The Grand Cru breakfast

Sunday morning, brunch time. Today, we ended up at Cru along Stauton Street in SoHo. It was already very full by the time we arrived shortly after noon. Fortunately, there was still a 2-seater by the main door, so it was a good spot to plant ourselves for our meal and to watch the world go by.

Cru, part of the Wagyu restaurant group, serves a good selection of hearty breakfast items for brunch, along with the regular items from the a la carte menu. I was famished, so the Grand Cru breakfast was the perfect choice - rashers of bacon, 2 eggs, potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, sausages grilled tomatoes and wheat toast. The house coffee was Illy, which is always one of my favorite brands. Maybe I was just very hungry, but the food was very well prepared, the eggs scrambled just the way I liked it and the tomatoes were grilled nicely, as were the sausages. My friend described this place as 'reliable', and I can see why. There's not much you can do with scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon, but when done right, it's a downright satisfying feast.

The only thing that was a bit out of place was the restaurant decor. It looked more like a generic evening fine dining restaurant, with the circular booth seats and downlighting, but for a brunch venue I tend to look for a sunny, casual ambience where the wait staff are in T-shirts and aprons and the interior that makes you feel like you're dining in someone's back patio on a Sunday.

Cru is located at 44-46 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2803 2083 

Dining below

Last night, we went to try a relatively newcomer to the dining scene around the Gough Road area called Basement Restaurant. The entrance was along the sloping sidewalk connecting the two parallel roads, and wasn't too difficult to find. The restaurant interior was reminiscent of an old European pub cellar, with curved wooden ceiling, muted dark walls and and warm rustic ambiance that makes you feel cozy and at home. This being the new venture of the owners of Homeless furniture design store upstairs, the tableware and accessories were all on the hip and eclectic side of things.

The menu featured the usual modern fusion fare, with a healthy doze of organic ingredients and seafood. We ordered several starters to share - scallops tartar (which was served in small pastry shells and topped with caviar), crab caesar salad (that was a bit dry but very flavorful) and sweet potato fries (which were not as good as the ones served at Barracks, Singapore). My fresh oyster chowder was very tasty, with chunks from fresh oyster meat and scallions, but a tad too much cream. I ordered the linguine with sea urchin and cod roe marinated cherry tomatoes, and that turned out to be a refreshing surprise. The uni was very fresh and the seasoning was slightly bland, which allowed the taste of the uni to shine through. This was my favorite dish. Overall, the prices were very reasonable at HK$900 for two persons.

Basement Restaurant is at B/F, 29 Gough Street (below Homeless), Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2854 0010

The hippest Kitchen in town

Had lunch with a friend at The Kitchen in the W Hotel, Hong Kong. The buffet spread was in the "kitchen" of the restaurant, making the dining experience a little amusing. Add the LCD panels substituting as paintings that moved, and you get a very hip dining experience with top notch service complete with handsome waiters in smart suits. The food was excellent, very high quality and well prepared - loved the salad and cold dish spreads at one end of the kitchen.The customized-to-order tempura was a nice touch as well, but save room for the desserts. All the pastries look decadent and yummy.

I love the tongue firmly in cheek humor injected into the restaurant decor, from the books used as place mats, white poultry pieces and the stacked bowls in the display cabinets all lend a cool factor to The Kitchen, but then again, that's the signature W touch across all their hotels around the globe.

Lian, Indochinese chic at the IFC

So, I finally managed to get a table at the ever-popular Indochinese bistro Lian on the second floor of the International Finance Centre in Central. I had just flown into Hong Kong just hours before, and was fortunate to get a slot for an early dinner, and although it was a Monday night, we were requested to vacate our place by 8:00pm for the next seating. I guess in these tough economic times, people still need to eat well.

Walking past the curvaceous foyer and into the main dining hall, we were greeted by an amazing water feature that was the centerpiece of the dining area - a lily pond with counter seats encircling it, bathed in glowing light in the water and adorned with hanging lilies from the ceiling. The decor was what you'd expect of a very hip, modern Indochinese bistro, with dark wood furniture, shades of rich fabric in brown and beige hues, and Asian accents embellishing the dimly lit room and dining booths.

We opted for a the counter seats in front of the lilly pond centerpiece, and ordered our usual Indochinese favorites. First up was the fresh tom yum goong with a large prawn that was so amazingly flavorful it almost didn't qualify as a traditional Thai soup. It reminded me of a blend between tom yum goong and a Vietnamese sweet and sour fish soup. But this is what Lian did best, deftly mixing the best of Indochinese cuisine into a unique, blended potpourri of exotic flavors.

Next we had the grilled beef with garlic, a typical Vietnamese restaurant staple that was done perfectly with tender beef strips and crispy garlic slivers. Then there was the jumbo prawn fresh roll that reminded me of a Japanese tempura roll, except the dip was made from prawn roe and coconut cream and tasted absolutely decadent. Not your typical Vietnamese 'goi cuon', but very tasty nonetheless.

Our last appetizer was the pomelo salad, and unlike your regular fare, the dish was served with just pomelo slices and a spicy sweet and sour dressing. This was the most refreshing dish for me, simple yet mouth-watering delicious. Our main course was 'pho', the traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup, which we shared a bowl between the two of us. The broth was one of the best I've had since my hunt for the best 'pho' started in earnest two months ago - rich, flavorful and just the right amount of spice, accompanied by thin, smooth flat rice noodles reminiscent of the best 'hor fun' from Ipoh, Malaysia. But I'd have to say the sliced beef was the best part for me, they were so melt-in-your-mouth tender they could have been wagyu grade.

We ended the meal, too full for a go at the dessert selection. I'm glad I was able to give Lian a try this trip, it's been on my To Do list for the longest time, and will remain there for some time to come.

Fuel - Nice name for an espresso bar

While walking around IFC this morning, I came across Fuel, a coffee bar on the 3rd level. Friend of mine was raving about the Chai latte they served here, but I'm not much of a Chai drinker, so I ordered an espresso to go. Not too bad. But I've had better. But definitely a notch above the usual coffee chains. The next day, I was at the IFC again around lunch time, so I swung by to grab a latte and one of the freshly made sandwiches. The roast beef, horseradish and caramelized onion sandwich on a multigrain bread was wonderfully tasty, and the latte was a great accompaniment to wash down my quick lunch. at HKG$25 for an espresso and HKG$34 for a latte, it's pretty steep by local standards, but for the same price, I'd have my caffeine fix at Cova any day. It's just a question of taste. Pity that they have a tiny seating area in the rear though, four single bar stools against the wall. More like a longer hangout than the sort of cafe that nurtures conversation over hot drinks.

Another day, another lunch in SoHo

As I walked along Elgin Street this afternoon looking for a new place for lunch, I came upon a new restaurant that had just opened the day before. The owner beckoned for me to enter, and seeing that they probably needed my patronage desperately in these hard times, I decided to oblige. La Luna is yet another Spanish restaurant in this stylish food street off SoHo in Hong Kong. The interior decor was warm and earth-toned, but didn't suggest anything Spanish about the establishment, so I was hoping the food would be the highlight.

I ordered the set lunch, consisting of a tuna salad, and a roasted chicken. Both dishes were well prepared, but nothing spectacular, in fact, they tasted a bit like standard hotel fare. But then again, this was lunch, perhaps dinner would be a whole different matter altogether. It's unlikely that I'd return though, if I wanted Spanish, there are better options in SoHo.

Pho Lemon needs more zest

I stumbled upon this little cafe along Elgin Street one afternoon when I had a craving for a bowl of Vietnamese Pho beef noodle soup. They were promoting several 2-course set lunches for HK$88 each, and I chose the steamed rice paper rolls as the appetizer and the Pho as main course. The steamed rice paper rolls were soft and thinly wrapped around minced prawn and pork and mushroom, accompanied by a sweet and spicy fish sauce.

It was very delicious and I almost wanted to order another round. The Pho main course on the other hand, was a bit of a letdown, mainly because it was rather bland and lacking in the usual aromatic beef flavor one expects from a traditional bowl of Pho.

Cecconi's in SoHo

Been to this modern Italian bistro along Elgin St a number of times, and it's still consistently one of the better ones in the SoHo area. The first time was for lunch. I remember ordering the set lunch that consisted of a roasted garlic soup followed by spagetti bolognese.


Normally, I'd steer clear of bolognese (reminds me too much of Chef Boyardee's microwaved verson), but I'm glad I decided to give it a try. It used to be a favorite childhood meal of mine, and Cecconi's version is definitely one of my new favorites - flavorful yet tender, with a rich, aromatic tomato flavor balanced with the right amount of Italian herbs. All in all, a good deal at HK$108.


The second time I was there I tried the tasting menu which consisted of four courses, at HK$498. I didn't have time to take notes of each of the individual courses as it was a business dinner, but I did recall there was foie gras, scallops, Chilean bass and risotto, and I was very full by the end of the fourth course. The experience was most enjoyable and the fact that my company picked up the tab made it more than memorable. :)

Isola, Modern Italian With A Stunning View

The moment I walked into Isola I was mesmerized by the stark white tapestry pattern of the wallpaper in this modern minimalist restaurant at the International Financial Center in Hong Kong. Perched on top of the 4th floor of the IFC, diners are treated to the spectacular view of the Hong Kong skyline and harbor while dining alfresco on the patio.

My friend had reserved a table a week in advance fortunately, and we managed to secure a waterfront view by the window in a quiet corner of this very busy restaurant. It was Monday, and yet the restaurant was filled to capacity. Big, bold and beautiful, I was told this was still the place to see and be seen in Hong Kong.


Lately, I've been on a gastronomic quest to find the best squid ink pasta dish around, and so tonight I was pleasantly surprised to find a squid ink linguine vongole accompanied by baby asparagus. Naturally, that was my selection for the main course, and I also ordered an arugula and mushroom salad with grapes and shaved Parmigiano.

I have to say both dishes were executed with perfection, it was clear the scenic waterfront views were not just the main attractions at this popular Hong Kong restaurant, the food certainly stands up to a lot of accolades as well. Not to mention the excellent, top-notch service fitting for such a dining experience.

This entry marked the start of a 30 day, 4 country culinary journey that included Hong Kong, Mexico, San Francisco and Melbourne. Stay tuned for more delicious photos to come.