Restaurant Review: Confusion Plant-Based Kitchen

Considering the number of times that I've been to this restaurant, you probably expect that I've tried every single item on their menu by now. "So why is that not the case?", you may ask. And that's because every day, the menu changes. Hence the name Confusion Plant-Based Kitchen. 

Spinach 'Cheese' Quesidillas

Price: Tacos, quesadillas and wraps are priced at no higher than $80 - very reasonable when considering the portion and comparing it to many other vegan restaurants in Hong Kong - whereas the Beyond Burger is $145 (it is common for the Beyond Burger to be priced much higher than the other dishes offered). The portions often come in twos or threes (as seen above), so they're mostly great for sharing, too! Excellent deals for the food you're getting.

Falafel Wrap

Environment: The overall environment of the restaurant varies largely with the time you go. At 6pm, it will be completely empty. 30 minutes later, it will be packed with all types of people. I personally prefer it when there are less people, because the lack of space in the restaurant means that when it gets crowded, you may have to share a table with other customers, the waiters can't respond quickly to your raised hand, and everything gets a little hectic. The result is also not a lot of walking space, and you might end up tripping over other people's stools or even their feet! 

Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Happy Cow Ice Cream

Tofu Tacos

Food: From Mexican food such as tacos and quesadillas, to Greek food such as falafel wraps and platters, to Japanese food such as soba noodles and yams, to Western food such as burgers and fries, to my favorite desserts such as chocolate crepes and lava caves, Confusion has it all. Additionally, most of their sauces are homemade with secret recipes, and I've never tasted a sauce that didn't pair perfectly with my dish. 

(Click on the image if you want a detailed review of the dish!)

Banana and Chocolate Crepe

Location: Although slightly isolated from the main road, Confusion Plant-Based Kitchen is not too far from the Sheung Wan MTR exit A2. This short walk is what makes it a hidden GEM and thankfully (at least for some customers), prevents it from being overcrowded.

Beyond Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Service: Each time I visit, I struggle to select an item from the menu and always end up asking the boss which dish she'd recommend. Everything she's recommended has always been amazing, and she caters her recommendations to your personal preferences, too! The staff here are very flexible and outgoing; to put this in to context, once I was eating with a friend when she suddenly told me about her craving for hot chocolate. Our conversation was overhead by one of the waitresses, and next thing you know, they were mixing up a vegan hot chocolate just for her, even when it wasn't on the menu. So the next time you go, even if something you want is not on the menu, there's no harm in bringing it up! ;)

Restaurant Review: The Joomak

Thoughts on the Big 5:

Food: You can't find food like this anywhere else in Hong Kong. The food at The Joomak is all Korean-style, so you can find sweet and spicy rice cakes, fried 'chicken', sushi with pear (surprisingly delicious and super refreshing), and 'beef' rice - feel free to click on each image for a more detailed description of the dish! I love the food here, and it's amazing that the restaurant has managed to create a fully vegan menu out of one of the most meat-centered cuisines (they still offer meat dishes, so it's perfect for occasions that involve both omnivores and vegetarians/vegans), and it is solid evidence that eating vegan food does not require any sacrifice. They also have a vegan free-flow on Wednesdays - $198 per person for 90 minutes! 

Grilled Sweet Corn with Vegan Cheese and Sweet Potato

Price: The food here leans more towards the expensive side - no doubt pricier than small shops on the street selling Tteokbokki and Kimbap. You can get appetisers for $50-$100, mains for $80-$150, and desserts for $50-$100. As a reference, everything in this post added up to around $500 HKD and would be able to satisfy around three people. [I was granted free spending on all these items, however, this is not a sponsored post!] 

Spicy Tteokbokki

Location: The Joomak is located in Harbour City - a two minute walk from the Star Ferry pier and also nearby the MTR station (Exit A1). It's conveniently placed in respect to the rest of Tsim Sha Tsui, however, it may take awhile to find once you enter the mall - you will need to go up a few flights of stairs/escalators, walk a few corridors, and make a few turns until you finally find the restaurant.

Environment: The restaurant itself is quite large, meaning that it's not a very noisy atmosphere and easy to have conversation without being disturbed. Nothing in particular about this restaurant stands out as not being environmentally friendly; they don't advertise themselves as an eco-friendly place, but the only real problem is their plastic straws.

Service: To tie this in to the previous point about eco-friendliness, although the waiters are always ready do their jobs, on both times that I ordered a drink and requested for no straw, they still gave it anyway. I'm not sure if this is because they are more proficient in Chinese and less so in English, but there could definitely be some improvements to the service overall (just basic communication things). 

Spicy and Sweet Fried 'chicken'

Pear Kimbap

Chia Seed 'Milk' Pudding (Sesame and Strawberry)

Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding

Restaurant Review: LN Fortunate Coffee

Food: The food here is so unique, you won't be able to find anything similar in other vegan restaurants in Hong Kong! They have the most common Hong Kong snacks such as egg waffles and satay, they have comfort foods such as hotdogs and burgers, they have warm food such as soup noodles and curry rice, and they have desserts ranging from matcha cupcakes to egg-less waffles! LN Fortunate Coffee takes gold in the category of innovation, and it's an ingenious ways to attract non-vegans to try something new. I don't think I've ever tasted anything at this restaurant that wasn't enjoyable! 

Curry Satay (10/10)

Price: However, the price for the portions at LN Fortunate Coffee is slightly disappointing. Although the food tastes incredible, I feel as if I am not getting my money's worth when all I see in my $100 dollar burger is one meagre slice of soy beef. They do offer set meals that are more reasonable and come with a side of orange juice, potato fries, and a salad, however, I personally think that the main dish could be bigger. The same goes for the appetizers and snacks that come in quite small portions but are priced at around $50 per dish. 

This portion size?! :\

Environment: Vegan food, metal straws, free water refill, a bathroom, and free wifi...what more could you ask for? LN Fortunate Coffee is probably one of the most comfortable vegan restaurants that exist in Hong Kong, and I commonly see people sitting there to socialize, have meetings, do work on their laptops - pretty much anything! They are also quite sustainable in their practices: you can refill water as many times as you want, and if you want something sweeter or something more caffeinated, whatever the drink is, it will either come with no straw or a stainless steel straw.

Location: Only about a two-minute amble from the Sai Ying Pun MTR station (Exit B2), LN Fortunate Coffee is extremely convenient, and it's also a great place to go if you want to get work done while snacking on some delicious vegan food/drinks.

Pepper 'Beef' Burger

Hotdog

Chocolate Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting

Matcha Cupcake (also 10/10)

 

Staff: I love visiting this restaurant, because the staff are always extremely kind and welcoming - they're always ready to take your order, listen to feedback, or have a conversation! Although they mainly speak Chinese, they are very patient even if you don't. Once I changed my cupcake order a good three times in the span of a minute, and they were still okay with it!

Overall, LN Fortunate Coffee is a must visit if you're in Hong Kong. Every time I go there's always a new dish on the menu that hasn't been done before, and the although the portions may be modest, the food never disappoints. Even if you're just craving a small snack or dessert, you can stop by very conveniently; whatever you're looking for, they have it all!