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Good Chicken Schnitzel in Happy Valley

July 11, 2021 by George Chen in Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Feather & Bone (F&B) is not exclusively in Happy Valley, but it’s not like every F&B venue that can easily remind you of the Chelsea Market in New York City. The Happy Valley branch of F&B can just do that.

F&B wants to be a kind of different restaurant — a mixture of convenience shop for the neighbourhood, good butcher for fresh meat lovers (especially chicken, beef, and lamb), and restaurant where you can just hang out with several friends for brunch or dinner — without worrying if the menu is too complicated for you to decide on food, or whether it’s overpriced.

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F&B Happy Valley branch’s interior design intends to pay tribute to traditional 20th century neighbourhood butchers and grocers. Just like its other stores and restaurants, the Happy Valley branch, with more focus on nostalgic feel, also has a wall-mounted faux cow head that reinforces the concept of F&B as a butcher-restaurant, which means you can order whatever you see here and food will stay as fresh as possible for you.

I ordered chicken schnitzel for my brunch. I’m a big fan of schnitzel. I once tried several iconic restaurants in Vienna, arguably the hometown of schnitzel, and I can prove the F&B chicken schnitzel a very good one in Hong Kong. Surprisingly the chef cut the chicken breasts into four smaller pieces — each tastes pretty juicy, and you get a half lemon to squeeze. That certainly adds more fresh flavour. I will definitely order that again when I miss schnitzel.

Address: Feather & Bone, 11 Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley

July 11, 2021 /George Chen
Happy Valley, 跑馬地, 香港, Hong Kong, WhatGeorgeEats
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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Dear Happy Valley

July 04, 2021 by George Chen in Happy Valley, Hong Kong

To celebrate my “relocation” to Happy Valley for the first full month, I launched a small part-time, personal project called "Dear Happy Valley" where I will document my life and discovery in the small and happy valley in Hong Kong ... about coffee, food, people, history, stories behind the scenes, and so on.

It's still an infant project and I build everything on my own from web design, photography, and to content.

Visit DearHappyValley.hk to learn more.

July 04, 2021 /George Chen
Hong Kong, Happy Valley, 香港, 跑馬地
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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Photo Essay: #留下來的人

July 02, 2021 by George Chen in Hong Kong
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最近腦海中一直有一個創作概念,希望未來幾年以「#留下來的人」為主題做一些拍攝,特別是街頭拍攝(street photography)以及一些隨處可見的普通人、平常事。

其實,留下來的人早已不那麼普通,每個人都已進入一種新的學習模式,留下來是因為家是香港,留下來是因為朋友,留下來是因為覺得還有希望。

今天拍攝到的這組相片(相機是Ricoh GR3)以香港維多利亞港風景為背景,正好遇到一對父子,父親讓兒子坐好,面向維港,然後準備幫他拍照留念。

維港應該不會再有多大變化,但每個人的心態卻各有不同。靜與動,都是相對的,所謂物定人移,很多事情,也只不過都是一念之間⋯⋯

新時代感悟之一,留下來的人,請務必對自己好一點,對身邊的人好一點。

July 02, 2021 /George Chen
留下來的人, 香港, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
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Cotton Lane in Happy Valley

July 02, 2021 by George Chen in Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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Good morning, Happy Valley!

Cotton Lane Cafe is located on Min Fat Street (綿發街) in Happy Valley. That’s also where the name of the little cute coffee shop comes from, as “Min Fat” sounds like cotton (棉花) in Cantonese.

The local cafe is well known for its bagels and sandwiches (you can choose different flavors and toppings) while I find its mini-croissant with egg on cocotte (yes, very French!) better taste for me, especially for breakfast. I quite like its simplistic interior design, simple but elegant.

On the cafe’s official website, its welcome message says: “We at Cotton Lane welcome our customers to come in as guests and to leave as friends!” That sounds like the right style for a happy community in Happy Valley.

Address: Cotton Lane, 14 Min Fat St, Happy Valley

July 02, 2021 /George Chen
Hong Kong, Happy Valley, WhatGeorgeEats, coffee, 香港, 跑馬地
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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Coffeelin in Happy Valley

June 27, 2021 by George Chen in Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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Italian café by day, cocktail bar by night, Coffeelin is a Milanese-style all-day establishment designed by JJ Acuna / Bespoke Studio, that brings the coffee culture of Milan to Hong Kong’s quaint and trendy neighbourhood, Happy Valley.

Before its new branch in Happy Valley was just officially open for business this week, Coffeelin already runs a shop on High St. in Sai Ying Pan. Both the two branches now serve home-made burned cheesecake and some signature drinks like the “Misty Forest” (see third photo) and “Morning Call”, a mixture of tea and espresso.

The Happy Valley branch apparently focuses more on its interior design.

According to the official Facebook page of Coffeelin, the design on the walls (see last photo) is formed by Coffeelin logo into Memphis Graphic style, which the cafe hopes its local customers may feel like going back at a Milano caffè in the 1980s.

Given its popularity — already a new Instagram-popular destination in Happy Valley — it may take quite some time before you can grab a table. Good luck to that!

June 27, 2021 /George Chen
coffee, Happy Valley, Hong Kong, 香港, 跑馬地, WhatGeorgeEats
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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