HK: Afternoon Tea - Steak Expert & Match Too Cafe

One of the things that i love about HK is that you can eat anytime and anywhere you want! Afternoon teas are very common here and it's not all about cakes and coffee. It is offered in most restaurants and cafes and you can choose from pasta, rice, fried food, you name it...

The afternoon tea menu tends to be cheaper and perhaps smaller but the food is usually as good as the food from the lunch menu. Here are two different places that we went for afternoon tea: Steak Expert and Match-too.

Steak Expert

(2/F, In's Point, 530-538 Nathan Road, Mong Kok)

Steak Expert has quite a few franchises all around HK and has been around for as long as i can remember. I remember coming here with mom and siblings when i was little and we'd share a steak or two with some sides. I always got excited when the steak came on a sizzling plate and i eagerly waited for the moment when the waiter would gently pour the sauce over it and "Shiiiiiiiiiiiz". It was quite fascinating! (don't know why).

In regards to the food, honestly, i was never a fan of it. Their steaks always tasted as if they were soaked in bicarbonate of soda and the other dishes didn't have much of a taste in them. This time we decided to give steak another chance by ordering the most expensive steak meal (HK$ 438 - AUD$63) that came with a Superior Rib Eye Steak, bread roll, soup of the day and a drink. To my surprise the steak was quite nice: juicy and tender. The moral of the story? You get what you paid for.

Soup of the day & bread roll

Premium Rib Eye, you don't even need to dip the steak in the sauce.

We also ordered some French Escargot and a bowl of Ramen with Beef Slices from the afternoon tea menu. As expected they didn't taste really good. The escargots were really salty and weird; the noodles were overcooked and the beef slices didn't taste like beef at all. 

French Escargot

Ramen with Beef Slices

Steak Expert is a place that you get what you have paid for. I don't recommend ordering any steaks that are below HK$200, to be safe, go for the most expensive. The things on the afternoon menu are cheap, but i don't think i will be back for them. The service was attentive and helpful though.

Match Too Cafe

(Shop 403, 4/F, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong, Mong Kok)

Heel and Sandal

Match Too Cafe is located inside the unique Langham Place and has a rather cute logo containing one high heel and one sandal. The place is small but it has comfortable arm chairs *thumbs up. We ordered a Korean Kimchi & Seafood Soup Rice served in a stone bowl meal and a Vietnamese deep fried chicken wings with fries meal. 'Meal' being 'with a drink' and I ordered a HK-syle Ice Lemon Tea. The cup is so adorable and it even features the cafe's name.

HK-Style Ice Lemon Tea

A while after the drinks arrived, we got our food. The Korean Kimchi & Seafood Soup Rice served in a stone bowl was done well and the amount of seafood was quite generous, considering that the whole meal was only (HK$40+ - AUD$6) - probably my favorite of the two meals. The Vietnamese deep fried chicken wings with chips was alright but nothing WOW, and the only thing that made the dish 'Vietnamese' was the dipping sauce.

Korean Kimchi & Seafood Soup Rice served in a stone bowl meal

Vietnamese deep fried chicken wings with fries

Match Too Cafe is a good place to relax especially after a hectic shopping trip. The food is quite decent and inexpensive. It will probably be the place that i would go for an afternoon tea if i had to choose between this and Steak Expert.