tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885Mon, 02 Sep 2024 08:48:33 +0000Hong KongJapaneseChineseCauseway BayItalianBarKowloonSushiBBQBurgerDeliFreshnessFusionJapanKahalaKennedy TownNew YorkOsakaPortugueseQuarry BayShanghaineseSpanishVietnameseWanchaiYakinikuabalonesteakhttp://pastanrice.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)Blogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-1225614262141381593Wed, 26 May 2010 15:53:00 +00002010-05-27T00:08:31.895+08:00What a long absence from myself for this blog that gets a handful of hits a week for zero action...I have been on very strict dietary restrictions lately and there is ABSOLUTELY nothing I can eat thanks to the Chinese doc I'm consulting (and yes I am disciplined enough to honour his rules). Just about all I can eat now is pork, vegetables that don't end with "choy" in Chinese (but tomatoes are http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-days-when-you-cant-eat-anything.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-1595425208330456099Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:23:00 +00002009-10-31T20:03:59.138+08:00It's been a long while since I last wrote anything about...anything. I'm surprised by my own impetus to scribble a few lines tonight, as I try to break in my new Grado headphones on the good ol' Ipod.After a week of back-to-back, 8.30am to 7.30pm meetings, nothing relaxes me more than a proper sushi meal on a Friday night. Sushi U has been the one hitting the right notes with me lately - fresh http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/10/friday-night-at-sushi-u.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-8996757972630316285Tue, 26 May 2009 13:36:00 +00002009-05-26T22:15:03.400+08:00BBQChineseDeliHong KongKowloonI am wrecking my brain here. The elusive 10th favourite place to eat...surely there must be a memorable Vietnamese, Indian, or Lebanese place for me?Well, there is that USD 2 pho place in Ho Chi Minh that I adored, but if I am not even sure of its name or exact location, how can I include it? Bukhara in Delhi was supposed to be the best, but my experience there was very sub par. Forgettful me http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-favourite-places-to-eat_26.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-528742182088047345Sun, 24 May 2009 17:36:00 +00002009-06-02T01:03:39.281+08:00For fun, I list my favourite restaurant dishes (including dessert) - items that I would love to repeatedly indulge in:BBQ pork rice (Wanchai's Joy Hing's version comes to mind)Pappardelle al Ragu (Cova in Causeway Bay or Pacific Place does a nice one, I don't think it is on the menu, but they can do it for you)Tamago (any variety, but especially the soft, freshly steamed kind mixed with fish)http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-11-favourite-dishes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-4882324814499453037Sun, 24 May 2009 15:27:00 +00002009-05-26T21:35:41.667+08:00Hong KongItalianJapanNew YorkSpanishsteakSushiFor what it's worth, below is a list of my favourite restaurants, in no specific order of preference. My key criteria are that it should represent a memorable meal, and that it would be a place that I like to re-visit again and again.Peter Luger's in Brooklyn - I haven't been to this place for ages, but a TV program just reminded me of my love for the "steak for two" (steak for one somehow just http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-favourite-restaurants.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-6730111361111260188Wed, 06 May 2009 05:26:00 +00002009-05-06T16:43:17.414+08:00Hong KongJapaneseSushiMy first recollection of sampling Japanese food was at Yamato, a long-gone restaurant on the 1st floor of a commercial building next to Eldorado Watch Co., Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong. As a 5-year-old, I remembered how I never liked the tonkatsu rice much but yearned always for the tamago (I still do).Then came the day and age when the also-defunct Benkay at the Landmark was all the rage: http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-sushi-journey-from-yamato-to-itching.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-2786730145533173652Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:51:00 +00002009-05-06T16:44:09.848+08:00Hong KongItalianI have been craving for some decent Italian food for a while, and decided on lunch at Cipriani. It has been eons since I last visited this establishment, so it would almost seem like a first visit this time.Lunch turned out to be "Tagliolini Day", as my friend and I both picked pasta as main dishes. Mine was a pesto and shrimp version from the set lunch menu, while my lunch mate took the à la http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/03/short-musing-on-cipriani.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-7627181424571624262Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:13:00 +00002009-03-05T23:27:44.565+08:00Hong KongPortugueseWanchaiMany raving reviews have been written online about the delicious and authentic food at Nino's Cozinha, a family-style Macanese / Portuguese restaurant in Wanchai. I have been a regular since they opened, and got to know the owners quite well. So I suppose my compulsion to take a different view and rant about Nino's here is justified.Rant #1: What is wrong with the manageress at Nino's Cozinha http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-alternative-take-on-ninos-cozinha.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-3322677203109376551Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:57:00 +00002009-02-12T00:08:47.588+08:00JapaneseQuarry BayI have had some misgivings about the Japanese joint "Ito-san", the next incarnation of my ex-favourite hidden gem, Sodeyama. As the only decent Japanese place in Quarry Bay, Ito-san ripped me off at dinner once; and lunch quality has gone south recently as prices increased and portions decreased. Despite this, I did not mind going there again for lunch, as the opportunity to meet up with my http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2009/02/amused-by-some-amazing-chirashi-sushi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-4552325024927924010Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:20:00 +00002009-05-06T16:50:32.846+08:00abaloneChineseHong KongThere are three facts to string together here:My cousin and his family are in town again from San Francisco for Christmas;Mom is old-school and is the kind of person obliged to return favours, say, if someone treats the family to a big meal; andA pot of dried abalone has been stewing in the electric slow cooker for 3 days.It actually took me three days to realize that mom was making abalone for http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-3403515230346939423Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:48:00 +00002009-05-06T16:50:49.400+08:00ChineseHong KongExcuse the potentially snobby but true headline. What I really wanted to say to start off with, is that eating healthily is a difficult notion, and a somewhat depressing one also. In the summer, I yearn for yummy ice-cream; in winter time, fatty hotpots reign. One would think Autumn is a tame season but hairy crabs (大閘蟹) always creep in to ruin the health run for me.I think my mom's homemade 蟹http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/childhood-snack-moms-instant-noodles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-4953462488561079164Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:41:00 +00002008-12-17T00:17:55.563+08:00Causeway BayHong KongJapaneseYakinikuFor Sunday family lunch my brother suggested a "Japanese place" in Causeway Bay, my dad announced around noon. Having overeaten on Friday and Saturday, especially at Japanese restaurants in Causeway Bay, I was initially a bit reluctant to go. But it was family day after all, so I plodded along eventually.It turned out that my brother had chosen Wako (和幸), a yakiniku restaurant famous for a http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/late-surpise-at-yakiniku-restaurant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-6008204712595442068Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:18:00 +00002008-12-15T13:34:17.126+08:00BarCauseway BayJapaneseMy good friend DGT organized dinner with me and another partner-in-crime last night. The evening turned out to be a charming experience evoking the "feel" I have of Japanese urban life, which I quite miss as I haven't travelled to Tokyo much since my work project finished a few months ago.DGT booked a table at Ajitomi, a Japanese homestyle fusion restaurant I haven't been to in years. It was nicehttp://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-pieces-of-real-japan-in-causeway.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-5555907715407248906Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:24:00 +00002008-12-11T22:06:10.027+08:00Causeway BayJapaneseJapanese food is just one of those fixes I need every now and then. I probably can almost eat it everyday, but I won't - don't ask me why because I can only give you a contradictory answer that I cannot explain. I was in a Japanese lunch mode today so I went to Sakaegawa in Causeway Bay, operated by the the same crew behind the namesake restaurant at the bygone Ritz Carlton. I have always http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/japanese-lunch-thrill.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-4938331726923502569Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:51:00 +00002008-12-03T22:54:14.830+08:00BurgerFreshnessHong KongLike many Hong Kongers, I have been a rather frequent traveller to Japan - for pleasure mostly and until recently, also for business. While I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the country, I have always enjoyed pretty much everything it offers in the culinary department.It was in Tokyo a few years ago that I gained exposure to Freshness Burger as an alternative to MOS Burger, whose WOW http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/freshness-burgerfresh-is-not-enough.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-5617138437683339093Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:48:00 +00002008-12-02T00:30:18.703+08:00BarFusionHong KongKennedy TownI have known V and D through a friend since a few years back, when they ran (and still run) a quaint, cozy eatery on Gough Street in Soho. Thai fushion food, my friend claimed. Honestly, anything with the word fusion in it I approached with skepticism; but with D's cuisine, I have since been won over, and am a declared fan.Recently the duo opened a new bar called Davis in the up-and-coming http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2008/12/davis-hidden-gem.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-6750569637496739798Mon, 21 May 2007 15:39:00 +00002008-12-10T09:49:01.803+08:00Hong KongItalianQuite a while ago an Italian deli opened in the heart of Sai Kung.Thelma, the proprietor, is an enchanting and energetic lady from the Philippines who speaks fluent Italian with more fervor than natives. She sells every Italian grocery you can imagine and stocks a kitchen that can whip up a few wicked bowls of pasta. Apparently she can out-swear her Italian husband in his own language too...Upon http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2007/05/kiss-keep-it-simple-stupid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-4225904234170675453Mon, 07 May 2007 15:31:00 +00002008-12-10T09:49:02.192+08:00ShanghaineseLately I have been trying to encourage my mom to move with the times and learn internet surfing. Her resistance is a blessing in disguise since she will not (yet) be able to read what I am going to write about her here.Cooking a nice meal for the family is a common thing most mothers do everyday, but in my family this is one of a few limited ways affection is shown. I have learned to accept this http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2007/05/ode-to-mom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-1237142846204537069Sat, 28 Apr 2007 02:26:00 +00002008-12-10T09:49:02.397+08:00KowloonVietnameseWhat does a Bohemian-Austrian composer have to do with a Franco-inspired Vietnamese street snack? Not as far-fetched as one may think if you are very hungry after a moving (albeit sad) and scintillating performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 by the London Symphony Orchestra at Tsim Sha Tsui's Hong Kong Cultural Centre.Desperate for some uplifting consolation but wary of an ailing stomach that http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2007/04/mahlers-vietnamese-baguette-sandwich.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-280993651208302112Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:06:00 +00002007-04-29T13:48:19.630+08:00ChineseHong KongI have long relished an opportunity to sample a much-raved private kitchen in Central that serves traditional, bona fide Cantonese banquet dishes ("dai sung" as opposed to "siu choy"). Lucky me I finally had the chance last week. I think the chef descended from the famous “Liu Chong Hing” (now “Chong Hing Bank”) house chefs.The restaurant was tucked away secretly next to the Softbank Building andhttp://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2007/04/softbank-in-central.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-2329356480088529364Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:45:00 +00002008-12-10T09:49:02.556+08:00ChineseHong KongCelebratory dinners used to mean rowdy gatherings at fancy western or ethnic restaurants, but now I prefer a traditional Chinese meal with family and friends. I suppose this is some innate “Chinese clock” clicking in, and I can relate much better now as to why my mom and aunts insist on Chinese food when traveling even if it is awful.Such was the mindset as I approached a birthday occasion at http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2007/04/lei-garden-ifc-hong-kong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4518819724539101885.post-2107582888681459930Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:34:00 +00002008-12-10T09:49:02.681+08:00JapaneseKahalaOsakaHaving been fortunate enough to sample some, by no means all, so-called fine dining locally and abroad, I find myself increasing tending towards old comforts like barbecue pork rice, which never seems to tire like haute cuisine. Maybe in this age of celebrity chefs, too many “me-too” eateries and menus have surfaced, watering down quality and the “wow” factor.Then I thought of Kahala, an ~8-seat http://pastanrice.blogspot.com/2007/04/happy-meal-night-of-delight-at-kahala.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pasta & Rice)0