One of the more pleasant surprises along Ashley road, Casablanca provides Hong Kongers with quality…read moreMoroccan fare without the pretension. Many establishments in this part of TST are catered to the non-Asian experience, so much so that they're often pushing out watered down versions for a stake in the tourist money pot. Casablanca somehow holds its own with great execution of a cuisine and I'm thankful to have found it. The ambiance as I've experienced it, is intimate and dark, which almost immediately feels like a date spot. The white table cloths are classy, but the decor really shines with the various homages to the motherland. Those light fixtures, lamp shades, and even wall decor is pretty awesome and very much lends itself to the authenticity of the place. It certainly makes me feel like I'm no longer in Kowloon. Included in the menu are pictures for each item, along with the plastic covers for every page (is that a thing for ethnic businesses in Kowloon?). Moroccan cuisine is known for its hybrid mixes of various culinary disciplines from various international influences, the menu is certainly no different; there is enough variety in here to keep even the pickiest eater happy. From Italian specialties (pizza, pasta) to Malaysian classics, it almost has a Cheesecake Factory (chain in the states) feel to it. Thankfully, the handful of dishes I've sampled, I've enjoyed very much. People who know Moroccan fare know couscous and they've got plenty of it. My first foray into Casablanca was via their Couscous Vegetables with Chicken ($148), which was very tasty. The couscous had a particularly addicting flavor to it, but whatever stock it was in (vegetable perhaps?) made me want more of it. The chicken was stewed to perfection, with plenty of fall off the bone meat. I also have high praises for the Sweet Couscous ($129), which is loaded with chickpeas, raisins, cinnamon, and sweet onions. It would be an automatic hit with any vegetarian palates in the house. Don't forget to order some Moroccan Mint Tea, it surely is an experience for first timers! Their Lamb Tagine ($188) is accented with the additions of prunes and sesame, while the Tagine Kefta ($168) reminds me of the stewy grub that would cure (read: kill) any serious hangover. I would also vouch for their grilled dishes, namely the Minced Beef Kofta ($188) and their Roasted Lamb over Mashed Potato ($288). The Hummus ($48) and Falafel ($68) were also hits. I wish we had more rice / Moraccan Bread ($38) to soak up the juices for every individual dish, instead of having to order them separately. To any group who decides to do the Roast Lamb Leg for $1888, I salute you. It probably goes without saying, but the food is obviously quite expensive. One could consider this a major con given the non-food variables, but any sub $120-$300 plate would essentially be a special occasion dinner by most local standards here. To couple that, service could pick up the pace (read: incredibly slow) but I like to think of this as a nice departure from the rushed society of living in HK.

I was shown kindness at this restaurant in the heart of the ritzy, glitzy Canton Street area…read more Without much hope, I was trying to Yelp something cheapish that wasn't Cantonese, because after a day of dim sum I needed something different. I had already decided to give this place a try, because I find Moroccan food really healthy and refreshing, when a lady on the corner holding a sheaf of fliers handed me one... and it was for Casablanca! This kind of thing usually makes me less likely to want to dine somewhere, not more, but she had this unique non-pushiness about her, and a kind air. She offered to escort me to the restaurant, which I entreated her to please not do, because I am so fickle and apt to change my mind at the sight of a menu. When I arrived and was seated and given a menu, I was disappointed to see that the prices were much higher than I would have guessed based on the flier. I apologized to the man who had seated me and mentioned, because he asked, that it was just more than I was intending to spend for dinner. He gave me a beat, then appeared around the corner as I was waiting for the elevator and said that if I wanted, I could order off the lunch specials menu, which was half the price, even though it was 6:30pm. I did, gratefully, ordering the fish tagine with a starter of some sort of bean or lentil soup. When it came out, it was gigantic, the fish flopping over the edges of the bowl, and hot, the red sauce forming blisters at the edges. The fish itself was fall-apart tender, nothing excessively flavorful, which was fine since the sauce was. It had the kind of sharp smell that hits you right in the top of the nostrils, and tasted much more spice stuffed than it looked. And the rice, a little coconutty, I think, refreshed it. Was this meal something I'll remember fondly for more than a few weeks? No, at least not for the food, which was satisfying but ultimately not memorable. But I will remember the kindness of the people there. On my way out, I ran into the lady who had handed me the flier on the street. She grabbed my hands in excitement, all her rings creating brief cool spots on my fingers. "It was good, right?"

check it Take me to…read moreEgypt, west of Ibiza geography lesson, pay me in Shisha/ That's the happening when we kick it at Ra, pass me the bong I call Happiness Jar/ Save your red bills and forget the food Dollars for smoking cause shisha be good/ Nicotine too addicting and weed ain't legal King Tut Smoke Pipe? Well that's stuff's regal/ Dim light interior or outside seating, Ideal outing for first date meetings/ Bring the Lady, her music up loud welcome Tove Lo, Queen of the Clouds/ Is she the prettiest? No is the answer. Honor goes to the cutie, the Belly Dancer/ Shake it with her, that Egyptian heat, no lather and rinse, just dance-smoke-repeat/ foodkid fAAtcity

It looks like I finally found something that sort of resembles a pub. It turns out that this place…read morewas actually pretty cool, and quite relaxing as well. Okay, it is billed as a restaurant, but in a way it is also a lounge bar, and the location is pretty good - overlooking the harbour. Actually, that is probably one of the things that I adore about Hong Kong and that is the harbour, especially looking over from the northern side.

Reliable soho restaurant. Yummy food and always a good vibe. I love the roof but it can get hot and…read morehumid in summer. Please try their whole roasted cauliflower - it's literally my fav and I order it every time.

Lebanese food holds a special place in my heart after eating at probably one of my favorite…read morerestaurants in Canada. That is to say, I had high hopes for this place, which was compounded by a recommendation from my then-coworker and still-friend. Eating here marked the first time during my time in Hong Kong where I felt outside of Hong Kong (in other words, in the international/expatriate bubble of Hong Kong). Granted, it was still during my early days and against the backdrop of the protests disrupting normal operations, when I had very few opportunities at the time to explore and appreciate all that Hong Kong has to offer. Located in the madness that is Midlevels, expect to walk up some stairs, and then some. This restaurant's entrance is on the side of where you would take one of many escalators, so keep your eyes peeled and/or pay attention to your CityMapper. The price point is typical of an international restaurant on Hong Kong Island: what finance/business people can afford. And on occasion, educators such as myself. You get what you pay for, as Lebanese food is relatively scarce in East Asia. I take what I can get. I really loved the shawarma hummus and eating it with pita. Such a game changer, so tasty, and of course so pricy. I also enjoyed the way they prepared their falafel, their cauliflower, and their chicken. I was quite pleased by their food offerings. My past coworker brought me to eat here, so to pay it forward, I brought my other coworkers to eat here. Presumably the cycle ended with me, but I would definitely love to come back here.

We visited the Papillons Square TKO branch and had an incredible dinner with the four of us. It was…read moremy first time trying Pani Puri--these delicate, crispy balls stuffed with flavorful fillings, reminiscent of a unique take on stuffed potatoes. The Chicken Tikka Masala was outstanding, and we also enjoyed the Butter Chicken, Palak Paneer (spinach with cheese), garlic naan, saffron rice, and chicken curry. The service was attentive and excellent throughout the meal. Our family mentioned they visit this location weekly, so it's clearly a favorite. With many locations across HK, Ebeneezers will definitely be on our list for a return visit!

The premise for most Ebeneezer locations boils down to two questions:…read more 1) How drunk are you? 2) How badly do you want pizza / kebabs? If the answer is "a lot," then the food here might actually be worth a look. Their not so unique approach to pizza, Indian cuisine, and kebabs has garnered them enough notoriety amongst expats that they've managed to find themselves in multiple parts of Hong Kong. This location on Ashley is a relatively good one and offers seating, a clean space, and relatively good service. I wish I had better things to say about the food. Most of the Ebeneezer fame has been from kebabs, followed by Indian specialties, and pizza pies. Much of the food lacks quality ingredients I feel, which means most everything is just borderline passable; mediocre for the most part but works in a pinch. It's not all terrible though, I appreciate that they are upfront about their food and offer a speedy experience via online delivery. Service is solid for the most part, which is why I've given them the nod more often than not. It is by no means destination food, but if the cravings are there, then I say have at it. Don't expect much and all should be okay.

Thanks to Ammar we were directed to his family's restaurant and it did not disappoint. We ordered a…read morelot for just two so we didn't quite finish everything. But the service was great thanks to Ammar! We had a cocktail and a few ice cold waters. The place was a little hard to find because we read "b" on the directory but it's on the 6th floor up :)

A little difficult to get to, but worth the effort. The food is delicious and healthy. Try the…read moreZiafat blended drinks. Excellent.

I'm going to preface this review with saying that this is my first time having Halal food so I have…read morenothing to compare to, but I thought the food here was amazing. We had their 4 person set meal which allows you to pick two cold appetizers, two hot appetizers, 3 main dishes, 4 soups and 4 drinks for $540. For our cold appetizers, we picked their hummus and eggplant dip. Both came with flat bread (think more tortilla than pita), and both kept us going back for more. For our hot appetizers, we picked eggplants and falafels. The eggplants were perfectly cooked and not mushy. The falafels didn't feel greasy and didn't have that old oil taste. They were mouthfuls of heaven. Our main dishes included beef with potatoes and tomatoes sauce, mutton shawerma with tahini sauce, and sheesh taook with garlic sauce (chicken). All of the main dishes allowed you to pick either rice or criss cut fries. We picked rice for all 3 dishes. The beef tasted really fresh; the chicken was well seasoned and juicy; and the mutton perfectly cooked. The garlic sauce that comes with the chicken is made fresh and was to die for. I also really appreciated the good service. They servers would talk to us, offer us more bread and sauces, and didn't rush us to leave. It was a leisurely paced dinner where we able to catch up with friends, rare in Hong Kong. Lastly, this is located right across from the Southorn Playground in Wan Chai so it's conveniently located and easy to find.

Authentic and delicious food! The meal set for 2 was great value for money - 2 appetizers, 2 main…read moredishes, 2 drinks all for $290HKD. Friendly service as well. Comfortable seating and cozy interior. Located directly across from Southern Playground, but a bit difficult to find. It is inside a flat building, and easy to miss. Will definitely be back!

You can get fantastic shami kebabs (minced beef with chick peas, egg, and spices) on the first…read morefloor- not ground floor- of Chungking Mansion. In order to get a taste, you will have to traverse a crowd like the one in the opening scene of Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express" and then climb up one flight of stairs. There is a convenient sink with soap in the open dining area, and service can range from warm to aloof, depending on which waiter you get. The samosas are light and delicious. I prefer my mango lassi to be thicker than the one I ordered, but it was still decent. The showstoppers were the biryani, which went perfectly with the shami kebab. Both a bit spicy and oily, but oh so delicious! A few items we wanted had already sold out by early dinner time, a testament to Bismillah's popularity especially during lunch hour.

My first choice restaurant was given a miss due to how crowded it was and my friend and I walked…read moreand searched for other eating places and we decided on this one and we were not disappointed at all. As my friend was not a big eater, we only ordered the main course. She had the lamb while I had the ribeye steak which was the best decision I made. Every bite I took on the piece of meat made my taste bud crying out for more! It was succulent, cooked to how it was supposed to be. I enjoyed every pieces of it and I got to try the lamb as well, and that was just amazing. I had lamb previously in Seoul and they certainly don't taste as good as this. This certainly made up the disappointment my friend and I had, missing out on our first choice. The atmosphere of the restaurant certainly feels Middle Eastern style but the service on the other hand was a disappointment. They were slow and I can sense their disappointment when we ordered only the main course. Overall, this place is worth the try!

So I start by ordering a Greyhound which throws the staff since they have never heard of the drink…read more What?!.... We waited for a bit and I was wondering if they went to pick their own grapefruit..... And, well they kind of did! The manager realized that they didn't have any grapefruit juice in the house so he ran up the block to five other restaurants to get it. Wow. Really cool. I get to talking with him about types of drinks and I happened to mention that I love a good Amarro or Farnet Branca after dinner. Anyway, we order and the first dish is a safron chicken that comes out perfectly cooked. Unique dish served with a great sauce and escarole in a lemony dressing. Then we see the falafel that the other table ordered and remark that we should have ordered that too. The waiter hears us and asks if we also want to order one and we say "why not!". Along comes a perfectly made falafel Egyptian style. Meanwhile, I am still drinking greyhounds and we get our entrees. Mine is a duck risotto with an amazing lemony flavor and crispy duck. My wife had the kabab/skewers of chicken. We finish the meal and the manager remembered our conversation and had gotten a bottle of Amarro. Had a glass of that and a cappuccino to end the night. Great service food and ambiance. Five stars.

One would think that the number of expats roaming around HK would also mean the late night kebab…read morecraze has taken over in Kowloon. Yet still HK Style Cafes, McDonalds and other infamous street side eateries to maintain their stronghold for the hungry locals wandering during the wee hours. New Istanbul is a 24 hour spot, specializing in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern fare and certified Halal. It is mainly empty at this spot, for obvious reasons to anyone who dines here. The menu is massive for HK standards, perhaps even for Turkish / Halal places in general. Their meat platters from their rotating spits are definitely plentiful, typically served with rice, salads, and fries. Their chicken doner ($70) was just chunks of dry pieces that resembled shawarma. The Kofte ($88) was filling, but I've definitely had better in from other establishments and the same applies with the Mixed Doner ($98), which was just disappointing. I figured going with light bites such as Falafel ($58) and Spicy Hummus ($48) would resetore some faith in misaligned execution but I was wrong. Both were downright atrocious. There was a pool of oil drowning the hummus and the falafel was overfried, resembling a hockey puck. I was also surprised at the subpar pizza, also the pide and lahmacun. I still haven't found anything suitable on the menu yet. Perhaps their desserts? (i.e. sutlac?) They do take credit cards here and the mainly Nepalese staff is super friendly. Where the food fails, they shine. But that's the only reason I can muster 2 stars.

The only thing I ate here was the falafel, which I was glad to see offered; unfortunately, they…read morewere pretty bad. And at the time, they seemed to me like the most appetizing thing offered on the menu. I also had a canned beer to drink. The menu, btw, is on a huge banner-like tarp covering the wall, which was nice because it was convenient and also probably covered an area nobody wants to look at while eating. The seating area runs along one side of the place. It's apparently open 24 hours, or used to be; if I recall correctly, I was there around 4 in the morning. The woman behind the counter who took my order seemed friendly enough. I might've added on another .5 star for that. It's a tiny restaurant, and I did like the ambience of the place, so I'm rather torn between giving it 2 stars or 3. But the falafel were just too poor. When done at least adequately, they're delightfully crispy. These were nowhere near crispy, they were just fat little fingers of mush. Sad. The sauces in squeeze bottles, of which there are a variety that one can freely help themselves to, improved the falafel a bit, but only barely.