Okaki Oyster Bar

So usually I would never have a post without pictures, but unfortunate my stupid USB port messed up my camera memory card and erased all my most recent photos! Ugh! The good news is, this dining experience was TERRIBLE and even though the pictures were decent, this is not a review where you should be drooling over the dishes. Therefore here is a gif to express my feelings towards this place:

This could easily be one of the worst meals of 2012! V and I are both oyster fanatics and decided to try out this new oyster place in Tai Hang. There were not a lot of reviews on this place but there was a decent review from a food blog and therefore we decided to just give it a go. What a mistake!

First of all, the food took FOREVER. I almost felt like they were harvesting the oysters from the sea with how long it took to get out that stupid platter of terrible oysters. Even I can shuck oysters faster than that schmuck behind the counter! The waiting time would be forgivable if the oysters were good, and obviously that was not the case. Every single one of the oysters left a nasty fishy aftertaste in our mouths. The oyster were not fresh at all and to add insult to injury one of the oyster had actually GONE BAD. Imagine slurping up this slimy wet glob of oyster and being hit with this foul rotten taste. That was how bad it was. I instantly spat out this mess and was desperately trying to wash this taste out of my mouth. Thankfully we ordered 2 skewers of ox tongue and I was able to stick a piece in my mouth after gargling away with water.

Then there was the service. The waitress we had was decent. But then there was this lump of wood of a waiter who was absolutely clueless. After I told him that our oyster had gone bad, he just stared blankly at me. Are you kidding me? You just served your customer rotten seafood!! He just glanced at the waitress who instantly apologized and said she would replace it right away. Ok so replacing it was obviously the least you could do, but I felt that they should not even charge us for the replacement! The waiter continued to impress us with his incompetence when V went to the restroom and notified him that there was no more toilet paper. He just stared at her and did nothing to resolve this issue. Do you expect your customers to go to the storeroom and change the roll herself? Once again the waitress came to the rescue and instantly changed the toilet paper for us. How do people like this get hired?

After the disastrous oysters, the rest of the meal was subpar to say the least. The ox tongue was decent. We also ordered a foie gras pasta which was edible but not great at all. The pasta was overcooked and was just drenched in a thick cream sauce.

AVOID this restaurant. Do NOT come here. This terrible meal came to around 600+ per person and we were both incredibly dissatisfied.

Sushi Shin

Sushi is one of my favorite things in the entire world and I can literally eat sushi every single day. My parents always stick to this one sushi place in Causeway Bay which I’ve blogged about before. Sensyu is really good, their ingredients are always very fresh and the prices very reasonable, but my parents and I have noted that they do not have a lot of variety. A ton of people have been telling me how amazing Sushi Shin is and I finally tried it out at V’s birthday dinner. I’m not going to write a review for each dish because it was literally like a sushi marathon and I don’t think I am too good at describing how each piece of sushi tasted. Everything was just incredibly fresh and delicious; you can tell that the sushi chefs are very skilled and good at what they do. Sushi Shin was an amazing dining experience and I went back a couple days later for lunch which was also delicious. Definitely a new favorite and I am already in the process of luring my parents to try out Sushi Shin!  

Because something this pretty deserves two photos right?

Sushi Shin

110-114 Tung Lo Wan Road

Tai Hang

Hong Kong

Chicha

I’ve been hearing A LOT about Chicha since its opening and it seriously feels like everyone has either already been, or is planning to go. Chicha serves Peruvian food and claims to the Hong Kong’s first and only Peruvian restaurant. Although the owners and executive chef aren’t Peruvian, they enlisted the help of the Peruvian consulate general to embark on a two week eating tour of Lima to ensure that their food is authentic and up to par. Now that’s dedication (and a fun business trip)! Chicha takes over the old spot of Chez Patrick and exudes a warm and social vibe. The front of the restaurant is lined with floor to ceiling windows which allow for people/street watching and the tables are long tables communal style. The seats are dark leather and the walls are dark red with some interesting decorations such as wooden masks. Although I enjoyed the atmosphere, it was obscenely loud and I was getting really agitated because I was meeting my girls C and T for dinner and it was literally impossible to hear each other and have girl talk without severely straining my ears and my throat. The owner was incredibly nice and accommodating though and switched us to another table near the bar which was much quieter than the main dining area. Service was very friendly and prompt, each waiter had a lovely smile on their face and the owner also had a nice sense of humor when he tricked me into thinking my friends left when I first came into the restaurant and inquired about the table!

Sea bass Ceviche with Choclo, Sweet Potato, and Red Onion 

This dish was recommended by the owner and unfortunately it was not that well received by us. The chunks of sea bass were a bit too big and the all the elements just did not go well together. The flavor was quite strong and definitely woke you up, but we felt that it was slightly one dimensional in that it was just quite sour. It would be nice to have some more spices or just another type of seasoning to make it more well-rounded. The Choclo (corn) was a special type that I believe is popular in South American, the kernels are larger and it is denser and starchier than the corn we are used to eating. It would also be nice if some tortilla chips were provided to eat with the ceviche because it was a bit overwhelming to eat on its own. I am no expert on Peruvian food, but our table thought this dish was only ok. 

Crab Claws with Sweet Potato and Parsley

You all already know how I feel about parsley… yuck! After scooping away all the nasty little sprigs, I was amazed by the generous amount and size of the crab claws. The crab claws were very meaty and have been conveniently unshelled for optimal savoring. The sweet potato was a nice sweet compliment to the dish and the sauce was creamy and went well with the flakey crab meat. Although this dish was not something I would specially go back to Chicha for, the flavors were nice and the amount of crab was definitely a great value for money!

Fish Tacos

YUM! These fish tacos were absolutely delicious! Now THIS is something that I would specially return to Chicha for! One major problem with fish tacos that I’ve noticed is that the pieces of fish were often quite measly and the taco would mostly be consumed by other components such as lettuce (maybe I’ve been eating really bad fish tacos…).  At Chicha however, the fish pieces were large, chunky, and crispy. The outside was deliciously crispy and the insides still maintained that tender flakiness, the fish was also flavored well and was not masked by the vegetables and vibrant salsa. The succulent pieces of fish were topped with crunchy lettuce slaw then smothered with an absolutely delicious mango and tomato salsa. The mango salsa was the perfect complement to the fish, it was sweet, tangy, and just was sunshine on your tongue. This scrumptious taco is then topped with a squeeze of spicy mayo which is just the cherry on top of an already amazing taco. All these lip smackingly good components are then stuffed into a crunchy hard taco shell. This is a MUST TRY and I will be back for more. 

None of us were that hungry so these were the only dishes we tried. Although I was not blown away by some of the dishes, you can tell that a lot of heart and passion were put into the food and this restaurant and I am definitely eager to return to try out more of their dishes!

Chicha

26 Peel Street

Noho

Central

Hong Kong

Carnevino

After the glorious steak at Bistecca, I was keen to try out more steak houses in Hong Kong to see how they measure up to each other. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s restaurants are well known across the globe and they made their first mark in Hong Kong by opening their highly anticipated Italian restaurant Lupa. Lupa has been opened since April and have been generating a lot of buzz. I have been hearing mixed reviews about the place from absolutely mind blown to meh. Lupa is definitely on my to-try list but before I even got around to trying it I heard that a second restaurant was already on its way! Carnevino is Joe and Mario’s award winning steak house at the Palazzo in Las Vegas and opened its second branch a couple floors above Lupa in Hong Kong. As the name suggests, Carnevino aims to bring its customers top quality meats and wine. We decided to have a girls dinner there and was all super excited to dig into this meat and wine haven. Unfortunately our high expectations were not met and a couple of us actually went to a Japanese eatery after the meal because we were still hungry and were not satisfied by the meal at all. The ambience and service were all very good, but the food was an utter disappointment!

Lamb Sweetbreads with Fennel: Crispy Fennel Dusted Sweetbreads with Lemon

The sweetbreads were quite rich and had a nice crispy crust. Although the first couple bites were not bad, the crust was a little but too grainy and dry. I felt that the taste was a little one dimensional and it would have been much better if there was a creamy sauce to go with the sweetbreads such as aioli. 

Calamari with Spicy Tomato: Crispy Calamari with Pickled Chilies, Lemon, and Spicy Tomato

The calamari was sliced too thinly and this resulted in pieces that were not meaty enough and felt over-fried and dry. I like my calamari to have a nice crispy crunch with a nice chewy interior. The bits of pickled chilies and tomatoes also did not provide much of a flavor profile and the dish was just uninspired and quite subpar. It wasn’t disgusting or anything, but just nothing special either. I feel like I can find calamari in some random places in the States better than this! 

Carne Cruda alla Piedmontese: Chopped to Order Steak Tartare with Mushrooms and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The steak tartare was really bad. The flavors were not robust at all and the presentation was actually a bit disgusting. The meat does not look fresh at all, why are there little brown bits?! The white wrapper was not anesthetically appealing and the mushrooms were raw and did not go well with the tartare. I don’t really understand why there were mushrooms there in the first place. Especially if they were raw! The taste was much too grassy and unrefined and the tartare was bland and boring. 

Bone Marrow with Preserved Lemon Gremolata: Roasted Bone Marrow with Preserved Lemon and Parsley

This dish was actually decent. The presentation was a bit plain thought, just two bones plunked on a plate. The bone marrow was roasted well and had decent flavor. Although this dish was fine, it was definitely not the best bone marrow I’ve had. It would also be nice if some freshly toasted bread was provided. Instead we used the bread that was given at the beginning of the meal.

Creamed Corn with Lime Salt: Local Corn with Pickled Cherry Peppers

As you all remember the creamed corn at Bistecca is to die for, it’s creamy, decadent, and sweet. This creamed corn however, was running and slightly undercooked. The kernels were quite crunchy and did not result in a lovely slightly mushy concoction which I think creamed corn should be like. I am no expert on creamed corn, but this just wasn’t that yummy. Also, the pickled cherry peppers did not provide any special flavor to the dish and I wondered if it was really even in it (I guess you can see tiny flecks).

Guanciale Mashed Potatoes: Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes with Pork Jowl and a Poached Duck Egg

The mashed potatoes sounded very delicious on the menu, but in reality it was just quite normal. It also wasn’t bad, but I did not really notice any special flavors with the extra pork jowl and poached duck egg. If anything it seemed like it would have been better if Carnevino just concentrated on making quality traditional mash instead of adding these superfluous extras that don’t really compliment the dish.

Dry-Aged Fiorentina (for 2) 38oz 

Finally the star of the show arrived. The giant steak was set down amongst many oohs and ahhs but these excited sounds of anticipation soon died down. I also wanted to point out that the suggestion that this serves two people is a bit insane. We shared this amongst 7 girls. I guess it could be plausible if it was shared between two men but I think 38 oz for two people is a bit overkill. The steak looked amazing, a nice char and a juicy red center. But this is truly a case where looks can be deceiving. The meat did not have a rich meaty flavor at all, it was rather bland and the texture was also disappointing. The meat was quite hard and some pieces were only soft because it was so rare. There was not a lovely amount of marbling and it was actually quite lean. The meat lacked flavor, tenderness, and juiciness. Also, I requested for the steak to be medium rare but this steak was most definitely a rare. I don’t mind rare steaks but these kinds of mistakes are unacceptable at an institution such as this.

I understand that Carnevino just opened and many restaurants need a few months to iron out a few kinks. Yet I feel that the steak really revealed a lot about the place, apart from the wrongly executed cooking, the fact that the steak lacked so much flavor and texture revealed that the low quality of the ingredients. If it was service or reservations that were a bit spotting I would find that to be slightly more forgivable, yet the majority of the dishes were unimpressive to say the least. I don’t doubt that Mario Batali is a great chef, but if he plans to expand, he truly needs to ensure that the quality of the food is kept up to standard and that he cannot simply rely on his name to attract customers. Carnevino claims to take a unique spin on classic steakhouse dishes, which is why I guess there are all those little add ons such as ducks egg and pickled chili, but these "reinventions" did not enhance the dishes at all. I doubt I will be returning to Carnevino unless new reviews are truly mind blowing. Next steak stop: Edo and Bibo Oyster and Steakhouse!

Carnevino 

5/F

LHT Tower

31 Queen's Road

Central 

Hong Kong

Chili Fagara

After my last unsuccessful attempt to dine at Chili Figara, I made sure that I made an early reservation to ensure that I would be able to partake in this fiery feast. The décor is quite stereotypically Chinese – red wall, bird cages, and traditional Chinese wooden furniture. It was obvious that this was a place that would appeal to westerners as being very “Asian” or exotic. Usually I would be a bit skeptical of these places as it feels a bit gimmicky and the food would probably be a tad funky or inauthentic as well, but luckily the food was very very good and I left with every intention of returning again. The restaurant is tiny and seats only around 5-6 tables. It is very dimly lit and it was a bit difficult to read the menu. One major complaint is that they don’t serve “normal” water; you have to order distilled or sparkling which is a major pet peeve of mine. This is especially annoying because they are serving really spicy food so they knew people would need water. Jerks!

We decided to skip out on the water and order some cold refreshing beers. The beers came with bowls instead of cups (another gimmicky touch!). I thought this was kind of cute as it made me feel like we were back in the olden days, but after a few sips I reverted back to just drinking from the bottle. 

The menu is divided into 3 different tastes: ma麻, la辣, and tang糖. Ma is numbing, la is spicy, and tang is sweet. The waitress brought out three dishes of seemingly complimentary starters to pique our taste buds, each dish corresponding to the 3 major flavors. The starters were decent and gave us a nice preview of the spice that awaits us. It was later that we found out these “complimentary” dishes were actually charged, which kind of pissed off C and I. I think it’s stupid when restaurants don’t let you have a choice and force these types of dishes on you, aka Billidarts with their stupid salami and olives. I am totally ok with a small charge for tea and such, but its agitating when they charge for these dishes without really giving the customers a choice. 

Shredded Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I really love peanut sauce; it’s so thick, creamy, and fragrant. The chicken was layered over some sliced cucumbers and other condiments that went really well with the spicy cream sauce. The chicken and the cucumbers were also a nice balance to the spice of the peanut sauce. When we first ate this, we did not think it was too spicy, but in a couple of minutes our mouths were on fire and we were grasping for our beers. Although it was spicy, the flavors were all very well done and were not overpowered by the spiciness.

Dumplings in Spicy Chili Sauce

This is a dish that I always get when I am eating at Shanghainese restaurants. This was obviously much spicier than the usual version I order! The dumplings were very well made; the skin was firm and thin, encasing a very generous amount of meat. The sauce was tangy, spicy, and bursting with flavor. Once again our mouths were numb and the sniffling was starting, but the dumplings were such delicious little morsels that we ensure that each bite was smothered with a generous amount of the spicy red sauce before being devoured.

Deep Fried Salt and Pepper Soft Shell Crab with Chilies

The next dish was another winner. The soft shell crab was very meaty yet still had an amazing crispy crunch to it. The flavors were mind-blowing and were super fragrant. The dried chilies made the dish look much huger than it actually is, and provided that glorious ma la flavor. This dish went really well with white rice and even though our bellies were stuffed we were still picking at these delicious bits of crab til we could not fathom another bite.

Overall, the food was fantastic at Chili Fagara and I am extremely excited to come again. Apart from the various little annoyances, everything else was fine and the food more than made up for these areas. One more thing of note is the service, the servers really need to smile more and be more polite. They were not really rude, but they looked like they shoved some chilies in their mouths before serving the food and really need to work on some hospitality skills. Other than that, I was impressed by Chili Fagara’s meal and if anyone can also handle the spice please let me know and we can all go for a spicy feast J!  

Chili Fagara

51A Graham Street

Soho

Central

Hong Kong

Bo-Lo'Gne Cafe

As many of you know, I work in the boonies (Shatin) therefore no one really ever wants to find me for lunch :( but on this happy Thursday C came to find me because she was at school earlier and her campus is located relatively close to my workplace! Bo-Lo'Gne Cafe has been on my "to eat list" but that was for its Central location. C and I found out that there is also a Shatin location so we decided to give it a try! Bo-Lo'Gne Cafe is a japanese cafe and bakery serving "Yōshoku" which is Japanese style western cuisine, japanese curries, sandwiches, and desserts. One of my favorite things to do is to comb through the menu before going to a restaurant so I already knew what I wanted when I sat down.

Corn Potage 
We got the lunch set where a soup and salad was included. The corn potage is a very popular soup in Japan and is essentially cream corn soup. This was quite creamy and comforting and I'm glad it was served in this little cup as a huge bowl would be too heavy! 

Mixed Vegetable Soup/Borscht 
Decent. Nothing mind blowing but not bad either. 

Spaghetti in Salmon Cream Sauce 
The spaghetti was a tad too soft for C's and my taste but that is because we usually prefer very al dente pasta. Since this is Japanese revamped pasta it is understandable that is it cooked to this softness. The cream sauce had a nice strong salmon flavor and C remarked that it had more salmon flavor as compared to other restaurants. The amount of salmon was decent and there were also bits of sauteed onion which went well with the entire dish. A yummy and satisfying dish! 

Loco Moco (Hawaiian Bowl)
Loco Moco is a native Hawaiian dish and consists of rice, a hamburger patty, fried egg, and brown gravy. This hamburger patty was meaty and had a nice flavor. Overall the food of this restaurant was quite sweet and savory which made everything quite appealing to the palate and comforting. A fried egg is always a win in my book and the gravy also went well with the rice. The kiwi was a bit gross in my opinion. Another thing was that there was a huge amount of rice and a rather tiny patty in comparison. I understand that is more economical but it would be nice if there was a bit more meat and sauce to go with the mountain of rice! 

Tonkatsu Sandwich
We were quite stuffed at this point but this dish was definitely the highlight of the meal. The bread is soft, doughy, and lusciously buttery. The bread had the texture of a croissant and had a lovely sweet flavor. The tonkatsu was crispy and not too greasy. The lettuce provided a much needed fresh crunch to the glorious sandwich and we also asked for some mayonnaise to fully satisfy our fatso cravings. This is definitely something I want to indulge in again! 

Bo-Lo'Gne Cafe

Shop 112

New Town Plaza Phase 1

18 Shatin Centre Street

Shatin

Hong Kong

Bistecca

C and I went to Bistecca for lunch when I was still happily funemployed (one day I might regret this statement) because we heard that Bistecca had a great antipasti buffet lunch set. The buffet spread was very decent but the rest of the meal was an unfortunate disappointment. They first mixed up our order of steak with burgers and when our steaks finally arrived C and I wondered whether we should have stuck with the wrong order of burger as the steak was quite tough and filled with tendon! C had to butcher the life out of her piece. Although this lunch was disappointing I have heard many great reviews of Bistecca so I definitely wanted to give it another chance. DDSS, C, and I decided to go to Bistecca for a carnivorous dinner and I am happy to say that Bistecca has definitely redeemed itself and is now one of my favorites!

M9 Carne Crudo, Fresh Horseradish, Parmesan, Truffle Oil
Carne crudo means "raw meat" and if you love the traditional steak tartare, you will love this dish. The meat is chopped into much bigger pieces and the flavors are not as robust and sharp as regular steak tartare. The Parmesan and truffle oil is very fragrant and provides a elegant mixture of flavors and textures. The steak was fatty and I quite liked how it was cut into bigger pieces for it had a nice bite to it. One thing that can be improved is that it needed a sprinkle of salt. The bread was toasted perfectly, very crusty on the outside while still having the perfect balance of softness inside. 

Bone marrow 
The bone marrow had incredible flavor. Maybe one of the best I've had! I loved how it was simply flavored with salt and perhaps some herbs and pepper so I was truly able to enjoy the decadent flavor of the marrow. It was roasted to just the perfect state, the surface had just turned a glorious golden color and the insides were gooey and delicious. It was super fatty and was just perfect on top of the crunchy bread. I only wish we had more as this was gone in the blink of an eye! 

Delmonico Wagyu 24 oz - Medium Rare and Chicago Style
The Delmonico steak is a special preparation of steak consisting of a porterhouse or T bone. The steak has a T shaped bone, hence the name, where the larger side is a strip steak and the smaller side is a tenderloin steak. The T bone is grilled over a charcoal fire and is usually thick cut. This large amount of meat is intended to be shared between two or more people (unless you are a complete pig!). We shared this between 4 girls and we were all completely stuffed to our limits by the end of the meal. This steak was AMAZING. The best steak I have ever had was at Mastro's in Beverly Hills and I can safely say this may come at a close second or might even be on par with Mastro's! The outside of the steak was charred perfectly resulting in a lovely smokey flavor and crust. The meat was marbled perfectly with fat and was extraordinarily juicy. The flavor of the beef was also top notch. The fat had a very rich flavor and also got that great char on the outside. Apart from the obvious fact that the quality of the meat was high, the chef's skills were also displayed as the steak was executed perfectly resulting in a beautifully pink medium rare (if you try to eat this medium you really need to get your priorities straight). The steak also came with a series of sauces for your dipping pleasure. This is a piece of meat that will appear in your dreams from time to time. Definitely worth that extra hour on the treadmill!

Try and tell me that does not make you drool all over yourself. 

Charred Corn
YUMM!! Bistecca is on fire tonight! These sweet juicy morsels are enveloped in a luxurious cream sauce that is not too overwhelming and still maintains the sweetness of the fresh corn while the char gives it just that little amount of smokiness. Perfect to go with that glorious slab of meat. 

Zucchini Fries
The zucchini is tender and encased in a crunchy layer of batter and sprinkled with spices (is that paprika I spy?). These were very good but a tinsy bit greasy. I am sure I still had my fair share though!

Tiramisu - Amoretti, Almond Gelato
Like they say, there is always room for dessert. The tiramisu was a nice sweet ending to our meal. It was nothing spectacular but it was a nicely made tiramisu - sweet, creamy, with a nice kick of coffee.

Bistecca truly was a great dining experience and I am so glad I gave it another chance after that blasted lunch date. Every dish was delicious and the atmosphere was also very comfortable and inviting. My next steakhouse endeavor is Carnevino by Mario Batali so we will have to see how that measures up to Bistecca!

Bistecca 

2/F

Grand Progress Building

15 Lan Kwai Fong

Central

Hong Kong