Popular Incheon-based cafe, Sips;;lban, has opened its first location in Hong Kong at Harbour City. Pronounced as sip-sil-bahn, the cafe gets its name from the Korean idiom which literally translates to ‘ten spoons, one rice’. Referring to how ten spoons of rice make up a whole bowl of rice, the idiom alludes to how every bit of effort counts to get something done. The cafe’s venue is decorated with retro-inspired furniture and incorporates beachy elements to create a relaxing atmosphere, making it an ideal spot to kick back and grab a meal with your friends. We visited Sips;;lban at noon on a weekend, which to our surprise wasn’t completely full, and we were able to get a table in a photogenic corner.
This Korean cafe is well known for their cakes and bingsu (Korean shaved ice), but their menu also offers a variety of savoury dishes too. We begin with a range of appetisers and entrees, such as the sous-vide chicken thigh salad ($92) which came in a generous portion. The whole chicken thigh was tender and flavourful, and the salad came mixed beforehand in a vinaigrette, making for fuss-free eating. Sips;;lban has four gimbap (rice with various ingredients, wrapped in dried seaweed) variations on their menu, and we opt for the recommended option which was the beef gimbap ($88). Aside from being filled to the brim with eight kinds of ingredients like carrots, pickled radish, as well as beef; we like how delicate these gimbap tasted.
For more filling options, be sure to try out the tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) with octopus in Korean rose sauce ($89). Rose sauce is one of the hottest toppings in Korea, but doesn’t have anything to do with the flower. Instead, this sauce gets its name from its dreamy pink colour, which comes from combining Korean gochujang with ketchup and cream, resulting in a mild sauce with a slight kick. Sips;;lban’s version of rose sauce has a good balance between sweet and spicy, and the whole baby octopuses are bouncy and tender. Similarly, the long strands of rice cake shared a delightfully chewy texture. Even though we were starting to get full, we couldn’t resist getting a portion of fried chicken. This Korean cafe offers various flavours, as well as portion sizes for one ($108) or two ($188). Their sweet and spicy fried chicken comes with a small portion of fries and it has a delicate crisp batter while remaining tender and juicy inside.
Leaving room for dessert, we order a slice of Sips;;lban’s signature sweet corn cake ($58). The slice of cake comes with a variety of toppings like cookie crumbles, corn flavoured sauce, and roasted corn. Each of the cake’s layers are very rich, and this is a must-try dessert for corn lovers. Finally, we get an Earl Grey croffle ($125) which was very filling. The crispy yet fluffy croffle was served with a smooth Earl Grey infused pudding, ice cream, Earl Grey flavoured sauce, as well as mochi; making this a very satisfying treat to cap off our meal.
Overall, this cafe’s dining environment is laid-back and comfortable, and the dishes here are of good quality. Surprisingly, there aren’t too many coffee options on Sips;;lban’s menu. We got a standard cafe latte ($42) which tasted one-dimensional and bitter, which probably won’t cut it for most coffee lovers. - translated by Cherry Chan
Here’s what our star ratings mean:
★: Not recommended
★★: A disappointing experience
★★★: A good experience
★★★★: A very good to great experience
★★★★★: An outstanding experience
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