Simplylife Causeway Bay serves up cheap and tasty option for alfresco feasting

COCONUTS HOT SPOT – With the weather having got a tad more pleasant (I promise you, it has cooled down a tiny bit), I decided it’s time to consider some alfresco activities before it starts getting cold again. With my number-one favourite activity being eating, I was drawn to Simplylife in Causeway Bay’s Fashion Walk, the only outlet of the European-style restaurant and bakery chain to boast a breezy outdoor patio… and just steps from the waterfront.

Simplylife bread and salad

Salad and Bread

Founded in Hong Kong in 2007, Simplylife, with its mantra of doing fewer things better, has been well received both here and in mainland China. Hong Kong’s latest offering opened in Causeway Bay on July 6 this year, but it was only when hearing about Fashion Walk’s recent revamp that I cast aside my aversion to chain dining and decided to check it out.

The ridiculously cheap Tea Sets here start from just HKD45, but being hungover and extra hungry, I opted for the English Big Breakfast (HKD118) off the standard menu, which came with a choice of soup or salad and a soft drink.

The Orange Salad of the day was fairly small and uninspiring, but the home-baked crusty bread with butter was of course most satisfying for someone craving carbs, fat and salt.

The Homemade Ice Tea, infused with orange slices rather than the usual bitter lemon, was also the best I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had A LOT of iced tea in my time.

Simplylife English Breakfast

English Breakfast

Although always a risky order in this part of the world, the English Breakfast did the trick, especially on the sausage front – which is not usually the case in Hong Kong, or Asia in general. Those who are not fans of frankfurters tend to be disappointed fry-up-wise, but this meaty monster, perhaps edging more towards a German wurst than a traditional English breakfast banger, was, surprisingly, my favourite part of the meal.

With super crispy bacon, sloppy scrambled eggs and beans to boot, it was only really the white, slightly substanceless toast I was disappointed with. Given the fact that Simplylife has its own bakery, I was hoping for something more of the brown and seeded variety, so I could at least pretend I was being vaguely healthy.

Simply Rice Organic Rice

Organic Brown Rice with Pumpkin and Chestnut

My vegetarian lunch date made my ordering look even more gluttonous by opting for the Organic Brown Rice with Pumpkin and Chestnut (HKD98), a delicately presented risotto with subtle flavours that I’m sure I would have appreciated in any other state.

I also managed a little taste of the Grilled Duck Breast with roasted vegetables and herbs entrée, which was the perfect combination of fatty and juicy, served with creamy mash and a smidgen of greens. A nice melding of the best of Eastern and Western cuisine.

Simplylife duck

Grilled Duck Breast

Walking out past the glistening freshly baked cakes and pastries, I almost regretted my decision to order such a hefty meal. But now that I’ve given this chain the benefit of the doubt and realised there is actually a reason why it’s done so well, I’m sure I’ll be back to enjoy that patio before it’s once again rendered unusable by the Hong Kong weather.

Simplylife, G/F, 13-15 Cleveland Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel. (+852) 2576-3808, Opens daily, 11am – 11pm.



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