Cafe Match Box 喜喜冰室

Cafe Match Box has been the new kid on the block for a while offering so-called traditional Hong Kong style cuisine with a bit of a fusion twist and I finally got the chance to give it a try. The retro decor was interesting and great for pictures.

Even the entire wait staff was dressed in checkered pants and white top as their uniform. Nice Touch! (Just a note: their services were great ... usually when I consider a place with great services so early in a review, there has to be something else "negative" to it! sigh ... ) 

The happy note ended right about ... now! The so-called special item, the Chicken Pot Pie in Pea Soup was ... very light in flavor and it wasn't as original as many might think. Alright it is original in terms of being served in a traditional Hong Kong style "cha chaan teng" but one may find great similarities to a Pie Floater widely available in Australia (or at least in the region of Wooloomooloo, NSW). (Thanks to Babedolphin for pointing this out to me.) The pea soup should be an additional source of flavor for the pie in my opinion but it just lacked the richness. Maybe that was the reason why they suggested us to use ketchup to go with the dish? The pie can be better in my opinion because it wasn't really served at optimal temperature, perhaps due to the time of day we arrived? (8pm)

The Chicken Pot Pie meal set actually came with Banana Pancakes (which was served at the same time as the pie). I have only one mouth so I will set the pancake aside for the time being until desert time. We also ordered Baked Ox Tongue Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (with an extra egg!). However, I wish I did not order it. Usually when something like this is being served, my first reaction would be ... ouch, going to be very rich in flavor; but not here, I had to sprinkle more salt and pepper in order to get more taste out of the ever so lightly flavored tomato sauce on top of the very soft and mushy spaghetti. True that at Hong Kong style "cha chan teng", I should not be picky with their spaghetti because they are usually soft and mushy but not to this level of mushiness whereby you can simply use your tongue to mash them! Did I mention the few pieces of OX tongue was quite tough to chew? .... ON THE OTHER HAND, I am sure some people might enjoy the light flavors for various health and diet concerns but it wasn't for me I am sorry. 

Alright, time to take a sip of coffee which was decent amongst similar joints. 

Finally it was time for the dessert which was the Banana Pancake / hot cake served 15 mins ago. The pieces of hot cakes were relative tiny yet very thick. Sauce was thick as well and rather sweet for my liking. the walnuts gave the overall texture something of a kick but since it was served almost 15 mins ago (or more), the hot cakes were rather soggy. Perhaps you might want to eat the hot cakes first before the pea soup? Whatever you fancy but I rather they serve the hot cakes AFTER the savory dishes! As simple as that. 

 

We really wanted to try some of the interesting desserts, fusion desserts to be exact (a Russian inspired cheese filled pancake/crepe? - thanks to Babedolphin again for the info), but we were informed that the pastry chef was off for the night. Come again? ... The very friendly and polite staff explained to us for an entire 3 mins regarding why the pastry chef was off and how they lacked staff so all kitchen staff needs to rotate their shifts accordingly. Very nice to know but still no desserts right? The staff was nice enough to offer each of us a bowl of soft ice cream without charge. 

Oh by the way, anyone knows where I can get a warning sign like this? A warning against spitting? and the materials for the flooring? Those are classic flooring and would be cool to have! 

Likes: 

• Service, great service! 
• Retro decor, great for pictures 

Dislikes:

• Chicken Pot Pie in Pea Soup - lacked flavors
• Baked Ox Tongue Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce
• Warm Banana Hot Cakes / Pancakes - it should be served at the end of the meal and not before or during in my humble opinion. It turned cold and soggy unless you eat it first before your savory dishes. 

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person 

Cafe Match Box 喜喜冰室

G/F, 8 Cleveland Street, CWB
Tel: 2868 0363

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