June 10, 2023
I travel not just to see new places, but to discover new food shops, taste new culinary flavors, and experience new things. That's my dessert when traveling, not just the scenic view and Instagrammable photos. I'm a foodie by nature, and despite my food intolerances, I can't help myself from tasting different culinary flavors.
Because as for me, Food + Travel = Life.
On one fine day when the sun was too high to go farther because my skin easily turns dark under the sun, I visited a neighborhood next to us to look for a cafe I saw online that truly caught my attention. Given that it is just next to my neighborhood, I didn't hesitate to visit it. Although I can get there on foot, the hot weather gave me the choice to travel via train, which is accessible in my area. And I only spent the minimum fare to get there, which didn't stave off a big amount in my pocket, and I still have more pennies left for the delicious food thereafter.
Located in the Lai Chi Lok neighborhood is Bon Chat Chat Cafe. My first impression of it was that it's a perfect place for chatting with friends, and I thought its name came from the salutation Bon Appetit. I had a great time at this cafe, BUT, I have negative reviews as well, which you will know as you read along.
It wasn't as simple as I thought to get there. Finding its exact location in Lai Chi Kok took me a while. I had trouble using Google Maps, and I ended up taking the wrong path. After rechecking its address online, I found out that it's located on the 5th floor of the Premier Centre. My annoyed self asked, why would they open a cafe on the 5th floor? The building isn't a mall to be considered for such kind of business, but an industrial building with different offices, clinics, couriers, and others.
When I noticed the building, which was actually only a short distance away from where I was standing, I went through the tiny entrance, which led me to a small corridor with doors on either side. Since it is on the fifth floor and I wasn't planning on taking the stairs, so I looked for the elevator.
Without its address online, I won't be able to find the exact location of this place. After some complicated tour of the building, my first unfavorable impression faded when I spotted the seemingly bamboo garden entrance of the cafe. And if I wasn't mistaken, this was the only dining shop in the building.
The shop owner must be really imaginative to have come up with this idea, which ultimately transforms negative first impressions into admiration. Being a lover of nature, I always give any cafe with a nature theme an A+. I walked over flat stones on the pebbled pathway with bamboo wall covers.
A long wooden chair is provided for customers waiting in line. It's also a perfect spot for photoshoots, I should say. At that moment, a couple with their doggies were having photoshoots. The dogs are truly cute and I can't keep smiling while looking at them.
The cool aesthetic lamps and circular light effect on the wall add a warm and cozy ambiance to the place. The designs give an impression that you are in a real Japanese garden. And by the look of it, it definitely was inspired by Japanese gardens. Perhaps, the owner himself is a Japanese man.
The cafe isn't that spacious with only limited tables and seats indoor: three small tables for two persons, one table for four, and a high table with six seats. There are high chairs on the counter but they seemed occupied with random stuff and cannot be seated by customers.
What caught my attention was the Tatami area which offers a more private and cool place. It's soundproof as well because I couldn't hear the voices of customers chatting inside. Tatami is a Japanese-style mat in Japanese-style rooms where people would sit in seiza posture just like how Japanese people do when eating traditionally.
When I saw an empty table inside, I was too excited to experience dining in a unique traditional Japanese-style setting. However, when I asked the staff if it was available, he informed me that I had to make a reservation for that, which surprised me.
In addition to the cafe's unsuitable location, reservations are required if you want to eat there. I was disappointed because I thought that my time and effort would be in vain. When I inquired about booking, the cafe's Instagram account or the phone numbers listed on social media were given as answers. I sent a quick message and reserved a table for one. They instructed me to wait even though there were open tables, so I did.
While doing so, I took the chance to visit the balcony area and stumbled upon yet another Tatami dining area. Unfortunately, customers opted to eat indoors because it was exposed to the sun, and the Japanese umbrella didn't seem to be able to offer a greater shade.
If not because of the scorching sun, this could have been a perfect spot for dining and chatting. The Japanese lanterns and bamboo designs with tatami floor mats are definitely perfect backdrop for Japanese concept photoshoots.
An aesthetic bamboo waterfall is on the side which adds a cool design to the place.
There was a table with forearm chairs and a Japanese umbrella on the side but was occupied by a couple with dogs. The doggie smiled widely as I took a photo of her. She looks so pretty and cute, isn't she? The two more dogs were busy playing on the other side of the balcony.
When I got to my table after a couple of minutes of waiting, I chose the small indoor table instead of the one inside the tatami area since I didn't want to disturb those two Chinese ladies who were happily chatting. But after a while, when I saw the table on the balcony having some shed, I opted to transfer to have a Japanese dining experience.
I was checking Instagram to get some idea of what to order. The English breakfast set and limited Sakura set drew my attention. Unfortunately, the breakfast set was sold out, and the Sakura set wasn't available that day. To give you an idea of what's in their breakfast and Sakura set, here are photos taken from the Instagram account. I wanted to try the Sakura mojito and dessert, but maybe next time. However, spring is over so this limited set might be over soon as well.
Breakfast Set  | Sakura Set  |
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I occupied the set under the umbrella which has a little shade and I was hoping for the sun rays not to go to my side, otherwise, I'll be toasted.
While waiting for my order, which took so long and I had a lot of questions in my mind about it, I diverted my attention to these cute dogs that were models for photoshoots led by their furparents.
Look at how they smile at the camera. In the beginning, they looked more excited to taste the food on the food trays than to pose in front of the camera. But after a while, when their furmoms was losing some patience, they made cute smile which wrapped up the photoshoots.
Gladly, I was able to take photos of them too before they left the table. They even smiled at me too and they were so cute that I wanted to hug them. I truly wanted to have an Akita dog since then. Probably next time when I retire and permanently sit in my cozy room at home.
Here comes my food
The staff served the tea while I was watching the dogs' photoshoots. He probably noticed that I felt thirsty because the umbrella didn't offer much shade from the blazing sun.
One thing that I liked about drinks in this cafe is the blend of different ingredients that give a unique taste. For instance, this drink, which is one of the special drinks, is a combination of oolong tea, osmanthus tea, cranberry, raspberry, and mint. I adore the distinctive flavor of it, and the flavor of each ingredient complements so well. I just didn't like the quite dry mint leaves they put in my glass. It ruined the perfect view of the tea. Nonetheless, the flavor matters more.
As for the main dish, since all of my first choices were unavailable, I opted to order roasted chicken steak with sakura shrimp fried rice and side dishes (lotus root and sausage). I was more curious about the taste of the sakura shrimp fried rice than the chicken steak.
I enjoyed the shrimp fried rice, and the tasty rice complemented the shrimp nicely. The shrimps were dried in a reddish color, and I wasn't sure if they were domestically produced in Hong Kong or if they had been imported. The sausage is a Taiwanese sausage, as noted on the receipt. It makes sense why it tasted so different from Chinese sausages from Hong Kong. It's too juicy, and I really enjoyed the flavor which is much better than the Chinese sausages I've tried in Hong Kong. I liked the lotus root side dish too because I like pickled and fermented foods.
I must commend the chef as this set tasted so good. Although the steak isn't new to me, there's a unique ingredient he added to make the chicken taste distinctive to others. All in all, I liked all the food on my plate that I didn't leave a single grain, not even the raw lettuce leaves under the steak.
A piece of calmness with a glass of refreshing tea and a plate of delicious food blended and created satisfaction for me.
My Negative Review
My orders were worth paying HK$171 or US$21.82 (HK$108 for the steak and HK$48 for the special tea). The only thing that disappointed me was the 10% service fee, which I wasn't aware of but was reasonable given the location. But when I did the math, it was more than 10%, and the remainder was presumably hidden fees. I felt bad for not taking the table inside the indoor tatami area after seeing the service charge. It should have been more worthwhile if I chose it, lol.
I admit that I like this Japanese-inspired garden cafe concept and the food. However, along with the good sides are the downsides. I have nothing to say bad about the tatami dining areas, food, and drinks, but I don't like the service.
In addition to being difficult to locate and in an inappropriate location, customers must make reservations for tables beforehand. Otherwise, they will have to wait a long time even though there are seats available, or worse, they will be asked to return the next day. It does mention making reservations via DM on its Instagram account, but it isn't clear that all customers must do so before visiting the cafe.
Moreover, the staff seems doesn't know how to tidy the vacated tables and they seem waiting for those food trays to clean themselves, or let the next customer do their work, lol. In any food shop, tables must be tidied right after the customers vacated their seats to prepare for the next customers. However, I have observed that they only clear the table when a customer requests to use it.
That tray was already there when I entered the cafe and was still there when I left the place.
It was the couple with dogs who cleared this table so they could occupy it. I was probably the very first customer who occupied the tatami area on the balcony since it was too hot outside. Thus, it looked tidy when I first checked it.
Meanwhile, the counter is untidy and items were sitting on the high stools rather than customers. I always look forward to seeing the counter, where the cafe's concept is typically presented, as soon as I enter a cafe. But I was disappointed upon seeing the untidy counter.
And the funny part there was, I was the last customer at that moment who left the cafe. Since I was outside, I was taken aback when I entered the indoor area and see only the staff were there and no more customers. The workers were playing video games on their phones instead of tidying up the place. They are open until seven o'clock in the evening. Shouldn't they prepare the cafe and kitchen for the next customers? This definitely isn't a good practice in a food shop.
The first and last impression wasn't good as you noticed. However, I can't deny the fact that I liked the cafe's designs, the food, and drinks, as well as the tatami areas. Nonetheless, I had a great time in this cafe and my food was worth a penny. I just hope that the service will change, and if I visit the place next time, I hope my initial orders will be available.
That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by.
(All photos are mine)
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