Central (Takashimaya)

My parents were in town for the last two days, in transit for their business trip to TPE and I was very happy to meet up with them. Mom suggested that we have lunch at Central, a HK-style 茶餐廳 'coffeeshop' inside Takashimaya. Eating with my family is one of my favourite activities because my dad is quite the foodie, plus getting together with them is a somewhat rare treat for me, so I always enjoy this tremendously.


Studying the menu.


Mom wanted to try this 肉鬆千層豆腐 (Tofu w/ Pork Floss). This was yum-o! The tofu was served cold, which really hit the spot on a humid warm afternoon.


Deep-fried Intestines. :9~


XO Sauce Rice Crepes (XO醬腸粉).


Dad's Satay Beef Noodles. He said the accompanying soup was flavourful.


Mom's Spicy Beef Fried Rice Noodles (火爆乾炒牛河).


Red Dates and Longan Iced Drink.


After lunch, we walked around in the area a bit, strolled into Cold Storage where Dad started hovering around this table with an array of fresh durians. It is the peak season for durians at the moment and these looked rather attractive to him. Various varieties, priced from $38 to $10.


He was particularly interested in these Super Mountain King durians,  priced at $38 per pack (the most expensive variety). But in the end he didn't get any, not sure why. I am not really into durians; I don't mind the smell nor taste, and I find some desserts/pastries with durian flavours quite enjoyable. It's just not something that I'd automatically reach out for when I see them, unlike say, persimmons or dragonfruits (which I love eating).


Another two varieties of the durians on display. I thought their names are interesting. :P

Lunch at PS Cafe (Palais Renaissance)

I met up with Pei yesterday at the PS Cafe (Project Shop Cafe) inside Palais Renaissance for a long late lunch, and boy, we were cradling the rocks in our bellies outta there by the time we were done with our meal. The thing with Pei is, we have been journal friends for several years now, we graduated from the same secondary school (different years), she used to live in NY for a bit and at one point we had the same hairstylist (Wyman @ Cutting Edge). But we've never met each other until yesterday. She is one cool gal and I'm looking forward to visiting her in Hong Kong sometime. ^^





The decor of PS Cafe is nice, it puts you inside a collonial-style greenhouse-like setting. High ceilings w/ wooden beams, old-style ceiling fans, marble tables and rattan chairs. There are displays of flowers and ferns here and there, potted inside aged mint julep cups and oversized glass vases. A very idyllic atmosphere and great food to boot. Huge portions though, but heck~ we are "Americans" so can't quite say we're intimidated by that. ;P

Okay, on to the food pr0n...



Fries w/ Grated Parmesan and Truffle Oil. Decadent!



PS Caesar Salad w/ Poached Egg and Herb-infused Croutons. (I thought this was super duper yummy!).



Croque Monsieur, it was huuuuuuge!

Oh, I didn't get to take a photo of our drinks. We both had the Peach and Lychee Fizz, which tasted reeeeeaaaaallly good! Just the right amount of carbonation and sweetness. I loved it a lot.

As if we hadn't had enough good, Pei was egging me on to order dessert and we decided on the Giant Coffee Eclair. Frankly, the word "Giant" was a major turn-off at this point, but..... ah okay, we're on vacation, what the heck, let's go for it.

See how bloody frickin' humongous the Eclair is!?!?!

So in Yelp fashion, I am giving this place a 4 out of 5 stars. I like the atmosphere, the decor, the menu offerings, but I find the prices just a tad on the high end and it'll be a full-blown indulgence to be eating here regularly.

A note from the Universe.

That's what I say.

amen.

Stressful day.

Mentally exhausted this week, and had such a particularly stress-filled day today that I ended up sobbing like a lunatic at the end of it all. Finally at 2 AM, I was getting ready to sleep it all off and change into my pyjamas to find this waiting for me in the bedroom:





My little furbaby had decided to perch herself on my neatly folded PJs on the bed and I couldn't decide at that moment whether I ought to laugh or cry. She sure knew how to pick a right time to cheer me up and make me feel loved by her quirky kitty gestures. :*)