Oyster Station Snack and Oyster Bar

When it comes to oysters, I just can't control myself from smiling throughout the meal. Su Casa has been one of my favorite place for oysters but there is no harm in finding more outlets just in case right? The quest for oysters brought my friend and I over to the Kowloon side, a place called Oyster Station Snack and Oyster Bar. The venue was relatively small or cozy if you like that word better. They do have a small patio section so make sure you specify when you book a table here.

Many non-oyster items on the menu were deep-fried with only a handful of pasta dishes and a highly recommended crab congee which we did not try unfortunately.The first thing being served was the complimentary tomato soup which was a pure disgrace! Why such harsh word? Well, it was basically sliced tomato boiled in water then sprinkle with some herb and HALF a bottom of Tabasco sauce! I often tried to finish everything no matter how unappetizing the item was but I really can't for this soup.

Good that my disappointment was soon overcame by the plate of uni! They were not as big as I expected but fresh enough that carried hints of sweetness. You can enjoy them with nori which they provided or just as they were without any sauces.

Time for the main course: Oysters!!! The first batch consisted of Blue Point (not 100% sure), Eagle rock, South Africa Namibia. Among these 3, the Namibia was my favorite, creamy and sweet! (if served colder would be nice)

The second batch consisted of South Pacific Rock, Gigas and Fin-de-clarie. Among the 3, the gigas was my favorite for its texture and sweetness from the oysters as well as the sea water. However, one thing I disliked very much was the fact that they pre-cut the connecting point between the oysters and their shell (aka Adductor muscle I think?). I prefer to cut them myself.

After 2 batches of oysters, it was time for some hot food. We ordered a mushroom pasta but I think I can do better than that. Linguine too soft and too much sauce.

Likes:

• Relatively fresh oysters
• fresh and sweet uni, require advance ordering
• BYO wine policy - no corkage fee for first 2 bottles
  

Dislikes:

• the soup was a disgrace in my humble opinion
• as the resto name suggested, it is a snack place, order those deep fried stuff just to be safe, pasta was not its strong point.

Avg Spending: Around HKD300 per person

Oysters Station Snack and Oyster Bar
G/F, Sky Tower, Tokwawan, To Kwa Wan
Tel: 3514 3062


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The Grill

I actually forgot when I visited, I just remembered it was a cold evening a few days before or after XMAS. The Grill at the Grand Hyatt is one of my favorite buffet venue not for its selection of items because there aren't many, but I quite enjoyed the pool side atmosphere and its focus on grill item. In any case, it was another Boring Meal to be honest.

Spasso Italian

There are exciting meals like my one thirtyone dinner, there are less exciting or rather boring meals and there are out right disappointing meals. My visit to Spasso Italian would fall under the last category! The meal took place back in early November during one of the coldest night but it was for a birthday celebration hence we opted to sit outside to enjoy the view.



Alright, the view was nice considering that there are very few alfresco dining options in Hong Kong and this is one of those places whereby you can get that experience. (in my case, it wasn't a pleasant experience for various reasons to follow)



Let me start with the first disappointment or rather shocking experience. 30 secs after we placed our orders, a female staff with a plate of salad arrived. 3o secs??? No way!

Jason: "Excuse Me, I think we just placed our orders 30 secs ago, are you sure this is ours?"

Staff: "Ohhh, I am just responsible for delivering the dishes ... I don't know the rest."

HUH!? Thanks for being so frank and direct or straight out rude!? Turns out that female staff was a temporary staff but that cannot be an excuse for such a reply!

(1) Beef Carpaccio served with wild arugula and shaved Parmesan Cheese
Beef Carpaccio without much beef taste and the Parmesan was not strong enough as well.



(2) Compositions of baby spinach leaves, walnuts, green apples and Gorgonzola cheese flakes
No surprises here, rather refreshing though with the green apples. The Gorgonzola cheese flakes were not strong enough.



(3) Imported black mussels with white wine and garlic sauce
Overly salty with some broken shells and shrinked mussels! A sign of overcooking it. I would normally dip bread into the sauce but not this pot of salt water!



(4) Homemade saffron scented ravioli filled with blue crab meat laid on light green pea fondue
The ravioli was hard and dry around the corners. And yes, it was a main course and not appetizer. There were only 5 pieces. Honestly, there were just traces of crab meat flavors inside the ravioli.



(5) Fusilli pasta tossed with fresh tuna dices, cherry tomato, sun-dried olives and Botargo roe flakes
Salty salty and salty. Pasta slightly undercooked as well. I understand Italian food tends to be salty in general but not to a point where I want a sip of water along with it.



(6) Sardinian wild catch seabass
I guess this dish somehow explained their obsession with salt at this place! The seabass was baked or cooked within the pile of sea salt. It was interesting watching the fish to surface out of the sea salt mountain.



It was rather ironic because one would assume the fish to be salty but it was not. It was alright.



(7) Parma ham pizza
Was it just me or fishes at this place seems to be so ... contracting / ironic? The parma ham was very light in flavors, lacked the saltiness it requires! The thin crust pizza was alright but the flavors really bugged me!



(8) Roasted Suckling Pig
I was surprised to find it to be rather pleasant. Skin was crispy, the meat was moist and tender.



(9) Warm liquid center chocolate flan
We need not buy a cake for our friend but instead opted to surprise her with this warm liquid center chocolate flan. Asked the stuff to clean the table and then bring out the cake as a surprise. Turned out I was surprised!!! Instead of bringing out the dessert first as a surprise after cleaning up, this smart staff returned with a pile of clean plates and set them up with forks as well. Helloooo, that wasn't the kind of surprise I have in mind!!! With the clean plates setup, EVERYONE knew something kind of cake was to arrive! Thanks for ruining the surprise!

Likes:

• Outdoors view / alfresco option
• Roasted Suckling Pig - crispy skin and tender meat

Dislikes:

• Service!
• black mussels - overly salty especially the sauce
• The ravioli was hard and dry around the corners

Avg Spending: Above HKD 500 per person

Spasso Italian
Shop 403, Level 4, Ocean Center,
Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel. +852 2730 8027
http://www.spassoristorante-bar.com.hk/

El Greco

When it comes to alfresco dining, there are only a handful of such restaurants in Hong Kong. It might have to do with the humidity and heat during the summer time or perhaps pollution or lack of financially feasible real estate. I was introduced to this restaurant on my friend's birthday lunch during one Sunday afternoon few weeks ago when the temperature started to drop below 30C. The place is not the easiest to find because it is tugged somewhere in Ap Lei Chau . For me it was a definite occasion to make it all the way to there.



It was alfresco alright but not exactly I imagined it. The outdoor dining area was basically in the middle of a pathway between the Hung Shing Rest Garden. So we were facing facing the park. The indoor section was nicely decorated with some Mediterranean touches. There aren't many authentic Mediterranean cuisine in Hong Kong and I was kind of excited when scanning over the menu, hoping to feel satisfied at the end of the meal. While waiting for all my friends to arrive, I ordered the Kronenbourg 1664 to chill myself down from the walk / exercises I did in search for this place only minutes ago.



(1) Mezze Platter (Humus, meltzanosalata, with tabouleh, tarama and pita bread)
Humus dips! Yum!! It was a great way to start the meal. Among the various sauces / dips and bite size items, I like the tarama dip which was made of carp roe. Together with the pita bread ... hummm ... wonderful!




(2) Keftedes (Minced lamb meat balls in herb tomato sauce and cumin topped with yogurt)
The herb flavors were very strong and complex but the texture of the meat balls were not bad, slightly chewy as well.



(3) Bakaliaro Keftedes (Cod Croquettes on cream garlic sauce with lemon)
A very creamy garlic sauce indeed with a rather strong flavors to it. The cod croquettes were filled with mashed potatoes as they should but there were only traces of cod and its flavor in there unfortunately.



(4) Oxtapodaki (Grilled Octopus salad with steamed potato topped with olive oil)
Octopus was freshly grilled but overly chewy! Not much of a salad if you ask me; a little more generous would not hurt in my opinion.



(5) Lambraki (grilled whole seabass with steam lemon potatoes and thyme)
The savory smell can be detected meters away with the fish on the sizzling hot plate. flavor wise it was good but the meat was a bit too dry to my liking. I like my grilled fish the way it was served, with the lemon juice. For some reasons, I enjoy de-boning fish, it is fun!



(6) Sardelles Sth Skara (Grilled sardines in vine leaves marinated with lemon and fresh oregano)
The grilled sardines were more moist than the seabass, perhaps because it was wrapped in a sense. I still preferred the seabass because it was more meaty and seemed to have a strong fish flavors compared to this one.



(7) Pork Souvlaki
Too chewy and just a few tiny pieces of them!? Not suited for sharing. Flavors were alright but meat was just too chewy! It took quite a long time before it was served as well!



(8) Pasxhati (Leg of lamb slow roasted and grilled with bulgur)
A delightful surprise indeed. Not only was it rich and deep flavor, the texture was just right, tenderly chewy! We ordered two dishes at the end.



(9) Bifteki sth skara (grilled Merguez Burger with pita bread, cucumber, red onion and sour cream)
Interesting looking burger but rather hard to share. The meat patty was surprising tender and rich in flavors, lamb to be exact. Merguez can be made with lamb, beef or mixture of both according to wiki and the one we had was made with lamb. I think it was the sour cream that I really liked and it was a great match in terms of the marriage of flavors.



(10) Kotopoulo Pastitsatha apo tin kerkyra (clay pot chicken roasted in fragrant tomato sauce)
This dish can served up to two people as suggested or in our case, over 10 people! The clay pot was huge and contained a whole chicken. The chicken was heavily seasoned but slightly too dry. The rice was alright but not enough flavors, quite a bit of contrast compared with the chicken itself.

Likes:

• Alfresco (sort of)
• Pasxhati- wonderfully flavored and the texture was just right, not overly chewy with slight tenderness.
  

Dislikes:

• Although alfresco, every now and then you will see a lady with a garbage trolley pass by the tables + location location location!
  
• Lambraki - a bit too dry
• Kotopoulo Pastitsatha apo tin kerkyra - chicken a bit too dry but very rich in flavors

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

El Greco
G/F, 5 Wai Fung Street,
Ap Lei Chau Main Street, Ap Lei Chau
Tel: 852 2328 2138


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Hemingway's by the Bay

Among the works of Ernest Hemingway, my favorite is The Old Man and The Sea followed by Farewell to Arms. If this Discovery Bay's D Deck restaurant Hemingway's by the Bay is to publish a book, I think it should be called The Chef and The Sea! Why you ask? Simple, it was because the afternoon I was there, the CHEF has left the kitchen and likely to be out in the sea fishing for some fresh seafood which the kitchen ran out of! The al fresco dining area was nice especially on this wonderful afternoon with a light cool breeze together with the sea view.



(1) Apple Sour + Blueberry Nut Smoothies
After my first sip of the the Apple Sour, I immediately withdrew myself from it because it was not just very sour but very unusually in my own opinion. What do you know, it was actually okay when compared with the blueberry Nut smoothies my friend ordered. It EXTREMELY watery and rather flavorless for some odd reasons. A picture is worth a thousand words so take a look at the zoomed in picture below regarding the WATERY aspect of this drink. The layers were visible only after a few minutes. Two Thumbs down!


(2) Steamed Mussels
(with a lightly spiced tomato broth and served with cumin toasted bread) I really didn't understand why it was called broth when thick paste was found! Before getting to the mussel, the cumin toasted bread was very hard but flavor wise it was alright in general.



As for the mussels (and the paste), they were definitely overcooked! Many of the mussels escaped the shells and there were many empty shells! It seemed there were more capers than mussels in this dish! Once again, what broth? It should be lightly spiced tomato paste with excessive amount of capers?? The empty shells (likely due to mussels being overcooked) really disappointed me!



(3) Seafood Paella
Just from the look how it was served, one can be sure that the paella was not cooked from the accompanied pan! It must have been cooked somewhere else and place in this pan for serving because a good paella should be served "flat" on a big pan! It should be wide round and shallow! I was already disappointed at this stage.



How was the taste? It was rather dry and tasteless despite the vivid color of the rice and ingredients! The prawns accordingly to my friend was very firm and seemed like frozen prawns. There were plenty of empty mussels shells again. I thought I was eating Chinese fried rice for a second! Another thumbs down!



(4) Pan-fried Crab Cakes
Now the pan-fried crab cakes, it looked decent but it was rather loose in texture and lacked real crab meat. It contained plenty of flour though. Relatively speaking, this one was more enjoyable than the other two items ordered.

Likes:

• Atmosphere / alfresco dining

Dislikes:

• Steamed Mussels - too many empty shells, mussels overcooked and tomato paste instead of broth!
• Seafood Paella - dry, flavorless and not cooked or served directly from a paella pan
• Blueberry Nut Smoothies - too watery!

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

Hemingway's by the Bay
D Deck G09, DB Plaza, Discovery Bay
Tel: 852 2987 8855
http://www.hemingwaysdb.com/


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RED @ IFC

It was a sudden decision of mine to visit RED @ IFC on this lovely Saturday afternoon for a relaxing brunch! My last visit here was a while ago spending the afternoon under the sun reading. This time I can give their food items a try. You may ask why the restaurant opted for a self-serving approach, it is because this outdoor podium / alfresco dining area is a public area and hence no service can be provided. I am perfectly fine with that as long as I can enjoy my food under the sun. Just look around, it is not an everyday chance one can relax and enjoy a meal with such a view of Hong Kong.



It was perfect to me, not humid and not too hot (under the shade of course!). There were actually a lot of people dining here at this hour, all looking for some sun shines I imagined. If the weather is to get cooler (likely in a month or so), I might just spend the whole day here read, drinking cocktails and just to chill!



(1) 3-Egg Omelette
It was HUGE and thick! I think there were more than 3 eggs. Among the many fillings selection, I picked mushroom, baked ham, sweet corns and cheddar cheese. Wow, there were plenty of ingredients / fillings in that omelette as well. I love the sweet corns which added hints of sweetness to the whole dish. The omelette itself was a bit overcook but definitely acceptable. No surprises for the fries. As for the cappuccino, while it was rather weak, the foam was a surprise. It was very fine and creamy, not bad at all.

Likes:

• atmosphere / alfresco dining
• very creamy foam from the cappuccino
• plenty of fillings / ingredients !

Dislikes:

• weak coffee

Avg Spending: HKD 100 -200 per person

Red Bar and Restaurant
4/F, IFC Mall
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 8129 8882
http://www.pure-red.com/en/hongkong/




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