Simply Life

Reported by Wynnie



Its been a while since I've posted and I think I'd better get this of my chest before the end of the year.

Simply life
(Tai Koo, City Plaza,太古太古城道18號太古城中心1樓142號)

I haven't been there for a while and it was back in October and November that I dined there so some memories escape me. But what hasn't escaped are the memories of the modern European decor, ambient lighting and the long glass display stretching from the entrance to the end of the cafe showcasing an array of cakes and freshly baked goods.

The display box was the main attraction of the shop. It was where patrons' hunger increased as they gawked at the strawberry shortcakes and almond croissants. Where neatly decorated lemons slices on cheesecakes were displayed on elevated dishes like crown jewels. It was not long before the enticing dainty cakes and crusty french baguttes drew me in.

Before we had set foot into the shop and tasted the products, we had already decided that we would be back to try everything in the shop. So this post, is not the final word on Simply Life. In fact its only the beginning with 2 encounters, and many more to come.

I remember the menu was all in English, unlike the other establishments around i.e. Pizza Hut, Ruby Tuesday, 2 floors above, so the target audience was assumed. It also had a slightly posh feel with the florid menu description.

The first time, we went for the Bananaoffee Pie, thinking that it would be more conservative to share as we had both already had lunch.



Here's a picture of the pie. And my gosh, it was humongous! Fully inflated in height and portion. As you can see from this section, about 45% consisted of cream, 40% of chocolate mousse, 5% of bananas, 3% Peanut butter and 2% of biscuit crust. Boy, was it decadent. Cake sharing can never be equal with disproportional appetites, so needless to say, I had the chance of savouring the final bites of the pie.

On our next visit, I wanted to try something savoury, so I opted for the Florentine eggs with spinach on brushetta (made with poached farm eggs). Loose already had lunch so she ordered a caesar salad. In the end, we shared as I hadn't expect two servings on my plate.



If you can see through the layers, the bruschetta was topped with melted cheese on a poached egg over a slab of spinach. It was actually quite hard to eat with a fork and knife because the bread was crusty and didn't cut well. I ended up with a messy plate trying to deconstruct the open sandwich.

The caesar salad was mediocre. A tad over coated, but I could definitely taste the roasted chicken through the dressing.



Another thing to come back for is the coffee. They make really nice brewed coffee here!! And they have sugar cubes!!!!! How many places in HK serve coffee with sugar cubes and not sugar packets? Worth it or not? You tell me.





The price:
92 for an afternoon set: soup or salad, main dish w normal drink (exchange drink for coffee +10)
80-85 for tea set: slice of any cake/pastry on display w coffee/tea

I will come back for the burger, coffee and the dainty cakes. I wouldn't mind another jab at the Bananaoffee pie if I'm feeling particularly sinful that day, only with the assistance of another gut.