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September 5 The new Blue Smoke BBQ (3/F, 15-16 Lan Kwai Fong, 2816 9018) is offering daily buffet lunch 12-3pm from only $98
September 5 Staunton's has free wine tasting every Wednesday 7-8pm.
September 5 At the new l'Hotel Island Sound (55 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, 3968 8833), Bar LIS has 30% off till 12 September.
September 2 You could win an iPhone 4 at any Shakey's Pizza during September. Msut spend $250 to enter draw.
September 2 Saigon in Stanley's new 'oodles of noodles' menu (till end Oct), feautres Soft shell crab and asparagus with egg noodles ($118), pan seared scallops with caviar on vermicelli ($98), and Vietnamese rice noodle Cakes amongst others.
September 2 Grissini has a special porcini mushroom menu through September.
July 28 Duke's Deli is offering kids cooking parties for up to 8 kids on weekends and holidays. $288 covers 1 kid and 1 adult.
July 28 On 4 August, The Pawn's Roving Steakhouse night means champagne and canapes at 7pm and a 4 course meal with Porterhouse steak to follow for $888.
July 27 Through August, Duetto marks 63 years of Indian independence with a special menu including Chicken Tiranga ($78), Jash-ne-Kashmir ($108) and Kesari Laddu ($42) for dessert.
July 27Ben & Jerry's today celebrate the opening of their latest branch at 45-47 Cochrane St, Soho with free ice cream 5-7pm.
July 2 St George restaurant in Hullett House are hosting a five-course Spanish wine dinner on July 8. $688 per person call 3988 0220 for reservations.
July 2 Eight new seafood dishes celebrating the flavours of Italy and India have been added to the menu at Duetto.
July 2 The buffet at the Coffee Mill will be featuring Dungeness crab from 13 Jul–5 Aug. Adult $178, Child and Senior Citizen $118 (Mon-Fri), Adult $188 and $128 (weekends & public holidays)
June 29 Dim Sum afloat. Chinese junk Aqua Luna is sailing to the "Temple on the Sea" in Joss House Bay every Thursday. Departing from Central Pier No. 9 at 12:15pm and Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier No.1 at 12:30pm. Tickets are priced at HK$340, or HK$200 for children aged 4 -11.
June 29 From July 1 customers at Rocksalt ordering the mixed Seafood platter will also get a bottle of Alice White Chardonnay or Shiraz all for $588. The platter is packed with half a Boston lobster, a whole crab, clams, scallops, mussels, prawns, oysters and more.
June 29 Nyonya cuisine, a mix of Chinese and Malay is being served at the Spice Market buffet at the Prince Hotel during July and August. Adult $338, seniors $258, kids $188
June 29 Gaylord will be offering a special Varsha Rithu Ayurveda Menu throughout July.
June 29 Book your table and cinema tickets at the same time when you dine at Nanhai No.1. Tickets are for movies showing at UA iSquare.
June 29 They've got Mango Fever down at the Coffee Mill at the Gateway Hotel. Mango Pistachio Cake with Green Tea Jelly, Mango and Strawberry Trifle and Mango Mousse with Passion Fruit Sauce and Coconut Caviar to name just a few. Afternoon Tea during July and Aug, $148.
June 25 BLT Burger has introduced an afternoon tea special which includes fries and cupcakes for $10, shakes and desserts for $20, or Beers for $30 when added to a regular burger.
June 25 Shanghainese cold wonton and seafood cold noodle are now being served at Ye Shanghai.
June 25 I'm not sure what Sizzling Malay-ficence is but it will be available at The Place's buffet at Langham Place in Mongkok. Lunch, Mon– Fri: $218, kids $158. Sat-Sun $258, kids $188. Dinner, Mon-Thur: $408, kids $204, Fri–Sun: $458, kids $229.
June 25 Tokoro – Robatayaki & Bar, also at Langham Place, has unveiled the Sunday Big Brunch Japanese buffet, HK$278 per-person.
June 25 There a brand new Menu at The Fourth Floor in Harvey Nichols.

Tag: Noho

Link to Noho map

Shanghai Lane

35-37 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 7788

On Lot 10

34 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2155 9210

Niku

G/F 2 Shin Hing Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3485 1850

Luci Grill & Bar

43 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3303

Izaki

3-4/F Soho Square
21 Lynchurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2543 0505

Basement

B/F 28 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2854 0010

Burger Republic review

Brrr it’s been so cold this week I didn’t want to go out anywhere preferring to find a slightly warm corner somewhere and huddle down with a good book. But one can’t eat books so I did take myself out briefly to find some comfort food.

The food in question turned out to be burger and chips and these were found in Burger republic on Gough Street. This is one of the many little burger joints that have sprung up over the past couple of years. A lot of them vanish again without trace but Burger Republic has been there for quite a while now so they must be doing something right.

It’s a small place, twenty customers would be a full house, or very nearly. But It was not busy on the day I went. Decor is simple and bright and the tables are set with knives and forks for those who prefer not to eat with their hands.

The menu boasts about 16 burger options; half a dozen with chicken, one with fish and a veggie burger. It was tempting to go for the Colossus ($76) which includes beef and chicken along with cheese and all the usual fillings. But this time I managed to exercise a little self-restraint.

Instead I went for the chicken with cranberry and brie ($59), and to go with it some mozzarella gravy chips ($37). I don’t normally like chicken in burgers, I think it was the brie and cranberry sauce that won me over. But it’s promise was better than the reality.

It’s probably unfair to say it was bad, I did eat it after all. It was just a bit ordinary. I’m blaming the chicken mostly though the brie was less substantial that it first appeared. The whole thing fell apart at first bite so the cutlery came in handy after all. I suspect that, had I gone for beef, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

The chips did live up to expectation and I was glad I had ordered those rather than settle for the $23 regular chips and soft drink upgrade.

Dessert was three large scoops of ice cream with banana and crumbled digestive biscuits which, at $30, seemed pretty good value for money. I’d suggest you share with a friend though.

39 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong

Paul’s Kitchen Wine Bar

16 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 8515

Alter Ego

62-64b Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3521 1291

Lovely Corner

7/F, Cheung Hing Commercial Bldg
37-43 Cochrane St
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2854 0916

Green Mouse Review

Green Mouse restaurant, Hong Kong

I stumbled onto The Green Mouse quite by accident. I’d turned into Peel Street with the intention of heading downhill from Hollywood Road back to Central and there it was.

Since it was almost dinner time anyway I didn’t need much convincing but being told that it was owned and operated by two former Chez Patrick staff was certainly encouraging.

The decor is simple but elegant, white walls punctuated with miniature paintings with crisp cheerful green table linen and napkins. A small chandelier tinkles gently in the breeze from the air conditioning unit. There were no other customers but it was still very early. I took a seat near the window. Net curtains hide Peel Street and, on my side of the door, reflect the restaurants logo; a green mouse.

It’s not a large menu, it doesn’t need to be. Quality rather than quantity seems to be the order of the day. There is a set dinner menu on the right which offers 3-course meals for $378 or 4-courses for $458.

There is a choice of three starters and three mains. The choices are changed every week except desserts which vary from day to day and are not listed. The 4th course, if I made it that far, was a cheese board.

Green Mouse restaurant, Hong KongFor starters I went for the pan-fried fois gras with caramel sauce. While I was waiting for that I was served a, fresh from the oven, bread roll. It may not have been as enthusiastic a display as an Italian bread basket but it was luxurious in its simplicity. I was about to ask for another when I was presented with a small portion of quiche lorraine which took my mind off it.

I was just looking around for more quiche when the fois gras arrived. Two rather generous pieces, crisp and delicate on the outside deliciously creamy on the inside. It went pleasingly well with the house red wine.

I have to admit I’m a bit of a slacker when it comes to wine and I’d neglected to write the name down. It was quite a fruity tang and was comparably light for a red wine.

Timing of the dishes was near perfect with just the right space between them. But it was here that the background music came forward. For the most part it had been a selection of middle of the road 1960s and 70s pop. Fairly easy to ignore for the most part but there was the odd, annoyingly gimmicky, dance tune.

Fortunately it was over before the main course, pan-fried beef flank steak in port wine sauce, arrived. And a lovely piece of steak it was too. Cooked medium rare, it was lean, juicy and served with a selection of garden vegetables, mushrooms, cauliflower cheese and caramelised onions.

I think it was Oscar Wilde, or someone of that ilk, that once said that listening to music while eating is an insult to both chef and composer. I think that is a load of old rot. Good music complements a meal just a surely as a good wine and I thought this was worthy of a Thelonious Monk or Stephane Grappelli.

There were a number of desserts available including chocolate pudding and crepes but I plumped for the apple tart with cinnamon ice cream. Along with coffee it was an excellent way to round off a very pleasing meal. The cheese board, I’m afraid, will have to wait till next time.

Tofa

14 On Wo Lane
Kau U Fong
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2152 2121

Real Bread Company, The (bakery)

G/F 14 Kau U Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 2933

Duo

118 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2547 0000

Burger Republic

39 Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 1887

Beso

39a Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3669

Babylon

49-51 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 5411

Babylon Review

babylon hong kongAt first I thought a restaurant called Babylon would probably serve middle eastern cuisine but when I got there I discovered that it was really a European/international menu.

It’s a small restaurant right at the very end of Gough Street. A cosy little nook, as evidenced by several young couples making sheeps eyes at each other over the candle light. I felt a bit of a gooseberry but I never let things like that spoil my appetite.

The decor is fairly straightforward, simple but functional with seating for about eighteen. The menu does have an a la carte section but the set dinner menu offers a wide variety of choices.

I started with crab meat cream soup. It was a delicious soup with large chunks of crab sculling around, but it was crying out for some nice crusty bread to go with it. Sadly all that was offered were some rather uninspiring soft rolls. Still the soup itself was good and I wolfed it down while Whitney sang something about the greatest love and a dozen watery eyes gazed devotedly at their opposite numbers.

For entree I had ordered braised lamb shank in herb and red wine sauce. This arrived on a bed of creamed potato and, rather surprisingly, with a side of arugula leaves. I have nothing against aragula but I would have thought carrots or string beans might have been more appropriate.

Or maybe I was just being an old fuddy duddy. The lamb itself was excellent. Lean and tender, it slipped away from the bone with ease.

Dessert was a fairly standard creme brulee. Perfectly edible but nothing to make it stand out above any other creme brulee. Tea or coffee is also included

The set was $268. I added a glass of wine to that which took the bill to a litle over $300. I thought that was pretty decent value for money. A little more thought on the details and it would be a terrific place to sneak off to. Especially if you are young and in love.

Duo Review

A couple of weeks ago, we noticed a new place opening just next door to the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road, so when the chance came for a ‘ladies who lunch’ meeting, four of us booked into Duo.

It’s a sleek-looking place, with high ceiling, wooden floor, stylish but comfy seating, and enough space to give you some privacy. Ceiling high shelves hold some shiny knick-knacks and books which relax the look a little. At 1.30pm on a Wednesday, it was fairly busy, though not full. Strangely, for an Italian restaurant, the music playing softly was vaguely middle-eastern.

The friendly staff directed us to a centre table, and after we sadly rejected the extensive wine menu (it WAS lunchtime!) bustled off to fetch some sparkling water.

We were a little disappointed to discover there were no lunch specials, but I expect the restaurant is still a little bit new for that yet, so we turned to the main menu. A fairly diverse affair, with everything from open salad bar ($140, and it looked tempting), to a couple of burgers, to veal (at $320 a little deep for our pockets), and variety of pastas in the $100-150 range.

While pulling apart some crusty bread to dip into pesto, I decided you should always check out the spaghetti bolognese at a new Italian. My companions chose Quattro-formagio conchiglie, Penne arrabbiata, and a vegetarian risotto. All arrived together - in medium sized portions on enormous plates.

My bolognese at first bite was tasty. Of course its hard to get wrong, but the meat seemed high quality, and the sauce had just the right amount of oil to not smother it. Not as good as Mothers, though.

As for what I was allowed to taste of the other dishes, the four cheeses were almost overwhelming, but I noticed the plate got polished off even so. I’ve come to expect arrabbiata to be excessively spicy, and am not fond of getting my tongue burned, but this one was toned down a little, probably to cater for local tastes - which suited me fine. The risotto was pronounced ‘a little stiff’, but otherwise adequate.

As can happen with pasta, we were all full, but had managed to save enough room for a couple of bites of dessert. Almost everything on the dessert menu was chocolaty, except some sorbets, so we decided to share the ‘tiramisu boccata’ (which means a mouthful). Luckily it wasnt quite as small as billed, and we all managed a couple of little spoonfuls, and it really was delicious. I didn’t want to alarm my friends by then ordering another for myself, so we went ahead with a couple of coffees to wrap up the meal.

All in all it was a pleasant, relaxing lunch, and at $763 for 4 people, not overly priced. I imagine the restaurant’s main business however, will be the evening crowd. With its location under a glamorous new apartment block, and away from the bustle of Soho, it should attract a low key crowd with money to spend (I will go back for that veal one day!).

Gingko House Review

Gingko House is run by a social welfare group called Everbright Concerned Action and is staffed by entirely by retirement-aged workers. The idea behind it is to help alleviate the financial problems and loneliness encountered by the elderly.

It was a chilly evening when I arrived but the warm smiles of the staff made me feel instantly welcome. I was promptly shown to a table and given a menu.

The decor is simple but attractive. The tables are well laid out and the staff wear black waistcoats and bow ties. Tony Bennett crooning in the background completes an atmosphere of old fashioned charm.

The menu is predominantly French and Italian and offers some very tempting dishes such as Fried herbs sole fillet with truffle cream sauce or Pan-fried silver cod fillet with mango & angel hair pasta.

I ordered a glass of house red and an artichoke and avocado salad ($58). It was a generous salad, fresh and crisp, and could easily have been shared between two.

To follow I went for the roast rack of lamb ($208) which was served on a bed of mashed roast chestnut.

The Gingko dessert, as named on the menu, turned out to be a soufflé. Again it is a very generous portion and could easily be shared between two people. I did the best I could and it wasn’t long before I was looking at an empty plate. I finished off with a coffee.

It was a fine meal delivered by an enthusiastic staff who clearly enjoy their job. In 2007 Gingko House won the top award in a scheme organised by HSBC to recognise corporate commitment to social responsibility.

Kiyotaki Review

Guest Review
It was once right in the middle of Staunton Street by the escalator, but is now hidden in a corner along Gough Street in Noho because of the skyrocketing rentals. So now, it is overshadowed by the long queues outside a beef noodle restaurant and an open-air traditional Hong Kong ‘Daipaidong’. However, Kiyotaki’s very own reputation of fresh sashimi and tasty yakitori has made its own mark in this increasingly hip and trendy area.

As you step in, the staff is always ready to greet you with a loud ‘Irashaiimase’. The lighting is fairly dim but bright enough to see your food, and the restaurant is cosy enough for talks, or even secluded enough to let you fight with your partner. Big groups are welcome too, and the owner has even added a LCD TV for ‘dining-alone’ clients who want to catch up on their soaps. If you are lucky, you will see local celebrities here.

The restaurant seems to be aiming to maintain a homey feel despite the higher prices.

Yes, the food is expensive, but which good Japanese restaurant isn’t? The sashimi platter is always worth the HKD160 or HKD220 because there is a wide variety of seafood and fish, plus its always fresh. And the chef will always recommend the fresh sashimi of the day. There is a long list of barbecued skewers to choose from, with prices starting from HKD20. There are also the traditional nimono (Japanese home-cooked and boiled food), rice dishes including sushi, onigiri, ochazuke and Japanese noodles like udon and soba. The food is authentic and fit for anyone who feels like a real Japanese feast.

Besides the normal Sake (cold or hot or masu sake), the restaurant has Ichiiko Sochu and clients can choose to order by glass or by bottle (which you can keep for your next visit). A glass of Sochu mix costs about HKD70 and a bottle costs HKD300. Ordering a bottle will, of course, make more sense.

We always start off with a sashimi platter, followed by a skewer platter, and a grilled cod fish, salmon head, beef with baby mushrooms, or fried vegetables. Our favourite skewers include beef tongue which is barbecued with Japanese spices, ginkyo nuts which go well with drinks, and sea prawns which cost HKD40 (a bargain compared to other expensive Japanese restaurants) and nicely done of course.

It is not so much about cost, it is more about what type of Japanese food you want to find. If you are desperate for real authentic Japanese food, then this is the place. The best thing is the place can only accommodate about 20 or so patrons, so it would never be too crowded and rowdy. Just be prepared to spend at least HKD500 for food and drinks (not including bottle orders) for two persons.

Sup 1 (wine & oyster bar) Review

img src=”http://www.eatdrinkhongkong.com/images/sheungwan/sup1_140×157.jpg” class=”borderwhite” alt=”sup 1 at gough street hong kong” width=”140″ height=”157″ align=”right”>The Gough street area continues to develop apace. There are some cute little lifestyle type shops opening up between the restaurants and the print-shops. And of course there is usually a new restaurant or two to visit.

I thought Sup 1 was new but I was assured they had been there for quite some time and wondered if I had a reservation. I didn’t but they were able to squeeze me in.

I didn’t really have too squeeze to much anyway since I was the first customer. I took a seat by the window. I had my back to the bulk of the dining area but glancing around I could see that the decor was clean and modern, but with paintings of European domestic scenes to add warmth and colour.

Setting it all off to a ‘T’ was an impeccable choice of cool jazz vibes, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Chet Baker and some crisp bossa nova only some of which was punctuated by the unmistakable saxophone of Stan Getz. I was feeling relaxed and comfortable even before I had the menu in my hand.

The house white was a Chilean Chardonnay. I hadn’t been planning to drink but then I thought I could have just one to compliment the music as much as the food.

The menu itself has a Japanese half and a European half. I’d already had sashimi for lunch so I didn’t pay much attention to the Japanese side.

My attention was caught by the the Stir Fried Mushrooms in Cream Sauce served with toast triangles ($68). This was in the snacks section of the menu but I ordered it as a starter. Very nice it was too. I also thought it would work well with some white fish.

For the main I had the French Style Roast Suckling Pig ($148). Though obviously not the whole pig. This had been wrapped around some finely minced chicken and mushrooms and then sliced. The pork was crisp and juicy on the outside, the chicken firm on the inside and altogether very enjoyable indeed. It was elegantly presented with roast potatoes, green beans and carrots.

The desserts are one area where the menu could use a tad more inspiration. Chocolate sponge pudding and tiramisu are all very nice but they are on almost every menu. A testament to their popularity no doubt, but I do get bored with them and always look for the item that is a little different.

There wasn’t one here so I settled for the chocolate cheesecake and a coffee.

The restaurant had filled up by now. There is space for about 25-30 guests and there wasn’t a spare seat in the house. Since this was on a Wednesday night I would definitely recommend making reservations.

Paul’s Kitchen Review

The little NoHo area along Gough Street continues to evolve and it is always interesting to take a walk down there to see what has changed. There is always something different whether it is something closed or something new. This time I was pleased to find something new.

Paul’s Kitchen has only been open a few weeks and executive chef Paul was there himself to greet me as I pushed open the door. The decor is plain white, no pictures on the walls or any other kind of decoration. But the tables are crisp and elegantly laid out and the lack of ornamentation around the room highlights this.

It’s a small restaurant and even though it was still early many of the tables were already occupied. And although there were staff available Paul himself came over to explain the menu to me.

The format is that of the set dinner, three courses all for HK$250. There is a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts. Though these do change every week.

This week the options for starter were a pumpkin soup, mango and salsa salad, and peach with Mozzarella and prosciutto salad. I plumped for the latter which came with fresh crisp lettuce and aragula leaves.

For the main course I’d already vetoed the steak. That left a choice between pan fried sea-bass, “a little crispy on the outside, tender and succulent inside” said Paul. “Yes, I’ll have that please”, I said. “Or whole roasted spring chicken with roast potatoes and carrots, a very popular dish indeed”, continued Paul. “I’ll have that too”, I said.

Usually I would have gone for the fish. Not because I dislike chicken in any way, I’m just a bit lazy when it comes to picking the bones. But this time I let myself be persuaded and went for the chicken. I wasn’t disappointed, in fact I became so engrossed in scavenging for last morsels of chicken that I let the potatoes go cold. But they were still good, even cold.

Dessert was bread and butter pudding. Mum used to make this when we were kids so for me there really wasn’t any other choice. These are baked in individual dishes rather than a huge pot like the one mum used to use so the bread is cut in to rather more elegant triangles. It tasted pretty good though. The only thing lacking, in my opinion, was a spot of custard.

By now the restaurant was full and all the staff were very busy. I ordered a coffee and then called for the bill. Despite being obviously busy Paul still found time to come out, thank me for coming and hope he’d see me again soon. I assured him he would. I still had some unfinished business with a sea-bass.

Chuk Yuen Vietnamese Restaurant Review

Chuk Yuen has been on Gage Street for ages but I’d never been in before. I’d always quietly hoped it was going to be one of those little, great-value-terrific-food, gems that one finds from time to time.

I went along the other evening with a heart full of hope but alas, it was not to be. It was not a bad restaurant by any means just rather ordinary and, at that price point, one really shouldn’t complain.

The decor is predominantly bamboo and rattan with green paint. The tables are a rather dark green and make the restaurant rather gloomy. At least when there are not too many diners to cheer things up.

There were other people there and they appeared to have ordered quite a lot of food so I was heartened. All the usual suspects were on the menu, spring rolls, prawns on sugarcane skewers, noodles. I ordered pork and shrimp rolls ($24).

These are the typically Vietnamese dry white noodle variety. They were quite big, being generously stuffed with prawn, pork, noodles and bean sprouts.

To go with them I ordered a beef curry in a clay pot with French bread ($60). This was piping hot when it arrived and I had to wait a few minutes for it to cool before I could eat it. The curry, like the rolls, was a really generous serving and the sauce was really quite tasty. The beef however, was rather more fatty than I like.

There are, of course, plenty of people who would say that this was a good thing and that the fat is what makes it taste so good. I wouldn’t argue with that but I would have liked to see a little more lean meat because what there was also tasted good.

For dessert I had red beans with coconut milk ($5).

It would be wrong to criticise a restaurant for being too low cost. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but the Chuk Yuen has been around for quite a few years. That must mean that enough people do appreciate its style, and as far as they are concerned, that is what counts.

On Lot 10 Review

Restaurant owners don’t like wet evenings, it means fewer customers, but that is precisely why I like them. I get the restaurant to myself. So the other damp and windy evening I took myself along to Gough Street in Noho.

There are still some old print shops along here and the first thing that hit me as I turned the corner was the smell of printers ink and the clattering of a small machine. This may be an unpleasant thing for some but I’ve worked in publishing since I was knee-high to a pancake and it filled me with a warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling … which in turn sharpened the appetite.

It was still early and most of the restaurants were quite empty. I decided to stop at On Lot 10. On pleasant evenings this restaurant is packed to the gills and spilling onto the street but on this evening I had it to myself. It is a small restaurant with a very agreeable, rustic charm.

I squeezed in to a table by the window where I could see the occasional umbrella and the glint of taxi lights as they moved along the street. It reminded me a little of a small English seaside town. Quite an achievement in the middle of Hong Kong but I think the rain helped.

The staff were very friendly and I really felt quite at home. The house white was a Chardonnay. They poured me a generous glassful and I turned my attention to the menu.

For starter I ordered the roast duck breast with mango and papaya salsa ($95). This is a fairly straightforward dish but I was intrigued by the salsa. It was very pleasant though I have to say the papaya was rather dwarfed but the mango was fine. I might even go as far as to add a dash of tamarind and just a hint of chili.

For the main course I decided to complement the English seaside feel by ordering the cod ($170). But any idea that this would be typically English seaside cod were quickly dispelled. This cod was crusted with poppy seeds and served with asparagus, green peas and baby potatoes, in an ocean of strawberry.

It is quite a striking dish. The green of the vegetables is a stark contrast to the red of the strawberry. It looked great. The veggies were crisp and fresh, the cod was succulent. The strawberry was an interesting contrast, it worked but again i think it could have worked even better with just a hint of tamarind or lime added to give it a little extra tanginess.

Dessert was hot chocolate sponge with ice cream ($55). It’s difficult to go wrong with that though I had been momentarily tempted by the sweet potato and ice cream. I rounded off with fresh coffee.

It had stopped raining now and there were people about. The manager told me that they had a reservation for six people who would be arriving soon so I said farewell to my little seaside fantasy and followed the narrowest little lanes I could find down to Sheung Wan.

Balle Balle Indian Cuisine Review

Every so often we get the urge to wander along one of those tiny little roads between Hollywood Road and Queens Road, just to make sure we’re not missing anything. Occasionally we are rewarded.

The other evening took us along Peel Street, down the hill from Hollywood Road. On the left just after crossing Gage Street, buried behind the street markets, we found an Indian restaurant that we’d never seen before. It is called Balle Balle and has been open for about three months. There had been something there before but after racking our brains for a while, and watching one of a group of chefs roll out parathas outside, we still couldn’t remember what. We went in.

It is a small cosy restaurant with just a few tables. A TV in the corner plays Indian pop videos but it was neither loud or intrusive, rather it lends the place a comfortable homely feel. We settled into our table and ordered beers.

The menu contains all our old favourites. In the appetizers section there are samosas, pakoras and onion bhajis but there were also a few that were a little more intriguing. The waiter recommended the chilli chicken ($31) - deep fried chicken with tomato, capsicum and chilli sauce. He told us that it had become one of their most popular dishes.

To go along with it we ordered my old favourite, mutton rogan josh ($40), vegetable kebab ($38) and a mixed raita ($17) where the yoghurt is mixed with diced tomatoes, cucumber and onions. And to mop it all up we added a lacha paratha ($11) and a plain nan ($10).

There was only one chef outside now to making the parathas, the others no doubt had adjourned to the kitchen to get busy with our order. To keep us going while the food was being prepared the waiter brought us complementary masala poppadoms.

The food when it arrived made us gasp. The servings were very generous indeed and we wondered how we were going to eat it all, but not being the kind of folks that shrink in the face of adversity we tucked in. I aimed for the rogan josh, my companion, the chilli chicken. The mutton was lean and tender, the sauce was thick and rich and not too oily as it sometimes can be. I could tell by the look on my companions face that the chicken was living up to its promise.

The vegetable kebabs had arrived on a sizzling plate but were now cool enough eat. Made from soya they had a meat like texture, a little chewy but definitely had a vegetarian flavour. I mopped a corner of my plate clean with a wonderfully light and fluffy piece of nan and asked my companion to pass me the chilli chicken. She did so but only after I had bartered the largest piece of mutton in the rogan josh AND the fifth piece of the vegetable kebab (I didn’t tell her that there was a sixth piece hiding under the lemon).

It was obvious why she was being possessive about the chicken, it was quite wonderful. The waiter told us the dish originated in southern India. It isn’t as fiery as it’s name might suggest, the sauce is a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet, the chicken lean and soft.

Eventually we both sat back with contented, smug looks on our faces. “I’m full”, I said. “Couldn’t eat another thing”, she replied. “Gulab jamun?” I said … We shared it.

Balle Balle is open for dinner from 6-10.30pm when we were there it wasn’t too busy but the waiter did warn that anyone wanting to go for lunch (11.00-4.30 should either go early or plan a late lunch as they get very busy.

Abyss

LG/F 11 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 0022
Fax 2815 9333

Gough 40

G/F 40 Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 8498

Qing

3 Mee Lun Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 6739

Red Tavern

G/F 17 Aberdeen Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2559 0737
Fax 2559 7329

Mingle Bar & Café

G/F 148 Welington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 5040

Volume

L G/F 83-85 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2857 7683

Kau Kee Restaurant

G/F 21 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 0123

Chuk Yuen Vietnamese Restaurant

Gage Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Le Rideau Theatre Café

1/F Hilltop Plaza
49 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 8833
Fax 2815 0009

Mark One

41 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2512 1111

Marouche

G/F 48 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2541 8282

Pizza Express

G/F Soho Square
21 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 7898

Sparkz

G/F 18 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2127 7533
Fax 2127 7603

Mint

108 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2980 3535

Buddha Lounge

Basement, 23 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2167 7245

Paul’s Kitchen

24 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 8003
Fax 2815 8002

Te

1/F Cheung Hing Commercial Building
37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2110 6910

Tuk Tuk Thai

G/F 30 Graham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2542 2760

U-Turn

3/F Cheung Hing Commercial Building
37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 1833

Tsukiji

G/F 46 Gage Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2542 3802/2542 3803

d’Ulysse

G/F, 9 Gage Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 2621
Fax 2900 0346

Quay

29 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 6986

Yachiyo

8 Wo On Lane (Kau U Fong)
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 5766

Sup 1 (wine & oyster bar)

11 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 5002

Sahara

G/F 11 Elgin street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2291 6060
Fax 2291 0008

Pizza Milano

9/F & roof, Cheung Hing Commercial Bldg
37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 2848
Fax 2581 3848

Yellow Door

6/F Cheung Hing Commercial Building
37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2858 6555

Bricolage 62

G/F 62 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2542 1991
Fax 2542 1922

Pasta E Pizza

Basement, 11 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 1675 or delivery 3105 5310

Blue Door

5/F 37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2858 6555

Mala Restaurant

G/F Wah Lee Building
35 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2818 1236
Fax 2854 1532

Man Yuen Noodles

68-70a Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2291 0308

Ngau Kee Food Café

G/F 3 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2546 2584

Gingko House

44 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 1200

East Meets West

39A Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3303

Chez Patrick

22-26 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2541 1401

Peel Fresco Music Lounge

49 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2540 2046

Kiyotaki

G/F 13 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2877 1772
Fax 2877 1803

Pressroom The

G/F 108 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 3444
Fax 2525 3445

Chocolux

57 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2858 8760

Dozo!

44, Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 1338
Fax 2581 1333

Club 71

B/F 67 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2858 7071

Evisu Bar

2/F The Workstation
43 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 9616 0107

NoHo Café

24 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2813 2572

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