The Baker & The Bottleman — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

I have been frequenting TB&TB since its opening. Right off the bat I'm going to say nothing in this bakery is bad. Some of the items are excellent, and some of them are good-ish, but not good enough for their price.

My favorite items are: Triple Chocolate cookie The cookie is huge with big chunks of dark chocolate. The big surface area created great opportunities for the edges of the cookie to caramelize while the center is still somewhat gooey. The dark chocolate also balance well the sweetness of the cookie. This is one of the best cookies in Hong Kong and has its domain. Though I have to say the quality fluctuates- there are times you will get overbaked crispier cookies and there are time you will get an underbaked oily cookies. But on its good day its the best.

Buttermilk Scone Buttery and just perfect for breakfast with a pairing cuppa. It's soft in the inside, crumbly on the outside, and full of the buttery aroma. Best in the area I must say.

Almond Croissant This is the only bakery in the area that does almond croissant and it's really good. There is a almond sugary crust on the outside (reminding me of a pineapple bun), and a sweet almond paste filling. A must try for those who haven't had this variety of croissant before.

Double shot cappuccino Their small double shot cappuccino is very intense and great for people who love a dark roast. Quality is on par with the other boutique cafes in the area and much better than certain nearby bakeries. The large cappuccino, though, I do not recommend. The flavor is just too diluted by the larger cup.

Honorable mentions: Carrot cake, chocolate cake

The meh list: All savory items, plum and earl grey pie. They are by no means bad. Just way too overpriced for their quality even in this neighborhood. The toasties are like close to 100 bucks and it's not anywhere comparable to the croque monsieur from the recently close french roastisary nearby. For savory options, the other bakeries in the area is just more...

Came for their fish burger $150 and it did not disappoint. Extremely thick and flaky piece of cod in a shatteringly thin and crisp beer batter on a perfect non-mayo heavy tartar sauce with emphasis on the dill pickles and tarragon to bring out the freshness all on a soft yet sturdy brioche bun, the only flaw was the lack of contribution from the cheese which was supposed to be red Leicester. The two of us ordered one to share and we were going to get another one if they hadn’t messed up our order X

Another highlight was definitely the crispy smashed potatoes in XO butter $75. The contrast between the salty and crispy loose potato bites coasted in an addictive XO sauce and the tender, steamy potatoes. Top-notch and truly underrated dish. Really wished these two arrived together as they would have been perfect.

For starters, we got the roasted Jerusalem artichoke $130 and it was alright, quite an elusive product so I always order it. I love the crispy fried artichoke crisps on top and the tender, silky, and slightly charred artichoke on the bottom. The pear slices also added a pleasant crunch and temperature contrast but I wished it was served hot. I told the staff the centre of the plate was cold and they said that was intentional…

Do not recommend their bread basket $35 as it is three measly-sized sourdough and focaccia. Bread is tasty with the whipped brown butter but had a lot of leftover butter because of the limited portion of bread which I can easily get a whole loaf downstairs for $25.

Lastly, inquired about the leftover pastries and sweets from the bakery they give us every night and got to enjoy their XL chocolate chip cookie and matcha cookie to end the night. Super tasty and chewy with a dash of salt on top to balance it all out. A top contender for best CCC in HK even though it lacks some chocolate chips but the base is good by itself.

Definitely will be back for the fish burger and potatoes but the service definitely needs...

Starter Sourdough flatbread, cod's roe, chive emulsion and pickled cucumber.

For the two of us we wished there were more bread. But for one person this was perfect size.

Main:

Duck Leg tortellini, spinach and glazed maitake mushrooms (1st photo and last photo)

This was insanely delicious, if you serve me this at a Michelin star restaurant, I wouldn't question it. The duck filling and the tortellini perfectly cooked, having worked as executive and sous chef at three different Italian restaurants and eaten at several dozen, I can tell you without a doubt it is one of the best tortellini I have had and that's a tall order. The spinach and glazed maitake is excellent match with that sauce , ( we actually asked if we can get a side of extra focaccia from downstairs at their bakery but were told it's all sold out, I would have licked the plate if no one was looking and mom wasn't sitting in front of me. There were a few bite of mushroom theat was a bit salty when eaten alone but eaten alone but nonetheless it was very well made and absolutely delicious! Highly recommend!

Roasted three yellow chicken with sage cabbage and  sauce ( 2nd photo)

As an expat Canadian Chef and Butcher who recently relocated back to HK/China; I haven't a clue wtf is three yellow chicken , mom chuckled as she knew what it is! It's the direct translation from Cantonese local chicken ( a quick Google search on SCMP explained it is a locally raises chicken breed that is high in thick layer of yellow fat (flavour) yellow beaks, skin and feet breed chicken.

Anyhow, this was perfectly roasted and the sauce with the kale and cabbage and the sage, it was delicious. I will recommend this chicken to anyone or any...