Pizza Cone & Coffee Soda from Caffe Pascucci, Langham Place, Mongkok

You've heard of ice cream cone.
You've heard of pizza.

But pizza cone?

I was intrigued!
They've successfully grabbed my attention. Let's give it a try.

I ordered the Italian pizza cone, and it looks...cute.
Was it good?

It promises tomato sauce, cheese, cooked ham, mushrooms, oregano and salami.


But it was mostly tomato sauce and cheese (but at least there was really lots and lots of cheese, down to the bottom of the cone).

See! Lotsa cheese!

It's...interesting.
The pizza cone or crust...was a little too thick and crispy...kind of hard (I guess because it has to hold the filling/pizza topping), to the point that it could inflict some damage to my gum if I were not careful (but I was)...but it's not that bad. It would make quite a good snack, it would be much better if the cone can be a little thinner and not as hard.

SC was being a little unadventurous and ordered the lunch set of penne in spicy tomato sauce with orange juice.

The pasta was nicely cooked, the spicy tomato sauce could be a little spicier, it was a little too subtle for me, but overall, not bad.

Caffe Pascucci offers quite a selection of coffee themed drinks and desserts...which all looked amazing (I made a mental note to go back next time and try them)...but I had a huge weakness for...that's right. Soda.
Coffee soda.

In Indonesia, we have coffee cream soda, which is a tad too sweet, but this one's just perfect!

Not too sweet, and surprisingly refreshing, especially when it's served with a slice of orange (I didn't expect that).

The perfect thirst-quenching summer alternative to the usual creamy and milky cold coffee drinks.

The meal cost us HK$149 for two.

Caffe Pascucci
Shop 1A, 12/F, Langham Place Shopping Mall

8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok

Hong Kong

旺角亞皆老街8號朗豪坊12樓1A舖

Tel: +852 3514 4171

Quick Cheat Laksa for Weekday Dinner

I wanted laksa but couldn't be bothered to go out in this heat.
I wanted laksa but with vermicelli instead of beehon and oil noodle.
I wanted laksa with lighter broth, not as much coconut milk.
I wanted laksa without cockles, or fancy shrimps, just el-cheapo meat balls.

It is confirmed.

I am troublesome (ma q fan!) ^_^'

But the solution is pretty easy.
Just do a cheat laksa at home.

Ingredients
(serves 2)
- 1 pack of vermicelli (soak in hot water)
- 2 packs of Lee Kum Kee laksa for hot pot soup base (or other laksa spice packs)
- 1 box of coconut milk (200ml)
- 1 heaping cup of beansprouts
- various meat/fishballs
- 1 cup of tofu puffs, cut in half
- a bunch of corriander, freshly chopped
- crispy shallot
- hot water

Add laksa spice pack to hot water (according to instructions on the packet), add coconut milk, add meat/fish balls, add tofu puffs, bring everything to boil and keep it hot until you are ready to serve. Blanch beansprouts, blanch vermicelli, arrange in serving bowl, add meat/fishballs and tofu puffs in the bowl, pour laksa soup, garnish with coriander and crispy shallot.

Done and done! ^_^
Now, I need iced coke to counter attack the sodium...and probably some exercise to burn the calories...(oh who am I kidding?)

Japanese Golden Curry - Beef & Veggie

I've made Japanese curry before, using House instant curry seasoning, and it was a little too sweet for me. A friend of mine highly recommended S&B. In fact, she swears by it.

One fine day, I wanted to give it a try.
Actually, it was my day off but I was too lazy to whip up anything more complicated that throwing instant curry and ingredients into a pot :D

I blame Hong Kong's humidity and summer heat, as always.

You don't need a recipe for this...but let me share how did I do mine.

Recipe
(serves 4)
- 1 lb beef cubes (I used cubes from brisket)
- half an onion, chop into chunks
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 pack of straw mushrooms, sliced
- 1 zucchini, peeled and chopped into 5mm thick chunks
- 1 pack of S&B Golden Curry (Hot)
- olive oil, hot water, paprika (optional), black pepper (optional)

Since I used brisket, I used my pressure cooker.
Sautee onion in a bit of olive oil, add mushrooms, add beef, mix about, add carrots, add hot water, a sprinkle of black pepper, and pressure cook for 25 minutes. If you are using other kinds of meat (chicken, beef tenderloin, pork, etc, simply let the meat cook through and you're done). Once the pressure cooking was done, oh my! The beef stock you get...delicious even without any seasoning. Add zucchini chunks at this stage as we don't want to overcook them. Add curry seasoning a few blocks at a time and mix well, add more water if necessary, sprinkle a bit more black pepper and paprika (optional)...and pour curry over a bed of steamed rice.

I love S&B's savory curry flavor. Perfect!

Golden curry eaten overlooking a gloriously golden sunset...
One bowl was definitely not enough ^_^

Pie & Tart Specialists - Favorite World Cup 2010 Snack

I love snacking while watching...anything.
Korean dramas...
Hollywood series...
Local late news...

and of course, FIFA World Cup 2010!

I wish I could stick to healthy snacks such as fruits, nuts, and the like...but you know me.
It is more likely for me to go for chips, ice cream and chocolate than anything healthy :D

Recently, I tried munching these goodness and I think I could never go back!
If you live in or have been to Hong Kong, have you tried Pie & Tart Specialists?

Disclaimer: apologies for the poor lighting, we were in a hurry to catch the game ^_^'
The chicken pie? Yummy creamy filling, although the pie crust is a tad too sweet for my taste. I love Maxim's chicken pie better, but this isn't bad. A great savoury start for the first half of the game.
(As if I could wait for the second half before I devour the other item...)

My favorite from Pie & Tart Specialists?

Their Chocolate milk tart! Super duper mega delicious!
Sweet, smooth, chocolatey and creamy!
I didn't care which team won that night...this chocolate tart was the winner for me heheheh

PS. Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority, you are one of the main reasons that we, non iCable subscribers watched FIFA world cup this pitiful way:

(Since we don't subscribe to iCable and sometimes there are hiccups online streaming the matches via popular channels, sometimes, we had to watch via iPhone. Dammit!)

Look at SC blowing his vuvuzela in front of that pitiful screen...pathetic, aren't we? T_T

Pie & Tart Specialists
MTR Stations (Tsuen Wan, Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong, Tung Chung, Olympic) and many more locations

Mie Ayam Bakso - Indonesian Dry Chicken Noodle with Beef Ball

My all time favorite breakfast in Indonesia.
When I went back home, I have to have mie ayam every single day :D

This is my desperate attempt trying to recreate the noodle in Hong Kong. It's pretty close, but it could never be the same, first and foremost because of the noodles. The Indonesian ones that I love are handmade, the texture, the taste, and the thickness? All perfect!
I've tried using Hong Kong egg noodles, flat egg noodles, instant noodles, pasta...without success.
This time, I tried using fresh ramen :)

These are the no brand ones from the wet market, HK$3 per pack.
Let's see if this worked.


Recipe

Broth
No cheat
- half a chicken with bones and all (shred/mince the meat and use it for topping later)
- hot water
- 2 cloves of shallot, cut into sections
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 cm ginger, crushed
- salt, white pepper, sugar

Cook chicken in hot water with garlic, ginger and shallot, let cook until you have the chicken flavor you're after, season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

Cheat
- a box of chicken broth (heheh) or a pack of cubed/packed chicken stock with hot water
Simply cook the broth and bring to boil

Accessories to serve with broth
- Meatballs/beef balls/pork balls/fish balls (I used store bought)
- Hairy melon (peel skin, half, and cut into 5mm thick pieces)
- freshly chopped coriander
- crispy shallot

Cook meatballs and hairy melon pieces in the broth, serve with lots of freshly chopped corriander and crispy shallot

Meat Topping
- 1/2 lb minced chicken (or pork)
- 1 small clove of garlic
- a pack/a cup of mushrooms (I used shimeji, so I didn't chop them at all, you can use fresh shiitake, straw mushrooms, button mushrooms, etc)
- vegetable oil, fish sauce, light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, hot water

Saute garlic in vegetable oil until fragrant, add mushrooms let cook, add meat, add sauces and seasonings, add hot water, let cook and reduce, keep tasting until you reach your preferred balance of sweet and savoury.

Garnish
- freshly chopped coriander
- lemon wedges
- chilli sauce (I used ABC chilli sauce)
- crispy shallot

Noodles
- 2 portions of noodles
- vegetable oil (or sesame oil if you like), fish sauce, a touch of soy sauce
Cook noodles as instructed on the package, do not overcook. Prepare bowls with vegetable oil (or sesame oil), fish sauce and a touch of soy sauce. Drain noodles, place on bowls, and mix the oil and seasonings.

Assembly
Add meat and mushroom toppings on top of the noodles, garnish with freshly chopped coriander, crispy shallot and squeeze a bit of lemon juice. Serve with broth and chilli sauce on the side.

It's a simple dish that requires quite a lot of work. Normally I only make this on weekends :D
How did it go?

The topping was pretty close...I love the balance of sweet, savoury and the touch of citrus. The noodles? Lovely and chewy...but I still feel that it's not close enough to what I normally have in Indonesia. There's something missing!

...probably a few heaping tablespoons of MSG?
:D