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Amidst the challenges of the past year, it’s great to see home-grown success stories. We recently went to check out The Coffee Academïcs’ new Harbour City location – its 22nd outlet in Hong Kong.
The Harbour City branch is part lifestyle café, part sensory retail store. All their cafés have recently had a menu revamp (more below). The retail store here is a coffee lover’s dream, selling everything from TCA coffee capsules and totes to sleek reusable cups and gooseneck kettles. Soon they will also start to offer a customised roasting experience workshop ($488/person) where guests can learn about and then participate in the roasting process before leaving with their own custom bag of beans.
We already know TCA’s coffee is great. How’s the new food?![]()
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We started with the sunny-side-up pancakes ($108) and were blown away one bite in. I rarely go out for pancakes in Hong Kong because it’s been so hard to find good ones. I have no idea who came up with the recipe here, but if you read this, please accept my thanks! My friend and I both agreed this was our favourite dish. The pancakes were fluffy yet substantial and moist, and the batter just tasted really eggy and delicious. In addition, the fact that the sunny-side-up egg had super-crispy edges was the cherry on top. I can’t wait to come back for this!
Next up was the croque-madame ($118). To me, this was only okay. I would have preferred a more interesting bread. But my colleague really liked it and said it paired well with the fresh salad (which I totally ignored).
The pasta laksa ($158) was pretty good. There was a healthy amount of prawns, bouncy noodles and a mild (though maybe too mild for spice lovers) yet addictive sauce. I wonder if you can ask them to make this dish extra spicy...
How gorgeous is this fresh lobster roll ($208)? While this was tasty, it wasn’t particularly packed with lobster. Those with larger appetites may need to order another dish to feel full. On our visit, the curly fries were overcooked, but hopefully this isn’t the norm.
We ended our meal with the espresso butter on fluffy pancakes ($118). Three truly fluffy pancakes were topped with chopped apricot, pistachio and espresso butter and served with espresso syrup and whipped cream. We really could not get enough of TCA’s pancakes and gobbled these up too. These might be a little too sweet for some, but they’re perfect for sharing.
Verdict
There’s a lot to love about The Coffee Academïcs. They know what they’re doing, and it’s great to see them doing so well. Check out the Harbour City branch when you’re next in the area and enjoy the greenhouse and glamping vibes (so much natural light!) along with the delicious coffee and food.
Shop 4201K–4202K, 4/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 3–27 Canton Road, TST, 3620 3028
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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