Blend & Grind Kennedy Town — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Oh, Blend and Grind, where do I begin? My recent visit to this establishment left me with a plethora of experiences that I simply cannot keep to myself. From pancakes that could double as bulletproof vests to muffins that could withstand a nuclear explosion, this place truly knows how to redefine the concept of culinary innovation.

Let's start with the pancakes, shall we? Now, I've always believed that breakfast should be a delightful affair, but I never expected it to include armoring up for battle. The pancakes at Blend and Grind are so thick and dense that I couldn't help but wonder if they were secretly made in a blacksmith's forge. Forget about butter and maple syrup; these pancakes are best enjoyed with a side of Kevlar vest and a helmet, just in case you need protection from any falling debris.

Now, onto the muffins. Oh, the muffins. These little baked wonders possess a structural integrity that would make an engineer weep tears of joy. I'm convinced that they are composed of a secret blend of concrete and steel. One bite into a Blend and Grind muffin, and you'll be convinced that you've stumbled upon the ultimate survival food. Need to hide from a tornado? Take cover behind a pile of these muffins, and you'll emerge unscathed. It's like having a bakery and a bomb shelter rolled into one.

But fear not, dear reader, for amidst the culinary fortresses that are the pancakes and muffins, there is a silver lining: the staff. The staff at Blend and Grind are genuinely nice, perhaps because they understand the potential dangers their food poses. They smile warmly as they serve you your pancake shield and muffin body armor, always ready to assist you in any way they can. It's comforting to know that in the face of such formidable baked goods, there are friendly faces to offer solace and support.

In conclusion, if you're in the market for a breakfast joint that doubles as a military-grade defense contractor, Blend and Grind is the place for you. Just be prepared to wield your fork and knife as weapons of self-defense, as you navigate your way through the pancake and muffin minefield. And don't forget to compliment the staff on their impeccable niceness - it's a rare trait to find in a world that demands such Herculean efforts to consume breakfast. Bon appétit, brave...

Although the staff were very gracious and friendly, they seem to be very poorly trained in food safety & food allergies. For an F&B establishment, this is very concerning.

I ordered the corn & zucchini fritters, which came out quite bland, the batter of the fritters was still wet, undercooked and they were room at temperature. Perhaps they're meant to be served / cooked that way, similar to a Japanese okonomiyaki? But in my experience, fritters are served hot and crispy, cooked through with no wet batter.

I also ordered the Berry Bomb smoothie which has strawberries, blueberries & raspberries in it. I informed the staff about my raspberry allergy, which she noted. However, my drink came out with tons of raspberry seeds in it which I spat out into a napkin. I double checked with the staff again, the male staff said the berries come in a big mixed bag that's why they couldn't be separated, but then the female staff reassured me there is NO raspberries in my drink. The restaurant was full, therefore the conversation was haste. I took her word for it as she was the staff for my table. I took another couple of sips after she reassured me, but my throat started itching a few minutes after. At which point I realized there were definitely raspberries in there and stopped drinking immediately.

I mentioned it to the staff again and the male staff confirmed the berries definitely come in a mixed bags, but they had handpicked the raspberries out of my drink before blending it.

I tried to explain to them that is not how allergies work and they need to request their boss for a proper training about food safety, cross contamination & food allergies. I was lucky that I only ever get mild discomfort, some people have severe allergies that could be lethal.

Despite all that, I want to reemphasize that the staff really tried their best. They remained gracious and polite while running a full house that day.

I just wish they were better trained and took customers' allergies more seriously. Because even after I tried to explain, they still brushed it off like it was no issues.

I hope the restaurant manager / owner sees my review and invest some time & effort into training their staff better. Both front of house and back of house before someone gets...

I really wanted to like this spot after my first visit. The food is fine especially if you’re craving a more western style brunch. However, the south Asian host really rubbed me the wrong way. The second time I came here, I saw him heavily bullying the rest of the staff and giving them a hard time even though they were clearly trying to do their job. Meanwhile I couldn’t get any work done because I’d constantly hear him shouting. Definitely not a good way to crest an inviting atmosphere. Today I came back to give the spot another shot, but soon regretted it, upon arrival he was very cold and hostile. He almost seemed annoyed that he had to sit a party of 2. Since I didn’t want to sit at a high table, I tried to move to one of the couches outside because he had seemingly finished clearing it off. However, he saw this and snapped at us and acted as if we were inconveniencing him. I immediately left because apparently my presence was too much for him. I can respect trying to run an efficient business, as well as balancing different tasks, but the whole point of the service industry is to provide good service. Treating prospective clients like an inconvenience is not a good...