Restaurant review: Browny No 45 in Tai Kok Tsui serves decent coffee but food is hit and miss – avoid the cheese cake at all costs
While the linguine with tempura shrimp in tomato cream sauce was tasty, the lemon cheese mousse cake went down like ‘poured concrete’. A cup of signature Browny coffee, though, almost makes it worth the trip
Browny No 45 is bringing quality coffee to Tai Kok Tsui, an older residential area west of Mong Kok. But while its coffee offerings – such as the signature Browny and a delicious hazelnut latte – were almost worth the effort of going there for dinner, the small cafe failed with its house-made lemon cheese mousse cake.
It wasn’t the easiest place to get to – a 12 minute walk from the nearest MTR station, Yau Ma Tei – but this might have been quicker if we hadn’t had to stop to look at the map a few times. Eventually we reached the small, delicately decorated cafe next to a beauty salon, and started off by ordering a Browny home roasted coffee (HK$32) and a hot hazelnut latte (HK$38).
These were the best decisions we made that night. Served with cold fresh milk at the bottom and espresso on the top, the slightly bitter Browny surprised us with its full aftertaste. There were no surprises with the hazelnut latte, but it was well suited to go alongside a light dinner or afternoon tea with friends.
