Harringtons, LKF, Hong Kong
Harringtons is part of the Castelo Concepts Group, a new-ish bistro / gastropub in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong. I was catching up with a few of my favourite peeps and suggested this place. The venue was not what I expected, it was bright, modern, big comfy arm chairs and the décor was bright and welcoming.
The menu is extensive with an English twist and ranges from burgers, pies, pasta, rotisserie and many more. None of us really wanted entrees, so went straight to the mains. I couldn’t go past the sage roasted pork cutlet (HKD 170) with mash and apple puree. The pork was incredibly tender, and I loved the creamy mash that came with it. My only gripe was that there wasn’t enough crackle!
M and D opt for the chicken and mushroom pie with green pea mash (HKD 150). I think from memory, they were a little disappointed with the pie. We have been spoilt by the pies in Australia and this just lacked something. The green pea mash was creamy and delicious though, even Dragon enjoyed it.
S had the fisherman’s pies, medley of seafood in rich creamy sauce with a crusty topping of Parmesan mash (HKD140). S thought it wasn’t too bad, definitely better than the chicken and mushroom pie.
For dessert, M and I shared the apple crumble with vanilla bean ice cream (HKD65). Served warm, the apple crumble was delicious and I loved the crunchy topping. My only gripe would be that there weren’t enough ice cream! There never is!
D opt for the molten chocolate pudding with vanilla bean ice cream (HKD75). This looked really good, however, it didn’t have enough chocolate lava which was a shame.
Overall, food was a bit of a hit and miss, I really enjoyed my pork but you can’t really get pork and apple puree wrong right? Poor S, he was jet lagged as hell but still managed to play with Dragon!
Service was friendly, I wouldn’t mind trying their lunch menu, 3 course meal for HKD 158.
GA’s ratings: 6.5 / 10
1/F, Ho Lee Commercial Building,
38-44 D’aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2522 1823
Ichikawa, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong
I am truly spoilt for choice when it comes to Japanese restaurant in Taikoo Shing. There are so many that after living here for almost a year I have not gone to every single one! Mind you, some are hidden in the pavilions that I don’t know they exists! Ichikawa however can be found in City Plaza in Taikoo Shing, next to Mc Donalds, there are two locations and the other one is in Kowloon Tong.
‘The Mother’ was craving Japanese. Ichikawa offers diners set menu for lunch, which is quite reasonably priced. With each main dish, we had soup, starters and either rice / noodle.
The Japanese pumpkin soup was good albeit a little too watery for my liking. I do like it quite thick but this was quite flavoursome.
‘The Mother’ opt for some corn soup which I didn’t like but he seemed to have enjoyed it.
The aloe salad was simple but refreshing.
The dumplings were delicious – definitely could have eaten more!
‘The Mother’ really liked the udon in soup with mushroom.
The cold soba was a little salty for my liking but perfect for a warm day.
For mains, I couldn’t go past the grilled angus beef (sliced) in home made sauce. The beef were incredibly tender and I loved the home made sauce.
‘The Mother’ couldn’t go past the assorted tempura – the batter was thin and crispy and I couldn’t help but steal a few sweet potato tempura.
On top of everything we had above, we also had some ice cream, mocha ice cream, mango and black sesame – absolutely LOVED black sesame!
We rolled out of the restaurant FULL! Service was friendly, they kept entertaining Dragon whilst I was eating. All the food above was only HKD125, which is quite decent. I have been back a couple more times, not to have the above set lunch but different set lunches and it didn’t disappoint.
GA’s ratings: 7.5 / 10
Ichikawa
Shop No.262, 2/F, Cityplaza II
18 Taikoo Shing Road
Taikoo
Ph: +852 2967 9678
Laris, Central
Laris is the new-ish addition to the Dining Concept Group. David Laris is the Australian chef behind this new establishment and menu has both Australian and Mediterranean influence. Laris can be found on Wyndham Street, which overlook the old Central Hong Kong police headquarters. The venue is quite relax with stylish interiors. I was here for lunch and diners at the option of either a 2 course for HKD138 or 3 courses for HKD178.
We started with a crispy baguette with garlic butter – love a good baguette. I couldn’t go past the leek tart with brie cheese served with rocket salad and aged balsamic toffee. I am also a sucker for leek tart and this was absolutely fantastic. The tart was smooth and creamy and the aged balsamic toffee gave it a nice touch.
My friend, L couldn’t go past the hand cut New Zealand beef tartar with crostini, apple mustard and slow cooked egg. It was well presented. I didn’t have any of this, but L really enjoyed it, the flavours were outstanding she said and she loved the apple mustard.
I was craving a burger and opt for the New Zealand Grass fed burger, fontina cheese and truffle aioli served with potato croquettes. The beef patty was thick and juicy. I loved the gooey fontina cheese and the truffle aioli was a wonderful addition.
It was seriously a scrumptious burger. The potato croquettes were sinful but incredible – crunchy exterior but soft and fluffy on the inside.
L ordered the house made green pea and ricotta ravioli with sage and brown butter sauce. This was also wonderful – you can never go wrong with fresh pasta and who doesn’t like brown butter sauce? I was pleasantly surprised by the green pea puree, it was delicious.
Unfortunately I didn’t have time for dessert as I had to go back to work but what we had were wonderful. Service was polite and food was delightful. Definitely keen to try the dessert nd the dinner menu next time.
GA’s ratings: 8 / 10
Laris
2/F, Carfield Commercial Building,
77 Wyndham Street,
Central, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2530 1600
Mary’s, Newtown
I love fried chicken, and I am not talking just about Kentucky Fried Chicken but all sorts of fried chicken. Korean fried chicken, chicken Karaage, western fried chicken, you name it – I LOVE FRIED CHICKEN!
There has been a lot of talk and hype about Mary’s which can be found in the cool suburbs of Newtown. I was in Sydney and was catching up with two of my lovely girlfriends. Originally we were thinking of going for a fried chicken crawl, start at Mary’s then go to NaruOne and potentially end up at Arisun! Yes, our eyes were bigger than our stomach. We didn’t even go to the second location, we went to Mary’s and that was pretty much it!
Mary’s is headed up by Jake Smyth (ex-bodega) and Kenny Graham (ex-Gardel’s bar at Porteno). Luke Powell, ex-head chef at Tetsuya’s is in charge of the kitchen – so there are some pretty big names! The entrance is tucked away down Mary’s Street off King Street, and if I didn’t see anyone come out I don’t think I would have found the place!
The menu is on a blackboard and it is short and sweet – it’s burgers or fried chicken.
We ordered the fried chicken, whole ($28) and it arrived in a basket. The fried chicken is Southern American style, the batter was crunchy and had a lovely kick to it and the chicken meat was incredibly tender and scrumptiously juicy.
The cheeseburger ($14) has been voted as one of the best cheese burger in Sydney. It was good, but for me, it would still have to be Dan Hong’s at Lotus. I have yet to try the cheeseburger at the Fish Shop so I don’t know. However, the Mary’s burger was simple, a glorified version of In ‘N’ out burger which I absolutely love. The bun was soft and a tad sweet but not overpowering. The burger was simple and delicious, almost as good as Dan Hong’s but not quite!
The shroom burger ($12) grilled field mushroom in placed of pattie was good but I have to admit, the cheeseburger was probably better.
Mary’s is DARK! Extremely dark but I do like the vibe – it’s cool, friendly and extremely down to earth. The menu is simple which makes it easy to decide and I have heard the drinks are seriously awesome! Will definitely come back to have some cocktails and perhaps a cheeseburger or fried chicken.
Service friendly but there was one thing I noticed, majority of the guys, so about 90% of guys at Mary’s that night all had a beard! I kind of felt left out! HA!
GA’s ratings: 8 / 10
Mary’s
6 Mary Street
Newtown, NSW 2042
Ph: +61 2 4995 9550
Little Hunter, Melbourne
I love going to Melbourne for a short trip, whether it is for work or a long weekend getaway. I was in Melbourne for work during my Sydney trip and I have heard so much about Little Hunter that I had to go and check it out myself. Gavin Baker (ex sous chef at Fat Duck, London) and Pete Evans (chef and host / judge on My Kitchen Rules) head this lovely establishment which is located in the basement of 195 Little Collins Street.
I had perused the menu before coming and knew exactly what I wanted. We started with the in-house baked herd bread which was served with chicken skin butter – yes you heard me right, chicken skin butter! It was incredibly delicious, the bread was warm and soft and slathered with the butter was just AMAZING! I wanted to lick the little bowl on my own!
My dining companions and I couldn’t go past the pork crackling topped with paprika and white cheddar which was served with apple sauce ($6). My goodness – these were so addictive that I couldn’t stop eating them. The pork crackle were light, airy and crispy and I absolutely loved the paprika and white cheddar.
The cured kingfish with seasoned roe, roasted peppers and bay oil ($14) was a hit. ‘The Mother’ absolutely loved it – he said it was extremely light and the flavours were wonderful.
My aunt couldn’t go past the fish, Chatham Island Blue Cod which was served with sea grasses, leeks, and brown butter ($39). The fish was pan fried which was deliciously crispy and the fish itself was wonderful.
The rest of us, the three of us, couldn’t go past the wood-roasted pork served with kale, cider vinegar and fresh sausage ($38). Oh my, more crackles! The pork meat was tender, and I loved the cider vinegar, it really gave it a nice kick. I couldn’t help but steal some of ‘The Mother’s’ crackle as well!
We ordered a couple of sides, fresh vegetables, olive oil, butter, and lemon peel ($9).
I absolutely loved the roasted yams with gremolata ($7) – it was incredibly tender and absolutely delicious.
The little hunter fries with fry sauce ($6) was also a hit!
We were stuffed but couldn’t help but order dessert. Thought we would share the licorice ice cream, milk crumbs, bee pollen and candied citrus ($12). I have never had licorice ice cream and oh my, this was fantastic! It was different but in a good way and not too sweet. The milk crumbs and candied citrus was a wonderful complement.
Service was excellent and food came relatively quickly. We all thoroughly enjoyed our food and would definitely be back for more. I love Melbourne and its fantastic restaurants.
GA’s ratings: 8.5 / 10
Little Hunter
195 Little Hunter Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: +61 3 9654 0090
Fuku Restaurant Sake and Wine Bar, Sydney
I love Japanese food and can never get enough of it! Even when one is pregnant, they can still eat Japanese food, the hot food that is – there is just a lot of variety! I was catching up with the lovely R for lunch, and she suggested Fuku which can be found in World Square just opposite Din Tai Fung. We always go for Japanese food – nothing wrong with that, as I absolutely love it!
I’m not quite sure how long Fuku has been around for. I don’t go to Din Tai Fung as often as I used too so hardly ever go up there. It is quite a large restaurant and spacious, and was busy for a lunch time on a weekday! The menu is vast, many options, bento boxes, set lunches and a la carte.
I have been craving fried chicken for a while now so opt for the chicken karaage lunch set. With is came sashimi, some fresh vegetables and tofu.
The chicken karaage was a little different than norm. it came with some sort of sauce which didn’t make the skin as crispy as I had hoped. It was still very tasty thougth and the meat was very moist and tender. It definitely satisfied the cravings!
R had the beef, I didn’t have any but she definitely enjoyed it!
I also ordered a side of grilled sweet miso glazed eggplant and it was absolutely delightful. A little on the sweeter side but I certainly enjoyed it. it was wonderfully soft and sweet and loved the addition of the lotus root chips!
Would definitely love to come for dinner next time I’m in town to try the sashimi and other wonderful dishes. Service was indeed polite, and food came relatively quickly.
GA’s ratings: 7.5 / 10
Fuku
Shop 1103 Level 1 644 George St
Sydney, NSW 2000
Ph: +61 2 9261 8977
the Big Bite, North Point, Hong Kong
I first went to this restaurant many years ago – the first time we moved to Hong Kong which was in 2010. The Big Bite has also moved location, it is still in North Point, but not on King’s Road but Java Road. The new location is slightly bigger and the menu is a lot more intensive then before. They now serve breakfast instead of just burgers.
‘The Mother’ was hungry, so he thought we would share a couple of things. Now, when ‘The Mother’ is hungry, his idea of sharing isn’t quite 50-50. It’s more like 90-10 to him! The big breakfast was indeed big – scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, mushroom and tomato – everything I love on the one plate!
The cheese burger was good, but wasn’t as good as I remembered it to be. It had way too many veggies for my liking, and no sauce trickled down my hand. It wasn’t as messy, it was just way too neat. It was good but the old burger was infinitely better.
The buffalo wings were spicy, and not too bad. I have definitely had better, especially in the USA.
Service is minimal, there is no table service, you order at the counter and then food is delivered to your table (from memory). Unfortunately I wasn’t blown away by the burgers which is sad, but the breakfast I would definitely come back for!
GA’s ratings: 6 / 10 (for burger), 7 / 10 (for breakfast)
The Big Bite
Shop 4B, G/F Kar Fu Building,
196-202 Java Road, North Point Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2327 3263
