How Dairy You

P1090251
My Aunt Jennifer from San Francisco came to Hong Kong for a short visit. During her stay she craved for Hong Kong style egg sandwich (蛋治). My mom and I knew just the place to bring her - The Australia Dairy Company (澳洲牛奶公司) in Jordan, our favourite place for this special craving. The Australia Dairy Company is a cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) that is very popular amongst locals and is always busy throughout the day everyday. Some foreigners would consider the service quite pushy and almost rude and feel that you are encouraged not to linger too long once you have finished to make room for other customers. Well don't be discouraged or intimidated by this...the food and experience is well worth it. If you need a English menu just ask for one.

P1090240

Last night we were lucky to get a little booth to ourselves (you usually have to share with others). We each ordered a 蛋治 and drinks, the ladies each ordered a coffee milk tea (鴛鴦) and I ordered an ice milk tea (港式奶茶). It all came to a total of HKD98. We ordered everything seperately, but there are also good value combos available for you to select from.

P1090245

The Australia Dairy Company makes the most amazing scrambled eggs. The thin delicate layers of scrambled eggs has an irresistible fluffiness...a delicious rich but light creamy eggyness that melts with every mouthful you take. The scrambled eggs sits perfectly between two slices of bread that were nicely crisp on the outside and super soft on the inside. It is best to eat the 蛋治 while it is hot. On a seperate note I love the 港式奶茶 there - it is one of the best I've had in Hong Kong so far.

P1090244

Our next stop was Yee Shun Milk Company (義順牛奶公司), which was just one street over. This place is also a 茶餐廳 but they are especially famous for their traditional chinese desserts.

P1090257

We each ordered a double skin steamed milk (招牌雙皮燉奶) at HKD21 per bowl. It had a silky smooth light texture and a mild creamy sweetness. It was heaven with every spoonful for Aunt Jennifer. For those who have never tried it before, it is similar to panna cotta. The 招牌雙皮燉奶 is served hot or cold, but personally I think it tastes alot better hot.

P1090254

Aunt Jennifer really enjoyed the dairy pig out and told us that she wouldn't have known about these places without our help. The next time she visits she's definitely coming back for more :)

P1090253

Breakfast At Tiffany's...Not

Mom and I went to Classified in Wan Chai to enjoy some late Sunday afternoon breakfast.

P1080945
The tiny restaurant has a welcoming mellow ambiance to it. One wall is lined with a shelf of various selections of wine and the other consisted of a few seats facing a wall. I loved the lighting that directly hung right above us, consisting of a huge bundle of bulbs held together in a bouquet formation. In regards to seating, there are two huge wooden tables and everyone has to sit together around the big tables (each fits approx. ten people). It kind of seating arrangement reminds me of a cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) but the only difference is that they serve western food. I don't particularly like the seating arrangement that much - I appreciate having a bit of personal space and not be completely surrounded by strangers in such close proximity. I get a bit uncomfortable when strangers stare at me while I'm eating and they're not eating anything themselves.

P1080949
P1080948-2

We ordered the Classified Egg Benedict (HKD39), the French Toast (HKD38) and the Egg White Frittata with Mediterranean Vegetables (HKD42). For drinks we ordered a Latte and Cappuccino (each HKD29).

The Classified Egg Benedict with Serrano Ham and Hollandaise was absolutely delicious. For egg benedict lovers, this dish is definitely for you. The light saltiness and smokiness of the serrano ham adds a special flavor that compliments perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. The english muffin was toasted just right - crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The egg was poached beautifully and had a perfect gooey center. The hollandaise sauce was just the right thickness and was not overpowering - a good balance between buttery, creamy and tangy flavors. Consume all the warm and delicious components in one bite and I swear you will melt away. This is one of the best egg benedicts I've had in Hong Kong. Omg just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I WAAAANT.

P1080951

P1080952
The French Toast with Bananas and Maple Syrup was decent but not memorable. It was evident that they did not use enough egg mixture on the bread and didn't cook it long enough. It tasted more like buttered toast to me. The french toast could have been sliced a bit thinner too. You know who can make some mean french toast? My Uncle Glibert :) I'm pretty good at making them too - I usually serve them with berries.

P1080961
The Egg White Frittata and Mediterranean Vegetables was so bland and boring. We had to ask for some salt and ketchup to make it more tasty. I only later found out (looking over their menu on their website at home) that they forgot to serve us the bloody spicy tomato chutney that is suppose to come with it >:( Seriously WTF. It would have made a big difference in our experience of this dish. FAIL.

P1080956
Our food came before our coffees - drinks should always come before or at the same time as the food. We had to remind the waiter about our coffees because he totally forgot to mark them down in the first place >:( My mom and I are coffee lovers and we thought the Latte and Cappuccino were very so-so, more like Starbucks pricy watered-down muck. It's definitely best just to get your coffee else where.

P1080965

If you go to Classified for breakfast, I recommend you play it safe and go for the more popular dishes first. Their service was a bit of a disappointment so I hope it's the better next time I go back for my occasional classified egg benedict cravings. On my next visit I also want to try out a Morning Delight - An Assortment of Jamon Serrano, Salami, Beaufort Cheese, Brie with Fresh Baked Bread, Petite Pot Yogurt, Fruit Juice and Coffee or Tea (HKD118).

One Large Bookworm With Extra Cheese

Book-heart

I love to read - it is one of my many favourite hobbies. Ever since I graduated from university I have been able to read lots of books. I have never really bothered recording the total number of books I've read, but my sudden curiosity overcame me. I have composed a list of books that I've read since June 2009, when AC bought me a lovely e-reader for my birthday (I don't know what I would do without it - my life depends on it literally). To my amazement I found out that I've read seventeen books.

Books Completed (June 2009 - Present)

  • Have A Little Faith, Mitch Albom (read all 4 of his books)
  • The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle 
  • Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin
  • Something Blue, Emily Giffin 
  • Baby Proof, Emily Giffin
  • Love The One You're With, Emily Giffin
  • Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Glibert
  • Grimm's Fairy Tales, Jacob Grimm
  • Twenties Girl, Sophie Kinsella
  • Mini Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella (read all 10 of her books)
  • Turning Tables, Heather and Rose MacDowell (current read)
  • Julie And Julia, Julie Powell
  • Peony In Love, Lisa See
  • Shanghai Girls, Lisa See
  • Snow Flower And The Secret Fan, Lisa See
  • The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
  • Half Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls

As you may have noticed, I dig chick lit :P I need to find new books to read and I'm open to any recommendations, and yes I will even consider non-chick lit ones :)

Potential Books To Look Forward To

  • Heart Of The Matter, Emily Giffin
  • Crush It: Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion, Gary Vaynerchuk (recommended by EC)
  • Classy: Exceptional Advice For The Extremely Modern Lady, Derek Blasberg (got off ANTM Cycle 15)

Baaaaa Curry

Mom and I went to Stanley with Aunt Cathy and Rachel for some lunch and sightseeing. We decided to eat at the Main Street Stanley Bar & Cafe and all ordered the HKD128 lunch deal - a dish of your choice from their lunch menu plus one soft drink, beer, coffee or tea. I got the Rogan Josh, an aromatic Indian lamb curry.

P1080812

The Rogan Josh was a surprise for me. It was delicious - it was very flavorful and tasted very authentic. It was mildly hot and got spicier as I ate it. However the lamb was quite tough that I had a hard time using a knife to cut it into edible sizes. The papadum was crispy and went really well with the curry. The rice was a bit on the mushy side for me. If they had used better lamb meat, this could have been one of the best curries I've had in a while.

P1080809
P1080808