Tag: hongkongfood

NY Bagels in Hong Kong

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The Hampton (Fresh Chicken Breast, Pesto, Camembert Cheese, Walnuts, Sun-dried Cranberries, Arugula, Toasted Peppercorns, Cream Cheese)

MTR pitch

“Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Des Voeux Rd Central, R&R Bagels is a cosy and welcoming cafe which feels like it could be under a New York skyscraper. The first thing that hits you is the smells of the scrumptious bagels being made to order. Think smoky bacon, fresh omelettes and slow roasted veggies.”

Rating 5/5

Price point $65-85

Break it down now

It might be a stereotypically American food obsession but R&R Bagels are seriously the bagels you didn’t know you needed right here in Central HK.

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Des Voeux Rd Central, R&R Bagels is a cosy and welcoming cafe which feels like it could be under a New York skyscraper. The first thing that hits you is the smells of the scrumptious bagels being made to order. Think smoky bacon, fresh omelettes and slow roasted veggies.

The menu is nice and simple. Create your own or pick any of the flavour combinations which have been hand-crafted to make your mouth water. Whether you pop in at lunch or for a brekkie, there will be a ‘set’ bagel to suit your needs. The breakfast bagels in particular are ALL delicious – a major post or pre-hike recommendation.

The best thing about these bagels is that you can change up any of the ingredients and play around with the composition of your bagel. There are several types of bagel bread to choose from; our personal favourites are the poppy seed and sesame bagels. It doesn’t stop there – you can even change up the type of cream cheese inside your bagel too. I know right! We love the Low Fat Plain and the Sundried Tomato (DIVINE).

Personally, we’re not a massive fan of the coffee but the coffeeshop-vibe is excellent. Bring a book, a laptop or a friend and spend hours chilling out.

Asian Pan likes…

  • The Hampton
  • The Gardener’s Breakfast
  • Smoked Salmon

Rummin’ Tings in Central

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Veggie Patties with Trini curry, spinach, okra & pumpkin

MTR pitch

“Rummin’ Tings just celebrated its 5 year anniversary. We can safely call this a Central HK establishment. Rummin’ is a Caribbean bar and restaurant whose menu includes all of the rum cocktails, yummy jerktastic grub and juicy cigars (ikr)! If you’re craving food & drink from Jamaica and Trinidad, look no further. Rummin’ will put a big smile on your face.”

Rating 5/5

Price point $65-85

Break it down now

From Hollywood Road, Rummin’ Tings looks like a small bar. But it’s so much more than that. Rummin’s menu includes Caribbean food, tasty drinks and even cigars. You can spend all evening in there (and night!).

As this is a food blog, we will focus mainly on reviewing the food however we cannot stress enough that Rummin’ runs some great daily events. There is no excuse not to pop in on any or every day of the week. We attended the Sunday night acoustic night and we LOVED the atmosphere. Upbeat live music and happy staff set us up just right for the following week.

The only reason Rummin’ does not get 5/5 is that the menu is a little small. WE WISH THERE WAS MORE TO TRY. Having said that, what foodstuff is there is super tasty and tickles your tastebuds in just the way you want it to. Take the Sazon Fries as a great example. Fries are simple right? Fries are the same everywhere right? WRONG. The Sazon Fries are so tasty we were fishing for more on our friends’ plates! We don’t know what the seasoning is on those potatoes but we loved it. Mild spice to make you lick your lips balanced with a sweet almost tamarind-zing to finish.

The meat dishes are also super succulent and coated with the just the right amount of sauce/glaze/seasoning. Honestly, just writing up this review is making me salivate. We tried the Jamrock Jerk Chicken and the Rummin’ Wings, which we inhaled without coming up for air. We took great delight in sucking our fingers clean afterwards. We want to come back for more, in particular the Sticky Island Ribs and the Jerk Chicken Burger.

The best thing about this food menu is that we get to sample some traditional street food delights from the Caribbean. Patties are a MUST TRY, available with either meat or vegetables. Next time, we will definitely try the other classic dish from the islands – Callaloo, which is a spinach and okra stew. Finally, the kitchen also serves up the legendary cornbread Raga Muffins. Never tried or heard of these dishes before? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? YEAH MAN!

Asian Pan likes…

  • Patties
  • Jamrock Jerk Chicken
  • Sazon Fries

11 Westside: the best tacos in Hong Kong

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Lover’s Beach Tacos


MTR pitch

“Find yourself craving lip-smacking cocktails and flavour-full tacos? You HAVE to experience 11 Westside. Start the meal right by ordering G.S.C (Guacamole, Salsa and Chips) – the guac is made in front of you and to your taste. There are a wide range of savoury dishes but the stars of the show are the tacos. Their flavour combinations zing in your mouth: garlic butter shrimp and mango; roasted pork and pineapple; battered sole and smoke chilli. Salivate mucho!”

Rating 5/5

Price point c. 50 HKD per taco

Break it down now

Almost everyone in Hong Kong has now heard of 11 Westside, a chic Mexican restaurant which serves up big flavours and cracking cocktails. We decided to drop by and see the hype for ourselves. 11 Westside did NOT disappoint.

We highly recommend booking a table for peak meal times but we were seated with no qualms for a late lunch. Once seated, start the meal right by ordering G.S.C (Guacamole, Salsa and Chips) – the guac is made in front of you and to your taste. More lime? No hay problema. A touch of chilli? No hay problema. It’s fresh, it’s creamy, it’s the perfect accompaniment to the tacos that will soon arrive at your table.

11 Westside has 8 different tacos to choose from. (FYI, there is only 1 choice for vegetarians but plenty of options for pescatarians.) We tried 7 out of 8 and every bite sent flavour-waves zinging through our mouths. Here are some of our favourites:

  • Al Pastor. Aciote and pineapple roasted pork, guacamole, salsa molcajete, cilantro and fresh pineapple. This taco strikes the perfect balance of fresh ingredients, naughty/sticky pork meat and hot spice. Could eat a whole plate of just these tbh. OUTSTANDING.
  • Mango shrimp. Garlic butter shrimp, chipotle aioli, pico de gallo, mango and avocado. You need fat juicy shrimp smothered in chipotle aioli in your life. Trust. This taco is creamy and juicy at the very same time. We ordered this twice people. We needed more.
  • Baja fish. Beer batter sole, smoke chilli mayo, shredded cabbage and pico de gallo. The sole in this taco is so soft it melts in your mouth, yet with plenty of bite from the crispy beer batter and shredded cabbage. It’s a perfect marriage of texture and flavour. Those fish tacos are the t*ts.
  • Lover’s Beach Taco. Tempura oyster, burnt jalapeño beurre blanc, santa barbara uni. Wow, wow, wow. Fine dining flavours in a Mexican taco!? This two-set of tacos is an absolutely triumph. We’ve never eaten tempura oyster before but it was luxurious.

Washing down these tacos with 11 Westside’s exceptional selection of cocktails went down soo well. The drinks menu comes in the form of a hip hop album (which we loved) and strong Mexican influence can be seen throughout. Salt-rimmed tequila cocktails with a twist are exactly what you need to accompany this very special meal. We would come back just for the drinks but we’d get serious taco-envy….

Asian Pan likes…

  • Al Pastor
  • Mango Shrimp
  • Baja Fish