My coffee craving one saturday afternoon led me to a new cafe in Paragon called Cova. The “V” in the logo wasn’t distinct, so for a good 10mins (until I verified it with the waitress), I thought the place was called “Coya”.

COVA Pasticceria – Confetteria heritage dates back to 1817 when it was founded in Milan by Antonio Cova. Specialising in coffee, pastries, cakes and chocolates, their flagship cafe is situated on the famous fashion street of Via Montenapoleone in Milan, Italy.

At Paragon, setting and ambience was kept classy but casual.

At Cova, we ordered some mini pâtisserie to go along with our drinks. As wonderful as it looks on picture, the taste was dissapointing and left me unsatisfied. Should have just walked downstairs to Canelé and ordered a Chocolate royale instead.

I judge a cafe on their ability to make the perfect latte. It’s all about the coffee grounds, aroma, temperature and the right amount of foam.

Alot of places don’t tamp their grounds hard enough, or don’t start their shots immediately giving it a burnt taste. But the part that gets to me the most is the temperature of the milk and how much foam there is. Sometimes it looks like i ended up with a flat white or a cappuccino. Thankfully, Cova’s saving grace was the perfect latte.

Cova Pasticceria
Paragon Shopping Centre #01-20A
Tel: 6733 0777
Open from 9.00 am to 9.30 pm daily.

Food & Travel Coffee, Cova, Cova Pasticceria, High tea

After a night of partying, I wasn’t counting on the girls to be awake in time for brunch, so instead, we opted for high tea at IFC Mall.

Went through the mall directory looking for a suitable place, and finally settled on the agnès b. café. The name agnès b. is more well known for its clothing line, but just like Project Shop in Singapore, they extended their business into F&B.

The café entrance definitely sold the place, with plants and flowers welcoming you as you walk towards the maître d’. I waited for the girls to come before committing to the place, just in case they had other ideas in mind.

So where are my girls? Ah, here they are!

The inside of the café/restaurant wasn’t as impressive as the outside. You get an obstructed view of the sea, because of the balcony columns.The overall vibe was feminine and flirty, but a bit too quiet for my liking.

What we ordered:
La Pâtisserie au choix – Choice of pastries with our coffee, tea or juice
L’assiette de viennoiserie – Choice of mini Danish with our coffee, tea or juice

The food looked good, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it tasted amazing. It was average, and a bit pricey for what it’s worth. I guess I shouldn’t compare with Singapore prices.

My favourite item would have to be the Lemon tart.

We spent a good hour and a half chatting and trying to recap the dramas from the night before. That’s what I absolutely love about high tea, quality time spent with friends.

Agnès b. le pain grille
Level 3 Shop 3089-97
Telephone (852) 2805 0798

Food & Travel agnès b. le pain grille, High tea, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Diaries, IFC