Cheap Korean Eats - Azumma

Last week C and I went to Kimberly Street (aka Korean Street) in TST for some Korean groceries and a quick lunch. I noticed a new restaurant had opened a few doors down from New World Mart (my favorite place for home-made kimchi) across from Hansung (another place for an cheap bite). We saw on the menu that the some of the rice dishes had a $10 discount (so dishes that were $50 became $40), and it looked busy, so we decided to have a try. We ordered a stone bowl mixed rice (bibimbap), a kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeumbap), and a cold buckwheat noodle (mul naengmyun). It only cost us $170 total.

Beef Bibimbap - Stone Bowl Mixed Rice

Mul Naengmyun - Cold Buckwheat Noodle

Kimchi Bokkeumbap - Kimchi Fried Rice

The bibimbap was okay, and there was nothing spectacular about the naengmyun, but the fried rice was surprisingly good. It was lightly spicy, tangy from the kimchi, and although you could see the oil on your plate it didn't feel greasy in the mouth. There were also bits of pork and onion in the fried rice, and some seaweed was sprinkled on top to finish it off. Sure, it might not be the healthiest thing to eat but it was pretty tasty! 

I think Azumma is better than Hansung. Even though Hansung is okay, I think the flavors at Azumma were more on point. It's worth trying if you're in the area, and you should pick up some Korean groceries while you're at it!

Azumma Korean Restaurant

G/F, 3B Kimberley Street, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2311 - 3983

Nibbles - Chez Shibata

Was at Elements the other day and passed by Chez Shibata, a famous Japanese patisserie and tea salon. So I picked up two signature cakes to share with my family at home.














Coeur des bois ($38) - This was the first cake I chose without hesitation. It stood out from the rest because it was bright red, it was heart shaped, and I love raspberries! The Coeur de bois is a vanilla bavarois with a raspberry jelly and a light sponge cake layer on the bottom. The bavarois was light with an airy texture, which contrasted nicely with the tart jelly in the middle. The thin sponge was a bit too wet, which made the texture kind of grainy.














Tranche Maccha ($40) - I love green tea and chocolate, so I decided to get this one too. It's a chocolate sponge cake layered with green tea mousse and chocolate mousse, decorated with chocolate pearls and a chocolate ribbon. This cake was okay - I didn't like the fact that again, the sponge was soggy. It was soaked in an orange liquor, which didn't work so well with the green tea and chocolate. There could be a better balance between the chocolate and the green tea - while I do love some strong dark chocolate, it made tasting the green tea difficult.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. There was a huge hype about this patisserie, and the cakes do look like art on a plate. Sadly, it just didn't taste as good as it looked, or as good as it costs. Probably won't be a next time.

Chez Shibata, Shop No.2003, 2/F Elements, 1 Austin Rd. West, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2169-8921

A Reuben and Ribs at Main St. Deli

Ever since coming back to Hong Kong, I've been looking for a place that serves a good Reuben. I did some browsing online and it seems to have boiled down to two places - Main St. Deli at the Langham Hotel in TST and Dakota Prime (which is now closed). Just had a light dinner for two with H at Main St. Deli.

(Apologies for the handheld quality photos - didn't have my usual camera on me)




















French Onion Soup ($68 on its own) and Cajun Fried Calamari Rings ($68)

The soup was okay, nothing really great or fancy, but I liked the calamari rings - they were thick and bouncy, cooked just right. Didn't quite taste the Cajun though, but with a choice of two dips, it didn't matter that much.





















The Reuben ($148) - corned beef, pastrami, turkey, sauerkraut, melted swiss cheese on rye. Mmmmm. Not quite as juicy and melt-in-your-mouth compared to meat in Katz's sandwiches, but pretty good! A sandwich at Katz's runs for about US$15-$20, so this sandwich wasn't overpriced, given that it is in a hotel restaurant.






Last, the ribs (part of a set with the soup for $228). Just okay. There were a few bits that were slightly dry, but I like the BBQ sauce. The meat doesn't quite fall off the ribs though.









I do like this place! Their menu's a fair size too, with all-day breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, salads...typical American fare. It reminds me of The Cheesecake Factory :) I'll need to come back for those towering slices of cheesecake in the glass fridge/display case - H has his eyes set on a slice of lemon meringue tart - and there's a Peach and Vanilla Stuffed French Toast on the menu that's already lookin' good!

Main St. Deli is on the Lower Lobby floor of The Langham Hotel, 8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.