Frites North Point hosted a wine dinner on 25 September: the fine flavours of USDA-certified beef and pork accompanied by 6 delicious wines from Nikola Estates.
Click on any photo for the full gallery of images.
images: copyright bc magazine/Simon Durrant
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away… Ok, it was Chater Garden in 2015 – but today in twenty twenty-two it feels like a different time and place – an Englishman frustrated at the quality of fish and chips found locally imported a complete fish and chip shop, The Chippy, from Derby.
A bit extreme perhaps, but the massive queues and smiling faces at the Best of British pop-up event proved he wasn’t the only frustrated Hong Kong diner yearning for quality fish and chips. At the end of the week-long festival, the Englishman said he hoped to open a permanent version of The Chippy soon…
Is ‘seven years’ soon? I’m not sure, but the newly opened ‘The Chippy’ in Tsim Sha Tsui certainly scratches an itch. Crispy battered succulent Icelandic cod served on a bed of hot chips – simply delicious!
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And yes you will want to Instagram your beautiful-looking meal, but do it quickly so you can enjoy the freshly prepared meal hot. There are two sizes of cod; the Signature a 10-12oz fillet ($188) and a regular (5-6oz fillet, $108) served in a “Cod Save the Queen” Chippy Box full of plump English chips.
The Granville Food Square location seats around 60 and as well as fish the menu includes battered jumbo sausages, Pukka pies, mushy peas, curry sauce and proper gravy – all imported from Derby. Cold beer and drinks are also available in the food court and delivery options will be added soon.
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The Chippy – Tsim Sha Tsui
Granville Food Square, 46-48 Granville Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel:
Opening Hours: 11am til late
Recently Chip In a local social conscious fish and chip chain sent bc an invite to try their new vegetarian fish and chips. Intrigued, a Saturday afternoon visit to their branch in The Vantage at Hung Hom was arranged.
In all honesty, we weren’t expecting much, if you want to eat fish (or meat) then, at the moment, nothing matches the real thing for flavour or texture.
And the same is true with ‘vegetarian’ fish, in a direct comparison – really there is no comparison – to cod the beautiful flaky white pieces of cod are delicious. And ‘fish and chips’ is really cod and chips, nothing else is better battered and deep-fried to a golden hue.
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That said if you don’t try to compare it to the real thing, the vegetarian soy product is not that bad. It has a reasonable texture and flavour, if a little salty, and it holds the batter well.
And for dessert, there are Chip In’s unique deep-fried Oreo cookies, sweet chewy and delicious!
If your vegetarian friends have been keeping you away from your local fish and chip shop, then invite them along to Chip In in Sai Kung or Hung Hom and everyone will be happy.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220514-Vegetarian-Fish-Chips-Chip-In/i-FfZLKf5
Chip In: Sai Kung
Shop 11, G/F, 9 King Man Street,
Sai Kung, Hong Kong.
Tel: 6418 6575
Opening Hours: 11am – 7:30pm
Chip In: Hung Hom
Unit 28, G/F The Vantage, 63 Ma Tau Wai Road,
Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Tel: 9452 3373
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm
Duck & Waffle in IFC has closed its doors this month, another victim of the government’s dining restrictions where restaurants have hours and capacity limits – but landlords are still allowed to charge full rent.
It was tasty while it lasted…
Duck & Waffle
Shop 1081, 1/F, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central – CLOSED
Tel: 2267 6338
Image: Duck & Waffle
Ruby Tuesday are on a tear with the opening of a third new restaurant in less than a year. The success of the new style restaurant in K11 Art Mall saw the opening of a first Ruby Tuesday in what could be considered a very local market: Po Lam – Tseung Kwan O. The new outlet in Tuen Mun builds on those successes while incorporating new Covid protections and innovations to ensure the safety of customers and staff.
The Tuen Mun branch, located on the ground floor of Trend Plaza, is smaller than the other new outlets but incorporates the outdoor seating which has proven very popular among customers. While it may be a little hot (or wet), there are no fans, to sit outside in summer. The outdoor tables will surely be in high demand as the weather cools.
The feel of the new branch is a little darker than the bright openness of K11, the more notable difference though is Ruby Tuesday’s first open kitchen in Hong Kong. It’s not fully open, but offers diners the chance to see the kitchen crew in action and also a chance to see that Covid protocols are being observed in the kitchen and that the staff member tasked with keeping the broad swathes of stainless steel shining clean is on task.
As for the food, a new Express set lunch (available only at TKO, Po Lam and Tuen Mun) offers meals at prices similar to local chain outlets. And the staff were working hard to ensure that diners could enjoy their meal during a lunch hour.
It was steaming hot the day bc visited Ruby’s in Tuen Mun so we sampled Ruby’s range of (delicious) smoothies and iced drinks – the highlight being Ruby’s Passion a mango smoothie topped with passion fruit puree, the tartness of passion fruit reigning in the sweetness of the mango. The coffee frappuccino with ice cream was basically flavourless liquid and a disappointment compared to the rather nice one we enjoyed previously at K11.
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On a personal note, I don’t really see the point of trying to create ‘fake’ meat and have always found the results disappointing. Discussing this recently, a friend offered a suggestion, don’t think of Impossible as fake meat, think of it as something like tofu which can be prepared and enjoyed in many different ways. Seen and eaten in that way, it’s an enjoyable and textured alternative to meat. Ruby’s Impossible quesadilla was tasty and filling, while the newly added Butcher’s Steak offered a meaty and flavourful reminder that there really is nothing like meat.
bc hadn’t noticed it on the menus in previous visits, so we can’t say if it’s new, but several menu items had a Keto symbol to help those on that food plan.
One of the many small changes in recent years that have re-energised the brand locally and made it an enjoyable place for lunch and dinner where the food tastes as good as it looks.
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Location: Shop 39-40, Level 1, North Wing, Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun
Tel: 3598 3098
Ruby Tuesday have a new outlet in Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun. It’s the chain’s seventh restaurant and the third new location opened in the last year.
Commenting about the new outlet Ruby Tuesday Managing Director Leslie Bailey said “We have taken every lesson that the COVID-19 Pandemic has taught us and incorporated it into our new restaurant design. In addition to the standard water and air-filters, we’ve also taken the extra precaution of adding a state-of-the-art Philips UV Disinfection System to filter and clean the air circulating in the restaurant.”
Location: Shop 39-40, Level 1, North Wing, Trend Plaza, Tuen Mun
Tel: 3598 3098
Just in time for Christmas Ruby Tuesday have opened a new outlet in Metro City, Po Lam.
Ruby Tuesday Managing Director Leslie Bailey talked about the new outlet “Ruby Tuesday, Metro City Plaza, Po Lam is our largest restaurant by size. We’ve made every effort to ensure that the dining experience is first-class and our talented local designer has created a space that evolves throughout the day; whether alone, together, or as a family, we provide you with a [really] comfortable dining experience and our team will provide you with quality food, served with passion, in an environment, we take pride in.”
“We have taken every lesson that the COVID-19 Pandemic has taught us and incorporated it into our new restaurant design,” Bailey continued. “In addition to the standard water and air-filters, we’ve also taken the extra precaution of adding a state-of-the-art Philips UV Disinfection System to filter and clean the air circulating in the restaurant, thus reducing the risk of any secondary infection. You will find two automated handwashing and sanitization stations. With the children’s station at a lower level to encourage children to focus on washing their hands properly.
Over the holidays it’s BYO – Bring your own alcohol – until the liquor licence is approved.
Ruby’s Festive Platter Set( $798) includes: Honey Glazed Ham Hock, Lamb Shank, Boston Lobster, Roast Pumpkin & Chestnut Soup (2), Smoked Salmon and mulled wine (2 glasses)
Location: Shop UG020 – 021, UG/F, MCP Central, Tseung Kwan O
Tel: 2154 1318
