Common Ground

Common Ground 

G/F, 19 Shing Wong Road, Central, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 11 Mar 2013 (Sun) 6 pm

No. of diner : 1

Average cost per head : $90

Food quality : 8.3/10

Environment : 8.4/10

Service : 8/10

Value-for-money : 8.7/10

Overall rating : 8.34/10

This is another unique tiny café in the NOHO (North of Hollywood Wood) area. The unit was used to be a local design jewelry shop and office, and have been converted  to a café and shop since a month ago. Had a chance to chat with Sean, one of the 4 partners about the concept of the café. Common Ground, as it’s named, aims to be a common place for friends or strangers to mingle. As Sean briefed, many of the wooden furniture were “upcycled” from used benches, desk, floor tiles which also reflects the philosophy of the shop. 

Like many cafes around, Common Ground have limited choices of food, but you can feel their passion from their food. Glad that I paid the visit on a Monday evening and share the 4-seated table with no one. Jazz was played in the house and the visit made my day.

a) Salted Chocolate ($40) – 8.2/10

My eyes spot on this recommended drink (marked with an asterisk) on the menu. Made from their own mixed chocolate base, the shake was rich in chocolate flavour all the way till I finished the drink.  However, I could barely taste the sea salt in the mix but it gave an interesting finishing. A sprinkle of grinded salt crystals on the top may further enhance the flavour of the drink.

b) Common Toast ($50) – 8.4/10

It took some 10 minutes to prepare for the dish but it’s worth waiting. Diced portobello mushroom and onion were deglazed with cream and rested on toasted dried tomato bread. The bread was just a bit too crispy and dry but overall still a good savoury snack. Local grown organic greens and tomatoes sat on the centre of the plate with balsamic cream. The salad was fresh and delicious. This was another recommended dish on the menu board which I totally agreed.

Q : When will I go again?
A : On weekdays to avoid the crowd or before it gets popular.
Q: What will I next order?
A : Crunchy cheese cake or fresh beef burger.

03.2013

The Salted Pig

The Salted Pig

2/F, The L Place, 139 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 10 Mar 2013 (Sun) 7pm

No. of diners : 2

Average cost per head : $305

Food quality : 7.8/10

Environment : 7.5/10

Service : 7.5/10

Value-for-money : 7/10

Overall rating : 7.58/10

Though with the name, The Salted Pig doesn’t offer a full range of pig’s body like the Chinese do. From its menu printed on their dining mat, excluding the section of “Mains without Pork”, one can find a few dishes made with cured meat such as sausage, ham or bacon, and pig’s knuckle, pork belly, loin steak or roasted pig. Does the pig specialist focus on the right dish to wow the diners?

On a Sunday night, there were just around 10 guests including us, while the restaurant can accommodate at least 80 people. Was it the location or food that explained why? At a price of $300 per head without wine, there are handful of choices in town.

a) Spinach & Roasted Beets Salad ($98) – 7.8/10

The green and tomatoes were fresh, with a hint of coriander in the dressing. However, I didn’t taste the chervil as mentioned on the menu. The yoghurt cheese on top was not my favourite cheese though.

b) Char-grilled Pork Belly with Mango Crab Salsa ($128) – 8.1/10

Three pieces of nicely trimmed pork belly, each with well mixed diced mango and shredded crab meat in the salsa sauce. The belly was tender and rich in smoky flavour.

c) Crispy Skinned Pork Knuckle ($268)  - 7.5/10

The waiter first presented the whole knuckle in a ceramic pot with a pig’s head on its lid to us before deboning it on a wooden board with side dishes. The presentation was nice, however, I valued the food quality more. The meat was less salty than I’d expected. It was tender and moist, just that the skin was not crispy enough. The homemade mustard sauce was not very strong and I didn’t touch it after the first try. The new potato and the slice of grilled sweet potato were quite pleasing.

d) Banana Fudge “Eton Mess” ($58) – 8.2/10

Instead of the traditional Eton Mess in which strawberries are used, this banana version was still on the right track. The banana slices, meringue and cream, topped with chocolate syrup gave a good blend.  

Q : When will I go again?

A : Hmm… Maybe with a large group to share the food and joy.

Q: What will I next order?

A : Risotto.

03.2013

Butao Ramen

Butao Ramen 豚王

G/F, 40 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 9 Mar 2013 (Sat) 5:15 pm

No. of diners : 1

Average cost per head : $95

Food quality : 8.7/10

Environment : 8/10

Service : 7.8/10

Value-for-money : 8.3/10

Overall rating : 8.46/10

Judging from the queues, the popularity of ramen (Japanese noodle) is still on for the year. I didn’t try any local ones as I’s scared by the long queues everytime I walked pass those ramen shops. One Saturday afternoon when I’s strolling along Hennessy Road, hoping to grab a light meal before watching a show in the evening, I so happened to spot only 1 group of 3 or 4 people waiting outside Butao Ramen. As I’s just by myself, I got a fast pass to get a seat with zero waiting time.

As a normal practice, patrons will be handed an “Omotenashi Sheet” to tailor-made their bowl of ramen in terms of soup base, richness of source, hardness of noodles and additional toppings, etc. As this is my very first time visiting the eatery, I opted for an average selection except for no chili chosen so that my taste buds won’t be distracted.

a) Butao King 豚王 ($80) – 8.3/10

There were a few bottles of condiments and preserved vegetables to go with the ramen. However, the soup base was rich enough (even for my choice of normal richness) to go without any additional seasoning. 

2 beautiful large sheets of BBQ pork (as named but they never resembles any of the Chinese BBQ pork) rested on the bowl.  They were simmered for hours to keep their tenderness and the meat was prime with almost no fat at all. Cabbage was sweet and the tree mushroom gave a chewiness. The soup base was not very oily and rich in onion flavour.

I chose thick noodles which was in the thickness between spaghetti and fettuccine. I would prefer hard noodle texture next time as normal hardness was a bit too soft for me.

b) Japanese Soft-boiled Egg 半熟蛋 ($15) – 9.2/10

The soft-boiled egg was served in a separate bowl and it’s at room temperature. I would suggest immersing it in the soup when your bowl of ramen arrives as to keep the egg warm for a while. When I cut the egg with the chopsticks which most diners do, a perfectly cooked soft-boiled was revealed.  When I say perfect, it means that the egg white was cooked completely, while the egg yolk was creamy and in shining orange just like when the sun sets. The egg was unshelled and kept in soy sauce with wine till it was served.

Q : When will I go again?
A : When the queue is cleared.
Q: What will I next order?
A : Ramen in other soup base.
 

03.2013

Tai O Lookout

Tai O Lookout

1/F, Tai O Heritage Hotel, Shek Tsai Po Street, Tai O, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 8 Mar 2013 (Fri) 5:50 pm

No. of diners : 5

Average cost per head : $150

Food quality : 6.8/10

Environment : 8.5/10

Service : 8.5/10

Value-for-money : 8/10

Overall rating : 7.89/10

Travelled a long way from town after lunch to this hot spot in Tai O was a little bit rush, however, we could still manage to arrive before sunset. But Tai O Lookout, the only dining outlet in this heritage hotel had closed her door between 5 to 6pm to prepare for the dinner. As we only asked for some drinks at ground level (still 2-storey high above the sea level) which was in fact a public area with ratten lounge chairs and coffee tables, the waitress was kind enough to bring us a chilled white with a bowl of peanuts where we could enjoy the beautiful dusk. As we only drank wine for the visit, the rating on food quality is only based on what we had and not relevant to their food.

a) Double 8 Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($350) – 7.4/10

With no expectation, sauvignon blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand wouldn’t disappoint you either.

b) One Pebble Lane Rosé 2011 ($330) – 6/10

This private label of Tai O Heritage Hotel was made in Hong Kong by the 8^th Estate Winery who imports frozen grapes from Bordeaux, France for this wine and have them aged in their French and American oak barrels located in Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong. This colour of this rosé resembled that of cranberry juice and carried a very sweet note of cherries. Not any close to my favourite dryness as it tasted more like cough syrup for kids than a table wine.

Q : When will I go again?
A : For lunch or afternoon tea.
Q: What will I next order?
A : Likely sandwiches or snacks.

03.2013