Mixing Bowl Cafe - what's missing?

Mixing Bowl 剛開始的時候是以舉辦烘焙課程為主，例如macarons、tarts、西式麵包、cinnamon buns或puffs等等。後來還開了Mixing Bowl Cafe，當然也是位於soho區。聽閒有好咖啡喝，我便找了一個星期六和DZ來。

Cafe位於善慶街，即勝香園前一個小街口轉左行上樓梯。店子的面積比想像中大，一邊牆有寫上menu的大版子。Mixing Bowl Cafe提供的都是輕食，應該大部份都是在收銀部旁的小型開放式廚房準備。食物的選擇也不是太多，例如有Muesli Bowl、Porridge、Eggs and Toasts、Pancakes及大家都很喜愛的scones。

Originally, Mixing Bowl was about holding baking classes such as macarons, tarts, bread, cinnamon buns or puff etc. Mixing Bowl Cafe came to the scene later, situated in the soho area. I heard the Cafe serves great coffee, so DZ and I decided to try.

Mixing Bowl Cafe is at Shin Hing Street. When you see the famed Sing Heung Yuen, just keep walking and turn left and climb up the stairs. The Cafe was bigger than I expected. You can find a huge blackboard menu on  a side of the wall. Here light brunch options are served and I think most of them are prepared in the little open kitchen right next to the cashier. The food options are quite limited including Muesli Bowl, Porridge, Eggs and Toasts, Pancakes and the popular scones.

Cappuccino ($36) - 二話不說的先來一杯cappuccino，很喜歡這副白色的茶杯及碟，非常簡單的感覺。這杯咖啡很夠熱度，亦十分順滑。
Cappuccino ($36) - Cappuccino again for me, of course. I really like this set of white cup and saucer, because it looked so simple. The coffee was hot and silky smooth.

Cocotte - Not Sure How I Feel About This One

用google translate將Cocotte這法文翻譯成英文是casserole，立刻明白。Casserole就是陶瓷或玻璃製而又可以放進焗爐的煮食用具。用Casserole煮的食物也會叫 作casserole，例如chicken casserole, Sweet Potato casserole或 Lentil casserole等等。Casserole也是常用來做frittatas, lasagna macaroni甚至baked french toast 等等。用途真的非常廣泛。

用Cocotte作為店名，應該有不少casserole菜式吧。(但看了看dinner menu又好像不是。。。)

Having no clue as to what "cocotte" means, I used google translate. It's casserole in English, which is like a pot used for cooking as well as the name for dishes cooked in it like chicken casserole, sweet potato casserole or lentil casserole. It can also be used to make frittatas, lasagna macaroni or even baked french toast etc. Truly multi-functional!

Having the name as Cocotte means they've got lots of casserole dishes? (not really judging from the dinner menu)

這天來是吃早午餐的，有數個禮拜沒有吃brunch了，心癮又起。想起之前在報章上看到對Cocotte早午餐的介紹便決定來試試。因為網上好像找不到對於它的早午餐的評語，所以來之前也就沒有什麼期望之類的，純平常心。

Due to the lack of brunch in the past few weeks, I decided to try Cocotte after reading about it in some magazines. I couldn't really find any review online on the brunch here and therefore I didn't have any idea what it served nor did I have any kind of expectation about it.

在歌賦街附近的善慶街，不算難找。店子不太大，星期六大約下午一時半左右來是大概80%滿。有梳化位，而且梳化不會太低，很舒服。

Cocotte is located on Shin Hing Street, just next to Gough Street and not hard to find at all. The restaurant is not huge. On a Saturday afternoon around 13:30 it's about 80% full. They have comfortable sofa seats.

Eggs En "Cocotte" (HK$118) - 先來一客用casserole的菜式。賣相不錯吧，但份量超少。請注意，這一道本身是有pancetta的，但我們要求除去。逐款談談。首先那片麵包其實是多士，很脆，沒有味道。另外主要的材料為炒菇、炒菠菜、一旁呈波浪形很美的薯蓉及最底的前蛋。我估計菇及菠菜是先炒好，薯蓉也是已經準備好。那麼廚師只需在這casserole上煎好蛋，就可以把其餘材料放上蛋上。
Eggs En "Cocotte" (HK$118) - First dish to arrive was the casserole dish. Looked pretty great huh? Sadly the portion was super tiny. Take note that this dish normally comes with pancetta which was requested to be taken out by us. The little toast on the right hand side was very crispy but with not much flavour. The wild mushrooms and baby spinach were pan-fried, next to it was mashed potato and underneath them all was a thin piece of fried egg.

VEYGO-Way to Go, oh wait, it's more than that

好吧，我是被這家cafe的人流而吸引進來的。話說有一個星期六的下午時候經過上環的Veygo Coffee，在門前看到cafe內坐滿了食客，有很多人在吃burger，加上食物賣相挺好的，便決定有空時拜訪。

Alright, I was attracted to this cafe since it has become quite popular lately. It was a normal Saturday when I walked past Veygo Coffee and saw the little cafe full of people, many of them with burgers. 

正式再來的時候是一個閒日的中午時份，來吃午餐的上班一族也不少。店子不太大，裝潢走簡約路線。侍應們服務及態度都非常好，肯花不少時間回答客人的問題。打開餐牌還有點嚇了一跳，有很多的選擇呢，例如常見的brunch選擇如all day breakfast, egg benedicts，還有沙律、不同款式的burger等。

When I finally came here again it was a weekday afternoon and many office workers came for lunch. TC and I got in. The cafe is not very specious, yet cozy with a simplistic style. Service from waiters/waitresses was good and they were willing to answer questions in length. I was pleasantly surprised to see the cafe offers a good variety of brunch food like all day breakfast, egg benedicts, salad and burgers.

但很快對這家cafe的好感幻滅。

Well, the good impression disappeared as fast as the speed of light.

咖啡 - 先來杯咖啡。沒記錯的話，我的一杯是creme brulee cappuccino。我的印象是，嘩很甜！可能我一直都是在Cafe Habitu那裡喝creme brulee cappuccino，而Cafe Habitu 的是咖啡上有一薄片的焦糖，用匙羹按下去會把那片焦糖切碎，而且下面的咖啡一點都不甜。但在Veygo Coffee的是完全不同的！因為它的creme brulee原來是指creme brulee味的糖漿。。。唉，真的是有早知無乞衣。另想強調的是這杯咖啡真的很很很很甜。連鎖咖啡店的各式各樣下不同味道糖漿的咖啡也沒有這裡的甜。 

TC的那杯咖啡好像是Malt Latte或Malt Cappuccino，忘了是那款。但唯一記得的這杯甜得令人想反桌的味道！！對！又是非常非常甜的一杯！反正大家來的話就建議點最平凡的Latte、Cappuccino或Flat White，除非你嗜甜，那麼你可以點這些特式咖啡挑戰極限。

Coffee - First thing first, coffee. If I remember correctly, I ordered creme brulee cappuccino and it was so f**king sweet. I admit that my only other creme brulee cappuccino experience has always been with Cafe Habitu, which offers "real creme brulee", a thin piece of brunt caramel on top of the coffee, and the coffee is never sweet. The creme brulee cappuccino here is totally different. Creme brulee flavour syrup is used... I just wish to stress again that this coffee is really really sweet and be warned. It's even sweeter than the 'flavoured syrup coffee" you get from chain cafes.

What about TC's coffee? I remember it's either malt latte or malt cappuccino, I forget which but the only thing I can still remember vividly is the sweetness. It's so sweet that you wanna hit someone and go on a murder spree.

I strongly advise everyone to just order their normal latte, cappuccino or flat white etc unless you want to push the limit.

這是Cafe Habitu的，是名副其實的creme brulee。

The following is my definition of "creme brulee cappuccino", from Cafe Habitu.

IL CAFFE - Didn't expect I get something so nice

有一個星期一的下午，我和NK在結志街附近漫無目的的閑逛，逛來逛去在街市的一旁見到了一家毫不起眼的cafe，便走了進去。原來是一家面積頗細的咖啡店。但老土的一句，麻雀雖小，五臟俱全，而且凍櫃內的甜點蛋糕很吸引，再加上有我好奇的窩夫及香濃的咖啡香，我便決定一定要光顧！

One weekday afternoon NK and I were wandering around Gage Street and then we spotted a cafe tucked away in the wet market on Gage Street. We decided to have a try. It's a small cafe but you can see all the professional coffee equipment squeezing in this small yet cozy cafe. You can also see all the desserts to go with your coffee...

有一座懷舊的雪櫃，但不知是否可用的。

A vintage fridge, I wondered if it's still functioning.

The Cupping Room - Simple and delicious

嗯，另一間有贏得不同Barista獎項的Cafe。說起來，其實我第一次去The Cupping Room的時間，它仍然在赤柱那邊，後來搬到上環，赤柱那裡則變成另一個名字的cafe，不過不太清楚它們的關係。

Another cafe with various barista awards. Indeed, I had already been to The Cupping Room when it was still in Stanley. The original place is now occupied by another cafe with a different name but I am not sure the relationship between the two.

星期六的午飯時間去到很多人呢。整間cafe都是非常熱鬧。店內的裝潢走簡約風，用了很多木。食客可坐下點想吃的，吃完後到收銀處付錢。收銀的地方放了些酥點及甜點，有店方自製的。

Lunch hours on a Saturday was quite busy here. There is not much decoration inside the cafe. Customers can first order, finish their meal and walk to the cashier to pay before leaving. There are also some cakes and danish at the cashier, some of which are homemade.

Lazy Hog - Be careful what you order 點菜不能Lazy

一直都有留意在必列者士街Oolaa旁空置了一會的鋪位。一直都很想知道會開一間什麼餐廳。原來開的是一間名叫Lazy Hog的餐廳，Hog是豬的意思，所以這裡是"懶豬"。懶豬佔了2個分開的鋪位，喜歡坐那邊就去那邊吧。Lazy Hog是由辦館 LOF10的人開的，說是供應新美式菜。

I have been paying attention to the unoccupied space near Oolaa on the Bridges Street, wondering what kind of restaurant or cafe would take over there. Well it turned out a new restaurant called Lazy Hog has indeed rented both space. I did a bit of online searching and found out Lazy Hog is opened by the same guys who set up Lof 10, the coffee place. According to its facebook page, Lazy Hog serves New American dishes.

我和KK星期六的下午去到，有brunch的menu。不過選擇不算多。(後來我拿了晚市的menu來看選擇也是很少但每款菜式都很吸引) 我和KK看了一會沒有細想及細問就點了菜，是有點兒懶豬，亦因此我們選錯了。。。

KK and I arrived at Lazy Hog at noon on a Saturday and it was serving brunch food. There weren't much to choose from though. (I also looked at the dinner menu, not many choices again but each dish seems very interesting) We ordered quite quickly without really thinking about what we were ordering, kind of being lazy and we suffered the consequences... (to be elaborated below)

Cappuccino - 有辦館 LOF10的背景，這裡當然有咖啡，這天的好像是用了什麼bluebottlela 咖啡豆。很慚愧，我不是咖啡專家，不懂這些。我只是很膚淺的"覺得"一杯咖啡"好不好喝"，例如會不會太苦，太甜，奶是多或少？又或拉花拉得如何？店員說它們的咖啡會定期從美國入口，所以會定期轉。而這杯Cappuccino，我覺得"好喝"，不過熱一點會更好。另外，咖啡杯挺大的，還有餐廳的logo懶豬，杯內亦有豬蹄！

Cappuccino - Of course one can find coffee here, given the background of Lof 10. I was told that they were using bluebottlela, a kind of coffee beans. But I must apologize that I am not a coffee expert, well, I don't really know much about coffee indeed. I usually (and extremely superficially) would only care about simple issues like if the coffee is too bitter, too sweet, too much/less milk or if the latte art looks pretty. The Cappuccino here "tasted good" to me but would have been even better if it had been hotter. And one thing I must highlight is the mug! It has the logo of Lazy Hog and inside there is a trotter print! 

Pickled Pelican - 徒步去赤柱-食 Walk to Stanley - Eat

作為行山新手及愛好者，週末及公眾價期必要"通山走"的。這天由陽明山莊行去赤柱，經典路線。但途中有一條頗長的樓梯，我的友人們走得好不辛苦。在高處看去赤柱是這樣的：

As a newcomer and fan of hiking, what's better than spending weekends or public holidays hiking up and down the beautiful countryside of Hong Kong? This week was a hike to Stanley following the classic route with the following view:

行罷我的朋友已是累到一個不行，而且又既然來到赤柱，無論如何也要吃一頓。在海旁行了一會便在Pickled Pelican停下。餐廳分上下兩層，我們坐在上層，聽得到外面有人唱live。我們都頗為肚餓，所以很快就點好食物。

Right after the hike my friends were exhausted. Well, we were in Stanley! We couldn't just leave without enjoying a meal here. We wandered around the beach then stopped at Pickled Pelican. We sat on the second floor, listening to live music performance outside. We were pretty hungry so we ordered quickly.

富嘉閣 Foo Ka Chinese Restaurant - 一家首選 Great for family

一年365日，對中國人來說，久不久就要"做節"或者吃"團年飯"。例如農曆新年、冬至或中秋等。於這些時候，去那裡吃飯都不是一般的令人頭痛的。由於我不想吃大型連鎖集團旗下各式各樣的中菜館及酒樓，我便選了位於鰂魚涌及頗為冷門的富嘉閣。為何冷門呢？因為非做節時候即使週末這裡一般都有位，除非有人擺酒。而做節時候，當然都要先訂檯。經理也說這裡比較冷門，因為旁邊就是"大酒店"，不少人對來這裡做節都會有避忌。我們呢，當然是百無禁忌！
For most Chinese, it is only natural to have big family gathering/dinner 'regularly', i.e. during festival times like Chinese New Year, Winter Solstice or Mid-Autumn Festival. It can get quite annoying to figure out where to have such dinners since I usually would like to avoid chained restaurants and they get full booking pretty fast anyway. This time I picked a less popular and well-known place, the Foo Ka Chinese Restaurant. It's not really  a popular restaurant since normally, you can get a table in the weekends except if booked for banquets. Then of course, you should probably book in advance during festive times. The manager said some people are deterred from holding family gathering here as a funeral home is nearby.

富嘉閣走中價路線，乾淨企理。晚市即使全場滿座也不會有吵鬧的感覺。侍應們都非常有禮貌，並會很仔細認真的介紹菜式，一家人來吃飯，單憑這點已值得再來。
The environment is clean and tidy. It's not too noisy even if full house. All the servers are professional and polite and are willing to take time to explain the menu. What's more to ask for in a family gathering?

我其實在這裡吃了數次，但現只是說說其中一次一家人吃飯的一次。
I have dined here for serveral times already and would like to share one of my experiences.

咕嚕肉 - 最地道的菜，無論在茶餐廳、酒樓、大排檔、快餐店或中菜館都一定有的一道。亦是10張檯8張都會點上的一道。這裡的咕嚕肉賣相不差不過份量不多。先說伴碟的青紅椒菠蘿，沒有死氣沈沈，上碟的時候都是顏色鮮艷，吃下亦新鮮。而肉的部分家人的評語是不淋，肉不太肥，好吃！
Sweet & Sour Pork - One of the most local dishes which one can find in literally any types of Chinese restaurants in HK and which almost every table would order. The sweet & sour pork here looked quite nice but the portion was just a bit small. The side bell peppers and pineapples were delightfully colourful and fresh. My family members commented that the pork was good and not soggy nor fatty.

High Street Grill - worth the travel - back to sai wan 日新月異的西環

西環近數年來的改變，不用多說大家都知道。這天突然想回來這邊行行走走，看看又有什麼是不一樣的。果然，有很多舊店舖消失了，但幸好暫時換來的不是連鎖店或藥房。新的店舖多是走洋風，和西環海皮一帶的發展一致，不是吃外國菜的餐廳便是賣牛扒洋酒生蠔有機食品。走在路上有不少外國臉孔。

It's a well-known fact that the whole Western area on the HK Island is undergoing a major facelift due to the impending train railway. From time to time, I would just suddenly want to go back and see how Sai Wan is changing, just like what I did the other day. Needless to say, lots of old stores are gone but fortunately, they were not replaced by chain stores. The new stores are usually those you would find in soho or 'poho', and indeed you can see them in the whole Sai Wan or Sai Ying Pun area. They are usually restaurants serving 'western cuisine' or stores selling wines or steaks or organic food.

走到High Street Grill，看到店內有不少人，生意好像不錯，我和KK就決定試試。店的面積很大，樓底很高，不過座位及檯則排得比較密密麻麻，本來的空間感都被它們奪去。約午飯時候人越來越多，看來想一定能有位的話訂座會最保險。

We walked to High Street Grill and could see there were quite a lot of people in there. KK and I decided to try it ourselves. It's a large restaurant with a high ceiling. But the place is packed with tables and chairs and one could feel quite crowded. During lunchtime it would be the safest to make a booking.

Turkish Bread Toasties (ham chese & tomato) ($45) - 原本不知道何為Toasties，估計就是三文治的一種，不過看到價錢只是45元便點了來試試。簡單的木板上放著的"Toasties"其實就是Panini吧。

We weren't sure what a Toasties was and we suspected that it just meant sandwiches. We ordered it as it was only $45. The Toasties was placed on a wooden board and it turned out to be a panini.

Turkish Bread夾了芝士及火腿，火腿不吝嗇的給了數層，烘熱後芝士變成半熱的狀態。一口咬下去整件toasties都是熱烘烘的，什麼是Turkish Bread我不太懂，但這個Turkish Bread烘得那一個好卻是不爭的事實。金黃色的外表快常脆口，麵包的部分有嚼頭，是一個好吃！

We picked cheese and ham and we could see there were quite a few layers of ham. After being toasted the cheese was half-melted. The toasties was warm and although I didn't really know what a Turkish Bread was, this Toasties was probably one of the best panini I have had before. The bread was crispy on the outside and a bit chewy. It's really really good.

Fleur de Sel - Favourite Crepe Place

寫一篇簡短的食評吧。上個月遊走在銅鑼灣，忽然想起有Fleur de Sel可以吃法式crepes，二話不說就上來。

Let's go for a short review. I was in Causeway Way with my friend last month trying to find something to eat. Fleur de Sel just suddenly came into my mind for their specialty.

店子很小呢，近露台的地方沒有窗，有一排bar table的位置，夏天來會比較熱。因為沒有訂座，我們便被安排坐在那兒。

It's a really small restaurant. Towards the balcony there's bar table with no window. It's kind of hot in summer. As we didn't make any reservation, we were told to sit at the bar table.

Crepe的選擇不少，我選了有三文魚的。都是新鮮即製作，等了一會才上菜。嗯，挺吸引人的說。中間還有一顆半熟蛋，我把蛋黃切開後便開始吃。薄薄的一層crepe，烤得非常好，有麥的香味而沒有焦。邊沿的部分很香口，中間的部分沒有被配料弄至全濕，有少許咬口。好吃。

There're quite a lot of choices of crepes. We picked the salmon one. There was a bit of a wait since everything was freshly cooked and prepared. Um, it did look quite enticing. There was a half-cooked egg in the middle. The crepe was rather thin and light. Besides the crispy edges, the center was soft and a bit chewy and it didn't get soggy. Simple and delicious.

醬缸韓國料理 - "早"晚餐 Early Dinner

猶記得小時候，韓風還未瘋癲亞洲及香港的時候，我對韓菜的認知就是自助韓燒。。。後來呢，就是石頭飯，因為很多food court都有一家賣石頭飯。。。然後在加拿大的一陣子發現那裡有很多韓國人經營餐廳，我才對韓菜有較多的認識。那時我最愛吃的是豬骨湯配飯。一份吃下去飽得可以！

I still remember before the domination of k-pop in every corner in Asia, the only thing I knew about Korean cuisine was those Korean BBQ buffet... Some time later, I knew about bibimbap since there's always a bibimbap stall in most food court... But then during my brief stay in Canada, I found out there were in fact tons of Korean restaurants there run by Koreans. That was the time I got to know more about Korean cuisine. My favourite there was the super filling Korean pork bone soup served with rice!

這次來醬缸前已知道5時半晚市開始，但很快便會滿座。若不想站在門外等位的話便要早來。我們可是6時10分到的，那時餐廳已經是半滿。店是很小的，亦非常有家庭式的感覺。我們很快便點了菜。

Before my first visit to Jang Dok I already knew it opened at 5:30 for dinner-time and it would become full really fast. If you want to avoid the queue, better show up really early. We arrived at 6:15 and it was already half-full. It's a really small restaurant, family-style. We made up our minds as to what to order quickly.

前菜 - 前菜有數款，是大路的款式，好吃。

Banchan - There were few small dishes of banchan and there were nice.

惠食派 - 對上胃食的我

住在將軍澳的人都知道將軍澳站是由數個商場組成，晚上想吃飯，當然可以到商場內的食肆或food court。那當然了，在商場吃飯，少不免又是那堆連鎖餐廳，選擇不多價錢也不十分實惠。但原來一街之隔，由爆谷商場行到對面街的寶盈花園有街坊選擇呢。其實純粹是有朋友提醒我來將軍澳可以去惠食派我才知道有這麼一家餐廳。

Those who live in Tseung Kwan O know very well that Tseung Kwan O station is basically consisted of several shopping malls. For dinner, of course one can choose the restaurants or food courts inside these shopping malls, although sadly, they are those chain restaurants you can find in pretty much all other areas in HK. However, walking one more block away there is another choice. 

惠食派晚市有小菜及火煱，一進門口可見到有新鮮海鮮供客人選擇。店還是挺大的，像是茶餐廳的裝潢，衛生條件一般但我一向都不怕。有得吃我怕什麼？惠食派的好處是可以2個人或一大堆人來簡單吃家常小菜或可以豪吃火煱。像我到訪的當晚，大圓檯有一圍10多人來吃火煱，我旁邊的則是一家4口來吃小菜。不過如果人多的話晚上來做好先訂位。

"Wei Sic Pei" (apparently this local restaurant has no English name) serves both local dishes and hotpot. In fact you can see seafood waiting to be picked just near the entrance. The restaurant is quite large and understandably, not very clean. But I am never deterred by hygiene conditions. This restaurant has the capacity to serve a large group of people with hotpot or just some dishes for 2 people. On the night of my visit, I could see a huge table enjoying hotpot while a family of 4 was eating dinner right next to me. For large group, it's better to reserve a table first.

拍了數頁餐牌，大家可對餐廳有更進一步的了解。

You may get a feeling of what this restaurant is about from few pages of the menu.

問世間守時為何物

作為一個對時間觀念心胸狭窄的人，我發現越來越忍受不到遲到的行為了！

所有人都幾乎一定有朋友係永遠遲到的。啊，不對，應該是所有人都沒有什麼朋友(可能直情是沒有)不遲到。而我則是一個極度守時的人(對，我有膽量這樣說)。說到底，如果你不準備守時，就不要跟人約一個時間去等。根據我的經驗，遲到的人總是會有以下常見的狀況：

有一些人是根本沒有要準時的，例如你約她12時正餐廳等，而她從家到餐廳需要40分鐘，她不會在11:20出門。11:20可能還在化妝呢。在這情況下你不用WhatsApp她，她沒有要回覆你。有時最離譜的是你11:30打電話給她，聽到她背景寧靜她卻跟你說我在地鐵，在個屁 (特別討厭遲到還要就自己的所在地胡扯的)。我有朋友可以是12時都還沒有出門。

最慘的是當你已經到達現場，很多時朋友都不會預先跟你說他要遲點才到，非要你找他他才施施然的告訴你他仍在路途中。大佬，我的時間也是時間，到底有否尊重我呢？如果你要遲來，你可以提早跟我說，我可能會遲點才出門，或自己先到處走走。你不說讓我痴痴地等，等到我痴痴地。

有些人是真的無時間觀念，例如要1小時洗頭裝身，她可能已經計劃要5時開始準備，但不知怎的，也不去看看時鐘電話，到真正去看時間時可能已經是5時半。有些人解釋不知為何明明是很早起床或留了時間去準備出門，到後來還是不夠時間。Er... 這不就說明你的習慣有問題嗎？

另外有一些是超級巨星，除了如上述所說的你不聯絡她她不會通知你會遲到，還有的是一定要你到了才出現。例如上一次約吃飯，我說訂了7時的檯，我7時到了，等了5分鐘，我打電話給她，她說她和其男友在附近的商場。我真的是無從反應，你明明就是已經在餐廳周圍，可以準時，但仍要選擇遲！要別人先到我才到。這是什麼行為？以為自己是皇上。

有朋友說她遲到是因為她預留時間通常都預留得很"盡"，早一分鐘到達都不想。但很明顯這想法不可行，因為她承認她大多都是遲到。

這也帶出另一個問題。大家都預了其他人都會遲到，自己沒理由準時吧。或者，如果自己準時了，即是要等候其餘的人，我才不要等人呢！(但這些卻不在意別人等他)。另外，朋友親人遲到亦會直接導致我人格分裂。我一邊望夫石的等了良久，你(們)慢慢來到後我又不會發脾氣又不會給你臉色看。因為難道我是要發火，把你們痛心疾首的罵一頓或嚎哭一場？畢竟我苦盡甘來的把你(們)盼來，你(們)來到後我們還要去吃飯看戲買東西。我只好心裡發火，屈呀！

當然，最大問題是根本沒人覺得以上的是一個問題。不會去想想如何有一個更好的時間管理。因為遲到的是他們，等人的是我。我的時間用在等人，他們才不理會，又不是浪費他們的時間。可悲的是有這自私的想法或行為的人是大多數。又或者他們沒有想過等待的滋味，作為遲到者們他們又沒有真的經歷苦等的情況。有時跟朋友說起這問題還會被說啊為什麼你那麼要求高呀，很嚴格呀。我聽到真的是想100個巴掌抽上去。原來要人準時是要求高？我又不是要你早到。。。如果你稍為有替人著想，便不會好意思要你的朋友或親人等你。

到最後，我守時被認為我苛刻及沒腦，明知別人不準時你準時個什麼勁呀。

Dan Ryan - Saturday Big Lunch

星期五的晚上才與PA約星期六的午餐，一時間當然想不起可以吃什麼。約在九龍塘等，即必定只可在又一城內選擇。想來想去，又一城好的餐廳不多，有些又要排隊，有些很受歡迎，想必要在指定時間內吃完結帳。最後，又決定去Dan Ryan。

Again RA and I only planned our Saturday lunch at Friday late night. Given the short notice of time, I couldn't really find any place to eat. But since we were meeting in Kowloon Tong, our choices were limited to Festival Walk. And the good restaurants in Festival Walk are... suffice to say... not that many. Some of them require long queue and some are so popular that one must finish the meal within a limited amount of time. As such, I decided to go to Dan Ryan.

選Dan Ryan的原因是早一點去到不用等位，2個人可以舒舒服服的坐卡位，談天說地慢用午餐。而且我每次來都覺得侍應有禮及招呼周到。

Dan Ryan was chosen since as long as you get there before 1245, you can get spacious seats and enjoy a long lunch without interruption from the polite waiters.

Omelette - 忘了是什麼omelette，反正就是沒有肉的，材料有牛油果、蕃茄、芝士等。旁邊有薯粒及salsa sauce伴吃。看起來不太吸引吧，很簡單的一碟。由於是美式餐廳，omelette是必定沒有香港的講究，不會加什麼cream或奶，亦不會煎出多汁滑嫩的效果。反正就是美式的，遇到煎得好的，是好運。所以，抱著此心態來吃，這omelette也挺不錯的，蛋包著的材料很豐富，裡頭的芝士半溶的切開時繞著一絲絲的，吃著非常滿足。薯粒油份較多，但仍算香脆，倒些茄汁一起吃還是挺好的。

Omelette - Sorry that I forget what omelette this was, all I remember is it's a meatless one. There were avocado, tomato and cheese etc. On the side were diced potatoes and salsa sauce. I have to admit it lacked an enticing look, instead, it's plain and simple. Given that this is an American-style restaurant, the usual Hongkongers' requirement for omelette does not quite apply. There was no cream or milk involved and it was not in a state of being juicy or creamy. With this in mind, this omelette was not too bad. There were lots of fillings wrapped in the egg with the melted cheese. The diced potatoes were a bit greasy but still crispy, they were great with some ketchup.

只要是點omelette都會有toast送，可以選白麵包或麥包。不過，侍應們都好像不知道omelette跟toast，要提點才懂拿來。隨toast的有牛油及果醬，看，烘得快焦，其實是我的要求呢，我非常喜歡把toast烘得很脆，配起牛油很好吃。

All omelettes come with toast, white or whole-grain. It seemed the waiters did not know omelette should be served with toasts and I had to remind them to bring the toasts. They also provided butter and jam. The toasts were nicely toasted, actually it looked a bit overtoasted but it was specifically requried by me. I like bread to be hot and overtoasted to go with butter.

The Press Room - Satisfying Brunch albeit a bit Overpriced

星期六要與LR早午餐，心中沒有計劃要到哪一間餐廳，在半山走上走落，看見The Press Room人不多便進去。

Brunch time again with LR, but this time I didn't plan ahead which restaurant to go. Wandering around the mid-levels, I came across The Press Room and found it's only half-full. We decided to give it a try.

The Press Room樓底頗高，裝潢走向較高貴的路線，晚上來吃飯一定很有情調。週六的下午陽光照進餐廳內是另一番風味。待應很有禮貌的帶我們進去坐下，我便仔細的研究Brunch Menu。Brunch Menu選擇不少，一般的早午餐項目如eggs benedict/florentine/royale、french toast、all day breakfast、croque monsieur/madame、omelette、數款不同的sandwiches都有。價位在100-160元左右。當中其實我最想吃的是"Homard benedict"，即龍蝦benedict！可是我未有那般豪爽的用238元吃一份benedict，所以只好作罷。

The decoration of The Press Room is one of the classy style, one that is fit for romantic date night. Atmosphere at the Saturday afternoon is different with the soft sunshine lighting up the restaurant. The waiter politely led us to our seats and I started perusing the brunch menu. A wide variety of brunch options are available such as eggs benedict/florentine/royale, french toast, all day breakfast, croque monsieur/madame, omelette, various sandwiches etc. "Homard benedict" caught my eye, it's lobster benedict, but I wasn't prepared to pay $238 for just a brunch item...

Salmon & Cod Burger ($138) - 幾乎每一檯都有人點至少一客burger，我也點了一份。嘩，這份魚柳burger很高呢。麵包都漲了起來，底部的生菜十分新鮮及堅挺，生菜上的蕃茄片亦是一片厚的。旁邊則放了一堆薯條。

把burger切下，便往口裡放。其實麵包雖看似很大，但以空氣漲大的成份居多，但不是說它不好吃，特別是底的麵包烘至微脆香口，很好！生菜及蕃茄非常新鮮，前者爽脆後者鮮甜，如以它們作沙律一定很美味。魚柳的部分比較熱氣，但勝在不油膩，但如可以大塊一點更好(我比較貪心。。。)。薯條一般，沒有太大的意見。

I noticed that nearly every table had ordered a burger, so LR and I followed suit. As you can see, the burger was  very "tall". The lettuce at the bottom was fresh and was able to hold up the tomato and the fish fillet. Fries were placed on the side.

Although the bun looked huge, it's actually filled with air. Well, by no way I mean it's not good coz the bun was good! It's toasted to perfection with a bit of a crisp. The lettuce and tomato were fresh and sweet and would have been perfect for a salad. The fish fillet was what we called "hot air", but luckily it's not oily at all. It would have been better if it had been larger (may be I am just being greedy...). The fries were okay, not much to comment on.

Brunch Club - Desserts VS Brunch

久聞Brunch Club乃一眾早午餐族的聖地，屬於早午餐族的我卻一直未有拜訪，說起也慚愧。第一次來是和朋友LR在別處吃完brunch後的下場，主要是吃甜的。由於很好吃，自然就有第二次，來吃鹹的。

I have always heard the good things about the Brunch Club but never really got the motivation to try. Earlier this year after having a brunch with my friend LR, I was craving waffles and Brunch Club just popped in my mind~

Soho的分店聽說面積比銅鑼灣的少，有露天的一角。店內除了有普通的檯及椅子外還有梳化的座位。不過我不太喜歡梳化，因為高度較低，吃東西不方便。我常常想既然是brunch，顧名思義是早餐及午餐合二為一，而早餐及午餐的用餐時間應是一天中陽光最好的時間，但Brunch Club內卻是暗淡的燈光，倒似是讓情侶來談情。不過好像The Flying Pan的燈光都是這樣的。另外，店內的檯偏小，不會坐得很舒服，要舒服就去酒店吧。

The branch at soho is smaller than that at Causeway Bay but there is a alfresco dining area. There are normal chairs and tables as well as sofa. Eating at sofa is not my thing, I prefer sitting properly while eating.

下午茶的時間來到店內大慨是70%滿吧，不用等位的感覺真爽。銅鑼灣的分店應該是下午12時開始便要等位。

I got there in the middle of the afternoon and luckily, the place was not full! I was told for the CWB branch, the waiting starts as early as 12 noon.

根據到訪的時間順序，先說甜的。Let's start with the sweets~

Banana Walnut Caramel Waffle - Waffle一來到的時候真的是眼睛先吃，每件鬆餅都淋上焦糖，再鋪上同樣是沾滿焦糖的香蕉，放在雪白的碟上，看到就是賞心悅目。不得不說，新鮮製造的鬆餅暖暖很好吃。有坑紋突出的部分較脆，鬆餅中間軟得來帶點兒煙韌。焦糖漿不太甜，吃完後不會渴。香蕉應該有稍微的煮過，所以入口軟綿綿的。每一小塊的鬆餅上都有香蕉片，沒有欺場。

Banana Walnut Caramel Waffle - The waffles looked really really nice! Each and every one of them was coated with lukewarm caramel laid with bananas. The waffles were freshly made so it took a bit of waiting but it's certainly worth it! They were soft inside, a bit crispy outside with the perfect texture. Caramel was not too sweet and the lightly-cooked bananas were simply amazing. The portion was huge as well.

石牆道 - 什麼都不缺

繼上一回到石牆道吃午餐大為滿意，一早已決定要再來吃頓晚飯。上回來的時候，老板娘已叮囑要提早訂位，她說餐廳很受歡迎。這晚訂了6:30，可吃到8:15左右。就我所見，第一輪的時間餐廳已坐滿了人，但神奇地，室內環境沒有太吵。

前菜 - 跟上次一樣，前菜仍然是大堆頭得很。要把所有前菜吃掉需花一點時間，正好消磨等主菜的時間。

石牆道 - 隱蔽的午餐

之前從朋友那兒聽來尖沙咀韓國街再行上一個街口(即金巴利道)，於一個隱蔽的入口有一間韓國餐廳，週末也有午市套餐，我便找了一個週末來試試。由於入口太隱蔽，我走過了也懵然不知。最後有一位嬸嬸於一個破舊的商場入口向我推介韓國菜，我才發現原來她正正在推介石牆道呢！

由嬸嬸帶領下，我和媽媽順利進入餐廳。餐廳分兩層，我們坐地下的一層，不算大。侍應有韓國和香港人，每位都很有禮貌。

典型的擺位

午市套餐的選擇不少，例如有不同的石鍋飯、熱吃或冷麵等。沒有合心意的也可以從散點的餐牌選擇。我們點好菜後便有餐前小碟上來。

前菜 - 我只能說，太多了吧！當然，多是指款式，而不是份量，所以每位食客都可以每款試一點，而又不會飽肚或吃不完。16款前菜中，最特別的是左下角相機剛好拍不到的醬醃螄蛤，在別的韓國餐廳沒有。其他的就是一般的小前菜。

Upper Modern Bistro - 美而讚 (2)

Artichoke Macaroni, sauce Mornay - Artichoke用來烹調macaroni是新類的菜式。醬汁特別說明用了sauce Mornay。Sauce Mornay是一種很常見的醬汁，它的base是Béchamel sauce，然後再加上芝士。而Béchamel sauce是法國菜的經典常見醬汁。

Artichoke Macaroni的份量不多，長通粉內釀的應該就是artichoke。醬汁的味道濃郁，加上芝士的香味，其實也不太吃到artichoke的味道。由於份量不多，所以不會有太膩。值得一提的是那長通粉煮得al dente，口感十足。

Upper Modern Bistro - 美而讚

早前由於有好事發生，KK請我吃飯，我選了Upper Modern Bistro。

進去才發展原來餐廳還挺小的。我訂了6:30的檯，不消一會兒已經全場full house。待應們都很有禮貌，為我們解釋menu上的items。Upper Modern Bistro的menu有a la carte及set menu，另外還有小吃的menu供喝酒的人士伴酒。

餐前包 - 二話不說，先上我最在意的餐包。餐包外脆內軟，不用塗牛油也可以吃上數件。

補習的真啼 (4) - 不要信，只要問

對，90%的媽媽，還是偶有遇到的勤奮學生都是抱著"不要信，只要問"的態度。

先說媽媽吧，她們No.1喜歡問的是：你點學英文嫁？

我例牌的答案都是多點閱讀，不論什麼書或報紙雜誌，反正是用英文寫的就看多一點。每天看，話文能力會增強，例如句式的變化及詞彙的運用。反而不需要特別去學很困難的生字或做作的句式。基本上，英文好的人不一定在寫作上用上很多那些沒什麼人懂的字或句式，他們是用了native的手法寫作，而native的英文通常都是簡單的句式簡單的字。什麼是native？閱讀多一點便知道，再多一點便可以潛移默化，學會如何"native"，而且又可以學一些英文人常用的生字，而不是那些"懶深的英文字"。

不過，大部分人聽到都會搖手搖頭的。"我兒子不愛看書"、"太深的看不明"、"沒有時間坐下來閱讀"是大多數人的回應。我也沒她們好氣，學語文沒有捷徑不用我說吧。如果有快靚正的方法而我又知道的話我就是真正的補習天后。

好吧我說英文也要操，每天都操，隔天也好，我通常都會說只靠幾堂的補習不夠，可是媽媽會問為何不是一里通百里明，明了那grammar rule不就會懂得考試？大佬，你的兒子是天才嗎？不用練習就識？你的兒子是否上堂時學了加減數便一題數學題也不用做？我知你想個仔今天學今晚已經可以融會貫通，但我會回答無可能。

除了媽媽，學生也會問問題。例如問我以前如何讀書，我說我於一個週末必會溫好那個星期所教的課，會考時也不例外。星期六日我也會早上8時或之前起床背書。他們一聽便會說好辛苦，起不了床。我真想對她說，那麼如果你有一個方法是很舒服而又可以確保自己可以溫好全部課程你可以去出書。當然，她不是我，所以我只是會回應你可以試其他方法，看看如何才最適合你。

話說另一位有心學英文的女學生，那時她還有一年便要考大學，我每個星期都會要她用不同的英文字作句。後來我發現她會因為不懂如何以英文表達一個字或句子，就用電子辭典輸入中文以獲得英文翻譯，又或是直接抄報紙的用詞或句子。我多次向她解釋我們只是練習，她要儘量自己作，不懂的便嘗試，而且考試時也是要靠自己！何況電子辭典的翻譯很多時也怪怪的，根本不是她想表達的意思，加上她的英文程度低，忽然有數個稍為深的字便很不自然。當然，忠言逆耳，她覺得沒問題，就是要用電子辭典。她要用沒效果的方法學英文，我管不來，但奇就奇在她還不時向我討教如何學英文，但又不會嘗試我的方法。自問我的方法是很正路的，看書、看英文時裝雜誌、上學或回家的路途及有空時聽英文歌等等等等，她也不會做。

有時我懷疑其實家長或學生自己心裡有一套既定的答案或預設的想法。無論我說什麼，一旦是與她們的答案或想法不同，便會有1億個藉口說做不了或不理會我的提議。她們都只想在我身上找到全宇宙最快速最無痛的學英文方法又或是跟她們的心裡想法一樣的答案。

她們不相信我說的，但她們也不會停止向我發問。

[對的我是80後] 見怪不怪的排隊情況

我公司所處的大廈有一間美帝連鎖咖啡店，早上都有很多本地或外國白領光顧，排隊是常識。星期五我八時半左右到達辦公室大樓，咖啡店已經開始繁忙，在排隊的時候前我兩個位置有一位年青人，身穿便服，應該不是上班族，在其他全是辦公室裝扮的人看來還頗為突出。

突然間有2位同樣年青的妙齡女子向男年青人直衝，A女子直接要求男年青人為她買latte，B女子看見後面排隊的人不少有點猶豫地表示是不是要排隊。當然，她們決定插隊。這時候再來了兩個年青人插入隊伍，全部人都一副中六合彩的樣子"好野唔洗排長隊！！"這時我便以平和的聲線向那個有點猶豫的B女子說請排隊，正當她想拉她的朋友們去排隊的時候男年青人便說"我幫你們罷你們要喝什麼？"結果我的前面便平白的多了4杯咖啡的時間，後面的隊亦更長了。

好明顯，他們所有人都知道即使是由有排隊的男年青人代買，他們的行為實際上就是插隊。不過男年青人一副我真醒的態度真的令人不安。我不知他們是否80後，看上去比我小，應是大學生左右的年紀吧。我們常說內地人不文明都愛插隊但其實香港人也會，反而我公司的內地同事卻不會插隊。我認為內地人插隊可能真的是因為內地沒有排隊這概念，但香港總有吧。幼稚園老師都會教導幼兒排隊去洗手間。所以，這可能是一個家教及禮貌的問題，特別是在我請他們去排隊後他們也不理會。見微知著，這些小事已可看出他們的教養。



利申：這不是說我的教養有多好，但我會排隊。

Main St Deli - 不會吧是我想太多

香港人從小就接觸美式食物 -- 漢堡包有誰沒有試過呢？當然，日子久了，大家對漢堡的要求也提升，希望可以吃到更加正宗的漢堡餐。不過有質素的漢堡並不易找，Main St Deli是朋友推介的。

Main St Deli是Langham Hotel的其中一間餐廳，自稱為正宗紐約 style deli，menu內的食物主要為三文治，burger，omelette，亦有pasta及pizza。Burger有8oz及12oz的牛肉之分，而sandwich則有半份及整份可選擇。大部分的食物定在中上的價格，不想散叫的話可以選擇餐。Main St Deli在午餐的時間會比較多人，星期六的晚上早一點來到大約是6成滿。

Main St Deli Seafood Salad - 吃主菜前少不免要點上一客沙律。海鮮沙律有蝦、魚、蛋等等，餐廳提供多款沙律醬汁，例如balsamic vinaigrette、blue cheese、ranch、honey mustard。沙律的菜是新鮮的而海鮮的份量也不少，算是不錯。

源記甜品專家 - 真的很特別。。。嗎？？

很早之前和KK在西環閑遊，希望可以看一看沒有地鐵前的西環，也順道看看四周，畢竟是以往幾乎每天都來的地方。

下午3時多來到沒有很多人，有的看上去都應該是街坊。

芝麻糊 - 先上場的是芝麻糊，溫度是暖的程度，但我較喜歡熱一點的。芝麻糊的質地較稀，不太像糊的狀態，味道雖沒有過甜但也沒有芝麻糊應有的濃厚芝麻味道。這碗芝麻糊極其量都只是一般的質素。

Dolce 88 - Good Afternoon

這天行上了山頂，然後想再急步下山至soho，但發現不夠時間，只能在半路叫停的士，請司機帶我到最近的地方，他說金鐘快一點，我便臨時通知TC在金鐘等我。

金鐘想找地方坐下風花說月一番其實不是沒有選擇，例如有COVA、Simplelife、Grappa、The Petit Café等等。但這天我卻想去酒店吃蛋糕，而我不是會high tea的人，所以便來了Dolce 88。踏進酒店大堂大部份人都向右走到lounge的那邊，想去Dolce 88的便要向左轉。

店的面積很細，座位都是向窗，桌上有些有趣的擺設。

Panino Giusto - 輕食宵夜

Panino Giusto在去年年尾悄悄的登陸IFC，好像也沒有引起太大的場面，頗低調。它是一間在1979年於意大利米蘭的Corso Garibaldi開業的食店，panino有三文治的意思。一直的發展下來，Panino Giusto除了在米蘭開了不少分店外，還於意大利其他地方、日本、倫敦開店，而香港就是其中的一家新分店。躲在IFC的3樓，Panino Giusto找到了一個好位置，因為一旁便是玻璃，有日光的時候太陽照進來很是光猛，晚上的時間則可以看到維港夜景。

Panino Giusto對其出品的食物品質有自己的一套formula，名為"The rule of 7"，指panino有70 grams的肉，70 grams的芝士、蔬菜、醬及橄欖油，而所有材料都夾在70 grams重的麵包中。當然，真實是否能做到誰也不知道，想必沒有人會去量各款材料的重量吧。不過它對每款用料都很講究。眾多panino中有五款被稱為"5 Lions"，即是該店的招牌，它們分別為Tartufo、Giusto、Diplomatico、Montagu及Garibaldino。

當然，我是無緣品嚐此5 Lions的了。

這次來的一個晚上，我和KK在別處吃過晚飯後想吃tiramisu，便想到這裡。晚上8時9時的時候沒有太多人，靜靜的。

我和KK走到店員前下單，我說不如吃一份panino吧，本想點Salmone的，價錢為88元，但我突然在Starters的部分看到Stuzzico Al Salmone，材料有三文魚及warm bread等，也同樣是88元，我便問店員何者較化算，店員回應後者比較抵，因為有較多的三文魚。點菜及付款後便可坐下，店員會為顧客送上食物。

餐具及餐紙放在硬紙套內，紙套上有餐廳的logo，美但不太環保。

Classified - Cheesy Cheese Tea

一直以來都沒有嘗試於餐廳點芝士來吃，通常都是吃沙津中的或超市買的外國芝士(我有每天都吃車打芝士的習慣，而我吃的一種是沒有加激素的車打芝士)。這天我和SC約了舊老師及師妹，要找一個可以悠閒談天的地方，我不喜歡數層架的“afternoon/high tea”，忽發其想，就提意去吃個cheese platter。當然，我對芝士其實都沒有什麼研究。

吃cheese platter的地方不多，我選擇了Classified，因為我知道週末時間於交易廣場的Classified人不多，而且夠靜，沒有人會來爭位，也沒有人會來趕人走。

大慨2時多3時左右到達，由於沒有太多人，我們可以隨意的選擇位置坐下。我告訴侍應我們要點cheese platter，侍應表示可以到門口看看想吃什麼芝士。Cheese platter有分small ($168), medium($282)及large($395), 芝士款式分別為3、5及7種。4個人的我們要了medium。值得一提的是侍應非常盡責及用心的介紹芝士，即使我們是很明顯地對芝士一竅不通，她們不但沒有取笑，還推薦我們什麼比較易入口。

先來的是我的cappuccino，在陽光的照射下顯得很美。咖啡的溫度很熱，是我喜歡的。

潮樓 - 吃老土菜

好吧，星期六要和爸爸吃飯卻沒有在任何餐廳訂位，結果在7時30分跑遍整個觀塘也沒有地方肯收留，不是有人擺酒，就是已客滿及不接walk-in。最後我決定用最後的選擇 -- 潮樓。潮樓是少數星期六晚上不用等很久，甚至不用等便有位的餐廳。當然，被我認為是最後的選擇，質素少不免低一些。如不是我爸爸只吃中菜，我也真的不會來。

先上場的是豆苗，顏色很鮮艷，菜莖夠爽脆，葉子亦鮮，而且一點也不油。不過雖然有不少的蒜頭，但卻吃不出有蒜的味道。

Pokka Cafe - 竟然不錯

有一個星期六的下午4時左右來了青衣城，肚子很餓。走遍整個青衣城，當然沒有什麼有特色的餐廳啦，咱們又不是第一天來香港的商場混，自然都知道是連鎖食肆多，最後NK說來Pokka吧。

Pokka Cafe在我的印象中是與UCC Cafe差不多的，即是是由日本來香港，吃日式的西餐，有多種咖啡和甜品的選擇。感覺上它們的咖啡都是可靠的。

星期六的下午來到，大部分人都選擇下午茶tea set，有一件蛋糕及飲品，很便宜，但是不對我的口味，而且既然一場來到，總不能不試試它的真水準吧。服務員很勤快，態度很有禮貌，亦不介意我看餐牌看了許久。

我看了又看，太多咖啡選擇了，最後點的是以北海道牛奶作賣點的冰咖啡。冰咖啡以一小盤子的形式出場，中間的咖啡有冰塊，旁邊分別是糖漿及北海道牛奶。咖啡的味道很重而不太酸，很好喝。