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 

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 

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

Monster Sushi

J, L, and I were at Pure together to train for the Spartan Race and was looking for something yummy post workout. We have never heard of Monster Sushi before but the menu looked decent and we were starving so we gave it a go. This sushi will probably scare away all sushi traditionalists but I enjoyed it! I love love loveeee mayo and as much as I adore a pure and traditional omakase meal, I am also more than ready to spritz some kewpie mayo on that salmon! The price was also super reasonable due to some half off promo after a certain time. We left happy and full.

Wahahahahaha so blasphemous but so good

Monster Sushi is by no means some amazing must try spot, but is a great choice if you are hungry for some decent Japanese fare at a very reasonable price!

Monster Sushi

Shop A

16th Floor

Lee Theatre Plaza 

99 Percival Street

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong 

Hanagushi

I am always looking for great Japanese lunch options! Hanagushi is a great alternative to Kuu (sometimes less busy and servings seem larger...?) even though I love Kuu as well! The fish is very fresh and I left very satisfied!

Hanagushi

8/F

M88

2-8 Wellington Street

Central

Hong Kong

Mukshidonna

I miss all things about New York but one of the things I miss the most is Ktown! I loveeeee being able to just go to 32nd street and being greeted by the plethora of Korean goodies. Budae chigae is one of my favorite dishes so I was so happy to find out that there is a place in Causeway Bay that serves this dish! The kimbap was HUGE and really yummy as well. I loved how you were able to customize the budae chigae and it was super flavorful and yummy. I will definitely be back!

Mukshidonna 

1/F

Jardine Center

50 Jardine's Bazaar 

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong 

Kura revisited

I have heard such great things about Kura and was so sad that I did not have a stellar experience when I first went. I am happy to announce that my second visit was amazing and now I know what everyone is talking about. The fish was incredibly fresh and each piece was a delight. This is the same team behind my favorite Raku (BOMB ASS UDON) so I recommend you give both place a visit (or many!).

Kura 

130 St  Marks Pl

New York

NY 10003