Update Jan 13, 2013: This restaurant is now closed.
This is a “new” restaurant that’s opened in Union Square along Capstan Way. It’s not actually new, as the owner and the workers are still the same, as is the decor. They just renamed the place and revamped their menu.
Like all HK Style cafes, this restaurant offers afternoon specials that includes an entree and a drink. I find now most of these places have returned to charging $1.00 extra for cold drinks. This place was the same. Because of that, the already $$$ pricing (in HK style cafe standards), along with the $1.00 extra charge, the prices range from $8-$15. Quite pricy I must say. Let’s see if the food is worth its price.
The Boyfriend recommended that I have their Crispy Pepper Salt Chicken with fried egg and rice, so I ordered that. This was in the Lunch Combo so it came with soup and bun also. I decided to have Iced Milk Tea. It tasted pretty good-just the right amount of milk and tea. And sweetness.
They gave me a choice between cream or hk style borsch. I chose cream as always. It was cream of mushroom soup and it was very rich and yummy. The bun however was overly crusty. I’ve always like my bread to be just lightly crispy as the hard crust I find hurts my mouth (haha). But I just dunked all of the crust in my soup and it was really good after that.
Finally my entree came. I asked for my egg to be over-easy. The chicken was pretty good. It was crispy with a delicious coating. It was a bit greasy though, and some parts of the batter was overly salty. I like the vegetables it came with also. As the main focus was the chicken and the egg I only managed to finish those off. The soup and bun filled me up. In fact, I had to pack my drink to go afterwards.
The soya sauce that came with it is meant for the egg and rice I think. It was a sweetened soya sauce so that was a nice touch. This, with the $1 extra, cost $10.95.
Boyfriend had a sore throat so I suggested he have the Hainan Chicken Vermicelli. His was a cheaper option so it only came with a drink. He ordered Lemon water with Honey. I always thought this was a rip-off since you can make that at home. But he always orders it…Another thing, these restaurants ALWAYS ALWAYS charge you an extra $0.50 for honey. RIP-OFF!!! It’s not like they give you a good amount either…
As with all Hainan Chicken dishes, it came with a dipping sauce of ginger and green onion, and a type of vinegar.
The vermicelli and the chicken were served separately. The chicken was okay tasting. I’ve never really know what GOOD hainan chicken should taste like. I always thought it rested on how good the dipping sauce was. The vermicelli on the other-hand, was very comforting. It was like something I would like to have if I was sick. So I hope it was comforting for the Boyfriend also. The soup was a generic flavorful.
This, along with the $0.50 extra for honey, cost $9.00. Overall, I didn’t think the food was worth the high price. I could’ve had the same for less at Kingspark or Boston Steak House.
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Wendy,
Have you tried the Silver Tower Cafe beside Matsuyama Restaurant over on Alexandra Rd, which is often referred to as Food Street?
It was recommended by another blogger. Most of the afternoon specials were in the 7.95 to 8.95 range and hot/cold drinks are included.
I find most HK style cafes to be similar, and was pleasantly surprised by the mango coconut grilled pork chops which I ordered. There were 2 thinly grilled pork chops which I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish, but incredibly inhaled the whole thing. It was almost like the unbelievably huge porterhouse steak experience I had in Vegas.
Anyways, portions are large and I also like the modernish japanese vibe. It seems to be a little cleaner and streamlined than most HK style cafes I’ve been to.
I want to go back and try some other dishes next time.
Ooooh mango that sounds enticing already~ I’ll definitely try it.
Before when they used to be Golden Award I frequented them. But after the renovation I don’t know why but we’ve visited it less. Probably due to the hellish parking conditions there.