brown sugar boba w soya milk
finally tried bubble lee and I really enjoyed it! the brown sugar boba were chewy and not too sweet, which went really well with the soya milk - perfect for those who are lactose intolerant. this soya milk series is new so do check it out! we also got the classic brown sugar boba milk tea and it was nice, but I'd have to say I preferred the soya milk one over this. taste: 7.5/10
value: 7.5/10
💸 $30hkd

📍bubble lee, lai chi kok (other branches include jordan, kwai chung & kwun tong)

have always wanted to try the unique flavours from messina and here I am!
egg tart ice cream was creamy and you can actually taste the egg custard flavour in the gelato, along with some flaky puff pastry bits in it! definitely reminiscent of the actual egg tarts!
pandan & coconut sorbet was lighter and more refreshing on the other hand, making a good combo w the egg tart gelato. it has an intense pandan flavour so I really enjoyed it too. overall, I really like the consistency/texture of the gelato here as well as the unique flavours. portions are huge so 2 scoops is certainly enough to share between 2 people

taste: 8/10
value: 7.5/10
💸 $85hkd for 2 scoops (they're pretty big!!)

this katsu beef was amazing!! it was crispy on the outside and the beef was so flavourful, tender and juicy - just look at that marbling! I really liked the hanjuku eggs which came with it; the slightly runny yolk was just perfect with the rice with furikake. the radish soup was super comforting as well! you can grill the meat to your liking here - it's really fun and mouth-watering to see the meat sizzle 🥩

taste: 7.8/10
value: 7.5/10
💸 $118hkd (+$38hkd for rice, hanjuku eggs and soup)

managed to visit roganic when Simon Rogan was here and it was an amazing meal!

seaweed tartlet, dry aged wagyu, charred onion
definitely one of my favs that night! the wagyu tartare melted in my mouth and was perfectly complemented by the caviar and onion jelly on top - a tart that's packed full of umami! pineapple tomato w blue mussel
the pineapple tomato was fresh and juicy, which went really well with the super sweet candied tomatoes on top. loved the light mussel broth on the side too - overall a really refreshing dish. soda bread
the roganic signature - have always loved how it's so fluffy, the brown cultured english butter had an amazing caramelised flavour as well. birch sap glazed truffle pudding, berkswell
crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this croissant pudding had an intense truffle aroma and I loved the generous cheese shavings on top that went with it. steamed custard, tendon, legumes, kohlrabi
this was roganic's rendition of chawanmushi, the beef tendon chunks were tender and the broth was rich. rice cracker, smoked cod roe, herb snow
delish and again packed full of umami, but I enjoyed the wagyu tart more than this. three yellow chicken w koji white radish, lovage
the skin was crispy and the chicken was really tender; I loved the rich chicken jus and the white radish, which perfectly complemented the chicken. personal fav here would be the chicken gizzard, which had a great texture and flavour. hokkaido scallop, zen farm pumpkin, marmite butter
the scallop was perfectly cooked and went really well w the sweet pumpkin. I'm not a fan of marmite but the sweet & savoury marmite butter complemented the dish really well! poached local sea bass, mr lins asparagus & wild garlic the fish was really tender and flaky and I enjoyed the slightly tangy broth/sauce on the side. shiso, cucumber, sake, sorrel
this palette cleanser was super refreshing - loved the cucumber and sake granita (strong sake flavour!) along w the hint of shiso! hk figs, whipped fig leaf cream, ragstone
this was almost like a deconstructed cheeseboard which I enjoyed a lot! the savoury ragstone "limestone pieces" were perfectly complemented by the sweet fig jam and I've just never imagined cheese to be presented in this way! hazelnut praline, cocoa nib, chicory root, molasses
this was a decadent dessert and a great end to this amazing meal - the classic combo of chocolate and hazelnut was incredible and the chocolate mousse was just so smooth and creamy. taste: 9/10
value: 8/10
💸 $1180hkd

the noodles were super chewy and bouncy and the broth was flavourful and packed full of umami. the beef brisket and tendons were both tender - you can literally tear them apart w your chopsticks. love the sweet white radish they had as well! you can choose between thick and thin noodles here and I opted for thick noodles - would totally recommend it if you like bouncy/springy noodles!

taste: 8/10
value: 8/10
💸 $62hkd

📍un chau beef noodles 元洲牛肉麵, mong kok

wagyu sando
was really looking forward to this but I wished the wagyu was more flavourful; the sweet & savoury sauce was nice but it was slightly overpowering. crispy caramel butter corn
really enjoyed the flavours and textures of this caramel butter corn! it was crispy and sweet - definitely a great starter/snack. unagi kamameshi hot pot rice
the unagi was delish and the rice was flavourful and perfectly cooked. love the slight charred bits at the bottom of the hot pot and this was certainly super comforting! beef tartare
the beef was flavourful and I really like the combination of wasabi relish and scallion oil - a great asian twist on the classic beef tartare! taste: 7.5/10 (corn; beef tartare; unagi rice); 6.5/10 (wagyu sando)
value: 6/10
💸 $378hkd (wagyu sando); $98hkd (corn); $148hkd (beef tartare); $278hkd (unagi rice)

📍fukuro, soho

crab meat risotto w lobster sauce
lobster sauce was flavourful and the risotto was al dente; I personally prefer a creamier texture but this made it less filling for sure.  black garlic linguine vongole
this unique combo of linguine vongole and black garlic was interesting and it worked well!beef korokke 
super crispy and I loved the texture and flavours of this korokke - probably my fav dish of the night! 💸 $218hkd (risotto); $58hkd (korokke); $198hkd (vongole)

crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the freshly made warm churros went really well w the ice cream. really liked how they weren't too oily as well! I preferred the mango & passion fruit one over the cookies & cream cos I liked how the tangy passion fruit sauce balanced the sweetness of this dessert; the cookies & cream one was a bit too sweet and rich for me w all that oreo crumbs and white chocolate coating.
overall, was pleasantly surprised by this place cos I've had lots of poorly made churros before 😂

taste: 7.5/10
value: 7/10
💸 $50 (mango); $60 (cookies & cream)

octopus volcano fried rice
super flavourful and love all that cheese and egg!! it was really fun to have it cooked in front of you; the kimchi adds a bit of crunch to the fried rice and I loved the slightly burnt bits that were stuck to the bottom. crabmeat and paste kimbap
I thought the crab paste was a bit overpowering and there wasn't that much crabmeat. wish there was pickled radish or a greater variety of ingredients in the kimbap as it only had carrots, egg, crabmeat and paste. the seaweed wasn't really intact as well so the kimbap slices disintegrated pretty easily. decent portions though - my friend and I were pretty full after these two dishes!

taste: 7/10
value: 7/10
💸 $198hkd (fried rice); $108hkd (kimbap)

lava peanut butter 🥜
croffle, peanut butter, scrambled eggs w corned beef, cheddar cheese
really liked how the croffle was crispy on the outside whilst soft and buttery on the inside! the interesting combination of corned beef & eggs and peanut butter worked well; the scrambled eggs were super fluffy too. however, I'd say this was a bit too rich for me and I wished it had a bit more corned beef to have a better balance of flavours. mushegg 🍳
croffle w scrambled eggs, truffle & roasted mushroom my friend enjoyed this but thought the portion was a bit small! ✔️ 6.5/10 (lava peanut butter)
💸 $88hkd (lava peanut butter); $90hkd (truffle)