Be Chocoholic with Jean Paul Hevin

Jean Paul Hevin has been so popular in France, with its top chocolatier creations. Chocolate cakes and drinks were so hot and signature which many tourism books get it on the list.

It was actually a gloomy day for me. Thinking about treating myself a better lunch, I at last booked a table (at 10am that morning), and climbed up to the Jean Paul Hevin dine-in boutique at Central Lyndhurst Terrace. 

Attendants arranged a private corner for me that day. It was comfortable, in terms of the settings around and the spacious environment, though it might be a bit too overwhelmingly noisy during lunch.

Chestnut Soup (3.5/5)

Chestnut soup was then served. It was hot enough, with mild aroma of chestnut sweetness. Texture was viscous and sandy, some small dried chestnut crunches were flowing inside.

Several small slices of baguette were also served at the side.

Seafood spaghetti (3/5)

The spaghetti was soso, very ordinary unreal cream sauce. However, the seafood: prawn, mussels, calamari and fish fillet were fresh and of generous amount and size.

There were also colorful zucchini slices embedded but not luckily enough they tasted a bit bitter.

Chocolate Duo (4.5/5) - JFK New York + Chocolate Chaud Parisien

Chocolate here can never disappoint anyone (definitely worthwhile on adding $50). The chocolate duo (1 cake + 1 espresso size of choco drink) must be the highlight of the lunch. Chocolate cake could be chosen within the menu and chocolate drink was fixed to be the signature and traditional Chocolate Chaud Parisien.  

I chose the JFK of New York cake, which embedded orange and floral notes. Sweet on-seasoned orange flavor ran over the mouth when the cake just melted. It was however balanced with the strong bitter dark chocolate cake and I did appreciate its smooth and chewy texture.

I am actually so much fond of Jean Paul’s chocolate when I tried it the first time, it’s like melted chocolate, but finely tuned to be less sweet and viscous .The art of drinking chocolate is never by getting melted chocolate resembled. Richness is essential but getting itself balanced from over diehard sweetness and clumsiness is the key, and Jean Paul’s chocolate did it perfectly. Not too sweet, round and silky mouthfeel and with long aftertaste of cocoa gave it a perfect end. And my heart was especially stolen by the seasonal orange chocolate drink during Easter this year.

If you are a chocoholic, the secret is you could order the chocolate duo (supplement $50) plus change the tea/coffee to a regular sized chocolate drink (supplement $20). I could see quite a number of diners asked for takeaway cups so that they could also enjoy it on the way to office.

Prefer visiting next time when I am on holiday for a chill during tea. Worthwhile to try this wonderful chocolate cake and drink series which have been so renowned and popular in France. Heard that the past of this shop was super long queue when it was located at IFC. And I actually like how low profile this shop currently is: Not being too crowded (not hard to book for seats), and itself is serving very signature products at this high quality. Will definitely come back for chocolates again* :)


Jean-Paul Hévin Boutique et Bar à Chocolat
中環擺花街13號
Tel: 2851 0633

星期一至日:10:30-20:00

http://www.jeanpaulhevin.com.hk/ 

超美味炸繽繽繽繽繽

Antoshimo沖繩炸包熱潮 我一直都很喜歡

每次經過鑽石山分店都一定會買一個嘗嘗

聽姊姊說 郎豪坊近來都進駐了分店 我也找了一個晚上特意和姐姐及姐夫到新店用餐

大概是平日晚上剛七點 到達了新店

格局跟上一手甜點店100 bites差不多

倒是現在的裝飾可愛繽紛多了 整間餐廳的報置都是暖色系的 牆紙的Antoshimo公仔都十分可愛

剛巧3位以上可以坐卡位 全店可只有兩桌 非常闊落

我也十分喜歡桌上托底的那些日本雜誌剪報及漫畫 增添多一份沖繩的感覺

看看menu 才知道原本的6種炸包繽 現在只剩下4種 (沒有了中華風及薯蓉)

而便當的價錢都不少的升幅;< 現在都要$70+ 才能吃到較豐富的便當

不過主要的菜色, 例如苦瓜芝士奄列, 黑咖哩漢堡, 宮古雞柳等 都仍然保存著

每次來我都一定點我最喜愛的A Box (4/5)

因為奄列及黑咖哩都是我的最愛 yeah

喜歡放在便當中間的水雲果醋 不太酸 但很醒胃

然後在麵豉湯中的水雲是另一種口感

熱吃有點像剛熟了的面條一樣 呷一口又吃完了

曾經在鑽石山分店吃過喜歡苦瓜奄列

很喜歡火候煎得剛好 一口咬下內在十分流心 蛋汁都要流出來喔!

但很可惜今次的奄列完全失手 太過熟了...一點蛋汁也沒有 口感很乾

而且芝士分量很少

這裡的黑咖哩也不夠熱 味道較淡 (主店的黑咖哩很濃郁很美味 還帶點微辣!)

不過漢堡味道依然不錯 沾少許咖哩味道很惹味! 

最欣賞這裡每個便當都是用炊飯 有雞柳丁及水雲同煮

味道很鮮 淡淡的不會搶過風頭 是心機之作

另外 我們加了一個B繽 - 紅芋年糕 (+$18) (5/5!!)

第一次吃B繽 才發現原來紅芋 (紫薯) 十分美味! 甜而不漏

全都是很軟綿綿的紫薯蓉 甜度輕盈 再加上中間QQ 熱熱的甜年糕

以及外層炸得十分脆熱的麵包 實在是大滿足!

跟餐送的玄米茶 茶味清香 帶少許苦甘 其實也不錯的 :D

P.S.看過午餐menu CP值可高很多!

找一個優閒下午到mikiki總店休息吃個飯 一定格外舒適

Antoshimo Cafe & Bakery

旺角亞皆老街8號朗豪坊10樓21-25號舖

Tel:2109 9983

http://www.antoshimo.asia/

Terrible and unauthentic choco and macaron

Branches launched by Tony Wong has been extensive and active these days, with more branches for the above-named Sweet Boutique and Smile Cafe (which I have also written before).

Passed by the Sweet Boutique at K11 (beside Marketplace), at first glance the chocolates and marcarons were presented colorfully in front.

  

 

But when my sister and I close-looked the window display, we were actually quite disappointed as the design and colors of the chocolate looked very alike with the famous pastry chef from Paris-Japan, Mr. S. A---; with many colors and a rectangular shape - However, the surface of the chocolate was not even and plane when comparing Mr. S. A---, and the hue of the chocolate was dimmer.

Ok well giving itself a chance to earn their points, we purchased 1 lime chocolate and 1 rose yoghurt marcaron.

Lime chocolate (2/5)

The chocolate was not tempered completely, crust was a bit too soft and not brittle enough. Lime ganache inside was firstly too smooth to be unreal, secondly lime flavor was not refreshing enough and strong. A below average chocolate which is at $22/pc (price level are comparable to other chocolatier of my favorite, like Fauchon).

Rose Yoghurt Macaron (1/5)

The marcaron was utterly awful...hardly would I use negative impressions for marcarons...but for this time the shells were very hard and HOLLOW. The rose yoghurt was really terrifying and tasted too sour, it really failed, not even mentioning the artificial rose flavor…They simply did’t come together…A very sad issue: Again, at the same price level, you could have tried Laduree, Pierre Herme and Paul Lafayet.


Froyo and cakes would have been a lot better for Tony. I swear I can only go to Smile Café and Patisserie by Tony Wong from now on, not anymore Sweet Boutique. 



甜藝家 Sweet Boutique de Tony Wong

尖沙咀河內道18號K11購物藝術館B1層B122A店舖

Tel: 2728 7768

http://www.sbtw.hk/zh-cht/index 

EAT.it and SHOP.it :)

EAT.it. A recently launched Italian restaurant that shade itself as a fast food dining place. Getting more obviously known with its comfortable, cozy, flowery and grassy environment, I grabbed my sister for a dinner on Sunday.

Just by walking the outdoor area of EAT.it had already been impressive. The environment was simply beautiful with glasshouse design, and chilled natural air flowing all around the area. You could enjoy a breezy afternoon with zips of tea, or you could have a romantic and relaxing dinner with your another half at the outdoor area. We opted for a cocktail table indoor.

Simple instructions for newly arrived diners at EAT.it:
1. You will be provided a card.
2. Go to different food counters and request what you want, chef will tap the card for you.
3. When u finish your meal indoor, pay at the entrance / pay before dining at outdoor area.

The whole food station is divided into many sections: from Antipasti, Cold Cuts, Pizza, Pasta, Deep Fried Foods, Desserts to Beverage (Tea/Coffee/Beer/Wine. Foods neatly aligned all along were so colorful and alluring that you just couldn't wait any longer to order.

Ciabatta (4/5)
I actually brought one extra for my breakfast the next day :) The crust was crispy with sesames and the interior was moist and soft enough. You could smell its motherdough's unique flavor. Chef would warm it and cut for us when ordering.

*Nice condiments: One additional point I have to add is that each table will have a set of nice condiments: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tomato Vinegar (Though I don't like this actually; I would prefer a white grape vinegar at the public tables), Himalayan Pink Salt etc. They were all very nice for bread tipping.

Salad: Small pasta salad mix, salted brussels sprout, red cabbage with greens (3/5)
Salad was very soso indeed. The brussels sprout was too salty to us. Though it was cooked (but remained cold now), the grassy and fishy flavor overwhelmed so much...we had to pair it with ciabatta.

Tomato seafood fettucine (4.5/5)

It is flexible to choose the sauce, ingredients and pasta at our own choice. I especially liked talking to the pasta chef as he was really passionate and confident about his cooking.

We preferred trying their homemade fettucine and chef recommended a tomato sauce for us. We chose seafood to combine.

Much appreciated chef’s effort on really using much less oil on the pasta based on our request! The pasta was very well executed – Al dente and well-seasoned enough. I especially liked the tomato sauce, it was just as you are eating real ripe tomatoes.

 

Lime Tart (3.5/5)
Most of the desserts at EAT.it are at generous portion and economical. The lime curd is tarty and zesty enough with fresh lime peels, though there was a slight attack of bitterness at the end. Meringue on top was quite velvety actually, my sister actually recommended it to be whipped up more for a lighter texture. Overall the lime tart was fulfilling.

Strawberry Gelato (4/5)

This gelato was STUNNING if to compare all other brands in HK, though it still cannot replace my favorite GROM in japan. The gelato texture was chewy enough, strawberry taste was real and strong and blended with milky flavor. Just hope chef would give a larger scoop for me next time. Thumb up!

Rose Tea (4.5/5)

The rose aroma were very naturally presented and is easy drinking even though it has been soaked for some time.

 

There was actually a small market near the entrance as well for diners to purchase ingredients/seasonings which were used in Eat.IT. Varieties were not very versatile, but they were all very traditionally Italian and of genuine quality.  I especially loved the Prune tomato (freshly from Sicily) as it is SURPRISELY sweet. Another that I proudly bought is my first ever burrata cheese ($55) which was great value for money to get it home and try *V*.  

 

Eat.it Italy Eatery

Shop 1, G/F, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay

Tel: 2489 8822

Mon-Sun: 11:30-22:30
www.facebook.com/italyeatery

給熱愛牛油果的朋友(下集) - 牛油果醬油麴雪糕

上集文中提及過日本Twitter 瘋轉牛油果豉油雪糕的吃法

而近來亦有雜誌介紹 形容味道有點像salted caramel 

今次榆榆和我也一起做個小實驗試試 

牛油果醬油麴雪糕

材料:

醬油麴 (由於醬油麴的味道跟牛油果更搭配 我們這一次都是用此代替豉油)

雲尼拿雪糕 (我們選用雀巢, 實驗嘛當然是用最經濟的產品先試試水溫:p)

牛油果 (墨西哥產)

食後感(3/5)

第一口感覺其實有點怪怪的...特別是因為咱們都不太喜歡牛油果甜吃

不過撇除這個壞印象 其實雲尼拿雪糕的奶香及軟滑口感跟牛油果滿搭配

但配合起來就沒有了味道層次 牛油果原來的油香盡失
大概是這個原因所以要加豉油來加強咸香的口感

三者綜合起來 其實味道真的有點像焦糖 再加少許三文魚似的

而焦糖的味道很大部分是來自雲尼拿雪糕及豉油

要強調的是牛油果原來的味道 就算加了醬油麴 還是差不多完全蓋過   

萬字醬油我們都有試過 效果還是相似 

由於豉油太鹹 三種材料的味道更加難以融合一起

建議用減鹽/蒸魚豉油來配搭更好 

榆榆和我還是繼續推介牛油果+醬油麴的吃法 給愛重口味的牛油果粉絲 :D:D:D

給熱愛牛油果的朋友(上集) - 牛油果+醬油麴

近來日本twitter瘋傳一個牛油果的食法:

牛油果+豉油+雲尼拿雪糕 (見下集實驗)

個人覺得好趣怪 還未試

不過因為[豉油]二字 有一晚不禁和榆榆(我的可愛小妹) 一起做一個小實驗

牛油果 + 醬油麴 = 三文魚!

由豉油及米麴 (こうじ, 發音kouji) 釀造出來的醬油麴 是我近來大愛的調味料

因為這種調味料最神奇的地方就是味道一路都會有轉變

由一開始豉油咸味好足 到開始釀製的時候 咸味開始轉弱 

反而神奇的甜味會隨著時間增加 米麴本來木糠的味道亦慢慢釋放出來

醬油麴放得越久味道層次感越豐富 

在冬天大約三星期後(夏天則兩星期就可以) 

釀好的醬油麴咸香甜美 是可以直接放進口品嘗的 

而這次推介用醬油麴代替豉油來伴牛油果 正是因為醬油麴能夠提鮮

與牛油果同吃的時候 那種十分像三文魚一般 umami 超鮮的味道完全爆發出來

加上咸度降低了 令整個味道都更平均 再也不會嗆到舌頭

這樣的配搭令牛油果的油香完全發揮出來了!  十分美味!

大推介! 希望各位也喜愛牛油果的朋友 有機會也試試! :> 

Dear Chez Patrick

The launch of La table de Patrick has been a big news in the culinary industry, fans had actually been waiting for long to try Chez Patrick’s brand new style of private dining.

Following these successive years of supporting HK Restaurant Week by Chez Patrick’s group, La table de Patrick at its first time entered this promotion. 

Had been compared with the normal lunch set menu (and even a la carte),  the Restaurant Week menu is extraordinarily special. I therefore bought my loyaugei there for a Sat lunch.

La table de Patrick is located at an old building in Sheungwan (Entrance opposite to Lan Fong Yuen). Right when the escalator opened and turned left, it was just right to see Chez Patrick preparing for the meticulous cuisine at the open kitchen. We arrived at the place. 

The restaurant is not big, most likely in size of 2 classrooms. Seatings are slightly packed and overall there is around 20-30 seats. Decorations are simple and clean, with red painted walls and simple white tables. Having adequate sunlight penetrating into the whole restaurant, the atmosphere is comfortable and natural. 

When we were choosing the courses, Chez Patrick unexpectedly came over and asked us if we were interested in having his newly invented Black Truffle dish. I was really thrilled with his kind introduction, which was like friends giving you recommendations that could never be wrong. He was passionate to his food inventions, and never hid his happiness towards it. Who could ever resist such a sweet and warm invitation to try Chez Patrick’s very special dish?

Special: Appetizer: Truffle Cream Foam, Shaved Black Truffle, Rockets Salad with Vinaigrette in Crunch Roll, Parmesan Cheese (6/5!!!)

The black truffle aroma had already strongly pierced into our noses before Chez Patrick shaved this small black diamond in front of us. The light brown colored creamy sauce was deeply infused with truffle, while the foams above balanced the creamy texture. The Parmesan cheese slices added enough saltiness and the rocket salad garnished the dish with a hint of freshness. Heavenly when bringing the real shaved truffle together with the foams and crunches, the truffle flavors lingered in mouth for long. This dish was a sheer ambrosia.

Foie Gras Cake in Lyonnais Style, King Prawns’ Sauce (5/5)

We were thrilled to proceed to our next dish. The foie gras cake just differed from what we expected. Minced into grainy texture, the foie gras was shaped like a pudding. Tasting it alone would be rather dull and a bit bitter, but then it transformed to be magically sweet and balanced when dipping with the strongly flavored king prawn sauce; and finally with a nice foie gras aftertaste. It was wonderful, technically wonderful, to put these 2 strongly flavored ingredients together and played this beautiful harmony! And it was also my very first time to try a foie gras in a very grainy rough texture. Excellent.

Tuna Fillet, Quinoa Risotto, Creamy Bacon Sauce, Baby Asparagus (3.5/5)

As cod fillet was sold out, Chez replaced with a red tuna fillet. Based from the photo I showed, one of my friends could already tell how Chez was experienced with the golden brown seared striping pattern (never black!). The fish was straight medium done, just right with pinkish red flesh at the middle. Though the tuna was obviously not as complementing with the creamy bacon sauce as the cod fillet.  The quinoa risotto was of my surprise to be nice. That hint of sweetness and chewiness had given me more appetite.

Warm Brie Cheese Parcel, Apple and Raisin (3/5)

The warm parcel was very mildly warm, but the outer spring roll layer was crisp enough. When directly sliced it into half, you could see apples, raisins and some walnuts filled along with the brie cheese. I would actually prefer getting the cheese a lot warmer, like in running state; but I appreciate the salads vegis around the dish which made it overall less oily.

Attendants forgot to serve us tea & coffee (might be because it is already 3pm and is time to close). But overall, my friend and I were deeply impressed with Chez Patrick’s creations and how he paired  the ingredients. We were actually surprised with the just right amount of sauce at all the dishes (which were observed by my friend). Never knew how deep and comprehensive his culinary experience could be, but it’s absolutely amazing visiting here.

I would definitely come back to try Chez’s signature Foie Gras Trio.   

La Table De Patrick

中環閣麟街37-43號祥興商業大廈6樓

Tel: 2541 1401

Mon-Fri: 12:00-15:00; 19:00-23:00; Sat: 19:00-23:00; Closed on Sunday

http://www.chezpatrick.hk/?cat=restaurant&page=cp_default