Dedicated to bro Cannigia

there's nothing much about this place...but it certainly appeals more to the young if not students because i felt really OLD in there.

Food was simple char siew rice, instant noodles and i got the "mud" drink and a bowl of wantons with soup. Also a small side of carrot cake which is not your usual Singapore style

ordering is done via us matching menu numbers with a control sheet (not a big fan of that considering the numbers in this menu were jumbled)

S$50 for 3 seems cheap and reasonable

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JWNY

Ok, I'm a bit shocked at the rating on hungrygowhere, but i think this place offers a decent lunchtime alternative if:

(1) You love instant noodles ($4 per bowl with luncheon meat + nice egg) and its comfort food to you
(2) You like the whole French toast concept
(3) You are ok with.....ok service
and
(4) You need an aircon place and the sun is blazing hot

In a group, it is a lot more affordable as you can actually share the french toast etc etc.

I had the dry beef brisket noodles which I enjoyed (and its cheaper than crystal jade and bigger portions although quality of CJ is probably better), price wise, its alright at about $7.90...I understand that CJ might have raised their food prices already, please correct me if I'm wrong!

Fried calamari was alright so-so though, not very fantastic (shared with group)

Mango King drink was unique and interesting, but some might find $3 for that drink a bit ex (shared with friend)

French toast with kaya was huge and excellent! (shared with group)

Overall, a fuss free meal that cannot go wrong if you like the 4 points above. Be prepared to spend about $10 per head in a group (in the context of eating at KFC for about $6-7 per head, I think this place offers value)

I haven't had such a lousy meal in a while.

The food was below par, that was bad enough, but what was worse was the service!

The waitresses were just rude, especially one of them. They seemed to be mainland Chinese from their accent.

This is the restaurant where you look at the menu, select your food in a table slip, and pass it to them. When we were done we our selection, we tried to capture their attention but 3 of them were busy chit-chatting in a 20% filled restaurant (it was already 10pm) and no one noticed us.

When we passed them our order, they didnt even bother to double check. As the dishes were being served, the waitresses kept looking away (u know the putting dishes on the table but eyes not even on the plates look). Then they served us the wrong dish. And when we alerted them to it, they didn't even take the dish away but went to check the order. After a while, they took the dish away without even apologising.

Then came to the bill. I paid with my card. The credit card slip I signed. Then the rude waitress looked at me. Then she 'oh' and took the piece that I signed and kept it in her drawer.

She didnt even pick up the the customer copy and receipt to pass to me. And my card was still with her. I was annoyed, but I tried to keep things cool.

Really dreadful service.

I heart peanut butter. I crave French toast. I not only crave for it. I love it to bits.

Naturally Hong Kong Café is The clear option of choice for my lunch venue whenever I’m around the Novena area. Such is the regularity there’s no even the need for me to hand any order chit to the pleasant mainland waitresses on my recent visits. They only have to re-confirm my usual order of ‘French Toast with Peanut butter’ and ‘Fresh Ice Lemon Tea’ each time. With such candid confidence, it makes me laugh.

French Toast with Peanut Butter ($3):
I love the crisp exterior crust. I love the soft fluffy centre. I love the aroma permeating from the toast when I sink my knife into it. I love the gooey mess when the cold butter slab melts into the piping hot peanut butter within. I love the sticky feeling of the peanut butter on the roof of my mouth. With so many loves, there is never a reason why I should relinquish this for anything less sinful.

The 2-inch toast comes with a slab of cold butter atop the light crust. I never fail to request for another slab, and of course the most obliging mainland (now) friends always accede to my appeal for good food. I also enjoy the liberty to douse my French Toast with as much honey as I please, as the order comes accompanied by a jug of honey to complete its sweetness. That lethal combination of peanut butter, honey and butter sure is artery-clogging, but that’s the hidden bliss. Literally.

Fresh Ice Lemon Tea ($2.50):
Another must-have here is Hong Kong Cafe's fresh lemon tea. This is Zee BEST home-brewed ice lemon tea I’ve ever tasted! Authentic HK-styled! Unparalleled. Makes any other establishments which tout their self-proclaimed ‘home-brewed’ ILT pale miserably in comparison. With just the right proportion of tea and sugar, I never fail to have seconds.

One odd visit with a savory inclination had me ordering the Golden Macau Baked Rice ($14+?). This item is definitely a hottie, as it is marked as both ‘Chef&TV/ Media Recommendation’ on the menu. The portion was huge, just enough for a ravenous tummy. The oven-baked dish came with huge slabs of pork chop, chicken chop & a generous portion of seafood (fish, prawns, sotong) drenched in an amalgam of tomato, portuguese (WTH is that?)(curry-like) and mushroom cream sauce, topped with a royal crown of gooey melted mozzarella cheese. Say Cheeze…this was goodness at its acme. I wasn’t lamenting the loss of The French Toast that day.

I also had the Mango King ($5.50) on that visit. This ice-blended bestseller comprises mango juice, fresh mango and mango ice-cream. Certainly a refreshing delight, ditto the fact that my poor belly was bursting full with the baked rice.

The café also sets its LCD flat-screen TV (PhWah!) to the informative CNA channel for the viewing pleasure of its diners, though more often I see the mainland waitresses watching than the customers. LoL. (Do they even understand?) None of those tear-rendering soapy HK Cantonese serials like The Other HK café on Zion Road play 24/7. Oh on a lighter-note…there’s always this hilariously comical video ‘But There is Only One Hong Kong Café!!’ blaring continuously at the entrance. For humor sake? Or to lure potential customers into The One & Only Hong Kong Café in Singapore? Who knows?

For one. I’m not bothered by it. I sit within the comfort of the cool interior. To delight in my Peanut Butter indulgence.

This outlet the food quality drop, I think the chef has change. only the thick toast still thick. I wonder at the Hong Kong Cafe's name, because I can't feel Hong Kong's taste, may be the management thinking to change the staff to Hong Kong people, not a china chinese...the feel will be better.