Mangiare

Kennedy Town has a lot of cool restaurants and Mangiare has been getting a bunch of buzz about its Italian "street food". The restaurant will definitely grab your attention with it's impressive array of steaks and sausages hanging out front. The space is super small and cozy and there is a blackboard of the selections of the day. The owners told us that the menu changes everyday which I really liked! We got a selection of appetizers, pastas, and a butcher's block. I particularly loved the octopus salad and pastas. The meats were tasty also but a little too fatty for me.

UPDATE: unfortunately I just found out that Mangiare is closed!!! It was renamed "Blackboard Kitchen" but that also closed according to Openrice :( That is so unfortunate because I really loved the down to earth and rustic aspect of this place. The service was also super warm and welcoming. Let's hope they re-open soon!!!

NEW UPDATE: Thanks to my smarty friends on FB I've found out that it is actually not closed! Yay!

They gave us a free bottle of prosecco! 

Mangiare 

Hang Yu Building 

45-55 Cadogan Street 

Kennedy Town

Hong Kong 

Mak Mak

Mak Mak serves hearty thai food in Landmark and is a convenient lunch destination. I enjoyed my meal there but felt that the food was a bit too heavy (but could also be our own fault with our ordering!). I really enjoyed the salmon salad which I thought was a more unique dish that I don't find at other Thai restaurants.

Mak Mak 

2/F

The Landmark 

15 Queens Road Central

Central

Hong Kong 

Sichuan Da Ping Huo 四川菜大平伙

Da Ping Huo has been around for some time and since I am always happy to try out new spicy places I went with C one night. The food was pretty good but not good enough for me to go back since Sichuan House is the best ever! It was also quite empty and quiet when we went. I hear that the owner sometimes sings opera which is quite cool but that did not happen when we were there. I really did enjoy the spicy noodles though. I think it is worth a visit if you like spicy food! The reviews on openrice are quite bad but I don't think it's warranted... the price wasn't too unreasonable either!

Sichuan Da Ping Huo

49 Hollywood Road

Central

Hong Kong 

Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘

While I was away in New York, I was always SUPER fomo during hairy crab season when my instagram became floooooded with photos of all the hairy crab dishes. I was finally able to be in town during the peak season :) Liu Yuan has always been a crowd favorite and it did not disappoint! The crab dishes were really good along with the regular dishes. I personally don't think I would order a whole crab again and instead opt for more crab roe dishes. I am quite lazy in dismantling the crab and also just prefer the dishes such as crab roe with noodles or tofu.

Liu Yuan Pavilion 

3/F

The Broadway

54-62 Lockhart Road

Wan Chai 

Hong Kong 

Elephant Grounds

Elephant grounds has been opened in Central for a while but I never really liked that location because it was so tiny. I heard that they have a new location in Star Street and it is now one of my favorite places to hang out. The location is super airy and bright and I love working/grabbing a coffee there. It does get quite busy during lunch times (especially during the weekend!) but it is a perfect location to hang out during off peak hours.

The food is also yummy and there are a lot of wholesome options such as donburi bowls and poke bowls. Their menu changes at 2:45 pm so make sure you time yourself accordingly!

Tuna Poke - Sweet Chili Soy, Green Onion, Tenkasu, Furikake, Radish & Onsen Egg
My friends loooove this poke bowl and I think it is very well made but quite expensive (~145?) given the price of other poke places popping up all over the city!  

Miso Black Cod - White Miso Marinade, Torched Miso Mayo, Shimeji Mushroom, Snap Pea, Nori Potato & Carrot 
This dish is both delicious and beautiful! The serving of fish is a little small and I don't like how it is broken into random little pieces but the taste is very good. It is a TINY bit too salty but overall I enjoyed it. I think since it is quite strong in flavor, it would go very well with rice. 

Yeah we had a lot of poke lovers that day haha 

Ebi Mayo - Tempura Shrimp, Cabbage & Housemade Mayo Sauce This dish is part of their "sharing plates" and is quite a large portion! This dish is tasty but can be a little heavy and isn't my favorite out of the menu. 

Matcha Latte 
I loveeee their matcha latte! It is incredibly smooth and strong in milk and matcha flavor. 

Aburi Short Rib Donburi - 36-Hour Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs, Onsen Egg, Fried Garlic Chips, Pickled Ginger, Corn, Green Onion & Furikake 
I did not try this but my friend said it was really good! I think the addition of the pickled ginger is really smart to off set the richness of the short rib. 

Torched Salmon Donburi - Cured Salmon, Sake Soy, Pickled Cucumber, Onsen Egg, Mixed Leaves & Onsen Egg 
This dish was perfect for lunch! I felt like I was getting the perfect serving of veggies, protein, and rice. Everything complemented each other well both in terms of flavors and textures. 

It can get really packed here but I think it's a super comfortable location for some yummy eats!

Elephant Grounds

8 Wing Fung Street

Wan Chai

Hong KOng

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Momofuku is one of the most famous restaurant empires in New York but it took me almost 3 years until I actually tried the noodle bar (I've been to Ssam Bar multiple times for the heavenly BO SSAM OH YEAH). The noodle bar has some traditional noodle soups along with some surprises.

Shrimp – Spicy Mayo, Pickled Red Onion, Iceberg
The shrimp patty was fresh and bouncy with a nice golden exterior. The bao was also thin but fluffy (I had excessive buns). I think the cabbage was a little soggy but overall this was great! 

Look at that patty to bun ratio! 

Chilled Spicy Noodles – Sichuan Sausage, Thai Basil, Cashews
I was a little taken aback when I first saw the green noodles smothered with nuts but one bite and I knew I would love this. The noodles were nice and chewy and the nuts added a great sweet crunchiness. It was also quite spicy with a very unique herby flavor from the thai basil. The little nuggets of sichuan sausage was also super fatty and indulgent. This is one of the most interesting flavor combinations I've had in ramen and I really enjoyed it! 

It's a great spot for a quick lunch and I really appreciated the interesting noodle combos.

Momofuku Noodle Bar

171 1st Avenue

New York

NY 10003

Maison Libanaise

I walk up the Midlevel's escalators almost everyday and started noticing a bright and warm space with loads of people. I could not decipher what the name of the restaurant was but was very curious because it looked beautiful and always had a crowd. One day I finally found out that the name of the restaurant was Maison Libanaise (thanks to OpenRice) and it was such a coincidence because I've been eyeing the menu on UberEats also! The bottom floor is for takeout and is super packed during lunch hours. The 2nd floor is for dine in and I've heard that there is also a beautiful rooftop on the top floor! I had dinner with W on the 2nd floor and loved it! I have not had the lunch boxes but have also had lunch on the 2nd floor with C. I think this is a great place for a cute date at night as the decor is very warm and intimate, the tables by the windows also allow you to have a view of soho. The food was also delicious so all in all it was a highly enjoyable dining experience!

Hearth Baked Pita Bread with Hummus
Basically a must order at any Middle Eastern restaurant! The hummus was velvety smooth and very flavorful. The pita was also piping hot and not too thick. A great start! 

Pan-fried Halloumi - Honey Glazed, Dates, Byzantine Dressing
Easily my favorite dish of the night. The honey glaze and dates provided a perfectly sweet element and the halloumi was rich and had a great seal. My only complaint is that the size could be 100 times bigger! 

Za'atar Fried Chicken - Free Range Baby Chicken, Pickled Salad, Sumac Labneh
This fried chicken is flavored very robustly! It was also very well done - crispy skin and juicy meat. While it was very good, I think that I will opt for more unique dishes such as the lamb or cauliflower next time as I personally prefer Korean fried chicken. 

During lunch we had the kebab and the roasted cauliflower. I LOVED the roasted cauliflower and highly recommend you order it! I will be back :)

Maison Libanaise 

10 Shelley Street

Central

Hong Kong