Day 430: Starbucks Reserve, Taikoo City Plaza

May 3, 2016May 3, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

Today we went with a friend from Hong Kong to his old neighborhood, ate some great food, and went for a nice walk/play for the kids along the waterfront promenade. If you are ever looking for something off the beaten path, the walk along the water from Sai Wan Ho to Tai Koo is great. Views of another part of Hong Kong you rarely see, fresh air, and a bit of a different pace.

When we made it to Tai Koo, we were ready to get out of the heat and let the little ones run around in some air conditioning. So, we went in the Tai Koo City Plaza (mall). We wanted to have something different than a typical coffee, and we came across the Starbucks Reserve store.

Have you ever heard of the Starbucks Reserve stores? It’s like this super interesting concept that they must be trying out in Asia, where “exclusive” is super important for a brand. They have smaller runs of coffee harvests that they use in these shops, and it looked like some bean tastings were going on, so it definitely has that exclusive feel. Anyway, upon sitting down at the bar (like a sushi bar ambiance), the barista helped us by giving us a menu to look over, which contained all sorts of interesting coffees. Both me and my friend went with a “cold brewed coffee”, which is brewed using cold water over a really long period of time.

They served the coffee on a special plate with a glass of water to cleanse our palate and a piece of chocolate. I think the only thing that would have made it more cool is if our coffee came in a glass instead of a to-go cup. But maybe they (rightly) assumed we would need to go away sooner as we had toddlers who were not as fascinated by the good coffee experience as we were.

And how was the coffee? Super good. I normally do not drink straight black coffee, but this was delicious, and absolutely without question the smoothest coffee I have ever had. It did not have any bitterness, with a bit of citrus notes at the end. It was a bit more expensive than a regular coffee, but the experience was unique and special, and definitely worth it.

If you are looking for something to do that involves coffee, make a visit – their info is here!

Day 328: What’s the Deal with Nespresso?

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

So, I confessed that I am back on the Coffee train after many years away from it. The taste of the nectar of the Gods early in the morning after the fire is crackling and I look out into the cold morning is about as good as it gets – especially due to the lack of sleep that has accompanied having a child. It’s not the mellow “slow-and-easy” caffeine injection that comes from tea that I now need in the morning, it’s an express delivery that I can only get from coffee.

To deliver our coffee to us, we have a Nespresso machine. Nespresso has been popular in Scandinavia for quite a while now, and I think it is gaining ground outside of Europe now as well. Basically a Nespresso machine operates on special pods that you can only buy from them, and you can get various ristretto, espresso, and lungo pods from them. In the US I noticed that the Keurig and Senseo are everywhere, but these pods and the cup of coffee you get from them is noticeably better. With Nespresso, you are not getting a cup of brewed coffee, you are getting an espresso.

You can buy the machines at various retailers around Sweden, but you can only buy the pods from them – either on their website or in their shops. And their shops are fairly rare. For example in Sweden, where a lot of people have Nespresso machines, they only have one shop, and it is in the heart of Stockholm (on Kungsgatan). They also have 1 shop in Hong Kong in the most exclusive mall there. And so on.

The Nespresso shops are a bit like if you were to imagine if Apple owned and operated them. They feel a bit exclusive; they are well-staffed. You definitely can tell who has been there before and who has not – you don’t just go “browse” in a Nespresso store. You go in, you take a number, and you wait for your person to help you with either finding the coffee for you, or a machine, or so on.

I have been into the Nespresso store only a few times. As a retail person, I do not particularly enjoy the “exclusive” vibe they are going for, because it creates a power imbalance where they are in power and you, the idiot consumer, need to rise up to their level. It is not aimed at making you feel comfortable – and I believe it should. Why make things harder for yourself as a company by competing with the environment? (unless they want to push you to their website) The most recent time I went in, I was completely lost with what I was looking for (I just wanted some more pods for our machine, but did not know what), and luckily I got a nice guy who was eager to help me. So I would guess their people are well-trained, especially because they can describe every coffee quite complexly.

Interestingly, Nespresso is owned by Nestle. It probably stands for “Nestle Espresso.” Nestle is generally though of in the food world as a completely irresponsible company, and they get boycotted all the time. When I saw the Nestle logo on the sleeve of pods, I was surprised, but found it a little less painful when I read that they seem to be working sustainably (read about it here), and generally how they obtain the coffee seems to be legit. They also offer pod recycling, so for those who are worried about the waste of the pods, they need not worry (and you can also simply recycle them with your metal recycling).

Cost of a pod ranges from 4-6 sek (0,50 – 0,60 usd), but Sweden is the cheapest place to buy pods. For example in the US and Hong Kong, it was twice that price. I guess it makes sense from a supply & demand perspective – Swedes are at the top of the list in coffee consumption, so it needs to be less expensive to work here. And considering a latte at Starbucks costs 45 sek (5,25 usd), it is a really good idea to get a Nespresso machine and have your high-quality coffee at home.

Day 264: Hayfever Cafe, Mong Kok Hong Kong

November 19, 2015 Pappa on Leave3 Comments

Today I went to a few wonderful places on the Kowloon side of town – mainly the MOKO mall (which I’ve written about before but back then I didn’t know they had a playground for the little guy!), and the flower market. Nestled in amongst all the flower shops is a wonderful place called Hayfever, which has a fantastic coffee shop in it!

Hayfever is everything you wouldn’t expect from being in the middle of Mong Kok. It’s super fresh and clean, it is a nice size (there’s also a second floor), it smells amazing (it’s a flower shop!), there were not many people there, and it has great coffee. They even had ice drip brewed coffee, so if you are a snob about coffee you too can be impressed.

I had a cappuccino with a rose shot in it, which tasted like a dream. I figured since I was in a flower shop, it would be the right thing to do 😉 We have visitors in town next week, and I think if we are in that neighborhood, this will be a wonderful addition to their trip.

Day 263: Rosie Jean’s Cafe, Hong Kong

November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

If there is one cafe that I have recently visited that I wish I had learned about sooner, it’s Rosie Jean’s Cafe. Located at 119 Caine Road, it is a long way up the midlevels – but if you are already there, and you have your little one with you, it is the perfect place to be. In fact, even if you aren’t already there, maybe it’s worth the trip.

What I like about it is there is a huge terrace to enjoy, and they have toys and things for the little ones to play with. This means it is populated with parents meeting their friends for a coffee while their toddlers play around. The staff is nice, the coffee is good, and the environment is welcoming and nice for children in a city full of small spaces that children can’t really be let out of their strollers. So you can see why I am excited about it 😉 Check it out!

190: Pillow Toast at Pokka Cafe, Tsing Yi

September 6, 2015September 6, 2015 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

Today we had a nice morning with a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, followed by lunch and a nice trip to the Maritime Center Mall in Tsing Yi.

There has been a restaurant screaming my name since I first went to this mall, and this time we went there. The restaurant is called Pokka Cafe; it’s a chain I think, and they serve creative contemporary Asian food dishes, as well as gorgeous and tasty desserts. The service needs a little work, but nobody’s perfect I guess.

The item that has been really the reason I wanted to go to this restaurant is the “pillow toast.” Unique for Hong Kong but similar to most restaurants if you were in Japan, they also have their menu molded very realistically in plastic (or something) in the front window. It’s a way to get you to see what the food is like, much more effectively than pictures. So anyway, they have this “pillow toast,” and it looked to me to be super awesome, so we had to go there.

How was it? Amazing! It’s like thicker crispier French toast with ice cream, some flavored thick cream (custard, I think they’d call it) and other things on it (depending on the variety you order). I went with the “coffee custard diced pillow toast.”

See below for pictures, and if you are ever in Hong Kong, DO go to this place and give it a try!

Day 186: Auberge Hotel Restaurant, Discovery Bay

September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

Today I went to the restaurant part of the Auberge Hotel in Discovery Bay for a coffee. This is one of the least visited places in Discovery Bay for some reason, and while that is sad for the hotel, it is awesome for us stay at home parents who need a change of scenery while taking in the beautiful views of both Hong Kong and Disneyland.

Although I have not eaten the food, it looks really good and they have semi and full buffets every day. They also offer “tea service” which involves the little sandwiches and little sweet cakes, which looks good enough to make anyone jealous. If you find yourself in DB, make a note of this one on your “to do” list.

Day 172: The Return of Coffee

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 Pappa on LeaveLeave a comment

After 7 years away from coffee, I must now admit it to myself that I again drink coffee. I do not drink much, and not everyday, but as opposed to not drinking coffee, it’s a big change.

The reason I stopped drinking coffee was because I really like it; so much that I was drinking coffee all day long, stopping maybe in late afternoon. Eventually I started getting the shakes, and it got to the point where I would start shaking after just 1 cup. It was probably caused by the caffeine mixed with the stressful events of my life at the time, but I just decided one day to stop. No problem.

During those “non coffee” years, I became an avid tea drinker. I still really like tea, and especially a good cup of Earl Grey, but if I need a caffeine drink now (coffee or tea), I find myself going towards coffee – as long as it’s espresso-based, not brewed. Probably you will see me having a cappuccino. In Italy they say you should not have cappuccino after the time of day you would have tomatoes (so basically no cappuccino after lunch), but I’m not in Italy 😉

Why the change back to coffee? It’s hard to explain the first of two reasons. The first is that my decision to stop drinking coffee was an aescetic decision – a way to deny myself something as an exercise in self control. By not having coffee I was in effect reminding myself of the power of the mind -a “you can do whatever you put your mind to” kind of thing. But I don’t want/need that exercise anymore, and I don’t see a reason in denying myself something that I see as an affordable luxury; a gift to myself that doesn’t cost more than the tea I would otherwise have purchased.

Second is that I have a little guy who I am responsible for being 100% alert around all day long. The little guy also makes it so I do not get much sleep. So, in order to keep me awake on some afternoons, coffee just gives me more of what I need than tea does. The re-introduction of coffee started when the little guy was 7 months old and we went to Vietnam and I had the iced Vietnamese coffee. Now that is a good drink.

Socially, it is much easier to be a coffee drinker than not, especially when I am in Sweden. Being a tea drinker in Sweden is pretty rare, so people are always a little unsure how to handle you. “Oh, you don’t drink coffee? Do you want tea then? What kind do you want? Let me get the water boiler out.” You just feel bad, when all you really want to say is, “sorry, I know it’s a pain, I can just drink your coffee if it’s easier.” If they know you drink coffee, people say, “do you want coffee?” And you say yes or no. Simple and easy.

I was joking today that in 100 years people will say, “can you believe they used to walk around drinking coffee? They even had coffee houses!” Kind of how we now laugh about how not that many years ago, cocaine was freely prescribed and was even the principal ingredient in Coca Cola. As a stimulant, caffeine that we get from drinking coffee is so addictive that there seems to be a fine line between caffeine and any other stimulant that is considered a drug. Just try to talk to someone who needs coffee in the morning to get going – talk to them before they have their coffee. 😉

So as long as I don’t turn into “that guy” (and that’s why I only have coffee in the late morning or early afternoons), then I will be fine with being back on the “coffee train.”