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Lisa Cam

Would you pay US$30 (HK$228) for a bowl of ice?
Technology has significantly altered the lives of modern people when it comes to summer treats. While today an icy treat is readily available at the nearest convenience store or supermarket, before the 19th century invention of refrigeration, ice was a luxury reserved for the elite.
Putting a premium on ice – or specifically, ice desserts – in Tokyo is Azuki to Kouri, a counter-seating-only establishment serving kakigori (Japanese-style shaved ice).
A bowl of its shaved ice sells for between 2,750 yen and 2,900 yen (US$18 to US$20). The signature kakigori, as the shop’s name suggests, is made with premium red bean (azuki), fresh cream and crunchy meringue pieces; the shop also offers seasonal flavours, giving diners a reason to return.












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Chef and owner Hiroyasu Kawate, of two-Michelin-star Florilège restaurant, also in Tokyo, decided to open a space for his pastry chef Miho Horio to shine.
“I had no doubts that this concept would work,” says Kawate. “We have one signature flavour, but we periodically have several new flavours that feature seasonal ingredients, so people will keep coming back for more.”

It’s hard to get a booking at the seven-seater establishment; reservations are snapped up as they appear every two months.
Diners in Hong Kong got to sample a few of Horio’s creations at Censu, a Japanese restaurant in Central on Hong Kong Island, in February.
“Chef Kawate is a friend and mentor,” says Shun Sato, chef and owner of the restaurant group Censu Crew. “I want to learn from him. He invited me to his restaurant in Tokyo and I wanted to return the favour and invite him to Hong Kong. It’s his first time in the city.”


Censu closed down normal service from 11am to 2.30pm on February 23 and served three types of kakigori.
Horio brought her ice machine all the way from Tokyo for the event. The ice in the aforementioned signature Azuki to Meringue (HK$198) had a fluffy, cloudlike texture.
The red bean paste and cream is carefully layered inside the pile of ice to give the impression of eating a sandwich cake – but one made with softly shaved ice instead of sponge.
The Strawberry Chiboust (HK$218) with fresh Japanese strawberries and caramelised Chiboust cream – creme patisserie lightened with meringue – had the same cake-like construction and a contrast in temperature from being seared with a piece of charcoal for a charred aroma.
There was also a Mont Blanc Dango (HK$228), a flavour created for Hong Kong around Censu’s signature chestnut and praline dessert of the same name.

If diners in Hong Kong are wondering if there is a reason to go to Japan to visit Azuki to Kouri, there is. The ice machine was brought to Hong Kong for the pop-up, but there is one thing that cannot be replicated outside Japan – the ice.
“We will try our best to use the most natural water, most notably, ice from Nagata Mountain in Japan,” says Kawate. “We cannot get it all year round but try our best.”


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Food and Drinks

When US$30 Japanese shaved ice desserts came to Hong Kong

 Strawberries and meringue shaved ice from Azuki To Kouri. Photo: Censu

Banana shaved ice by Japanese dessert restaurant Azuki To Kouri, recently served in Hong Kong. Photo: Censu

Chef Hiroyasu Kawate opened Azuki to Kouri to give his pastry chef Miko Horio a chance to shine. Photo: Censu

Miho Horio brought her ice machine with her when she came to Hong Kong for the pop-up. Photo: Censu

Shun Sato, chef and owner of Censu Crew, invited Miho Horio to Hong Kong. Photo: Censu

The Mont Blanc Dango kakigori (above) was created specially for Hong Kong. Photo: Lisa Cam

Bubble tea brand makes Hong Kong milk tea ‘fashionable again’ by mixing style and tradition

A tea drink being made at Silk in Kennedy Town. Photo: Sun Yeung

Silk’s new Kennedy Town branch mixes tradition and modern flair. The brand is the only one to make boba tea with Hong Kong-style milk tea. Photo: Sun Yeung

Many of Silk’s menu items are interpretations of Hong Kong dishes and drinks. Photo: Silk

The window frames at Silk’s new Kennedy Town store are inspired by those typically seen in traditional tong lau tenement buildings. Photo: Silk 

Old-school memorabilia on the shelves at Silk’s new store. Photo: Silk

Silk founders Adrian Ngan (left) and Tim Tsung at the Kennedy Town branch. Photo: Sun Yeung

A staff member makes a drink using evaporated milk – a common ingredient at traditional Hong Kong cafes – at Silk’s new branch in Kennedy Town. Photo: Sun Yeung

Silk’s Smooth Sesame drink is inspired by black sesame soup, a beloved dessert in Hong Kong. Photo: Silk

Silk’s Yuen-Yeung is inspired by the milk tea and coffee drink of the same name that is popular in traditional Hong Kong cafes. Photo: Sun Yeung

Ngan and Tsung are on a mission to make Hong Kong-style milk tea popular with young people. Photo: Sun Yeung

Silk’s Smooth Lemon is a bubble tea version of Hong Kong lemon tea. Photo: Sun Yeung

Praised by Homer in ancient Greece, can the world’s oldest recorded wine make a comeback?

Bottles of Commandaria wine at the Karsera Winery in Dhoros, Cyprus. Photo: AP

Commandaria wine at a museum dedicated to the tipple in Zoopigi, Cyprus. A favourite of ancient Greek writer Homer nearly 3,000 years ago, the wine is no longer widely known around the world. Photo: AP

Bottles of Commandaria wine on a table at the Karsera Winery in the village of Dhoros, in Cyprus. The wine is said to have been served to royalty for centuries. Photo: AP

Zoopigi village community leader Christakis Nikolaou prunes a vine in his vineyard. Photo: AP

A vineyard outside Agios Mamas in Cyprus’ Commandaria wine region. The village is one of only 14 to produce the wine. Photo: AP

Commandaria wine bottles on a rack at Revecca Winery in Agios Mamas, Cyprus. Its wine won the top prize at the national wine competition in 2024. Photo: AP

A worker draws Commandaria wine from a barrel at Revecca Winery in Agios Mamas, Cyprus. Photo: AP

Philippos Karseras, manager of the Karsera Winery in Cyprus, is encouraged by an upswing in domestic consumption of Commandaria. Photo: AP

Where does Hong Kong’s pineapple bun come from? Japan, Mexico or a creative baker’s mind?

A pineapple bun at Kam Wah Cafe in Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Pineapple buns, or bo lo bao, are a Hong Kong staple whose origins are unclear. Photo: Shutterstock

A pineapple bun at Kam Wah Cafe in Hong Kong’s Prince Edward neighbourhood. The pastry does not contain pineapple, despite its name. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Japanese melonpan is lighter and drier and with a firmer crust than Hong Kong’s pineapple bun. Photo: Shutterstock

Freshly baked pineapple buns. There are different theories about the bun’s origin. Photo: Shutterstock

Some say Hong Kong pineapple buns derive from Mexico’s concha, also known as Mexican “egg bread”. Photo: Shutterstock

A pineapple bun burger served at Bolo Bolo in Hong Kong. Founder Karmen Fu says her creation is a novel concept in the city. Photo: Bolo Bolo 

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Pastry chef Miho Horio brought her ice machine from Tokyo to Hong Kong for a pop-up by Azuki to Kouri at Censu in Central


Pastry chef Miho Horio brought her ice machine from Tokyo to Hong Kong for a pop-up by Azuki to Kouri at Censu in Central.
