Green Cottage Vietnamese Restaurant 清亭越南菜館

A crowded place which you couldn't possibly have known without locals introducing it to you. Generally the dishes are nice except the black glutinous rice (dessert). Then again, all black glutinous rice I have tried in HK are too hard and feels frozen. The prices are reasonable too.

Yay or Nay? Yay

But? Be prepared for Hong Kongised Vietnamese dishes

To try? baked rice in coconut is the most special and fragrant I've ever tasted.

Address? 2/F Cigna Tower, 482 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay

Nearest MTR? Causeway Bay Exit D1

Tsui Wah Restaurant 翠華餐廳

This ubiquitous restaurant may seem overly-commercialised and insincere in whipping up their dishes but actually, they do have some dishes that are worth trying, especially when it is so easily found.

I love their toasted bun drizzled with condense milk (奶油豬仔包), fried noodles with prawns in tangy sauce (蝦球炒麵) and rice noodles with fish balls in soup (魚蛋河粉). Well, these items are the only ones I have tried from their top 10 recommendations and they are nice. 

Yay or Nay? Yay for convenience

But? There is no 凍柠蜜 in this 茶餐廳 which is unimaginable.

To try? As above.

Address? Shop list here.

Nearest MTR? I think it's safe to say there's one near every touristy MTR station (e.g. TST, Central)

Aqua Spirit

This is a secret that I hold close to my heart and now that I'm sharing this, I feel that I'm gonna regret it. I love Aqua Spirit. The cocktail selection is wide and the alcohol is strong. The view is breathtaking and offers two sides - Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, depending on which side of the bar you sit. I'm not gonna say much about this place because it's my most favourite drinking place and it already pains me to share it with so many people.

Yay or Nay? Yay for sure!

But? The choice seats facing HKI need higher and higher minimum spending per person.

To try? Any of their cocktails are good. Trust me.

Address? 30/F and walk up 1 floor. One Peking Road, TST, Hong Kong

Nearest MTR? Tsim Sha Tsui Exit C1, you have to take the underpass (known as subway in HK) and it leads you directly to the foot of the building.

Satay or Sate in Hong Kong

Seen on Time Out Hong Kong, make a pilgrimage to the far east of Hong Kong island for thick chunks of meat on skewers. Sate is a Southeast Asian thing (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia) but the meat here is big and chunky, well marinated and dipped in peanut sauce (3 types - non-spicy, spicy and crazy spicy). The man and his son are from Indonesia and they operate supposedly at midnight and the queues are long even this late and this far. The funny thing is, the signboard of their stall says it's a 288 Hair Salon. I wonder if it really is a hair salon in the day but wouldn't the smoke and fumes stink up everything?

Yay or Nay? Yay

But? Kinda late and out of the way

To try? The different types of meats are awesome.

Address? (according to Time Out) Shop A28C, G/F, Tai On Building, 57-78 Shau Kei Wan Rd, Sai Wan Ho

Nearest MTR? Sai Wan Ho exit A. Cross the road and enter Tai On Building and walk to the other end of the building. The shop is actually facing Tai Hong street.