#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

#009, cafe corridor, 220110

company: J
conversation: Work, the cafe, outings and The Killers (rah!)

Travelling to and from destinations can place a lot of pressure on the wallet. Travelling expenses sometimes even add up to the cost of a cup of coffee! Whilst I am very interested in coffee shops all around Hong Kong, there are certain places that are a bit out of reach for me. Despite the cost, if a recommendation is made, I am more than happy to visit. This was one of those times.

J made a recommendation about a cafe that made excellent toffee nut lattes. So, of course I had to try it. Turns out it was the first cafe on my list of coffee shops anyway. C'est le destin!

The cafe is not hard to find as it is directly opposite a popular tourist destination (Times Square) although the entrance is slightly hidden. It is kind of sketchy as the cafe is found on the ground floor below a sex shop on the first floor. Awk. People walked by quite a lot and while I thought they were about to enter, they would continue up a flight of stairs, feet thumping as they ascended. Double awk.

Walking into the cafe felt like I was walking into a novelty antique store as there was stuff everywhere. Shelves with coffee pots, picture frames and figurines lined across the walls.

Seating approximately 16 people, wooden chairs and tables allowed spacious and comfortable chitchat. Free Wi-Fi is available but requires a password to access. Although the cafe was relatively empty when we arrived, it provided a nice and quiet environment to study or catchup.

We both had a toffee nut latte, regular, HKD$33.

Offering 'take away' or 'stay' options, beverage and food item (sandwiches and cakes) prices range between HKD$24 to $35. Although it is not a gourmet kitchen, you can tell that the kitchen and chef make everything individually and to-order.

J's drink arrived first, sporting a leaf design on the top. This was created through free-pouring without any use of utensils (such as toothpicks or scratch awls). I have always been in awe of a barista's ability to create a work of art just from manipulating the way they pour steamed milk into a shot of espresso. Through differing speeds and the swinging (?) of the milk jug, many images can be created with only shades of brown and white.

Some latte art is achieved through stencils and chocolate powder.

Finally, my one arrived with a bear on top. At first glance, I did not notice the little details the barista had made on the bear. But do you see the little flicks of fur on the top of the bear's head? What a cutie. This type of latte art is achieved through the use of utensils: scratch awls are most commonly used for woodwork but the spike can be used just like a pencil to basically draw on the foam. Although I don't know exactly all the techniques used to make the bear, a mixture of free-pouring and utensils was definitely used.

Whilst watching the barista froth the milk, it was obvious that she knew what she was doing and was very experienced. The froth was creamy and smooth but I did think that for a latte, there might have been a bit more froth than necessary. After my first sip, I was overcome with sweetness from the toffee nut syrup but the espresso crept in slowly and as if knowing it was the main character remained long after the sweetness had subsided. In other words, the toffee nut was sweet enough without overpowering the espresso. The temperature was acceptable.

I noticed that there were many different types of syrups available to add to their coffees and their teas were also very interesting: strawberry and vanilla etc. What I also found intriguing was their Iced Cucumber Caffe Latte (HKD$34). Overall, an excellent experience.

Cafe Corridor was a hangout place for J when she was in High School. With a 12 o'clock closing time from Fridays to Sundays (and 11 closing time from Monday to Thursday), I can see why. She informed me that it had closed previously but reopened without any changes having been made. She told me that they had changed the artwork on the walls since her previous visit indicating that they probably support independent artists/illustrators as I saw their business card placed near the entrance.

Unfortunately, while enjoying our drinks and conversation, construction work was occurring nearby which was a bit distracting but unavoidable. The music was slightly louder than I expected but this was not noticeable until pointed out. Being near to such a popular tourist destination, it worries me to imagine how expensive their rent is. Nevertheless, I hope they remain open for many years to come.

For me, this was definitely one of the more indie cafes that I have visited and I have already made plans to visit Cafe Corridor again. In comparison to Soulmate's toffee nut latte, this one wins. And what? Starbucks who?

address: G/F, 26A Russel Street, Causeway Bay.
銅鑼灣羅素街26A地下
website: Cafe Corridor (it's not really informative apart from the guestbook which is interesting to read)
phone: 6096 5013 / 2892 2927

#001, soulmate coffee, 070110

company: M
conversation: Life, guys , barista lessons and university.

Turns out M had no idea this coffee shop existed as it was tucked away in a little corridor surrounded by Hong Kong style restaurants. Seating only 7 people, the booth allowed conversation with the barista (Nigel Ng) and his girlfriend, Director Secretary (Heidi) but did not seem intrusive to conversations with any company.

We both had a toffee nut latte, large, approximately HKD$27.

The first coffee of this blog.

I have Starbucks to thank for introducing me to the toffee nut latte. Unfortunately, they ran out before I had the chance to drink my second tall cup (HKD$34). So you can guess how excited I was to find out that Soulmate Coffee made toffee nut flavoured lattes.

One of the things I have problems mastering is the frothing and steaming of milk. Whilst manipulating the milk to find a whirlpool I'd have beads of sweat running down my forehead as the noise it made was so obviously wrong and would disturb anyone's comfortable breakfast. Listening to Nigel steaming milk was, nothing. Literally. The art to smooth and velvety milk is to not be able to hear anything apart from the gurgle of incorporating the air into the milk and cleaning the steam wand afterwards.

Maybe after drinking Starbuck's version, which was sweeter, this cup was stronger in espresso and that was about it. I was surprised with the strong taste possibly because this was my first cup of coffee. The milk was smooth and silky and after a couple more sips, the toffee nut slowly made it's appearance (even if it wasn't much).

Soulmate Coffee, the name is actually the name of a fish when spoken with a Chinese tone: "sou mei", I don't know the name of the fish in English so you will just have to take my word for it. For me, it was an unlikely place to find this little gem, the friendliness of Nigel and Heidi was also unexpected in such an area because of the fast-paced restaurants surrounding it. Nigel and I started a conversation about the barista community and even gave me the number to a fellow barista that gives lessons!

I have yet to call up that person regarding lessons but I will be going back to Soulmate very soon. (I do realise these things are not related but English was never my forte.)

address: Shop C20, 2/F, Kwai Chung Plaza, 7 Kwai Foo Road, Kwai Fong.
葵芳葵富路7號葵涌廣場2樓C20舖
website: Soulmate Coffee Blog / phone: 6252 5551