28 February 2023
I was in Central Hong Kong last Sunday to supposedly pick up my order online. But as I got to the meeting place, the seller said she already left the place which annoyed me. She should have told me about it when I informed her that I was on my way to meet her. I felt like it was a waste of time and money for the fare. I decided to look for some places to visit that I could feature in my article to make my time worth it.
Talking about Central, although there are urban parks to visit, the best places to spend a short time are the galleries and museums. I remember the contemporary gallery my friend showed me so I visited it. I was on the road by that time so I decided to have a walk. It wasn't hard to trace as I've been to the place a few times, but never to the gallery.
But this blog isn't about the gallery, but the place I discovered while wandering around it.
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On the upper floor was the Queer Reads. My first impression was that it was a library where visitors could read books while chillin' in the place with a great ambiance and some ear-soothing background music.
There are interesting books to read, mostly about history and art displayed at this gallery. There are also souvenir items and art for sale. Some couches are available that could make visitors' experience in Queer Reads much better.
I was checking what was at the left corner when I stumbled upon this spacious cafe. This reminded me of M+ Creative Cafe inside M+ Art Museum I visited many days ago.
I was actually thirsty by that time and I thought it was great to see a cafe inside this gallery. I thought of checking their drinks and maybe I could buy one. In their menu book, I saw Tie Guanyin which I wasn't familiar with. I thought it was a kind of tea so I asked the staff to confirm my presumption. And yes it is a kind of tea.
I was curious about that tea which is new to my ears so I opted to dine in. Besides, it was almost dinner time, so why not? Although the foods available at that moment weren't suited for dinner, I just go for it because I was curious about the taste of the tea.
While checking the menu book, I was told by the staff to just find a seat instead and place my orders through the QR code. The inside part of the cafe was spacious but with limited customers. Probably because it was already late afternoon and its location isn't that known to the public. There are seats on the balcony too so I opted to stay outside.
Lemon cucumber water was available at the corner for customers waiting for their orders. I took a glass of it since I felt really thirsty at that time. That's because I didn't drink enough water before I left home and the cold temperature easily make me dehydrated.
This place, by the way, is located in Tai Kwun, the center of heritage and art. It's a historical place which is now full of restaurants, and cafes. One of these days, I'll share with you the complete blog about this place. It is also where Ipazta is located. The Italian restaurant where I Ate More Than A Hundred Dollar Worth Of Italian Pasta which I regretted in the end. There are a lot more expensive restaurants, cafes, and bars in this place. It's like a hub for nightlife in Central. All kinds are packed in one place.
But I must say that I didn't regret spending a hundred dollars on this cafe. The ambiance and setting are great with art and culture displayed within its walls. I found a cozy spot good for two on the corner of the balcony. It offers a good of Tai Kwun and parts of Mid Level Central. There was an ongoing art exhibition in the place that day which you can see in those white tents in the background of the photo below.
After taking my order using the QR code, the sweets I ordered arrived first after a few minutes followed by the latte. I ordered the Tie Guanyin latte as I was curious about its taste. Upon searching for its information, it's a kind of Chinese oolong tea. It was my first time trying a different variety of latte because I usually order matcha latte, lemon tea, or occasionally ordinary coffee when going to a cafe.
There is nothing much difference in the flavor from ordinary oolong tea but I like its strong aroma. And I found out that this tie guanyin tea is among the most expensive teas. It isn't that obvious from the price which cost me HK$45 or around US$6.
Meanwhile, the accompaniments include a slice of chocolate chips banana pound cake, and Yuzu cookie. Both tasted good and I temporarily set aside my gluten and lactose intolerance that day. It's really hard to avoid them, especially when dining in a cafe.
The Yuzu cookie is made from mandarin oranges which originated in Japan. Some of the dishes in the cafe match Japanese dishes. The owner must be Japanese, or this cafe probably is Japanese-inspired, but not evident in the interior design and concept. I liked the banana cake the most. The taste was well-balanced, not too sweet, and not bland either. I really tasted pure banana, not just an artificial flavor. It even has a slice of banana on top, and the melted chocolate chips complement well with the other flavors. It gave me the idea to add chocolates the next time I make my own banana cake.
All in all, my orders cost less than US$14 which wasn't too painful for my pocket. I took a souvenir shot before eating, because, why not? It was my first time visiting this cafe.
It was almost dark when I decided to go out of the cafe, although I wanted to stay longer to listen to its soothing music, my first plan was to visit the gallery and not the cafe, lol. The establishment will be closing at seven in the evening and that was my other concern.
Before heading out, I wandered my eyes around the cafe for the last time. It's truly spacious in collective seating. This huge seating sculpture caught my sight and says it was designed by the duo architecture ESKYIU. This couple already had several awards for their world-class designs.
There are a few of these seating sculptures in the cafe, and perhaps, the tables were designed by this architecture team as well.
More tables and chairs inside. The other outer side also has a balcony with more seats overlooking a better view of Tai Kwun.
There are also limited selections of curated art collectibles displayed for customers to purchase if they want to, along with some souvenirs and gift items. These items, the same as other art galleries in other parts of HK, were carefully picked by some art curators before being displayed. I saw some items similar to the ones in M+ Shop.
At the corner was this wall of art, probably made by kids. Since there are several books on the other side which is Queer Reads, customers and visitors can freely read them to know more interesting facts about Tai Kwun, its arts, culture, and history.
It's been a while since I last visited a cafe and it truly feels so good to sip good quality latte again. No food intolerances can hinder a foodie who was deeply into coffee back then and a tea lover by now.
That's all for today's blog. Thanks for stopping by.
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