From its unpretentious exterior, sitting on the edge of Balestier Road, one would not expect such an unassuming cafe to elicit such a treasure trove of culinary delights.
Its equally unassuming yet amiable owner, Francis, manages this cafe with a personal passion for food, and this passion is clearly reflected in its decor as well.
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| Amazing artwork from a 10 year old |
The walls are lined with his own 10 year old son's paintings and drawings, which adds a level of charm and coziness that you are unlikely to find anywhere else. Being of a cafe size, there are only about a dozen or so tables, but this only enhances the intimate exuberance of this eatery.
Do not mistake this for just being another Hong Kong styled cafe. This establishment is capable of producing high quality restaurant quality food, and then some. Indeed, some might label the food served here as zhe char, but it is of an inventive and almost playful nature.
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| Fortune Seafood Roll |
Take their fortune seafood roll, which is a nice twist on your classic spring roll. Wrapped around a very thin crust of perfectly deep fried pastry, was a delectable chuck of prawn meat which was well seasoned and garnished with some well placed fish roe that not only appealed to the eye, but utterly delicious on all accounts.
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| Abalone Clams with Chinese Spinach |
Francis recommended the abalone clams with spinach for our vegetable dish, and yes, the clams did taste as good as genuine abalone as Francis had promised. Pauline commented that there was a nice crunchy texture and went down well with the classic spinach and oysters sauce combination.
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| Stewed Lamb Brisket |
While we have had more beef brisket than we can remember, stewed lamb brisket was a newfound delicacy to us. The lamb was perfectly stewed to perfection, the meat buttery tender and the fermented tofu dip brought out the meat flavors perfectly and eliminated any gamey aftertaste.
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| Roasted Chicken |
The signature roasted chicken usually has to be pre-ordered in advance and the reason is purely simple. It is exquisite and utterly delightful! Winekaki commented this is the best roasted chicken he has ever consumed in any eatery, restaurant or otherwise.
The succulent and miraculously tender meat is the highlight, when most times, it is the crispy skin that takes the spotlight.The skin may not be as crisp, but somehow, the flavorful moist meat within meant that all the juices and flavors of the chicken were well harnessed for our eventual taste buds.
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| So good it needs another photo |
One bite and the powerful flavors absolutely envelope your palate to no end. And the reddish fermented tofu dip balances the chicken perfectly. Francis even brought out a goose liver dip that had a wonderfully robust yet comforting contrast to the chicken flavors.
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| Lovely French Toast |
One cannot patronise a Hong Kong cafe without at least having a go at their HK toast, and here we were served a slice of the best french toast we ever had. A thick and well toasted bread competently infused with peanut butter filling, this is a true breakfast for the gods.
We finally washed down all the beautifully cooked food with a cup of classic milk tea, and even that was exemplary, and a way to end an evening of unending highlights with one final simple pleasure.
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| Where the magic is created |
Perhaps there is no better compliment to this remarkable dining outlet, than to suggest that there is no finer place in Singapore to have comfort food than Cafe De Hong Kong.
What's more, this place has probably elevated the meaning of comfort food to a new plane of cosy dining filled with culinary surprises and impeccable service.
It is quite simply, beautiful food in another sense.
Cafe De Hong Kong
586 Balestier Road
#01-01 Eastpac Building
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Written, filmed, edited and directed by Silverchef Productions.
Shot and edited entirely on Apple's Iphone 4 and at Cafe De Hong Kong.
No HK french toast was harmed in the shooting of this video.
"Good Life" performed by OneRepublic.
Well done
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
ReplyDeleteActually, Champagne (Alice) is the first who introduced the restaurant to us : ). And ijeff is our resident ambassador to the restaurant. He has the reputation of having tried every dish on the menu thrice! ; )
ReplyDelete