#019, princess cafe & bistro, 120210

company: SO
conversation: University, catching up and life.

When looking for this store, I figured it would be easy to find as another coffee shop was on the same street. After 20 minutes of searching, we high-fived each other stumbling into an unknown area but finally seeing the store close by.

I counted exactly 9 seats in a small little room with three tables, a blackboard with meal prices, a corkboard with various pictures and a large refrigerated glass cupboard with cakes on each shelf. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling created an upper-class feel to enhance, I guess, their royalty interior. The place was smaller than I had imagined and if it were not for the lady that left, we would have been sitting on a smaller table squished in a corner.

We were handed several pieces of paper stapled in the corner which was our menu. Listed were several sandwich, omelette (HKD$38 - $45), instant noodle ($38) and dessert ($28) options as well as a great deal on cakes (buy 2 get 1 free).

Cakes ranged from tiramisu to cheesecakes (approximately $32 per piece) with whole cakes available in various sizes from $198 - $398. After we ordered our drinks, one of the waitresses began selling their cakes which were apparently homemade and low in sugar. Some tiramisu cakes we hadn't heard of included the strawberry tiramisu and green tea tiramisu. Their signature lime and lemon cheesecake was apparently also very popular.

The beverage sizes were named as Princess (regular) and Queen (large) which I thought was an interesting and cute way to incorporate the theme of their store. The drinks ranged between $15 - $30.

I had a cappuccino, Princess (regular), $25 and a lime and lemon cheesecake, $22. She had a latte, Princess (regular), $20 and a strawberry tiramisu, $32.

Yeah, we eventually gave in and ordered cakes after the recommendation of our waitress. She was nice and talkative and kept asking us if everything was okay. Eager beaver but who isn't?

The coffee machine was hidden behind the glass refrigerator so I was unable to see or hear the frothing nor did I hear any grinder working. When my cappuccino arrived in a clear glass, I could tell that the proportions were good with a hot, strong and creamy espresso. Although the froth had traces of espresso (to incorporate taste), the air bubbles were quite large.

As I did my best to listen for some frothing or grinding with SO's latte, I figured that maybe they were not frothing the milk manually nor were they pulling the shots themselves either. Working at a hotel in Hong Kong, I remembered that we did not make coffee the manual way either. We pressed a button and coffee with some frothy milk would shoot down a tube into a cup, no manual handling involved. Not exactly the yummiest coffee, but if you were not famous or well-known for it, then I guess it did not matter as much. Although props to you if you do have the skills and machinery.


My lime and lemon cheesecake was slightly small for the price I paid for it. Although I do understand how filling I would get if it was larger, there are certain expectations for certain prices! The cheesecake was refreshing, thick and fluffy with an interesting zing to it from the lime zest on the top layer. The lime and lemon mixed well together although it overpowered the blueberry jam in the centre of the cake. I don't usually order lime and lemon cheesecakes or any of those flavoured cakes in particular but this was a yummy one to start off with.

SO's latte looked a whole lot like my cappuccino although there was less froth. SO did say that the espresso was very strong and bitter but was nothing special.

Instead, we had much more to talk about with her strawberry tiramisu. The waitress went into depth about how they make the cream for the tiramisu, saying how they use real strawberries as well as strawberry liqueur to enhance the flavour. Taking a bite out of the tiramisu, there were a mix of textures as bits of strawberries were incorporated into the cream. Overall, it was a light and interesting slice of something new.

It was interesting to see that by the time we left the store, all their strawberry tiramisu cakes were sold out.

Princess Cafe & Bistro opened approximately 2 months ago, even on Open Rice they are still categorised as a newly opened store. If I was just randomly walking through the street, I would find it a bit out of place with various commercial buildings and Chinese restaurants scattered nearby.

Unfortunately, despite the length of time they let us sit and chat and the friendly and enthusiastic waitress. There were certain flaws in the layout, with it being crowded and the lack of space to sit comfortably as well as their interior that could do with some touching up. I now understand that their coffee was not their selling point but it was their cakes that were the popular items that kept customers coming in and out and their regulars coming back for more. Although their pricing strategies might have to be revised or at least portion controlled.

A little bit of a walk away from the Soho bridge, if you are in the mood for some homemade, low in sugar cakes and don't mind walking, I would recommend this place. It was interesting walking so far away from the regular Soho area that I am familiar with. This was fun.

address: G/F, 115 Wellington Street, Central.
中環威靈頓街 115號地舖
phone: 2866 9062