When it comes to food, the more simple the dish is, the harder it is to perfect; the same applies to life. It is hard to achieve a simple yet satisfying life style. It is easier said than done! Alright, enough blah-ing and back to food! Finding a decent place for brunch on a Sunday afternoon is harder than expected. I have been in search for such a place for a long while and often resulted in disappointment. The best example was my visits to the Brunch Club over the last few months. On my determined quest to discover new and better brunch outlets, my friends and I attempted Simplylife @ IFC.
The old Canteen fast food joint has been transformed into this upscale bistro with both self-serving and full services offerings. With the large windows and sun shines, you may mistaken it as alfresco dining. The self-serving section (via the open kitchen & bakery) mainly concentrates on bread, sandwiches, salad and pizza; while hot food items are prepared at the other end of the main dining area.
I liked the fact that they do not squeeze the tables together to get the most seats out of the available space. Most tables were well spaced with sufficient privacy between tables.
(1) English Big Breakfast
My friend ordered the big breakfast. It looked promising but I can only rely on my friend's feedback because I was not allowed to try due to her extreme hunger! According to my friend, the grilled tomato was cold and the same applied to the baked beans as well. I surely did not expect the grilled tomato be be cold unless it was prepared way in advance. Anyhow, I better try it myself to really get the real taste of the various items. O by the way, the mushroom was very good because it was stir-fried with garlic to give it an extra kick in flavors.
(2) Cappuccino
I ordered a cappuccino in advance before my dish was served. It was just alright. The milk foam was very good but the ratio of the foam and milk was off definitely with too much milk. More like Latte than Cappuccino. The amount of milk somehow weakened the coffee flavor in my opinion.
(3) Organic Omelet with oven-dried tomato and hash brown potatoes
The dish looked promising with cheese flowing out from the side. My choice of fillings included mushroom, ham and cheddar cheese. It was alright, very soft in the middle but not enough fillings. I cannot help myself but to compare the omelet with the one I had from RED @ IFC a few weeks ago because it was huge with plenty of fillings and a wider selection of fillings as well. Anyhow, it wasn't bad at all but for about the same price, I would opt for RED @ IFC not for the food alone but also the alfresco element. Almost forgot to mention that the oven-dried tomato was COLD!!!! The cold oven-dried tomato kind of ruined the whole dish for me.
(4) Espresso (Double)
I have heard good things about their coffee so I gave them a second chance after the Cappuccino earlier. It was good, very good indeed; way better than the coffee beverages. It carried a slight earthy flavor but smooth enough for my taste-bud. I am still learning about my coffee but I liked it, simple as that. However, I honestly did not understand why on earth would they serve my double espresso in such a large cup???
One thing I do want to share was their service. It was surprisingly attentive and professional as well. The team was well trained and we had a great time despite the few set backs with some of their food. I would definitely return on a lazy Sunday afternoon, looking forward to enjoy my brunch in this great atmosphere, hopefully with an improved attitude towards food details such as cold grilled tomatoes and baked beans.
The old Canteen fast food joint has been transformed into this upscale bistro with both self-serving and full services offerings. With the large windows and sun shines, you may mistaken it as alfresco dining. The self-serving section (via the open kitchen & bakery) mainly concentrates on bread, sandwiches, salad and pizza; while hot food items are prepared at the other end of the main dining area.
I liked the fact that they do not squeeze the tables together to get the most seats out of the available space. Most tables were well spaced with sufficient privacy between tables.
(1) English Big Breakfast
My friend ordered the big breakfast. It looked promising but I can only rely on my friend's feedback because I was not allowed to try due to her extreme hunger! According to my friend, the grilled tomato was cold and the same applied to the baked beans as well. I surely did not expect the grilled tomato be be cold unless it was prepared way in advance. Anyhow, I better try it myself to really get the real taste of the various items. O by the way, the mushroom was very good because it was stir-fried with garlic to give it an extra kick in flavors.
(2) Cappuccino
I ordered a cappuccino in advance before my dish was served. It was just alright. The milk foam was very good but the ratio of the foam and milk was off definitely with too much milk. More like Latte than Cappuccino. The amount of milk somehow weakened the coffee flavor in my opinion.
(3) Organic Omelet with oven-dried tomato and hash brown potatoes
The dish looked promising with cheese flowing out from the side. My choice of fillings included mushroom, ham and cheddar cheese. It was alright, very soft in the middle but not enough fillings. I cannot help myself but to compare the omelet with the one I had from RED @ IFC a few weeks ago because it was huge with plenty of fillings and a wider selection of fillings as well. Anyhow, it wasn't bad at all but for about the same price, I would opt for RED @ IFC not for the food alone but also the alfresco element. Almost forgot to mention that the oven-dried tomato was COLD!!!! The cold oven-dried tomato kind of ruined the whole dish for me.
(4) Espresso (Double)
I have heard good things about their coffee so I gave them a second chance after the Cappuccino earlier. It was good, very good indeed; way better than the coffee beverages. It carried a slight earthy flavor but smooth enough for my taste-bud. I am still learning about my coffee but I liked it, simple as that. However, I honestly did not understand why on earth would they serve my double espresso in such a large cup???
One thing I do want to share was their service. It was surprisingly attentive and professional as well. The team was well trained and we had a great time despite the few set backs with some of their food. I would definitely return on a lazy Sunday afternoon, looking forward to enjoy my brunch in this great atmosphere, hopefully with an improved attitude towards food details such as cold grilled tomatoes and baked beans.
- Great Service
- Espresso
- Very nice decor + atmosphere for Sunday brunch
- Espresso on such a large cup?
- Cold grilled tomato , oven-dried tomato and baked beans
Simplylife: Bread and Wine
Shop 1081, IFC Mall
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 852 2234 7356
http://www.maxims.com.hk/tc/main.asp
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6 comments:
cold oven-baked tomatoes in an omelette? how can they mess up something so simple??
i heard the $250 blue bar sunday brunch buffet at four seasons is quite good. it's almost impossible to get a booking though. i'm surprised at the number of people who would wake up at 7am just to get their names on the list. if you have better luck than i do, please get my name on that list, too!
@Jin: I will see what I can do haha ... remind me! LOL
Jin: really? blue bar sunday brunch @Four Seasons is good? ..i wana be on that list too...
Jason: thanks for reminding me there's another brunch place around..will try sometime..but i may grab my coffee upstairs (IFC) instead..
@Greentea00: yeah, I am on a quest to find more great Sunday Brunch locations around town :)
greentea00, that's what i heard, but i haven't tried it myself because i still can't get a booking until now. but no worries, jason will do it for us!
right, jason? i'm reminding you now haha :P
@Jin & @Greentea00: Considered it done! ... haha ... will work one it once I return from BKK! :)
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