Caramba!

Name: Caramba!
City: Hong Kong
Address: Soho, 26-30 Elgin Street & Discovery Bay, Discovery Bay Plaza (on the waterfront)

Website: http://www.caramba.com.hk

Cuisine: Mexican

Critique: I have eaten here twice and both times were mostly good experiences. The fact is that if you are looking for an Mexican experience in Asia like you would have in America, you are going to be disappointed. It just doesn't happen.

The first time I had the chicken quesadillas. They tasted fine, but were a bit thin and left me wanting more. More recently, I went with 3 other people and I got the beef tacos. One person ordered fish fajitas, another got chicken or beef fajitas and another person also ordered tacos. We also had a queso (cheese) dip.

The chips were okay, not the seasoned stuff that Rick had at the other Mexican place in Soho. They weren't the best chips I have had, but they were solid. I really liked the queso, but it was more of a rotelle (rotel?) dip than the white cheese queso you get in the States.

The tacos were more like taco supremes because they come standard with refried beans, guacamole and sour cream in the tacos and you get a side of rice and black beans. I told the waitress, as did the other person ordering tacos, "no beans." She got it half right, there weren't any black beans, but there were refried beans in the tacos. Honestly, I forgot to tell her no guac and sour cream, so I ended up scrapping quite a bit of the taco. The tacos were okay, but I probably won't order them again because it is too much of a hassle to make sure I don't get all the stuff I don't want.

The waitress did mess up the fish fajitas and brought chicken the first time, which meant we had to wait while they cooked up some fish and brought the right stuff. She enjoyed the fajitas once the right ones came (see below).

And she even returned the later that week to take some guests from out-of-town there.

As I noted the service wasn't top notch, but part of that was my fault. However, it could be improved. On the weekends, the small, thin restaurant fills up quick.

I was treated on both occasions, so I don't recall the exact prices, but I think the quesadillas were around $70 HKD (about $9 US) and the tacos were around $120 HKD (around $15 US). However, we went on a Monday night and there were people from Asiaxpat.com passing out discount cards. I believe you got a second entree for 1/2 off, so try to go on Monday.

Comments/Recommendations: As I said, it is nearly impossible to have the type of Mexican food you had in the States anywhere in Asia, but Caramba! is a decent choice in Hong Kong. And for people who have been in Asia a while, especially the remote areas, it will be a treat. Keep expectations reasonable and have a nice meal.

Rating: Three fries

UCC Vienna Cafe

Name: UCC Vienna Cafe
City: Hong Kong
Address: Fisherman's Wharf near Laguna Verde in Hung Hom, also Harbor City and New World Centre

Website: www.ucc.co.jp

Cuisine: Coffee, desserts, western, breakfast, Japanese

Critique: We opted for this place because of location and variety of food and were not disappointed. Honestly, I was a little befuddled by the menu at first because it is a bit eclectic, but the food is good nonetheless.
I had a snack order of fried chicken and the berry waffle. My girlfriend had seafood pasta with a soy milk white sauce. The chicken was okay- a little greasy and over-battered, but better than quite a bit of the chicken I have had in Hong Kong. I ordered the large berry waffle which was more than an Eggo, but less than a Waffle House waffle. It was topped with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and served with a dollop of whip cream, a shot glass of jelly and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. The waffle itself was okay, but the berries, cream and ice cream made it tasty. It was nice to have a breakfast option at night. My girlfriend really liked the seafood pasta with a soy milk sauce. The soy milk sauce was similar to a normal white sauce, but thinner and probably a lot healthier as well. She likes soy milk, so it wasn't that odd for her.
UCC is also know for their coffee and unique coffee dispenser that look more like a piece of equipment from a science lab that something from a cafe. They had several omelets on the menu, pasta dishes, sandwiches, curries and breakfast dishes, but most of it had a Japanese twist to it. I never had heard of Japanese people being know for waffles, but I was thankful they were on the menu.
The location was nice and quiet, so you could enjoy a good conversation without yelling. The service was decent, but nothing to write home about. I thought her portion was good and mine was a little bit smallish for a "large" (but I am a fat American and she isn't). And for the two of us it was about 150 HKD (about $20), which is quite reasonable in Hong Kong.

Comments/Recommendations: I definitely would recommend UCC Cafe Vienna, especially if you have a group that can't decide between Western or Asian food. It would also be a nice place to have coffee and dessert if you don't want to follow the heard to Starb---s. You can definitely find better places to eat, but most of them are more expensive.

Rating: 3 Fries

Pepperonis

Name: Pepperonis
City: Hong Kong
Address: 8 Staunton Street, Soho (right off the escalators to the Mid-Levels)

Website: n/a, but to order via phone 2869-1766

Cuisine: Pizza and a little bit of everything else

Critique: I have eaten at Pepperonis twice. Both times I had pepperoni pizza (original, I know) and the second time I had their chicken sampler as an appetizer. The pizza is great, some of the best I have had in Asia. The pepperoni tastes like pepperoni and not ham or some other pork product. My friends had their version of a supreme pizza and enjoyed it. They offer a variety of types of pizza- some are the standbys you would expect in the United States, some are a bit more adventurous or creative in nature. The crust is somewhere in between a thin and thick crust, so if you don't like big thick crust around the edges, you don't have to worry; however, if you do like crust, there is enough to satisfy you.
The chicken sampler came with wings, popcorn chicken, a few small chicken fingers and fries. For the most part, these were all average.
Pepperonis also offers delivery which I would image is limited to the Soho, Mid-Levels and Central area, but I could be wrong.
Prices were fair, I think a large pizza is somewhere between $15-20 US, but don't quote me on that. The service was decent, especially since the place is usually full with a line.

Comments/Recommendations: Basically the pizza is the draw. The rest of the menu is probably hit-and-miss, but don't miss the pizza, because it is better than Pizza Hut.

Rating: 4 Fries (for pizza, 2.5 Fries for other)

MOS Burger

Name: MOS Burger
City: Hong Kong
Address: Langham Place, Mong Kok, Kowloon

Website: http://www.mos.co.jp/english/outline/

Cuisine: Burgers & Fast Food

Critique: A few days after I got to Hong Kong, I was part of a discussion of where to find the best burger in Hong Kong. I remembered a few people said MOS Burger, so when I stumbled upon it in one of the high-rise malls on the Kowloon side, I decided to try it out.
It is a Japanese chain that has spread throughout Asia. They offer a lot of different burgers- cheese, shrimp, chicken, tofu, rice, etc.
I opted for a cheeseburger and fries. The fries were okay- better than Wendy’s, not as good as McDonald’s. The burger was fair. It had an Asian taste to it, which I guess is a way of saying it didn’t taste like a good juicy American burger. It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t offer me any reason to make a specific trip back to MOS, especially when the Golden Arches are on every corner in Hong Kong.
The price was reasonable, around 33 HK$ ($4+ US).

Comments/Recommendations: As I stated above, the food is okay, but not great enough to warrant a switch from American chains… or a particular Canadian chain, which might offer the best burger in Hong Kong.

Rating: 1 Fry

El Taco Loco Taqueria, Hong Kong

Name: El Taco Loco Taqueria

City: Soho, Hong Kong

Address: 9 Lower Staunton St. (just off the escalator)

Website: http://www.diningconcepts.com.hk/

Cuisine: Hong Kong style Mexican

Critique: Being in Soho, it is a bit of a pain to get to and not really worth the trouble. The beautiful Mexican decor is a delight to look at and it is tastefully decorated. The seven tables can fill up quick, but there is usually room at lunch time. Fully one half of their menu (the entire front side) is a drinks menu and their food menu is not extensive.

When we arrived for lunch on a public holiday, there was only one other person, who happened to walk in directly in front of us. She had her beer and chips before we even saw the waitress. We decided to order a large basket of tortilla chips and pico de gallo. We were sorely disappointed to find that the chips were an off-brand Doritos chip that is notorious for being slightly stale. The pico de gallo was good. A little frustrating at over $5 USD. It would have been worth it to have had regular restaurant style tortilla chips WITHOUT seasoning.

Among the four of us, we had a good variety from their menu: beef tacos, beef burritos, and chicken enchiladas. No one liked the tacos at all. The burrito was slightly better, and I am the only one who liked the enchiladas. The tacos seem to have been seasoned with chili powder instead of traditional taco seasoning. The shredded beef that they used for taco meat was extremely tough. They used the same beef in the burrito. However, the pico de gallo and the refried beans redeemed that effort. The enchiladas were served with sour cream and guacamole and all in a tin foil pie plate. While that was a bit out of the ordinary, the enchiladas was good. I would eat it again.

The tacos were fairly reasonable in price, except that no one ate them, so that makes them not worth the cost. The burritos were fairly expensive as well as the enchiladas. For 3 tacos, 2 burritos, 2 enchiladas, a basket of slightly stale off brand Doritos and four cans of soda pop, $24 USD was a little on the high side.

Comments/Recommendations: For my family, I am afraid that our visit today constituted 2 trips; our first and our last. I wouldn't mind going back again, but I don't think the family will be joining me. It is possible, that for the past month, we have been talking about going to El Chico's. When we saw this restaurant last week, it smelled good and perhaps we were expecting too much. In any case, the restaurant's motto or tag line is: "Muy authentica" (very authentic). I would propose a new motto: "Typical Asian Mexican Food".

Rating: 2 Fries

Fat Angelo's, Hong Kong

Name: Fat Angelo's
City: Hong Kong
Address: 6 locations: three on Hong Kong Island at Elizabeth House in Causeway Bay, Elgin Street in Soho and Queen's Road East in Wanchai, one in Kowloon at The Pinnacle in Tsim Sha Tsui, and two in New Territories at Metro City and Tsuen Wan Panda Place.

Website: http://www.fatangelos.com/

Cuisine: New York Home Style Italian

Critique: Fat Angelo's is an immensely popular restaurant in Hong Kong and around Asia. Visitors to Hong Kong often head straight for Fat Angelo's to gorge themselves on all sorts of Italian delights. All dishes are served family style and you buy 1 dish for every one to two people. However, each dish is extremely expensive and most are just mediocre in taste. Where this restaurant really shines is in its service and family friendliness.

Now about the food...the best parts of Fat Angelo's are the free salad, the wonderful bread, and the desserts. You can "upgrade" to Caesar salad for a small price, but you don't get free "refills" on salad if you do. They also make some really great dinner rolls. Well, they are more loafs than rolls, but they have the rolls shape. Anyway, they bring baskets and baskets of bread. To me, that is a very good thing. They have a fairly large dessert menu which includes some yummy tiramisu, apple crumble, and some great cheese cake.

Each restaurant is tastefully decorated in 1950's Italian. The wait staff is attentive (generally) and really seem to want you to have a good time. They will go over-board to make your meal a success.

Comments/Recommendations: I recommend the Parmesan chicken, the cheese cake and the apple crumble, a la mode. I definitely DO NOT recommend the lasagna (the WORST I have ever had in my WHOLE life!), or the beef ricotta. For most dishes, Chef Boyardee makes better Italian. The high prices and low quality makes for an unfortunate combination. My kids ask for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich immediately after arriving back at home from at night out at Fat Angelo's. If the food quality was any better, it would have gotten a "4 Fry" rating, but because it is so poor, it will only get the rating below.

Rating: 2 Fries

The Flying Pan, Hong Kong

Name: The Flying Pan
City: Hong Kong
Address: G/F 9 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong Island OR
3/F 81-85 Lockhart Road, Wanchai



Website: unknown

Cuisine: Western, breakfast

Critique: Breakfast 24 hours a day. What a concept! And a good breakfast it is. I ate there the other day for lunch with my friend Alan. I can't wait to take my wife and kids there. It was stupendous!

It has the feel of an old diner, but everything is new and shiny. You get a pot of coffee when you order coffee, and they will refill it at no charge (as often as you like, I suppose). The portions are generous and most meals come with two side orders and a glass of juice. It would be a perfect place for brunch or a late lunch. The Wanchai branch was fairly full by the time we left at 1:30 pm.

The food quality was good, but the bacon tasted more like ham. The grits were good and there was enough that you don't need to make both side dishes grits! Alan's waffle looked a bit over done, but that, of course, can vary by cook. They provide maple and blueberry syrups.

Alan mentioned that they do have high chairs for kids and the waitresses don't seem to keep distracting the kids while they eat, which can often happen with little ones in HK.

They have a discount/membership card available, but you have to eat there 16 times before you get a free meal. It didn't seem that good of a deal to me, but I'm not sure that I really understood what it was all about.

Comments/Recommendations: I look forward to going to the Flying Pan again, real soon. I really want to take my wife there for brunch. I had the eggs benedict last time and I would recommend it to you. I am going to try an omelet next time, too.

Rating: 4 Fries