This is a great little cafe in the busy parts of Sham Shui Po. They offer some great Italian…read moreinspired dishes the come comp with a croissant and soup!

I remembered when Cafe Deadend first opened its doors it generated so much media hype it was…read moreimpossible to get a table without waiting in line for hours. That's enough to push a lot of people away and/or make any decent food lost its taste. Luckily they are located in a "deadend" so unless you are a determined foodie, regular people don't come here :P The media hype has since died down and there is no longer the ridiculous queue. In fact, I am glad this place is still around (as many don't). The food and coffee is still as good I remembered and it is still a cash business. However, without the grumpy (and hungry) eaters staring at you waiting eagerly for your table, I found my experience very enjoyable. I should come back more frequent now :)

For a cafe in the SoHo vicinity, I expect nothing less than 100% hipster--and that exactly…read moredescribes every component of my visit to Cafe Deadend: brunch items with liberal use of runny eggs, crafty photogenic pastries, a posh ambiance that looks like a Tumblr photoset in real life, a whimsically obscure location, limited seating that gets crowded easily, Instagramable latte art, a paper menu that looks seasonal, coffee campers with shiny Macbooks, and unfortunately, a slightly marked-up pricing for the complete hipster dining experience. [THE GOOD] The highlight was definitely the apple tart--somehow they came up with the ingenious idea of taking a whole apple and building the tart around it. It comes out horizontally sliced (and thankfully de-seeded) in a unique presentation and a nice, strong apple taste that goes great with the caramel sauce, pistachio topping, and vanilla ice cream. [THE MEDIOCRE] I got the steak salad because I always find myself vegetable-deficient and craving salads when I'm in HK. It was quite good and the portion size was okay. My friends got a BLT and a ham sandwich with which they were generally satisfied. However there was nothing particularly special about the food and it was wayyyyy pricey. At first it seemed rather normal to me coming from the exalted San Franciscan standard of living, but for this price in SF at least I would get local/organic/fair trade/etc etc and mind-blowing quality, but Cafe Deadend turned out to be rather mediocre. My friends also reminded me of how expensive HK$80+ sandos and sandwiches are when there is in all the yummy and cost-effective glory of HK food. [THE BAD] A bunch of my friends developed mosquito bites after our lunch here :/ Not sure if it's something in the cafe or from the semi-wilderness of the Mid-Levels neighborhood. [THE VERDICT] If you are into hipster things, this is your natural habitat. If you are looking for good food, try the apple tart. If you are looking for cost-effective food, Cafe Deadend might be a bit of a dead end.

We like this bakery as westerners. My son wants the cheese bread every day we stay here. We like…read morethe egg tarts as well. Different from your standard Hong Kong bakeries and we find that appealing. Always clean and fast service.

I like the aesthetic of the cafe, the waiting time isn't long and the food were amazing…read more Here are the reviews for the food I tried, 1. Waffles We ordered the vanilla ice cream waffle and strawberry & ice cream waffle. They were light and weren't too sweet. However the waffles were kinda burnt. They are different dips you can put on your waffle. Honey, condensed milk and strawberry jam. It seems like they added matcha powder on top of the waffle which is good. 2. Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip I loved it, it was spicy and delicious. The cheese wasn't tasty for us so we didn't eat the wings with it. 3. Chicken spaghetti with pesto sauce I like how light the sauce is, it was tasty and well made. However I would suggest them to spice up the chicken more. Add spices or flavours to it. 4. Strawberry Milk Tea This is a must to try, I loved it and it wasn't too sweet. It had whipped cream and tiny marshmallows with a wafer.

Super cute place, perfect for all your aesthetic photo needs! I love their interior design, so…read morecolorful and fun. In terms of the food and drinks, I'd have to say it looks better than it tastes. Nonetheless, definitely worth checking out and bringing your girl friends along to take cute pictures with.

This location has plenty of seating within IFC and it's customers are mostly those working in the…read morevicinity. It is a busy coffee shop and the staff appear to be always in action. I placed my order then quickly moved to the side amongst others waiting to receive their drinks. The baristas announce the drink name, not the customer's name when the drink is served. That I realized, once multiple drinks were taken by some customers and the line grew longer because the customer who ordered the drink never received theirs. I was also one of them, as my drink didn't make way to me, but whoever took mine with their other drinks. Purposely or not, I do not know. I asked one of the baristas about my drink and she made me one that I received in less than a few minutes. The matcha espresso fusion was a nice blend of medium strength matcha and an aromatic roast of espresso. I would order this again. Not sure if I'd visit this location if I need to study or get some work done because it is quite noisy inside the mall and actually because lots of businessmen/women conduct their meeting here.

As many of you will know, I don't go in for the chain coffee stores, and certainly wouldn't look to…read morereview them without good reason. However, Starbucks in the IFC Mall has to get a mention. It is the same Starbucks as the rest of the world, so there is no point in reporting on the food or coffee, but this one in particular benefits from its location. On the second floor of the IFC Mall, it has a large "outside" (don't forget you are in a mall) area with a long and wide bench table. This is a great place to sit and while away the day. The semi-armchairs are comfortable and your squishy bits will be able to stand them for a good long stint of laptop time. You will also have a great view of both the world going by, and the expat tai-tais interviewing maids. But best of all, you can access the IFC Mall wi-fi there, which is blazing fast, but sometimes a bit patchy. Words of warning. There are no power points there, so if you need to charge, you will have to go into the store part, which is noisy with chatter and background music. The bench table is solid underneath, as in you can't get your knees under it. The place gets rammed in the morning, at lunchtime, and at around 6pm, so you may be a while getting your coffee. Word of warning, none of the baristas understand the difference between "tall" and "two", so use appropriate finger gestures. Go for the comfy seats, stay for the wi-fi (and coffees if you have inadvertently ordered two)...

Same food as every other simply life, but conveniently located in the mall above Admiralty subway…read morestation, have decent weekend brunch menu

When in Hong Kong, eat Taiwanese food..? Wanting a break from the heat, my family and I stepped in…read moreiSquare mall and decided to get something to eat. Our decision was made solely by which restaurant had the most people dining...like there HAS to be something good here right? We came when the combos were available (2:30-6:00 pm except on holidays). So you can choose 1 item from A, B, C, or D and get a free drink. You can get drinks listed outside the set menu too, but you'll have to pay a little extra. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=QgrzJOqbhO_9lLEK3QTUhg Maybe it was because we were ravenous, but literally everything we ordered was delicious. The Beef Noodle Stew is a must get. The soup has a hint of sweetness which came from the huge chunks of vegetables (or sugar..who knows lol), the noodles with the perfect chew to it, and the beef super tender. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=kM04594EhWhCPSJw3NCsmw Dragon Fruit Fish: Pretty much sweet and sour fried fish...the fish had a light batter coating, fried to crispy perfection and glazed with a more sour than sweet sauce...but it works! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=Urtk3VpHW7xTMCIsnCxjvQ Milk Tea w/ boba: Even though i'm not the biggest fan of milk tea, I really enjoyed the way they made it! Maybe it was because I was practically dying from the humidity...but it was pretty good, wasn't too sweet! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=779_m49e-w93Um7bCYFg0w Matcha Green tea with Red Beans: So good, and honestly you could get full from this alone. So don't do what I did and get this drink AND 2 other entrees..... https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=LowwZq3gcavURsFVm0ENSg Brown Sugar Taro Balls With Grass Jelly: so good! I was expecting bingsoo type shaved ice for this dessert so i was slightly disappointed that the ice came more in small chunks than blended. But regardless, they were small enough to easily chew! I really like herbally tasting desserts and this one hits the spot! the Shovel spoon was very efficient in shoveling the grass jelly in my tummy https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=7180SRnCcyZANHdyoi-kfQ Dumplings: If you come with a party of 8, order 2 of these bad boys. Five seconds after the waiter placed these down, it was gone...My family ended up ordering another one...so just do yourself a favor and order two to save wait time https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/%E8%8C%B6%E6%9C%A8-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-8?select=ulMYXn6-nab3Z1chokeaZg some of you might be wondering..."Tanya, you were only in HK for a limited amount of time..how did you get two check ins at this place? Was there a mistake?" Nope...no mistake...just ate here two days in a row. nbd.

I don't generally think much of restaurants connected to malls; chains chains chains and nothing…read morespecial is what comes to mind. But when a person of Chinese/Taiwanese descent who loves to eat is roaming around HK? Everything looks amazing. My travel partner and I decided to try this place because... well? it was busy. SUPER BUSY. At least 15-20 people waiting outside while other restaurants sat mostly empty. Plus, I couldn't really go by my usual rating system for an Asian restaurant (e.g., the ratio of Asian to non-Asian folks eating inside) since pretty much EVERYONE was Asian. I ordered the beef noodle soup because it's a familiar staple. The noodles were clearly not from a box and tasted pretty fresh, with a bit of a bite/chew to them. The beef was tender, and the broth was flavorful. I wish it had more veggies though! I also ordered a royal milk boba tea because I wanted one, ok? It was fresh, delicately flavored, and the boba had great consistency. I also loved that I didn't have to order it half sweet like I prefer in the USA. I wish the system to ask for a table was a bit more user friendly for folks who do not speak/read Chinese. There is a computer/touch screen outside where you are supposed to enter in the number of people in your party. I had to ask for help and the waitress pushed some buttons and handed me a slip of paper. From the little I do read, I was able to deduce that you are assigned to a letter (A, B, C, D) which indicates the table top size you requested (1-2 ppl, 3-4 ppl, etc) and you have to watch the screen for your letter number combo on your slip of paper to be called. If I were in HK again, and shopping in Langham, I would not hesitate to eat here again!!

There were a few bakeries by the hotel that we were staying at. Actually, there was a bakery right…read morein the hotel. My husband favored this one around the corner. The pastries were cheap and they baked it there on site. Every morning, he would go to this bakery and get his favorite coconut bun. He was obsessed with this bun, lol. I tried a chocolate croissant. It was light and flaky, with just enough chocolate. The an pan wasn't bad. The bread was very soft.

I was looking for a bakery that serves traditional Hong Kong bakery items and based on the photos,…read moreI thought that's what I would find at Panash Bakery. The photos appear to be out of date since the glass cases in the photos are no longer there and are replaced with plastic cases where you grab the treats yourself (with tongs). While they had "traditional" Hong Kong bakery items like sausage (hot dog) buns, it was more of a French-inspired bakery with cheesy breads, croissants and other breads. I ended up getting the three-cheese bread which was tasty though spendy at ~$16 HKD. In addition to the takeaway counter, there is also a sit-down cafe next door.