Magnum Pop-up in NYC

AHHHH this was one of my favorite things ever! Magnum did a pop up store in New York where you can customize your own ice cream popsicle. It was so fun and the store was so cute. You get to pick your base, chocolate coating, and toppings.

The entire store is decorated so cutely and they also have little boxes with backgrounds where you can take insta-worthy photos of your creation... genius.

Sadly it's closed now but I believe they will be having one again soon!

Lao Shanghai/老上海飯店

Lao Shanghai is a old school Shanghai restaurant in Wan Chai. This post is clearly really old because it is no longer hairy crab season. I thought it was pretty well done here but prefer Liu Yuan Pavillon.

Lao Shanghai/老上海飯店

238 Jaffe Road

Wan Chai

Hong Kong 

Le Garçon Saigon

Le Garçon Saigon is an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in Star Street that celebrates the vibrant flavors of Saigon's cuisine in a gorgeous setting. The price points are definitely on the higher side but the food and drinks were delicious! I only wished that they had a lunch option because as of when I went a month back the dinner and lunch menu was the same. 

Fried Spring Rolls Cha Gio - Lettuce, Fresh Herbs, Nuoc Mam Dipping Sauce
The spring rolls were a little denser than usual but the filling was very flavorful and tasted really good! 

Banh Xeo - Chorizo, Prawns, Bean Sprouts, Lettuce, Herbs, Nuoc Mam Dipping Sauce
Mmmm this was my favorite dish! The crepe-like layer was incredibly thin and crispy and the filling was fresh and perfectly seasoned. I loved the contrast of textures with the gooey insides, crispy lettuce, and light pancake. 

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers 
Juicy and well grilled chicken skewers. I liked the addition of fried shallots on top.

Overall I really enjoyed my meal here but don't think I would always come here for Vietnamese food given that other places in the city offer similar items at a lower price point. However, they do offer larger format meals that I don't see on regular Vietnamese restaurants such as whole snapper and wagyu steak so maybe I will come for dinner sometime and try those! 

Le Garçon Saigon

12 Wing Fung St

Wan Chai

Hong Kong 

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