An American-style café and restaurant serving mainly salads and other western dishes, Applegreen’s Causeway Bay location is in the middle of the dining mecca that is Russell Street (with other branches in Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok). Perhaps due to that convenient location (it’s the building opposite the MTR station in Times Square), it’s a spot that fills up quickly, whatever the time of day.

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The Groupon store opened following the launch of its Singapore branch earlier in the year. With its bright green color scheme and massive G logo, Groupon occupies a whooping 4,000 ft of floor space at Soundwill Plaza, which is conveniently located right opposite Times Square. 

Customers can now have the option of redeeming products in store or viewing products before purchase, as well as of course having items delivered to their home.

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When Japan’s famous ramen chain Ippudo launched its first outpost in Hong Kong this summer, we were buzzing with excitement and eager to give it a go. Long queues for the Tsim Sha Tsui location deterred us, though, until a second location opened its doors in Causeway Bay across from Times Square.
Angling to beat the crowds, we showed up at noon on a Sunday and were seated right away. The staff is friendly, shouting out greetings and farewells in a chorus as is the Japanese custom.

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The Lingerie Party Shop sells a small collection of sexy and scandalous bras, knickers, camisoles, chemises and suspenders. Have a passionate and steamy wedding night with a red showgirl bra, a Marilyn Monroe-inspired chemise or a black lace underskirt. Accessories are also sold, such as bra sticks, fashionable stockings and jewelry. If you’re feeling extra naughty, pop into the “sexual wellbeing store” next door.

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Meet Lobo is a great find. This tiny private kitchen, tucked away in a building opposite Times Square, is unpretentious, homely and serves a really good French dinner at a wallet-friendly price. The place is small (20 seats only) but still quite spacious, and has two waiters on top of Lobo the chef and Mrs. Lobo. The two menus change constantly—the only consistent difference is the $360 one has a foie gras dish and the $300 doesn’t. The foie gras was perfectly prepared and succulent.

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It’s a total gimmick. Honglou, an upstairs restaurant just opposite Times Square, promises to serve a type of cuisine known as “Huaiyang.” Allegedly, Huaiyang is one of four traditional cuisines in China, often served at state dinners and yet you’ve probably never heard of it. The truth is, Huaiyang cuisine—particularly the one served in Honglou—is simply a roundup of the most popular dishes from different Chinese regions. The menu was made up mostly of Shanghainese staples like drunken pigeon, and chicken broth with wonton and xiaolongbao.

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The buzz: A coffee shop that actually cares about its coffee! Newly re-opened, this quaint little café is a cut above the big names chains and really gets back to basics.
The décor: Tucked away at the end of a long corridor (hence the name), this cozy hideaway has a distinctly down-to-earth vibe. With clever lighting and a great use of mirrors, the café creates an illusion of space balanced with a homey interior of chalk-board menus and a cute kitchenette.

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Don’t let the line out front scare you. This noodle shop has a fast, fast turnover. People come here from all over the world for their shrimp wontons. The menu is simple: shrimp wontons with noodles or just soup. You can also get pork and thousand-year-old egg congee and beef brisket over rice. We had a set menu of wonton noodle soup and red bean with a sweet tofu dessert called “red-white.” The shrimp wonton is as good as any wonton we’ve ever had, with a thin silky skin.

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