Fusion local meal set by McDonald's

 

&BTR restaurant, Tai Koo Shing

There have been quite many restaurants taking this location next to Ice Palace of Tai Koo Shing.  Quite nice to feel some chilling icy air streaming through and watching people skating.  I stopped visiting when it was Deli and Wine (a MX deli) and School Food. 

When I checked the menu, I recalled EXP that I used to visit 9-10 years ago.  The prices are the same and even lower.  The burger is just at HK$35, and the pasta about HK$55.  You can get a salad at an extra of $10 and a drink at $9.  So the burger set meal with salad and drink is just 54.  At first I thought the burger might be quite small if that's $35, but it wasn't.  So I ordered an appetizer platter (chicken wings, tortilla with yoghurt and salsa filling.  The platter at HK$75 seemed to be a bit high as compared to other items, but it's much worth it.  It's very ironic that the fries from this place is much cheaper but incomparably more delicious than the other meal we had at Dan Ryan's.  At least I could taste real fresh potato and the dried fries without much grease.  The tortilla was unexpectedly aromatic with fresh raw yoghurt (sugarless).  The pasta was cooked with pork/beef sausage - juicy and blended with meat flavour.  Not heavily seasoned either.  If the ingredients were fresh enough, no need to have too much seasoning.  

 

 

Yayoi, Sapporo, Hokkaido

The hotel we stayed offered their breakfast at their downstair restaurant Yayoi.  There are 4 choices for the breakfast set, with 2 fish sets and 1 deep fried chicken and 1 western set (sausage and potato patty).  The salad, rice, soup and drink are sefl-serviced.  Quality wise, it's not bad in considering it's just HK$35.  It's far much better than the one in BKK though.

Brooks Cafe, Omote Sando, Tokyo

It's about 32 degree this day.  I felt like something cool and chill for a lunch.  So I got a smoothie and a sandwich in this cozy place.

Subway (with Yasai-Lab), Grand Front Osaka mall

Such a gimmick of how to make their sandwich "look" and "sound" good.

Nando's Melbourne

Tried this branch in quite many other places and got impressed, especially the last one near Covent Garden/Charing Cross in London.  As I ran into this one in the financial area of Melbourne, I went in and expected a nice meal.  Unfortunately it was 180 degree reverse to the down side.  Ordered a party set.  The chicken was luke warm, and the chicken fillets were dried out for a whole day and the fries were much too greasy.  The coleslaw was the worst I had ever had.  Also, some rotten veggie was found.  I had a tummy sick a few hours later.  

Hesburger, Helsinki, Finland

I'd suppose Hesburger to be derived from Helsinki Burger.  As I noticed there was a rye multi-grain bun, I was curious to order one.  If the other burger shops could offer this bun, I'd prefer them.  The good thing about this place was that they freshly made the burger and the French fried too.  

IHOP (International House of Pancakes), Siam Paragon BKK

It's quite difficult to tell the others about the difference of buttermilk pancakes and the Asian style pancakes if they often claim "crisy" outside only for the latter one.  Though I am not into American food, I like the way it was made so hearty and comforting.  IHOP was one of my favourite restaurants I visited in the States.  So when I first noticed this in KL and Dubai, I felt like meeting a good old friend. When they opened in Siam Paragon, I was happier it was geting closer and more convenient.  Photo 1: is their all day breakfast with steak cubes with fried onion, (original) hash brown, scrambled egg and their signature pan cake.  We also ordered their other specialities like waffles and French toasts.  On personal preference, I'd prefer waffles, but I'd still like their pancakes because of the good old memory.  

Louis beef burger, Zurich, Switzerland

Around 2:30pm, it was a bit drizzling and a bit breezy.  There came a nice aroma of the beef patties being pan-fried.  The shop highlighted their house speciality sauces - one is spicy and the other not.  So I asked for a spicy one.  It was really refreshing with the lettuce, tomato and onion.  The fries was not to be missed and a very big portion. 

Whopper's meal, at Zurich, Switzerland

In fact, I'm not much into burger and fries.  I can't take too much cheese; so a burger would be a better alternate choice.  It may be the most expensive whooper's meal I have had.  CHF32 (very close to USD) for 2 combo meals.  It's a bit weird they even charge ketchup for 30 cents.  If this meal is 3.99 or 4.99, then I don't mind it.  As this meal is already that pricy, make the meal to $17 (1 dollar extra) with complimentary ketchup wouldn't be too different from $16.

Jamy's Burger shop, Frankfurt, Germany

Just like what it claimed on the tray paper "FRESH", the bun, the lettuce, the tomato, onion and the beef patty told it.  I felt a bit missing this shop though my mind kept telling me I had to try other German restaurants.  They have some specialities like fries with bacon and sweet potato fries.  I tried the latter one.  Very delicious and so good to go with a coke!

Grilled pork with sticky rice, Burger King, Avani mall, BKK

After KFC served congee, McDonald's having rice burger, this time Burger King made something even more local - flame grilled pork with sticky rice.  It's just THB59 - a very good bargain.

Photo 2: this mall is very interesting to have two horses in the central atrium.

Butcher's Burger, Tai Koo Shing, HK

The branch in Wanchai has been so popular that there comes another branch in Tai Koo Place, opposite to the commercial building The East where many western regional offices are in.

The shop claimed it's the first having their own dried age beef farm in Tin Wan, Aberdeen. 

On the first day of opening, it was very crowded with fans coming a long way or some local westerner expat.  Tried their house burger (at HK$100).  The beef patty is very nice but the bun isn't (a bit too soft and not that aromatic).  The fries is also nice as they use duck fat to fry it.  However, I'd rather go for the Create McDonald's since I can choose more veggie and the big portobello mushroom.

Create - McDonald's HK

This new "create your own" burger branch first landed at Admiralty,  and now gradually expanding to Causeway Bay and other busy places.  This time I created a burger with a grilled portobello mushroom in addition to the lettuce, tomato, pickled, onion...etc.  With a drink and a fried, it's about HK$75.  It's a bit expensive but to me it's worth it since you can choose a quality bread and nice mushroom.  Something caught my attention is their highlight of premium coffee and also selling coffee beans.  The coffee is pretty good but the cake is somewhat disappointing.  I'd definitely come here for another try.

Costa Coffee, Siam Paragon, BKK

Though I still enjoy Starbucks pretty much among all the Coffee chains, it's always nice to see more foreign chains expanding more.  This way we will get to see a blooming market and so to diversify the market.  This one from England isn't the best (as I would prefer Pret-A-Manger), but it offers more variety of sandwich and pastry choices.