Sijie Sichuan Dishes 四姐川菜

NEW FAVORITE!!! As you all know I am a spicy food fiend and love to devour hot foods until my entire mouth is numb. I have been wanting to try Sijie for some time now but never got around to gathering people to maximize the ordering system of the restaurant. It is best to go with more people because the amount of cold and main dishes that you can order depends on the number of people in your party. We had 8 people therefore we were allowed to order 5 cold dishes and 7-8 mains. We were also greedy and ordered extra dishes later.

Sijie was located in Wanchai previously an has recently relocated to Causeway Bay. The restaurant is run by Sijie, her husband, and her children. The atmosphere is very homey and welcoming and Sijie ensures that all her customers are well taken cared of. This meal was incredibly enjoyable and I will definitely be returning!

Strangely mesmerizing tossing of noodles...

Sichuan Cold Noodles 四川涼麵 
This massive dish is one of the cold appetizers and it was delicious! The table next to us apparently thought they could handle the heat and ordered extra spicy but then completely failed when they took a couple bites. I saw the waitress take it away quickly because that table could not eat anymore of it. I am quite confident in my fire eating abilities therefore I wanted to get it extra spicy too but our server recommended that we try the normal spice level first since he did not want us to be the same as the other table. The normal spicy was actually not spicy at all! The taste was great though, the noodles were firm and chewy, the seasoning was also enticing. It would just be even more perfect if it was more spicy! Regardless of the lack of spice, I would still gobble up these noodles any day.

Spicy Pork Slices in Garlic Sauce 蒜泥白肉 
The pork slices were not too fatty and had good meat flavor. The sauce was also perfectly flavored yet this was also not spicy enough. At this point we told the waitress to give it their best and spice things up!

Sour and Spicy Cucumber 酸辣青瓜 
This dish was nice and refreshing. The cucumbers were crunchy and juicy and the garlic sauce was robust and complemented the grassy flavor of the cucumber. 

Pig's Ears in Chili Sauce
Pig's ears is not my favorite thing but C loves this type of food (random bits of animals and organs) therefore I made sure to order this for her :) I had one bite of this and although it isn't something I would usually eat the pig's ears had great texture and you can tell that it was prepared well. It was bouncy and soaked up all the flavors of the sauce well. 

Spicy Sliced Beef and Tripe 夫妻肺片 
This was one of the extra dishes that we added on top of our 5 cold appetizers. The beef and tripe were both cooked until tender and slathered with the delicious chili sauce. This was spicier than before. Yay!

Spicy Marinated Chicken 口水雞 
Another solid dish, The chicken was not too fatty and the meat was well seasoned. 

Poached Fish in Hot Chili Oil 水煮魚 
OH MY GOD this was SO good. This was one of the favorite dishes of the night. The thick potato noodles were gloriously chewy and soaked up all the delightful spices and flavors. The fish was sliced to just the perfect thickness and was melt in your mouth tender and smooth. Everything was spot on. I am craving this right now. Yum yum yummm.

Salt and Pepper Prawns 椒盐虾
This dish was fine, it wasn't bad but it wasn't particularly memorable either. The prawns were nice and crunchy but I was more blown away by other dishes. 

SO MUCH FOOD :D!!! Always a happy sight!

Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐  
Solid homey goodness.

Beef in Hot Chili Oil 水煮牛肉
This was another dish that we added to our already over flowing table of food. Heeehehhe. This was also really well made but we did prefer the fish version more! We also opted for the thin noodles since Sijie recommended it. It was very chewy and smooth also but I personally preferred the thicker version.The beef was also tender but nothing beats the fish! And honestly we were quite stuffed at this point. 

Chicken Cartilage with Hot Chilies
This was also another star dish of the night! I loved this dish so much and could not stop eating it. The chicken had just the perfect amount of meat and cartilage, both meaty and crunchy. This was easily the spiciest dish of the night and I absolutely adored it. It was just perfect. Each bite was bursting with numbing flavor and textural contrasts. 

Chug chug chug

Sijie is infamous for her drinking abilities and the boys decided to take on the challenge. She was so incredibly sweet and cheerful and made the dinner so much more fun and enjoyable! Great hospitality :) She took out this intense Chinese liquor for us to drink and beers were also on the house! 

Our entire party left the restaurant smiling and stuffed. The cost is incredibly reasonable as well at $280 per person. The food was delicious and the service was friendly and warm. This is definitely a new favorite of mine! Make sure you bring a good group and be ready to drink and eat the night away!

Sijie is also BYOB!!! Another major plus to an already amazing restaurant :)

Sijie Sichuan Dishes 四姐川菜 
10/F
Bartlock Center
3 Yiu Wa Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

Press Room Repeat

I've written a more in-depth post on Press Room before so this will just be a short and sweet post. Press Room is always a reliable favorite for solid food and they recently launched a great deal where there is no corkage on Wednesdays! Perfect for a wine lover aka alcoholic like me! The steak tartare is also one of the best in the city.

MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen and Pisco Bar

Latin American cuisine has been on fire in the Hong Kong Dining scene with new restaurants popping up everywhere. It has been said that Peruvian cuisine is the latest trend and Dining Concept's latest venture is MAYTA which takes over Blue Smoke BBQ's former space in the Grand Progress Building in Lan Kwai Fong. Chicha, which claims to be Hong Kong's first Peruvian restaurant caused quite the buzz when it first opened but failed to impress me when I visited. Therefore I was excited to try MAYTA in hopes of experiencing quality Peruvian cuisine as the restaurant's menu is designed by the famous Peruvian chef Jaime Pesaque who also heads the original and raved about restaurant MAYTA in Lima.

C, Y, and I went to Mayta with high expectations and unfortunately left the restaurant with no intention of returning. Some of the dishes were good, while some were extremely sub-par. Service on the other hand was just down right shameful.

I usually don't take notes while at a restaurant unless the food is incredibly complex and I want to make sure I remember the details or in the case because there were SO many mistakes and bloopers that I had to record them all. I felt like Anton Ego from Ratatouille typing away on my phone whenever something displeased me.

Merrr. And below are all the service mistakes that were recorded:

1. Air conditioning was RIDICULOUSLY cold, asked the waiter to turn it down, he seemed completely bewildered and asked another waitress to help him decipher the request. The other waitress rudely exclaimed "Too cold?!" very loudly right next to our table and gave us a look. Only plus side to this was that it did seem to be less cold later although the waiter never came back to let us know they turned in down. 
2. No water when we sat down, had to ask repeatedly for hot water and was finally given room temperature water after multiple requests.
3. The waitress gave me the wrong drink and then when I told her that it did not taste like raspberries at all but instead tasted like absinthe just whisked away the drink with no apology. Returned later and kept pestering me about how they ran out of basil for my original drink while I was trying to swallow my food. Would not stop asking me if it was ok if there was no basil, how am I suppose to answer when I am clearly trying to chew my food. So annoying and unobservant.
4. The hostess was friendly, yet lacked training as well. Did not take away any of our menus after ordering. I asked her for extra crispy wonton skin for the ceviche, she seemed hesitant and said she would check. Honestly is it that much of a request to give me a bowl of wonton skins?
5. When we ordered more food, the hostess took away the menu this time but it knocked into my phone and did not apologize.
6. My napkin was dropped on the floor and I put it on my chair and no one asked if I needed a new napkin even though the napkin was blatantly draped over the seat the entire meal. Small detail but still reveals a lack of training. 
7. There was one particular male staff who seemed like he was in another galaxy, this was the same one who didn't understand when I wanted the air conditioning turned down. I asked him for a menu and he started blankly at me and I had to utilize sign language to help him understand what I meant by menu. He also looked very baffled when we asked him for the check. He dropped our credit card when we paid and also did not apologize. He also did not say thank you after we each signed. Very very basic manners hello? 

Usually I would not be so finicky but it was just blunder after blunder. Now onto the food... 

The site is down for some reason so I can't access the menu right now for the specific name of the dishes but I will write down the approximate name for now.

Empanadas
The overall verdict of this dish was that it tasted like frozen food. And this is a tricky dish because as you all know frozen food can be strangely appealing (Pizza pockets!!!). The dish wasn't terrible, the skins were fluffy (a little too thick) and the filling was decent, yet it reminded everyone at the table of frozen food. Perhaps this would have been very good if I had it in my dorm room back in college but it did not suffice as a dish in a restaurant. 

Pan Con Chicharonnes
This was the favorite dish of the night. I actually really enjoyed this soft bun filled with gorgeously crispy and fatty pork. Usually I would pick out all the fat but this actually tasted really great and the crispiness was a perfect balance to the bouncy steamed bun. The addition of pickles and the chip added another textural profile. Now if only the other dishes were just as good as this one... 

Salmon Ceviche with Crispy Wonton Skins
Ceviche is one of the staples of Peruvian cuisine so we were expecting a great dish but instead we had an uninspired dish that tasted like very boring sashimi chunks swimming in a bland orange liquid. The ceviche did not have any of that tangy exciting flavor that we expect out of ceviche and the salmon chunks also did not have any flavor. The amount of crispy wonton skins were also very lacking and overall the dish desperately needed both flavor and textural contrasts. 

Duck Confit Rice
This was another dish that we enjoyed. The duck confit was made well, the meat was tender and the skin crispy. The rice was al dente and smothered in a robust sauce that had just the perfect amount of spice to it to keep things interesting. 

Lomo Saltado
According to my friend who is a Peruvian food fanatic, Lomo Saltado is THE staple Peruvian dish. The dish consisted of beef with onions, carrots, roasted bananas, and a fried egg. This dish was quite interesting but it was nothing mind-blowing. The addition of the roasted bananas made the dish was tad too sweet for my liking. It would also be nice if the fries were crispier, instead they were greasy mushy potato slabs. 

Napkin that did not get replaced. Hmph.

Drinks were also sub-par. Too sweet.

If you haven't guess already from my post I probably will not be heading back to Mayta anytime soon. Yes, some of the dishes were enjoyable but the overall dining experience was less than favorable. Perhaps if someone else goes and finds its to have improved significantly I will visit again as I really did quite like the pork buns... but for now I will be spending my time on exploring other new restaurants and Mayta will not be on my list of recommended places.

MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen and Pisco Bar

3/F

Grand Progress Building

15-16 Lan Kwai Fong

Central

Hong Kong

Australia Dairy Company 澳洲牛奶公司

After talking about going to Australian Dairy Company for years and years, I FINALLY went! It's insane how long it took me to drag my butt out to Jordan to try this cha chan teng known for its legendary scrambled eggs. I love love love eating eggs so it really was a crime that I didn't indulge in these glorious eggs earlier (perhaps it's a good thing I didn't because now I want to eat it all the time!). My colleagues also have never tried Australian Dairy Company and have been wanting to go and so we decided to finally put our plans into action one day and ventured out to Jordan after work.

Australian Dairy Company usually boasts a very long line but since it was not at peak hours we strolled in around 6:30 with no wait at all. The waiters here are notorious for being really rude but apart from being slightly obnoxious with the way we ordered the waiters were generally friendly and not rude. I think this may be because it was not too crowded so the waiters were not as pushy as usual.

Cha Siu (BBQ pork) macaroni
We all decided to get the 2nd set menu which came with macaroni, toast and eggs, and coffee or tea. The macaroni was a bit overcooked and although the soup was a bit richer than other cha chan tengs, this dish was not particularly memorable or well made. The amount of cha siu was generous too but I think I will simply get scrambled eggs and toast next time and skip on the set meal!

Buttered Thick Toast with Scrambled Eggs and Ham
WAHHHH finally the amazing eggs arrived! They looked HEAVENLY and tasted just as amazing! These eggs definitely lived up to every raving review. The eggs were incredibly smooth, creamy, and decadent. Apart from the lovely texture, the flavor was also very rich. Definitely the BEST scrambled eggs ever. The toast was also buttered generously and the thickness perfectly balanced out these indulgent scrambled eggs. 

LIFE CHANGING

Not at peak hours but still a good amount of customers

Hong Kong Style Milk Tea
The milk tea was strong and smooth, yum!

Steamed Milk Pudding
The milk pudding had a lovely strong milk flavor and was soft and creamy. It was obvious that the milk used was of high quality and that it was steamed very well to produce such a smooth texture. It came piping hot and was quickly scooped up by V and I.

We were greedy and ordered another egg sandwich to share between the 3 of us. After this sandwich we were all positively stuffed. The egg was delicious but I am sure there is a lot of cream or butter in them therefore I felt rather sick after. Lesson learnt: DON'T BE TOO GREEDY :(

Australian Dairy Company was delicious and I will definitely be back for more!

Australian Dairy Company

47-49 Parkes Street

Jordan

Hong Kong

Boozey Brunch Series: French Window

Unlimited food and free flow booze all before 6 pm (well in our case we stayed til 8), how can anyone not love boozey brunch?! I've tried Zuma and Blue Butcher and while both of those were excellent (watch out for these reviews!), I am always willing to try out new options. I recently found this excellent list of boozey brunches in HK and S and I decided to try them all and make the reviews into a Brunch Series on this blog.

French Window has had mixed reviews and while I thought the brunch was decent, I don't think I would be returning. The entrance was abnormally long and when I finally reached the hostess, I found out that they made a mistake with my booking and booked next week instead of the day I actually requested! Thankfully some people flaked on us last minute so it was just S and I therefore they were able to give us a table right away albeit the mistake. Service overall was polite but not attentive enough, I had to ask the waiter to refill my glass of champagne almost every single time which made me feel like a raging alcoholic. I believe that keeping a guest's glass full at all times is a very important aspect of good service and this should definitely be a point to keep in mind when training wait staff.

Food quality was decent. The brunch was set up so that there was a all you can eat cheese station, appetizers, seafood spread, and dessert buffet. You can then select your main course ala carte style.

One of many many glasses

So so Amuse Bouche, the scallop was slathered with this thick gloopy sauce which resulted in a less than appealing presentation as you can see

Decent selection of cheeses. Would be nice if there were more condiments such as dried fruit and different types of crackers

Raclette Potatoes
S and I LOVED these raclette potatoes. The flavor of raclette was perfect with the crispy potatoes and they came out fresh and bubbling in generous pots.

Riso au tourteaux crabe et sauce mariniere
S actually forgot that we had a main course and was shoving her face with appetizers and raclette potatoes haha! I usually would gravitate towards the sirloin but I was also getting rather stuffed at this point. This dish was made quite well, it was al dente and the amount of crab was just right. The cream sauce was not too heavy and complemented the sweetness of the crab. If it was not so full I would probably eat more of it.

These were a little sneaky as they were actually dunked in alcohol!

The appetizer selection could be slightly more vast, there were mostly cold cuts, pate/spreads, and smoked salmon. The quality of the seafood could be improved, the oysters were not very fresh and one actually was very fishy. The size of the crab claws was quite impressive and the flavor was fine but bits of it were a tad mushy.

The main courses were made well therefore I may come back for lunch someday!

Another extra note is that the booze isn't champagne but lucien albrecht cremant d'alsace brut, which is supposedly the best sparkling wine in France outside of Champagne.

Overall, the experience was enjoyable but I have definitely had better boozey buffets in Hong Kong. On to the next!

French Window

Shop 3101

Podium Level 3

IFC Mall

Central

Hong Kong

Sushi Porn

I am so upset that Sensyu, the favorite go to sushi restaurant of my parents and I, is closing due to increase in rent. I feel that this is a increasing problem in Hong Kong with another one of my favorites "Ngua Kee" relocating due to rent issues. I understand that while space is extremely precious in a tiny dense city like Hong Kong, it is such a shame to see quality restaurants close down due to the absurd rent. I went to lunch with my mom and dinner again with C to maximize my sushi intake before its closing. Now I need to find a new sushi haunt!

This was suppose to only contain 3 items but I made it into a 4 item bowl since I am greedy. SO good. 

Stone Nullah Tavern

It's always so exciting when you find a new favorite spot for food! Stone Nullah Tavern is located in the historical Stone Nullah Lane in Wanchai and is brought to you by the same team behind Posto Pubblico, Linguini Fini, and Pizzeria Pubblico. The restaurant is led by executive chef Vinny Lauria and he describes the food as "new american fare" in which world cuisines are fused based on seasonal ingredients. I've had great dining experiences in two of the locations mentioned above and therefore had high hopes for this visit. I am happy to say that I LOVED the food here and this may actually be the best out of all the other ventures (regardless of the difference in cuisine etc).

Service was impeccable and friendly, our server allowed me to try 3 different types of wine before I made my choice. He was also very knowledgeable with his recommendations and was very social and a pleasure to talk to. The restaurant is designed with a rustic and vintage theme and the restaurant had a great laid back yet sophisticated atmosphere.

Tater Tots - Lardo Aioli, Sriracha Ketchup
I LOVE TATER TOTS! These little indulgent nuggets were wonderfully crispy and fluffy on the inside. Aioli is also one of my favorite condiments and its garlicky creaminess went so well with these yummy tater tots. Regular ol' ketchup was also pimped up with a dash of spicy sriracha sauce. If you order these with a group you better grab them quick before they get all gobbled up!

"Chicken Fried" Tenderloin - Sausage Gravy
The reason the "chicken fried" is in quotation marks is because it's not really chicken but beef! Chicken fried tenderloin, or more commonly chicken fried steak, is a piece of steak that is breaded and deep fried. The name is attributed to its similar preparation method to fried chicken. This dish was very tasty and just made you feel so fat but in a good way (if that's ever possible). The steak was very tender and the breading maintained a decent amount of crispiness around the edges. The sausage gravy was thick and creamy and the sliced scallions added the perfect amount of kick to the dish. This is so Asian of me but I would totally eat a bowl of rice to this dish! 

Liver and Onion Dip - Chicken liver, Smoked Onion, Crispy Potato
This was the ULTIMATE star of the entire dinner, and this is saying a lot as every dish was good! The dip was rich, creamy, and smooth. The flavor of the liver was also strong and the onion also shone through without neither of the ingredients overpowering one another. The potato crisps were cut to just the right thickness and was the ideal accompaniment to the dip as it was firm enough for such a decadent paste but also not too heavy to make one too full from this dish. We actually ordered two of this dish because we loved it so much! 

Brussells Sprouts - Lardo, Malt Vinaigrette
The brussels sprouts were beautifully caramelized on the outside and maintained the perfect amount of crunch. Although these were cooked well, my attention was more focused on the other dishes.  

Pig's Foot and Ear Sizzlin' Sisig - Calamansi, Pickled Chilies, Fried Egg 
C was adamant that she ordered this dish as she loves eating the random bits and pieces of animals. I thought that this dish was tasty, but it would not be something that I would specifically want to order again. The dish was sufficiently flavored but I felt that the overall flavor profile was not specifically interesting and the pieces of meat was also cut too small and a bit dry for my liking (it could be that the ingredients called for this type of cutting but it just not to my personal preference).

Mac & Cheese - Egg Yolk, Sharp Cheddar
I really liked how the pasta shells were a bit larger than the ones usually used for mac and cheese. The pasta was al dente and each shell was coated with the luscious cream sauce. The addition of egg yolks made the sauce richer and also resulted in a very visually appealing dish. Another simple and delicious dish!

Chicken Wings - Chili, Garlic, Honey, Ranch
Being the greedy girls that we were, we decided to order one more dish (after ordering seconds on the liver dip hehe). The chicken wings were doused in a sauce that tickled your taste buds with an array of flavors: garlicky, sweet, then a kick of spice! The coating of the wings was crispy and not too thick and the meat was still juicy. The robust wings were paired with a generous cup of ranch dressing which I happily dunked my wings.

Although I liked some dishes more than others, every dish was good at Stone Nullah Tavern. This was definitely one of the highlights of my dining ventures and I am really excited to go back again! The chef also came outside to talk to our table a few times and was very amicable and showed that he cared about his food and his customers. The chef actually gave me his card as he was interested in seeing my food review but I unfortunately lost it! Hopefully he will be able to see my review and read about how much my friends and I enjoyed it. I already have a few other dishes that I spotted on the menu that I want to try so it will not be long before I step food into this exciting new restaurant again!

Stone Nullah Tavern

69 Stone Nullah Lane

Wanchai

Hong Kong