Restaurant Week Part Three: Lily & Bloom

Lily & Bloom is a contemporary American restaurant situated in Lan Kwai Fong, Central… and really, you had me at the name already! (Yup, I’m like that.) This was where we had our third and final Restaurant Week meal.

The usual complimentary bread, with not-so-usual spreads: hummus and guacamole. As an ardent avocado aficionado, I affectionately approve. (Also, alliteration win!)

Oysters! Three pieces freshly shucked oysters, classic mignonette, and a homemade cocktail sauce. I love my oysters with LOTS of lemon juice and nothing else. You?

Slow-cooked market scallop with mango herb salsa and micro greens salad. Look at the size of that thing!

Lobster Mac & Cheese, prepared in a wheel of 36 months aged Parmigiano Reggiano with cognac, basil breadcrumbs, and three cheeses. So. Much. Yum. (Even then, it still falls a little short of the best Mac & Cheese we ever had, which was in House of Blues in Downtown Disney!)

Fried Chicken & Waffle, with coleslaw and watermelon. I can’t remember when this started, but for maybe the past year I’ve been obsessed with chicken and waffles. It isn’t surprising, really. Fried chicken? Yes please. Waffles? Yes please. Fried chicken and waffles? YES PLEASE.

In any case, I loved everything on the plate board, including the grilled lemon and the zingy coleslaw. The watermelon was a perfect palate cleanser before our desserts arrived!

And the desserts, oy. (More foodgasms approaching.)

Yellow peach crepes with cointreau-spiked peach and mascarpone filling, almond crumble, and salted caramel ice-cream. *eats spoon by accident*

Skillet chocolate chip coookie with hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice-cream. If you look really closely (and try not to lick the screen), you’ll see the little specks of vanilla bean in the ice-cream, and the sauce seeping into the cookie… Heaven.

Alright, we’ve come to the end of the Restaurant Week series! Hope I haven’t made you too hungry. Till next time (or my next meal)!

Lily & Bloom
33 Wyndham Street, Hong Kong
Tel: 2810 6166

Bread Street Kitchen London

As of now, I’ve already dined at Bread Street Kitchen in Hong Kong twice, but Bread Street Kitchen in London was what started it all.

Slow-roasted pork belly with spiced apple sauce. That crispy crackling is <3.

Lamb cutlets. This post is a little skimpy with the descriptions because this dinner happened a long time ago – as you can see, I’m trying to catch up with the overdue posts!

Macaroni cheese with garlic roasted crumbs. I didn’t have mac and cheese as a kid (shocker!) so I guess I’m trying to make up for lost time.

Alright, that’s all for now. It’s time for me to get back to doing my homework. And I’m supposed to be on holiday! Oh well. Now I’m hungry…

Bread Street Kitchen
10 Bread Street (hence the name)
London
EC4M 9AJ
Tel: 0203 030 4050

Bubba Gump Hong Kong

There aren’t that many choices when dining at The Peak, but I definitely recommend Bubba Gump for its good food and amazing view. I have fond memories of this place. Edwin and I came on a date here during his internship days, which was way back in 2009. Insane how quickly time flies!

While Ines and Brandon were visiting, The Peak was part of their itinerary, and I really wanted to bring them here. After being stuffed to the brim at One Dim Sum, the four of us (Ines, Brandon, Edwin and myself) had to work hard and walk off the meal before dinner time!

Mango Sparkler. Ines ordered a blue lemon drink that came in a light-up glass, but I forgot to take a photo of it. 😡

The food has arrived! 人还没吃，相机先吃！(The camera “eats” before the people do!)

Caesar salad, half portion. Lots of cheese and croutons, just how I like it!

Frizzled Onion Strings. These were PERFECTION. Even after everyone else was pretty much done, I was still reaching into the bottom of the cone and fishing out the tiny crispy bits.

Clams and mussels steamed in wine, butter, and garlic, served with French bread. We’re a seafood lovin’ bunch, so all was good. There wasn’t enough bread for dipping, so we ordered some garlic bread to dunk into that gorgeous sauce.

Beer-steamed shrimp, carrots, celery, corn, potatoes, and sausage tossed in garlic spice. I didn’t detect any beer taste, just the garlic spice, which was so good. If I were a Spice Girl, I’d be Garlic Spice. Hahahahaha okay bad joke.

Shrimp mac and cheese. Creamy and comforting, just as it should be. Craving for the lobster mac and cheese from Downtown Disney so badly now!

After all that, you’d think we didn’t have any room left for dessert, but oh did we. The giant chocolate chip cookie was served hot in the skillet and topped with vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, and peanuts. Definitely for those with a sweet-tooth (and not for the faint of heart!).

I’m calling it a day, and it’s time for me to shop for groceries. The only problem is that I’m beginning to feel hungry, and you know what they say about shopping when hungry. I can only hope I don’t buy the entire store.

Bubba Gump
Shop 304-305, 3/F, The Peak Tower, 128 Peak Road, The Peak
山頂山頂道128號凌霄閣3層304-305號舖
Tel: 2849 2867

 

Common Room Hong Kong

One of the downsides to my work schedule is having to work Saturdays, which means I don’t get to enjoy Friday nights the way lots of people do. Luckily, the public holiday last Thursday allowed me to meet up with friends for dinner and drinks on Wednesday night. Cheers!

The food menu at Common Room was divided into four sections: earth, sea, land, and heaven. Most of the dishes were served tapas-style. There were several items that I wanted to try – it was almost impossible to choose!

Lamb meatballs with homemade tzatziki and fresh mint sauce. While the meatballs were incredibly tender and moist, they were a bit too salty. I wouldn’t recommend having more than one at a go, especially since they’re on the larger side as well. Strictly for sharing!

Wagyu foie gras sliders with caramelised onions, arugula and balsamic reduction. These little babies tasted as good as they looked. Could bar food get any cuter than this?

Apparently so. On the menu it said “Classic Mac & Cheese”, but it looked nothing like any mac & cheese I’ve ever had. With a mix of cheeses (buffalo mozzarella, gruyère, parmesan, and gouda) and topped with crispy breadcrumbs, it was probably one of my favourite dishes ever. That parmesan crisp? Cue angels singing.

This was one of the drinks I had, but it’s off the menu so I don’t have a name for it. I do know that there’s vodka, orange juice, and something else that I can’t identify. Highly refreshing, perfect for warm nights!

While we’re on the subject of cocktails, I tried one at a place called Quinary and it was love at first sip ~

The name of this drink is Lavender Meringue Pie and it’s divine. It’s like a boozy dessert in liquid form. What a minute – did that even make sense? Oh well, I just know that a toasted marshmallow cocktail is like having my cake and eating drinking it too.

And I’ll toast (in both senses of the word) to that.

Common Room
8 -12 Wo On Lane, Wo On Building,
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2525 3599
http://www.common-room.hk/

Quinary
Ground Floor, 56-58 Hollywood Road
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2851 3223
http://www.quinary.hk/