Showing posts with label open 24 hours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label open 24 hours. Show all posts

Monday, August 18, 2014

Eating Out In Hong Kong & Cebu

I was recently in Hong Kong & Cebu, Philippines and thought i would do a run through of my meals whilst there. It is not a complete list but sort of the greatest hits. 


Shanghai Popo 336,  iSquare, TST, 

This is apparently the best branch of this fairly popular Shanghainese restaurant. Loads of local here which is always a good sign. Its a very attractive place from a design stand point and I loved its bare cemented walls, the decor being harsh and hip, the food the exact opposite. 


the menu like mostly restaurants in HKG is fairly expansive, covering plenty of ground, Noodles, Dim Sum, Vegetables, Sea Food, Meats, etc. 


The hand made noodles in a special Schezwan soup was excellent, spicy but loads of flavour. 


yummy green beans


and even yummier pancakes, freaking delicious. 


the buns were fought over, minced mushroom from what i recall 

Highly recommend a meal here, it was about HK$500 for four without booze. 

Din Tai Fung, Ye Woo Street, Causeway Bay
Have been a fan of Din Tai Fung, every since my friend Sam turned me onto them in Singapore. Every since then i have had atleast one meal a year at one of their restaurants in Singapore or Hong Kong and look forward to these with great relish. 

 

Both the branches of this Taiwanese eatery in Hong Kong have a Michelin star each and deservedly so. The food is delicious, consistent and the service is quick and impeccable. Which is especially important because i have had some less than excellent service in Hong Kong at times. 



the meal starts of with a little pot of Jasmine tea, which goes down very well. very well indeed and this is coming from a not very tea friendly person. 



Noodles with spicy sauce, what can i say, just perfect and actually not as spicy as one would reckon. 


These were the mushroom dim sum which was also muy excellent. One can also get mushrooms in a soy sauce which i didnt end up getting as it would have been too much. Next time perhaps. All in all, excellent meal with great service.
HK$300 for two without drinks. 


Tim Ho Wan Hong Kong Station, Level 1 

I end up in Hong Kong station either when i am in or heading out of HKG and always try and make a go of grabbing a bite at Tim Ho Wan which is still the worlds cheapest michelin star restaurant, although the original branch was in Mong- Kok and has since shuttered. Folks in Singapore can find a bunch of Tim Ho Wan's however. 


i got the turnip cakes this time which i missed out on the last time and everything else was much the same. check was about $90 and the wait was about 20 mins. 

Sorabol, Lee Theatre Plaza, Causeway Bay

Sorabol is a Korean restaurant tucked up on top of the LTP building, its a pain in the arse to get to if you don't take the correct elevator. 


Served up a bunch of varied kim chi while we waited for our meal. Since my mates had been there before they did the ordering. 


the kim chi pan cake was downright delicious, especially when doused with a little hot sauce. 


This was one of the 'stone' rice preparations done in a traditional Korean style, pretty good. We couldn't order to use the grill to cook our own food because we were pretty full by then. all in all a go to Korean place for a lot of people in HKG and rightfully so. 
HK$600 for four without drinks. 


The Flying Pan Old Bailey Street, Central 

One of my fav meals in Hong Kong, this 24 hour diner is super popular with breakfast crowd as well as post drink 4 am party people seeking nourishment. Although small, the place packs a serious punch when it comes to its menu which is pretty wide. Egg, Griddle, Pancakes, Frittatas, Omelets, you name it. they got it. hell they even do cocktails. 


The Rancheros were terrific, eggs sunny side up on on a tortilla with refried beans, jalapenos.  


The eggs benedict were pretty terrific as well, as good as my rancheros were, would be hard pressed to pick between the two. great good, prompt service, must check it out i reckon.
HK$250 for three no booze. 




Teppan 


was walking around on Nathan road and saw this small teppan place, no idea why i went inside, it was a little late around 2.45 and they were about to wrap up but they were kind enough to seat me. i had the porcini mushrooms with a side of veggies, mung beans and rice. the soup i did not like very much but the rest was terrific and only cost HK$75 


Kirin Ichiban 


Frozen beer at the airport by Kirin Ichiban at the airport, pricey at HK$80, tad weird but def worth trying. great for a hot summer day this. again, trust the Japanese to come up with this. 

Maxim's Cakes All across  Hong Kong 


My friend Amit, picked up a few of these to chew on while we hung out at the airport. he also took every opportunity to pick some up every time he could. good stuff this, wont go wrong picking these. 

Royal Krua Thai, SM Mall, Cebu, Philippines 

Cebu is a glorious place to Scuba dive and indulge in water sports, which is why we were there. However its not the best place in the world to eat out. Food was pretty weak across the board and we stuck to mostly bad pizza until our last day there when we decided to try our luck with this Thai joint. The decor of the space was pretty far out as well.



delicious iced tea.



terrific spring rolls. 


tofu in all kinds of hot sauce. 

all in all the food was very good and the service was super quick and friendly. The people o the Philippine have a friendly, musical way about them and can be pretty hospitable, as was our host at the restaurant. meal was 600PHP without drinks for three. 


while walking around the SM mall we came across this small ice cream space. anyway, this is a pair of warm cookies with chocolate ice cream in the middle. need i say more, 100PHP

Also, if you find yourself in Cebu and want to party, head to Mango Square, find JM-Ave and get a private table for 5000PHP. worth it and the place is banging till about 5 am. 





Saturday, October 13, 2012

ITC Hornbys Pavilion

Rest : Hornby's Pavilion
Meal : 3am snack 
Loc : ITC Grand Central, Lalbaugh 

Returning from a night out we decided to stop by the ITC for a much needed meal. The place was totally empty when we walked in, a gentleman out of uniform was doing some maintenance work.. which is bad form.

The tomato soup has usually been pretty stellar, it was on the best things they served at the late hour, however the soup was quite tangy and sweetish, certainly nowhere close to their usual high standard.



the bread basked has not changed in ages. not but not great either.

The veggie burger is actually two burgers, not too bad, come with some home style fries and some really nice relish, more relish would rock.

Overall, the service was quick and friendly however they were very noisy, kept dropping things all over the place. Dishes, silver ware... i know its late and only two people there but no reason to take things lightly.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 900

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Gulmurg

Rest : Gulmurg
Loc : Shalimar Hotel, Kemps Corner
Meal : Late late dinner

Gulmurg is a reasonably popular dining option around Kemps Corner / Napean Sea road and is located on the first floor of the Shalimar Hotel. We entered around 10.30 and the place was fairly busy.

The restaurant serves North Indian and some snack preparations, the North Indian is fairly well recieved and the most popular option.

I chose Indian and we ordered some delectable Biryani.

Poppadum !

A vegetable raita is a must, unfortunately the Biryani is served a is and comes with no accompaniments.

The Dal Makhani was pretty good, tasted just about how you would expect a decent Dal Makhani to.

Finally, the Biryani it was all right, not the best in the world but at 11 pm it would do. It was just so average and thoughlessly put together which was dissapointing. Howevet the dal and raita made it work allright

Overall the place is def an option to go once in a while or when you are feeling lazy to go to far in South Bombay. The service was allright, no complaints.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : 750

Shalimar Hotel
August Kranti Marg
Kemps Corner, Mumbai
66641000


Saturday, November 01, 2008

Hornbys Pavilion

Rest: Hornbys Pavilion
Meal : Late Night Snack
Location : ITC Grand Central

I know everyone probably thinks i go to the ITC properties way too often and i promise that is going to change fairly soon. Have resolved to go to all the other 5 stars from now on :) However i will say that i have found some of my other ventures to be disastrous Read



Anyway, i got in fairly late and opted for a fantastic cup of a cafe mocha. Excellent! i just wish it has been even hotter.



opted for an English breakfasts sans the meats of course. Good stuff, its a nice little breakfast option this one. i recommend it.



accompanied with some yummy beans on toast as well.




Also had an excellent Biryani, i wish it came with a little more in terms of accompaniments, however it tasted great. The tomato soup was also not too bad (not pictured)

Overall a decent mid night option. They have plenty of buffets all day as well.

Food : 7/10
Service : 7/10
Damage : for 3 without drinks 1800

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Trattoria

Rest : Trattoria
Meal : Dinner
Location : Taj President, Cuffe Parade


Trattoria is an old old city favorite, I have been going there for about 12 years and its always been consistent in cuisine, service, popularity and ambiance.Its also open 24 hours and one of the better options (vs something like Shamiana at the Taj or Marine plaza's Bayview) at 3am.



The place is designed allright but be aware that it is just slightly quieter than a fish market at full bloom (or boom) the people are loud.


I started with a mushroom soup which i did not find all that impressive. it seemed to lack a strong taste of any kind. It seemed more watered down in taste rather than texture. Weak would be the right word for it.


they have a decent selection of dipping sauces, we chose the spiced tomato which was excellent if a little too sweet.


The tomato soup was good, not as good or strong as say the one from ITC but it was still fairly acceptable.


The pizza was the coup de grace. Excellent. The thing was cooked to perfection, the cheese was just slightly sour. Good ol plain cheese was wow!

Overall the food was above average, pizza was great and the service was okay. The place continues to be consistent, loud and popular.

Food: 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 2100


Trattoria

Hotel Taj President
90 Cuffe Parade, Mumbai
Phone 66650808

Monday, April 14, 2008

Late night at Hornbys



Hornbys Pavilion is the coffee shop at the ITC Grand Central in Parel (yeah, i know the location sucks and is out of the way) and is probably the best after hours dining alternative in South & central Bombay. With the closure of Palms and Shamiana past its sell by date - Hornbys is the place to go for a 2 am chowdown.

The place itself is nothing too special, generic coffee shop with ample seating, the tables by the windows are the best. They run a breakfast buffet (best) lunch, dinner and midnight buffets. ITC has fantastic food, i cant recall a single meal at any ITC restaurant that was below par. Service too, is always top notch, quick, effective, only draw back is they are always too afraid to do what the customer asks and always need approval.

Food : As i mentioned already, the menu is quite expansive, i have had some excellent Biryani as well as sumptuous buffets before. However this time it was the English Breakfast for me (sans the meat) the Spanish Omlette for my friend and chocolate mousse cake for the wife. I asked for the meat to be left out and if they could just give me additional mushrooms and beans instead, they didn’t answer me nor did they comply. However the food was good, the beans didn’t seem canned, mushrooms were tasty, the hash browns were ok, the orange juice however was pretty crap. The Mousse cake was just insanely sinful and out of this world. My friend Pat said his omlette was also pretty much top notch



Drink: Cafe Mocha was absolutely excellent. top notch. The Margarita was actually served in a martini glass and tasted like one. They insisted it was a Martini and that was the only thing that was unacceptable.
Overall :
Food : 9/10
Service : 5/10
Damage : 2100

Monday, July 30, 2007

Nawabi food festival at Shalimar

Restaurant : Smooth/Gulmurg
Location : Shalimar Hotel, Kemps Corner
Company : Rishi, Gotti,

The past week there has been a Nawabi food festival going on at the Shalimar, Hotel at Kemps Corner. Since it is so close to where i live it becomes off limits. However Saturday night, last moment decision and no reservations made us trek up to their restaurant Gulmurg.



The restaurant was packed and there was no chance of getting a table. the option being takeout, however we were directed to sit at their bar (smooth) and get the same menu there as well.A lucky break if we ever had one.

We got going and ordered only from the festival menu. The one thing we ordered off the bar menu was some very good mushroom popper things which came with cheese. Excellent.
We got the Paneer Musallum which was a spicy paneer dish, red and angry but a very good taste nonetheless. We balanced it out with a Nawabi Korma which is a sweet vegetable and went very well with the spicy paneer.

The naans and biryani were not too bad. All the cooking was dum style which i think is cooking it with steam and then letting it marinade in its own juices. A great example of this cooking is the Dum Pukth at ITC, Grand Maratha.

The most interesting thing was the sheermal whcih is somethign we havent had before. Its a flat bread like pizza bread, tough in the centre. The taste was interesting and it seemed like something someone would be chowing down around the palace of the Nawab. Very interesting.


The Beverages were Gin n Tonic, Whiskey and Corona. Very unhappy with the billing as they insisted that they served us an Absolut Vodka which they didnt. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Shocked.

Food : 8/10 Service 7/10

Monday, May 28, 2007

Hornby's Pavilion - The best city coffee shop after hours

Restaurant : Hornbys Pavilion
Meal
: 4am binge
Location : ITC Grand Central
Company - Ze Wife, Mr&Mrs Singhania, Mr.Patel

You getting a pang of hunger at midnight? or post midnight? where do you go?
In Bombay only hotels are allowed to have restaurants that stay open for business beyond midnight.

Therefore your choices are limited especially Palms shut down and Shamiana refuses to improve. Trattoria isnt exactly a coffee shop, The Bayview is just boring and Flavours is just plain bad.

Having finished a night out around 1.30. we hoped to get to Ra for the 4am deadline. However when we got in and the cops were already there peeing on the parade. Not wanting to end early and considering the above choices we avoided the drive back downtown and head to the ITC Grand Central.

Mr & Mrs Singhania at The Hornbys Pavilion

Their coffee shop is the Hornbys Pavilion is on the first floor, an average looking coffee shop (average for a 5 star anyway) but it rocks where it counts. The food was superlative (as usual) offering an expansive menu overall,which is only slightly shorter for the midnight version. They also offer a midnight buffet (550+taxes)and an all day light breakfast dining menu which is also lighter on the wallet.

Ze wife looks on at the hungry lunatics

Drinks - Cold Coffee (150), Cappuccino (125) (good)

Eats - We ordered Beans on toast (220) The Hornbys Omlette (210) Pancakes (195). The beans on toast seemed canned to me, the taste was just too uniform and seemed but they were pretty good nonetheless.

Mr.Patel is extremely pleased with his omlette

The pancakes were fantastic, i finally found a place for decent pancakes in this city. The best pancakes money can buy this part of town (better than the Indigo Deli pancakes)

The Hornbys omlette was amazing, soft, delicious with veggies and mushrooms served with a side of toast and a grilled tomato.

Me defending my pancakes at all costs

There are plenty of other usual options like dessert, ice cream and heavier courses western and Indian depending on how hungry you are. The service was good but can be inconsistent. The crowd there was plain weird.

Service : 8/10 Food 9/10

Damage : 1700


Hornby's Pavilion
ITC Grand Central Sheraton & Towers,
Dr. Ambedkar Road, Parel, Mumbai
24101010
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