One Dim Sum (Hong Kong): making the average dim sum taste better

Hi All,

Happy Holidays!

It’s been awhile since my last post. Whirlwind experiences through Korea and Thailand lately that I’ll have to update soon – once I figure how to get the pictures out of my phone.

HK, Hong Kong, 香港

Meanwhile, I want to share a nice dim sum place in Hong Kong. While in the mist of working hard for the money, I went to de-stress myself by watching some vids on YouTube. I somehow came across someone eating dim sum in Hong Kong. It made my mouth water like a chocolate fountain. I couldn’t get it out of my mind! I even tried to convince friends to go with me. But because everyone took too long to respond, I jetted to Hong Kong the weekend afterwards. Now, I really didn’t want to go to Hong Kong again but BBQ pork buns were calling me out.

All aboard!

You’ve seen my older post and my infinite love for dim sum (besides dessert). Today I’ll be recapping my foodie adventure at ONE DIM SUM.

everything's in a logo

To me, this is the second best dim sum I’ve ever had in Hong Kong. You shouldn’t miss it. It’s literally open all day and late night so you can have dim sum whenever you want. It’s almost like Denny’s hours.

ONE DIM SUM is an affordable 1 Michelin STAR. It’s a great way to rack up your Michelin Stars so that you can sound pompous and snobby when talking to people. Sometimes you just need to feel lavish right?!?!

Moi in front

It’s a popular joint so make sure you’re not too hungry when you arrive. I had to wait about 30 minutes to get a spot. However, if you have large party, be prepared to wait longer or should make reservations ahead of time. Another great idea is ordering “to go” and enjoy dim sum at the park.

waiting and waiting and waiting

* * *

Ambiance: small place with limited seating. Maybe fit about 25 people at most. Typical dim sum experience.

Service: Fast and efficient – the way it should be. While waiting, you can request for the menu and ordering slip. This will make it even easier when you’re sitting inside and not waste time thinking about what to eat. They also have an English Menu with pictures.

Taste: Acceptable because it’s the average dim sum made better. Nothing spectacular but worthy of enjoying.

Transportation: I took the metro. Easily accessible.  

Added bonus: You’re in MONGKOK. Plenty of things to enjoy. Shopping, Fa Yuen Street, flower market, bird market, goldfish market, etc.

almost there~

What I enjoyed:

•          Steamed minced beef ball

the F3 in this dish

Soft texture of minced beef. Flavourful, fluffy and filling. Yes, you should order it.

•         Steamed BBQ pork buns

there was only 2 =( usually there's 3

inside deliciousnss

Average BBQ pork buns. If you’re not a fan of this, you can live without it.

•          Steamed rice rolls with BBQ pork

I love it drenched in soy sauce

It tasted really fresh rice rolls. The BBQ pork wasn’t the best but I really enjoyed the texture of the rice rolls. Yes, you should order this too.

•          Beef spare ribs in pepper sauce (or something like that)

an oily hot mess that's perfect for you

This is good however a bit greasy. Wash it down with hot tea please.

•          Steamed pork and vegetables dumplings

looks perfectly cute

You have to order dumplings at a dim sum place. Since I don’t eat seafood, I got the pork and vegetables dumplings. You should get the shrimp/har gow ones.

•          Dessert: mango and coconut rolls

THE best eva - eat it!

DEFINITELY order this! Chunks of fresh mango in rice roll, rolled in coconut flakes. I really loved this the most and totally justified the price.

ADDED BONUS: stay at this hotel. I stayed here twice and found it really convenient, nice rooms, friendly staff, and a great sky bar. ROSEDALE HOTEL in KOWLOON.

Recommended stay

My take: Be the typical tourist and have dim sum. This place is in a good location with many attractions within walking distance.

Address: 15 Playing Field Road, Prince Edward, Hong Kong

Specs: open for lunch and dinner until late [like midnight late Mr/Ms Cinderella]

Directions: easy to find getting off the metro. Exit Prince Edward MTR station, exit A. Turn Right and walk about 2-3 blocks. Then turn Left on Tung Choi Street.

directions

Let me know your thoughts. Shout it out in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

XoXo V

* Sunny Up with V *

If you would like me to visit your place, let me know! I’m more than happy to check out and eat your delicious food =)

Until next time, adios!

airport swag

Coming soon: Seoul, Korea edition

A food blogger gotta eat to write. 

Hi guys! Stay tune for my adventures in Seoul, Korea coming soon!

De’ Bao: steamed bun sandwiches

Hi All,

Welcome to De' Bao!

TGIF. Friday night, always hot and ready for action! I’m referring to eating action [ and side action ;) ]

I pick you!

If you read through my blog, you’ll know a few of my favorite things to eat:

• Desserts – any kind, anywhere, almost any price
• Dim sum
• Italian/European/American
• Korean
• Japanese

The reason I heart dim sum is for the BAO. I love steam buns! Juicy, plump buns….guys, get your mind outa that side action gutter. I shouldn’t have mentioned that.

new Korean style cuteness

I’m all ‘bout the bao, ‘bout the bao, no pan/bread. [to the hit song All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor]

It’s all about the Bao. I can even eat plain ones as a snack. After I spotted De’ Bao on Phnom Penh’s 2016 cheap eats, I knew I had to drag someone to try it out with me.

keep smiling even on a rainy day

It was raining all afternoon, the evening I ventured to BKK1. My GPS pointed me in the right direction but I couldn’t find the De’ Bao’s sign. After doing a U-ee, I spotted a flat that looked like an eatery (and correctly guessed it to be the place). Entrepreneurs, if you want to be accessible, make sure your logo can be seen at night with BIG letters. Seriously, dark + rain + glasses = almost drove away to eat something else. Don’t lose customers this way.

my tsunami angel wings

I forewarn you, the pics on their FB page doesn’t meet my taste expectation. The drool worthy pics left my tongue wishing for more. Another table next to me left early without finish their food. After having a light snack here, I continued to Koh Pich to eat papaya salad and chicken wings.

Let’s just get to the details.

Space: Small. About 5 couple seating, one long table for about 12-14, a sofa for a few friends.

welcome~ what can i get you?

Atmosphere: Another cute shop, good photo op as you can see!

Service: Alright, but more to be desired.

Taste: I love bao. Some were hits and some were misses. See below for details. Would I come here again? Probably not.

comfy couch for relaxing time

Parking: Street parking kiddo. Prepare to bring a motorbike.

Photop: Great place for a photop. As you can see from this post, isn't it just dreamy? That evening I channeled beauty model and totally feel this is magazine spread worthy. AGREE?

too old to be a model, now a food blogger

Disturbed: Their FB page had a cured egg on the pulled pork bao but never to customers.

Enjoyed:

I decided to get the recommended box set that came with a free soda. The box set was $7 + 10% VAT. Counting down to my favorite:

served steamed and ready

• Mambo number 5: Shrimp Bao

I actually didn’t try this because I’m allergic to seafood. But it looked like a deep fried shrimp with mayonnaise in a bao.

pretending to eat the shrimp

• Number four, four, four, four: Pork Belly Bao

I also didn’t eat this because I’m not a fan of pork belly. It was a chunk of pork with sauce on top.

pork belly bao

• Lucky Number 3: Fried Chicken Bao

Fried chicken is fried chicken. It’s like any other fried chicken burger except a) smaller and b) more expensive. Middle of the line; not impressive.

crispy chicken drenched in special sauce

• Close to being the best but fell short, Number 2: Pulled Pork Bao

I really liked the tender, easy to pull apart pulled pork bao. The only qualm I have is that there’s no cured egg like the picture. Where’s my house special cured egg?!?!

pulled pork in my belly

• Best of the night, Number 1: Bao Ger

It's a mini burger. Meat was succulent, delicious sauce, and bao encompassing. Yumo.

Bao Ger with a looootttt of sauce

My take: twist on the classic bao. Try it UNO if you wanna experience it.

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debaocambodia/

Address: #49, St 288, BKK 1, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (near Monivong Blvd’s Por Kei Chinese restaurant, same street as Champs Elysee’s KTV entrance)  

Specs: 11am to 8pm, a flat shop so be prepared to do street parking

 

follow meeeeeeee, V!

Thank you for the support! Please follow me 0=)

Let me know your thoughts. Shout it out in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

XoXo V

* Sunny Up with V *

If you would like me to visit your place, let me know! I’m more than happy to check out and eat your delicious food =)

menu

Bao bao bao!

Be.k: softer and better than real snow, the bingsu experience

Hi All,

Moi at Be.k

I’m pumped from my last article and ready to blog about what I ate during the Bchum Ben holiday. Thank you for the support! Please follow me 0=)

Do you have childhood memories of shaved ice? I certainly do.

In the summer days of many years past, I lived a carefree life playing all day and chasing ice cream trucks. Sometimes, I hear Mister honking the horn. HONK, HONK; honk, honk. I run down two flights of stairs to catch up with Mister. Mister sells shaved ice. Surrounded by grubby children hands, asking him to take their orders. He would hand shave from a large block of ice into a cone. Then, you can pick the sweet flavous to add on top. That’s a snowcone, folks.

I also remember the Asian shaved ice. It’s covered in siro, condensed milk, and toppings (like boba, fruits, red bean, etc.). Still my favorite on a hot day. I haven’t had one of these for awhile. By golly, the last time was April during the Cambodian New Year. We went to Angkor Wat to join the festivities. A few of the gals walked to the nearby temple to take photos. Another friend and I got shaved ice instead and just.stood.there eating. Then we walked like 10M => saw another shaved ice stand => and asked them to top us off. They were confused but did it for us anyway. Afterwards we were creepers that stared as people ate at the food stall with our shaved ice hahaha. It was just THAT hot.

And being hot works for bingsu. Bingsu is a popular shaved ice dessert from Korea that’s new in Cambodia. I was skeptical to try it….mainly for the price. Justifying to myself ice being worth X amount of dollars was a bit tough. Also, Cambodia had other shaved ice/ice cream (like the Taiwanese one) and I thought bingsu was like this to.

Taiwanese style

Actually, I was wrong. Bingsu is not just ice. It was like a delicate snowflake melting in my mouth. I literally have no clue how it became so soft and how they’d mixed the flavors into the bingsu. And really, I don’t care how it came about but it has BORN into my life! I love how finely shaved the ice was. I love how the flavors were all encompassing already without feeling that it’s a separate entity from one another. Condense milk, snow ice, fruits, cheesecake, etc. rolled onto my tongue like ecstasy candy. After that first bite, it justified the cost alright. Everything I knew about shaved ice changed.

sweet already, no need for extra milk

Scrolling through their FB, this caught my attention:

Be.k HAPPY U !!!

You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy bingsu. And that’s kind of the same thing <3 <3

I accept the happiness you give me

Clap clap clap [my hands are clapping]

Facebook, why did you have to be so right?!? You’re always tempting me with delectable sweets. And now, I’m trying to convince people to eat there again on a rainy day.

choose your fave~

Space: Wow, airy 2 floors with high ceiling. I opted to sit on the 2^nd floor so I could enjoy the view. Felt like a tropical bird perched on a high tree (it’s woodsy upstairs and spacious downstairs).

Service: Acceptable; it’s new.

Taste: Enjoyed BUT I have to make a huge sidebar.

*Sidebar: Getting pumped from seeing their menu, I was upset when it arrived on our table. I ordered the mango cheesecake bingsu. #1 fault: the spacing between mango and cheesecake was too wide and not plentiful like the pictures. #2 fault: it wasn’t the ripe mango that’s supposed to go with binsu. It was [deathly] Cambodian green slightly sour mango. They attribute because they ran out. That’s never an excuse for me. It should have been informed to me earlier. Not delivering what’s shown is not acceptable to me. Especially if you’re a brand-name from overseas like Korea.

Parking: It’s ok, pretty decent. Didn’t have a problem when I went in the afternoon.

Upsetting: Browsing through the FB page I noticed they have a stamp card. I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS. If they gave them freely to customers, I think they would attract more people to come back. Someone like me, wants to fill it up to get that free item.

Bonus round: Be.k is on the same street as (newly opened) Sushi Chef, Bonchon, BBQ Chicken [in that order!] and across the street is MoMo Paradise Steamboat and Dance Bakery. Seriously it’s a 4 in 1 win. Happy eating! May the odds be ever in your favor. [Did you catch my Hunger Game’s Effie Trinket persona?]

Bingsu enjoyed: Mango and Cheesecake bingsu – regular size

kamsamnida! [KR thank you]

Shared with 2 other friends, it’s a good dessert for 3. Split between us was $2 each. Not bad.

always fun with the gals

I wished it was the ripe sweet mango. If it was, I would be a happy camper. I’m not giving us on this place. I’ve heard the chocolate strawberry is good. I’ll let you know once I go there again.

Be.k also serves food such as toast, chicken wings, pasta, mini burgers, etc. I didn’t try them yet. Feel free to browse their FB page because they look cute.

Alas, my photographer wasn’t with me so please enjoy these phone photos.

My take: try, share, and selfie with the dessert

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bek.cambodia2016/?fref=ts

instagram it: https://www.instagram.com/be.k.cambodia/

Address: #16, St 306, BKK 1, Phnom Penh, Cambodia  

Specs: open until 10pm!

location is important

Let me know your thoughts. Shout it out in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

XoXo V

* Sunny Up with V *

If you would like me to visit your place, let me know! I’m more than happy to check out and eat your delicious food =)

it's calling you

Pastamania & Gelatofix: enjoy scenic Riverside with good food and gelato

Hi All,

another edition of V's delights

Seriously guys, Pastamania wants us to “Join the Italian Revolution.” It’s even on their cover photo. Italian isn’t something NEW; Italian food has been a staple to my diet like rice is to any Asian. I shouldn’t use the word diet, because bread, pasta, cheese, meat, and dairy compounded x200 isn’t helping my “diet.” Plus, writing this blog post just makes me hungrier even though I should be on the weight-loss, healthy-eating diet plan.

Secondly, when I think of the Italian Revolution, I think of the Italian Revolution of 1848 or the Italian Unification. I don’t think that’s what Pastamania wanted me to think about but I start to digress when I think longer about it.

Anyway, they probably assumed it’s a FOOD revolution because it’s supposedly new in Cambodia. Sorry, but not sorry, Italian cuisine is popular in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Most are small, cozy, romantic dining experiences but Pastamania is more casual. It’s everything Italian that my American blood thinks of: very cliché caro mio [translation: my dear].

Mmm don't judge me while i eat

got a good look?

But I love being a tourist! This place for Cambodians is like Disneyland Italy. [If you know how sugar-coated Disney is, then I think you get my gist]

Now, connected with Pastamania is Gelatofix. The building is H shaped. I totally love the architecture and interior designing! Favoloso [translation: fabulous]!

Gelatofix’s says:

An Italian Artisanal Gelato Café.

Dream like an Italian.
Dress like an Italian.
Dine like an Italian.

The Italian Break!

I totally love.that.motto.

DO I want to dream like an Italian? Yes, I do - with a hunky Italian man whispering in his Italian accent, oye mi dolce vita!

DO I want to dress like an Italian? Yes, I do - their designer handbags and haute couture or their simple chic and effortless summer outfits.

DO I want to dine like an Italian? Yes, I do - enjoying my food slowly with good company and good wine.

When Gelatofix puts it that way, Italian life sounds so irresistible! Especially with GELATO, your life can’t be any worse.

front

It’s a Singaporean based franchise that’s located in a few countries (like Dubai, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.).

Ambiance: New, crisp and clean cliché Italiano restaurant. Bright lights, balcony seating with view of the Mekong River, or sit inside in aircon (2 floors worth).

inside Gelatofix

Service: I LlooooooVvvVVEeeeEee their cute outfits that mashes well with the atmosphere.

amirite? his outfit is on fleek

Taste: Acceptable because it’s franchised. It’s tested and proved already.

Parking: I always have a problem with parking in Phnom Penh =( I think there’s car parking somewhere, but having a moto or taxi is better.

jelly flats are best for rainy days!

Added bonus: Going to the night market afterwards. I rarely buy anything but I like to mingle with the pushy people going stall to stall and listening to ordinary singers looking for their 5 minutes in the limelight.

Tip: I like to sit on the veranda outside to enjoy the sights and sounds from the riverside.

yes, that's the one i want!

I actually meant to come in for gelato but ended my snack with a main entrée.

What I enjoyed:

• ·         Strawberry Rosso sorbetto and Milan Mokacchino gelato

yum yum yum

Yes, I had a double scoop on a cone. No, it’s not the only time I’ve ate a double scoop. It’s almost always. Stop grilling me mother.

It was $3.50 for a double scoop. Similarly priced to other places.

To die for Milan Mokacchino gelato! I highly recommend this flavour! It was a rich chocolate that melts in my mouth. Maybe the Italian man would melt the same way in my mouth?!? I’m a hot girl, so it’s possible. GUYS, it’s 40 degrees in Cambodia, anything will melt. ;)

The Strawberry Rosso sorbetto reminded me of my daily morning strawberry smoothie so I wasn’t too impressed. Strawberry + ice = sorbetto. Maybe I should have opted for something else. But I wanted something fruity to go with my chocolate.

• Spicy sausage penne with broccoli in creamy sauce

try it!

The spiciness came from the Cambodian chili. Very speziato (translation: spicy) – but not too much that you would hate it.

The penne was cooked al dente covered in a creamy tomato sauce (but I think it was arrabbiata or red pepper sauce with cream). Few pieces of broccoli and sausages. Overall I thought it was delicious. I would order it again.

where am i?

The menus are expansive. They’re a bit different from each other so make sure to check out both Pastamania and Gelatofix menus. They have salads, soups, pizzas, pastas, gelatos, waffles, cakes, etc. Reasonably priced, good for sharing to try more items. Since it just opened two weeks ago, there’s still some specials going on.

Pastamania specials

Gelatofix specials

My take: enjoyable time with friends and good food. Definitely stay for dessert.

Pastamania: https://www.facebook.com/PastaManiaCambodia/

Gelatofix: https://www.facebook.com/GelatofixCambodia/?fref=ts

Address: #661, Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (right across the Riverside Night Market, near Titanic Restaurant, and all the bus companies)

Specs: open for lunch and dinner until late

Let me know your thoughts. Shout it out in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

life is dolce [sweet]

XoXo V

* Sunny Up with V *

If you would like me to visit your place, let me know! I’m more than happy to check out and eat your delicious food =)

strawberry cheesecake

pistachio and havelnut