Kai Kai Dessert 佳佳甜品 - Jordan - Kowloon, Hong Kong

Located in Jordan in the area of Yau Ma Tei, Kai Kai Dessert is a casual eatery that specialises in traditional Cantonese desserts. Having opened more than 40 years ago, it's super popular with both locals and tourists. It has also been featured in the Michelin Guide recently, resulting in an increase in customers. Lucky for us, there was no queue when we went after having dinner close by.

I find that Hong Kong desserts are not too heavy and lighter on the palate compared to Western desserts.

Don't expect too much from their service as they get very busy, so you take a seat, order and the pay at the end.

There are a number of options to choose from at affordable prices that won't break your budget.

The great thing about their menu is it's in both English and Chinese, and there are pictures which makes ordering very easy.

The 'Sesame Seed Rice Ball with Ginger Sweet Soup (HKD 18.00)' is my dessert of choice.

Soft and chewy glutinous rice balls (tong yuen) filled with a smooth and velvety sesame paste is a match made in heaven. Pure bliss. The accompanying ginger soup was not too sweet and had a nice ginger hit. I do love the spiciness of ginger but some may find it overwhelming.

'Black Sesame Soup (zhi ma hu) (HKD 18.00)' is fragrant when eaten and is usually served warm. It's an old fashioned dessert that is viscous but ultra silky without the grittiness and lumps. They grind their black sesame seeds from scratch, no wonder it's so good.

My absolute favourite dessert house in Hong Kong is easily Kai Kai Dessert hands down. We actually went twice and if we were there for more days we would have went more times.These bowls of hearty Cantonese desserts are definitely worth trying. I wouldn't mind having a bowl right now.

Where?
29 Ningpo St
Jordan, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Phone no: +85 2 2384 3862

Opening Hours
7 Days a Week
12:00pm - 4:00am

Website
N/A

Australia Dairy Company 澳洲牛奶公司 - Jordan - Kowloon, Hong Kong

If you ask someone who has been to Hong Kong on where to eat they would probably recommend the Australia Dairy Company. It's been mentioned in numerous guide books and there are a plethora of posts on the internet. People flock from far and wide to visit the famed cha chann teng, otherwise known as a tea restaurant serving traditional Hong Kong style food at affordable prices.

We were expecting very long queues that snaked around the front. To our surprise, there was no queue on a weekday morning after 8am. Customers do not linger around. They order, eat , pay and then leave.

The Australia Dairy Company has no association with Australian Diary. The owner use to work on a farm in Australia and that's where it got its name from.

Displays of milk and egg custard. One of their most popular items.

Fresh milk from a local dairy farm. 

It's partly chaotic inside giving it a lively buzz.

The staff here are notorious for their rude and nasty service, but I was surprised that they were fairly nice to us. We were taken to a vacant table and a hardcover English menu resembling a photo book was handed to us. Then we ordered and the waiter nodded his head and quickly disappeared to the kitchen. I've read that unless you spoke Cantonese you might have difficulty ordering so we prepared in advance in case we weren't given an English menu.

Ordering a set menu is much cheaper than ordering individual items. The breakfast set costs HKD 32, and includes either a coffee or milk tea, scrambled or fried eggs with buttered toast and a bowl of macaroni and ham in chicken soup. Now that's excellent value for money. The only problem is actually finishing the meal as the portion size is rather large for one.

We ordered one set meal containing a milk tea, scrambled eggs with buttered toast, and a ham and macaroni soup. It came out a few minutes after we ordered. Highly efficient and prompt service.

The thick slices of toast were slightly buttered just how I like it. The star of the dish was the scrambled eggs. Perfectly cooked eggs that were fluffy, moist and tasty. A simple yet satisfying dish.

I really liked the macaroni and ham soup. The macaroni was al-dente and the addition of the ham on the top gave it a nice balance with the slightly salty chicken soup. Comforting on a cold and rainy day.

The milk tea had a strong black tea flavour and was an acquired taste. I much prefer coffee over milk tea.

The fried eggs on a buttered toast was pretty decent too. For those who aren't too hungry or after a lighter meal the single toast option is better.

Was it worth trying out? Yes! While there are one of these types of restaurants on nearly every corner, what differentiates them from the rest if their scrambled eggs and the consistently good quality of their food.

Where?
47 Parkes St
Jordan, Kowloon
Hong Kong

MTR Jordan Exit C2

Phone no: +85 2 2730 1356

Opening Hours
Daily Except Thursday
7:30am - 11:00pm

Website
N/A

Ichiran 天然豚骨拉麵專門店一蘭 - Causeway Bay - Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a vibrant city of great shopping and delicious food. It's an amazing place to visit with lots to see and do. We were in Hong Kong for a total of six days and five nights.

I remember going in the month of July back when I was in primary school many years ago, where it was awfully hot and humid. The weather this time around was much cooler as it was the start of Spring but it rained non-stop for three days.

Ichiran is a very popular Japanese ramen restaurant originating from Fukuoka, Japan. They have branches throughout Japan and they opened their first overseas outlet at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in 2013 and subsequently another branch at Tsim Sha Tsui. The outlet at Causeway Bay follows the individual booth seating layout of its restaurants in Japan whereas the one at Tsim Sha Tsui offers a communal dining experience.

We chose to go to Causeway Bay as we wanted to get as close to the real deal as possible. Most of the ingredients are flown in from its headquarter in Japan. I never had the chance to go to Ichiran when I was in Japan but I've heard many good things about it from fellow friends. However, reviews  on the internet for the Hong Kong branch say otherwise. I was a bit skeptical thinking it would be ordinary tasting and bland as some said.

Arriving a bit after 12:30pm, there was already a long queue at the front of the restaurant. Even after all these years it still remains a favourite amongst both locals and tourists.

We waited for approximately half an hour before reaching the front only to be ushered in to join another internal queue which took another 15 minutes or so. Over 45 minutes wait for a bowl of ramen, it must be really good right?

In Japan you order via a vending machine. Unfortunately, they don't have that available here. 

We were handed a order sheet to customise our selection upon reaching the front. They only sell one type of ramen and that is with the tonkotsu based soup. At HKD 89 a bowl, it not cheap but in the city of Hong Kong it actually is. For any additional toppings you have to pay extra including the half boiled egg at HKD 14. My personalised choice was the medium flavour strength, lighter richness stock, with green onions, sliced meat and an egg. 

After entering our dining space behind the red curtains, we were taken to our individual booths. The purpose of these booths are to block out any distractions so you can concentrate on enjoying your ramen. 

Our neighbours.

A guide on how to order if you're unsure.

The filled out order form is handed to the wait staff behind the bamboo screen.

5 minutes later a piping hot bowl of ramen arrives resembling the photos I've seen on the internet. The waiter lowers the bamboo screen so you can enjoy your ramen to your own discretion with as much slurping as you please. 

A cold whole egg arrives separately in a bowl and I quickly add it to the ramen after cutting it in half. 

It's perfectly cooked inside with the yolk partially runny. Pure goodness.

A sip of the broth and its not too heavy but packed with a whole lot of flavour. It's creamy and consistently smooth with the right amount of thickness without being overpowering. Simply delicious!

I opted for medium noodles as I don't like it being too soft which gives it a nice chew. The two slices of slightly fatty pork just melted in the mouth. I found myself scooping up nearly every drop of the broth as it was that good.

Then you bring the order slip to the cashier at the front to pay. You can even buy a take home version of their noodles. 

A wonderful lunch and one I would have again if given the chance. It's probably rates as one of my top personal favourites. I think it's a great dining concept for individuals or small groups. I do recommend going early or avoiding peak times to avoid any long lines. 

Oh by the way it's open 24/7 so you can go there anytime to get your ramen fix.

Where?
Lockhart House Block B,
440-446 Jaffe, 
Causeway Bay 
Hong Kong 

MTR Exit C

Phone no: +85 2 2152 4040

Opening Hours

7 Days a Week
24 Hours

Website
N/A