Bo Innovation

Bo Innovation (Three Michelin Stars) is certainly one of the best places to dine in the world. We first ate here in 2011 (after Anthony Bourdain had featured this pl) and even then it was already a pretty special place, full of creativeness. Fast forward several years and it has gained two extra stars, evident by the excellent service and creativeness on offer. We both had the Chef's Menu featuring (Total bill including drinks and coffee: HK$2321):

Typical bread and butter was replaced by a savoury spring onion egg waffle (gai daan jai). Excellent start, it looked and tasted great.

Scallop with Shanghainese "jolo", woba, sugar snap peas, avocado, lemon - A very good first course. Fresh and zingy, the Hokkaido scallops were huge and tasty.

Umami with toro, "wok air" powder, mixed noodles - The glass noodles were seasoned well with the dried shrimp oil. It brought out the taste and richness of the toro.

Molecular "cha siu bao" - Imagine the best bbq pork bun you have ever had, except no chewing required. Dissolves in your mouth and you can taste the deliciously complex flavours.

Foie gras with "mui choy" caramel ice cream, green apple - Extremely rich as you have a generous serving of foie gras complemented extremely well with the slightly salty ice cream and sweetness from the green apple. Extremely well thought out, it is heaven in every mouthful.

Mao tai with hawthorn, lemongrass, passionfruit - A nice aromatic palate cleanser. Quite a fun playful way of serving it in the interesting drinking cup.

Red mullet with yuzu, black bean, black garlic, mullet roe - Red mullet served skin and scales on. Visually appealing, it is crispy and delicious with the sauces really complementing it. The chilli smells spicy but isn't spicy at all.

Langoustine with black truffle, cauliflower risotto, salty duck egg sauce, pickled cauliflower, English mustard foam, duck jus - Not only a pretty looking dish, the langoustine was sweet and went well with the lightly salty duck egg sauce.

Saga-gyu beef with black truffle, "cheung fun" braised with soy sauce, taro - Meltingly tender beef with a deliciously light truffle sauce. The cheung fun was an interesting textural component. 

Dried mandarin peel chocolate fondant, yuzu ice cream, orange "lady's finger", mandarin coulis - Sadly, this was the last course. A nice finish with the slightly citrusy fondant. Nice interplay between sour and sweet.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star 
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star 

Type of venue: Modern Chinese

English menu: Yes.

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: 60 Johnston Rd, Wan Chai,  Hong Kong

Tai Cheong Bakery (泰昌餅家)

Egg tarts are quite a popular dessert in Asian countries. Although they are easy to find, only a few are worthy of praise. We previously mentioned that the best one is probably from Spice Temple in Melbourne although quite an expensive one at that. While we were in Hong Kong, we tried:

Tai Cheong Bakery (泰昌餅家)  -  biscuity pastry with a slightly sweet egg custard filling. It was ok. Not the best but certainly above average.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star 

Type of venue: Bakery,  Dessert

English menu: Yes.

Worth a return visit? No.

Address: G/F, 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central

Honolulu Coffee Shop (檀島咖啡餅店)

Egg tarts are quite a popular dessert in Asian countries. Although they are easy to find, only a few are worthy of praise. We previously mentioned that the best one is probably from Spice Temple in Melbourne although quite an expensive one at that. While we were in Hong Kong, we tried:

Honolulu coffee shop (檀島咖啡餅店) - our favourite version in HK so far. Flaky pastry with a wonderful egg custard filling. Freshly baked and eaten with HK style hot milk tea (it was very strong but loved it). Perfect afternoon tea snack.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star 
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star 
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Bakery,  Dessert, Breakfast

English menu: Yes.

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: G/F & Mezz Floor, 176-178 Hennessy Rd., Wan Chai

Tim Ho Wan

Tim Ho Wan in IFC has no queues unlike the original outlet which had since closed however service here is average and the bbq pork buns did not look perfect. Just tick off what you want to have on the order form and it is promptly delivered to your table. We had:

Baked bun with BBQ pork (HK$20) - their signature buns are crispy and biscuity with a slightly sweet bbq pork filling. Quite delicious and is served piping hot.

Steamed rice rolls stuffed with pig's liver (HK$21) - Pillowy soft and smooth, the metallic taste of the liver isn't overpowering but there is certainly no mistaking what you are eating. Quite nice if you enjoy offal.

Osmanthus and goji berry cake (Hk$12) - Chinese style jelly that is cooling and refreshing. Quite sweet but not sickly.

Service: :star :star ½
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star ½

English menu: Yes.

Type of venue: Yum Cha, Chinese

Worth a return visit? Yes/Maybe

Address: Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall) , Central, ifc mall

Yat Lok Restaurant

This was our second eating stop of the evening. We are debating whether to put up number 3 as Mrs doesn't like the photo. It was basically a Triple O's burger from our favourite food hall in Hong Kong, located in Pacific Place. 

Anyway, Yat Lok Restaurant (One Michelin Star) was our second stop after just landing in HK 2 hours earlier. Famous for its roast meats especially the goose, it draws in a steady stream of patrons. They had just run out of the famous goose drumstick noodles so we had:

Goose on rice ($50) - Not all the pieces had crispy skin but the goose was tender and delicious, with the seasoning and sauce really complementing it. One of the best goose versions out there.

Barbecue pork on rice (HK$50) - Slices of salty sweet tender pork that will certainly be one of the best you will have in your life. Mouth watering goodness indeed.

Service: :star :star :star :star ½
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star 
Value for money: :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Chinese

English menu: Yes.

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: G/F, 34—38 Stanley Street,  Central,  Hong Kong

Wing Wah Noodle Shop

Ok, so we're back in Hong Kong for a 2 night layover this time before heading to Japan. Hong Kong is one of our favourite cities to visit especially for its food. We have some favourites but are always keen to try some new places as well.

Wing Wah Noodle Shop located in Wan Chai is a noodle shop featuring one of the best wonton noodle soups you will find anywhere. Just bear in mind that the shop itself does not have its signage in English (look for a gold 永華麵家). You can also order a variety of other things on the menu which has English on it. We had:

Wonton noodles (HK$40) - small but delicious bowl consisting of a wonderfully rich broth, 5 delectable morsels of wonton and al-dente handmade noodles. What first inspired us to try this place was the fact that the noodles were handmade the traditional way with a man using a bamboo pole to knead the dough.

Service: :star :star :star :star ½
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star ½
Value for money: :star :star :star :star 

Type of venue: Chinese,  Wonton

Worth a return visit? Yes.

English menu: Yes.

Address: 89 Hennessey Road,  Wan Chai, Hong Kong