7 Hour Hong Kong Layover

Some people hate connecting flights and layovers. I on the other hand, plan for them.

Especially if they’re 7 hours long.

And in Hong Kong.

Can someone say eating frenzy?

After a whirlwind trip to Hoi An in late May, my flight from Hoi An to Hong Kong landed at 1pm in the afternoon, and my flight back to Melbourne was to depart at 7:30pm. 

I was excited, and very hungry. 

Off the plane I got in a jiffy, and onto the bus - which is actually a fabulous option if you have a bit of time instead of taking the Hong Kong train express. It’s a third of the price and has some stunning views of Hong Kong as you’re driving in over bridges. 

By the time I got into Hong Kong itself, I hadn’t eaten in about 5 hours and blood sugar levels were getting dire. I quickly got my butt into Yung Kee Restaurant for one one of the classic Hong Kong things to eat. Roast goose.

Don’t be put off by how shiny and clean Yung Kee is, sure, it’s super palatable for the tourist (so it’s great and easy when you’re travelling alone - and nicely air-conned when it’s summer out), but there’s still locals in here at odd hours at the communal ‘single diners’ table, tucking into all the meaty goodness. It’s still legit.

Also don’t get confused like me and think that your only goose options are the big serves for 4 people; the individual meal sizes are at the back!

Yang Kee’s charcoal roasted goose smells like heaven when it’s popped down in front of you. The first couple of pieces of skin on top, just shatter in the mouth, they’re just so crisp, hiding the juicy and tender meat underneath. A meal comes with a bit of greens and rice; and I love myself a bit of hot barley water to keep the body warm. 

When I wander around Hong Kong, I’ve always loved how layered and textured the city feels. Dense, with people and activity. 

Despite the heat, I made sure to pop into Tai Cheong Bakery for the best egg tarts ever. I’ve talked about them before, and they’re big in the hand, warm, soft and absolutely delectable. Nothing like it back home in Melbourne. 

But the main highlight that I was keen to hit up in this brief Hong Kong adventure? 

Oddies Foodies. 

After all, what kind of self proclaimed sweet tooth would I be otherwise? 

Despite the allure of all sorts of wonderful artisan gelato flavours, I had to go for what these guys famous; the crazy egg waffle…sundaes? Is that what you can call it? 

When I visited they had two flavours, a new matcha concoction and their classic Night Wolf, and despite my love of matcha, I had to go with what made them famous.

Italian low fat twist soft gelato with butter crumbs, scoop of gelato of the day, passionfruit panna cotta, brownie chocolate chip eggettes and crunchy flakes. Wow. Looks totally crazy, but I was surprised how balanced and thought out the combo was. It wasn’t as rich as I expected and much lighter than I expected, which meant I demolished all of it.

When I ordered, I hadn’t read the description properly, and was absolutely delighted that the eggettes weren’t just plain waffles, but actually laced with chocolate chip throughout, meaning you had gooey chocolate filling in the cavities. The passionfruit panna cotta was a lovely burst of freshness amongst the chocolate and kept the dessert from being too sweet. 

Overall? Totally worth it. 

All too soon, after darting in and out of shops to satiate the shopaholic in me, it was time to head back, and back on the bus I got to head to the airport, and back home to Melbourne. But seriously, best way to spend a layover, ever! 

Yung Kee Restaurant

Wellington St, 32-40號

Yung Kee Building, Hong Kong

Tai Cheong Bakery

35 Lydhurst Terrace, Central

Hong Kong, China

Oddies Foodies

45 Gough Street

Central, Hong Kong

Pidapipo - Windsor

Y’all know I love gelato. 

Y’all also probably know by now that I’m also quite fond of Pidapipo’s gelati’s, particularly their pistachio and now fortunately, their gelato is even easier to find with the Windsor store that opened a couple of months ago now. 

Sure, we already know her gelato is great; but the more important thing to note here is that founder Lisa Valmorbida has made sure she’s got a much bigger kitchen at this second site, highlighted by neon green ‘LABARATORIO’. 

Here she and her gelato chefs (what a great title) get to explore and expand their flavour range and also make a lot of components in house, such as biscuits, crumbles and much more.

But even more exciting than that, is the introduction of her ‘Gelato Cakes’ which are exactly what they sound like. I had the great pleasure to be in the kitchen back in April as she gave us a demo of how her Raspberry and Rose Bombe Alaska was made. 

A bit of soft Italian meringue, with zesty raspberry and just a gentle floral touch of rose and it all comes together as absolute deliciousness. It’s only recently been made available to order by phone, email or just by dong it the old fashioned way and walking on into store.

I’ve been meaning to go back and order the Pumpkin Pie and Banoffee Pie one of these days…even if it is winter; when did a bit of cold stop anyone from eating gelato? 

Pidapipo

85 Chapel Street

Windsor 3181

 

Häagen Dazs Pop-up in Melbourne

Disclosure: I was invited to the Häagen Dazs pop-up as a guest

I’ve told you guys before that I love ice-cream; seriously if anyone actually asks me what my favourite food is, I always respond with ice-cream, because nothing can fill up the void afterwards.

An ice-cream brand that I have loved since little is Häagen Dazs; I remember loving it in Hong Kong as a kid, and when I first moved to Australia buying the Belgian Chocolate flavour from Safeway (before they all rebranded to Woolsworth) on a regular basis. When they stopped stocking Häagen Dazs in Australia (for god knows why), one thing I would always look forward to on my trips to Asia was popping by the Häagen Dazs store; usually for a scoop of Dulce De Leche and Belgian Chocolate. 

Heck, when I was on exchange in Germany for 6 months, once every month or two I would have a night where dinner was about half a kilo of peanuts, and a pint of Strawberry Cheesecake Häagen Dazs ice-cream. Those were the days where it didn’t show on the hips…

Obviously, I have history with this brand.

So uh, you could imagine my reaction when I learnt Häagen Dazs was not only doing a pop up in Melbourne (which means a return to our stores, YESSS), but that I was invited for the ‘Ultimate Tasting’ of up to 12 flavours…

Located in the Federation Square amphitheatre, you can’t miss the cute the little setup; complete with cosy booths and a spot of greenery. 

The pop-up is in town until the 16th of April (just one more month!), where you can either pop in for one of the 12 flavours, grab a pint to take home (highly advised) or book in for The Ultimate Tasting. For $20 per person, it’s not a bad way at all to spend an hour, especially if you’re an ice-cream enthusiast (some say obsessed) like me. 

I won’t give away all the fun of what’s involved, as that would spoil the surprise, but it is a fun and interactive experience, which has you engaging in your palate preferences and getting a better understanding of what you’re tasting. 

The staff are also super knowledgable; did you know Häagen Dazs actually originated in America? Not Scandinavia as everyone seems to think? And all the ice-cream that goes overseas (except for Japan) is made in France?

I also love how natural and simple the product is, each ice-cream is always made with four base ingredients, and uses natural flavours and colours; no artificial colouring here. It took the founder 6 years to find the right strawberries to use in his strawberry flavour to make sure it carried the flavour he wanted without having to add anything else (and I can attest, it is delicious). 

Some of my favourite flavours that I tried that day included the caramel biscuit and cream (crunchy, sweet, caramel, unngghhh), the green tea, mint leaves and chocolate and belgian chocolate (there’s a nostalgic soft spot for that one). 

So guys, if you needed to find me over the next month or so (other than Mondays when the Häagen Dazs pop-up is closed), you’ll probably find me eating the guys clean out of their goods….

Häagen Dazs Pop-up in Melbourne 

Melbourne Federation Square Ampitheatre 

Until April 16th

Closed Mondays 

Tue - Thurs 5 - 10pm

Friday 5 - 11pm

Saturday 2 - 11pm

Sunday 2 - 9pm

Pidapipo Gelateria - Here to stay!

Disclosure: I was invited to visit Pidapipo Gelateria as a guest

Cool marble counter, shiny Pizzetti lids, raw concrete walls and bright pops of colour amongst fresh fruit and Italian produce on the shelves. Pidapipo Gelateria has reopened in Carlton, with a whole lot of style.

I, like many I’m sure, was greatly saddened when the Pidapipo Pop Up closed down, as besides Spring Street Gelato, Pidapipo had my favourite gelato in town. But then news of their reopening, in a permanent home this time, lifted spirits again, especially since it’s now just around the corner from the pop-up location (so one doesn’t have to go too far)! In what seemed like a flash, the shop has gone from construction site to very stylish and European gelateria. 

I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek before opening date and having a little meet and greet with Lisa Valmorbida, bright-eyed and bursting with energy, who enthusiastically took us through her now 20 flavours available. 

So exciting. I felt just like a kid in a gelato store…wait a minute…

Lisa’s actually got a background as a chef, and spent some time working at Donovan’s where she felt she needed to specialise in something, and found she always gravitated towards the patisserie and sweet side of things. With her Italian background, she noticed a gap for really authentic Italian gelato, and made the jump (or flight I guess) to Italy, where she went to the Carpigiani Gelato University to learn how to make gelato.

Just for the record, surely that’s the best university to exist ever?

Her dedication and hard work have certainly paid off, as each flavour we tried, which are made fresh each day with the best ingredients she can find, are simply delicious. Not just in richness and authenticity of flavour, but in the simply stunning texture her gelato’s also have. 

Some of my favourite flavours of the night included the peanut butter, which is just a burst of flavour in the mouth and intensely creamy; the pistachio, one of my favourite’s in town, which actually tastes of nuts with a lovely strong  flavour; and Christmas pudding.

Yeah, you head me right. Christmas pudding. All cinnamon, raisins and rich spices. It actually tasted like Christmas. We had so much of it they ran out the night we were there! 

As you can tell, I’ve got a bit of a bias towards slightly richer flavours, but fruity flavours like watermelon, rockmelon, pineapple and passionfruit did not disappoint. Nor did the bannoffee. Or the bacio. And the coke float flavour, a special for about a month, made in collaboration with Raph Rashid of Beat Box Kitchen, is surprisingly tasty too!

Lisa also introduced us to Luca Calcaterra from La Formaggeria in St Kilda, who makes the ricotta she uses in her ricotta, honey and cinnamon gelato. The honey she gets from Honey Fingers, who’s set up a rooftop hive on the roof (obviously)! 

It takes just eight minutes once the gelato mix is made and put in to the machine, for the gelato be made. Like most things, it’s simply divine fresh. The texture just can’t be compared, as it’s so dense, velvety and smooth, and even better when topped with a dollop of honeycomb, compliments from the hives upstairs as well. So, so, so good and a perfect marriage with the ricotta ice-cream. 

The honeycomb will be available as a topping, so do make sure to try it out, along with never ending running chocolate that comes out of a tap…that wasn’t working on the night we were there, but should be by now!

Lisa will also be offering frappes made from the gelato, as well as brioche, which the gelato is scooped into and topped with whipped cream. Take all my money, take it now!

I know I always get excited for sweet things, hell I get excited for just about anything delicious and food related, but believe me, I’m really excited that Pidapipo is back and with vigour from today (12th of December). Even though I’m sure the cosy little space is going to get crowded, you’re gonna see a lot of me here, probably with the pistachio gelato in hand and a goofy grin on my face. 

Like a kid in a gelato store…

…wait a minute….

Pidapipo Gelateria

299 Lygon Street

Carlton 3053