Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 - (Taipei, Taiwan)

This Taiwanese Beef Noodles shop was said to be 1st discovered by Hong Kong tourist books in the beginning,  even before hitting the radar of the local Taipei foodies food trail.   I remember my 1st visit to here wasn’t looking that much like this shop’s current modernised layout.   I believe they might have actually renovated since then and my actual memory is becoming patchy of here unless it was really tasting that great in the beginning,  which I remembered it to be good enough however.   Let’s just start all over again here this time around to be fair,  which is inline of my whole intention of my recent trip to Taipei to rediscover the places.   There’s always room for a new beginning and reinterpretation !

 

 

Totally Unfamiliar to me -
I distinctly remembered the old shop layout to be much more rustic,  and not fluorescent yellow.

 

 

 

Menu -
Still reasonable in the price range.

 

 

 

Crowded with Tourists -
I actually did wonder if any Taiwanese locals do rate here. 

 

 

 

Vinegars,  Chili Paste and Pickles -

 

 

 

Red Braised Beef and Beef Tendons Noodles - 紅燒半筋半肉麵
When this arrived,  it looked just so proper.   The presentation is almost picturesque thoughtful!   The beef tendons were really well cooked and just right,  transparent through and through but not too bitey or soft,  respect.   The beef short ribs were also in the perfect state.   In hindsight I do miss this place,  but unfortunately the noodles were cooked really soft tonight.  The slightly fiery soup base was also tasting like a fast food chain.   I do miss the beefy bits yeh.    6.9/10

 

 

 

Clear Broth Beef Noodles - 清燉牛肉麵
Not the more famous version,  but since they provided it,  we ordered it just to compare with the red braised version.   The noodles were still really soft…  Soup base was just really diluted.  May be I could come to appreciate this 1 day but relative to it’s peers,  this was really watery though.  ~  5/10

 

 

 

 

 

Price:   TWD $200 Per Person
Food:  ♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun -   11:00am – 9:30 pm Address:  台北市金山南路二段31巷17號
No. 17號, Lane 31, Section 2, Jīnshān South Rd, Daan District  Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Ph: 02-2351-1051

Coffee Alley 咖啡弄 - (Taipei, Taiwan)

  I am obviously aware that Coffee Alley 咖啡弄 has opened in Hong Kong recently and I did actually tried to queue in the HK Outlet during 1 afternoon.  But to no avail as I try not to ask for my friends to wait in line with me just to try out a new shop with an unproven track record.   And since a foodie friend already got one of the Taipei branches bookings lined up in Taipei itself,  and I love waffles myself,  who am I to say NO?   Let’s go straight to one of their Taipei branches..  At least we could try out the real thing directly as a comparison.

 

 

The booking is not as exaggerated as in the new HK Outlet -
Yet it still took a long time for getting our reserved table.  Huff Huff..

 

 

Although haven’t Eaten in the HK Shop yet -
I did read their menu there.  It was surprisingly exactly the same.  Down to the most recently added items.    Seems like us Hong Kongers aren’t getting ripped off either.

 

 

 

Strawberries Mille-Feuille -
NOT available on HK side,  cited for reasons of not being able to source the same ingredients over in HK.  This was puffy but ordinary in performance.  Perhaps no need to bring this to HK then thank you very much.   I am just always looking out for a real Parisian mille-feuille equivalent these days!  This was mostly puffy without the structure ~  6.9/10

 

 

 

Camomile Tea with Lychee – TWD 160
I ordered this as the server recommended it.  It was decent but not outstanding.  ~  6.9/10

 

 

 

Strawberry Waffles with Strawberry Ice Cream,  Berries Sauce and Custard -
The famous item in Coffee Alley,  which I must say was copied from their previous employee 米郎期 Melange Café.   On this particular occasion,  the waffles batter was virtually tasteless though.  I did liked the Taiwanese sourced strawberries and the sauce,  though the custard was set too hard.  It’s about even in the end.  ~  7/10

 

 

 

Fruit Tea -
This was the best item and it has some Taiwanese fruits and a few tropical fruits infused.  I really miss this tea.   But not so much the other items above.    ~  10/10    I actually started to develop a feeling that this is designed to satisfy for the youngsters only..  

 

 

 

Price:   TWD $300 Per Person
Food:  ♕♕♕♕

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun -   12:00pm – 11:00 pm (Last order 10:00pm)

Address:  台北市大安區敦化南路一段187巷42號2樓
Ph: 886-2-2888-3322

Hamamatsu Ya 浜松や - (Taipei, Taiwan)

 I love Eel a lot.    Although many of the unagi eels available on the market are now raised within China or Taiwan,  in reality,   river eels are known to only naturally breed in very specific spots in the ocean!     The returning juveniles swim all the way back to rivers just like they were already born intuitively with some GPS co-ordinated system,  sometimes they either make the full home run or end up getting caught in the net prematurely in places like England, Spain or Japan and are auctioned up by buyers for a premium.  The little wiggly things are then raised to full size before being sold off as fully grown up eels.   These baby eels are becoming more scarce each year and prices are on the rise,  and the whole entirety of river eels itself is becoming more endangered as we speak.   Let’s hope science will eventually work out a way to breed them indoors as this truly is a real delicacy! 

 

 

The Live Eels served in this Taipei shop are farmed and raised in Taiwan -
I forgot to ask where their baby eels were bought from in the beginning.  These are slaughtered and then grilled on the charcoal bed.

 

 

 

Hamamatsu Ya is more famous for their 3-4 way of eating the Hitsumabushi Eel Rice -
The rice is divided into quarters.  The 1st part to be eaten as is.  The 2nd quarter to be mixed with herbs, wasabi and seaweed strips.  The 3rd step is to add in the broth soup like an Ocha-Tsuke.   I think the 4th version is more invented during here,  as they suggest one to eat it with an Onsen Egg. 

 

 

Salad -
A spring salad with asparagus and baby corn.   ~  7/10

 

 

 

Live Shiro-Yaki Unagi  白焼き鰻 -
I was rather surprised how ‘muddy’ in flavour this tasted!  Usually farm raised eels don’t have this problem,  it’s only when they are caught from the wild when they carry the mud smell.   This was however lacking a bit of charcoal grilled flavours.  Another visit to another Taipei shop afterwards helped to prove this was underperforming indeed!  ~  6/10

 

 

The Signature Unagi-Mabushi  (鰻まぶし),  
otherwise known as Hitsuma-Bushi ( ひつまぶし) especially in Nagoya -

 

 

The Eel was really surprisingly devoid of Fat -
It was quite lean and there wasn’t much charcoal grilled flavour once again.  The Wasabi given wasn’t the freshly grated type either.    ~  6.9/10
  

 

 

The final Onsen Egg rice version -
~  6.9/10

 

 

 

A Tank of Live Eels -

 

 

 

All in All,
I have got to say I was disappointed in this meal.  I have always had the idea that Taiwanese-Japanese food is kind of imitating Japanese shops,  but attention to the most minor details might not be picked up over here.   For example,  the Grilling was a little off definitely,  the Kabayaki sauce wasn’t too sophisticated and missing real eel and eel bones contribution.   The white grilled version carried that obvious muddy note and the wasabi given was still a powdery type.   We also tried to order Grilled Unagi livers and their Livers Soup -  but despite us ordering freshly slaughtered eels,  the shop said they have already run out. Why am I paying a premium for killing some live eels then?   Eels are already a scarce commodity nowadays,  before I turn into a Vegan 1 day,  I think we should still respect their sacrifice of their lives for our own enjoyment. 

 

 

 

Price:   TWD $800 to $1000 Per Person
Food:  ♕♕♕

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun -   11:30 am–2:00 pm, 5:30–10:00 pm

Address:  No. 22號, Lane 119, Línsēn North Rd, Zhongshan District  Taipei City, Taiwan
Ph:  +886 2 2567 5705

Motorino - (Hong Kong)

 The story behind Motorino from Brooklyn’s, New York is simple.  The Chef wanted to create a true Naples style pizzeria experience.  The brick oven plus wood fire chips,  together with a good base of a rising dough and fresh Italian ingredients,  will hopefully make for a good Italian Neapolitan styled pizza! 

 

 

Found on the side of the HK SOHO Escalator -

 

 

 

Part of the Menu -
Overall simpler than I had envisaged.  And not much traditional fried appetizers before the run of Pizzas for now which is expected to be aligned with traditional pizzerias in Italy…  Wishing for more fritte and suppli items 1 day,  which is definitely more Italian in spirit.

 

 

 

Clams with Crostino -
We liked the bread a lot and it had that charcoal aroma.   The clams themselves in the meanwhile were unsophisticated in flavour but bordering on being bitter.   The sauce could also be more concentrated.  ~  5/10

 

 

 

Meatballs braised in Tomato Sauce -
The half veal and half pork balls were softer than imagined,  but ultimately with the basils and cheese and tomato sauces thrown in,  quite likeable.   ~  8/10

 

 

 

Brussels Sprout,  Fiore di Latte Mozzarella Cheese, Garlic, 
Pecorino Romano,  Smoked Pancetta and Olive Oil -  $148
The pizza arrived smelling quite smoky from the oven.  The bottom was a little too white under-baked for me,  yet the cornicone crust was burnt in taste profile  (rather than blackened in a Neapolitan way when it puffs up at the edges only).   I liked this pizza,  though it really was a little too burnt in taste for me and borderline bitter.   Am I repeating myself already?   ~  8/10

 

 

 

 

Margherita Pizza -
With Buffalo Mozzarella,  Basil,  Tomato base concentrate,  Pecorino Romano.    The addition of the Pecorino Romano cheese was so New York to be honest,  which is so trendy right now and over-taking the Parmesan just because it sounds ‘niche’.   Although this pizza looked amazing in the photo it was slightly half burnt despite the expected blisters.   It was making my dining friend’s mouth being dusted with dark burnt powders and being a bit bitter.  ~   6.9/10

 

 

 

Brussels Sprout Pizza No. 2-
We decided to try this again.   It was slightly irregular in shape and pale on patches.  Execution and tossing of the dough could definitely be improved.   My dining companion complained that her half of the pizza was bitter burnt,  just like my 1st verdict of dining here.   ~  7/10

 

 

 

Burnt base -
Photographic evidence is always what wins us against the cocky chefs,  who might not actually realize that we pay for their wages.  Hate bloggers all you want.  We still pay for the meals in the end

 

 

 

Tiramisu -
This looked a bit dry but the final taste was ok.   It probably needed more Espresso input but the Mascarpone creamy cheese bit was deemed decent in the end.    The ladie’s fingers could be more soaked through on the other hand...   ~  7.9/10

 

 

 

Really appreciate the guys to build up this proper Wood Fire Oven in Hong Kong-
Already liking this place.  But it is definitely taking a bit of fine-tuning in the end!

 

 

 

Price:   $148 Per Person + 10%
Food:  ♕♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕♕ 1/2  (For now anyway!)

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun -   12:00pm - 00:00am

Address:  14 Shelley Street,  SOHO, Hong Kong
Ph:  2801 6881

Kurotaki Soba 黒滝蕎麦 (II) - (Hong Kong)

 I succumb to Japanese buckwheat soba noodles without putting up any resistance.  Call it my weakness!!   There are many types of noodles available in Japan – many of them are not known outside of Japan as they are really restricted as regional dishes.  Wish I could try out all of them one day as well.    I remember having some really gorgeous rice noodles in Japan that are served with Medicinal soup bases,  or really great Soba noodles in Fukui in Japan.  Kurotaki in Hong Kong is the only current Soba shop which grinds the buckwheats and extrude their own soba noodles from in-house,  what exclusivity!   My last visit to here was only ok but in need of more attention  Kurotaki (I),  but since it was during their new openings I once again emphasize that I will always give any place the benefit of the doubt,  just because I know kitchens always take time to synchronize to their full potential properly and this will take months to get on top of their game.   This time around,   I was much more impressed in the taste at their soba and hope I could do them justice in the end anyway.  *Note:  This shop also belongs to the Pokka Group HK,  which also runs the Tonkichi tonkatsu shop which I had just reviewed prior to this.

 

 

更科 Sarashina,  抹茶 Maccha,  田舎 Inaka Soba Trio – $88
Made in house.   The noodles were definitely more tastier than before,  so was the dipping broth,  as well as cooking consistency.  The al-dente texture was spot-on during this occasion and so addictive if you wanted a bite.   Just wished it had a better fresh grated wasabi in the end!  ~  8.5/10

 

 

 

Soba Soup  湯桶のそば湯 -
The Soba-yu soup was also better during this time,  filled with a boiled soba noodles buckwheat’s taste and an additional yuzu zest input of refreshing taste.   The dipping broth in volume was a bit small on proportion,  as I nearly ran out of the dipping Tsuyu.  Add on top of this remaining dip,  was the additional Soba-Yu soup to dilute the soup taste as a finish.  It could really do with more of the dipping broth from the beginning though.    ~ 8/10

 

 

 

Price:   $88 Per Person + 10%. 
Food:  ♕♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕♕♕

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sat -   12:00pm - 23:00pm

Address: 銅鑼灣告士打道280號世貿中心413-415號鋪
Shop 413-415, Podium 4, World Trade Center, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Ph: 2711 6362

とんきち Tonkichi Tonkatsu - (Hong Kong)

  Tonkichi,  opened by the Japanese Pokka Group in Hong Kong,  was one of the first and foremost porkchop Tonkatsu specialist shops in Hong Kong!   After having been eating here for so many years but not once was really impressed enough compared to my experiences in Japan,  anyway after visiting a not bad shop in Taiwan,  I decided to return back and pay for my own meal in 2013 again before giving it another chance or losing hope for the Nth time.  Or may be I am just too picky nowadays?   With half a dozen or more Tonkatsu shops opening up in town at a rate just behind ramen shops,  I did discovered that most shops carry their own ups and downs.   I am the type of person who is more after an overall balanced package!    Tonkichi still remains on my top priority list in HK context,  but places like Tonbe 豚兵衛 or Catuya  かつや are around 1/3rd the price of here and they are actually on par with here in quality.   Where is my incentive to come back somehow?

 

The Original Tonkichi,  at CWB World Trade Centre -
I can’t remember how many years I have been eating here.  I only know that I must have not eaten here for the last 2 years,  as I never thought highly of it compared to just a run-of-the-mill Tonkatsu or Curry shop within Japan.

 

 

 

Grinded Sesame - tick!
Tonkatsu Sauce – pretty generic compared to the best tonkatsu shops,  no layers beneath at all.
Salad Dressings – quite liked these,  especially the Wasabi salad dressing.

 

 

 

Kagoshima Premium Pork Set – $198  +  Prawn $58
The panko coating is not the elongated shaped one,  but fried to the right color !   The so-called premium Japanese Kagoshima pork was bordering between dry and well-cooked,  let’s give them benefit of the doubt.   The pork taste meanwhile was non-existent.   The Prawn was fried quite well too but also a bit weak in taste,  and where was my prawn head anyway?   ~  6.5/10

 

 

Thin,  Bordering on Dry,  Not much Pork Taste -
To me there are better tonkatsus in town in 2013,  but most of them are inconsistent.   I can totally understand why people think 幸子 Anzu in Taiwan is better than all HK Tonkatsu shops.   Over there it is well brined,  moist and thick,  just like how Hong Kongers love it.  But pork taste wise,  I still prefer Genki Ippai 元氣一杯 or Ishiyama 石山 in Hong Kong  (but their panko coating aren’t that great).  

 

 

Miso Soup -
Not much depth and not quite miso salty enough,  but about right for Hong Kong standards!  ~  6.9/10

 

 

 

Watermelon -
Fried food are also accompanied by a lot of shredded cabbage and watermelon!   Actually in this aspect I think Tonkichi is doing very well as an overall pacakage.  The sauces are decent enough,  though the rice is a little wet on numerous occasions!   Anyway I am still awaiting for real Japan quality Tonkatsu とんかつ in town seriously !

 

 

Price:   Around $300HKD
Ease of Access:  4/5
Food:  ♕♕♕ 1/2 to ♕♕♕♕

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun -  12:00pm - 15:00pm,  18:00pm - 22:30pm

Address:  Tonkichi 銅鑼灣告士打道280號世貿中心4樓412號鋪
Shop 412, Podium 4, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Ph:  2577 6617

Dolce Donna Kitchen Studio & 7-Eleven Onsen Tamago - (Hong Kong)

  Hong Kong’s own Truffle Queen Esther Au has opened her spacious private Cooking Studio  (website: http://www.moltodolce.com.hk/),  and I took 2 cooking classes within the same week here.   A normal class starts from around $600 and you learn to cook about 4 dishes ranging from Italian food,  Esther’s forte as she has spent quite some time there in Italy,  all the way to Abalone Dim Sums and Japanese food as taught by some very famous Michelin starred Chefs.   This event was a collaboration between Dolce Donna’s Black Truffle dishes with 7-Eleven’s brand new slow-cooked pasteurised eggs plus other brand new items.     The cross-over event sprang some surprises as it is very likely to save us a lot of time preparing certain dishes involving eggs!

 

Held at Donna Dolce,
Quite close to APM Shopping Mall in Kwun Tong -

 

 

 

Esther’s private Cooking Studio has Italian food classes,  as well as Dessert making courses,  and cross-overs with multiple Michelin Starred Chefs in town teaching you how to make dim sums.   *You need to email or call up to ask about the Chinese courses,  as the restaurants the Chefs come from are very strict on advertising using their restaurant’s or head chef’s names.  But trust me,  the best chefs in town are here.

 

 

 

Huge Winter Black Truffles -

 

 

 

Some Pancetta today,  for making a more laymen version of Carbonara today -
During an earlier class,  Esther used the more traditional Guanciale instead but since it was a much bigger group today,  she decided to use a more commonly available product.

 

 

 

Some Pots of Flowers and Herbs -

 

 

Food being Prepared from Scratch -

 

 

 

Here we go – Making our own Pasta Doughs!
Using a mixture of Italian eggs and 2 types of Flours,   I will let you find out about the final secret formula for a great pasta,  when you come here yourself! 

 

 

 

Rolling out and Cutting the final Pasta to the right size -
This time a Tagliolini pasta..

 

 

My fresh Tagliolini -
I made them quite long today.

 

 

Toasting some Bread –
These are actually available at 7-Eleven stores now!

 

 

 

Eggs Benedict of Spring Asparagus,  Onsen Egg, 
Truffled Hollandaise sauce, 
Mangalica Ham and Shaved Black Truffles -
The pasterized Onsen eggs are actually now available at 7-Eleven stores for HKD $9.90!   Amazing isn’t it?  The bread we toasted with butter was also their product.  The  Mangalica ham is made from Hungarian DNA hairy pigs in Spain,  they are actually really flavourful.  You can purchase them here at Dolce Donna for under $100 which is nearly half price,  and Italian eggs here are $8 each only!

 

 

The Egg is quite runny too..   
Keep it refrigerated and they can be eaten as is since they have been pasteurised.  The 100% raw version is also bacteria free,  also available at 7-Eleven stores.  Note that their egg-whites are slightly murky in color due to the quick pasteurisation process.

 

 

 

Our Home-made Tagliolini Carbonara with Egg Yolks, Pancetta,  Cheese & Black Pepper -
It’s topped with an onsen egg as well.   The pasta making process is hard enough,  let’s save some time by buying a pre-slow cooked poached egg!   Esther recommends the base Carbonara formula to use slightly less egg yolk if you have this additional egg!

 

 

Summer Berries Ice Cream Sandwich -
Trying out this new product!  Quite summery…

 

 

 

7-Eleven’s Curry Beef Rice with Egg -
This was surprisingly very good,  I was very shocked as this is potentially Yoshinoya beating stuff! 
The additional egg was added in by me but you could replicate this same dish at 7-Eleven outlets now and make yourself look like a fast food master!  

 

 

Raw & Poached Eggs (Pasteurized) -  $9.9
Making life easy with safe and readily purchasable eggs.

 

 

 

Kitchen Studio by night..

 

 

A Chitarra utensil to make ‘Guitar’ and also Tonnarelli pasta -
Cooking Classes here can be booked at Molto Dolce’s website: 
http://www.moltodolce.com.hk/

Follow their FANS Page on Facebook to keep up to date:  https://www.facebook.com/moltodolce.hk
The website is mostly in Chinese but they communicate fluently in English and Italian,  so the classes ranging from Italian to Chinese Dim Sums,  Japanese to Wine Classes can be held in multiple languages. 

 

 

 

Address:  Dolce Donna 觀塘駿業里6號富利工業大廈8樓B室
8B, Fully Industrial Building, 6 Ysun Yip Lane, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
Email:  info@moltodolce.com.hk
Ph:  +852 21510609


Address:  7-Eleven Convenience Stores throughout Hong Kong