Geoff's Twitchen

2009-11-09T13:51:00.002+08:00

Dear Fellow Readers, Please note that this blog will no longer be updated & used as the official

Geoff's Twitchen website is now up & running. Please visit www.geoffstwitchen.com today for all the

latest postings and please also remember to update your blog roll Happy Eating Geoff

Food Journey #32 - Steak Feast at Bistecca Steak House

2009-11-02T13:26:00.018+08:00

Bistecca is the Italian word for "Steak" & a perfectly grilled steak is a champion dish in my opinion. Bistecca Steak House is the latest steak house in town, located in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong & opened up by the guys behind Dining Concepts (How many steak houses do they need after opening BLT Steak House, Craft, Bistecca etc). The restaurant's cuisine is heavily under the Italian influence, especially from the region of Firenze therefore, do not expect this to be ilke other steak-houses in town such as Ruth's Chris or Mortons as here, they serve up hearty Italian dishes.

Since Saturday was Halloween and I very happily was recovering from my hangover on Sunday afternoon when Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning was showing on HBO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZYAuHKWxHA). Stepping into Bistecca reminded me of scenes from movie above especially their waiters & waitresses are all dressed in butcher uniforms and with all the raw, bloody beef stored in the fridge & on display. LOVELY!

Diners: If you want to see the restaurant with stacks of beef hanging out, please visit Bistecca during dinner hours only as due to our very unique Hong Kong law, raw beef is not allowed to be displayed in the public inside a restaurant. How messed up is this?

MUST ORDER & Highly Recommended Dishes

My lunch experience at Bistecca was indeed a very positive one for a brand new restaurant despite all the rumours & negative comments I heard from fellow food critics & diners.

Deep Pan Foccacia with Fresh Grapes & Rosemary (Starter): Foccacia has got to be one of the greatest bakery product from Italy at Bistecca, this is served as your fresh basketthe foccacia is served up relatively similar to a pizza infused with strong flavours of Rosemary. Interesting touch is to pair the deep pan foccacia with grapes which is something that I have never tried before and the pairing works well. The foccacia was warm, soft with great flavours but one let down in my opinion is that the bread was slightly greasy but nonetheless, it was a great start to the meal.

Iceberg hearts with roasted red peppers, anchovies and balsamic vinaigrette: I love this salad as the chopping & dicing part with the iceberg leaves, anchovies & red peppers was so much fun. Not only was the action part a lot of fun, the taste of the iceberg leaves was extremely fresh, complemented with the saltiness of the anchovies and the mild flavours of the balsamic vinagrette. A very refreshing salad for the heat of Hong Kong and I am in love with this dish and will definitely order this salad for many times ahead.

American certified U.S.D.A. Rib-Eye 14oz - Served Rare: Bistecca did not disappoint by my standards & as a lifetime confessed carnivore, this is definitely one of the better steak houses in Hong Kong for sure.

My grain fed USDA 14-oz rib eye was done just the way I like it - cool in the centre and bright red through out. Texture of the steak was soft with the meat being extremely juicy. All the steaks are prepared with sea salt & Kerala peppercorns, charcoal grilled & drizzled with Olive Oil & Lemon for the ultimate flavour.

Presentation was unpretentious & no-nonsense! The 14-oz steak placed on a wooden chop board which is a proper home style cooking without ponsing around with the presentation. Served with 5 pairing sauces on the side which included Porcini Sauce, Chianti Mustard, Spicy Tomato Catsup (same meaning to Ketchup), Spicy Yellow Pepper Catsup & Gorgonzola Cream. Personally, my favourite was the Gorgonzola Cream as Steaks + Cheese are literally best mates and work well together! To be honest, a good slab of beef does not require any sauces to pair as it can potentially ruin the taste of a good quality slab of meat.

Overall, a good quality steak for sure as it was meant to be a "tasting" session but somehow, I ended up finishing the whole portion which I did not regret for sure.

Improvement Required Dishes

Grilled mozzarella with Marinated tomatoes (v) - Do not get me wrong, this wasnt a bad dish but my slight comment will be to top-up on the seasoning & flavour of Mozzarella as the cheese itself is tasteless therefore the grilled mozzarella skewer becomes very bland. The good side of this dish is that I like the presentation - simple, hearty home cooking style and the marinated tomatoes are juicy & succulent. Good appetiser to kick off your meal for sure but Chef must work on the seasoning.

Spinach and ricotta ravioli with roasted cherry tomatoes (v) - I did not expect a Steak House to be cooking up good pasta dishes and in general, this dish did not disappoint but with a slight let down which was the strong flavours of the tomato sauce completely overwhelmed the Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli which was disappointing. Chef must also be a little more generous on the ricotta stuffing as I could barely taste the flavour of the cheese. Not a bad choice of a vegetarian dish to choose from a Steak House!

Summary of Meal

Suprisingly for a brand new restaurant in town, I think Bistecca has done a marvellous job in terms of food quality & attentive service. The steaks are always on my hit-list for sure no matter for lunch & dinner and I also highly recommend the Iceberg Leave Salad as that has the word "fresh" written all over it. In fact, there are quite a few other dishes on the menu which I would love to try out on my next visit such as 32 Oz Porterhouse Steak, Grilled whole Italian seabass with lemon vinaigrette etc. I definitely would like to re-visit Bistecca again on a regular evening as a normal customer instead of a food tasting session to see whether the food & service is as consistent as my lunch. THUMBS UP to Bistecca and keep up the good work guys!

Special Note: BLT Burger (under same group as Dining Concepts) will be opening in Harbour City on 20th November and stay tune for some proper New York City Burgers by Master Chef Laurent Tourondel.

UPCOMING REVIEW: SUSHI BATTLE BETWEEN MI-NE SUSHI & ITAMAE SUSHI

Happy Eating!

Geoff

Address: 2/f, Hip Hing Building, 15 Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong(中環蘭桂坊15號協興大廈2樓
)

Contact Number: 2525 1308

Quality of Lunch (5* the highest): 3/1/2*

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): **

Website: http://www.diningconcepts.com.hk/newweb/bistecca/index.php

Food Journey #31 - Exotic Lebanese Cuisine at Marouche Grill on Elgin Street

2009-10-30T23:07:00.011+08:00

Happy Halloween everyone and it was also my birthday yesterday evening! Thank you very much for all the messages on twitter, facebook wall messages, SMS's, phone-calls, emails, fax, letters etc.

Every now and then, I love a good old adventure enjoying cuisines that I normally would not eat on a regular basis. I was excited to recieve a press invitation by the ladies behind Marouche Grill for a lunch tasting session. Lebanese Cuisine is also known to be a slightly healthier cuisine due to the amount of vegetables, pickled vegetables, olive oils, herbs, spices & fresh fruits used. Now, let me make this straight & precise and I want to let you guys know just because it is a press invitation, Geoff's Twitchen will always remain true to its roots with brutal honesty on the quality of food in our restaurant reviews. No Bullshit will be allowed on the twitchen!

When I stepped into the restaurant, I was worried that Marouche Grill's business will not last until Christmas as there were 2 table of customers including us on a Monday lunchhour. Very worrying sign and it was exactly like a scene of Ramsay's Kitchen's Nightmare
- http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/ramsays-kitchen-nightmares/

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED DISHES

a) Hommus Beiruty - Chickpea Puree with Hot Pepper, Parsley Tahine & Lemon Juice

b) Hommus - Chickpea Puree with Tahine & Lemon Juice

Above Cold Mezze has made Lebanese cuisine reknowned world-wide and at Marouche Grill, they were the perfect starters to your meal going. To be honest, I could carry on eating this until the end of the meal and have totally lost count on how many slices of Pita bread I had with the Hommus. If you clearly do not care about your health & waistline, you will have the same thinking as myself. The Pita bread was fresh & warm and paired perfect with the hommus and both hommus starters were excellent and were my personal favourites for the meal. I couldnt stop eating this from start to the end of the meal! THUMBS UP!

RECOMMENDED DISHES

a) Grilled Halloumi Cheese served with Fresh Water Melon

Halloumi Cheese is a traditional Cypriot Cheese that is made from a mixture of goat & sheep's milk and due to its high boiling point, most Halloumi cheeses are eaten either grilled or fried. It has a similar texture to Mozzarella but slightly saltier due to the salty water content. Here, the Halloumi Cheese is grilled and is paired with whole sliced Watermelon - a traditional method eaten by the Cypriots and is an exceptionally refreshing dish for the heat of Hong Kong. One slight area of improvement for this dish in my opinion would be to serve up the halloumi cheese & watermelon diced up as it will be much easier to eat. For recipes of such dish, see http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/07/grilling-halloumi-cheese-watermelon-salad-recipe.html.

b) Falafel - Deep Fried Fava Beans & fine herb croquettes served with tahine sauce

For those that commonly are mistaken for what Falafels are, it is a deep fried "ball" made of Fava Beans or Chickpeas and is an extremely popular fastfood & appetiser in the Middle Eastern region. Fava bean falafels are mainly used in Egypt or Sudan region and chickpeas in the Middle Eastern region. As a main dish, falafels are served as a sandwich stuffed in a pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes & tahine sauce. My falafels at Marouche Grill were served alone & drizzled with tahine sauce which I thought would have been better to be served in a pita bread to achieve to double your waistline. The taste was good and it was deep fried to perfection as it was not too greasy with very strong flavours.

DISHES I DIDNT LIKE

Kafta Meshwi - Charcoal grilled skewers of seasoned minced lamb with onion & parsley - Had high hopes when my lunch partner ordered this dish as lamb is signature to Lebanese cuisine. However, was majorly disappointed when the dish arrived:

a) Portion Size were far too small or maybe it was because the chefs decided to reduce the portion sizes due to the nature of the lunch. Priced at HKD170, this was very over-priced.

b) The flavour of the lamb may not be appealing to the Asian crowd as the strong flavour of the lamb over-shadows the onion & parsley flavours

Wark Inab B'Zeit - Wine leaves filled with rice, tomatoes, parsley, min & onion, cooked in lemon juice & olive oil -Had a debate in what to order in between the Grilled King Prawns & Wark Inab B'Zeit and I now regret in not ordering the King Prawns as I wanted to explore something which I do not eat on a regular basis.

Lesson #1 of Eating Out - always choose dishes that you are familiar with at times, think twice about ordering dishes that you are not familar with.

To my palate, this was the only dish whereby I wish I didnt order during this lunch. It was similar to the Chinese dimsum - Steamed Lotus Leaf with Glutinous Rice where I enjoy eating on a regular basis but the Lebanese version was very strange. It was sour by taste due to the lemon & tomatoes & the texture of the rice was also very sticy & slimey which was unusual. Food is a very subjective matter and this dish definitely did not please my palates. If you have different opinion on this, do let me know as everybody has different palates.

Coffee is a big part of Lebanese cuisine and there is a saying that One could Lose their Nationality if they do not drink coffee in Lebanon. Our meal was finished off with a fine Lebanese Coffee (Ahweh or Kahweh) and it is truly a great coffee with thick texture, trong pungent taste & flavour & usually unsweetened and will take some time to adjustif you are a coffee amateur. This has got to be one of the best coffees in town & much much better than the usual commercial junk you get around town.

Overall, an interesting meal as I have not eaten Lebanese cuisine for some time since my times in London in Edgware Road. Slight let down of lunch was the ambiance as the restaurant was very quiet and Wark Inab B'Zeit. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable meal with good flavoured dishes on offer. For those cautious of their calories, watch out for the Pita Bread & Hommus

Happy Eating
Geoff

UPCOMING REVIEW: BISTECCA STEAK HOUSE

Address: 31 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong (中環伊利近街31號)

Contact Number: 2524 4123

Quality & Flavour of Food (5* the highest): ***

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): **

Happy Halloween! Godiva Fall Winter & Halloween Collection

2009-10-28T22:11:00.009+08:00

Lovely sight in Hong Kong to see restaurants & bars all geared up the Halloween Bash and this year, I have decided not to review any restaurants with Halloween menus because of below reasons:

1) All dishes around town look very similar indeed

2) Lack of creativity from restaurants

3) You know that the restaurateurs are just decorating their existing dishes on the menu with a few extra pumpkins, tomatoes and red sauce pretending it was a splash of blood. How un-original

4) Ripping you off with astonishing prices on their set menus

Instead, I recieved a very warming surprise & special delivery from the PR Team of Godiva Chocolatier on their brand new Halloween Collection and their Fall Winter Collection which I must prioritise as Halloween is 2 days away. The beautiful package consisted of the following:

1) Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels - Very interesting taste & flavour as the pretzels are salty flavoured but when drenched in dark chocolate, it provides an interesting chemical reaction. Texture was crunchy and not soggy or too dry which is good. However in my honest opinion, nothing was surprising about this new collection and certainly did not provide myself with a WOW factor. If you ask me, I certainly do not understand why Godiva has become so adventurous in selling such types of product because it will not appeal to the local population. The press release also mentioned the word "IRRESISTABLE", I strongly have doubts on usage of such powerful word.

2) Pumpkin Patch Truffle - I am at this moment eating this and blogging it at the same time. Don't get me wrong, the appearance is definitely very kawaii (Japanese word meaning Cute) as it is literally a golden pumpkin with a green leaf on the outside and once you take a bite, it is filled with a creamy pumpkin-spice ganache.

i) Far too sweet for myself and I am sure the entire population except Americans with a sweet tooth will find the same. If you are a diabetic, watch out as this can potentially harm your health by rocketing your sugar level.

ii) The creamy filling does not pair well with the chocolate and the taste of the chocolate is awful. How I managed to finish this truffle is an unknown mystery. Perhaps, rather than spending all this Marketing budget into packaging & advertising, they should hire a few people of whom will & can taste the chocolates properly before releasing the product into the market. Godiva Team, please do not take this personally.

iii) Charged at a steep price per piece ($135 per 100g), you would expect something rather special about the product and unfortunately, the price tag does not justify the end product.

If you are thinking about purchasing this chocolate for Trick or Treat, I am sure this will scare away all the toddlers & kids around your neighbourhood and will never return to knock on your doors.

3) Fall Gold Collection - Alas, we have come to the best part of the package. Why this is called Fall Gold Collection, I am not too sure as all the traditional Godiva boxes are all golden in colour but this had a special touch added as the box was wrapped with an orange satin ribbon & a "vibrant" ("vibrant" is the word used in press release but that got me thinking, how on earth can a leaf be vibrant) autumn leaf with small berries showcasing the theme of autumn where leaves change their colours.

Back to the chocolates, this is the traditional, classic & true heritage chocolates that I know from Godiva. Simple, delicious, hearty flavours including flavours of caramel, pralines, fruits, nuts, milk & dark chocolates ranging in various chocolate % content etc. Enjoyed every single chocolate in this Fall Gold Collection and what a turn-around in my encounter with Godiva's chocolates this time round.

An extremely elegant gift for your loved ones, family, friends over the festive seasons but my doubt is, will anyone pay $435 to purchase a box for themselves.

The Pretzel & Pumpkin Truffle was definitely a MISS for me but the Fall Collection was a DIVINE. My advice to Godiva Team, please stop dicking around with your chocolates and stay classic as they are your core, best selling products.

PS:: One interesting point from the press release which I recieved regarding the Halloween Collection, there were 2 other Halloween products which were Carre Dark Chocolate & Carre Milk Wafer which I was very interested to review about due to the cool packaging & flavour but was disappointed to find out that the PR Team did not carry such product. Major disappointment!

UPCOMING REVIEW: Exotic Flavours of Marouche Grill on Elgin Street

Quality & Taste for Halloween Products (5* the highest): **

Quality & Taste for Fall Gold Collection (5* the highest): 3/1/2*

Price for Chocolates (5$ = very expensive): ****

Website: http://www.godiva.com.hk/TC/Home/default.asp

Happy Eating Geoff

Food Journey #30 - "Shanghainese" Buffet at Clipper Lounge

2009-10-25T20:38:00.018+08:00

Time flies when you are busy and another year has arrived for the Hairy Crab Season. I was invited by the hotel team to sample Clipper Lounge's latest Shanghainese Lunch Buffet. Least to say, my last visit to Clipper Lounge for a proper was easily 3 yrs ago and majority of my visits were really for their signature & legendary high teas. Before my visit, I was extremely curious on how the setting & food was gonna be and it just turned out to be exactly what I had in mind. Don't get me wrong, it is an interesting approach but the theme of Shanghainese Lunch Buffet could be slightly mis-leading to real Shanghai food lovers. It was a very traditional approach by a hotel group as there technically were only a few handful of dishes that were remotely Shanghainese and the remaining dishes were catered for their regular patrons, hotel guests, tourists etc such as Fresh Sashimi, Seafood Platter, Roast Beef Carving Section etc. If you are heading to Clipper Lounge with the hope of feasting on items like Beggar's Chicken (乞丐雞), Shanghai Style Nian Gao (Shanghai Style Fried Sticky Cake), Drunken Chicken (醉雞), Dan Dan Noodles (Szechuan Spicy Noodle 擔擔麵) etc, you will be disappointed.

Although, it was slightly disappointing that the choices for Shanghainese dishes were minimal, the usual suspects were lying around such as Xian Long Bao, Fried Dumplings, Sweet & Sour Fish Fillet, Shanghainese Stir Fry Noodles etc.

Highly Recommended Dishes / Selections:

To be honest, I didn't really try out the Shanghainese items on offer but instead, what caught my eye was the Sashimi Platter + Sushi Platter + Seafood Platter on offer.

Sashimi Platter - Very ordinary selection with no major surprises such as Salmon, Octopus, Maguro, Ebi, Surf Clam etc. Salmon was extremely fresh and melts in your mouth and I had to enjoy a 2nd round on this. Another bonus point is a kudos to their team on the speed in replenishing the sashimi to ensure they are always fresh from the chef's knives!

Seafood Platter - Oyster from Chile & New Zealand, Mussel, Crab Legs, Crayfish, King Prawns, Whelks were all on offer and special mention must be the Oyster selection as was so fresh that you can still taste the freshness of the sea-water. It is not easy to find restaurants or hotels in Hong Kong that has a good oyster selection but I can definitely recommend Clipper Lounge for this. The sizes of the oyster were also very consistent unlike other hotels or restaurants whereby the oyster sizes for your sea-platter vary a large range in sizes. Another bonus point was the speed in replenishing the seafood platter was a speed of lightning and the seafood was always on offer.

Roast Beef - Another surprise of the lunch was Roast Beef considering I have never been a fan of such item maybe due to the fact that I have eaten this every weekend for the past 15 yrs. However, this roastbeef was a lot better than my previous review on the ClearwaterBay Country club's roastbeef and it matched perfectly well with some good English Mustard The roast beef was tender, pink in just the form I like it.

Bread Basket - Believe it or not, the bread basket was for me the CHEER OF THE DAY and please see below photo of the rectangular shaped bread and a big thumbs up to the pastry chef who baked this fine piece of bread. This in my opinion has got to be one of the finest piece of bakery skills in the whole of Hong Kong as it was warm, soft & extremely floury. I cannot quite work out what it is exactly but it tasted like a combination of a combined scone & muffin. The bread was so delicious that I also finished my lunch partner's share and it has enough reasons for me to return to The Clipper Lounge for another meal.<
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Shanghai Hairy Crabs

The Clipper Lounge Shanghainese Buffet also included a Hairy Crab to each guests and it was quite an experience eating such delicacy as this is the best season for such item. Why are they called Hairy Crab - because they are an extremely hairy crustacean with hard as bristle hair on their legs and their pincers have hair as well, which is as thick as seaweed.

Such crab is a famous delicacy in traditional Shanghai cuisine and us Hong Kongers prey on the female crab roe which is the the GEM and the reason to why people pay thousands of dollars for such yellow or orange crab roe. The crab itself does not have much meat due to its relatively small size and is best served steamed with ginger vinegar sauce. From a Chinese medical perspective, the crab meat is also believed to have a "cooling" effect on the body which balances out the Yin-Yan composition of a body. One note on eating this, watch out on your cholestrerol levels.

Since the hairy crabs at the Clipper Lounge were complimentary to all guests, I didnt expect the crabs to be full of surprises. The Captain brought us the crabs skipping step 1 as below which was fundamental to ensure to guests the freshness of the crab. The size of crabs were relatively small which was disappointing BUT when I cracked open the cover, there was SO MUCH CRAB ROE which I was very pleased with. The flavour of the crab roe was extremely fresh & pungent and it was a definite treat on eating such delicacy. Very little meat in the hairy crab but again, who cares as I am a crab roe lover!

Steps in Eating a Hairy Crab!

1) Place the hairy crab flat on your table so that you both should be looking at each other as you want a crab that is alive and kicking.

2) Steam the Crab for 20 mins with simply ginger & herbs and should be more than ready!

3) Take off the crab cover and if you crab is a female specimen, you should find all the golden roe and get tucked in.

4) Pull off the crab legs and snap the legs in two. Use your chopstick to gently push the crab meat out or you can also suck out the meat. This is where you taste all the flavourful, sweet chunks of crab meet and please eat everything aside from the lungs, a brown coloured fat sac & intestines.

5) Beware that most of the juiciest flesh are in the claws and please ask your server for a delicate cracker to open this part.

6) Best wine pairing with Hairy Crab must be Chinese Hua Diao Wine or Sherry.

Key areas to improve are:

a) As a leading 5-star hotel operator reknowned for its services to guests, I found the service during the lunch slightly unattentive at times especially the speed in changing used plates & refilling hot water for my Chinese Tea considerably slow at time. Perhaps some of the speed in replenishing the seafood & sashimi can be transformed to this area.

b) Level of English ability from staff has areas of improvement as the Food Captain was explaining to us on how to eat a Hairy Crab and I honestly did not understand 50% of what she was mumbling about. Imagine what would a demanding hotel guest react to her mumbling! Not Good!

Despite what was a Shanghainese Buffet theme was perhaps slightly misleading as majority of the dishes on offer were not remotely Shanghainese. Nonetheless, the quality of the other dishes on offer were extremely fresh & full of flavours and I do highly recommend our fellow readers to check out the lunch buffet at Clipper Lounge. Remember, do try out the bread basket as that was the gem of the lunch experience at Clipper Lounge.

UPCOMING REVIEW: GODIVA FALL COLLECTION & HALLOWEEN CHOCOLATES

Address: Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong (中環干諾道中5號香港文華東方酒店閣樓
)
Tel: 2825 4007

Food Quality (5* the highest): 3*

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): ****

Website: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/dining/bars_and_lounge/clipper_lounge/

Food Journey #29 - Spanish Fiesta Lunch at TAPEO

2009-10-19T22:10:00.017+08:00

Wandering around Wyndham Street can always turn out to be quite a fun activity during lunch hours as there are restaurants in each & every single block with busy executives munching & drinking their way at speed of lightning to make their way back to office by 2pm. Typical lunch, I was doing my usual patrol around the hood and I decided to pay a visit to this little spot TAPEO which is not the easiest place to notice.

What appealed me was that first of all, something about Open Kitchens that really excites me as I love the smell of fresh food being grilled, cooked, deep fried, sauteed etc and a team of chefs preparing all the food for the diners. Tapeo is a very interesting. Look at the wonderful photos below and especially the very smokey photo of the mackerals being grilled, for me, that is the best part of culinary adventures is to see professional chefs doing their magic! At Tapeo, whatever you order, the chefs will prepare all your orders in front of you (aside from the desserts) and the only downside is that the ventilation system must be improved as I left the restaurant with a very strong smell of grilled food which is not the best!

First of all, I want to share with you all the best part of the meal which was the Jamon Serrano - a dry cured Spanish ham served raw in slices also known as Mountain Ham. Traditionally, the hams are trimmed & thinly sliced, best served in room temperature. Do not be mistaken with the Jamon Serrano with the Jamon Iberico as it is an entirely different breed and Jamon Iberico is also much more expensive. Originally, the Jamon Serrano was meant to be for "tasting" but somehow, we ended up finishing the whole platter as the taste was purely savoury & divine. For $98 per platter at Tapeo, this is not a bad deal at all

Now, on the rest of the meal, want to share with you the best part of the meal:

Pulpo a La Gallega - Gently Confit Octopus with Capers & Paprika - This is one of the 10 dishes to try when you are travelling in Spain and is Galicia's signature dish. The octopus was slowly braised for 3-4 hours and cooked & reheated in virgin olive oil with a mixture of Spanish sea-salt, paprika & capers. This was my favourite dish of the day as the it is very difficult that the texture of the octopus is so tender & chewy and it was a special dish at Tapeo. (See recipe - http://gospain.about.com/od/fooddrink/ss/topspanishfood_2.htm)

Lamb with Tomato & Spices - Grilled Lamb with Cayenne Pepper, Paprika & Chilli - The lamb is slowly grilled and is served in skewers along with halved cherry tomatoes. The flavour of the spices was extremely fragrant and the flavour of the lamb is alsy very strong. The combination of cayenne pepper, paprika & chilli gave this dish an extra kick for sure and this is a perfect snack to pair with an ice-cold beer after-work. Despite the positive side of this dish, priced at $68 for 2 skewers, perhaps 2 more skewers shall justify.

Crispy Pork Belly with Quince Alioli - Slowly roasted pork with a Quince Garlic Mayonnaise - This was also a typical Spanish Tapas served and watching the fat slab of the pork belly being slowly roasted was a good source of entertainment. The flavours & the smell coming from the open kitchen is something that every foodie should be drooling over. Never have been a big fan of Pork ever in my life but since it was highly recommended by the chef, I gave this dish a shot and to my surprise, I enjoyed very bite of it asit wasnt extremely oily & fatty that I thought it would be. The pork belly was extremely crispy which was the best part of it. The Quince Alioli - in simple terms - an apple garlic mayonnaise which to my palate was a good pairing with the pork belly but for a garlic lover like myself, my advice for Tapeo is, please more garlic as the garlic mayo isnt very garlic flavoured.

Other dishes which we also tried out was the Gazpacho - cold Spanish Tomato based raw vegetable soup which as originated from the southern region of Andalucia. a very refreshing cold "soup" to start off your meal for sure especially in the heat of Hong Kong. The bread basket was also very fresh & warm and the mix of warm bread & ice-cold Gazpacho provided an interesting chemistry.

Chorizo & Tomato - Sauteed in sherry vinegar, parsley & spring onions. I have never been a fan of Spanish Chorizo as the texture is far too similar to the Chinese Dried Sausauges (Lap Chuen 臘腸) therefore I am definitely not too keen on this dish. The sauce of the dish was tasty and best for your bread dipping and my recommendation is more parsley should be chopped & used in this dish for a stronger intensive flavour

Manchego Cheese & Honey - This should have been a starter in the traditional Spanish cuisine but however, I decided to eat this as a dessert. Manchego Cheese is a sheep's milk cheese, produced in the La Mancha region of Spain. Normally aged for 3 months or longer, this cheese has a very sharp taste, slightly salty but not too strong, similar to a feta cheese. Traditional method in consuming Manchego Cheese is to serve on toasted bread with drizzled olive oil - AHHHH -- these Spanish people do know how to eat like a king! Cheese & Honey pairing is a interesting pairing but again, I normally prefer my cheese with some form of carbs therefore this dish can be improved if some sort of bread or crackers are served together.

It was a very plesant experience to have a relaxing lunch in the middle of Central. Friendly & courteous service and it definitely has that home-feeling especially staff tries to strike a conversation every now & then. Food is hearty & very well presented with good flavours especially the open kitchen is a joy whilst you are waiting your food. However, the ventilation system must be improved and should also consider about enlarging some of the portion sizes as the Hong Kongers may find the portion size a little too small even though it is meant to be a Tapas. Aside from two minor issues, I do recommend this venue to my readers and I shall also revisit this place duly!

Happy Eating!

Geoff

UPCOMING REVIEW: Shanghainese Buffet at The Clipper Lounge at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Address: 19 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong (中環荷李活道19號)

Tel: 31711989

Food Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2/*

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): **

Website: http://www.conceptcreations.hk/

Food Journey #28 - One Night in Happy Valley

2009-10-18T18:30:00.015+08:00

Ever since my mother has relocated to Happy Valley, I have done my part to regularly visit many different restaurants in the neighbourhood to find interesting restaurants or venues for Geoff's Twitchen. Curiously asked my colleagues at work in which whether there are any interesting venues in Happy Valley which does a good curry as I was craving for curry throughout the morning & afternoon. Colleague responded that The Chapel Bar located Yik Yum Street apparently does the "Best Curry in Hong Kong" and is a must try. With such response, I visited The Chapel Bar to check out -- noted in inverted commans "best curry in Hong Kong" and my lord, I have never had anything as bad as this. No disrespect to my colleague or anything, but it was just purely utter sh*t!

Recommended Dishes

There were simply no recommended dishes from we ordered on the evening therefore enough said!

NOT Recommended Dishes

The food was so bad which I do not even know where to start. We ordered a traditional Chicken Tikka, Lamb Vindaloo (with 5 chilli signs on the menu), 1 portion of Garlic Naan Bread, 1 portion of Balsmati Rice & 1 bottle of Singha Beer. We waited for the take-away for around 15 - 20 mins which I was fairly impatient about and when it arrived, I thought - "this better be good". Opened up the boxes when arrived at flat, see below photos and all it is is just a big aluminium tin with lots of curry sauce and a few cutlets of lamb & chicken.

What was Wrong?
*
Everything was wrong about the curry! It tasted sour and far too much tomatoes were used in the cooking process. The curry sauce was far too "watery"!

*Portions were far too small for the price of $80 per portion
*
Both Chicken & Lamb was a disaster, both had no taste & was flavourless. I wonder where did The Chapel sourced such rubbish products.
*
Never knew that the Balsmati Rice was that expensive at $28 per bowl which was so small that I probably needed an extra 3 bowls for my usual meals
*
Garlic Naan Bread tasted more like a regular Naan Bread. It was only when I diced up so garlic from the kitchen made it tasted more like a Garlic Naan Bread
*
The good old Vindaloo gave me a a runny stomach all night and I dont want to go into much details on the aftermath

To sum up, the whole meal was so so bad that even at such small portion sizes, I could not finish the meal. I dont think I have ever had bad experiences with every single dish which I ordered and the Chapel Bar must be the first to achieve such standings. I have had much better experiences with Indian food in Hong Kong at venues such as Gunga Dins, Bombay Dreams, Gaylord, Curry Houses in Chung King Mansion and to have recieved such "best curry in Hong Kong" comment from a colleague of mine is a fellow foodie who recommended this visit was an embarrasement.

The Chapel Bar in Happy Valley may be a good chilled out place to have a few beers, I vow never to return there again for food

Address: 27 Yik Yum Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong (跑馬地奕蔭街27號地下)
Tel: 2834-6565

Food Quality (5* the highest): 0*

Price for Dinner (5$ = very expensive): **

Wasakuraya 和櫻屋

No disrespect to The Chapel Bar, the meal above wasn't enough for me so I wandered out with my partner for some dessert to fill us up whereby we got attracted by the bright lights at Wasakuraya (http://www.wasakuraya.com.hk/index.html) , a small Japanese dessert house which serves up traditional Japanese style puddings. Just like my previous journey to Tai Hang area in earlier posts on Geoff's Twitchen, my evening was rescued by this visit to Wasakuraya.

Had a good chat with the staff and found out that all of the ingredients are all freshly imported from Japan such as eggs & milk from Hokkaido to ensure the best quality puddings are produced.

Highly Recommended Puddings:

*Sesame Flavoured Custard Pudding -- Not too sweet and very strongly sesame flavoured!

*Green Tea Flavoured Custard Pudding -- This was my personal favourite and for me, this is a better & slightly healthier substitute to a green-tea flavoured ice-cream. The green tea flavours was so pungent and the custard was smooth as silk. PERFECT!

*Classic flavoured Custard Pudding with Chestnut syrup -- This was my partner's favourite and her comment was similar to mine above. The custard pudding was smooth & creamy.

After finishing the Greentea flavoured custard pudding by myself, I also tried out my other 2 highly recommended custard puddings. My firm conclusion is that the usage of the eggs & milk from Hokkaido makes a huge difference in the taste. Such a simple dessert but yet with such intense flavours, this has become one of my recent favourite dessert places around the neighbourhood and I shall return very shortly.

Point to Note:: Hokkaido has become almost synonymous and is ranked the #1 region in Japan with gourmet food given the rich variety of dairy products and fresh seafood to be found on the island located in Japan's northern most regions. High quality & production of dairy products such as butter, cheese, ice-cream, yoghurt whereby most of the products are now exported to many countries around the world. If you are travelling to Hokkaido, please do check out, purchase & EAT their dairy products, it is heavenly! Hokkaido is also extremely infamous for its seafood such as Matsuba crabs, Uni (Sea Urchin), Botan Shrimp etc & its glorious weather!

Address: 1, Fung Fai Terrace, Happy Valley, Hong Kong (跑馬地鳳輝臺1號地下A舖)

Tel: 2575 3328

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for Dessert (5$ = very expensive): ****

UPCOMING REVIEW -- Fancy some Spanish Tapas at TAPEO on Wyndham Street?

Happy Eating!

Geoff

Food Journey #27 -- Cafe Oasis of Clearwater Bay Country Club

2009-10-13T22:10:00.043+08:00

An escape to the country-side on a fine Sunday in Hong Kong is always a brilliant outing. Out goes the skyscrapers, exhaust fumes and a big welcome to the countryside and the beauty of the green & blue colours of the hills, trees & the sea. ClearwaterBay Country Club has always been a hidden gem in the dining scenes of Hong Kong as 1) it is a private club 2) it s a major trek to drive all the way to the club. The Chinese Restaurant & the Cafe - Cafe Oasis are both a joy to visit and a few Sundays ago, we decided to hit the cafe once again to check out the Mid Autumn Festival Buffet which at HKD168, all you can eat, what a bargain!

Appetiser Buffet -- An abundance of choices including Fresh Mussels, Crayfish, Prawns, Crab Leg, Smoke Salmon, Variety of Salads, Italian Peppers, Fresh Pate on Toast, Meat Platter including Parma Ham, Salami, Ham which was indeed very attractive. The appetiser buffet itself had many items which I like and this itself can carry me through the whole meal without advancing to the mains. The taste was good, the seafood selection was fresh and the smoke salmon was a joy. This appetiser buffet was much better than the Antipasti Buffet which I had in my Food Journey #25a.

Downside to the buffet was that there was presence of a plate of Lo Shui (鹵水) or in real English, Marinated Tofu & Goose which was purely bizarre. Had no idea what this had to do with Mid Autumn Festival and it just some-how does not fit with other dishes on offer. Very strange!

Mains -- Wide variety of mains on show featuring the likes of Roast Beef, a Tum Yum Goong Noodle Corner, Roasted Pigeon, Tandoori Salmon, Pasta Carbonara, Soup of the Day which was Mushroom Soup, Chinese Dim Sum including the likes of Spring Rolls, Pork Dumplings, Chicken & Mushroom Pies. However, the food was very geared towards the Expat Community therefore definitely not a very traditional Mid Autumn Festival dishes on offer.

Three very important dishes which I want to point out -

Roast Pigeons are A MUST TRY - however, due to my audience being mainly Western therefore I decided not to upload such explict image of the pigeon. The pigeons are roasted as soon as you order therefore the skin & meat is very crispy & tender.

Roast Beef Corner - The carving section for the roast beef consisted of a small trolley with this fat piece of roast beef and condiments on the side. The roast beef was nicely pink in the middle meaning that the centre of the joint is warmed but not fully booked which is the real traditional roast beef. Traditionally, roast beef is best served with Mint but I like the unauthentic approach which is mustard & ketchup. Never liked Yorkshire Puddings before but at ClearwaterBay Country Club, they do a Yorkshire Pudding which is very rare in Hong Kong.

Tom Yum Goong - So far, I have talked about the good sides of the lunch and the major let down was the Tom Yum Goong and it was truly painful to eat this. Traditionally, Tom Yum is characterised by its hot & sour flavours and is quite possibly Thailand's best well known export. Your usual Tom Yum Gong will consist of Prawns, Chicken, Fish, Mixed Seafood and plentiful of Coriander as garnish. The Clearwater Bay Country Club version was simply very different to any other versions which I have ever had as 1) it didnt taste like Tom Yum Goong and tasted rather more like a Chinese Styled Noodle, 2) The spices were definitely heavily used as the taste was extremely pungent 3) Colour of the broth does not look anything like a regular Tom Yum Goong which should be yellow & red colour-ish. Very disappointed to what was a very decent brunch!

Dessert Buffet

This along with Tom Yum Goong was the major let down of the brunch experience at Clearwater Bay Country Club. Cheese cake, Tiramisu, Cone Ice-Cream, Chocolate Mousse Cake, Fresh Fruit, Minature Chicken Pies were all on offer but however, it all lacked substance & taste. Wouldnt go into too much details on the desserts as it was plain and definitely was not worth writing to home about. My strongest recommendation & hope is that ClearwaterBay Country Club will allocate resources and hire a half decent pastry chef, that can significantly improve.

Clearwater Bay Country Club is a members only club similar nature to the Hong Kong Football & Cricket Club which I have also previously visited for the Sunday Brunches. In my opinion, food quality here is better than both clubs and my overall brunch experience at ClearwaterBay Country Club has significantly improved from my previous numerous occasions eating here. Even though the so-called Mid Autumn Festival Brunch was not very authentic in anyway, the overall quality of the food has improved and there is also a much wider variety of dishes on offer which marks as an improvement.

A special point to mention is that for some very odd reason, I find that the Stellas (Stella Artois) are always much tastier in the club, could it be because I am drinking this on a Sunday morning?

UPCOMING REVIEW ON GEOFF's TWITCHENN : An Evening in Happy Valley!

Address: 139 Tai Au Mun Road, Clearwater Bay , New Territories, Hong Kong

Tel: 2335 3725

Food Quality (5* the highest): ***

Price for Dinner (5$ = very expensive): ** (Cheap Meal because you have to pay for a STEEP Monthly Membership Fee)

Happy Eating!

Geoff

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT & BREAKING NEWS

2009-10-13T17:20:00.006+08:00

If your Birthday is this month, you are one lucky bugger just like myself. Just recieved this eDM from Awfully Chocolate, very decent chocolate cakes & ice-cream with locations in Causeway Bay & Caine Road. Please visit Awfully Chocolate on 28 October at 8pm sharp and the first 100 people will recieve a FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE. This is very exciting stuff indeed and see you all there! Happy Eating! Geoff View Larger Map

Food Journey #26 - Dim Sum The Art Of Chinese Tit Bits (譽滿坊)

2009-10-11T13:24:00.024+08:00

Have been exceptionally busy this week at work and thus, haven't had the time to blog about my previous adventure. For a change this round, I will be blogging about Chinese Cuisine with a peculiar name of Dim Sum The Art of Chinese Tit Bits located the heart of Happy Valley. Our group visited this restaurant on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival and it was definitely worth every dollar spent. Chinese cuisine is not something which I particularly enjoy every so often as I always find it very time-consuming & greasy. My experience at Dim Sum The Art of Chinese Tit Bits changed me to have 2nd thoughts on this perception and it is a restaurant whereby I will re-visit very soon. Ambiance: Very traditionally Chinese styled restaurant in Happy Valley with wooden chairs & tables and even accessories such as teapots are also very authentic. Not a very large spaced restaurant but nonetheless, it was very cosy and our visit on the evening wasnt too busy which was perfect for the occasion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED & MUST ORDER Dishes: 1) Chinese Soya Chicken (Signature Dish): Flavourful, Tender, Succulent and one word -- MARVELLOUS. Can totally see why this is the signature dish and why a 3-day in advance pre-order for this chicken is required. Only question which I have is, since the restaurant used a fresh chicken for this dish, I wonder how much more the taste will further improve if an organic chicken was used? 2) Steamed Fish Maw Stuffed with Minced Shrimp: This was a dish cooked to perfection -- the steamed fish maw was very tender & soft and the portion of the minced shrimp was very generous. The shrimp was also very sharp & fresh in flavour which was extremely important. Portion sizes were just perfect and everybody on the table at least had 1 portion. Ladies out there - fish maw is mainly consumed by woman as a source of collagen which is good for your skin! 3) Steamed Cod Fish: This sounds & appears like a very simple dish but yet I have seen many restaurants totally screw up on this. Key area is not to over-steam the cod fish or else the fish will become very dense & flakey which is not something you want. The timing of the steaming procedure was spot on and apparently, the soya sauce used on the fish is a secret recipe from the restaurant. This is the sort of dish I am happy with to pair with a bowl of rice! 4) Prawn Dumpling: Sounds very odd to have dim-sum at night time but this restaurant serves it up in style. At $35 a pop at 2 Prawn Dumplings, they better be good dumplings and I was not disappointed. The Prawns were MASSIVE, I mean absolutely massive and you know it is fresh prawns by thd freshness of it. Slight let down was the pastry was slightly too thick which is not to my liking. Perfect pairing for this will be some Gui Lin Chilli Sauce. Should Try Dishes: 1) Vegetable Stew: Refreshing, Healthy, Fresh vegetables boiled together with ZERO OIL CONTENT in the broth. Enough said. There is a sense of pure-ness about the broth and unlike many other vegetable stews around town, I am very certain this does not contact any MSG content. 2) Fried Scallops with Broccoli: This was a hit & miss dish because the broccoli's were skill-fully cooked as it was not tough & to the stage of difficulty to chew. However, the scallops were the let down as you can still taste the frozen flavour as it was literally just been taken out from the freezer in the kitchen. Disappointment! 3) Fried Egg with Prawns & Scallops: Egg dishes are always my #1 choice of comfort food when one is extremely hungover and I can never get bored of such dishes. Again, the prawns are generously large & fresh but the scallops were same as above which you can taste the frozen flavour out of it. Nonetheless, regardless of the scallops, this is my favourite dish to go out steamed rice with a dash of Gui Lin Chilli Sauce! Dishnes NOT TO Order! 1) Chinese Style Lobster & Shark Fin Clam Chowder -- When I first ordered this, everything was the name of this dish was attractive and thinking it was HKD35 per bowl, what an absolutel steal. When I got the bill, realising that it was $85 per bowl, I was stunned. This was claimed to be the restaurant's signature dish and I really did not see why this was so highly praised. The Clam Chowder was extremely watery unlike the thickness of the American style Clam Chowders. On top, it was extremely difficult to find or even locate where the lobsters were. MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT but if you have a fat wallet with cash lying around, please go ahead and order this. 2) Pork Siu Mai's (Pork Dumplings) -- I took one bite of this and was not pleased about it. It was extremely greasy and the taste of an inch of oil in your mouth is not very appealing. The Pig's skin that is used on the top of the pork-ball was in my opinion very grotesque. I dont think this will be the sort of dim-sum which the expat community in Happy Valley will be pleased to see. One should never regret about food but this dish is something which I will always regret in ordering. Our overall experience was very pleasant and it is the new discovery of Happy Valley. This restaurant has also become the hub of the Japanese and foreign expat community. Good hearty food along with flavourful Chinese tea is the key attraction. However, eating at this restaurant can be considerably pricey and some of their prices cna rival a 5 to 6 Star Hotel Chinese restaurants. Do check out the restaurant and let me know whether you think it is worth the money! NEXT UPCOMING REVIEW ON GEOFF's TWITCHEN : CLEARWATERBAY COUNTRY CLUB SUNDAY BUFFET Happy Eating & Drinking! Geoff Address: G/F, 63 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong (跑馬地成和道63號地下) Tel: 2834 - 8893 Food Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2* Price for Dinner (5$ = very expensive): ***
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Food Journey #25c - Final Round of Italian Lunch Experience at Cecconi's Italian

2009-10-07T22:10:00.012+08:00

After 3 rounds of Italian lunch experience during past week, we have a clear WINNER in my opinion on the best italian lunch and the WINNER GOES TO.......CECCONI's Italian located on Elgin Street, Central. Reasons to why they beat Pizza Express & Isola, it is unpretentious, good quality food, cosy atmosphere (during lunch hours) and good price & speed for lunch which is vital. Was extremely impressed with their set lunches which I recommend you to try out and I hope they do not rotate their set lunches on a weekly basis.

In fact, this is my 2nd visit to Cecconi's Italian, my 1st visit consisted of a Caesar Salad which doesnt say much about a restaurant but for the review, a feast must be required to try the real quality of food. $98 for a 2 course set lunch in Central is fairly decent considering the food definitely justifies the price tag.

Fresh Foccacia -- Dont be decieved by the photo below as I know the presentation looks very dull. However, the bread was warm when it arrived which is just the way we Asians like it and you can still smell the freshness of the foccacia. Drizzle this with fresh Tuscan Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, this foccacia was a perfect carbohydrate boost after the morning madness at work.

Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola Dressing & Walnuts -- After watching this food related program on TVB Pearl one night regarding the amount of calories contained in a Caesar Salad, deliberately stayed away from this on the set lunch menu and opt for this instead. Spinach has extremely high amounts of Calcium, Iron and other sources of Vitamins thus making spinach a highly nutritious product. The amount of Gorgonzola dressing on the spinach salad was just the amount which I like, very moderate amount thus and it was extremely flavourful. The shaved Parmesan cheese also added more flavors to the salad and as a passionate cheese lover, this was my very typical salad. Not to keen on the walnuts but nevertheless, it paired very well with the spinach. Very refreshing salad to kick off your meal and my next course was simply spectacular!!!!!!!!!!

Pan seared salmon with a cucumber salad and balsamic-- Having been a salmon murderer for the past 10 years, this has always been on the top of my list wherever I go for lunch or dinner as i) the nutritional values are high ii) a perfect pan-seared or grilled salmon has always been a form of art to myself. Such cripsy skin on the outside but yet, so moist & pink on the inside, it is truly the best form of fish that the world has in my opinion. There are a few restaurants around town whereby I highly recommend a Grilled Salmon -- RED SoHo does a mean grilled salmon, H One also does a fairly decent Atlantic Salmon Steak but in my opinion, Cecconi's italian wins the tournament.

Pan Seared is a very interesting technique commonly used by chef which focuses on cooking the surface of the food product at high temperature which it caramelises the skin. Such searing technique is often said to lock the juices in the salmon, giving it a moist & pink texture.

The Pan-seared Salmon here was definitely one of the best I have had in town as it has all the above points mentioned. So juicy yet so crispy on the outside. However, I feel that the pairing with cucumber was slightly odd as it would have been better to pair with a Tomato Salsa or even just simple Green Salads on the side. Cucumbers are just simply boring and flavourless. Nonetheless, this was a wonderful dish and it was truly enjoyable!

Crumbled Chicken Leg with Napoli & Mozzarella-- This was the dish ordered by my friend on the day but however, she could not complete the portion due to the huge portion being served. I took 2 bites of the chicken leg and was equally impressed. The chicken was extremely tender, not greasy & the melted cheese was extremely pungent & flavourfull and the pairing together is the equivalent to Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. BRAVO!

However, not your average dish which you may order unless you havent had breakfast in the morning as the chicken leg was rather large, so large that it looked like it was mutated.

If you are looking for a lunch venue with good quality food & very economical, do check out Cecconi's Italian on Elgin Street. Highly recommended for the quality of dishes but one warning, service may be sloppy at times as I had to speak to our server 3 times for the Fresh Foccacia. Definitely worth the money paid despite the set lunch was only $98 and you can see why they are the winner of the Italian Lunch Journey in Hong Kong.

Now comes the end of the Italian Lunch Journey, watch out for the next review of a restaurant with a humourous name -- 譽滿坊 Dim SumThe Art Of Chinese Tit Bits

Happy Eating & Drinking!

Ciao

Geoff

Address: G/F, 43 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong (中環伊利近街43號地下
)
Tel: 2147 5500

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): **

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Food Journey #25b - Part II "Italian" Lunch Experience at Pizza Express

2009-10-06T22:01:00.010+08:00

Have been busy recently and have not had the luxury on blogging in the past few days in regards to my continuous food journey on an Italian lunch experience. Certainly, my previous posting on Isola has stopped a few of my fellow readers & friends in placing a reservation for lunch & dinner -- wise choice.

Noticed how I have put in inverted commas "Italian" on this journey to Pizza Express in Wan Chai Ship Street, just off J-Residence. I have never believed Pizza Express as an Italian restaurant and my perception of it has always been a premium class of Dominos with seatings & waiters / waitresses. But afterall, it is a place that does 2 key Italian Dishes -- P & P (Pizza & Pasta) therefore I shall include them as part of this review and boy, I was actually rather impressed on this Saturday afternoon meal.

Original plan for lunch was to visit Dressed Salad again, just off QRE Plaza, as I wanted something light for the day. No idea to how we ended up at Pizza Express which is around 3 blocks down the road but nevermind!

The restaurant itself is situated in a rather intimate & quite corner of Wan Chai therefore a wonderful setting on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Opened up the menu and was attracted by the "Pink Revolution Menu" which is 2 courses at HKD168 in which $8 will be donated to the charity organisation whether you believe it or not.

Carpaccio Di Salmone Affumicato -- The first taste of salmon carpaccio was surprisingly very fresh even though when it first landed on the table, it looked as it had been drenched in the olive oil for some time. The salmon slices were drizzled with Tuscan olive oil and are simply flavoured with dill, capers & lemon.The 3 baked dough balls were strongly pesto flavoured and are best eaten when you dip the dough balls into the Tuscan olive oil along with the salmon carpaccio. Such a simple, hearty but yet exquisite dish to start off the whole meal.

First course was completed and my point of view towards Pizza Express has slightly changed as I never thought a kids friendly place can serve up good quality food as such. Something was missing and the key link was a glass of Prosecco. Noticed on the "Pink Revolution Menu" that during the promotion period, you can now purchase a glass of Prosecco for $8. Hold on a second -- $8, you gotta be joking me and can one even drink this stuff. Full of questions & question marks in my mind, I decide to give this a shot and to my surprise, this was worth every $8 and the taste was not bad at all. Next time when you are low on cash or living towards the end of month and want to get drunk, ring Pizza Express's door bell and $8 is very worthy of such.

Main course was a Penne Al Salmone and in English, Salmon Penne with Carbonara Sauce. Overall quality of the dish is moderate and the good points are that it is not drenched in carbonara sauce and the generous portions of fresh salmon on top of the appetiser. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and do eat this with generous amount of parmesan cheese + tabasco, my personal secret recipe for a delicious pasta dish. However, the quality of the actual pasta was poor and the texture of the pasta was not very fresh which was slightly disappointing but overall, it was impressive.

We were however still a bit hungry after the first 2 courses therefore, we decided on the traditional approach and ordered a Neopolitan thin crusted pizza topped with Prosciutto Ham, Ricotta, Parmsesan, Rosemary and Polenta Base. Also want to use this opportunity to clarify the on-going myth on that Deep-Pan Thick Crusted Pizzas are NOT ITALIAN STYLE Pizzas therefore please do not even attempt to order such item in an Italian restaurant or else you will be left red-faced. As you can see from the photo below, the chef was extremely generous with the Prosciutto & Ricotta Cheese as they were literally overflowing on the pizza. Kudos to the Chef on this!

My personal recommendation on a pizza like this must be eaten in the following manner: a) Please eat using your hands and for god's sake, please DO NOT use knives & forks as you will make an even bigger mess than using your hands. Pizza is a comforting & non-pretentious food item!

b) Always Overdose on your Parmesan Cheese as it is quite possibly the best pairing in the world. Enough said!

c) For those that like a spice kick, please also be generous on the tabasco on your slice.

Combination of above 3 will give you a deadly combination!

Overall, the meal was very enjoyable and my whole perception towards Pizza Express has changed 180 degrees. I was extremely impressed with the quality of food, service & setting of the Wan Chai Shop. The bill came at 1/2 the price to the rubbish which I ate in the other fellow Italian restaurant in my previous posting and I was an extremely happy man walking out of this place. Pizza Express, I shall return!

Address: G/F, 10 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (灣仔永豐街10號
)
Tel: 3528 0541

Food Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2*

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): 1/1/2*

Food Journey #25a -- Part I -- Italian Lunch Experience (Isola Bar & Grill)

2009-10-04T21:33:00.010+08:00

An old favourite of mine but however, after this visit, I will have to have 2nd thoughts on this. Purpose of the lunch was a client meeting but I was not impressed with the food quality and service and was rather red-faced with the overall impression left.

Best Part of the meal was the bread basket & the main course (grilled sole fillet). The bread basket was fresh, warm, just the way I liked it. The main course was a grilled sole fillet with fresh asparagus, a slightly healthy alternative choice on the menu selection rather than the usual pizza, risotto, pasta and the sole fillet was cooked very well. A dash of lemon was vital to give the sole fillet a good kicking with the slight citrus flavour.

Now comes the disappointment:

The infamous Antipasti Buffet used to my favourite part with such an abundance of food selection which often tickles my fancy including fresh salmon, prosciutto, italian cold cut, grilled Italian peppers, salad, seafood salad, etc. As soon as we approached the buffet area, I had a sense that there was something different this time round. The salad leaves looked very dull & liveless, the salmon was colourless unlike its usual bright orange colour, the prosciutto appeared the quality which one can shop for at Wellcome or ParknShop. The quantity of items also have decreased which didnt leave us with much choices to choose from. Our client also appeared slightly disappointed after I was raving about the quality of Isola's lunch - NOT A GOOD START!

To top up, our client ordered a Mushroom Risotto which was the worst of the bunch. The Arborio rice was still fairly uncooked, it lacked the creaminess of an usual risotto and the lack of Parmaggiano did not help the case either. The dish was definitely not up to my client's standards as she only completed 1/2 the portion and I bluntly asked her to allow myself to try a spoonful and she was right, it was purely bland and boring! TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT

For Dolci, our disappointment was turned into anger. Approached the dessert area and the cakes & cheese selection looked extremely dull and appeared like it had been lying on the same spot since Isola first opened up its doors. Completely switched off my appetite and hoped the final piece of jigsaw - cup of Ice Coffee could rescue the meal. Well, when you can screw up a coffee, that says something about the restaurant. Coffee arrived without sugar and took us around 10 mins to recieve the sugar and during the process, the services from their waiters & waitresses were extremely unattentive.

A so-called Corporate Venue for a Corporate Lunch, this was not an experience or food which I expected. Hello, maybe you are ripping off the Investment Bankers & Lawyers working in IFC but please do something about the quality of your lunch. Simply do not understand how the standard, service, food quality for such venue located in Hong Kong's premium shopping centre have dropped their standards so dramatically. For the price of HKD248 per head, Isola, you were once one of my favourite Italian restaurant in town but now you are the weakest link, good bye!

Happy Eating for now!

Geoff

Address: Level 3, ifc Mall, 1 Harbour View Street, Central, Hong Kong (中環港景街1號國際金融中心商場3樓3071-3075號舖)

Tel: 2383-8765

Food Quality (5* the highest): *

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): 3/1/2*

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Food Review -- Fairy Cakes (Cup-cakes)

2009-10-01T11:44:00.021+08:00

Colleague of mine from work knows that I have recently started off my own personal food blog Geoff's Twitchen and has invited me to try out her fresh home-baked cup cakes which I promised I will do a review on it. Never been a fan of cup-cakes due to all the cream & butter and personal favourite even at this moment is Muffins & Scones -- just not cup-cakes. On top, I have heard many positive comments from our other colleagues on the quality & appearance of her home-baked cup-cakes therefore a review session was necessary.

Monday morning at work, I was given a plesant surprise. My colleague brought me a beautiful cup-cake box which included 6 cup-cakes of 3 flavours. Packaging & appearance was extremely impressive considering it was home-made therefore kudos to her on putting such effort and I can smell a business opportunity on this shortly. However, the most important factor still is decided by the flavour & taste of the cup-cakes regardless of the packaging and appearance.

Chocolate Cup Cakes -- This was a simple and pure Chocolate Cup-Cake with rice crispies garnished on the top. The flavour of the Chocolate was rich which is delicious providing you have a sweet tooth and it wasnt too sweet which is perfect for the Hong Kongers's palate. The texture of the cup-cake was very dense which was disappointing and the crispies were slightly stale maybe due to the reason that I have left the cup-cakes for a whole day in office before tasting it. Overall, it was worth a try especially for those that love indulging into Chocolate.

Rating:: 2/3

Quality of CupCake: ***

Banana Cup Cake: Topped with Almonds, this Banana Cup-Cake was my personal favourite. The Banana Cake was delicious as the texture and flavour reminded me of child-hood memories from Banana Cakes that we used to purchase in bakeries. This simply was very mouth-watering and my highly recommended cup-cake out of the 3 flavours. Areas of improvement will be to perhaps too add more bananas to enhance the banana flavour. One ironic comment which I want to highlight is that this Cup-Cake would have been perfecto if there wasnt any cream in the cake but however, all cup-cakes have to contain some sort of cream, correct? Highly recommended for sure!

Rating:: 1/3

Quality of CupCake: 3/1/2*

Coffee Flavoured Cupcake: With a big dash of Coffee flavoured cream on the top of the cup-cake, the appearance of this cake wasnt tempting myself in any way but Kudos must be given to my colleague that it was a very cute cup-cake indeed, very professionally baked & decorated.

Areas for Improvement

*The Coffee flavour was not very bland therefore more coffee must be used for this.

*Took a first bite of the cup-cake and realised that the inner part was extremely dry therefore not what I expected from trying the first 2 cup-cakes.

*As much as I like coffee flavoured cakes or pastries, as a comparison between the 1st two cup-cakes, this certainly was a major disappointment as I have personally requested a coffee flavoured cup cake from my colleague.

*The Coffee Cream on the top was intensely butter-flavoured which was not my cup of tea as the taste & smell rightly puts me off my appetite.

Rating:: 3/3

Quality of CupCake: 1/1/2*

Despite the minor setback on the Coffee Flavoured Cupcake, all in all, it was a great experience to be reviewing one of my colleague's brand new hobby & potential new career. I hope this honest review will not discourage her and please keep up the good work as you are doing good for the dessert industry in Hong Kong. We need more local food heroes like you in Hong Kong!

For more details on ordering & purchases from Fairy Cakes, please visit http://www.fairycakes.hk/ and by email @ cattylim@fairycakes.hk

Happy Eating & Drinking

Geoff

Food Journey #23 - Battle of the Salad Bars in Hong Kong

2009-09-28T12:48:00.026+08:00

We have seen an influx of Salad Bars in Hong Kong during the past 24 months and seems to me that we in Hong Kong have finally realised that importance of eatting vegetables on a daily basis. A few commercial salad bars that immediately comes to mind includes Dressed Salad, Just Salad & MIX Salad located in Three Sixty, all located in the heart of Central serving up to the expat population (mainly) and the local population. Thus, I decided to do a quick review and share with you each of my individual experiences with 3 different brands which are positoned very differently.

Essentially, Salads are the simplest dish it can possibly be as it is simply just Leaves + Dressing, not exactly rocket science. You have a pack of romaine lettuce, few drizzles of olive oil + balsamic vinegar, there you go, your plate of salad right there! This gives me a thinking to why some salad joints can so easily screw up the "salad".

MIX Salad

Personally, I am a good friend of the guys that are behind MIX and firmly believe the concept is great as Hong Kong needs something like this. However, my experience at MIX Salad at ThreeSixty is an absolute stinker and I have also realised that some of their branches are closing down (referring to Causeway Bay Branch).

a) The ingredients, toppings & choice of leaves are not very appealing to start off with especially the tomatoes looked like it had been sitting in the fridge since 1999.

b) For the price of HKD45 for a small salad and HKD75 for a large salad, they are absolutely shooting themselves with the price. Why would anyone order a $45 salad which was approximately 1/4 the size of Dressed or Just Salad aside from myself for the purpose of reviewing in my blog. The difference between a small & larges salad was enormous!

c) The choice of toppings were boring and was particularly expensive to top up on the salad.

d) Biggest mistake was to order my salad with the Sweet & Spicy Vinagarette which was purely FOUL! I did not taste any substance of spicy flavours in the dressing but instead, it was more like a sweet & sour sauce and imagine the pairing with veggies and yes, it didnt pair well at all. The salad was so bad that I had 1/2 the box which was small enough and had to run downstairs to fetch myself a sandwich instead.

Honestly do not see why & how they have customers, corporates lining up every day for a salad, does that tell us that there aren't any genuine good salads in Hong Kong. Vow to never return to this place ever again and definitely the 1st to be eliminated from the battle!

Address: 4/f, ThreeSixty, The Landmark, Central (中環德輔道中12-16號置地廣場4樓Three Sixty超市Food Court內)

Food Quality (5* the highest): *

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Just Salad<
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Location for Just Salad in Central is spot on and their guys are impressive in securing good locations. With 2 locations, one in Cochrane Street and one in World Trade Building, both located in the hub of Central. What's more, their Cochrane Street location is extremely close to our office therefore a regular for majority of our colleagues. Have always people arguing between the difference Just Salad & Dressed Salad, in fact, I think there is still a gulf in the level between the 2 brands even though both are imported salad brands from The States.

a) With a regular salad priced at HKD45 per bowl (Very Good Size) including 4 toppings, the ingredients are in quality much better than MIX Salad and at least there is a wide range of toppings to be choosen including Avocado, Portobello Mushroom, 1 whole Boiled Egg etc. However, one downside is that the toppings do not always seem very fresh and appealing. The additional topping which you have to pay extra such as Pesto Chicken, Salmon, Scallops does not appear to be worth the extra money to pay for. Finally, the free slice of bread is always extremely stale. Enough said!

b) Staff at Just Salad does not seem to speak very good English considering majority of their clients are expats and are quite poorly trained. On a few occasions, the regular salad which I order at Just Salad are charged differently which baffles me a lot as it is the same size & ingredient and as a regular customer, I have no clue why sometimes it is charged at $55, sometimes at $60 sometimes at $45!

c) The experience or ambiance at Just Salad is another area which needs to be improved. I enjoyed watching the staff chopping & stiring up the salad as that always provides a bit of entertainment for us customers but the general vibe which I experienced whilst approaching the salad bar was a local salad bar attempting to be western even though the brand is originated from the US. It has that very local substance and the 2nd floor is extremely cramped during peak hours.

In my opinion, Just Salad has its areas for improvement such as quality of toppings, ingredients, service and ambiance but in general, the level of satisfaction & taste is much much better comparing to MIX Salad. For those that like a bit of Asian flavours, I highly recommend that Yuzu Dressing as that is a delight.

Address: 30-34 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong (中環閣麟街30-34號地下B舖
)
Tel: 2850 6818

Food Quality (5* the highest): ***

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Dressed Salad

If our office was located in IFC, this would be my local salad bar to have the freshest salad daily. It seems to be ridiculously busy on the weekdays during the peak hours and is also busy during the weekends. A hip place full of Tai-Tais, corporate employees, model-wannabes, fashionista wannabes and buff guys, girls & fitness freaks coming out from the Pure Fitness gym above. I managed to avoid all this crowd and decided to visit the location in Queens Road East (opposite Hopewell Centre) in Wan Chai on a fine Sunday to try out once again in a different location.

a) With a regular salad priced at HKD48 per plate (very generous portion) including 4 toppings, the ingredients are in top quality & form comparing to above joints. The selection of toppings is much diverse and also includes my favourite -- Anchovies which is a definite KUDOS!

b) The moment you step into Dressed Salad, there is a sense of hip & coolness about the place. Very similarly vibe that tickles me everytime I walk into Cafe O, the Macs, the cool high bar seating and the smooth tunes that is on the stereo. My definite cup of tea in terms of a relaxed healthy Sunday lunch.

c) I recieved some comments from our Geoff's Twitchen fan page on facebook that the service is not so up to scratch. Agree to a certain point especially in the IFC location during lunch-hours as there is always a long queue of hustling & starving office workers all waiting to be fed. Maintaining top-notch service during peak hours is something which Dressed Salad has to work on for sure. However, my experience in the Wan Chai was pure fab as staff were friendly, courteous and were extremely helpful in helping you to choose your toppings! Plus, they all spoke perfect English as well!

d) Pricing point starting at $48 for a large plate of salad is something which I think is very reasonable as you know you are getting the service, ambiance & the freshness of the products in return. However, the additional charges on the attractive toppings such as grilled chicken etc could be quite hefty if you want your salad slightly more luxurious.

e) Highly recommend the Salad Wraps -- must try!

The Winner of the Battle of the Salad Bars in Hong Kong award goes to Dressed Salad as the quality of salad, ambiance, service, staff wins by a gulf of a distance. Highly recommend you all to visit the location in Wan Chai as that is an extremely chilled out location and one of the cool spots in Wan Chai for some people watching if you are bored. Do you agree with my review and if not, leave me a comment today!

Happy Eating!

Geoff

Address: GF, 202 Queen's Road East, QRE Plaza, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (灣仔皇后大道東202號 QRE Plaza 地下1號舖
)

Tel: 2893 4848

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for Lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Cooking Home-Made Laksa

2009-09-25T15:20:00.011+08:00

Good Laksa places in Hong Kong are very rare to find and there are only a few places to come to my mind -- Katong Laksa Prawn Mee (加東叻沙蝦麵), Grand Cafe at The Grand Hyatt, ToastBox for the Sinagpore style Laksa. I am not a chef by trade but will share with you some insights to my experimental Laksa which I thought was extremely delicious! Essential question, what is Laksa?? Laksa is a traditional dish which is a spicy soup noodle which is a combination of the Chinese & Malay culture and is commonly eaten in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia. The term "laksa" is used generally to describe the two different basic types of noodle soup which is mainly curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles and Asam Laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. On regular circumstances, thick noodles known as laksa are commonly preferred although vericelli is also commonly used. On a lazy Sunday evening, missus & I decided to cook up our own Laksa and see whether we can actually do so as Chefs say that the hardest part about Laksa is the broth. Off to the wet market we went to Causeway Bay to search for the fresh local produce and to cook up a traditional Laksa, one will require below ingredients: Ingredients for Our Home-Made Laksa Broth: *Fresh Chilli, Lemon Grass, Turmeric, Shallots, Thai Ginger, Fresh Garlic, Mint Leaves, Chicken Stock, Coconut Milk, Dried Shrimp Paste & Chilli Paste, Peanut Oil (I used Olive Oil), dried prawns Ingredients for Our Home-Made Laksa: *Bean Curd, Bean Sprouts, Fresh Prawns, Fish Cake, Laksa Noodles (Thick Noodles) Traditionally, there should also be a boiled egg, squid, fresh clams but to trim the cost down, above should be enough to get you started. The whole preparation of the meal lasted around 45 minutes and a lot of people asked me about MY SECRET INGREDIENT which I will now disclose is the usage of the PRAWN HEADS & SHELLS for the broth base. When you buy the prawns from the wet-market, wash it, gut it then separate the head from its body whereby it will be used to flavour the broth. The Prawn Heads give the broth an extremely aromatic flavour and believe me, do try this method for your own Laksa. Note to remove the Heads & Shells from the broth as the shells will become tough and very un-juicy for eating. When serving up the Laksa, remember to be generous on the final top-up of the Chilli Paste that will give the bowl of noodles an extra kick! Best paired with an ice-cold pint of Beer!

For those that are Laksa Fans, do try this at home and believe me that if you use all of my above ingredients you can also cook up the perfect Laksa. Bon appetit and enjoy!

Happy Eating!

Geoff

Food Journey #22 - One Night in Tai Hang (大坑)

2009-09-23T13:23:00.018+08:00

Have been relatively quiet for past few days as am still recovering from that long posting on Monsieur Chatte which is still lingering in my mind. As they say, what comes up must come down and this posting truly reflects on my journey to Tai Hang (大坑) last Saturday evening. For those that do not know where Tai Hang is, it is quietly located on the corner of Victoria Park near Tin Hau and they say that Tai Hang is a secret and hidden food paradise -- NOT!!!! As my missus lives extremely close to this area therefore we decided to give it a shot at some of the restaurants around the neighbourhood. My first stop Block 13 Beef Offal (十三座牛雜) is this extremely seedy and isolated shop that sells Mix Beef Organs. Not a place where you sit down and eat but it is a quick grab & go on extreme Chinese cuisine such as your Beef Intestine Skewer, Beef Brisket, Beef Offal Skewer etc. I know it is not a very usual place that expats will go to due to the nature of food but answer me, what is the difference between eating Foie Gras and eating a skewer of Beef Entrails, Beef Brisket, Beef Intestines, Beef Offal and the answer is Absolutely no difference at all as they are all internal organs. Block 13 Beef Offal has opened in Hong Kong for some time and the taste is a definite guarantee and my recommendation is to enjoy this skewer with a dash of Gui Lin (桂林) Chilli Sauce After the quick skewer, we ventured into King Street in the Tai Hang Area which is a territory of unknown. The streets were dark, dirty and there wasnt many people in the neighbourhood until we reached the spot whereby we spotted some bright lights coming out from this ramen-ya restaurant (Japanese Noodles House) called Masyu 魔手和風拉麵. My first impression was that such traditional ramen-ya restaurants were very commonly found in the alleys of Tokyo & Osaka therefore I was hoping in my mind that this could be a special authentic Japanese surprise considering there were around 5-6 people waiting outside. However, I was truly devastated by the quality of food. First up was the appetiser which was salted cucumbers & eggplant and see photo below. They were foul and boring and tasteless. After the initial taste on the appetisers, I knoew something was very wrong about this restaurant Second up, I ordered the Mixed Sashimi Bento with Fresh Tomato & Parsley and my missus ordered the Deep Fried Pork (Tonkatsu) with Noodles (see photos below). The Sashimi Bento Box appeared a lot bigger in the menu and when it arrived, I was shocked to see the size of the bowl. So small that it was not enough to fill a kid's appetite and never mind the taste. "Fresh" tomatoes certainly were not freshed and in fact tastes like the leftovers from Wellcome Supermarket. The texture of the rice was good but the sashimi was not as fresh as the waitress made it out to be -- major disappointment indeed.

Deep Fried Pork looked like a plate of dead meat, very colourless and the ramen bowl looked & tasted like a pot of Instant Noodles (出前一丁) and tasted exactly like a bowl of MSG infused broth. The Deep Fried Pork (Tonkatsu) was very tasteless and the meat was dull as anything. Tasted like it was marinated 15 yrs ago and the mayonnaise on the side was definitely a cheap pot from Wellcome. To sum up, absolutely horrible experiences

Up side of the dinner was the Egg Roll which was decent enough as that was the only item which we ordered that was actually normal. It is a steamed Japanese egg roll with the wording 魔手 (name of the restaurant) engraved into it. However, I have never been a huge fan of Egg Rolls therefore will not comment on this

Overall experience was mediocre and I will definitely not return to this place as the food was below par, service -- where was the service, and no ambiance with a air-conditioner which dripped on my shoulders while I was eating. Way to go Masyu Last stop of the evening was Jam Bakery which was located on Shepherd Street. It is a small bakery that sells a variety of cakes, biscuits or cookies and cupcakes. Seemingly disappointed from the experience from Masyu, we didnt have high hopes for Jam Bakery but the Hazel Nut Chocolate Cake which we ordered was divine. Was very tempted to order another cakes to try out but again, Masyu really screwed my whole dinner over therefore a NO!. Chatted with the cashier lady and that Jam Bakery also offers baking classes which I will be attending next week. The Hazelnut cake wasnt too sweet , was extremely rich in Chocolate flavour but not in Hazelnut flavour and the texture was similar to a mousse. However, for a bakery place like this, $26 for a slice of cake I thought was comparable with other premium cake shops in Hong Kong. Will recommend readers to come and try out this place.

Block 13 Beef Offal (十三座牛雜)

Address: 51 Sun Chun Street, Tai Hang, Hong Kong (大坑新村街51號地下)

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price (5$ = very expensive): $

Masyu 魔手和風拉麵 -- BLACK LISTED

Address: 22 King Street, Tai Hang, Hong Kong (大坑京街 22 號地舖)

Food Quality (5* the highest): *

Price (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Jam Bakery

Address: 28 Shepherd Street , Tai Hang, Hong Kong (大坑施弼街28號)

Dessert Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2 *

Price for Dessert (5$ = very expensive): $$$$

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Food Journey #21 = Monsieur Chatte

2009-09-21T13:17:00.036+08:00

This posting is dedicated to a true group local food heroes in Hong Kong - the Chattes Family. Although French, we should be proud to have such quality of French fresh produce existence in Hong Kong and this has been one of the best food adventures up to this moment. The 3 floored shop is quietly located on Bonham Strand without much signage therefore took me some time to locate the shop but the moment I stepped in, I was blown away with the abundance of food & wine.

Ground floor of Monsieur Chatte looks a resemblance of a deli shop, similar style to IL Bel Paese where you can find fresh French cheese, fois gras, Baguettes, Saucisson, French Wine, Canneles etc (see photos below). Once you look at the price tag, it is a lot more affordable and cheaper comparison to your other delis around town which makes it even more attractive. 2nd floor carries mainly French Fine Wine + plentiful of French Desserts & Sweets including Crepes and 3rd floor is the best part of Monsieur Chatte and has an aura of traditional French styled living room. Wooden table, wooden chairs, stereo system playing French music, toast machines for making your own toasts, daily papers & magazine + complimentary Wi-Fi, this will become one of my regular hang-out spots during the lazy afternoons!

My visit on Friday consisted of several reasons:

a) To visit an old friend -- Monsieur Chatte himself

b) To solve my hunger with some proper French styled lunch on a lazy Friday afternoon

c) To learn more about French Cheese

Part C was the most wonderful part of the journey as god knows how many types of cheeses I sampled on the day. Am a strong flavoured Cheese lover therefore didnt bother having the usual & boring types as local Hong Kong people eat on average such as your Brie, Camembert, Cheddar etc. Few of the highlights which I want to mention;

-Tomme De Savoire = Tomme de Savoie is a variety of Tomme Cheese from Savoie in the French Alps. Usually made from skim milk left over, the cheese is relatively low fat in content. Soft type of cheese and extremely pungent in smell & taste

-
Cantal = Cantal cheese is a releatively firm cheese from the Cantal region. Cantal cheese along with Roquefort is one of France's oldest cheeses and has 2 forms of it ranging from Semi-Hard to Hard Cheese. A well ripened Cantal has extreme vigorous taste and a young cheese has the sweetness of raw milk, similar to Cheddar texture. Cantal is an uncooked cheese made from the milk of cows that graze in the mountains of the Auvergne region, which makes up part of the Massif Central mountain range in the south of France.

-
Comte = Comté is a French Cheese made from unpasteurised cow's milk in the Comte region of Eastern France The rind is usually a dusty-brown colour, and the internal pâte is a pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible, and the taste is mild, slightly sweet, and 'nutty'.

-Petit Valencay Cheese = This soft cheese is made from raw goat milk. The shape of a fl attened pyramid has always been very eye-catching and is often used for baking in TV-shows. You will often see chefs wrap Pancetta or Bacon around the Petit Valencay which is then placed in the oven. Imagine all the melted cheese along with eat bite of the bacon -- delicious.

Other cheeses which I highly recommend are Beaufort & Munster which are a true culinary delight!

Monsieur Chatte is also infamous for its Home-made Fois Gras -- one of the finest delicacies ever left the country of France. Monsieur Chatte fois grad is the purest form of foie gras, consists of a whole foie gras that has been de-veined, cleaned, seasoned and cooked in its own fat with 0 preservatives added. Extreme dense texture and is a ready to eat product and is SUPER SUPER ULTRA FRESH. The foie gras from Monsieur Chatte has got to be one of the finest foie gras I have ever tasted in Hong Kong. I lost count on how many "slices" I had because it was simply delectable on a Friday lunch to have tasted such exquisite Foie Gras!!!!

After trying all the Fromage & Foie Gras, I was still fairly hungry therefore a typical lunch in France will consist of whole-hearted French Baguette. Looking into the fridge, what really caught my eye was the fresh ham, Bayonne Ham which is an air-dried salted ham from the Bayonne region in the South West of France, as well as Cantal (read above) and a French White Baguette. Decided to head up to the 3/f and made my own Ham & Cheese Toasted Baguette and voila, see below and it is one of the best lunches you can get. What a baguette to have on a Friday afternoon.

Monsieur Chatte also introduced me to a few very interesting French Desserts & Sweets. At Monsieur Chatte, they carry a Chocolate Fondue (see below photo in the midde)). It is 100% pure natural cacao which is a fondue and you can buy fresh fruits and simply dip into the can of chocolate fondue. The fresh strawberry jam (1st image on the left) are produced from all hand picked fruits daily which is the freshest product & with no added sugar to the jam, this is truly a healthy jam to be used unlike the usual sugary jams we buy from supermarkets. The Jam literally tastes like the sweetness of the fruit.

To top off my baguette, Monsieur Chatte and myself digged into French Crepes, just plain French Crepes with white sugar. Feels like eating the pancakes which you get with Peking Duck but a lot nicer and pairs well with a hot chocolate for sure. Monsieur Chatte also gave me a very traditional French Yoghurt - Petit Suisse and is often eaten by kids in France. Never been a yoghurt fan in my life but after one spoonful of it, I finished the whole pot of yoghurt and it was very pure, fruity & simply delicious. Or at least I did not have the gult of eating this after such scrumptious meal!

Wonderful place, wonderful food & wonderful people. Hats off to the local heroes of Hong Kong and Monsieur Chatte, I salute you! You made me even more want to visit Paris on my next trip with all the quality of French food. If you want true French produce & food, this is your place.

Happy Eating & Happy Drinking Beautiful French Wine!

Geoff

Address: 121 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (上環文咸東街121號地下)

Tel: 3105-8077

Food Quality (5* the highest): *****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$

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Food Journey #20 - Hunan Garden (洞庭樓)

2009-09-19T21:27:00.012+08:00

Ever since a certain credit card introduced this half price deal for lunch and dinner, we have visited Hunan Garden on a few occasions. Conveniently located on 13F of Times Square where good old Shooters 52 used to be, this has become one of my favourite comfort food joints in Causeway Bay!

The name Hunan Garden represents Hunan Cuisine which is one of the 8 traditional cuisines in China and is known for its spicy flavoured dishes and fresh aroma. Expect plenty of peppers, chilli, garlic, ginger being used in all majority of dishes. Traditional Hunan cuisine will tend to start off with cold spicy dishes follow by hot spicy dishes, soup & main courses. There are plenty of similarities between Sze Chuan and Hunan Cuisine due to the fact that it contains many spicy dishes. So, if you are mad about chilli & spicy flavours, this is your place for sure

Our meal started off with a traditional Hunan Style Spicy Vinegar JellyFish served cold (see photo below) which is one of my favourite appetiser as the texture of jellyfish is extremely chewy and the spicy flavours open up your tastebuds for your next course. This is a perfect dish during a hot summer in Hong Kong. For those that are jellyfish fans, these are the head of the jellyfish (海蜇頭) which is a more expensive part in comparsion to regular jellyfish

Next up, below is one of my most highly recommended dish in Hunan Garden, If you like very very spicy food, this is your dish -- **Hunan Style Stir Fried Prawns with Chilli Paste and Fresh Chilli (see below photo). The prawns were large, fresh and in very generous portion and the chilli sauce that pairs with the prawns is perfecto. If you like a challenge, give yourself a dry to have a go at eating one of the dry chilli on the side as you will be flying afterwards. This is also a very good dish to go with steamed rice.

Next up, here comes the real deal. Okay, Peking Duck (北京填鸭) is not a very traditional Hunan Dish but we were "sold" by the waitress that the Peking Duck at this premise is a signature dish therefore we gave it a shot. See below photos of the Before & After of the Peking Duck.

Peking Duck is literally the symbol of Chinese cuisine and it has been served since the imperial era. Basically comprises of crispy duck skin with thinly sliced meat and is mostly eaten with fresh baked pan cakes, hoisin sauce (seafood sauce) or plum sauce & spring onions. Traditionally, the duck is sliced and carved in front of the diners but however we did not have such spectacle during the evening as the restaurant was extremely full. The sauce is smothered all over the pancake and is wrapped with the meat and eaten by hand. For those that are conscious about their calories, this is definitely NOT your dish but the Peking Duck in Hunan Garden was so so good that I had a total of 6 wraps!

Second main course of the evening was San Choy Bao (Lettuce wrap with Sliced Duck Meat , cashew nuts and fresh bell-peppers). The duck meat was from the left overs from the Peking Duck above and is simply stir fried with cashew nuts, garlic and fresh bell-peppers. Diners should spoon the mixture into the lettuce cup and eat it as a wrap which is a very refreshing dish as the lettuce is nice, cold & crisp. To be honest, I wasnt paying too much attention to this dish as was absolutely stuffed from the Peking Duck.

If you are a dessert fan and are tired of the usual desserts in various restaurants around town ie ice-cream, gateaus, pies etc , Lo Ta Kwun (金陵驢打滾) is a MUST TRY from Hunan Garden. Definitely my top 5 dessert in Hong Kong and is essentially a Mochi with Peanut Shavings, Sugar, Sesame & shredded Coconut . Crispy texture on the outside but yet nice & soft on the inner and note that each individual size of the Lo Ta Kwun is fairly large therefore do reserve some space for this. I was extremely full but still managed to have 2 of those babies! Overall, another very enjoyable meal at Hunan Garden and will definitely return very soon. If you are an expat living in Hong Kong and would like to try out some authetic Chinese cuisine, this is a highly recommended venue. If you are an Amercian Express card-holder, enjoy the whopping discount and enjoy this extremely affordable yet delicious meal.

Happy Eating & drinking as always!

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

Address: 13F, Times Square, Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場食通天13樓1302號)

Tel: 2506 9288

Food Quality (5* the highest): **** Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

檢視較大的地圖

Food Journey #19 -- Tonkichi (丼吉日本吉列專門店餐廳)

2009-09-17T13:19:00.015+08:00

The infamous and the well acclaimed BEST TONKATSU in Hong Kong -- Tonkichi in World Trade Center in Causeway Bay. My reason for not reviewing this earlier is that (1) this restaurant does not take any reservations which is surreal and (2) it takes at least 90 mins to wait for a f*eaking table. Enough said but the quality of the Tonkatsu is certainly worth the wait. We choose to go on a Sunday and still had to wait 30 mins!!!!

Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork cutlet), was invented in the late 19th century and is one of the most popular dishes in Japan consisting of breaded deep fried pork served with shredded cabbage and miso soup. The pork fillet or loin parts are normally used. The breaded layer cannot be too thick and is usually 1 - 2cm thick.

Some of the signature & highlighted dishes which I want to share with my readers:

a) Tonkatsu with Egg & Don -- The Deep Fried Pork Cutlets was PERFECT, not too dense or greasy which is the way I like it. The eggs and seaweed are a perfect pairing with the deep fried pork cutlets and this dish is highly recommended on a Sunday for sure. On the side, it also includes shredded cabbage which you have a choice of a Seaweed Vinegar Sauce or a Yuzu Vinegrette. I highly recommend the Seaweed Vinegar Vingrette as it is so refreshing and delicious with the cabbage. Save your stomach space as the cabbage is a FREE REFILL therefore plenty of veggies for the meal. Go easy on the vinegrette as we finished 4 pots full of Seaweed Vinegar Sauce

b) Mixed Platter of Tonkatsu & Deep Fried Prawns -- Traditional method in eating Tonkatsu is with a Japanese style Worcestershire Sauce which I personally did not find the taste appealing at all therefore plentiful of spicy powder for me. The Deep Friend Prawns & are just normal therefore I do not have much to say as I prefer above Prawns in sashimi format therefore it does not have the same attraction to moi. Again, this platter comes with a bowl of rice (which you can enjoy unlimited refill), plateful of shredded cabbage (unlimited refill) & Miso Soup.

b) Deep Fried Giant Jumbo Prawn (a la carte) -- Now, I was actually quite full after eating Part A and I was distracted by this lovely looking big boy. Imagine a 30cm Deep Fried Jumbo Prawn, can you picture it?? To be honest, the taste was very bland but I purely ordered it because I just wanted to conquer this little beast and it was quite a task in doing due to the size of the jumbo prawn.

Overall, this Sunday lunch was very filling and very high caloried for sure. Taste was superb and especially loved the free refill on the shredded cabbage & rice. I can see why it was worth the 30 min wait and no reservations allowed. Highly recommend this restaurant if you want some good & delicious authentic Tonkatsu!!

Address: 4/f, World Trade Center, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong(銅鑼灣告士打道280號世貿中心412室)
Tel: 2577 6617

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Burger Challenge this Sunday

2009-09-15T23:26:00.000+08:00

I want to say that this is not going to be a food review or posting but however, I want to let you all readers now that I will be undergoing a Triple Whopper Challenge at Burger King this weekend as this has been on my hit list of 100 things to accomplish!

Look at the photos below and please wish me luck as I will definitely need this. I personally do not think I will need to eat for the next 3 days!

Triple Whooper Challenge!

Happy Eating!
Geoff

Food Journey #18 - Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao (翡翠拉麵小籠包)

2009-09-14T18:46:00.018+08:00

Am always a regular at this hot-spot in Times Square on the basement floor for some simple Shanghainese dumplings & noodles on the weekends. Always try to avoid the weekdays as it is virtually impossible to get a table in the Times Square location & the IFC location.

Crystal Jade was originated from Singapore and first moved into Hong Kong on 2002. 8 locations all over Hong Kong and in general, the quality of the dishes are good and authentic. 4 of us visited Crystal Jade on Saturday and we ordered our usual dishes:

a) Deep Fried Eel -- not my personal favourite and it actually tastes like twiglets. In fact, it is deep fried eel with Shanghainese Soy Sauce. Very crispy texture but very odd fishy taste if you ask me!

b) Drunken Chicken (醉雞) -- One of the signature dishes on the menu and as I have recommended such dish in several reviews, it is simply chicken which is marinated in Chinese wine and served cold. The chicken which they use in Crystal Jade is "organic" -- apparently so but only costed $60 for this which I was highly doubtful. Nonetheless, the chicken was very good and the meat texture was very tender and sweet.

c) Xiao Lun Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings) -- Another signature dish at Crystal Jade and one of the most traditional Chinese national snacks or dishes -- http://is.gd/3e00t. How Pork Dumplings didnt make it to the Top 50 dishes, I am puzzled. The Xiao Lun Bao is very juicy, and the most important point is that it was extremely hot when it arrived. However, I dont think the quality is as good as the dumplings I tried in Taipei (read Food Journey #11 in Taipei)

d) Various Noodles Dishes -- We ordered the sweet & sour soup with noodles, traditional Shanghainese Noodles with Fried Pork Cutlets + my personal favourite Spicy Szechuan Broth Beef Noodles. If you like something to spice up your start to the weekend, the Spicy SzeChuan Broth Noodles is so riduclously spicy that it makes you cough and you will be tears the next second. You dont want to know how much chilli there are in this bowl of soup but it definitely give you a good kicking. The noodle texture is very fine and all noodles are fresh made and you can see the kitchen staff working their b*lls off inside the steaming hot kitchen. Another special mention must be the deep fried pork cutlet, not greasy and perfect meat texture!

If you like something simple, authentic & cheap, this is the place for you. Food is well flavoured, seasoned, traditional and definitely NON pretentious. Highly recommend my readers to visit the outlet in Causeway Bay instead of the IFC location as it is impossible to get a table on regular basis. Definitely one of my favourite spots in Hong Kong to enjoy a simple, casual and pleasant meal.

Address: B221, Times Square, Matheson Street, Causeway Bay(銅鑼灣勿地臣街1號時代廣場地庫 B221A )

Tel: 2506 0080

Food Quality (5* the highest): ***1/2

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $

檢視較大的地圖

Secret Recipe for Cooking an Omelette

2009-09-10T21:01:00.002+08:00

I found this very interesting ingredient which is a secret recipe for cooking the perfect Omelette. Check it out and let me know what you think. Will try this weekend and let you all know my thoughts!! Happy Cooking! Ciao Geoff

Food Journey #17 - Swiss Cafe (瑞士咖啡室)

2009-09-10T13:44:00.009+08:00

Had a request on twitter and one of my followers of Geoff's Twitchen asked me to review what I normally eat for lunch in Hong Kong. Swiss Cafe, which is located underneath our office building is one of my usual spot as it is quick, good food and the food is relatively simple as it is a Cha Chang Tang (Chinese Fast Food Cafe) similar to the infamous Tsui Wah!

My regular orders in this place are the Beef or Barbecued Pork with Omelette with 2 slices of toast + a traditional Chinese Style Iced Coffee which is a lot better than that junk you get from other commercial chains around town. Other specialties include scrambled eggs with toast, Kaya (咖央) with toast, Chinese Style Milk Tea (奶茶) etc. Kaya (rich coconut egg jam) is a traditional Malaysia and Singapore food spread made from coconut milk, eggs which are flavoured by pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar. It has a seet and creamy texture, golden brown in appearance and is often used to spread on toast and enjoyed in the early mornings or as afternoon snack.

The restaurant itself is decorated in a very traditional Chinese style, very similar to a traditional (冰室) which is a traditional 60's Hong Kong style cafe. Very spacious and can fit in over 100 pax at once which is very unusual in Central aside from Tsui Wah.

What's not good about this place -- the food quality can be very inconsistent at time and what's worse, the food presentation is very inconsistent. Tuesday's omelette for some strange reason had ketchup in it and today's omelette did not have any ketchup, I wonder why as I am v puzzled. However, if you want something simple, hearty and good flavoured, check out Swiss Cafe during lunch hour. Be sure to arrive early as the queue can get ridiculously long.

Happy Eating!

Ciao

Geoff

Address: 12 Li Yuen West Street, Central 中環利源西街12號地下

Tel: 2111 0841 / 2111 0849

Food Quality (5* the highest): ***

Price comparison to regular Chinese Cafe (5$ = very expensive): $$$

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Food Journey #16 --Kan Pai Yakiniku Restaurant (乾杯燒肉店)

2009-09-09T13:12:00.014+08:00

First of all, my apologies that I am still blogging about my trip to Taipei as I finally have the time to retrieve below photos of a truly great venue which you must ALL visit when you are in Taipei. Note this posting is not all about the quality of food, but more on the overall vibe, atmosphere of the restaurant. Yakiniku (焼き肉 or 焼肉), means "grilled meat", is a Japanese term which, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat dishes. In a yakiniku restaurant in Japan, diners order several types of prepared raw ingredients (either individually or as a set) which are brought to the table. The ingredients are cooked by the diners on a grill built into the table throughout the duration of the meal, several pieces at a time. The most common sauce is made of Japanese Soy Saucemixed with sake, mirrin, sugar, garlic and sesame and sometimes yakiniku is eaten seasoned only with salt. This was my 2nd visit to Kan Pai located conveniently in Dunhua South Road in the heart of Taipei and please book a table prior your visit as the waiting list is normally 1 month long. It is simply a restaurant whereby guys & girls all gathering around to drink beer & eat grilled meat -- what a perfect combination for sure. I wouldnt go into any details of signature dishes as tastes & flavour do not really matter when you are downing your beers with sake-bomb! The restaurant itself is extremely noisy, full of drunkards and is now becoming a tourist hotspot for some authentic Taiwanese dining. Highlight of the evening will be at 8pm whereby staff of the restaurant will go around each table to select couples of whom will have to "snog" or "french-kiss" in front of the whole restaurant for 10 secs. Not difficult for sure after a few beverages and each group of contestant's table will recieve a plate of free Korean Beef and free pints on the house! Resolution of the photo is not very good as below but the restaurant is decorated with polaroids of couples doing it! Another highlight at 8pm is that everybody in the restaurant will have to stand up and do a Kan Pai (meaning CHEERS) and the beers will be automatically refilled by this good looking fella as below. He (His name is Ah Shun) will come around to each table with a backpack, like a portable beer barrel and refills with all your beers with a pipe. Now, that is COOL! Overall experience of the restaurant is that it is a very fun place, not your usual place to hang out but if you want something to kick start a good night, Kan Pai is the place for you 100%. Absolutely love that place! Happy Eating!!! Ciao Geoff

If you want more details on Kan Pai, please visit http://www.kanpai.com.tw/main2.html

Address: No 17, Lane 236, Dunhua S Road, Section 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段 236 巷 17 號)

Tel No: 02-2776-3460

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

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Food Journey #15 -- Sù Yán Tiān Shǐ: (清亭‧燕萍越南菜館)

2009-09-08T13:17:00.014+08:00

This posting is a true dedication to the greatness of Vietnamese food and I have had a lot of people asking me via facebook & twitter regarding good, cheap, quick & local places and this is a MUST TRY (dedicated to Sabrina)! Conveniently located in the heart of Causeway Bay (3 mins walk from Times Square), this is one of my favourite weekend joints for a quick hearty, down to earth, unpretentious meal. Vietnamese food is all about fish sauce, soy sauce, herbs, vegetables and all dishes should come with a fresh dipping sauce. Expect plentiful of pork, shrimp, chicken and one can only find beef in PHO which is a traditional Vietnamese noodle with soup. As Anthony Bourdain once wrote, ""You don't have to go looking for great food in Vietnam. Great food finds you. It's everywhere.(...)It's a country filled with proud cooks - and passionate eaters." Few dishes which I must highly recommend you all to order on your visit: a) Vietnamese Style Vermicelli with shredded egg, sliced chicken & Vietnamese sausage (扎肉) served cold -- Wonderful bowl of carbs to start off your meal especially during the heat in summer. Not a fan of dry noodles therefore do ask for fish sauce and flood your bowl of noodles which I regularly do. Stir & toss the noodles until the fish sauce evenly mixes through and it is a very plain, delicious & comfort dish to start off your meal b) Deep Fried Garlic Buttered Chicken Wings -- WARNING -- if you are cautious about your intake of calories or fat content, please look away as this is a potential health hazard. Chicken Wings itself is already a high calorie content food due to all the fat on the chicken skin and add to the fact that the wings are deep fried in butter to give that crispy & flavourful skin. Elvis would have been proud of this dish. The condiments on the side include rock salt + fresh lime which is a perfect pairing with the wings. If you are extremely hungover on Sunday mornings, this is the perfect dish as it is purely greasy, tasty & extremely delicious -- much more effective than what Bloody Mary does! 3) RiceFlour Roll with Stuffed Pork & Vietnamese vegetables -- Another delectable traditional Vietnamese snack which is similar to the regular ricepaper roll you get in Chinese restaurants but the difference is that you eat this with spring onion, dry garlic & fish sauce again. Very refreshing and best served cold. My other highly recommended dishes include the Satay Skewers (Beef, Chicken or Pork), Curry Flavoured Pho Noodles with eels, Beef Curry with Garlic Bread & Traditional Vietnamese Spring rolls served with fresh lettuce as well as the traditional Vietnamese Dripping Coffee That's all for now and Happy Eating! Ciao Geoff

Address: 2/f, 482 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay(銅鑼灣謝斐道482號信諾環球保險中心2樓)

Tel No: 2832 2863 /2833 1075

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $

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Food Journey #14 -- Ku-Su Ya rakuen (古酒家樂宴)

2009-09-07T12:48:00.022+08:00

Out for dinner on Saturday evening to the unknown territories of Deng Long Street in Causeway (street behind Times Square) and the street is a well-known local drinking hot spots full of karaoke bars + traditional Hong Kong Style hawker food. Kusuya Rakuen was highly recommended by our friends and is a traditional Okinawa style Japanese cuisine, thus you can expect plentiful of Japanese snacks, beers & fresh seafood jetted in from Japan on a daily basis.

Dishes definitely did not disappoint but however the portion sizes were quite small therefore do not expect a very filling dinner. Some of the highlights of the meal which I want to share with you all:

a) Orion Beer -- traditional Okinawa brewed beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Breweries) which was extremely refreshing in taste but my personal favourite is still Yebisu which you can buy from City Super & Sogo. If you visit this restaurant now, they have a special promotional deal which is $99 for 3 bottles of Orion which is very attractive. If you do visit this place, check out their selection of traditional Okinawa Sake-tinis & cocktails!

**b) Okinawa Style Peanut Tofu -- I had doubts when our friend ordered this Okinawa Style Tofu as I sometime question why people order such dishes when dining out. However, I was wrong!!

This Tofu dish could well be the best Tofu I have ever eaten in my entire life. The texture is similar to a Mozarella and the complement of the Japanese soya was a perfect matching. The texture of the Tofu was so so unique that I have never experienced anything like this. The first bite of the Tofu was full of peanut flavours and it was very fragrant and plus, Tofu is very healthy for one's body & mind therefore we ordered 2 portions of this as it was truly delectable.

c) Sashimi Platter -- A Japanese meal can never be complete without a Sashimi Platter. All the sashimi was extremely fresh and full of fish oil. The wasabi is freshly grinded and very unlike the wasabi paste you get in the conveyor belt Japanese restaurants. The Maguro (Blue Fin Tuna) truly stood out from the rest in the platter. Very refreshing dish & a perfect summer platter for sure.

d) Okinawa Sea Grapes (Umibudou) -- This is a vegetarian must have dish and it is also a very unique dish. Although not from Shizuoka, this Okinawa delicacy regularly appears in supermarkets and in good Japanese restaurants. Although called Sea Grapes (Umibudou) or Green Caviar for their shape, it is a sea-weed variety! It is best to consume this dish raw with soy sauce or rice vinegar mixed with mustard.

e) Japanese Style Fried Chicken -- As I always believe, Japanese style fried chicken is quite possibly the best fried chicken in the world. The batter is not too over oily and the texture of the chicken is simply superb. Pair this with the Japanese style mayonaise with a zip of the Orion Beer, this is the perfect snack for your beer on a hot summer evening.

For the rest of the dishes, I wouldnt go into too much details as I think the above 4 courses simply made my whole evening. The restaurant was packed with Japanese citizens and when you go to a Japanese restaurant full of natives, you are ensured that you are at the right place. Overall experience was very pleasant, food & drinks were all superb. I will definitely return to this restaurant once again for lunch or dinner.

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Address: 12F, Wing Kwong Centre, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣登龍街28號永光中心12樓

Enquiry No : 3580-8858

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Food Journey #13 - Cambo Thai Restaurant (金寶泰國菜館)

2009-09-05T17:41:00.011+08:00

Not very often do I visit parts of Kowloon City and we all know that Kowloon City is a food hub and many of talked about Cambo Thai Restaurant (金寶泰國菜館) as it contains 3 key elements about dining -- Simple, Quick & Cheap!

Cambo Restaurant not only has a Thai restaurant but also a Vietnamese restaurant on the same road and the restaurant is tiny but was crowded with cosy diners and the smell of the restaurant was full of Thai flavours. Beautiful Singha Beer to start off the dinner and we ordered the following dishes:

**Thai Prawn Sashimi: -- This was very fresh and some may be cautious regarding ordering raw food in such restaurants. Must order this dish if you like spicy food as the chilli, onion with the prawn sashimi is a delight. Very beautiful dish and will definitely order this again next time.

**Deep fried Prawn Balls filled with Prawn Paste: --Best dish of the evening. The Prawn Balls were deep fried to perfection, very juicy & taste was stupendously delicious. The prawn paste filling paired very well with the prawn balls and the flavour was very rich. The dish was so incredible that we ordered 2 portions (a total of 8 prawn balls). MUST ORDER

Curry Crab: -- Nothing special at all as never been a fan of crab. The curry was very watery and the explanation from the staff was that it is authentic thai style which I am very baffled about!

Stir Fry Kwei Diao: -- For Westerners, you can see this dish as stir fry pasta but in Thai style. Slightly sweet in flavour but the stir fry process was done to perfection and the entire dish was mouthwatering. So good that I finished at least 1/2 the dish!

Spicy Chicken Feet Thai Salad: This was my first time eating Chicken Feet ever since the Langham Hotel Video saga on youtube (http://thedarkside.hk/2009/06/17/langham-vids-removed-from-youtube/). Since this was a cold dish, it was somehow very spicy and the chicken feet pairing with chilli is very refreshing on a hot summer day.

Stir Fried Vegetables: Vegetables are vegetables but the Thai style stir fry made it much more interesting. This is very different to the salads at Dressed or Just! If you do order, get your waitress or waiter to crank up the chilli paste, delight!

If you want hearty & scrumptious Thai Food, this is your place and it truly fulfills the 3 key elements. If you are lost in Kowloon side or visiting Kowloon City one day, do visit this restaurant as it is very good & cheap Thai Food to the highest.

Food Quality (5* the highest): ***

Price (5$ = very expensive): $

Address: 九龍城衙前塱道15號地下 Enquiry No : 2716-7318

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Food Journey #12 -- Cepage on Star Street

2009-09-04T18:02:00.024+08:00

The moment you step into Cepage, the friendly & warm service with the glass of complimentary Krug was mind blowing -- total 6 star service. Extremely high ceilings and comfy lounge along with Hong Kong's very unique wine cellar was a hotspot prior to dinner. The Wine Cellar contained any type of wine you want, not the largest wine cellar I have come across but for sure does the job well.

This was a very special evening and was part of our group's monthly gathering in various restaurants around town. No names mentioned on the organiser but kudos to him for introducing such wonderful restaurant.

Too be honest, I dont have much memories of this dinner because of all the wine & champagne consumed during the evening therefore I will try my best to write this review. It was a special set dinner menu with wine pairing & not your usual dishes that you will find on the menu. We consumed around 2 bottles of wine per course therefore I will leave you with the calcuation!

Amuse Bouche = Risotto Balls with Rock Salt -- DELICIOUS, that s all!

Bread = The pastry chef in Cepage must be a very talented individual, the bread is highly recommend along with its home-made salted butter.

Appetiser = Salmon Mousse with Salmon Roe & Caviar (Actually do not know the exact name of this course but somewhere along the lines) -- very odd taste I thought

Appetiser # 2 = Truffle (黑松露) Linguine -- Words cannot describe about this course as it has the word luxury all over it. The truffle shaving was 1/2 the size of my palm and the smell was so so pungent when the bowl arrived. Once you mash up the truffle with the linguine, every bite in your mouth is the beautiful shavings of truffle, OH MY LORD!!!!!!

Main Course # 1 = Grilled Stingray (魔鬼魚) with Spanish rip tomatoes, chorzio & flava beans -- I have never eaten Stingray aside from on holiday in Singapore or Thailand therefore it is literally the first time in Hong Kong. Your usual Stingray in SG & Thai are traditionally BBQ'ed with Sambal Sauce but this was very unique as it truly brings her the sweetness of the fish. The tomatoes & the Spanish chorizo was also a very good pairing with the fish. Highly recommended dish if you are not a meat-fan!!!

Main Course #2 = French Baby Pigeon stuffed with Foie Gras with Potato Mash on the side = Baby Pigeon was perfectly cooked, just perfectly rare, the way I like it. The generous stuffing of Foie Gras is also a calorie buster, every bite of the pigeon along with the french foie gras is just purely heaven. Also worth a note is the potato mash on the side, very creamy, fluffy and I personally would like to find out from the Chef how he cooked this. If it wasnt a fine dining venue, I would have ordered a side dish of the potato mash. Unfortunately, this dish is not on the menu therefore I cannot recommend you to try this but it was a delight!

Dessert #1 = Cheese Platter -- Big cheese lover I am for many yrs and after a gruesome dinner, I decided to do it GUNG-HO style and to go for the heaviest and most strongly flavoured cheese. The cheese were recommended by the expert but it was GOD"S GIFT!

Dessert # 2 = I didnt really pay attention to this course as I was so stuffed already but from memory, it had Poached Pears with Raspberry Gelato etc etc. Refer to photo below.

Petit Fours = This was the killer of the evening along with the Cheese Platter. We were soo full that we couldnt finish the petit fours and we even packed this for home together with the freshly baked madeline! The Raspberry jelly had far too much sugar on it, the cannele is definitely worth a try. Cannele is a traditional French cake snack, caramelised, tough and slightly burnt on the outer layer but very moist and soft on this inside. I will definitely return for the Cannele

As for the Wine pairing, see above photos and they were all the wine x 2 + champagne we consumed in dinner. Never been a wine expert myself I admit but highly recommend the bottle from Santorini, Greece. Very fruity and pairs extremely well with the fish but I can easily have the whole bottle myself.

Overall, the whole experience at Cepage was absolutely superb. The host of the dinner is very closely related with Cepage, could that be the reason? Cepage is definitely a fine dining venue, and if you wallets are spare with cash, this is the best place to burn your cash. I will definitely return to Cepage soon with my missus for a special occasion. Food, drinks, service & ambiance -- TOP NOTCH!!!!

Food Quality (5* the highest): **** Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$$

Address: 23 Wing Fung Street (Star Street), Wan Chai 灣仔永豐街23號舖

Enquiry No : 2861 3130

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Food Journey #11 -- Pastries & Desserts in Taipei

2009-09-03T14:33:00.011+08:00

Pastries & Desserts give you a sense of guilt in Taipei, why, because they are so damn attractive & the pungent smell is truly unstoppable. Just look at all the photos below, pastries that are rich in colour, sugar and there are also some unusual pastries that I came across on this trip. Must try in Taipei: Mochi (糯米磁) -- any kind of flavour, chocolate, vanilla, green tea, milk team, strawberry, you name it, they have it in Taipei. Definitely much better than the Mochi shops in Hong Kong and it is extremely soft and pairs well with Bubble Milk Tea Pancake Wrapped with Mochi & GreenTea -- I know I have talked about this in my first posting on Taipei, but it was so good that I want to write about it again. Freshly made with pungent green tea stuffing paired with mochi. Very delicious and perfect snack during a hot day in Taipei. Sweet Pototo & Taro Flour Chunks, Taiwanese Pearl (same pearl as bubble tea) with Tofu Flower (豆腐花) with Sugar Syrup on Ice -- The day I had this was 35 degrees in Taipei and it was very refreshing indeed. The Flour Chunks tasted like eating marshmallows minus the sugar as it was simply flour. Every spoonful was full of ice, tofu flower, Taiwanese Pearl & Flour Chunks and the next second, you realise that you have consumed so much carbs that it is ridiculous. If you are weight conscious, this dessert has the word calories all over it but for me, this is purely a heart and comforting dessert for sure. Mango Flavoured Shaved Ice with Fresh Mango & Taiwanese Pearl -- Taiwan is all about shaved ice with fruits and the shop which I recommend you to visit is ICE MONSTER located in Da-An District. Tourist hotspot and a big queue when I arrived at 1400pm because they have over 50 types of fruit flavoured shaved ice which is paired with a scoop of ice-cream. Perfect dessert for Summer and the fruit itself is also extremely fresh & sweet. Have you not noticed that every drink & dessert somehow contains Taiwanese Pearl? Bakery in Market Place by Jasons -- Do pop into the supermarket (Market Place by Jasons) in the 101 building as there is a bakery which is worth a visit. Mountain & pile full of donuts, bagels, fresh bread, cupcakes, brownies, gateau, you name it and they have it all there. The smell is so strong and the colours are also extremely attractive. One unusual object which I found (see photo below) is this hot dog shaped bun which is black and smothered with green herbs on top. I found out from the bakery that it is a Black Ink (from squid) Loaf with Garlic paste, as unusual the colour is, gave it a try and it was very delicious as well. However, the appearance wasnt the most appealing therefore do check it out when go to Taipei. From above and below, you can sense how much calories are involved in eating above. It was worth the try and desserts in Taipei are a delight to have especially during summer. Let me know what you think of the desserts when you visit Taipei next time. Next post will be about Japanese Teppanyaki in Taipei! Catch you later and off to the gym for sure! Geoff

Food Journey #11 - Food in Taipei

2009-09-02T13:00:00.027+08:00

Taipei snacks are definitely delicious but, in general, the food in Taipei is bloody marvellous! Just look at all the photos which I took on this trip. No idea where to start the review but considering I was in Taipei for 3 days only,

check out my recommended places in Taipei for this!

Wing Kong Beef Noodle 永康牛肉麵

Was highly recommended to visit this small noodle shop near Gold Mountain Road (金山街) and it is infamous for its Beef. You name any part of the cow, they will serve it in this shop.

For starters, we ordered the Soy Sauce mix with Beef Tendon and it was very delicious. The texture of the beef tendon is very chewy and the pairing with the soy sauce was perfect. Since the highlight of this restaurant is beef therefore we tried out the Stewed Beef & Tendon Noodles (Spicy) and regular Beef Noodles with Plain Broth. The beef was so delicious that I ended up eating most of the beef in both sets of noodles. However, slight disapointment was the noodles and it just wasnt exciting.

If you are a carnivore especially towards beef, highly recommended to visit this place but otherside, nothing else very much stands out in this restaurant. My additional advice is that do not order Spicy Red Oil Won Ton (紅油炒手) from this place as I couldnt taste a single flavour of spicyness and my mouth was littered with Peanut Butter sauce which was revolting. For a small noodle shop, spending around HKD300 for 4 people is considered to be extremely expensive!!

Food Quality (5* the highest): *** Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$$$

Tripod King (鼎王麻辣鍋)

If you like spicy Sze Chuan Spicy Hot Pot, this is the talk of the town. Unlike Din Tai Fung (see review below), it tooks us 5 weeks to reserve a table and that we had to have dinner at 1730pm just for this. Checked it out to see what the fuss was about and I can see why it requires such advance booking.

Our hot pot broth was medium spiced but it was very flavourful, not "too"spicy and it was littered with fresh To-Fu and (if you are not an internal organ fan, please turn away) congelated Pig's Blood. What was special was that it was an unlimited refill on the broth, tofu and congelated Pig's Blood throughout dinner and it was very filling indeed.

*The Beef & Lamb was very flavourful but too bad, they do not serve the local beef from Hong Kong (本地肥牛) or else it would have been more special.

*The selection of Meat & Fish Balls (Pork, Prawn, Squid, Beef) was very delicious indeed and much much better than the ones you can get in Hot Pot places in Hong Kong.

*The Crab roe with crab meat appeared in a small bamboo cone and that was also a treat for the evening. Not only did the crab meat tasted actually like crab but the crab roe inside the crab meat was also very tasty indeed.

Overall, extremely pleasant dining experience in Tripod King and can see why it was worth the wait. Downside is that their tea kettle is extremely heavy to be lifted to pour tea. Also, you will also begin to notice that the number of beers which one consumes during this dinner is uncountable. Highly recommended venue in Taipei!

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Din Tai Fung on Chung Xsiao East Road (鼎泰豐)

Quite possibly Taiwan's signature restaurant, so famous that it has signages inside the subway station point out the direction of this particular restaurant. Tourist hotspot and required 3 weeks in advance for this table booking. Very famous for their dumplings, Chinese Buns, Chinese Noodles and dumplings. My personal favourite dish in Din Tai Fung is their Drunken Chicken (醉雞), texture of the chicken tastes like an organic chicken and very sweet tender + much much better than the chicken you can find in Hong Kong. The Spicy Red Oil Won Ton (紅油炒手) is also a definite treat.

Do try out this place but my advice is to book in advance!

Food Quality (5* the highest): **** Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$

Check out on my next posting soon on the savoury desserts & bakery in Taipei!!!!

Geoff

Food Journey #10 -- Snacks in Taipei

2009-09-01T22:20:00.020+08:00

Exhausting trip to Taipei from Sat - Mon whereby it was a total 3 days of non-stop work, food & partying with old friends. Been to Taipei on many occasions but this time with a main purpose to cover interesting reviews on my unique food adventure. Looking through my camera, I have taken so many photos solely on food therefore stay tune with my blog as I will be reviewing various items starting from today. We will dedicate today's posting on snacks in Taipei!

Street Snacks in Taipei:

Geez, this is not even 1/10 of the photos which I have taken and I have choosen below food to feature about as they are absolutely delicious!

1) Pancake Wrap with Mochi & Green Tea -- You can purchase this from the food court in Mitsuokushi (星光三越) near New York New York in Shun Yi District

2) When you are in Taipei, the "drink" to quench your thirst in 35 degree of heat is Taiwan's infamous bubble tea. For some odd reason, it tastes a lot better than the ones in Hong Kong, much more authentic and the bubbles in the tea are extremely chewy. Only go to Ti Yen Tea House for this (天仁)

3) Deep Friend Prawn Balls in Qiu Fen (九份), very tasty and pairs very well with sweet & sour sauce. Maybe I was extremely hungry on the day which made it even more delicious!

4) God knows how many types of sausauges there are in Taipei on the streets, but the regular pork sausauges, pork sausauges with fish roe (飛魚子) and black squid ink sausauges I thought were very interesting. Very different to your usual American BBQ or English Pork Sausauges and especially the black squid ink sausauge with its unusual colour.

5) **Grilled Jumbo Mushroom (雞脾菇) with smoked paprika in Qiu Fen (九份) for me is the best street food one get possibly eat. How often do you eat street food that is healthy but yet so tasty and juicy!!! My highest recommendation for the trip to Taipei!

6) Shaved Caramalised Peanut Chunks with Vanilla Ice-Cream Pan-cake -- I only took 2 bites of this and when you have eaten & tried out various food items during this short trip, there is literally no room for more food. Very sweet but the caramelised peanut chunks are very tasty.

Overall, I highly recommend to go try out the Grilled Jumbo Mushroom as it is one of the best snacks I have possibly have had in this region. Snacks in Taiwan are an absolute treat and I strongly recommend you all to visit the nightmarkets to try out the local snacks.

Next blog posting will be related to truly delectable meals in Taipei and stay tune!

Food Journey #9 - Lunch at Sushi Kuu 壽司喰

2009-08-27T16:08:00.006+08:00

Lunch meeting today at Sushi Kuu with Mr Kevin She and I recommended Sushi Kuu for our lunch meeting spot. In my opinion, definitely one of the best lunch hot spots in Central for a quick, delicious and relaxing Japanese cuisine for lunch. Have never eaten at Sushi Kuu for dinner cos Japanese dinners tend to be quite pricey but for lunch, value definitely matches quality!!

We both ordered the Sashimi Cube Rice Set Lunch as I have had this dish every single time I visit this place and it never disappoints. The generous portions, large chunks and juicy texture of the Sashimi goes very well with the Japanese rice with a dash of wasabi & soy sauce. What can I say, perfect lunch and perhaps I should try out other dishes next time. Speaking of my recommended dish, just by looking at the photos, I am hungry once again!!!

Address:: 1/f, The Loop, Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong (中環威靈頓街2-8號威靈頓廣場1樓)

Tel:: 2971 0180

Food Quality (5* the highest): ****

Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Food Journey #8 -- RED SoHo Again

2009-08-26T22:24:00.014+08:00

So, dinner with In-Laws & Parents this evening and mother wanted to try RED SoHo after hearing from her friends so much regarding the food. Will keep the blog nice & simple and go straight into the food. Located in the heart of SoHo, restaurant has a good vibe & a definite good place to people-watch. As a neutral, have eaten here at lunch a few times but dinner on the otherhand, is very different - much more relaxed, laid back and service is great. Not overly attentive but not scrappy! Dishes we ordered: Caesar Salad -- Generous Portion but slight downside is the plate seems very small on the table. Taste is superb -- not too richly flavoured. Soup of the Day (Wild Mushroom Soup with Cream) -- Didnt personally try this as not a fan of soup but very positive comments so I heard Old Bay Crab Cake -- Have tried plenty of crab cakes in Hong Kong and this to me tastes superb in the sense that you know it is "real" crab unlike many other restaurants. If they can increase the portion size, I can have this as my main course Pop Corn Shrimp with Chipotle Mayonnaise -- I like the overall taste and the shrimps are very fresh and pairs very well with the Chipotle Mayonnaise. Again, too bad that the portion sizes are a bit small and still the Pop Corn Shrimp in Inn-Side Out in Causeway Bay is still my best rated in Hong Kong so far. Turkey Burger - Gut feeling tells me that the local crowd will not enjoy this burger as the texture of the turkey is very dry. However, the burger bun is very crispy and should pay attention to the portion sizes of the avocado with the additional $12 charges. **Grilled Salmon Fillet with Basil Dressing -- This is a truly spectacular dish, my highly recommended dish at RED SoHo. Very rare do you find the outer layer of the skin so cripsy but the inner core ivery moist & juicy. Very incredibly healthy dish and the tomato & basil dressing pairs amazingly well with the juicy salmon! **American USDA Prime New York Strip 12oz -- Didnt try this dish but comments from the group were that the steaks at RED SoHo are god's gift and they returned to RED SoHo cos of the steaks -- enough said on the comments! RED Beef Burger -- Pounced on 1/4 of this burger as it was so tempting watching my fiancee's dad munching on that so I begged for a quarter. First time I tried their burger as I have heard many positive things on this but proved the comments are right. Very nice burger indeed and much much better than the commercial burgers you get in fast food joins (do not compare with the pricing point) **Chocolate Layer Cake -- This cake is absolutely surreal and can put life back into dead person. Quite possibly one of the best chocolate layer cakes in town and in fact I rate this the 2nd best cake in town. The inner part of the cake is moist which is perfect unlike other cakes where are dry & stale in the middle. Thank god there is a gym upstairs as the portions are MASSIVE!!!! **Pecan Pie -- Personally, between the Pecan Pie and the Choco Layer Cake, I prefer this dessert. So good that I completely forgot my homework to take a snap of this and finished this within 2 mins. Our group majority prefered the Chocolate Layer Cake, but I have my doubts. The Caramel ice-cream also pairs very well with the sweetness of the Pecan Pie and words cannot describe the moment of sensation!!! Overall, dinner was very plesant and my recommendation is to visit RED SoHo during a dinner for a plesant experience with your partner or mates! Address: 2/f, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: 8199-8189 Food Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2* Price (5$ = very expensive): $$$

Part 1 -- Taiwanese Bubble Tea (珍珠奶茶)

2009-08-25T22:21:00.008+08:00

Round 1:: One More Cup in Causeway Bay 再來一杯 Have been to this location a few times and it is conveniently located in the heart of Causeway Bay behind Sogo, often with a long queue of people waiting for their summer's favourite beverage (aside from beer) -- Taiwanese Bubble Tea (珍珠奶茶). Today, my conquest was to review this place so we ordered the following: Regular flavoured Taiwanese Bubble Tea ($10) Previous experiences tells me that it is very sweet so do order low-sugar with A LOT OF BUBBLES (珍珠) with no extra charges unlike other location. If you do not know what the bubbles are, they are very chewy winegum like texture which is sunk at the bottom of the cup and is tasteless but somewhat goes very well with a drink to have something to chew on. Overall flavour and taste is very good, your perfect drink during the summer and remember, it is only $10!! Chocolate flavoured Bubble Tea ($17) This is a new flavour as I wanted something more Un-Original -- felt like a crossover between Starbucks and Taiwanese Bubble Tea. If you are calorie conscious, please DO NOT order this as it is very sweet yet very tasty. Somehow, I know the staff quite well so the bubble portion was very generous. Kudos to their staff on this. It is very chocolatey for sure and very filling, could well have contained the equivalent calories for a dinner. Again, at $10, your good drink to get during summer Downside is that standing in the middle of Causeway Bay (very crowded area of Hong Kong just like anywhere else in Hong Kong) waiting for this drink is not the best thing to do in summer and at peak times, quite possibly Hong Kong's slowest service! Have no idea how they can make money at $10 a drink!! Address: No. 518, Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣謝斐道518號) Quality (5* = the highest quality): *** Price (5$ = very expensive): $

Food Journey #7 -- Ootoya 大戶屋

2009-08-25T09:02:00.011+08:00

So, I lied about going to Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood via twitter yesterday(http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=5182) and instead I ended up at Ootoya opposite Times Square. Reason being is that it was the only restaurant which I didnt have to wait & plus I have always heard a lot of good things about their Blue Fin Tuna Rice Bowl. Restaurant is nicely located on the 3f opposite Times Square with a nice view overlooking Times Square. Dishes we ordered: **1 x Kirin Beer ($15) -- $15 for a beer in a restaurant is very reasonable!! **1 x Fried Mini Oyster (廣島炸蠔) -- very "mini" as specified on menu but taste was very sweet. Too bad the sauce to go with the oyster was a bit revolting! **1 x Set of Fried Chicken with Rice, Soba Noodles -- deep fried chicken is very juicy and not greasy at all and very tender texture. Rice was very chewy, just the way I like it and goes very well with the vinegrette sauce for the lettuce. Soba noodles were very chilled and texture was again to perfection. However, the fried chicken has improvement areas as I rate Tonkichi is still Hong Kong's #1. **1 x Blue Fin Tuna Rice Bowl -- This was a very special bowl of blue fin tuna rice as the tuna was at its best and the texture of the rice did not disappoint. Too bad I drowned the bowl with soya sauce & wasabi but THUMBS UP, definitely worth every single penny!!!! :) 1 x Fried Potato Mash Ball (炸薯餅) -- Not a fan of this dish as after munching on so much carbs, this is the least dish that I will need during the course. Took 1 bite of this and it wasnt too greasy and the taste was decent. But again, I am not the one to judge as I have never been a fan of potatoes. Overall, a very pleasant experience and I will encourage you all to visit this place and share with me your thoughts. Remember to order the Blue Fin Tuna Rice Address: 銅鑼灣羅素街8號3樓 (3/f, No.8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay) Tel: 2573-8333 Food Quality (5* the highest): 3/1/2* Price (5$ = very expensive): $

Food Journey #6 -- Subway for Lunch

2009-08-24T15:00:00.008+08:00

Brand new Subway has opened 2 blocks away from our office, very convenient unlike the usual trek we have to make up the escalator to the joint in SoHo. Recieved their direct mail drop today and never before have I got tempted to use a coupon, but this is a whopping $5 off during lunch hours. Lunch Meal was $42 - $5 = $37 which included a 6 footer + pack of Walkers crisp + Can of Coke -- what a way to start Monday!!! I ordered the Grilled Chicken with Dijon Horseradish Sauce with TONNES of Jalepeno peppers and lettuce. Taste was okay, nothing spectacular as I think Subway is more of a 300am food in Wan Chai or Lan Kwai Fong. In fact, Subway in Hong Kong is pretty mediocre in comparison to Subways I have had in the US or Canada! What's more interesting is this joint contains more locals than expats which is very different to other Subways and there is even a localised menu with local flavours on it! They may soon start serving 蛋牛治 & 餐蛋治 in this location Address: 中環昭隆街33號萬邦行地下3號舖 (No.33, Chiu Lung Street, Melbourne Plaza, Central) Tel: 2151-0690 Food Quality (5* the highest): * Price (5$ = very expensive): $ in terms for dessert pricing

Food Journey #5 -- 珍珠奶茶 (Pearl Milk Ice Tea) Comparison in Hong Kong

2009-08-24T09:55:00.008+08:00

As I have noticed there is a growing trend of 珍珠奶茶 (Pearl Milk Ice Tea) shops opened up in Hong Kong and Kowloon side, mainly in Causeway Bay and Mongkok District. This week, I will be trying our various shops and give you guys some feedback and my recommendation on which is the best 珍珠奶茶 (Pearl Milk Ice Tea) in Hong Kong. Stay tune and enjoy your Monday!

Food Journey #4 -- 八八八拉麵 Ramen Sanpachi

2009-08-23T22:30:00.005+08:00

Beautiful Sunday in Hong Kong today and one of my regular hot spots is 八八八拉麵 Ramen Sanpachi in Causeway Bay -- because it DID have the most authentic Japanese Pork Ramen Noodles. Today's adventure totally disappointed me as I have been craving for their noodles for some time but the moment I gurped onto the noodles, something was different about it.

Here is what missus and I ordered:

*Spicy Pork Ramen Noodles

*Regular Pork Ramen Noodles

*Deep Fried Chicken Cutlets (YUM)

Regular Pork Ramen Noodle is very boring as I prefer some sort of a spice kick on Sundays. The Spicy Pork Ramen Noodles were first of all NOT SPICY AT ALL, and the broth was very very watery. The texture of the noodles were slightly different comparing to before. TOTALLY DISAPPOINTING!!!!

Only dish whichrescued the whole lunch experience was the deep fried chicken cutlets -- not too greasy and perfect taste and texture with a dash of lemon & Japanese Mayo! :)

Address: 銅鑼灣軒尼斯道499號永光商業大廈B2地庫 (B2, Wing Kwong Commercial Building, 499 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong) Tel: 2893-2388

Food Quality (5* the highest): *

Price (5$ = very expensive) : $

Food Journey #3 -- 糖仁街 (China Town Dessert)

2009-08-23T19:45:00.001+08:00

So, was cruising around Tsim Sha Tsui area yesterday after my journey to Heichinrou (聘珍樓) and my god, walking around in Hong Kong in 34 degree heat is not exactly the best activity in this part of the world, believe my word! The amount of body fluid that was lost during the walk from Canton Road to Tsim Sha Tsui East area was a major concern!

Ended up in very interesting road called Hau Fok Street (厚福街). I have previously visited this road before when 798 Unit & C0 (see link http://ow.ly/l0Dz ) first opened and know that it is definitely Tsim Sha Tsui's most undervalued area for a unique food experience.

What caught my eye was below shop, very colourful with EXTREMELY COLD air conditioning therefore I decided to check out the menu. It turns out that they are infamous for 雪花冰 -- a traditional Taiwanese dessert (flavoured snow-flaked ice shavings). Sat down, checked out the menu and without a doubt and no regrets went for the (a) Valrona Chocolate Ice Shavings with Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Marshmallow, Banana and Coffee Jelly and my missus ordered a (b) Sweet Condense Milk Flavoured Ice Shaving with Corn Flakes.

(A) -- Very sweet, tasty and very interesting texture. Flavour of chocolate sauce is extremely rich and the already flavoured chocolate ice, an absolutely deadly combination. Coffee Jelly & Banana on the side are also a perfect complement with the ice shavings

(B)-- Personally, not my favourite as it is far too sweet and not a fan of cornflakes therefore am glad that I didnt order this. Definitely a very female dessert indeed as 8 / 10 girls / ladies were having this dessert.

A nice & small dessert place serving up exotic Taiwanese style dessert, definite place for summer but if you are calorie or health conscious, honestly do not recommend you to visit this place as there is far too much sweet temptation.

Address: 尖沙咀厚福街11號地下 (Hau Fok Street 11, Tsim Sha Tsui)

Tel: 2368 4118

Food Quality (5* the highest): ***

Price (5$ = very expensive): $$ in terms for dessert pricing

Food Journey # 2 -- Heichinrou (聘珍樓)

2009-08-23T15:00:00.002+08:00

Food Journey # 2 -- Heichinrou (聘珍樓) Never been a big fan of Yum Cha in Hong Kong due to the amount of grease and calories in Dim Sum. However this was all soon to change after my visit to Hei Chin Rou (聘珍樓) Arrived there at 100pm and the place was very nice & peaceful located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui in New Sun Arcade on Canton Road. Chinese Tea is a vital part to the whole yum cha experience and that did not disappoint at all, very richly flavoured. Whilst we were waiting for the in-laws to arrive, we had a very interesting experience with one of the waitresses as we made a comment to her about closing the exit door and the air conditioner were leaking out, the waitresses turned around and screamed at one of the food runner that the area was 熱到X街 which we thought was quite amusing. In terms of food, we ordered below:: a. Rice roll with Prawns b. Deep Fried Spring Rolls c. Prawn Dumplings d. XO Sauce Stir Fried Rice roll (XO醬腸粉) e. Sliced Turnip Prawn Cake f. Steamed Sweet Chinese Cake (馬拉糕) g. Chicken Wrap with Bean Curd and Mushroom (雞Zhai) Must say, I was blown away by the quality of the dim-sum especially (g) & (d). Overall quality, taste was top notch quality and in my opinion in terms of price, this is the best dim sum house in Hong Kong by far. One special menion is when you go next time, pls remember to order their chilli sauce (see pic below) and it is also very tasty and spicey which is perfect for the the XO Sauce Stir Fried Rice Roll Address: 尖沙咀廣東道28號新太陽廣場2樓 Tel: 2375 7123 Food Quality: **** (5* the highest) Price: $$ (5$ = very expensive) Highly recommended and will return next week for sure! Drop me a comment on whether you agree with me on 聘珍樓. Watch out for the next blog posting!!

Food Journey #1 @ RED SoHo

2009-08-21T15:01:00.000+08:00

Right!

So lunch today was with colleagues as our colleague from Taiwan visited us so we decided to head out to a new establishment in the heart of SoHo named RED SoHo which was previously occupied by Pure Fitness. Similar to its sister establishment in IFC, this place serves up hearty New York Cuisine. Lunch was pretty crowded today and 6 of us had various dishes -- some had set lunch (not my type) and some ordered a la carte. Some of the items which we ordered today:

1 x RED Reuben Sandwich

1 x Beef Tartare

2 x Chips

2 x Set Lunches

1 x Truffled Mac & Cheese

1 x Taglietelle with Shrimp

I myself indulged the Beef Tartare which was to perfection with the condiments of rock salt, black pepper, mustard and toast on the side and a kudos to the kitchen for doing a wonderful fries which is very rare in Hong Kong. The simplest food are always the hardest food to cook!

Ratings for RED SoHo (5* the highest)

Food Quality = ***

Average Spend = $$

2/f, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Tel: 8199-8189

Website: http://www.pure-dining.com/

Geoff's Twitchen

2009-08-21T14:55:00.000+08:00

Aug 21, 2009

My 1st ever blog and I will dedicate this blog solely to my culinary experiences and food adventures in Hong Kong on a daily basis. Do drop me your comments & input on whether you agree or disagree on my ratings on the QUALITY OF FOOD not ambiance and $ of the dishes. Come join me on my food adventure in Hong Kong!!