Kale

In the final week of April all I want to do is recover. I’ve had the cold, the flu and severe stomach aches most of the month so I’m doing my best to get back to 100% asap. Food choices obviously would make a huge impact on this process, so this week I’ve been opting for healthier options for lunch.

 

Lifestyle Asia had an article on healthy lunch options in this link earlier, so I’ve decided to go ahead and give Kale a try today as I’m really not a fan of the salad places near my office. http://www.lifestyleasia.com/hk/en/dining/eat/feature/nourish-5-healthy-lunch-spots-hong-kong/

 

After about 10 minutes I found Kale in a building that’s quite old near the Gateway Supermarket (actually I’m not sure if it’s still there). Sitting on the 13^th floor this place is quite nice considering it’s located in such an old building. I nervously decided to go for the salad instead of the mini sliders because I had more confidence that the couscous salad would fill me up more than the sliders. I was nervous because I haven’t been a fan of couscous so wasn't sure if I’d end up hating my lunch. For $65 you get a pretty decent sized salad, and you can choose to get everything on their salad board. I hate beetroot so I got everything but that.

 

Conclusion: To my surprise the couscous actually tasted pretty good and I didn't hate my lunch. Was a little disappointed though that they don't pack the box as tightly as they do at Open Kitchen or Simply Life. I was worried that the portion wouldn't fill me up until I saw that they gave me a lot of pumpkin. As a result, I think I was actually fine for the rest of the day. Wing Lok Street might sound really far away, but it’s actually just around 10 minutes from IFC One. I’d recommend you giving this a try if you are looking for something different but still healthy and doesn’t make a dent in your wallet.  

 

Location: Rm 1301, 13/F, Cheung’s Building, 1-3 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan

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

勝香園 Sing Heung Yuen

I really don't know if this should be considered Central or Sheung Wan, hence it gets 2 labels on the location.

I've always liked tomato soup, so I've always liked Sing Heung Yuen. The reason why I don't visit it much though is because it's outdoors so no AC and it's always packed so you gotta wait in the heat for a seat (basically pre-heating yourself for the actual heat once you start eating the hot food). Anyway, I've been having a very bad appetite lately so I decided to grab some take out from this place last week.

I was greedy so I tried the beef, pork chop and egg on macaroni in tomato soup this time. I don't usually get pork chop but was glad I gave it a try this time because it actually turned out to be quite tasty. The tomato soup was still quite good, but it tasted more Campbell this time. I wonder if my taste buds changed or if they changed... or if I just don't remember the taste of it anymore since it's been so long since my last visit.

In conclusion, I think this is still a pretty cool place to try out if you are looking for a more local and sweating your face off experience. Of course if you don't want a heat stroke mid meal you can always get it to go (add an extra fiddy cent to get the soup in a separate bowl for less sogginess) and eat it in your office. If pork chop, beef, eggs, macaroni isn't your thing, don't worry because they have many other weird things you can choose instead on the menu. The soup though I think is pretty much fixed since it's their signature... so... if you don't like tomatoes... I guess don't come here.

Location: No. 2 Mee Lun Street (across from Kau Kee Beef Briskets)
Website: NA

Dan Dan - Soul Food from Sichuan

Did you know that soul food means bla-I mean "African American" food? Anyway, I am not American so I don't know. This place caught my attention because I like spice (in case it wasn't already obvious from my previous posts). It looked interesting but the cartoon logo kinda put me off because it seemed... how do I say it... less legit? Like it won't really be authentic in my opinion. In any case, I ended up trying it on one of my solo lunch days after talking about it for so long.

I got there around 12pm to beat the rush and it was a good choice as it started filling up pretty soon after. Got the Classic Dan Dan Noodle set with seaweed and the tea. I think I got the regular spice and it was ok, but I could see how it can be quite spicy for some people.

• Classic Dan Dan Pull Noodles ($55): I liked the taste but can go for the spiciest (extra spice) next time. Please try to dine in instead or take out because it actually tastes much better there as they don't separate the soup when you get it to go.
• Tofu slices ($30): I was really looking forward to it as it was raved about on several reviews that I came across. I love peanut sauce but their sauce was too thick that it was basically gooey. I think if the sauce was thinner, less sweet, more spicy, it would be fantastic.
• Seaweed side dish (came w/meal): didn't enjoy the taste
• The tea (came w/meal): nothing special to be honest. I don't get why people were raving about it on their reviews

In summary.... I don't think the set (~$70) is really worth it because the side dish is very small and the drink is very normal. I would rather get an a la carte menu and try another side dish (I really want to try the pork ear slices) and just drink something when I am back in the office (where I have an awesome selection of free drinks).

Location: 181 Queen's Road Central,  Grand Millennium Plaza (near the Jenny's Bakery)
Website: http://www.dandanhk.com/