The Library, Island Shangrila, HK

 

Walking down

 

The painting, Island Shangrila, HK

 

Summer Palace (夏宮), Island Shangrila, HK

Happy with this place maintaining good service.  When we sat down, we were given a very soothing rose tea and cool preserved cabbage.  So we ordered the ginger scallion chicken (霸王雞) and stir fried celery, water chestnut, lotus stem and snow pea  (泮水芹香).  Sometimes it's better to order something simple to check out the skill of the  chef.  The latter one didn't disappoint me.  I'm impressed with the quick high heat stir frying of each ingredient.  This is an important step to stir fry each ingredient individually to keep their own flavour.  Then put back all the stir-fried ingredients for final step.  The chef made a very thin sauce to seal the dish.  Nothing sauce left but not dried at all.  That's the essence of Cantonese quick stir-frying.  The chicken was nice too but I'd prefer the one made by Hakka restaurants that they would shimmer the ginger and scallion slices in chicken broth.  I'd like the way the Chef put a half chicken head to make it a "complete" presentation, and it's a classic one.   Some like taking the chicken head after all.  

 

Harbour view room, Island Shangrila, HK

Took a half day to get what the booking was supposed to be.  The room was a bit bigger than the hill view room.  The view is even higher than Pacific Place office bldg. and JW Marriott.  

 

Hill view room, Island Shangrila HK

Whichever side the room of this hotel is, for sure you would have a nice view as the hotel takes the higher section of the building (from 39F).  The room is quite a 5 star hotel standard.  We spent just an hour of this room as there was a sewage smell in the corridor.  To be continued....

 

The shine

 

Shiawase Japanese restaurant, Harbour City, TST, HK

Chose a grilled chicken thigh set.  Supposed this shop is a premium restaurant which should observe a higher standard of serving order.  Somehow they served the main dish first and then asked if we minded the appetizers served after the main course.  My answer was "served it whenever it's ready".  Quite disappointed with the sea weed that it was soaked enough it was pretty dried and chewy and also smelly (a result of not having been rinsed well).  It was gross if it went with tomato.  The grilled chicken was a bit cooled down, probably because of their waiting for the appetizers.  The rice was quite mashy.  The soup was very salty.  The whole meal really contracted with their restaurant theme word "fortune".  I found it a reverse.

 

Nara Thai, Harbour City, TST, HK

The restaurant has 2 areas - one as Lady Nara and the other Nara Thai.  Quite a long line for Lady Nara because of its colourful dining setting.  I opted for Nara Thai for sure.  

The menu is very different from its original Thai branch's.  There is only one choice of "boat" noodle - beef noodle.  When it was served on the table, it looked like the noodle casserole (鴻圖窩麵), with big beef balls, beef slices, liver, tendon, brisket and stomach...etc., lots of veggie and big chunk of rice noodle.   Also had the grilled chicken with somtam (papaya salad), minced pork stir fried with basil over rice and stir fried veggie.  The air-ventilation was much too strong to blow on the table that all the food got cooled down too fast.  It was quite disappointing to eat a cooled Thai boat noodle.

 

Sit back and relax: swimming with the business class

 

Walk to the fortune

 

Lunch with a sunny view

 

Leah Cafe, Causeway Bay, HK

Quite often as when I brought friends to try new restaurants that it might not be as good as the first visit.  The common reason is the timing.  I usually bring friends on weekends that the restaurant would be busier and so the service and food quality might not be the same.

Tried their Quinoa salad and club sandwhich on this first visit.  Quite impressive with their light dressing and the buffalo cheese on the side.  The place is in a good ambience and next to a play room center.  It might be a bit noisy when some kids passed by.

 

Sitting in the green and light

 

GC (Gontran Cherrier) Cafe, K11 Musea, HK

Ordered a seared tuna salad, a chicken portobello mushroom sandwich and a berry smoothie.  The salad was in quite heavy seasoned dressing and the tuna was also in heavy salt sprinkle.  The sandwich was a bit better though.