Life as a Bon Vivant

Social Media Week Hong Kong 2012

2012-02-14T03:06:00.004+08:00

Time for shameless promotion! For all social media enthusiasts out there I am sure you are aware of the Social Media Week happening around the world during Feb 13-17, 2012. Hong Kong is hosting a series of talks and events throughout the week and Hong Kong is the only city in the Greater China Area having the luxury of hosting. One of the events is Getting Social with Smartphone Photography of which a panel of smartphone photographers will be sharing some of their works and how they share (or over share in come cases) their images online using various social media applications. What so special about the event? Well, I am one of the panels and will be sharing my experiences on stage. Wish me luck!!

Aside from the shameless promotion bit, I do find mobile technology has changed the social norm quite a bit over the recent years. The same applies to blogging as well. Blogging used to be expressing your views in writing by posting online via certain blogging platforms. Gradually images became an important part blogging / writing just like the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." The introduction of twitter or micro blogging has somewhat taken over the role of tradition blogging in my opinion. I have a feeling that readers prefer to read less and less nowadays because there are an overload of information out there and only limited time. The popularity and economical use of smartphones help the rise of tumblr and instagr.am is a good example of how visual medium or images in general have taken over the traditional role of words in many cases. Is that a good thing? Is that the revolution of media in the next few years? Should the market prepare for a more visual approach rather than traditional written approach for various brands? Perhaps but the issues and concerns are more than just how brands and companies should adapt to this new trend, it is a matter of social development in my opinion. What happened to the skills of writing and can a simple image express the same thing in words? It is an issue worth discussing and the topic itself is worth a dedicated post which I will work on soon.

Travel - Amsterdam (Jan 2012)

2012-01-18T05:04:00.002+08:00

If you are travelling to Amsterdam for the forst time and you doing so by yourself without joining any tours, no worries, the city is very tourist friendly. As soon as you step out of the departure gate of the Schiphol International Airport, there are many transportation options for you to get into the city, "domestic" trains being one of the cheapest and quickest option in my opinion. Why did I put a "quote" around the word "domestic?" Stay tuned and I will tell you why "international" trains / routes via NS Hispeed is a shocking story worth reading!

Transportation

Since I am on the topic of transportation, the Amsterdam Tram system got to be one of the most efficient mode of transportation around town compared with the Amsterdam Metro or even the bus routes! The fact that the tracks are placed in the center of the roads in isolated / dedicated lanes make it more efficient. There are certainly much the Hong Kong Tramways can learn from them. An interesting thing I spotted was how there are attendants, I mean ticket attendant inside most trams to issue tickets for those passenger requiring to do so. Perhaps the Octopus like OV-chipkaart chip card is not as popular yet to get rid of the onboard ticket attendant? Or maybe this is good for employment rate?

I also like how traditional bike is a major mode of transportation in Amsterdam. There are bike lanes everywhere and watch out for speeding bikes because they are everywhere and they seem to be very ... agressive at times. Pedestrians please beware! At some hotels, you can rent bikes to go around town but I strongly recommend the tram instead and spend more time enjoying the city.

Open Markets

There are quite a few open markets in Amsterdam but some of the famous ones open during certain day of the week only. The Floating Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt) opens 7 days a week so no worries. The Albert Cuyp Market on the other hand opens on Saturday only. (There is a book market every Friday I think ...) I was luck I was there during the weekend so got to experience the Albert Cuyp Market. Aside from the cold and fries with mayo every other stalls, it looks very much like Garden Street in Hong Kong with stalls on both side of the street selling all sort of goods and food.

Food got much of my attention as always! How can I not get myself some Stroopwafels while in Amsterdam right?? Yum!!!

Of course there were stalls selling ... weird incense. I mean the packages just not my cup of tea sorry!

I rather stick with flowers!

While eating my fries with mayo, I spotted a stalls selling roasted chickens and the queue was getting long. I rushed to there and guess who lined in front of me?? Yes, this cute little doggy got there before I did! Argh!

Interesting Sightings

It is nothing new I suppose but just in case, if you come across "coffee shop," it means you must be over 18 because they serve more than just coffee, they serve "space cake!" If you intend to get real coffee, go to "cafe!"

I spotted this grey plastic stand everywhere in Amsterdam. I had no idea what that was until I saw men standing against the little hole and started peeing! Apparently this is a portable bathroom for males! Beer is a popular drink among the men during the night and as a result the frequent need to pee. In order to avoid men peeing in the street, the portable bathroom comes into play! I didn't try because it was COLD!!!! I don't want "cough" to get exposed to the COLD! This reminds me of another interesting observation. In Amsterdam, we spent quite a bit on drinks and ... washroom fee!!! Yes, in most public area like malls, department stores, McDonalds and KFCs, even if you are a paying customers, you need to pay to get access to the washroom! Average cost was EUR0.50. Then again, the EUR0.50 sort of ensures the cleanliness of the toilets! If you are quite bothered by this idea, drink less!!! :)

Street performances were everywhere and pedestrians would sing / dance along. I would like to see more of such street performances in Hong Kong!

Oh and a friendly note, the city gets dark at around 4:30pm during Winter!!!! and most stores closes at 6pm sharp and some even closes at 5:30pm! I do wonder when locals have time to shop during the weekdays. My guess is that they start working early in the morning and get off at 4pm or even 3:30pm and go shopping during a work day? Also, many restaurants offer Breakfast and Lunch only and close after that.

Food

In addition to how addictive FEBO, the automat fast food store everywhere in Amsterdam, I like to recommend De Ysbreker for Brunch / Dinner and Blue for light meal. If you are into spectacular view, go to Blue which is basically a cafe situated on the 3rd / 4th floor of a modern glass tower overlooking the city of Amsterdam. It is a great place to start your day, any day that is! De Ysbreker on the other hand is a down to earth joint located in the residential area, close to the university district if I am correct. A casual yet very friendly and cozy place offering a wide selection of items from the sea and land. The sweetness and freshness of the seafood are hard to beat anywhere to be honest. We took advantage of the geographic characteristic and ordered many items form the sea!

Rant

Let's talk about the "domestic" vs "International" high-speed train issue I mentioned and how it pissed me off. Here is the story in point form for easy reading:

I wanted to take the train from Amsterdam to London via Brussels by Eurostar.
NS Hispeed (the national railway that is) offers such a package and option starting from EUR50 as stated on their website.
the NS Hispeed English website allows potential customer to purchase tickets in advance over the Internet (it seems)
I tried to book it step by step over its website only to realize AFTER I have entered all my credit card information that the national railway service (NS Hispeed) DOES NOT ALLOW transactions from overseas credit cards!!!!! Only Dutch or some EU countries credit cards!!! What a great way to attract tourists from other non-EU countries to plan in advance! (note: cost of ticket at this point. EUR101.00)
Alright, relax Jason, I can always go all the way to Central Station and purchase tickets, so I went.
At the Central Station, I lined up at the ticket counter. I politely asked the lady staff I wanted a one-way ticket from Amsterdam to London on a certain date. She asked me what time of the scheduled train I wanted to book / check. I told her and she slowly printed the quote to me. It was EUR159 with handling fee! WTH!!! Then I asked her very politely if she can check if there are other times on that same date that is slightly cheaper. She immediately said "I am sorry, you have to give me the exact time of the departure so I can check and from which station." I then asked "can you help me check if return would be cheaper?" She then requested "which return day and what scheduled departure? we can only check one at a time and print out the quote."
WTF! I had no idea on the schedule and I am suppose to memorize the whole schedule? Fine, I walked over the the booking computer next to the counter to find the EXACT time of the departing train I wanted on a specific date!
OMG! ALL the computers were slower than my x486! I cannot even load the front landing page! I tried again for the next 30 mins at the 5 different terminals and failed miserably! I gave up and returned to the hotel.
I went online again and checked the NS Hispeed website for the latest fare. IT WAS EUR110. WHERE did the EUR159 came from for the EXACT same class, same departure time, same train!
Forget about taking the train, I ended up taking a 40 mins BA flight to London, CHEAPER than the train ticket as well!

End of Rant!

Aside from the train ticket issue, I had an enjoyable and pleasant stay in Amsterdam.

Flight Experience from Red Packet

2012-01-02T05:42:00.000+08:00

When I was young, I thought about becoming a pilot, a commercial pilot to be exact. Yes, Maverick from Top Gun did contribute somewhat to my desire in becoming one but it was the love of flying that really interested me in wishing to become one. Obviously that dream was not realized, the closest I get to be a pilot was in front of a computer monitor playing Flight Simulator series of games. Finally after all these years, thanks to Red Packet Adrenaline experience package, I got the chance to try out an an actual size flight simulator at the Flight Experience located at MegaBox. There are many other options with the package but flight simulator topped my list because it is not an everyday activity one would attend.

The flight simulator by Flight Experience employs the entry level Boeing 737-800NG Simulator which is not equipped with any motion simulation. Flight Simulators are categorized by different grading and the higher the grading the more realistic it gets in terms of functionalities as well as scenarios. As a first timer, this entry level flight sim made me a happy boy already!

Instructor went through all the basics including flight details, configurations, aviation terminologies and controls in extreme details before we start. It was important to familiarize with the basics because with the sheer amount of buttons and acronyms on panels around me, I was speechless.

Apparently steering the plane on ground is simpler than expected but way more difficult than one can imagine. Not only does the pilot requires high degree of hand eye coordination, it requires excellent coordination of all limbs including leg and feet when steering plane on ground!

Alright, I ALMOST crashed the plane a few times during landing approach and triggered the stall alarm more than I care to count. (it was darn loud as well!!) This experience made me realize one important thing, it is not easy to be a pilot especially commercials pilot to manage such a big aircraft, knowing the zillion buttons / dials in the cockpit while providing a comfortable and safe journey for hundreds of passengers sitting at the back. Maybe it is a good thing my dream of becoming a commercial pilot did not realize for the good of the general public. Oh, then again, maybe I can still be a fighter pilot? :) Thanks again to Red Packet for the amazing experience! (side note: I think if you plan to buy a packet as gift for your male friends, don't just get them adrenaline related, think outside the box and get them something pampering like a spa! Guys like that too!!)

Comilonas Private Kitchen (Hong Kong)

2011-12-27T04:45:00.001+08:00

Razlan got me blogging about this wonderful dinner gathering at Comilonas Private Kitchen. It wasn't for Christmas, it wasn't for any special occasion, we just wanted to gather around and share some laughters and the occasional hugs over some hearty food. Thanks again for organizing this dinner Razlan! Tucked inside a rather local building in the Western District, Comilonas Private Kitchen specializes in Catalan cuisines. Chef Lluis from Barcelona and his wife Carrie, a Hong Kong local, run the warm and welcoming joint which was decorated based the 60s/70s style with plenty of wooden fixtures and perhaps furniture inspired by Northern Europe designs from the 70s. The tiled green / white floors are traditional of a typical Hong Kong home in the 70s and I assume those are original from the previous or even first owner of the place.

The private kitchen theme / concept is sort of over-flooding the whole dining scene in Hong Kong in my opinion over the recent years. All sorts of restaurants establishment as long as they are located above ground floor start to call themselves private kitchen and charge diners an arm and a leg. High rent was a major reason for the growth of private kitchens a number of years back, while located away from ground floors, the operating cost of such establishments can be reduced while inspiring chefs can continue serving their best creation at reasonable price. However, the story seems to be quite different nowadays with so-call private kitchen offering items even more expensive than their similar establishment located at higher rent locations. Be it increased cost with ingredients, staff and etc, the lower rent by itself should be big enough to adjust the overall pricing in my opinion. Here at Camilonas, I have to admit that by offering a fixed menu priced at HKD380/person with a min of 10 people booking, it is already considered very reasonable nowadays.

Why change when things are well received right? I suppose this is the reason why the menu has not been updated for quite some time. The same set of items were served since their opening a number of months ago. I reckon it is quite difficult to come up with new items when the size of the kitchen is of your normal dimension with a max of perhaps 2 people. In this case, preparing something familiar has its advantage indeed, at least consistency can be ensured to a certain degree.

One of the most obvious characteristic of Catalan cuisine would be the rather pungent or perhaps strong flavors when compared with Italian, French or even Chinese in some cases. Some enjoy the rich flavors while some may find it a bit too strong. I admire how Chef Lluis did not comprise one of the key characteristics of his hometown cuisine to fit the local flavors. The Herb Marinated Scallops was served raw with a very heavy herb flavors all around. Fortunately the heavy flavors did not overpower the natural sweetness of the scallops in this case.

The Brandada de Bacalla was again very flavorful with the salty fish blended quite well with the mashed potatoes. Because of the salty fish, the aroma was beyond appetizing when baked. If you cannot handle a high level of sodium, please beware, otherwise enjoy!! :)

The Traditional Garlic Shrimps were ... very garlic-y as expected! I mean it was a bit too strong since I did not even get to taste the sweetness of the shrimps. I can be wrong but being close to the sea, seafood in this nation should be served as simple as possible to bring out the freshness of the fish perhaps?

Piquillo peppers with cheese was an interesting dish yet nothing to exciting for me. I am thinking of trying to do it myself as home.

I love Chorizo no matter how salty they are. Even when the Chorizo in red wine that was served carried that rich flavors trend, I still enjoyed it by itself or with a sip of red with every slice.

The grapefruit and orange avocado salad was either the most disappointing dish or it was the most boring to say the least. It was refreshing for a change and very lightly flavored with the acidity to help cleanse the rich flavors in my mouth but nothing spectacular at all.

Everyone wow-ed when the black ink seafood rice paella was served. Perhaps it was the sheer size of the paella or most of us was very hungry. It was indeed the highlight of the night! We lost our manners and rushed towards the dish ready to get spoonful from it. Some even forgot to take pictures before hand which was unheard of!

I had many caramelized food items including various fruits but caramelized orange got to be the first. It was surprising pleasant, mildly sweet with a touch of citrus flavors which acted as a wonderful dessert to end the meal. Of course the ice cream helped as well to make it a wonderful desserts but I think I will try to make caramelized orange at home very soon!

If it is a dining venue with privacy for a casual a small group of close friends kind of gathering without costing an arm and a leg, this is a wonderful place indeed. The menu may not be updated any time soon but the decor, environment and hearty food at reasonable price would win you over. Not to mention the extremely friendly service as well as the detailed explanation on every dish by chef Lluis which made the meal more enjoyable that it already was. Thanks Razlan again for the lovely arrangement! Cheers!

Avg Spending: HKD 380 per person

Comilonas Private Kitchen (Hong Kong)
Flat 22, 1/F Yip Cheong Building
4-16 Hill Road, Sai WanHong Kong
Tel: +852 9863 2270
http://comilonas.biz/

檢視較大的地圖

Sassy's Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Guys

2011-12-21T08:44:00.002+08:00

Who said I just blog about food??? I recently got a chance to write for Sassy's Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Guys. For those unfamiliar with Sassy Hong Kong, it is a "the Hong Kong girl’s hub for original lifestyle content and honest opinion that covers this buzzing city top-to-bottom and supports a strong, real-life community of Sassy girls." Well, I think it is time to move beyond just the girl's perspective and explore the great potential of sassy guys in Hong Kong! (by definition, the word sassy is not exclusive for female, it can be applied to male as well! woohoo! right?) There are 2 parts to the Guide mentioned, you can check them out here: Part 1 << Me, Moi! & Part 2. Of course my XMAS wishlist includes cooking equipment and facial care as well!

Posto Pubblico (Hong Kong)

2011-12-16T20:02:00.001+08:00

Christmas is approaching and in such a festive season, all sorts of gatherings often filled the December calendar with endless meals. For some reasons, out of the so many festive holidays during the year, Christmas seems to be the only one that truly fill the air with love. Be it romantic love, friendship love, security love or unconditional love, it is the feeling of being loved that makes this holiday one most of us look forward to every year. At Posto Pubblico on a particular evening this December, their private dinner venue Posto Privato was filled with all sorts of love, including my love for good food! I have to admit, Mr. G from Posto Pubblico knows how to throw a good party!

Fellow foodies were invited for an early celebration of Christmas and we actually spent a lot time catching up among ourselves while munching on the snacks on the table that seemed to be calling your names and whispering, 'eat me please!.'

While busy eating, many of us were busy live streaming the happy moments via Twitter as well as Weibo! Say hi to Sina Weibo!

A picture is worth a thousand words and during this season of love, I will save you the energy to read my usual long writings and check out the images with minimal caption.

Not satisfied with just a plain homemade burrata? no worries, Burrata with Truffle was served as well!

Salad was not so exciting when compared with the next dish which was ...

... deep fried risotto ball! I actually had about 4 of them. The sauce was mildly flavored which was perfect to be served early during the meal before the heavier dishes arrive.

The Spiced Atlantic Cod was flavorful and mildy spicy (if that make sense). I guess as long as I can take it, it wasn't that spicy haha. The various spices used were quite clever and liked how they used pak choy as the side to balance off the heavy flavors.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes were good enough on its own and ...

... the same applies to the sweet potatoes!

For those not into meat, Vegetarian Lasagna was served.

Almost forgot Ravioli Pubblico was served as well and it was quite filling indeed!

For meat lovers, here comes the Roasted Leg of Lamb (Rosemary of course)

A bit heavy on the rosemary especially the outer layer but I like rosemary so I was happy about it. Don't worry, there were gravy for those looking for a lighter flavors. While serving a whole roasted leg of lamb was visually stunning for diners, because of the size of the leg of lamb, the center of the leg was not evenly seasoned and requite the help of gravy. I suppose this is a problem not easily overcome in many cases.

Figs! Look how delicious they were! I felt bad eating two entire figs while others were looking the other way!

Sometimes we would leave a meal remembering little of the food we consumed because it was very ordinary, but sometimes ordinary food with great company yield a memorable experience. The evening at Posto Pubblico was a combination of both in my opinion. Great company with good food which with a little bit of booze yielded a night filled with laughters and love! While there were some rooms for improvement in terms of the food especially the seasoning aspect of some items, I think most who attended the dinner party would not disagree that we left with a big smile!! An early Merry Christmas to all of you!

"For Chang" Hot Pot 火井火鍋海鮮飯店 (Hong Kong)

2011-12-07T04:08:00.000+08:00

The sudden drop of the temperature recently not only increased my appetite for something hearty, it made me crave for something more! Right now all I can think of in my head at this hour is a bowl of instant noodles with a few slices of spam and one fried egg sunny side up. But the lazy side of me took over because it would take too much effort to make those at this late hour. The next thing that appeared in my mind is hot pot because all we need is a pot of boiling water or stock to be exact and some fresh raw ingredients. A good soup base is very important indeed for such a cuisine and recently I discovered a new personal favourite here at "For Chang" Hot Pot tucked somewhere inside the Western district.

Quality beef is often one of the most important items for any hotpot restaurant and "For Chang" certainly has no issue with this because their selection of beef more than satisfied my picky taste buds! Although full of marbles, the slices of beef retained the beefy flavors. Another item which is crucial for the survival of a hotpot restaurant has to be the soup base. We ordered the House Special and it was surprisingly addictive even though it looked like a pot of clear chicken broth with tons of various unrelated ingredients. The reality was that the soup was rather intense in terms of flavors with chicken feet, intestines, fried bean curds, tomatoes, fried pig's skin, celery and other common items like chili to enhance the already flavorful taste.

By adding more items like sweet corn or radishes to the soup during the meal, the soup gradually changed its flavors and became even more intense yet without overpowering the multi-layered flavors of the soup. Am I making it sound like very complicated? After all, it was just a big pot of soup with different items? Perhaps, but when you think about it, the sequence and what you put in there would result in a totally different soup at the end, you are creating a new flavors every step you make (or what others put in there as well). It was quite exciting to be honest and for this reason I enjoy hot pot not just during winter but whenever my stomach allows since I tend to over order in such occasions. Say hello to cold weather and give yourself an excuse to make your own soup! :)

Flavours Asia (iPad App) - Wine Pairing made Easy

2011-12-05T04:59:00.000+08:00

Wine pairing was never my thing but I have been learning, trying to pair different wines with different sort of food whenever possible. No, it is not an excuse to drink but part of a learning process. I think many would agree that Chinese food / wine pairing is difficult likely because of the wide range of flavors one would experience in one single meal. In many cases, quite a number of different types wines would be selected in one single Chinese meal to match the many individual dishes. Not an easy task for any sommelier in my opinion, not to mention for an average diner like myself with limited knowledge of wine. A new iPad app named Flavors Asia may be able to assist those trying to enjoy matching wines while having a Chinese or even other Southeast Asian cuisines. This newly launched iPad app developed by Estates and Wines, the Moët Hennessy Wine Division, attempts to provide a solution for wine lovers when having difficulties in pairing wines with Asian food. It is this very app that interested me in attending the event. Without making a fuzz about it, I am sure it is quite obvious that the suggested wines in the app are all from their own unique collection such as Cloudy Bay, Cape Mentelle and Chandon.

The iPad app is based on the hardcopy coffee table book of the same title, The Heavenly Wine Match with the Flavours of Asia. Unlike the hardcopy, the information in the App, including wines and individual dishes are updated regularly. User can find the suggested pairing using different filters such as ingredients, regional cuisines as well as flavours. Of course there would be brand stories for the different vineyards under their collection, what do you expect right???

In any case, this iPad can serve as a good reference and indication for the type of wines (and not necessarily a certain vintage) to go with the various common dishes such as sweet and sour pork, Peking duck and Bak Kut Teh. The user interface is quite intuitive but require a further refinement in the filtering section because the filter page popups by default and not very intuitive to user how to remove that (drag it down to the bottom). Right now there is about a total of 60 Asian dishes of different regional cuisines sorted by countries. Where better to host the launch / preview of the App in one of Asia's culinary capitals, Hong Kong! The event was held at Island Tang.

Island Tang Appetizer Delights paired with Chandon Brut & Terrazas Reserva Malbec. The appetizer consisted of roasted pork belly, deep fried salt & pepper frog legs, deep fried tofu and delicious thousand years eggs. What surprised me the most or should I say surprised most of us was how the Chandon paired very well with the Chandon. Perhaps it was the crisp nature of Chandon that balanced out the rather strong flavors of the thousand year eggs or the bubbly nature of the wine that helped to cleanse the palate for the next item. Either way, the lightness and bubbly nature of the Chandon was a good match with the appetizers compared with the Malbec.

Double-boiled Meat Ball with Hairy Crab in Chicken Bouillon paired with Cloudy Bay Point Gris. Yes, we paired sort of soup with wine and it was actually quite ... refreshing. For this serving, I was actually more interested in the Meat Ball with Hairy Crab because I didn't realize that until I had a deep bite into the meatball and tasted the fillings. The combination was very good, the soft tender meat was lighter in flavors until you had a deeper bite into the hairy crab fillings. Seems like a simple bouillon but I say a lot of work and thoughts have been put into it. Thumbs up!

Pan-fried Filler of spotted Garoupa with Premium Soy Sauce paired with Cloudy Bay Chardonnay. Quite a boring dish but thanks to the Chardonnay which was quite fruity on the nose but slightly smoky character to it. An easy to drink Chardonnay which I may purchase on a regularly basis perhaps.

Pan-fried Chicken Fillet Marinated with fermented bean Curd paired with Cloudy Bay Chardonnay (2008?) & Chandon Brut. Thinly sliced with richness of fermented bean curd flavors, this dish was my favorite on that evening. As for the pairing wine, the Chardonnay would be my pick because of the rather smoky character of the wine that matches quite well with the richness of the fermented bean curd.

Stewed de-boned Pig Trotter with Black Truffle Sauce paired with Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon (2006?). The item was quite pungent in terms of flavors, the richness of the stew requires something interesting to pair with especially it was quite a big flavor jump compared with the previous dishes. The selected Cabernet Sauvignon () , while fruity with obvious spices contained quite heavy acidity in my opinion. Not my favourite pairing but wines and flavors were never a subjective matter anyhow.

Braised Wagyu Short Rib with Onions, Peking Scallions and Spring Onions paired with Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon (2006). The Wagyu Short Rib was soft and close to melt in your mouth with the gluey texture all around.

Braised Goose Web with Abalone Sauce on Egg Noodles did not come with any recommended pairing, it was a test for us to decide what is the best! I picked the Cloudy Bay Chardonnay which surprising many agreed as well.

Chilled Mango Pudding was the dessert and it was paired with Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling. It is treated as a dessert wine in many cases, while less sweet and thick as Sauternes, I think it can easily be a great yet more affordable alternative.

So have you mastered the skill of wine pairing? Sorry for such a lame joke right? It takes a lifetime of learning to master such a skill and with new breed of wines coming out every year, I am sure it is an adventure for any wine lover. If you think this very informative iPad app developed by Estates and Wines can be handy, try it out by downloading it <here> from iTunes, it is FREE by the way.

I did mention about there is a hardcopy book which the iPad App based on right?

Yeah, I have 4 to give away and if you are interested in wining one in addition to the iPad one (if you have an iPad that is), simply do the following 3 simple steps:

Download the Flavours Asia iPad App <here>
Find one spelling mistake anywhere in the App (Estates and Wines is going to freak out when they see my rules for this little competition haha)
Leave me a comment FIRST indicating you have found one, THEN email me at jason@jasonbonvivant.com with your answer to ensure priority.

Yes it is a first come first win scenario with no deadline. What if you do not own an iPad and you want to win this book? Simply try to do the following 3 simple steps.

Browse my blog and find three (3) spelling mistake anywhere in the blog. Quite easy don't worry! :)
Leave me a comment FIRST indicating you have found the three (3) spelling errors in my blog, THEN email me at jason@jasonbonvivant.com with your answer to ensure priority.

Have fun hunting!

TABLE FOR TWO (Hong Kong Chapter)

2011-11-17T00:37:00.001+08:00

It is not often that I talk about charity or charitable organization on my blog but recently I came across one that somewhat inspired me and made me devote this entire post on it. As a disclaimer, I am not officially being endorsed by this organization, it is just an upcoming charitable organization in Hong Kong which I came across and feel strongly that its objectives & missions are very relevant and quite important within the foodie community in Hong Kong and around the world as well. This charitable organization is called TABLE FOR TWO (TFT).

TABLE FOR TWO is a charitable organization originally originated from Japan with "a mission to address global food imbalance. With rising obesity levels and health problems in developed countries, and malnutrition in developing countries, [TFT's] mission is to simultaneously address these two opposing problems with a simple meal.

So how exactly does it work? Quoting from its website / materials: TFT partner with restaurants, corporate cafeterias, universities, to help create healthy (nutritionally balanced) TFT-branded meals. When a consumer chooses a TFT branded food item (or menu), approximately HKD2 is added to the price of the meal and is donated to feed a child a school meal in Africa and China. With international operations in the US, UK, Switzerland, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Italy and soon Hong Kong, TFT has sold over 10.1 million meals globally according to its website.

By providing a specially designed low calorie & nutritionally balanced meal, TFT wants diner to:

feel good and positive when they select a TABLE FOR TWO meal
feel personally more aware, connected and engaged with global food imbalance
feel part of a larger dining community in Hong Kong that eat well and give back

TABLE FOR TWO Hong Kong chapter is launching officially on the 25 November 2011 and according to them, more new participating restaurants will be added to the list very soon so please stay informed by joining one of the following digital media channels and watch out for those TFT-menus!

Website: http://www.tablefor2.org.hk/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tablefor2hk
Twitter: @tft_hk

Cantopop 港土茶記 (Hong Kong)

2011-10-31T01:15:00.000+08:00

Cantopop has been opened for quite some time and it got quite some attention in the media at the beginning thanks to its sustainable dining concept carried throughout its chain of restaurants such as Linguini Fini and Posto Pubblico. It is not until recently that I finally got a chance to visit Cantopop. It was by invitation (which nowadays seems to be a very popular thing amongst restaurants but I do have something to express on this point on a later post, so stay tuned) but my experience at Cantopop was a pleasant one with a few misses of course. I will explain why a bit later but one thing I have to say is that I admire and support their sustainable dining concept by sourcing locally and minimize food wastage by using all animal parts if possible, but the question is where to draw the line at times. I am spending quite some time to writeup this post because I think there is a need to, a need to express my opinion in all perspectives which may or may not be different from the general public or even fellow foodies.

Many will notice the sheer amount of negative reviews out there on Cantopop's food especially the often criticized Homemade Luncheon Meat and Homemade Char Siu (inspired by the commonly known BBQ Roast Pork in Hong Kong). Let's get the story straight here, at least to my humble knowledge. Cantopop is more or less a cross-over of two ideas / concepts, 1) sustainable dining in Hong Kong & 2) "Chinese tea café" aka cha chan tang. It is actually quite smart to link the two concepts, cha chan tang being a unique dining category in Hong Kong and setting up a restaurant under this theme by offering locally sourced ingredients sounds like a plan right? I certainly think so but it is for the same "linkage" that got itself the negative reviews out there. Comparisons are being made to the "finest details" with traditional cha chan tang, be it the food, the atmosphere and the greasiness of the food as well.

Take the Luncheon Meat for example, Cantopop make their own homemade luncheon meat using locally sources pork and tends to be very lean compared with ... ... . See, I almost made the same comparison with traditional canned luncheon meat used by many cha chan tang. Why are we comparing? Simply because they named it luncheon meat so we instinctively would compared with the canned version we are very familiar with. However, in my opinion, the so-called "homemade luncheon meat" by Cantopop is not luncheon meat, it is a sort of ham. If we treat this as a piece of homemade ham, would it result in a different valuation? It is an open question by the way. The same applies to their homemade sous-vide char siu (roast pork). Again, the problem here is the naming if you ask me, if they name it different, the response would be different. Obviously the way they are making their luncheon meat and char siu is greatly different from the so-called tradition method, can we still name them so and judge them accordingly? Maybe I am being ignorant here but why sous-vide cooking could be judged on its own category while homemade "ham" inspired by luncheon meat cannot?

This post is going to be more of a overview rather than an item by item review because I fell like doing it this way for a little change. For better or worst, it is up to you to decide but I do like a little change in style once in a while. I honestly like the homemade "ham" aka homemade luncheon meat be it the in the Homemade Luncheon Meat and egg sandwich or the Luncheon Meat and Egg Rice. Quite lean yet flavorful, did not overpower the flavors of the egg in both dishes. If you are looking for traditional "spam" which I am a great fan of, then better visit another store.

One of the featured items was their homemade soup which was made without MSG. Actually if you ask their staff or PR, one thing they do stress would be the fact that they DO NOT USE MSG in anything, hence the lighter flavors in all their dishes. It is a known fact their items are light in flavors or some may say under-seasoned. However you like to put it, they would say we don't use MSG.

Okay I get it, there is no MSG in any of the dishes but without the use of MSG does not mean dishes had to be light in flavors right? What happened to soy sauce? I am sure there are many locally produced soy sauce brand which they can use and make suitable dishes from it right? The objectives of no-MSG and health-focus do not need to be at the expense of flavors in my opinion. They just need a little twist on their menu I think.

One of my favorite dish of the night got to be the Luncheon Meat Egg Fu Yung which was basically a huge egg omelet with various ingredients in there. When having dinner at Cantopop, the sustainable dining concept might be kept in mind throughout the meal because there can be occasion whereby you want to complain about the texture of the lettuce or shrimps but once you recall how they sourced them locally you may phrase your concerns differently. Instead of asking why ... one may ask, how do you ensure consistency in food quality when you source almost everything locally?

I think by now you will notice from the images that many of the dishes have one thing in common, egg! Yes most if not many of the items we tried that night contained egg. Their egg is actually the so-called Musical Eggs which means the chickens listened to music throughout their life in the farm. You can actually find these type of eggs everything in Hong Kong but it seems Cantopop is proud to present it in more items than one can imagine. If you are an egg lover like me then you will be fine but if otherwise, pick something else perhaps. I think Cantopop tried very hard to push out as many relevant items as possible in order to fit within their sustainable dining concepts that some ingredients will be repeated a little too often. Then again, it is good to be focused right? Each to his own ...

One thing Cantopop differs from other Cha Chan Taeg, you can have Champagne here. Whether this is a good thing on a Monday night is totally a separate issue!

It was a rather complicated experience here at Cantopop, not that I don't like it, I do to a certain extend but I think they can work on the menu and present itself with its own identity and personality and not merely a reflection or shadow of Cha Chan Taeg. They can create their own category perhaps, a category that put more focus on the sustainable dining concept yet "sustaining" the ... food creativity (ie:: homemade items) without the need to let go out necessary flavors.

I do think it is worth at least a try if you are in doubt (especially from the many reviews out there) and BE YOUR OWN JUDGE! This brings me back to one of the most frequent asked question on my blog, why no ratings for my reviews? It is because I believe when it comes to food, the most important is what you, the actual diner, prefers; I am merely here to share my experiences in a factual way as best as I can for readers to decide. Of course I am entitled to my own opinion you may disagree as you please, I actually welcome your opinion as well, so feel free to drop me a note anytime!

Cantopop
UG/F, The L Place,
139 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 28572608
http://www.canto-pop.com

Antique Patisserie (Hong Kong)

2011-10-21T05:40:00.002+08:00

I am not lazy, I am just busy recently sorting out different projects I am "trying" to work on plus I am about to move to another flat thanks to the rapidly increasing rent in Hong Kong! In about 3 weeks or so, I promise I will start cooking / baking / sharing more! Just in time for some XMAS treats perhaps? I do want to talk more about my long awaited return to Antique Patisserie since they moved location a while ago but for now I will share my recent Afternoon Tea experience in the form of images. I went there early that afternoon (or perhaps morning?) intentionally so I can take advantage of the natural sunlight and minimize disruption to other guests while I play with my food and doing my funny poses from taking images from all imaginable perspectives! (P.S. - make sure you BOOK before you go, so PLAN AHEAD!)

I like coming here for afternoon tea or simply taking pictures because of the wonderful background which fits the theme perfectly! No need to bring extra props, everything you need will be there waiting for you! They recently came out with several new flavors for their famous Macarons, do give them a try on your visit. Another thing worth noting is that they now uses & sells THEODOR Tea from Paris. Quite a large selection of tea I have to say and surprised to find out that you can now place your order for many items including the tea online at http://www.maisondedesign.com/ .

anyhow, below is the slide show for the images I took on my recent visit to Antique Patisserie. Please enjoy! A picture is worth a thousand words right? :)

Antique Patisserie
G/F, Shop C, 2 Mee Lun Street, Central
Tel: +852 2542 2816
http://www.antiquepatisserie.com/

檢視較大的地圖

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 (Day 4 / 4)

2011-10-10T03:35:00.000+08:00

I had great expectation on my last day here in Taipei during this summer trip but I started off with pretty much disappointment. Good that my disappointment was followed by excitement thanks to a great find of cafe and creative bagels! Yes, I had great hopes for Just in Bistro which is located just right next to our HOME Hotel, literally a few steps away. Another work of Justin Quek, Just in Bistro is situated in the trendy mall of Neo19 and offering a wide range of items coverage a various cuisines. Our visit was during lunch time and we picked items from the Asian set menu.

It wasn't much of a surprise to find the following items on the Asian-inspired set menu. Singapore Chicken Rice, King Prawns Laksa, Bah Kut Teh and Wok fried Hokkien noodle. Another reason for order from this menu was because of the price! I mean for a normal lunch here, it will set you back NT500, that's not cheap locally speaking. The Singapore Chicken Rice was unexciting, the texture of the chicken was quite soft and slightly on the bland side, an approach I am fine with only if the sauces were good enough. The Bah Kut Teh was the herb-based type instead of the peppery type but it was overly light. Served with white rice, vegetable and a small dish of marinated pork knuckle, I certainly hoped for something more mouthwatering. As for the Wok-fried Hokkien noodles, moist it should be but the one served was soaked in the sauces. It was too salty as well, not just my opinion but all of us who tasted it. Enough with the bad, let's head over to the great excitement!

For those unaware of the following facts, there is a piece of land (until recently a farmland) literally opposite of Taipei 101 and Taipei World Trade Center which remained undeveloped over the years because the indigenous residents there refuse to sell the plot of land to both government and / or developers at any price they are willing to offer. Originally the site of 四四南村 (Xi Xi South Village) is now transformed into nowadays Xinyi Citizen Assembly Hall 信義公民會館, an official historical site for both museums as well as work site for Taiwan's various creative and cultural preservation groups. Located inside is where one can find Good Cho's Bagel, Cafe and Goods 《好,丘》(No.54, Songqin St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City).

In order to reach Good Cho's cafe, one will pass by the Simple Market where they sell locally produced goods such as jam, soap and many other daily necessities.

Quite lovely I have to admit. I wish I had more time to look around and more luggage space for more items as well! Anyhow, I was here for the cafe and I was more than surprised by the pleasant environment and atmosphere here, exactly what I have been looking for and exactly what I needed as well!

Guests here were chilling, reading and relaxing on a weekday afternoon!

Good Cho is famed for its Bagels and I can see why.

With more selection than I can imagined, I was even more surprised to see flavors such as Black Sugar and Black sesame or sweet potato + red bean paste or even spicy fillings as well! Yes, those flavors were not provided as spread but most were filled into the bagels.

These are not your typical bagels but enjoy them with an open mind for their creativity in adjusting to local flavors. With full explanation at the counter and excellent service, I was very pleased!

I ordered the Sweet Potato and Red Bean Paste Bagel because I wanted to check out the fillings. Served as a whole without cutting in half, I have to do it myself which I actually preferred. Treating it as a dessert, it was quite filling. I should have asked it to be toasted which would make it slightly more flavorful and crispy. Personal preference again. :)

In addition to bagels, the cafe do offer other items such as scones and of course coffee and tea! We ordered the scone set which came with milk pudding and rose jam! The scone was not as good as the one we had at Smith & Hsu, it was on the harder side but the rose jam made it way better.

I really do admire how they focus on bagel, an item not very commonly consumed in Taiwan or even in the Southeast Asian region and then put a twist to it making them into a daily item. Thumbs up! Not to mention about the location itself, 5 mins walk away from Taipei 101 and you will find yourself in tranquillity.

This ends my trip to Taipei - Aug 2011. I will be back soon I promise and come back to try more bagels! :)

~ end of day 4 of 4 ~

Sunday Champagne Brunch, Cheers!

2011-10-01T20:49:00.000+08:00

I have to admit that Sunday Champagne Brunch has become more of an indulgence or an occasion rather than something on a regular basis. I suspect that inflation has invaded every part of our daily lives that a dollar is no long what it used to be even just six months ago. However, if you do fancy an occasionally indulgence like I do, the distinguishing factor in picking your Sunday Champagne Brunch venue got to be the Champagne!

My personal favorite is still the Oyster & Wine Bar @ Sheraton Hotel and Towers because of its view, great selection of oysters and its on-demand main course during Sunday Brunch. True that not all prefer this on-demand approach but rather the traditional get your own food style. (I haven't been to the W Hotel for their Brunch, I wonder how they are performing nowadays, anyone familiar with it?) I have recently been invited to try the Sunday Brunch at Harbourside @ Intercontinental and I would recommend it not only for its view overlooking the Victoria Habour or the great selection of seafood but for its Champagne I may add. Similar to Sheraton's Oyster & Wine Bar, Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut NV Champagne is their Champagne choice!

Once again, if you are into all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch and prefer to get your own food, the Harbourside can be an option I would suggest. For myself, it has to be the Champagne that really captured my interest. I am no expert in Champagne per se but I do drink whenever I have the chance so my taste buds had enough to know what I like. For those unfamiliar with Champagne, it is a type of sparkling wines but only those produced in the Champagne region in France using Méthode Champenoise can be called Champagne. Méthode Champenoise is often referred to as a second fermentation process applied to sparkling wines in the same bottle sold to retailer. Also, only when climate produces excellent harvest will there be a Vintage year / production, all else are non-Vintage (NV).

I can safely say that Perrier-Jouet Champagne, both Vintage and NV, is one of the better Champagnes in the market. Carrying a light, crisp flavor with hints of pear and a dry finish, it is pleasant balance with just the right level of acidity. There are many Champagne in the market that carry a strong acidity and quite pungent to the taste buds. Of course these are all personal preference, so give it a try and be your own judge! Let me try other Champagne in the coming months and report back one by one! Laurent-Perrier Brut NV? Dom Perignon? or Mumm? [I did leave out some famous brand intentionally ... I will pass on those for the time being :)]

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 - (Day 3 / 4)

2011-09-22T04:16:00.000+08:00

On our 3rd day, we were able to get up before 12:30pm only because I made a lunch reservation at 1:30pm. When it comes to food, to urge to sleep becomes secondary! The place was Mitsui Cuisine which has become one of the must stop Japanese restaurants in Taipei on every visit. Mitsui and its chain of Japanese restaurants each has its own theme so to speak to provide a different experience to diners. I am not certain and I doubt Mitsui and all its outlets are the best (or the cheapest) in Taipei but so far all my visits have been very consistent in terms of quality and service.

1:30pm

We ordered two different sets of meals namely the Yue Yin Set (NT$1800) and You Hsin Set (NT$1500) which pretty much means nothing me expect for the slight difference to price. There were no breakdown on the menu as to what we were getting, all up the the chef perhaps? This sort of set menu applies to all outlets of Mitsui restaurants so be prepare for some surprises and don't worry, there will be enough to feed your stomach! The price of the sets are considered above average locally but when you compared them with Hong Kong and the number of quality dishes that you will be receiving here, I say these sets are bargains, more than justified for a little luxe moment!

I think we got mixed up as to which dish belongs to which set because we switched the items between us every now and then, and the server delivered them accordingly based on which dish we were having at that moment. Since there was no name for the dishes anyhow, I will just post them here as a slide show for your enjoyment! :) ...

We spent almost 2.5 hours at Mitsui, way passed their lunch hours. Yes we certainly took our time since it was a vacation afterall! The bottom line is I will return to any of Mitsui restaurants whenever possible! Actually, any suggestions as to where else I can have great Japanese cuisines in Taipei? I am actually keen on trying the so-called Taiwanese-Japanese cuisine.

4:30pm

Where did we go afterwards? We wanted to tell ourselves we travelled beyond just a few blocks within hotel, we took the subway (Metro Taipei 臺北捷運) and ride to the end of the Danshui 淡水 line! The ride took about 40-45 mins or so and we arrived at Danshui! One of the famous attractions here is the Danshui old street 淡水老街 district with all sorts of snacks. Our initial plan was to come here in search for some nice casual cafe but we couldn't find any that interest us. I have decided that I will do a series on Taipei's cafe! I just hope I would not overdose on caffeine! (yes you are right, I did not take any pictures because I was too busy searching for cafe and both hands were holding food / snacks!)

9:30pm

By the time we made it back to Taipei, we were beyond hungry! Just so you know, a lot of the restaurants in Taipei close quite earlier, perhaps around 9pm unlike Hong Kong. We have been spoiled by the Hong Kog culture in a sense. Tian-Quan Oden 佃權關東煮 was one of the few that remains open til late. Casual and relax, this place is perfect for Oden and a few glasses of Sake! The setup of this shop is basically like a street stalk with benches surrounding the kitchen, no individual tables, you have to sit next to a stranger or fellow foodies from all parts of Taipei in my case.

Before the oden, we ordered the grilled chicken wings which were crispy not overly salty! These are the dry type and perfect with sake!

We ordered the Oden platter and Tamago as well. Nothing to complain about perhaps because I already had a few glasses of sake? These were perfect mid-night snacks or simply perfect whenever you have cravings for something hot yet comforting.

The salad was surprising refreshing and appetizing! Tender and flavorful pork neck slices with a light vinaigrette dressing. Not a wise choice to have something appetizing at this hour to be honest but what can be the worst case scenario? Order more? oh yes, a great scenario! This is definitely one of the places I will visit again! (Tian-Quan Oden 佃權關東煮 台北市延吉街136號, +886 (02) 87718272, 5:30pm-2:00am)

I could not remember what happened next thanks to sake but I do remember I went to bed with a very satisfying stomach full of delicious food!

~ end of day 3 / 4 ~

Man Wah @ Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong)

2011-09-20T21:30:00.000+08:00

Time truly flies, it is the season for hairy crab once again! Instead of cooking myself this year, I kicked off the hairy crab fest at Man Wah (Mandarin Oriental). Truly an indulgence I may add. I was invited along with a few other fellow bloggers to attend the advance tasting for the special offering from 15 to 23 October during which the Crab Palace Restaurant in Shanghai will be visiting Man Wah, bringing a series of famous dishes including its famed Shanghai hairy crab. One of the special highlights will be the technical display of de-shelling crab in front of diners in three minutes! I do wonder how long it took them to master such a skill!

We started of with a selection of appetizer which included deep fried sesame ball with crabmeat, crab claw jelly, marinated chicken Shanghainese style and vegetable beancurd roll. I was quite impressed with the crab claw jelly not just because of its cuteness but the intensity of the flavor in such a small package.

Next was the familiar crabmeat dumpling also as we often called XLB Xiao Long Bao. The skin was not as thin as expected but then again, there are many school of thoughts on what constitutes an authentic XLB. I say it all depends on your preference because I tried enough XLBs to admit that both styles have their own charms and following. I talked about the history of XLB before during my Shanghai trip last year and I think we should have an open mind as well when having XLB especially with regards to the thickness of the skins.

All I know about this Rock Fungi Soup was their the rock fungi is quite rare and hard to find. If you can read Chinese, you can refer to Smashing Pumpkin's explanation / information of Rock Fungi.

It was time for the star of the show!!! Shanghainese Crab!

The skilled staff from Shanghai grabbed a single crab and stared to do the magic! I could not follow to be honest because she was fast at de-shelling it, and I am quite serious about it!

What can I say, she is good at what she is doing. I do wonder how many crabs she usually de-shell in a day? haha. It was nice to have the crab de-shelled for you but to be honest, I do enjoy the de-shelling process myself although it would take me more than 3 minutes for sure! It was a good show nonetheless.

Fried Shanghaianese crab legs and asparagus was finely presented. What I almost missed was how they come with exactly the same number of fried crab legs and asparagus so you can eat them together on every bite. By the time this dish was served, I started to wonder how many crabs we have indulged so far? I think by that time we have used at least over 10 crabs! More to come!

We often talk about the texture of Wagyu beef as melt in you mouth, but the signature Shanghainese stewed pork served next carried the same characteristics to my pleasant surprise.

Stirfried crabmeat. What can I say, cooked with about 10 - 12 crabs, it was simple yet splendid! It will cost you HKD680 a dish but if you are in for a special indulgence, just order it and enjoy it with rice or noodles or by itself. Do not be surprised if you start to make noises with your eyes closed on your second or three spoonful!

The sweet and sour fish, shrimp, pine nuts was a bit of a disappointment because it was slightly on the dry side in my opinion.

While beyond decent, I am going to skip talking about the Dan Dan noodles with crabmeat because something else took over the highlight of the night! It was the premier crab roe served with steamed rice. Simple it may sound, it was the dish that made all of us to loose our manner. The crab roe and the oil from it more than lighted up our joy alert but also turned our semi-full stomach into an empty stomach hungry for more!!!

We wanted more and we were begging the chef to give us more if possible, just more steam rice and a small bowl of the roe would be splendid! Our wish came true and we turned into a few hungry bloggers who haven't eaten for the whole day, fighting over the last drop of those crab roe and crab oil! It was quite an interesting scene which we swore not to talk about it publicly ever again! This small bowl of crab row and oil was said to made from more than a dozen of crabs. Talk about indulgence right?

The fresh coconut milk, walnut jelly and eight treasure sticky rice were neatly presented with both desserts made with just the right sweetness. Usually the eighth treasure sticky rice is served pan-fried but I do like the alternative approach which made it unique. While having the desserts, I was (and I am sure the rest of us were) thinking about the crab roe with steamed rice still!

Once again, thanks Man Wah for the lovely invitation to experience the advance tasting for the upcoming Shanghainese hairy crab offering. If you want to kick off the hairy crab season with some indulgences, do make your way to Man Wah starting 15 October 2011!

Likes:

Crab Row with steamed rice! I want more!
Melt in your mouth Shanghainese Stewed Pork!

Dislikes:

The sweet and sour fish was slightly too dry for my liking.
I still like to de-shell my own crab but it was a heck of a show!!!

Avg Spending: Thanks for Mandarin Oriental's invitation for this tasting. Hurry and book your tables

Man Wah
25/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught RoadCentral
Tel: +852 2825 4003

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 - (Day 2 / 4)

2011-09-16T02:47:00.000+08:00

Typhoon Nanmadol was approaching Taiwan during our stay causing unstable climate and frequent showers. We were afraid we would be stuck in the hotel (not so much about flight delays or cancellation to be honest, really don't mind staying longer), but luckily by the time we got up the early morning shower has stopped and left us with a gloomy sky. I like waking in the rain, it is rather romantic as well but only if it is light rain or shower not heavy rain AND strong winds!

3pm

Yes, we woke up around 3pm and darn proud of it! No more breakfast at the hotel obviously so we hurried out to get something to eat. There are many outlets of Smith & Hsu (Tien Wu shop), famous for their tea set, tea, scones and sandwiches. We did not pick the one within walkable distance to the hotel, we picked the Tien Mu outlet which took us 15-20 mins by taxi. Why then did we travel all the way to that outlet? Simple, the taxi ride made us feel like we travelled a bit out of the district!!

Tea is its main draw here with retail shop on the ground floor and dining areas on the 1st floor as well as basement as well. We ordered the afternoon tea set for two and we were offered a tray of tea to pick from. This way we can examine the individual leaves of each type and get a sniff of the aroma.

Not only do they offer their own brand of tea leaves, almost all the utensils are self-branded which can be sold separately as well. I was tempted to purchase the stainless steel tea filter along with the tea pot!

The afternoon tea set came with a fair bit of variety, including 4 scones (2 sweet, 2 savory), tea jelly, sandwiches and some cookies / biscuits as well. I have to say the sandwiches were beyond my expectation! the roast beef sandwich and open-face smoked salmon sandwich were all D-D-Delicious! Slightly larger than bite-size, they were places on the top tier layer of this detachable tier-set. We later saw this Germany-made tray in Hong Kong with three different colors. It looked and felt very plastic but a very practical, flexible yet easy to clean item. The main reason I like the detachable concept is how I can take off each layer for better pictures!! It is quite difficult to take pictures of item on tiered afternoon tea set for those who experienced the frustration before!! (shadows and etc!!)

The highlight for the afternoon has to be the scones! They were not much to look at but a pleasure to be eaten! A light crackling sound which opening in half by hand and fluffy soft in the center! Both the sweet and plain savory version were consistence in quality that I was tempted to order more on the side and treat this as dinner! Thumbs up!

5:30pm

After our heavy afternoon tea, we headed over to the nearby Sogo Department store for a brief walk before heading for dinner around 7:30pm.

7:30pm

It wasn't the easiest place to find but we arrived after making a few wrong turns. Taipei's city planning, especially its road system is in much of improvement. It is a historical issue, a urban development problem over the last few decades but complicated is an understatement in my opinion. There are so many small roads/lanes in a single section of a street in a particular district! Take this Tafu Grill (大福燒肉) we visited, it is located in section 4, lane 345, sub-lane 4, building no. 45 of a street. (ie: 台北市大安區仁愛路四段345巷4弄45號1樓) Anyhow, back to the food side. I did not have the chance to take pictures during this meal so I will definitely be back next time. Not only was I impressed with the food, the selection of different parts of beef was more than plenty, friendly staff would help cook / grill for guests by default unless otherwise requested. A wonderful place to have a casual dinner with friends over a few glasses of whisky inspired drinks!

~ end of day 2 / 4 ~

Just another story ...

2011-09-10T23:42:00.000+08:00

I came across an online story recently, written by J for Jerk. His blog is written Chinese but the untitled story was interesting enough that I have decided to spend some time to translate it into English for sharing. The story is about a teenager and his life experiences which many of us can relate to in some ways. It is (or was) quite relevant to many of us or perhaps all of us who have been through the teenage years.

English version (translated by Jason based on the story by J for Jerk)

He is typical student studying at a community high school. A favorite pass time among neighboring friends is soccer at the nearby field. It has become a routine for the usual gang to go for a cup of ice cold slurpee after game at the nearby 7-11 convenience store.

One afternoon while enjoying his post-game slurpee, he saw a lady passed by carrying several heavy shopping bags. He wanted to approach the lady and help her with the heavy bags but doing such an act in front of his friends and schoolmates did not seem to be a smart or cool act so he decided to return to his slurpee as if nothing happend. The lady slowly marched on with the heavy shopping bags over her shoulders.

By night, he dined with his family as usual but this time he noticed a rather huge yet weird looking steamed fish on the table so he asked his mom, "Mom, what sort of fish is this?" His mom replied, "this is the Garoupa you saw me carrying earlier this afternoon ... ... "

------- -------- ------- --------

Original Chinese version written by J for Jerk (link: http://j-for-jerk.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_09.html)

佢係一個中學生, 就讀屋村學校,
經常與樓上樓下的同學仔聯袂到球場踢波,
踢完波, 成班同學就例牌去些粉買杯思樂冰打躉,
打躉期間, 佢見到一個師奶, 拎住幾袋重野行過,
佢有諗過駛唔駛上前幫手,
但成班同學響面前突然做D與別不同的事係會被人取笑的,
是故, 佢別個臉抓抓頭, 走入些粉飲多一杯.
師奶繼續拖著重甸甸的背心袋前行.

晚上, 佢如常同屋企人晚飯,
見到檯上有一尾奇撚怪怪的魚, 就問阿媽
"阿媽, 呢條咩野黎架?"
阿媽淡然的說:
"咪就係你今日晏晝見到我拎住果條石斑囉..."

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 - (Day 1 / 4)

2011-09-07T04:41:00.001+08:00

Like most people, I do enjoy afternoon naps whenever possible. After checking into HOME Hotel around 4pm, I spent 20 mins or so doing interior shots followed by a 5 mins rest on the sofa which turned out to be a 20 mins nap thanks to the comfort of the sofa!! Almost every time I attempt to take a 5 mins nap on this sofa, it ended up nothing less than 20 mins, it happened at least once every day during our stay! By the time I got ready it was 5pm already and our lunch was ... plane food, therefore we were quite hungry.

5:00pm

it was too early for dinner and slightly too late for a heavy afternoon tea so it took us some time to decide what to eat. Wandering around the block, we ended up at the Vieshow Cinemas where we saw a huge queue at the ticket counter and the movie poster for "You are the Apple of My Eye" (那些年，我們一起追的女孩) [http://www.appleofmyeye.com.tw/]. Without much hesitation we were lining up under the heat with annoying water mist sprinkling at us every other minute. I can spend an entire post on the movie which I enjoyed very much; how the author put his personal teenage love story into words and then into a full length movie intrigues me. The book has been an instant hit and the movie has been (and continues to be so as of the day of this entry) a box-office record breaker, cashing in over TWD 100 million (USD 3.4 million) in just a week's time.

Anyhow, this is not a blog on movie so enough with the story. What I do want to point out to those unfamiliar with the Taiwan's cinema system, if you opt to purchase your ticket at the door like we were, you don't have the option to select your seats based on the seat map shown on a monitor, everything is communicated verbally like, "we still have 6th row from the front, slightly to the right of the screen. Total number of rows is 16. You fine with that? If not, we have 5th row from the front, center." I tried to peek at the monitor by bending over the counter but failed miserably! Simply put, I hate this system! Either this or you book online with a small booking fee.

5:30pm

Tickets purchased, it was time for some food! Just a few minutes from Vieshow Cinemas by foot is the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store where Dazzling Cafe - Sunshine is located. Famous for its Honey Toast which comes in the shape of a huge cube.

Apparently the chain of cafes is opened by a celebrity and hence the initial hype but of course one of the key factors in sustaining such a business is to provided quality food. I have no complaints with the service, only that we were required have a certain minimum charge per person (perhaps one drinks? forgot about amount or requirement) and max stay of 90 mins. It seems to be the norm in many Asian cities with such requirements die to turnovers but am still not a fan of it especially when being informed up front, slightly ruining my mood more often than not.

I ordered the Dark Hurricane (with alcohol) to start with but only hints of bailey perhaps which only disappointed me. All needed flavors were lacking in intensity, should have just ordered something else like a milk shake?

The caramel honey toast that followed put my disappointment away because it was good! The center of the toast was cut out and diced up into smaller bite-size cubes, then individually toasted to give it a crunchy exterior with fluffy interior in every bite. The ice cream and sauce enhanced the experience but I could have finished the whole thing by itself as a plain honey toast.

Staff would come and help disassemble the toast if needed but I think it would be part of the fun to do it ourselves.

Next was Chocolate Banana Crepes. I doubt it requires much description other than with the word, YUM! I was quite impress with how they put the entire banana inside yet it was halves sideways so some chocolate sauce can be put in between.

6:45pm

Was it dinner or was it late afternoon tea? To be honest, it did not concern us because we are on vacation, time was on our side and we follow our hearts and stomachs! The rest of the evening was uneventful yet extremely relaxing. With a full stomach, we made our way to the nearby Xinyi Eslite (誠品) flagship store which houses several stories of bookstores and another few with various retail shops. The use of the phrase "time flies" was more than appropriate on that evening because by the time we check the time, it was 10:45pm already and we got a movie to catch at 11:30pm. Lucky it was just a 10 mins walk back to the cinemas (right next to our hotel if I forgot to mention earlier). We grabbed something light at the cinema's food court and a huge cup of bubble tea for the movie.

01:30am

Although we are both young at heart and our hotel was literally next time to Neo19 building full of famous / trendy dancing clubs and lounges, we had a long day and an even longer day ahead of us, we call it a night although I was a bit hungry at that hour. I am still surprised how I went to bed that night with a slightly empty stomach, it was something ... unheard of before!!!

~ end of day 1 / 4 ~

HOME Hotel (Taipei, Aug 2011)

2011-09-04T02:17:00.000+08:00

I am a sucker for boutique hotel! Yes I am! I rarely blog about hotels or travel accommodations in great details unless I would actually return. The previous boutique hotel I blogged about was the QUOTE Hotel in Taipei which is still in my top 3 pick in that city. On my recent trip to Taipei, I took advantage of a discount package and stayed at the newly opened HOME Hotel in Taipei which I am very impressed with the moment I stepped into this boutique hotel. While there are still areas for improvement which I will talk about later, the following two elements more than captured my undivided attention:

It is located in the center^ of Taipei, right in the middle of the XinYi district, within walking distance of the Taipei 101 and literally 1 min walk to the trendest Neo19 club scenes, 3 mins walk to the Mitsukoshi Department Store, 5 mins to Tapiei City Hall, 10 mins walk to Bellvita and right next to Vieshow cinema. (^there are many districts in Taipei, 12 administrative districts to be exact. Xinyi is just one of them, each with their own characteristics. The Xinyi district is significant in recent years because of Taipei 101 )
Home Hotel implements a MIT policy meaning everything or perhaps 98% of the hotel is Made in Taiwan. The wood, the lift, the carpet, tea, coffee, furnitures, mattress, garbage bin, sleepers, TV, soap, shower gel and all in-room amenities are Made in Taiwan! Yes I did check most of the items in order to verify its claim! (except for the Yamaha iPod/iPhone station perhaps)

The building was converted from a commercial premises originally occupied by the Oglivy group and hence the limitation in housing facilities like a pool or even a gym. Guests can use the gym facilites located in the Neo19 building next door but who am I kidding, I am not going to exercise anyhow. For those who are used order room service in the middle of the night, I am sorry to say that at the moment of this entry (early September), there is no in-room food services. They do provide breakfast in the morning at the Marsalis Home X Whisky Gallery area but during my 4-day stay, I slept right through it!

Yes, they have a very rustic whisky lounge located at the 3rd floor lobby level called Marsalis Home X Whisky Gallery with live jazz performances on a regularly basis.

There are basically 3 types of rooms, Original, Marvelous and Extraordinary each with a choice of either City View or 101 view. With the great opening online rate, we picked the Marvelous Room with 101 View! Before showing the room, let me show you a shot I took through the window while lying in bed!

The Marvelous Room is large enough to have a living room area separated by a movable curtain between the bed area, giving it the space when needed. The mattress is on the firmer side in comparison with other 5-star hotel's heavenly pillow bed but soft enough to cuddle me slightly when sunk in completely. :)

With two sets of TVs, privacy is there when needed.

I do want to mention about the green sofa because it was extremely comfortable and visually appealing. With a vintage look to it, the firmness of the seat was just right for a perfect afternoon nap which I took quite a few in it. Apparently all the wooden furnitures are by STRAUSS Furnitures, an export only label which is marketed under the name of Macro Maison 有情門 locally. We visited the retail shop and so wanted to bring one or two pieces back. Quite unfortunate that they don't usually ship to Hong Kong because they specialized in custom furniture and no plans to open shop in Hong Kong yet. I have a feeling some shops in Hong Kong already carrying some using their own ways!

In in-room gift pack included a little box of Taiwanese dried fruit snack, set of Taiwan naturally grown tea's tea bags (Zenique 小茶栽堂) and a set of tablecloths + coasters.

The layout and size of the bathroom is very important to me because I needed my space in the bathroom! Anyhow, in the Marvelous room, they offer two sinks arrangement, a bathtub, a rain shower!! and a TOTO-style toilet! It was such a comfort to have warmed toilet seats and ... the little water sprinkle!!!! Love!

It is quite rude of me to end this entry with a nicely warmed toilet but it was such a wonderful feeling no matter it was summer or winter! :)

There is still a few discount packages available so do check it out if you plan to visit Taipei soon! If you are concern about the lack of in-room food services, don't! just take a taxi ride to the nearest night market for a late night indulgence! (or perhaps the nearby FamilyMart with various of cold / hot snacks can satisfy your cravings?)

Likes:

GREAT Location!
Loved the concept of MIT - Made in Taiwan
Excellent Customer Services!

Dislikes:

Lack of in-room food services
Depending on the level of your room, can hear street noises especially at night.

Home Hotel
No.90, SONGREN ROAD, XINYI DISTRICT, Taipei, Taiwan 110
http://homehotel.com.tw/
http://www.facebook.com/homehoteltaipei

Mandarin Grill + Bar (Hong Kong)

2011-09-02T05:34:00.000+08:00

Many restaurants and chefs nowadays have the tendency to categorize themselves in the different schools of ... gastronomy, be it molecular, avant-garde, traditional, new cuisines or something as extreme as emotional cuisines, they are all different styles of cooking aiming to put creativity into every-changing culinary experiences. It can be quite confusing indeed to imagine the cuisine by their name or category. At Mandarin Grill, the chef likes to call his cooking progressive gastronomy. So what sort of cooking is progressive gastronomy? It is difficult to describe in a few words but if I understand the concept correctly, it puts emphasis on presentation, a strong visual as well as direct stimulation of the 5 senses.

Thanks for the invitation by Mandarin Oriental, I had the opportunity to experience a visually stunning meal. This is a case which the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words," so I will let the images speak for themselves. The first item was the soup named TOMATO. Consisting of condensed heirloom tomatoes clear soup, it was then poured into a clear tea pot to dissolve the so-called tea bags to release the dried condiments. That was just the beginning! The soup in the tea pot was then poured into a prepared bowl with ingredients finely decorated on the bottom of it. The tomato flavor was quite pungent on the first sip but slowly blend with your taste bud to make it quite a refreshing soup to start with. Again, visually appealing to most people I would assume, and it would taste the same if delivered pre-poured.

The next dish I had was the PRAWNS which were severed sashimi style and were presented in a way that reassemble an actual pond. Some of the rocks / pebbles were edible as well. As long as the prawns were fresh, it was quite hard to get it wrong right? I forgot about the details but the golden powder on top of the prawns actually melt over time and the resulting sauce slowly wraps around the prawns to provide the needed flavors on every bite. Again, visually stunning and beautifully presented. However, for those into Food Photography, not the most friendly dish to take picture of!

The next dish was called VEGETABLES. The main focus was not the choice of vegetables or the cured ham that accompanied it, those were rather ordinary if you ask me; it was the cedar wood plate that was the key. The little black hole on the middle was a result of actually burning. Apparently, prior to serving this dish, the cedar wood was heated with a small flame through the hole in the middle so to give off the cedar wood aroma while consuming this dish. The sense of smell is quite important to any dish it worked very well with this dish.

The same theory was applied to the next dish named PORK. Instead of the sense of smell, it was towards the visual effect with smoke (dry ice perhaps?) at the bottom as if being grilled table-side.

COD was the name of the next dish. Wrapped in seaweed, the flaky juicy cod was hiding underneath. The whole thing was like a piece of rock. Slightly of the salty side, make sure you have more cod than the seaweed so to balance out the flavours. Oh right, the mussels shells were edible as well!

We tried three desserts that afternoon, the first was the OREO which was quite rich but certainly a popular choice among Oreo lovers. However, the OREO dish would be overwhelmed by the followed two desserts!

STRAWBERRY was the highlight of the afternoon for me, I was almost tricked by the look of the strawberries on the plate or the field? Both visually stunning and creative, the strawberries were made of sorbet and ice cream and some jam fillings! Thumbs up!

Visually stunning once again, the CHAMPAGNE dessert was quite something. Everything plate was edible, the bubbles were made of Champagne jelly while the while bottle was made of cake. Effort and dedication is required to create something like this. Thumbs up once again!

Likes:

Visually stunning! Presentation was wonderful, along with appropriate stimulation of the five senses for each of the dishes.
I quite enjoyed the TOMATO soup, quite strong on first sip and slowly smooth out in the mouth.

Dislikes:

COD - slightly on the salty side especially with the seaweed.
With the great presentation and creativity, it was more of an art form. With this sort of plating, it requires time and the faster the better because the food may get cold.

Avg Spending: by invitation

Mandarin Grill + Bar

5 Connaught Road, Central Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2522 0111

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/mandarin_grill/

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Food Photography (Random Sharing @ Canton Deli)

2011-08-31T03:28:00.001+08:00

It is no secret that I am a food photography enthusiast and I take advantage of any opportunity I come across to capture food images. Many asked me for tips on food photography but I would not call it tips, perhaps sharing is more appropriate because I am learning as well. I mentioned a few pointers such as minimal use of flash photography in my previous post but like to expand from there in this entry using images taken on my recent invitation to Canton Deli 廣東茶居 at Harbour City 海港城.

Most of my food images on this blog are taken on an ad-hoc basis which means non-studio setting with minimal use of external photography gears. One has to realize the differences and how each setting would affect the quality of the pictures. When such ad-hoc food images are taken during a normal meal on an everyday basis, one has to compromise with what they get on site with respect to props, lighting and time! A good example of heavy ad-hoc compromises is on taking Chinese food photography.

Lighting at Chinese restaurants is usually either too harsh, too red, too yellowish or too bright in casting excessive shadow. Well, not really a big problem if you are used to post-editing your images in RAW format.

The most challenging aspect of taking ad-hoc Chinese food photography in my opinion is the presentation (or the lack of it) in many Chinese dishes in comparison with western dishes. Stir-fried vegetables, sweet & sour pork, fried rice, stir-fried noodles or beef stew either come in a big lump / pile on a dish or a pot of some sort with minimal plating.

I prefer to have the "food" occupying only 50%-60% of the whole frame with the rest focus on the setting or whatever props available on the table. With respect to landscape vs portrait orientation, it is really up to the photographer's preference, I prefer portrait because I can get more into the frame in order tell a story.
Never just shoot macro food photography especially for Chinese food because it can get rather boring and "right in your face." Props and restaurant settings are equally important for casual ad-hoc food photography.
Many Chinese dishes/plates are either circular or square in shape, try to take partial images like 2/3 the dish only. The rest of the 1/3 is usually exactly the same. as the rest. A sense of mystery can be interesting at times depending on the item of course.
When it comes to wantons or noodles, scoop it up or do some action shots to make it more interesting
Many times chopped items of similar colors are mixed together in Chinese dishes, try to play with your food a bit (food styling?) and attempt to make it as distinguishable as possible prior to your shot.
Time management is very important in any ad-hoc food photography because the dishes served are the dishes you (or those dining with you) are going to eat!!! The dishes are not there just for the your photo shoot so you have to practice to capture the desired images as soon as possible, do think ahead and be nosy and look around to see the possible layout / presentation of the dishes being served.
F/2.8 - 4.0 is my aperture preference because an excessive amount of bokeh can be confusing, there should be a relative clarity in the background in order to display the necessarily props / settings to construct a story. F/2.0 or below is great for dimly lit environment but you are sacrificing clarity at the same time. Take a few shots and review them on camera to see how you like them and adjust accordingly. Move around and avoid taking all shots at a 45 degree angle, go down to the dish level or stand up for an aerial shot.
The most important is to have fun!!!

Am I Math-Challenged? (Ranting)

2011-08-22T00:16:00.000+08:00

iPhone 3GS image

I am not a big fan of numbers despite my semi-technical background but I got challenged recently by a restaurant-not-to-be-named on my ability to do simple math such ... adding! I did not plan to write about it but with the overwhelming comments on Facebook where I posted about the incident, I think it is worth sharing. Detailed explanation is not required, a picture is worth a thousand words perhaps?
According to math.com, rounding off is a kind of estimation which the following rules apply: To round off whole numbers:

Find the place value you want (the "rounding digit") and look to the digit just to the right of it.
If that digit is less than 5, do not change the "rounding digit" but change all digits to the right of the "rounding digit" to zero.
If that digit is greater than or equal to 5, add one to the rounding digit and change all digits to the right of the rounding digit to zero.

This is no calculus but apparently at this restaurant in Causeway Bay I visited, the above universal rounding rules do not apply.

HKD 301.00 + HKD 30.1 (10% service charge) = ~~HKD331.1~~ HKD332????

It is a matter of principle and not whether I am a cheap-ass. I can be quite generous with tips but this sort of "tricky" rounding crosses the line. Can it be a system error? HA! I think it is a client requested system specification if you ask me! I am still sort of pissed about the incident because I did not notice until afterwards (so I can ask them in person) and really surprised that such an established restaurant would do something like that to their bills. I have been told that a few other restaurants in Hong Kong implement such calculating / rounding approach as well, just that we often neglect the importance of bills checking. Starting from now, I am on a mission to compile a list of restaurants in Hong Kong that implements such rounding practice to their bills!!! If you have experienced similar incidents at any HK restaurant, please drop me a line so I can visit and collect their bills for this project!

Food Photography (Revisit)

2011-08-21T03:39:00.000+08:00

It was truly an honor to be interviewed along by SCMP's weekly Food & Wine section on the topic of food photography. It is quite true that with the advancement of technology, the use of digital cameras has been widely popularized over the last 2 years. More people capture their dishes before eating and it has become more of a norm than trend nowadays. Diners and restaurants alike are more accustomed to such a scene with many welcoming such an act. There are two schools of thoughts on whether such "snap then bite" is an acceptable act but it is a topic of extended discussion, not what this article is about. (I am pro "snap then bite" of course!) This article, titled "Bites, camera, action" by Nan-Hin In is about tips on food photography. Professional photographers and subject experts (I am an enthusiasts at this stage!) provide useful tips on how to take better food photography on a daily basis, without any bulky gears of course. As mentioned by one of the experts, built-in camera flash is a no-no and in my opinion, flash photography in general should be minimized at restaurants especially if you are simply dining out on a regular / personal basis. Aside from the quality of the images, built-in / external flash photography would affect or disturb other diners at the restaurant. It is out of simple respect that food photography enthusiasts should restraint from doing so in most if not all circumstances. Solution? Visit during lunch time if natural sun light is available or upgrade your gears and/or lens!

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to Mochachocolata-Rita who skillfully persuaded me into buying my first digital SLR camera and her pictures sparked my interest in food photography. Another thank you goes to Fernando who inspired me in refining my skills as well as in developing a passion in photography, in capturing not just a single image but an image that tells a story.

If you are a SCMP subscriber, you can check out the article <here>

Linguini Fini (Hong Kong)

2011-08-15T00:23:00.003+08:00

Mochachocolata tried it, HK Epicurus experienced it, Dorothy is about to review it after her many visits. Many reviewed it on Openrice.com and I expect plenty more to come as well for this newly opened New York-Italian lofty restaurant named Linguini Fini. Reviews so far are mixed but it is only normal because we all have preferences when it comes to taste and we are all entitled to our own opinions as well. The key is once again in sharing in a way that truly expresses one's experience for others to enjoy or simply to provide information for readers. My approach has always been to share my experiences / adventures as factually informative as possible so readers can be their own judge. My first visit to Linguini Fini was a pleasant one thanks to the warm hospitality of the restaurant in letting me try out a great number of dishes beyond which my already expandable stomach can handle. There were hits and misses on my first visit (and Dorothy's 10th visits), but there are a few things this "lofty joint" truly stand out among similar establishment in my opinion.

Following its sister restaurant Posto Publico, Linguini Fini implements the no service charge policy as well
The most expensive item on menu is the Hanger Steak which set you back for HKD168
Implementation of no reservation policy, creating a rather casual, down to earth atmosphere. True that it can be a hassle out even outright annoying during peak hours to wait in queue but then again, people do not seem to be bothered to queue for a bowl of HKD100 ramen out of the street right? Queue up if you like, leave if you don't. Although I hate queueing up, it is a fair system nonetheless. If I wanted to go, I would go during non-peak hours, but it is a choice one has to make, fair and square.
The concept of sustainable dining deserves the attention which it lacks. There are varying levels to the concept of sustainable dining, the one that many would often hear is the increasing use of locally produced ingredients and the other is the reduction of food wastage (ie: use of as many animal parts as possible for example)

We started off the meal with a glass of refreshing Watermelon Basil Punch, perfect for the summer.

The bread basket came in a retro style tin container which I wanted to take home so badly! The bread itself was fair, nothing overly exciting about it but I like how they provide flakes sea salt together with olive oil to enhance the subtle flavors.

Stracetti di Manzo, rare beef with artichokes, gorgonzola dolce and anchovy aioli was a great way to start the munching. A rather strong dish to begin with especially with the gorgonzola dolce blue cheese but as a cheese lover, I was more than happy to have the whole plate to myself.

Home cured Lingua was one of my favorites dishes on this visit, the ox tongue was thinly sliced and mixed with a simple drizzle of olive oil and some peppers. Simplicity works in most cases. Correct me if I am wrong but this is not a common dish one can find in an Italian restaurant in Hong Kong and the fact that they decided to include this in its menu somewhat shows how they want this establishment to be different and perhaps fun as well.

The 8 Hour Tripe was yet another uncommon offering among Hong Kong Italian restaurants, at least based on my experience. The inclusion of a beef tripe dish can be an example of the sustainable dining efforts. Nothing too fancy but I find the flavor of the sauce slightly overpowering for my liking.

I love Milanese which was breaded &amp; fried pig's heart. Again, a sustainable dining effort in my opinion. The breaded crust was too thick while the sliced pig's heart was too thin. Flavors of the breaded crust was overpowering, very difficult to distinguish the taste of the pig's heart.

Chicken is usually not a popular item at any restaurant for various reasons such as difficult to eat for diners or often overcooked to extreme dryness. However, it is how well a restaurant handle the chicken dish that can illustrate how ... good it is? or how dedicated chefs &amp; cooks are towards the quality of their food perhaps? Maybe it was my good day, the Lardo Roasted Chicken was sufficiently tender with crispy and flavorful skin. It was flavorful enough that no dipping sauce was required. Yes, eating the chicken skin is a key part in enjoying chicken, no matter what sort of chicken dish we are talking about!

On Top of Spaghetti, a simple pasta dish with a huge homemade meatball sitting on top. The tomato sauce was on the light side. One may find the sauce on the runny side (I had that feeling as well) but the sauce started to thicken as the cheese started to melt. Perhaps that was what the chef intended? What can I say about the homemade meat ball? I wish there was more than ONE!

As mentioned, another idea of sustainable dining is to use more local ingredients and this Classic Linguini Fini - Dried Shrimp used local dried shrimp paste as the main ingredient. Similar the the meat ball dish, flavor was on the lighter side which I actually prefer. The lightness of the tomato sauce allowed the flavor of the dried shrimp paste stand out.

Tiramisu, deconstructed. It tasted like Tiramisu but I would not call it so in a technically sense. Perhaps it is a Tiramisu-flavored dessert at best. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it very much, the "lady finger" part was slightly crunchy with strong flavored coffee cake crumble in every spoonful. Make sure you eat with the frozen chocolate tiramisu gelato to get the best contrasting texture.

Apparently this Lemon Olive Oil Cake is a popular item at Linguini Fini and I understand why. The subtle lemon flavor can be tasted on every bite of the dense / firm cake together with a crunchy outer crust.

Likes:

Decor & Atmosphere. lofty and casual. The no service charge policy is one of the key selling points in my opinion along with how reasonably priced most items are within its own category.
Home cured Lingua - such a simple dish yet you want to come back for more.
On Top of Spaghetti - In addition to the meat balls, how the melting cheese would slowly thicken the rather runny tomato sauce impressed me. I wonder if it was intentional though ...

Dislikes:

8 Hour Tripe - the tomato sauce was overpowering
I love Milanese - pig's heart sliced too thin, the breaded crust became the star of the show instead of the pig's heart.

Avg Spending: (by invitation) should be around HKD 200 - 300 per person

Linguini Fini
1/F, The L Place,
139 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2857 1333
http://www.linguinifini.com/

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Cheesess (Hong Kong)

2011-08-13T02:54:00.000+08:00

Hoping to satisfy my chocolate craving, I walked from one end of Causeway Bay the other end in search for Awfully Chocolate. Little did I know that their location has been moved recently but the group still runs the same spot. No more chocolate, it now sells nothing but cheesecake hence the name Cheesess. With only 4 choices of cheesecake (New York, Sydney, Kyoto Raspberry and Kyoto White Cheesecake), it a sign of great confidence or over-confidence, depends how you see it. Similar to Awfully Chocolate, there was no display of any cake whatsoever, only images of their selection. As recommended by staff, I picked one of its favorite items, the New York Cheesecake. Between small and large, I selected the small which set me back HKD138. Why do I mention price so early in my article? It is because it is an important element of my experience. For HKD138, you get a small-sized New York Cheesecake just slightly wider than a quarter pounder or perhaps Filet-O-Fish. Any cake with 4 inches in diameter seems to be reasonable but don't forget about its height!!! Value vs worth is a very personal matter which I cannot be the judge for all but for HKD138, I do expect getting a slightly bigger if not taller cheesecake! Did I mention the berries sauce cost you an extra HKD38 for a small jar?

Calling it a New York Cheesecake is slightly misleading because it was definitely not a typical NY Cheesecake especially with its soft and crumbly texture. The cheesy flavor was on the lighter side, perhaps adopting to the local taste buds. One does not require a fork to eat this, a simple spoon would do the job. It was good enough by itself without the sauce as a simple snack after meal and I guess the lighter cheese flavor made it so. Should you compare this with so-called traditional New York Cheesecake? or Should this be considered an alternative, slightly deconstructed New York Cheesecake? It is really up to you because I am unable to pick an answer myself. I personally enjoyed it for what it was, not necessary as a New York Cheesecake but a cheesecake in general. The bottle line is, Cheesess is worth a try (especially the other 3 choices which I am yet to try) but it would not be a weekly visit, perhaps once every 2 - 3 months? I truly hope their cheesecakes can be slightly more generous in size or at least in height!!!! PLEASE!!

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Cheesess
Shop 15, G/F, Empire Court, 2-4
Hysan Avenue (Sun Wui Road), Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 2504 5500
http://cheesess.com/ (online purchase available)

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