Epicure

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

28 BEST CAFES IN HONG KONG YOU MUST VISIT AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFE

May 3, 2015 by LADYIRONCHEF / 6 comments

Hong Kong is Singaporeans’ favourite playground. And the financial city is home to many from all over the world. Bustling and ever lively, Hong Kong is one city that has so much to offer. Shopping, entertainment, careers, attractions, nature activities…

And can we say that food is a big part of the city’s DNA? There will never be a situation whereby you do not know what to eat when in Hong Kong, because every step you take and at every turn, there will be restaurants and cafes to settle down at.

Cafes in particular is a big trend in Hong Kong. No, we are not talking about the Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng, but our regular coffee houses and thematic spaces to unwind at.

Accumulated from a few trips’ worth of exploration, we share with you 28 Best Cafes in Hong Kong you must visit at least once in your life. Time to look at the city from a different perspective!

#1 AGNES B CAFE

Much loved by its fashion followers and cafe junkies alike, the French fashion brand has its own agnes b Cafe that has a steady following since its launch. Especially so in Hong Kong. We love its Central outlet the best – spacious and brightly lit with fairy lights, and a florist that sits quietly at the corner but brightening everyone’s day with its colourful blooms.

This is one cafe to spend the afternoon at, over a cuppa and agnes b’s signature range of chocolates.

G/F, Chung San House, 8-10 Gough Street, Central
Tel: +852 2563 9393
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan/Hong Kong

#2 BARISTA JAM

If you frequent Sheung Wan, chances are, you would have stumbled upon this stylish coffee house with an industrial chic design. It is the combination of these factors: centralised location, good coffee, knowledgeable staff, affordable prices and a cosy setting that make Barista Jam such a popular hangout spot for locals and expats alike.

Shop D, G/F, 126-128 Jervois Street
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2854 2211
Mon: 10am – 6pm
Tue to Fri: 8am – 6pm
Sat: 10pm – 6pm
Sun: 11am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan

#3 CAFE CORRIDOR

Café Corridor is opened by Coffee Assembly Roastery – probably one of the first few coffee roasters in Hong Kong – and is strategically located opposite Times Square at Causeway Bay. They serve food like all day breakfast (HK$65), and sandwiches (HK$45), but what regulars come back for is the excellent coffee. It is also a spot where executives frequent for coffee and to take a breather from work too.

G/F, 26A Russel Street
Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 2892 2927
Mon to Thu: 8.30am – 11pm
Fri: 8.30am – 12 midnight
Sat: 12pm – 12 midnight
Sun: 12pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Causeway Bay

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#4 CAFE DEADEND

Hidden at the dead end of Po Hing Fong Street in Sheung Wan, Café Deadend is the perfect hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. They share the premise with their sister bakery Po’s Atelier, so you can have some lovely baked goods to go along with a cup of coffee. This dead end is worth traveling for.

72 Po Hing Fong
Sheng Wan
Tel: +852 6716 7005
Tue to Sun: 9.30am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan

#5 CAFFEE HABITU

Established in 2003, Caffe Habitu has expanded to a coffee chain with outlets all around Hong Kong. With free wifi, accessible locations, and consistently good coffee, it is no wonder Caffe Habitu has garnered a strong following over the years. For something different, try its Pu’er Tea Latte.

Shop L608, The ONE
100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 3572 0622
Mon to Thu: 11am – 9.30pm
Fri: 11am – 11pm
Sat: 10.30am – 11pm
Sun & PH: 10.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

#6 COMMON GROUND

A hidden gem in Soho.

It is not easy to get to Common Ground – you have to climb a million flights of stairs to reach Shing Wong Street – but once you stumbled upon the cafe, it will become your favourite hangout in Soho.

G/F, 19 Shing Wong Street, Central
Tel: +852 2818 8318
Daily (except Tue): 11am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Central

#7 CRAFT COFFEE ROASTER

Located in the West Kowloon district, Craft Coffee Roaster is an off-the-beaten track cafe that serves a range of coffee and a simple breakfast menu. The neighbourhood cafe may be quite inaccessible, but it is actually quite a spot to unwind at. The baristas are also lovely, and they will be more than happy to share more about their daily brews and special roasts with you.

29 Tai Kok Tsui Road
Tel: +852 2395 1888
Mon to Fri: 8am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Olympic

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#8 CUPPING ROOM

Recognised as one of the most established independent coffee shops in Hong Kong, Cupping Room is home to the champion of Hong Kong Barista Championship 2013. Step inside Cupping Room and let the aroma of coffee beans delight you – this Melbourne-inspired coffee shop is one place to head to for coffee purists.

Cupping Room is also listed in our guide to Hong Kong’s top independent coffee shops.

299 Queen’s Road Central
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2799 3398
Mon to Fri: 8am – 5pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan (Exit A2)

#9 ELEPHANT GROUND

You might miss this cafe if you are not paying attention. It actually sits within WOAW! concept store. We actually thought finding the cafe is part of the fun and attributed to our love for this secret hideout. It has both casual seats around the coffee bar, and outdoor benches ala al fresco style.

Coffee is definitely good, but we had to wait for a while before we could get seats. It goes without saying: Elephant Ground is a favourite spot for the executives in the Central area.

11 Gough Street
Tel: +852 2253 1313
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 9pm
Sat & Sun: 12pm – 7pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan/Hong Kong

#10 FUEL ESPRESSO

There are many coffee shops in Central, but few are as popular as Fuel Espresso. With two locations at International Finance Centre (IFC) and Landmark, Fuel Espresso is a big hit among many executives as it serves reliable and brilliant brews in an intimate space. And you bet they are always packed! But, for good coffee, anything goes.

Shop 3023, IFC, Central
Tel: +852 2295 3815
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 7pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 10am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Hong Kong

#11 HAZEL AND HERSHEY

Coffee lovers will enjoy visiting this cute little retail boutique coffee shop in Central. Whether it is caffe latte, cappuccino or piccolo, helpful and passionate baristas prepare every cup of coffee with care. Other than getting your caffeine fix, you can also purchase coffee beans, and equipments.

Shop 3, 69 Peel
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3106 0760
Daily: 10am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Central

#12 HELLO KITTY SECRET GARDEN

An obscure hood that is mainly residential, Tai Hang sits southeast of Causeway Bay and is fast becoming a dining destination. In the recent years, the gritty neighbourhood sees many new cafes and dessert shops, and the whole Tai Hang area henceforth exudes a charm that is second to none.

The latest addition to Tai Hang is Hello Kitty Secret Garden. Other than the signature Secret Garden Burger, the cafe has desserts – such as Chocolate Tart, Banana Chocolate Ball, Blueberry Mousse Cake, and Apple Pie – available on the all-day menu. Expect long queues every day, though.

Hello Kitty Secret Garden is also listed in our guide to Hello Kitty Cafes you must visit in Asia.

19 Ormsby Street, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2808 2868
Nearest Station: Tin Hau

#13 KNOCKBOX COFFEE COMPANY

Located on the quiet Hak Po Street, several streets away from the heart of Mong Kok, Knockbox Coffee Company is a hidden gem. The décor is simple and no-frills, but what keeps regular coming back again and again is the coffee. Be sure to stop by for a cuppa after shopping in the area.

Knockbox Coffee Company is also listed in our guide to Hong Kong’s top independent coffee shops.

G/F, 21 Hak Po Street
Mong Kok, Kowloon
Daily: 10 am – 10pm
Nearest MTR: Mong Kok

#14 LA FAMILLE

Chiffon cakes in Tai Hang sounds like our idea of an indulgent afternoon. This small cake house is charming with its pastel hues, and the cake assortment will surely make it tough to decide on just one flavour. But whichever you pick, be rest assured that the chiffon cakes are fluffy, airy and very moist. La Famille hails from Tokyo, and this outlet here is pretty good spot if you need some me-time!

G/F, Sun Chun Street, Tai Hang
Tel: +852 9243 7117
Tue to Sun: 12.30pm – 8pmNearest Station: Tin Hau

#15 LAB MADE ICE CREAM CAFE

As the name suggests, Lab Made Ice Cream serves liquid nitrogen ice cream made in a laboratory. The ice cream shop is always experimenting to develop new and interesting flavours.

Lab Made Ice Cream started with its main store in Tai Hang, and it has since opened other outlets in TST, Tseung Kwan O, Tsun Mun.

G/F, 6 Brown Street
Tel: +852 2670 0071
Mon to Thu: 2pm – 12 midnight
Fri: 2pm – 1am
Sat: 1pm – 1am
Sun: 1pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Tin Hau

#16 LIBRARY CAFE

Within a corner of Lane Crawford at HarbourCity Shopping Mall is Library Cafe, a stylish coffee place which serves simple comfort food like sandwiches and salad.

G/F, Lane Crawford
3 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

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#17 MANSONS LOT

Mansons Lot is an unassuming coffee shop tucked in Swatow Street alongside other random shops. We would not come all the way here just for their coffee, but if you are in the area, do swing by for a drink.

G/F, 15 Swatow Street, Wan Chai
Tel: +852 2362 1899
Daily: 7.30am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Wan Chai

#18 N1 COFFEE & CO

Opened by the guys from Barista Academy Hong Kong – co-founder EL Au is an award-winning barista, while the other founder Felix Wong also runs Cafe Corridor, Coffee Assembly – N1 Coffee & Co is just a few minutes away from Tsim Sha Tsui station and it is quiet place to sit down for a drink or to grab a quick bite.

The food menu is fairly simple, with breakfast (HK$40 – HK$65), salads (HK$55) and sandwiches (HK$45).

34 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel: +852 3568 4726
Daily: 8am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

#19 PASSION BY GERARD DUBOIS

Also on Mody Road, just a few steps from N1 Coffee & Co, is Passion by Gerard Dubois – a patisserie/boulangerie that offers the quintessential French cafe experience. You can find an assortment of freshly baked bread, pastries and cakes, as well as salads and sandwiches.

Shop A, G/F Lyton Building
32 – 48 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2721 1866
Daily: 8am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

#20 RABBITHOLE COFFEE ROASTERY

Surrounded by espresso machines and brewing equipment, Rabbithole Coffee Roastery is a heaven for coffee lovers. Choose your brewing method – espresso or slow-brew – and decide on your coffee beans.

For those who are keen to learn more about coffee, Rabbithole also conducts hand-drip class for beginners to learn more about a good hand-drip, latte art class, and coffee tasting class.

Rabbithole Coffee Roastery is also listed in our guide to Hong Kong’s top independent coffee shops.

3 Landale Street, Wan Chai
Tel: +852 2528 0039
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 8pm
Sat & Sun: 8.30am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Wan Chai

#21 SIFT DESSERT BAR

From French pastries, to macarons, and cupcakes, Sift Dessert Bar is a popular spot for dessert lovers to hang out at. Sift is widely recognised as one of the best cupcake places in Hong Kong. The cupcake flavours include banana foster, carrot, vanilla, red velvet, s’mores, amd toffee apple. Each cupcake is HK$35.

If you go to its dessert bar on Graham Street, try the signature Sift Chocolate Cake (HK$60) – a luscious chocolate fudge cake with praline crunch, Valrhona Jivara 40%, and Guanaja 70% cremeux.

46 Graham Street, Soho
Tel: +852 2530 4288
Wed, Thu, & Sun: 1pm – 11.30pm
Fri & Sat: 1pm – 12.30am
Nearest Station: Central

#22 SIMPLYLIFE

In a busy city where people are always racing against time and missing out on the smallest things, Simplylife – a European-style bakery cafe by Maxim’s Group - is an oasis of calmness in Hong Kong, and quite simply what life should be. We fell in love with it, more than what we thought we would. The space is one that will have you slow down, relax and breathe in the simple pleasures of life. simplylife, indeed.

Prices are exceptionally reasonable for the quality of food. The dinner menu is divided into Salad (HK$118 – HK$138), Meat (HK$118 – HK$208), Rice & Handmade Pasta (HK$98 – HK$148), and Pizza (HK$118). simplylife also has an impressive array of breads, pastries and cakes that are freshly baked every morning. The selection changes from time to time, but you will always be spoiled with choices from the 9 tarts, 8 whole cakes, 4 whole roll cakes, 6 danishes, croissants, baguettes and more.

Shop 30, L2, Festival Walk
80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong
Tel: +852 2777 5168
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Kowloon Tong

#23 TEAKHA TEA CAFE

Housed in a little shophouse on a quiet alley off Tai Ping Shan Street in Sheung Wan, Teakha offers the world an impressive range of organic tea like Masala Chai, Thai iced tea, Jasmine Blossoms, and Hoji au Lait, and Forest Black Tea.

The interior of the cafe is cute and cosy, while the outdoor terrace is a charming spot to have a cup of tea and enjoy their range of luscious desserts, including the Osmanthus & Okinawa Black Sugar Chiffon and the signature Matcha cheesecake.

Teakha is also listed in our guide as one of the 29 reasons to visit Hong Kong.

Shop B 18 Tai Ping Shan Street
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2858 9185
Tue to Sun: 11am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Sheung Wan

#24 THE COFFEE ACADEMICS

Located in the heart of Causeway Bay is The Coffee Academics – a flagship outlet by the caffe HABITU group. It is a chic and modern venue where coffee lovers and professionals gather to share their knowledge about the beverage. Any coffee geek would love to spend a day here.

In addition to coffee, The Coffee Academics also has a selection of salads, pizzas, pastas and mains on the all-day menu.

G/F, 38 Yiu Wa Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2156 0313
Mon to Thu: 10am – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 10am – 2pm
Sun: 12 noon – 9pm
Nearest Station: Causeway Bay

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#25 URBAN BAKERY WORKS

Sexy. Artsy. Fuss-free. Comfort. URBAN Bakery Works presents itself as the it place in Hong Kong for all-day casual dining. Its concept shop at The Landmark is a stunner, and it promises nothing but a hip and fun experience. While there are many things that we love at URBAN Bakery Works, the highlight has got to be the Ball Law Cowssant. It totally blew us away. We will go so far as to say that it is a must-eat in Hong Kong.

Besides the Ball Law Cowssant, URBAN Bakery Works offers croissants (made with French A.O.C butter) in seven different flavours – like Almond, Belgian Chocolate, Cheddar Cheese, Brulee, and Salted Egg Yolk! The croissants that we’ve sampled are so well made that they are just as good, if not even better than the ones that we had in Paris.

Room 322, 3/F The Landmark
12-16 Des Voeux Road Central
Tel: +852 3565 4320
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 8pm Sat, Sun & PH: 8.30am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Central

#26 UNAR COFFEE COMPANY

A charming coffee takeaway joint located in Tai Hang – a popular up and coming area filled with restaurants, cafes, and eateries – Unar Coffee Company is where hipsters go to for their caffeine fix.

G/F, 4 Second Lane, Tai Hang
Tel: +852 2838 5231
Sun, Tue to Thu: 1pm – 9pm
Fri & Sat: 1pm – 12 Midnight
Nearest Station: Tin Hau

#27 VIA TOKYO

Located on Leighton Road at Causeway Bay, Via Tokyo is a dessert cafe which specialises in traditional Japanese sweets. It is definitely a nice change from the usual Chinese desserts that you will find in Hong Kong. The matcha desserts are to die for indeed, but be prepared to face a queue.

Shop no 1A-1B, G/F Leishun Court
106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 2895 1116
Mon to Thu, & Sun: 9.30am – 10.30pm
Fri, Sat & PH: 9.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Causeway Bay

#28 18 GRAMS

18 Grams started with its original espresso bar at Causeway Bay Cannon Street, which is quite possibly the smallest coffee shop in Hong Kong. It has since expanded with other outlets in Times Square, Sai Kung, Harbourcity, Mongkok, Sheung Wan and Wan Chai. We prefer the Mongkok outlet because the café is much bigger than the other outlets, and besides coffee, you can find a wider selection of food like breakfast items and sandwiches.

Shop B04, B/F, Gala Place
56 Dundas Street
Tel: +852 2770 1339
Daily: 11.30am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Mongkok

Monday, 4 May 2015

初夏去杭州吃什么（一）

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2015-05-05文、图/味觉大师

杭州西子湖四季酒店金沙厅完全应该作为初夏到达杭州的一顿值得慢慢享用的晚餐。酒店建在西湖边，完全是私密典雅的江南园林设计，餐厅更是非常奢侈地占据了整个园林的一角。夜幕降临，更显得私密高贵。更重要是这里的菜，普遍评价都是越来越好吃，一年比一年好。

主厨王勇算是餐饮行业的资深人士，他从1991年就入行做厨师了，中国餐饮最好的时候和最不景气的时候都经历过，阅历丰富。一开始做传统上海菜、宁波菜，之后进入上海黄埔会，吸收了现代时髦的国际餐饮理念。杭州四季酒店开业之后，王勇到了金沙厅，经过几年的沉淀，做菜变得越来越得心应手。他说自己很喜欢这个行业，他的出品，总能找到传统和现代的结合点。