#021, simplylife bread & wine, 180210

company: Dad, Mum and G
conversation: Chinese, cameras, inspiration and coffee.

I've walked by this restaurant plenty of times so this was not much of a coffee adventure rather than a desire to try it out. Having tried Simplylife Bakery Cafe in Festival Walk (Kowloon Tong) several years ago and recently witnessing its increased popularity (there is a line every time I walk by), my expectations were relatively high. Now, I have to admit that I already had a good impression of the restaurant due to an impromptu interview with the manager who was professional and friendly.

There are two parts to the store: a cafe/bakery using trays and take-away items and a restaurant with an a la carte menu and table service. As we were in the area during the afternoon, a full-on meal was not needed but rather a comfortable place to sit and have something small to eat.

Walking in to order, you were greeted by an actual bakery. Breads to your left, a wine cabinet to your right and sweet and savoury pastries in front of you. The varieties of danishes were endless; strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, apple, pear, chocolate, coffee, salmon and cheese, cinnamon, to name just a few on the top of my head, all HKD$14 each.

Also available were soups ($35), sandwiches ($32 - $42) and salads ($42 - $62). As you can see, even ordering a sandwich and juice ($28) or smoothie ($32) together could create an on-the-go lunch rather than sitting inside the restaurant.

Seating approximately 40 only just within the cafe area, we found it quite hard to find a table and seats as there were many people. The restaurant extended further from the entrance promising even more seats to provide spacious and comfortable seating for diners. There was not much need for any decoration on the walls to keep with their "simple" decor and especially since there was this spectacular view of the harbour and Kowloon-side with their panoramic ceiling-to-floor window allowing natural light.

I had a toffee latte, large, HKD$30 and a strawberry danish, HKD$14. Dad had a coffee with milk, large, HKD$28 and a chocolate danish, HKD$14. Mum had a cappuccino, large, HKD$30 with an apple danish, HKD$14. G had a peach tea, HKD$22.

Whilst I am all for saving the environment and using ceramic cups instead of paper ones, these paper cups were way too cute to turn away. Maybe it's just me but I thought it was a creative and fun twist to the regular font and original layout of other coffee stores.

As I was watching the barista froth the milk, he spilt a little on his hand, ouch. I remember reading a blog a while ago where this barista was telling stories of crazy customers: This one customer wanted their takeaway coffee to be a certain scalding temperature. After receiving it, they took a sip and threw it at the barista because it wasn't hot enough! Let it be known that the temperature was way above "hot", can you imagine the pain? Maybe we have to start thinking of some OH&S regulations regarding to the steaming of milk.

As morbid as it sounds, the barista's pain was our warm and yummy beverage. Lifting the plastic lid off my toffee latte was like Easter (next holiday) come early, the first whiff was full of toffee with a hint of espresso. Inspecting the froth resulted in a thin layer of foam which was creamy and thick. Hot to the touch, the toffee flavour was not overpowering of the espresso that was strong and pungent.

Maybe it was a cold day but I thought it was really, really good.

I returned a couple of days ago and had a caramel latte, it was not as good as the toffee as the caramel was a little strong but it was still creamy and velvety in texture.

My strawberry danish look pretty and tasted just as good. The pastry was light, fluffy and melted in your mouth. The strawberries on top were sweet and the little blob of cream cheese hidden inside was a nice surprise. Having tried a blueberry danish and chocolate danish on other visits, I can safely say that all their pastries consistently live up to standards and are so yummy that I am craving for one right now.

I smelt G's peach tea first before even reaching the table. Even though it was from a teabag, it smelt sweet and fruity. I imagined it would taste like Snapple... But it didn't. It tasted just like tea and even when G put sugar in, it just tasted like sweet tea. Oh well!


Both the cappuccino and regular coffee were hot and aromatic. Mum said that the cappuccino has been one of the better ones she's had in Hong Kong; a deep foam with a creamy espresso. Dad's regular coffee was strong and just as creamy even though I'm not really sure if they used steamed milk.

Simplylife Bread and Wine is a part of the Maxim's franchise which also includes Starbucks. I guess if you knew that when dining, comparisons would inevitably be made (as seen in a lot of reviews from Open Rice). There are many similarities between both coffee shops with the comfy couches, sandwiches and salads, but what makes Simplylife different is their pastries and focus on bread as well as their process in making coffee. Although with significantly less beverages to choose from, there is less stress on quantity as I assume they don't need to fulfill a quota and can fall back on revenue from the restaurant.

I guess I just haven't eaten a lot of good pastries as of yet, so this is definitely a recommendation from me. Seating is comfortable, prices are affordable and there is a range of food items and beverages to suit everyone. Since my initial visit, I have already returned twice. I guess that says quite a bit, hey?

Overall, whether you want to buy these pastries to takeaway or have them whilst enjoying the view, you will be pleasantly surprised. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is something I got from this experience: focusing on quality and doing a few things perfectly can sometimes go a very long way. Well done.

address: IFC (International Financial Centre), Store 1081, Central.
中環港景街1號國際金融中心商場2期 1樓1081號舖
(They also have outlets in Festival Walk and Tai Koo)
phone: 2234 7356