Friday, November 20, 2015

Cafe Deadend HK!

Hello! I'm now blogging from HK... This city is full of amazing eateries of all cuisines, ranging from cheap holes-in-the-wall to Michelin-star restaurants. I kid you not that I don't think I will be able to make it to every single restaurant here in my years of stay but I do eat out everyday, so I will do my very best to give you the best coverage of what this city has to offer!

The first place I am writing about is a hidden gem of a cafĂ© called Cafe Deadend. As the name suggests, it is situated in a cul-de-sac of the road in the now very trendy area of Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan. 

This cafe is special as it is connected to Po's Atelier, an awesome French retail bakery that supplies all the baked goods that go into the dishes that are served. 

The venue itself is not flashy... A small space indoors and a patch of outdoor grounds for those who like to get some sun while having a nice brunch/lunch with a good cup of coffee. That's right, I would recommend having the coffee there as a good cup of coffee in HK (as opposed to Australia!) is not that easy to find. The coffee was strong and the flavour was great! HKD40 for a cup of cappuccino is standard price in a cafe, so I cannot complain...


The menu itself had a decent range of selection, not very big but enough to keep you happy for a breakfast/brunch/lunch. It did say that their menu is based on seasonal produce so what I have had may not be the same as what you will see next. I, along with other patrons, tried looking for items on photos online but couldn't find some of them. 

Nonetheless, I found the B.E.L.T which is the Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato sandwich. The thing that first impressed me when the food arrived was a small side serve of yoghurt with blueberries and grapes... What an excellent touch that makes it all the more filling without making it the typical side of greasy fries! The sandwich itself was not a special recipe as it is what it is... a combination of fried bacon and sunnyside egg with a bun, however the execution was perfect combined with a high quality bun from the awesome bakery! This made the whole sandwich something that highly satisfies one's daytime hunger for something naughty, yet not too greasy and thus I didn't get a feeling of bloatedness after, so I could have room for dessert!


Now, how could I pass on dessert at a cafe that specialises in baked goods?! It didn't take long for me to decide that the Spiced Apple Tart was the beloved favourite of this joint and here it is...


A beautiful piece of art made of an apple that has been sliced into a spiral, cooked in cinnamon and other spices possibly (Remember Seinfeld once said "Cinnamon! Whenever someone tastes something good and asks what is inside... It is always cinnamon!" Hahaha)

The tart that sat below the spiced apple was, needless to say, divine... The homemade vanilla ice-cream had black dots on it which basically are the vanilla seeds (you don't see that in the cheaper vanilla icecreams that you find out of the supermarkets or McDonalds, the black seeds are not flavour-enhancing in itself but rather a sign that it is natural vanilla icecream rather than artificially flavoured, refer to this site if interested to learn more... http://m.livescience.com/32964-do-not-post-yet-what-are-the-black-specks-in-vanilla-ice-cream.html). I don't normally like vanilla icecream unless it is this kind of natural vanilla icecream, which I love! 

And the hazelnuts, caramel sauce and sprinkles of flowers makes the whole ensemble a delightful combination of hot and cold, sweet and savoury in your mouth!

Ratings
Food: 8.5/10 - great execution with awesome ingredients and bread
Value: 7/10 - good food comes with an expected price
Ambience: 6.5/10 - could have been better if I had not been there while the exterior was under construction
Service: 7.5/10 - attentive waitress that kept refilling my glass of water, although food was a bit slower than usual

Overall: 7.4/10 - I love the food, presentation and ingredients used! Will definitely go back for more. 
Deelicious!!!!

Address: 72 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan (behind Po's Atelier)
Opening Hours: 09:30 to 18:00 everyday except Mondays

Follow me on Instagram: dee_dream