultry. Some would think that these salads are often too oily with too much salad dressing. Well, I would say – if you are going for an extreme diet, this is the last place you want to step foot in, even the salad tastes too delicious to be healthy!
Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad
Not bad, slightly oily on the pesto oil yet the cheese was surprisingly decent for a non-cheese fan as it didn’t have the strong scent and was chewy for its texture.
The rest of the salads were not bad. Bounty of Eden was slightly oily for all the boiled veggies, Mandarin Beetroot Salad was a bit too citrusy, and the Couscous salad a bit too much of the curry-taste spices in it and I am definitely not a fan of chicken peas *ha*
Quiches. In other context, it is basically baked egg custard with various combinations of meat, seafood, or veggies in open-faced crust. A classic French cuisine served in savory hot or cold dish, Passion nailed this dish with a delightful note. You definitely do not find them all around in Hong Kong!Mushroom & Parmesan Quiche
Mini shiitake mushrooms were used instead of the regular white button mushrooms, guess this was to prevent the quiche from turning soggy as white mushrooms will certainly do so more than shiitake. The crust was most fluffy and flaky out of all quiches.Quiche Lorraine
One of the classic ones as it includes bits of bacon, onions, and custard in it. This was my favourite savory quiche of the day. Not just that it is down to earth with its modest flavor, the custard is smooth and light as a snack on the side as a meal, bits of onions were critical to balance out the classic quiche.Salmon & Herbs Quiche
Compared to other quiches, the Salmon one was not bad as well. The Salmon flavor stood out more than bacon and really liked the savory combination of fish and eggs. The herbs highlighted this dish to make it purely enjoyable.
Okay. Finally, dessert time that I am sure all of you must be longing for!Milles Feuilles
I am totally in love with Passion’s own modification to Milles Feuilles, another French pastry worth trying. The pastry is flaky with a baked crunch to it. The combination of vanilla cream and dulce de leche (cooked in milk, sugar, and toffee) cream complements each other. Vanilla cream not too sweet while the toffee one hits you as a side kick for its milky sweet taste. Classic napoleon pastry well-done!Passion Fruit Mont Blanc
Summer special – try this before it is gone. As a chestnut fan, I was absolutely satisfied with the creaminess and smooth texture of the chestnut mousse even better than my regular cake place – Harlan in Tsim Sha Tsui. I initially hesitated whether passion fruit is going to go well with chestnut yet I danced a little when I tried this (okay, not literally ha*) It also surprised me a little with milk chocolate filling at the bottom, really liked how Gerard chose different fruit and sweets for its pastry – just cannot settle for the regular Mont Blanc anymore.La Boule Chocolat|Pistache
Chocolate bomb! Was not as sweet as I imagined – for a dark chocolate fan, this is the dessert to go for.
Loved how there is plain cream in the filling so that it doesn’t get overly sweet and the extremely crunchy bottom part which is dipped in rich dark chocolate sauce was fab.Tarte au Citron
Something was missing in this tart – I was looking for more acidity and smoothness from the lemon custard. This was not bad but definitely not the best in town. I’ve always thought that by trying one place’s lemon tart, you will be able to tell whether the chefs are good at handling custard cooking (basic technique for desserts!)Trilogy – Raspberry Ganache
Liked the raspberry and dark chocolate ganache (chocolate and cream cooked into a sauce/glaze/icing, in this case is used as a filling), the slight acidity balanced out the sweetness. The only thing to complain is about the pastry crust which could be crunchier.
On a side note, I do not know why the SCONES are gone now but I had them once and it was absolutely TERRIFIC – loved the buttery, moist regular scones they offer but will have to catch them with luck!
Passion by Gerard Dubois has officially become my hideout place for lunch or evening chillout, whenever you are up for “healthy” salad and mouth-drooling desserts, you know where to go.

Recommended Dishes : Cappuccino Brulee, Thick-Cut French Fries, Italian Gem
Emptyplates score: 8/10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]
之前一直對Cafe Habitu印象很差，因為去過Bank of America tower的快食cafe Habitu三次，兩次意粉裡皆發現頭髮，我心想，______！？這是甚麼一回事，哩間cafe究竟係邊個員工壓力恁大係到猛恁甩頭髮-_-‘’ 。一度blacklist Café Habitu 好一段時間。
豈料中環蘭桂坊的Caffé Habitu卻讓我驚喜甚大，瓷杯裝的Specialty coffee跟Daily Set lunch水準甚高，價錢亦不太貴，Lunch平均每人大概一百三十元。可惜午飯時段只有11:30-1:00，1:00-2:30兩個選擇，不能夠用盡時間好好享受咖啡。想舒適的坐久一點，可以去銅鑼灣Sasa Flagship store裡非常隱祕的Café Habitu，永遠不用等位之餘，且坐得比一般細細的鋪位舒適得多。Thick-cut French Fries with Truffle Mayo
全城最好吃的薯條居然在這裡找到，實在太感動了！本身是超級薯仔迷的我（點樣煮法既薯仔都好鐘意食），遇上這道Truffle fries真心覺得是太evil啦！Truffle mayo有濃香的truffle 味之餘，厚切薯條炸到外脆內軟且不會太oily，薯味亦不俗。平時daily lunch的時段沒有供應，就只能夜晚或weekend去tea一tea的時候偶然放縱下。
Spaghetti Carbonara
蛋黃醬做得香不會太milky夠creamy，麵身亦剛好。喜歡Carbonara醬汁比較濃稠的可以一試。喜歡angel hair，醬汁milky點，則可以試試Holly Brown的意粉味道亦不錯。Italian Gem – Egg Benedict/Parma Ham/Fragrant Black Truffles
Egg Benedict水準相當不錯，最緊要English muffin夠脆，poached egg上碟的時候蛋黃依然流心，hollandaise sauce要creamy不soggy，還有陣陣的Black truffle香飄過，配上咸香的parma ham，倘若其中一部份煮不好的時候，就不能名為一道真正的Egg benedict。在加拿大回港後，一直努力尋找一間滿意的Egg benedict，至今除了18 grams成為top choice後，Café Habitu的亦值得一試！The Tsar’s Choice – Egg Benedict/Smoked Salmon & Dill/Spoonful of caviar
不及Italian Gem好吃，但因我本身不太喜歡煙三文魚的關係，所以是有點biased的。喜歡Smoked Salmon的朋友會喜歡這一道配上魚子醬的Egg Benedict，整體味道是不俗的。All Day Luxury Breakfast
All day breakfast普通，不及Bricklane的好吃但大份點，但隨多士配上的果占不太甜且果味重，食得出不是普通超市一樽樽買返黎膚衍你就算，恁都ok啦。Green Salad & Pea Soup
Salad dressing不太多，略嫌帶酸。Pea soup豆蓉味重，且帶少許微酸青檸味，夏天清新一點吧。Suprema Pizza – Parma Ham/Rocket/Colorful peppers
Pizza薄薄的焗出脆脆的餅底口感與味道亦不錯，放久一點餅身亦不會soggy。Parma Ham與Rocket的配塔很難挑剔啦。Tiger Prawn Linguine in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Linguine口感有嚼勁，大大隻Tiger Prawn無偷工減料同埋煮得好爽，有驚喜！醬汁蕃茄味濃且帶有微辣，好開胃。Cappuccino Brulee
這無疑是我對Café Habitu重拾信心的最大原因，因為這裡的Speciality Coffee真是百喝不厭。焦糖面脆脆的，不會太甜。Capuccino香滑，在別處喝不到把甜品和咖啡結合的「焦糖燉蛋咖啡」。Masala Spiced Latte
對這個有點失望因spice的香味不太出之餘，Latte味道也不太出色。Oolong Tea Latte
味道較淡身的烏龍Latte，不太特別。
最後都係想講，無諗過哩間Cafe原來唔錯，有時候，俾人一個second chance都未嘗不是好事。

Italian, Michelin, Celebration
Recommended Dishes: Truffled Fried Oysters, Chitarra, Ying Yang Affogato
Emptyplates score 評分: 9/10 plates emptied![Written by Carly]
Rated this 9 Emptyplates as Doppio Zero is one of my favorite restaurants in town for modern Italian cuisine. Been here a couple of times with friends for celebration and casual dining occasions, Doppio Zero never fails me for what is offered - consistent quality of appetizer & pasta and indulging desserts. The uniqueness of pasta and Italian dishes are highly recommended for anyone who is a pasta lover. The service is welcoming and the environment is relaxing. Great for any cozy gatherings or celebrations, or simply you feel like rich pasta for the night. Doppio Zero stands for “double zero” in Italian and is the finest grade of flour made in Italy. Rest assured that the pasta here is made by good hands. Okay, enough with the intro. Let’s start with the appetizers.Truffled Fried Oysters – Unbeatable oysters! I would order these every time. The oysters are deep fried yet not oily at all, the texture is still creamy. Truffle sauce was amazing with the rich taste lingering around and complementing the creamy texture of the oysters. The dish is balanced with the spinach cream sauce to add that extra flavor to the unbeatable appetizer that wows your taste buds. I was scrapping the cream spinach sauce with bread in order to get every bit of it!Prime Beef Carpaccio – Not the best I had so far. The best Beef Carpaccio in town is offered at Harlan Gold. The sea urchin offered on top of the Carpaccio was not to the best combination in terms of flavor but did add an extra dimension of texture to the whole dish.
Fried Prosciutto Balls – Tapas-like dish. The combination of ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino was not as creamy and rich as expected but the dipping sauce of honey melon dew sauce was surprisingly good and flavorful.Burrata – One of the restaurant’s recommended dishes for a reason. Combined with eggplant jam, picked red onion, arugula, and 15 year aged balsamic vinegar. The eggplant jam highlighted the dish with its unique sweetness that tastes different from regular sugar sweetness; you can briefly taste the eggplant flavor which unexpectedly blends with the slightly elastic and chewy cheese.Beetroot Ravioli – Not as impressed as other dishes in terms of flavor yet admired the chef’s bold choice of using beetroot as the filling for ravioli. It is definitely difficult to cook beetroot into a smoothened texture. The filling tasted like Chinese hawthorn（山渣）which was definitely not a personal fav. Not a big fan of this but vegetarians will be interested in trying this for sure.Tagliatelle – The savory and ham flavor of the pasta was optimal. Given the unique texture of chewiness of the pasta itself, this seems to be a common dish as it offers the classic Bolognese sauce and parmigiano cheese. I love the whole combination as the pasta was a bit softer than Chitarra yet utterly classic and delicious in its own way.
Spagehetti Neri –Baby Cuttlefish/ Thai Chilies/Scallion/Tomato. If you are a seafood lover, this pasta is worth a try. I was surprised by how the baby cuttlefish blends well with the slightly spicy flavor of thai chilies.Ricotta Gnocchi – The gnocchi was not bad, chewy not too crumble. I was fairly satisfied with the red wine braised beef cheeks and salted duck egg as the beef cheeks were so tender and rich in flavor.Chitarra – I am a sea urchin fan and this absolutely killed my cravings! Doppio Zero brings modern pasta dishes to a next level with its creativity, uniqueness, and evolutional ambition. The sea urchin sauce was creamy and rich, pasta texture was slightly too chewy and hard yet I wouldn’t complain for crab roe on top which makes the dish dimensional.
The time that I’ve been looking forward to! Dessert! *nomnomnom* Doppio Zero used to have the BEST CHOCOLATE SUNDAE in town but then they modify their dessert menu from time to time and it’s no longer offered. I am going to demand this to come back!Ying Yang Affogato – Milk Tea Gelato/Espresso Shot/Peanut Butter Cookie. Milk tea gelato was creamy and not too sweet. One of my regular desserts on my list if I visit Doppio Zero. The peanut butter was a bit soft and could be crunchier yet nonetheless, one of the best in town.Olive Oil Gelato Float – Salted Caramel Cookie Bar/Whipped Cream/Lambrusco Sparkling Red Wine. The wine combined with olive oil gelato was a bit heavy and the wine was a bit too strong for the gelato. I had to taste a few spoons before realizing the light olive oil taste to it. The cookie bar was awesome though, sweet & a bit salty – all you need.
Assorted Gelati – Ginger, Oolong tea, Olive oil. Oolong was the most refreshing and my favourite as it was a fusion of Chinese tea and western dessert. You can end your night with a light note with three small mini gelatos.
 

必食推介: 酥皮焗叉燒包、蘿蔔糕
趣事: 快快趣趣食完好走，如果唔係熱到流汗仲辛苦過做gym！
Emptyplates score : 7 /10 plates emptied!
[Written by Carly]
「先生，我一早就同你講左哩到唔可以自己換杯碟！」
「咁你周圍都無人，又唔夠人手，點解我唔可以自己去攞？！仲有，你無講過我地唔可以咁做。」
「我頭時已經講左…」
「無，你無講過。」
已就坐的顧客與侍應爭吵不休，Emptyplates Gang一行四人已在IFC添好運門外等到天昏地暗，只求吃一頓午飯。撞佢個鬼，IFC多人到連冷氣都feel唔到，如果唔係因為添好運的酥皮焗叉燒包，一早就去隔離間四海遊龍好過。愛投訴的香港人還是不肯放過「做好份工」的阿姐，唔該，俾我地坐入去先慢慢鬧好嗎？其實都只係想食餐飯，西裝友你又何
「先生，我地出邊個牌寫晒係到架。」
「咁多人我又會睇到你個牌寫咩！」
阿姐一直與西裝友鬧交，我就一直的看著她手上拿著我們的點心紙。其實大家都只是想食個叉燒包，香港人，唔使咁大壓力嘅。添好運的酥包叉燒包正就人人都知，平民食堂米芝蓮一星喎，你點敢話佢唔好食。講真你知佢好味，但點解好食就未必講得出。首先要做到叉燒包的價錢大眾化。不是每一個酒樓都有酥包叉燒包，要做到菠蘿皮脆內軟，叉燒醬與叉燒的比例剛好，不可以太多肥膏。其次，就是添好運有一個取勝之道，酥包叉燒包一定是即叫即焗。有很多酒樓的叉燒包送上餐桌時只是微暖，吃的時候就欠缺了剛出爐的那種新鮮，麵包何時都是一出爐都最好食。坐著一邊吃點心，汗就不停的流，因為點心熱哄哄的，加上冷氣似有還無，想吃飯吃得健康點的朋友，（流多尐汗好似會減到肥。哈），可以賞試大熱天時來吃添好運的點心。值得一提的是這裡的蝦餃，雖然個人不是太喜歡吃蝦，但蝦餃的size剛剛好，不太大粒，皮薄，幾粒細蝦，一啖一隻，味道亦不錯。還有大大個的珍珠雞，內有多種餡料，最喜歡吃到的有雞翼（係！大大隻雞翼！），雞肉同潤腸。味道不錯但略嫌糯米質素不高，吃得出很多碎米且質感不夠軟熟。個人很喜歡吃的蘿蔔糕水準也不錯，有吃得出的白蘿蔔之外，味遠還拍得住另一間自己常光顧的利苑，同樣是米芝蓮一星。其他點心如魚茸蒸芋頭糕、豆豉蒸排骨與馬拉糕的味道均一般，中規中距。有點失望的是這碟豬潤腸，豬潤不夠新鮮而且切得太大塊，不及上環的聚點坊好食！有機會的一定給大家介紹，聚點坊的點心水準絕不遜於添好運。
Gobay food knowledge corner食乜你要知：
點心的名字相傳在古時候有將軍打勝仗，村民自發做糕點去犒軍，表達「點點心意」而來的。