Amidst the constant churn of new cafes centred around Sham Shui Po, one recent opening stands out in particular. With its chrome-plated facade and a wavy, luminous sign reading 'Good Times Roll' peeking out from behind a glass-bricked facade, Ppalli Ppalli (meaning 'hurry hurry' in Korean) is a cafe-restaurant-bar that serves a curious melange of Korean and Italian cuisines on Tai Nan Street, arguably the epicentre of Hong Kong's ongoing cafe boom.

Marco Livoti, the mind behind Italian dessert brand Holy Cannoli, was responsible for putting together the menu, drawing on his experience helming the kitchen at Sake Central to create a gastronomic fusion of East and West. Highlights include the wagyu beef cheek sourdough (HK$98), the Ssam Bouquet dish consisting of slow-cooked pork belly with perilla leaves and hot sauce (HK$58 up), the Yukhoe Toast beef tartare served with pears, mullet roe, British horseradish and cucumber (HK$158), and the Samsaek Perdu, a dessert of pains au lait topped with seasonal fruits, lemon sauce, and white chocolate mousse (HK$58).

See also: Hong Kong's Rising Coffee Culture Over The Past Decade