吉列豚肉專門店銀座梅林 Ginza Bairin @ K11 review

logo

First, I would like to apologize in advance. The restaurant had dim lighting so it was hard to take better quality pictures. >___<

different dressings

I got to try each of the dressings. The Sesame dressing was great with the salad. The Wasabi dressing and Tonkotsu Dressing were great for the Tonkotsu.

chopsticks and wet napkins.. I like their calligraphy font and colour

sashimi

Sashimi

Oooh, this was definitely one of the best sashimi I had in Hong Kong... Although I couldn't exactly tell the fish apart... how shameful of me.

This was their biggest Sashimi dish... I think they want to focus on their Tonkatsu instead of Sashimi. But if you are getting a Tonkatsu dinner (which you should!) this plate of Sashimi is more than enough (we shared it among 3 people)

Tonkotsu set

Tonkotsu!

Even with the bad lighting and blurry picture quality, you can see just how crispy these were.

Impressions

• Super crispy on the outside
• Tender on the inside
• Not oily 
• pork was so tasty

There is a reason why people like Black Pork (?) the most... I have never tasted such great tasting pork... not only was the flavour but there was just the right amount of fat to make it so tender, and it was perfectly moist making it super juicy!

The Tonkotsu was so crispy on the outside and the inside was so tender... although it didn't exactly "melt" in your mouth, it was very juicy. The right amount of fat made it perfect, not oily at all.

another view

The set included miso soup, rice and salad. The Sesame sauce (found on the table) was perfect for this salad (the other sauces didn't work so well... though they did produce an interesting taste).

one of the best Plum wines I have ever had

Plum Wine
They made their own Plum Wine, so unless you visit this place, you can't try it. I loved it... the plum taste was just right! This was the best tasting plum wine I have ever had... I see myself going on a journey to look for good tasting plum wine now :D

Score: 9/10
official website: http://www.ginzabairin.com/en/index.php
Hong Kong website: http://www.ginzabairin.com.hk/

Laneige Perfect Renew Trial Kit review

Laneige Perfect Renew Trial Kit

To be honest, I haven't had much luck with Laneige product other than their sleeping pack. Their serum/essence have done nothing for me. But a few days ago, I came across their trial kit and decided to give their products just ONE more chance... because the brand is quite well known... it SHOULD be good... kind of right? what harm could a trial kit do?

product details and amounts contained

For this review, I will be focusing on the whole kit instead of individual products since it is hard to give a review after using them in such small amounts.

Sorry guys, I can't read Korean and wasn't able to find a friend who was able to translate it for me. (if you know what it says (other than the product names) please let me know!

Products:

1. Perfect Renew Cream 10ml x 1
2. Perfect Renew Emulsion 10ml x 1
3. Perfect Renew Skin Refiner 10ml x 1
4. Perfect Renew Essence 5ml x 1
5. Perfect Renew Night Treatment 5ml x 1

Pack Size - 5 pcs



Replete with rejuvenating Ceramide Repair Water, the complementary products work in sync to hydrate skin and deliver skin renewing peptide right where skin aging begins.

How to Use: 

Apply skin refiner > Emulsion > Essence and finally Cream. 

For night use Perfect Renew Night Treatment.

impressions

• long lasting (but I didn't use it religiously)
• perfect renew... excuse me... renew...
• did not improve skin condition

all the products and their containers

So, you gotta give them credit, despite the small amounts offered... this stuff lasts... it can last for up to 2 weeks... but I don't care...

... I am breaking up with Laneige... or more appropriately, I am blacklisting their products (other than the sleep pack. Their products SUCK! And I'm not just saying this... after using this kit my skin condition not only stayed the same, it worsened!

Never in my life had I had pimples/acne problems... although I can't say that my skin was "perfect" I did not have your average person skin problems... BUT! after using this product for only 2 days, pimples started forming on my lower jaw area, acne started developing on my nose/mouth area, oil was present on my tzone (I had to use blotting paper to get rid of all that oil)... my face was a disaster! I don't understand why their products are so popular...

score: 0/10... sorry.... -10/10
website: (no website... but who cares.., you can see how mad I am...)

Cheesess Cheese Tart review

Cheesess shop

While waiting for a friend at K-11, I couldn't help but notice this cheesecake place. It was very simple (only 2 dine in tables) located right in the middle of the mall. I wanted to try the cheese cakes at this place from the moment I first noticed its presence... but my busy schedule did not let me.

Since Cheese Tarts are currently the talk of the dessert world in the city, I couldn't help but noticed their prominent Cheese Tart stand next to their cake display windows. I was surprised that they were only $18 each. Despite my busy schedule, I decided to buy take out.

packaging

I mean, where else would you buy Cheese Tarts other than a place that claims it has the best cheese cakes around?

Impressions

• Very soft and fragile
• Melts in mouth
• Strong lemon taste
• Coconut bites
• Reasonably priced

Cheese Tart (Original Flavour)

WOW... so... I wasn't expecting this! It was good... but not the way I have expected it to be. First, the tart, when it touches the warmth of your mouth, literally melts in your mouth. It just collapses, giving in to the warmth. Secondly, it wasn't too sweet, I find that most lemon desserts have too much added sugar inside, but I'm glad it wasn't the case for this, the amount of sweetness was just right! Thirdly, I loved the added coconut pulp (are they called pulp?)... well... the bits of coconut that were randomly scattered. It made a nice addition to the flavours and a nice added touch (so the whole tart didn't feel too slimy).

overflown with goodness

I was slightly... (I can't exactly call it "disappointment") bummed when I could hardly taste the cheese. The lemon and coconut taste was too overpowering. Now... I haven't had a Cheese Tart prior, so I'm not sure if that is how cheese tarts are supposed to be. But I would expect there to be a much stronger presence of cheese, if it were in the name.

Other than the "cheese issue" I loved this tart... it was so good!
score: 9/10
website: http://cheesess.com/hk/index.php?route=product/product_list&category_id=35&product_id=108

豐記 雞蛋仔 review

Fung Gei's Chinese Egg Waffle

Lately, it seems that every where I look, every street I walk down, there is a Chinese Egg waffle place (雞蛋仔). I have seen all kinds, from Cheese-filled Egg Waffles to Chocolate Fills. However, my favourite has to be the original. Call me weird, but I prefer the original because I like the sweetness of the batter. I haven't tried many flavours... but I think that if a place cannot get the "original flavour" right... forget about trying the fancier ones.

menu item

While walking down Granville Road, I came across this place. During that first encounter, I decided to not try it because this place was crowded. It was around 5:00pm of a public holiday, there were dozens of people of all ages trying to get some form of snack from this "shop". I told myself that I will come to this place when it is WAY less crowded.

Across the street is Granville Circuit

The next day I visited this place, it was empty. I was the only customer there (strange how things change so suddenly, huh?). This time, I got a closer view of the place, I learned that quite a number of celebrities and food show hosts have been to this place.

bag of Chinese Egg Waffles

As usual, I got my Original Chinese Egg Waffles for $15 HKD. 

how the Chinese Egg Waffles look

Impressions:

• these were not made "recently" 
• batter was not made (lacking lots of ingredients)
• empty on the inside and not chewy nor crispy on the outside

I was disappointed that these Chinese Egg Waffles were cold when they gave it to me. Having a shop should indicate freshness. Unfortunately, this was not the case for this. However, my disappointment did not stop there. The taste was terrible, it was so bland. 

All I can conclude is... No wonder it was so empty when I went! I guess you can trick your customers the first time but not the second time. It was no wonder I was the only customer there the next day. I do not recommend this place... there are much more better Chinese Egg Waffle places in Tsim Sha Tsui, just walk down the street a little and you will find other ones that will be much better than this place! Total disappointment!

Score: 1/10

Website: no website

Spaghetti House Afternoon Tea review

Spaghetti House, view from my seat

This is my first time travelling to Hong Kong by myself. And this is the first time I have ever dined by myself... as in ... eating by myself outside... in a restaurant... (shocking isn't it?)

Spaghetti House is one of my favourite places to dine in Hong Kong because I really like the pleasant environment and relaxing atmosphere of this place. The service is also very good.

I particularly like looking outside the windows outside the busy streets of Hong Kong while I am situated in such a relaxing environment. It just seems as if time has stopped and I could just pause from all the busyness and just relax.

Afternoon Tea Menu

Afternoon Tea starts at 2:30pm. Look at all the selection! (for reference: $56HKD = $7.25 USD and $71HKD = $9.20 USD)! (please note that there is a standard 10% Service Fee). The price is so affordable too!! Honestly, in Toronto, I can barely order a combo with $10.00 USD. So to me this is one of the best finds! Plus, I really like the quality and atmosphere that this place has. 

my meal

This was all that was included. I was a little scared I couldn't finish it all... but I did! ;P Apologies for the half eaten soup... I promise you can see what it looks like before I dug right into the puff pastry!

Cold Lemon Tea

I think the tea was brewed from some Lipton tea bags. Nonetheless, it was still quite tasty! Like all Hong Kong restaurants/cafes/diners/etc of the like, they included the standard 4 slices of lemons.

In Toronto, we always had to add an extra $0.75 to make our drinks cold... but not at Spaghetti House! If you are their VIP member, you can also get a free upgrade to a much fancier drink (e.g. Hand Crafted Coffee, Fresh Fruit Juices, etc). If you aren't a member you will have to pay an extra $18 HKD.

the soup!

As I mentioned earlier, I will definitely include a better picture of the Lobster Bisque soup! This is one of the best Lobster Bisques I have ever had. 

First, I really liked the Puff Pastry, secondly, I really liked the consistency of the soup, it wasn't too thick making it seem like you were drinking a whole lobster tail and it wasn't too thin. I liked the amount of lobster they had included in this soup and they had mushrooms!

This soup was quite filling but I liked it.

One thing that I am quite disappointed about is that the Puff pastry was slightly burnt on top making a small section of it slightly bitter, other than that, I loved it!

Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood and Pesto sauce

To be honest, if I had 10 stomachs, I will probably try almost all of them! The descriptions to each one of them were so good. After some careful thinking, I opted for the first menu item: Angel Hair Pasta with Seafood and Pesto Sauce (Shrimps, Mussels, Scallops and Squid).

Shrimps, Mussels, Scallops and Squid.

Props that they have included every one of these ingredients (from the description) in this dish.

Unlike most traditional Italian places, the sauce was not visually noticeable but taste-wise, my mouth was able to taste the goodness of the pesto sauce.

Verdict:

I think I will be spending lots of 2:30 - 6:00 afternoons at Spaghetti House. The service is great, the servers are efficient and the quality of food is high. I also enjoyed the light casual atmosphere with the mixture of soft rock and jazz music playing in the background.

(For those who are wondering... NO, this post was not sponsored by anyone).

Score: 10/10

Website: http://www.spaghettihouse.com/html/eng/menu/afternoon_menu.jsp

BioTherm Liquid Glow Skin-Best review

packaging

Due to climate changes, I feel my skin getting rougher and drier... so while I was shopping at Shoppers Drug Mart, I came across Biotherm's Liquid Glow Skin Best, I have never used any Biotherm products before, but have heard lots of great reviews so I decided to give this face oil a try.



Price: $65 + 13% tax (total: $73.45)

packaging

What it claims:

A revolution in facial oils : the 1st dry oil ultra-concentrated in one of the most powerful antioxydant algae extract : Astaxanthin. Skin is instantly smoothed out and complexion is naturally enhanced.

Ingredients:

How to use it:

There are 4 ways you can use this:

• ALL DAY GLOW TOUCHES: Apply by pressing to add touches of glow.
• NIGHT DETOX: Massage the face for a detoxing effect.
• WITH YOUR SKINCARE: Mix a drop of oil with your skincare to add an antioxidant power.
• RADIANCE RECOVERY MASK: Apply in thick layer, leave-on for 10 min then wipe-off the excess.


pros:

• hygienic
• makes skin feel so soft (just takes 2 days to notice the difference)
• a little goes a long way
• smells nice
• easy to apply

cons:

• leaves an unpleasant oil crust on skin hours after applying
• easy to drop bottle
• bottle is made out of glass (breakable)
• hard to take out 10% of remaining product (pump is too short)
• oily
• a bit pricy

My favourite way of using this oil is Night Detox (see above). I love massaging the product into my face and letting my face absorb all of it. I find Emulsion works best with this product while moisturizer doesn't.

you can see how the base of the bottle is very uneven and easy to tip over in this picture

One thing I hate about this oil is the bottle... I have a love hate relationship with it, I love it because it feels more expensive but I hate it at the same time because it is not sturdy, making it easy for the container to tip over (and perhaps breaking and wasting all of the remaining product).

I love what this product has done to my skin and you can see results after 2 days! Like most facial oils, this product leaves an unpleasant oily crust on your skin a few hours after using it. So I recommend covering it with an emulsion.

I highly recommend this product but I do find it quite pricey, a bottle lasts about 4 months.

score: 8.5/10
website: http://www.biotherm.ca/product/skin-best-liquid-glow,default,pd.html

MIA and other updates

Hey everyone,

I first want to apologize for MIA for the past few weeks. I have been extremely busy attending weddings (of course this isn't an excuse) and other events. I just want to give a heads up that this might continue for the next few weeks... hope you can all bear with me :(.

Also, I have noticed recent comments here regarding my sponsorship and affiliations with certain companies.

I will like to make a formal announcement here:

I am currently not affiliated with any company and have not been paid to write reviews. If I am paid, sponsored or affiliated with any company or interest groups to write posts in the future, I will be sure to make an obvious indication that that certain post/review/etc was sponsored/paid for.

Thanks.

Steph