The short version: beautiful and homey space, good food, great service. They offer a wide selection of food, snacks, and drinks, and I love spending my afternoons here. It's a fantastic place to spend a few hours alone, hunched over a book or working on your laptop. The WiFi is fast and always works, which, surprisingly and unfortunately, is something that you'd think all coffee shops in Hong Kong would have, but it turns out that that isn't actually the case. Definitely check it out if you have the chance.
The long version:
The Mixing Bowl is situated on Shin Hing Street, which isn't so much a street as it is a set of stairs between Gough Street and Hollywood Road. It's about a 5-10 minute walk from Sheung Wan station. Getting there can be a challenge due to the stairs that lead up to Gough Street (and then having to walk up even more stairs on Shin Hing Street), but it's well worth the effort. Stepping into the Mixing Bowl is like entering a (clean and organised) home baker's workshop, complete with wooden tabletops and a blackboard menu. Soft acoustic music plays in the background, accentuating the homeliness of the atmosphere, and there is a shelf near the back of the cafe with a couple of cookbooks and other vintage/antique baking equipment. There's enough seating for approximately 20 patrons, though the shop isn't usually full, so it's easy to spread yourself out and make yourself comfortable. All in all, I can't praise the general decor of The Mixing Bowl enough. Somehow, Kyle and Victor (the owners) have been able to create a space that is clean, organized, and very welcoming and unpretentious, which is a combination that not many cafes and coffee shops can pull off. It can get a little bit chilly (but I do get cold easily, so take this with a pinch of salt!), but a light cardigan or jumper does the trick for me. I also usually sit right under the air conditioning, so that's probably also a contributing factor.
The food at The Mixing Bowl is good. While there isn't anything absolutely spectacular about it, the quality and quantity of each menu item is consistent. I've never been "let down" by anything I've ordered. The presentation of the food (and drinks), however, should be noted: the staff really go the extra mile to make sure everything looks palatable. They understand that people eat with their eyes as much as they do with their mouths. My go-to items are the avocado toast (seeded/rye toast topped with smashed avocado and poached eggs, with smoked salmon on the side for an extra $20), which is topped with pistachio crumbs and accompanied by roasted tomatoes, and the traditional cream tea (a Mixing Bowl classic), which consists of two scones (plain/cranberry, in any combination) served with clotted cream and jam, as well as coffee or tea of your choosing. I usually go for the Blue of London, which is a lovely earl grey tea that tastes and smells a bit fruity and sweet.
The staff at the Mixing Bowl are all wonderful - Kyle and Victor are extremely friendly, and at least one of them (often both!) is in the cafe at any given time. Their cooking classes are very well-run and organized, and they give you tons of helpful tips. The staff are also perceptive - Cecelia (the barista) noticed that I wasn't much of a coffee drinker and offered me a taste of hand-drip coffee, which she though I'd like because it was more tea-like and not as strong as most coffees (she was right on both accounts!). The rest of the team is approachable and always ready to help, and I've never had a bad experience with any of them before.
If you find yourself in the area, or in need of a respite from the hot mess that is Hong Kong in the summer, make sure to stop by the Mixing Bowl. I, for one, can't wait to head back. read more