Last year, during my last trip to  Hong Kong, I had my best meal at Liberty Private Works. It just so happened that a friend of mine (@3starbackpacker) asked on Twitter about the current whereabouts of Chef Makoto Ono. I did some digging and found the following information and thought that I might as well share the it with my readers.

Makoto comes from restaurant roots. His father, Sadao, opened Winnipeg’s renowned Japanese restaurant, Edohei, and Makoto grew up there. He returned early this year to take over the reins while his father battled cancer (the prognosis is positive). Meanwhile Liberty Private Works needed someone to take over and chose Vicky Cheng, a young man who used to work at Canoe, Auberge du Pommier and for Daniel Boulud in New York. If you’re in Hong Kong any time soon, I would recommend a visit.

Edohei is at 355 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba. www.edohei.mb.ca.

- http://jameschatto.com/2011/05/return-of-makoto/. Last accessed 8 June 2011.

In the meantime, if you’re in Hong Kong do give the revamped Liberty Private Works  a try and let me know how it went.

Liberty Private Works

#3/F 12 Wellington Street,
3rd Floor, Central

Telephone: (852) 5186 3282
Website # http://www.libertypw.com/

Mandarin Bar and Grill is almost molecular gastronmy like in their approach but I loved every moment that I was there. I felt like I was transported into a different realm for that 3 hours. Liberty Private Works was my best meal in Hong Kong but Mandarin Bar and Grill is not a far second. Service was excellent too! Definitely worthy of their One Michelin Star (Which they retained in the recent 2011 Michelin HK/Macau guide)

Long renowned as Hong Kong’s favourite dining room, The Grill serves an exciting adaptation of grill specialties with a dash of progressive gastronomy from the talented Executive Chef Uwe Opocensky.

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

Complimentary Bread Basket

Amuse Bouche: Tea-Marinated Quail Egg

Amuse Bouche: Pastry with Foie Gras and Cherry (Which was really a candy made to look like one)

Amuse Bouche: Olive Jelly. A burst of flavours when you pop the jelly into your mouth! Awesome!

Flower Pot

Organic, leaves, vegetable, cress, flower, minus 8

Summer

Consomme, organic, gold, tomato, tea bag

Turbot

Alantic, wild, lentil, mussel, calamari, sea cucumber

Stroganoff

Rib eye, tin, beetroot, mash

Spring Garden

Coconut, Ginger, Yuzu, Green Tea, Mango

Arabica Coffee / Herbal & Aromatic Tea

Oreo

Mandarin Bar and Grill
1/F Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught Road
Central, Hong Kong

Phone: + 852 2825 4004 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              + 852 2825 4004      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Email:  mohkg-grill@mohg.com

If there is one thing that I miss from Hong Kong – it has got to be the avaibility of excellent dim sum! Choices are available, seemingly at every corner of the island to suit any budgets. On the one hand you have Man Wah and Lung King Heen etc. for Michelin-starred (and expensive) dim sum and on the other you have traditional tea houses like Lin Heung.

For those of you who get to have dim sum at the likes of Man Wah, lucky you; For the rest of us, Tim Ho Wan is here!

Tim Ho Wan, literally translated, means “Add Good Luck” and was established by Chef Mak, who used to work in the kitchens of Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (itself, a 3-Michelin starred restaurant). A few years back, he started Tim Ho Wan to offer his dim sum at VERY affordable prices.

Located in Mong Kok, the restaurant itself was by no means hard to find. It does involve a short walk to the nearest MTR but it’s an excellent way to lose some of those calories. Otherwise, there are the ever-available taxis available. I read online that the one would require a wait of 1-2 hours just to get a seat inside this smallish 20-30 odd seater restaurant. So, being the smart lass I am (or so I thought to be), I left my hotel at 9+am with the aim of reaching the restaurant at 10.30am and avoiding the peak hour lunch crowd. But lo and behold, a queue had already formed. The photo that you see above was taken when I first arrived at the restaurant.

Having your meal here. Having a meal here at Tim Ho Wan is relatively easy – approach the lady at the door and get a queue number. In the mean time, you grab a copy of the order chit and select the dishes that you intend to order. When your queue number is called, you proceed into the cramped interior and have your dishes served to you in quick succession. In case you were wondering, I waited for about 50 minutes; But time seemed to pass by rather quickly.

You see – I was staring at a notice on the window stating that Tim Ho Wan had opened up a larger branch.So there I was jotting down the location, when a middle aged woman came up to me and warned me against going there with stories of how her friends tried it and left disappointed.

In true Hong Kong fashion, we quickly became acquainted and exchanged friendly conversations about the dim sum served here and the comparison with Lin Heung and of her last visit to Singapore.

Rice roll stuffed with shrimp HK$17

This was good, excellent in fact! The rice roll was far from being thick and was steamed just for the right amount of time. The shrimps were fresh and the sauce, oh-the-sauce, was fantastic; It was not too salty, not too sweet – it was just right!

Steamed chicken feet clawswith black bean sauce HK$12

I love my chicken feetclaws. Okay, I’ve said it. Detractors to this chinese delicacy would go, W.H.A.T? To each his own, I suppose. For your information, I look upon those who claim that Casu marzu and its live maggots is a delicacy with utter disdain.

I sidetracked. I like how Tim Ho wan did their rendition of this classic dim sum. They were firm and were braised in the not-too-sweet, not-too-spicy black bean sauce. This compares with some renditions that I’ve tried where sugar seems to be the main ingredient to the dish!

Steamed fresh shrimp dumplings (ha jiao/ har gow) HK$18

A must order for me at any dim sum restaurant, the dumplings were a delight to savour. The skin was again, not thick and the shrimps encassed within it were fresh and had a crunch to them.

Pan fried turnip cake with preserved meat HK$10

I was not planning to order the turnip cake, but the lady that I spoke to earlier had high praise for them.

I’m sorry, but I could have done without this – Not that they were bad in anyway; I felt they were a tad plain tasting for me. Perhaps I’ve been spoilt by the many other delicious tasting dim sum that I had on my table, that this had to take a back seat.

But, in all fairness, I have to give credit in the fact that the cakes came out perfectly fried and unlike some local versions, they were not drenched in oil! Kudos to the chef!

Steamed pork dumplings with shrimp (Siew Mai) HK$18

The status of the siew mai being a perennial favourite of many simply means that any restaurant has to get theirs done perfectly. Tim Ho Wan is no exception – they got theirs perfectly! Some places tend to mince the pork and shrimp so finely that you hardly know what goes into it (Much like how I try to stay away from commercially produced sausages), Tim Ho Wan managed to keep theirs relatively in tact, which  in my books, is a good thing.

Will I be back? Most definitely, you can count on that!

Tim Ho Wan
2-20 Kwong Wa Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong

The perennial question  – Where did you have the best meal in Hong Kong? My answer – Liberty Private Works.

I am sure that at the back of your mind you must be thinking, “Glenn, you have to be kidding”. But I kid you not, Liberty Private Works, hereinafter referred to as LPW, was where I had the best meal in my two recent trips to Hong Kong. Michelin starred it is not, but step into the 12 seater kitchen (and mind you, a kitchen is the appropriate word and not a restaurant per-se),  and you can sense the passion of Chef Makoto and the humble albeit homely service of his crew of his girlfriend/wife and a wait staff.

So how did I come across LPW? Well, with the help of the Hong Kong food blogs and Openrice Hong Kong, of course! I was brought to the attention of this little gem in Central, Hong Kong!

So what is it like, dining at Liberty Private Works?

First and foremost, I apologise for the lack of a photograph of the restaurant interior as the restaurant was full that night and I did not want to photograph the diners there. Imagine a 12 seater bar top counter surrounding a bar and kitchen. Te entire restaurant takes up, probably somewhere in the region of 400 sq feet, tops. I dare say that the kitchen with came equipped with 3 stoves, an oven and an electric grill is no larger than a kitchen of a 5-room HDB flat. To put it simply, Chef was literally squeezed into a corner.

Copyright: http://www.jasonbonvivant.com/2010/05/liberty-private-works.html

There is no menu to speak of; the menu, which is remarkably changed on a daily basis, (Boy, how does one even do that!) is written in chalk on the blackboard. Excluding the amuse bouche, a standard dinner would consist of 5 to 7 courses . Now, this is where reservations come in handy – you are allowed to set certain parameters for your dinner (e.g. the avoidance of all meats). By the way, the menu only states the main ingredient in the dish, in this dinner -  Scallop, Salmon etc. So in truth, you only get to know what the dish really encompasses when it arrives onto the table; Almost omakase like.

That said, Chef himself will come around explaining each dish to the customers in a really soft voice – something that I did not quite expect from someone of his built. But in that humble voice of his, lies a man full of passion and eagerness to introduce his diners to a world of joy through his cooking. And that, I fell in love with.

Copyright: http://www.jasonbonvivant.com/2010/05/liberty-private-works.html

P.s. I stole a sneak peek into the fridge and it did seem that he does not pre stock the next day’s ingredients. Heck, but at least you know what you’re getting is the freshest available in the market! In truth, he does own another restaurant – LEX, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt!

On a side note, it did sound like 70% of the diners on the evening that I was there, were Singaporeans. And trust me, it is not difficult spotting a Singaporean regardless of where they are, the moment they open their mouths to utter a word.

Please, allow me to relive my experience at LPW with you, as I introduce briefly the courses that I had.

The amuse bouche was interesting (for lack of a better word). It was a green curry and pumpkin soup, topped with a spicy ginger foam.

As interesting as it sounded, it tastes unique. Unique, in a good way thankfully. Somehow the green curry and pumpkin soup complemented the flavours of one another in complete unison and the ginger foam helped to add that bit of spicyness to cut through the puree.

I knew that the meal was going to be good.

So with high hopes, I was looking forward to the first course. The first course was a lightly seared scallop dish.

It was okay, unfortunately. It was not mind blowing in any way. I was thankful for the sprinkling of coarse sea salt and dried olive on top of each scallop as they added the flavours to the otherwise, boring, scallops.

Boy, the salmon was awesome. It was slowly poached in pure butter. The joy of having such a small private kitchen is that you get to see Chef painstakingly controlling the temperature of the heat and the time to poach each and every single slab of salmon.

This was oh-so-good, I tell you. It was cooked perfectly, pink in the middle and moist throughout.

I am no fan of the earthy flavours of beetroot, but admittedly the beetroot salsa at the bottom served as a wonderful partner to the naturally oily fish. But what was most interesting for me – was the inclusion of the wasabi (seen above in green) and that helped to counteract upon some of the fishy-ness of the salmon.

Next up, was a pan fried snapper fillet.

Frankly, I opine that this was the best dish of the evening. The snapper was pan fried perfectly – the skin was crispy yet the fish was really moist. I thoroughly enjoyed the fish.

The cous cous was mixed with zucchinis and tomatoes somehow worked with the flavours of the fish. But highlight has to be given to the eggplant puree and parsley oil mixture that was served beside the fish. It was really a joy (yes, I know I have a penchant of repeating the word, joy) to savour.

The pan roasted duck was good, but I had one of the best roasted ducks the lunch before this, so this really pales in comparison. Yes, before you start slamming me saying that they are completely different dishes and the cooking techniques are completely different (Just an example, In French cooking – Pink is okay, in Cantonese, Pink is a definite no.), but you have to admit, duck tastes a lot better, roasted in any Chinese method – Peking or Cantonese.

So enough blabber.

The duck was tender and credit has to be given to Chef was perfectly timing the cooking times of the duck meat. By the way, he made no use of a meat thermometer – laser or traditional. He stuck a metal rod into the meat and used his fingers as a gauge. Now – that is true culinary finesse.

I do like the roasted potatoes though – but indulgent they were. They were covered in pure duck fat which lent this unique flavour to otherwise, just potatoes.

Before desserts was officially served, we were offered a simple sorbet as a palate cleanser.

The mango was light and refreshing, as a palate cleanser is designed to be; Sorbet, that I later learnt, was also most in-house. Talk about being a jack of all trades!

Lastly, the dessert was served – a rich and indulgent (Oh and did I say, overwhelmingly sweet) sabayon with green apple slices and walnuts.

The slightly sour green apple slices and bitter walnuts helped to cut through the sweetness of the sabayon, but it was too little, too late.

Frankly – I could have done without my dessert in this very case and would have preferred to leave my case at the sorbet!

Another link that may be of interest can be found here: http://www.theworlds50best.com/regional-spotlights/hong-kong/liberty-private-works

So what’s stopping you – if you’re in Hong Kong and you need a restaurant recommendation, LPW has my definite stamp of approval! Best of all, a dinner at LPW is inexpensive – for the experience and passion, there is only one seating each night that starts at 8pm start and costs HKD500 per head not including drinks or tips. Do note that, this being a private kitchen, only cold hard cash in accepted!

Liberty Private Works

# 3/F12 Wellington Street, 3rd Floor, Central

Telephone: (852) 5186 3282
Website # http://www.libertypw.com/

When you’re in Hong Kong and you’re hungry, come Saturday morning, what do you do? Visit Amber for their Wine Brunch for that was what I did.

Alright, the sheer convenience of walking directly from my hotel to the adjacent mall, all in the comforts of an air conditioned sheltered above-ground walkway did it for me too.

For HKD$698++, you get to 6 courses (3 of which are desserts) all accompanied with wines selected by their sommelier.

For starters, there is the glass of champagne to accompany the amuse bouche – Jelliedfied melon.

Paired with n/v veuve clicquot ponsardin ‘brut’ chardonnay, pinot noir & pinot meunier ◦ reims ◦ france ◦ ◦

Other quick bites before the meal started included a Pork croquette with kimchi mustard and;

Foie gras lollip rapberry and beetroot

Helming the 2-Michelin star restaurant is Chef Richard Ekkebus who (according to Amber’s website) has trained in the kitchens of Alain Passard, Guy Savoy and Pierre Gagnaire.

From what I hear, Chef Richard personally sees to the cooking in the restaurant – a.k.a, he is not one who just lends his name to the restaurant – he actually physically oversees and (I hear) cooks certain dishes! He is definitely one passionate chef!

I think this paragraph lifted from Amber’s website epitomizes his spirit and passion in cooking.

Genuine delight registers on his expressive face in sharing the most recent arrivals with his diners, from Turkish figs to Japanese sea urchins. He credits his restaurant-owning grandparents with teaching him how to pick the best apples in Fall and berries during Summer, and how to hunt and fish near their seaside Holland home.

While he calls his upbringing “the best apprenticeship”, he also recognizes the Michelin-starred Dutch chefs Hans Snijders and Robert Kranenborg who taught him how to cook, and the French masters under whom he refined his skills. Alain Passard taught him that every ingredient must be purposeful. He bonded with Guy Savoy on the rugby field then learned how to think globally about cuisine. He mastered technique under Pierre Gagnaire, who simultaneously showed him the importance of trusting his intuition in the kitchen. The sixteen-hour days he reminisces, “were not a job, but a passion.”

Appetizer

Paired with the ◦2008 telmo rodriguez ‘basa blanco’ verjeho ◦ rueda ◦ spain ◦ ◦ ◦ is the hokkaido sea urchin in a lobster jell-O with cauliflower paired with a crispy seaweed waffle on the side.

I love sea urchin and the freshness of it alone pretty much did it for me. A small top up would have included a topping of caviar to the sea urchin, which would have brought this dish up a notch in the ‘luxury’ quotient. However, to me, simplicity is the best, so I chose to do away with the caviar.

I did not really care much for the crispy seaweed waffle but it tasted, for lack of a better word, rather normal, to me.

Middle Courses

Paired with the 2008 hiedller grüner veltliner ◦ kamptal ◦ austria ◦ ◦ ◦ is the 2nd course – tasmanian salmon confit then smoked served on a bed of avocado, horseradish & granny smith apple.

The salmon was beautifully cooked – pink in the centre and was moist throughout. The technique of smoking the salmon lent a rather alluring smoky taste to the fish.

I especially liked the mixture of avocado, horseradish and granny smith apples – from the seemingly harmonious medley of flavours to the texture of it.

The luscious wine reduction complimented the fish perfectly.

The third course was a ceps mushroom & carnaroli rice risotto topped with with table side grated mature beaufort cheese. I am by far, no cheese connesieur. But boy, I have to admit that the cheese did lend a very distinct sharpness to the rich risotto. That said, me being me, I would have preferred it to be served without it!

The shavings of the fresh black tasmanian winter truffles were definitely a welcome choice in my dictionary.

Main Courses

For my main course, I chose to have the tasmanian ocean troute, which was roasted unilateral on the skin, quinoa & wild mushrooms prepared as a risotto, jus de poularde.

Again, like the salmon confit, the fish was cooked beautifully.

However, the quinoa & wild mushroom risotto just didn’t do it. I can’t really say why, perhaps it’s a matter of personal preference and I’ll leave it as that.

The main course was paired with an excellent 2007 nicolas potel pinot noir ◦ burgundy ◦ france.

Desserts

First and foremost, I am not that into desserts, so my opinions may be somewhat bias but personally, I felt, that the desserts were the weak point of Amber.

Out of the 3 desserts, my favourite has to be the Jasmine fruit prepared as a jello & custard with granny smith sorbet.

I like the lightness of the dessert, with the slightly tard sorbet cutting through the lightly sweetened jellow and custard.

P.S. I heard from that waitress that it was the chef’s first day serving this dessert.

Lime chiboust in crispy cannelloni, coconut biscuit with pineapple sorbet

This was far too sweet for my tongue and I didn’t finish it up.

That said, I liked the presentation of the dish!

The last dessert on the menu is the manjari chocolate sabayon on ‘sable’ sugar paste with lemon zest sorbet.

This was okay in my dictionary. Again, like the previous dessert, this just didn’t sweep me off my feet.

Amber Restaurant Central Hong Kong

15 Queen’s Road, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong

Telephone: +852 2132 0066

Website: http://www.amberhongkong.com

Continuing on from posts of my recent trip to Hong Kong, is a review of Chinnery’s Fish and Chips, served in-room.

Just the day earlier, I had an excellent weekend wine brunch at 2 Michelin Starred Amber at the nearby Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Feeling the effects of the alcohol, I decided to eat in.

The Deep Fried Battered Pollock was good, it was not excellent, but good enough! I was surprised that, even the time it took for them to send the meal to me, the batter remained crispy. I was pretty sure that beer was used in this batter – it had a hint of beer in it.

I too was happy to see that the fish was not too oily, which probably helped the fish to retain its crispyness too.

I was decently satisfied.

HungryEpicurean paid for his meal at the restaurant reviewed here.

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

5 Connaught Road, Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2522 0111
www.mandarinoriental.com

Continuing on from posts of my recent trip to Hong Kong, is a review of Cepage.

I am confident that Cepage really needs no introduction but for those of you who have yet to hear of it, it’s time you did. Cepage, located along Star Street in Hong Kong, is Singapore-based Les Amis Group‘s Hong Kong flagship. Helmed by recently appointed Chef Sebastien Lepinoy, former chef of L’atelier de Joel Robuchon, the One-Michelin starred Cepage is (in my own opinion) poised to receive more stars during the next review. Chef Lepinoy achieved 2 Michelin stars with L’atelier de Joel Robuchon and from what I had observed evening, this achievement does not seem to far fetched.

The dining room is located on the 2nd floor, thus, one has to take the private lift, from within the private lobby.

I fell in love with this restaurant, which was recently ranked 96th in the World’s Top 100 Restaurants in the World, from the moment I stepped inside. Why, you may ask. The intimate, if i may, decor, the dim lighting and the excellent service all from the receptionist to the wait staff who accompanies you up the private lift.

But I was here for the food, so without further ado, let’s welcome the stars of the evening.

I looked at the ala carte menu and seriously, everything sounded good to the already growling tummy. Deciding to try some of their signatures, their manager, Bernard Mak who hails from Singapore, recommended that I order the Set Dinner, which costs HKD$580.

L’Amuse Bouche

The meal started off with a small Amuse Bouche – Served in 3 distinct layers, first being a Foie gras custard, followed by a Port wine custard, topped with Cheese.

Frankly, I thought it was a good amuse bouche – but it was somewhat simple and I had somehow expected more. Add to the fact that, the flavours of the cheese was somewhat too overpowering for me.

Le Caviar – Finement iode en duo d’un fin tartare de saumon

The first choice was the  Caviar crowned on salmon tartare.

So I heard that this is one of Cepage’s signature dishes, and seriously, I’m not surprised to find out so.

The really fresh salmon tartare was marinated slightly and the wasabi-sauce that you see around the plate gives it that Asian twist. Topped generously with caviar of the finest quality – boy, the sheer thinking of this dish has me yearning for more.

The crackers by the side were, in my opinion, just for decoration purposes.

Les Crustaces – en bouillon, gingembre et ravioles de homard

For the hot appetizer, a soup was served. Shellfish bouillon, lobster ravioli with finely sliced fresh ginger .

I like simple things; I’ve realized that as one ages, we learn to appreciate that there is elegance in simplicity as there is happiness in small yet touching actions. This simple shellfish broth paired with sliced ginger, is just that. The flavours are intense, possibly due to the long hours needed to produce an excellent broth and I’m pretty sure the quality and quantity of shellfish used played a large part too!

The lobster ravioli was well-cooked and well-seasoned, but if I were to be a true blue Singaporean, as someone who is known to complain alot about everything and anything under the sun,  it was far too petite!

Le Boeuf de Hida – Bouquetiere de legumes sautes au wok, epinards au condiment releve

For my meat  course, I had a pan fried Hida beef, wok sauteed seasonal vegetables, spinach with condiments.

This erred on the safe side. Of course, this was just my way of saying that it was a little boring. Admittedly, the beef used was of the most excellent quality! It was sweet and retained its natural jus and did not reek too much of beef.

I had no complaints about the done-ness – it came served, as ordered; But somehow it tasted a tad bland.

Purists would say that beef is best served simply, to enjoy the natural sweetness and flavours of the meat, but I would have really much preferred if it were, perhaps, char-grilled, which would have imparted a charred flavour.

By the way, I was very surprised at the portion size – it was definitely not petite!

Le Framboise – Croustillante et glace a la vanille de Tahiti

For dessert, I had the White chocolate feuilletine, raspberry, Tahiti vanilla ice cream.

I was pretty much stuffed by the time this course came around. I thought that the dessert was pretty good, albeit a little too sweet for me. But that’s just me.

P.S. Cepage has one of Hong Kong’s most well-stocked and diverse wine cellars, so for those who are wine connoisseurs, Cepage is the place to visit!
I had mixed feelings about the service though. Initially, the service felt extremely intrusive, I had waiters seemingly standing 3 feet away waiting to clear my plates, the moment I had finished. But all of that changed, when the restaurant manager, Mr. Bernard Mak, came around. Speaking of which, Mr. Mak did recommend having lunch at Cepage. A 2 course lunch starts from HK$280.

Related Reads:

Cepage by Les Amis on The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants

HungryEpicurean paid for his meal at the restaurant reviewed here.

Cepage by Les Amis

23 Wing Fung Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong
(Tell your taxi driver, Star Street)

Telephone: (852) 2861 3130

http://www.lesamis.com.sg/

Pierre Gagnaire.

The owner of the reknowned 3-Michelin starred restaurant in Paris has an outpost in the Mandarin Oriental hotel that I stayed in and I just knew that I definitely had to pay Pierre (which it is called) a visit.

His inventive and gastronomic cuisine definitely delighted my tasted buds while I was there for my Express Lunch; Trust me, the restaurant holds true to their word when they call it an Express Lunch; The 4 course meal took no more than 45 minutes to complete, with each course seemingly appearing right after each plate was cleared, served hot no less.

And it was relatively affordable, considering its Michelin starred status (Of course, in terms of affordability, this does not compare with Tim Ho Wan, which I will blog about soon). A 2 course lunch would set you back HKD$360. Pierre offers you the freedom of choosing the number of courses for your lunch, with each additional course at only an additional HKD$80. Talk about affordability!

Warm bread is served here. I had quite a filling breakfast before this and thus, left this pretty much untouched.

Further nibbles can be found in waffer sticks to keep that mouth busy.

This was an amuse bouche of sorts. Unfortunately, I didn’t really take to the cheese and (I’m assuming here) tomato combination.

Frankly, it didn’t serve its purpose of wheting one’s appetite.

The first course was one of Pierre’s signature – the Foie gras soup with amontillado, citrus and chilli sorbet, black pudding.

This came highly recommended by the Assistant General Manager. Recommendation well deserved, I say. I was hoping for the soup, to be really rich and indulgent and that was exactly what I got! No complaints there!

The piece of foie gras was perfectly seared, resulting in a somewhat crispy exterior and a wobbly center.

A citrus and chilli sorbet that was served on the side, helped to cut through the richness.

For the second course, again highly recommended by the Assistant GM, was the 63° egg, like a cocotte, langoustine emulsion and avruga.

In case you were wondering, and yes, I did some Googling. The supposed best temperature for poaching an egg is 63° which would result in the egg whites being just-set and the yolks with a “pudding-like” consistency.

On a sidenote, I am really tempted to buy a thermal immersion circulator and vacuum pack, to try out this whole idea of sous vide. Add that to the fact, that I will be done with my National Service obligations very soon, it is  opportune for me to buy the relevant equipment and get my hands dirty!

(Reference: http://www.inuyaki.com/archives/2345 and Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home)

Main Courses

I spied the grilled beef tenderloin on the menu and wanted to order it as my main course.

However, as fate would have it, my dining partner for lunch would order a Grilled beef tenderloin, portobello with burratta cheese and spinach purée.

Frankly, I would have thought this was a pretty safe dish,

Not wanting to be bore and order the same dish, I opted for the Pan-seared sea bass, aloe vera, green mango, fennel, and coriander leaf.

The sea bass was pretty good, not a second over cooked. I like the lightness of the dish; the herb-ed aloe Vera and green mango salsa was a refreshing accompaniment to the fish.

P.S. The white cubes that you see above, are boiled tofu.

Desserts

The dining partner ordered a Pierre lemon tart, Lemon granité.

I remember that she mentioned that it was great and was excellent company for the bitter coffee that she was having.

For my choice of dessert, I went with the recommendation of the manager again and ordered the L’éclair Paris Hong-Kong, Peach with rose water mousseline.

It provided for a sweet ending to the meal, without it being too outstanding.

I think my lunch at Pierre exceeded my expectations. The first 2 courses were definitely stellar, while the mains were somewhat on the safe side. Desserts, on the other hand, were definitely a let down.

That said, Pierre enjoyed brisk business and even so, I experienced exemplary service from the wait staff – nothing short of what I had come to expect from the Mandarin Oriental. From what I had, I am confident that the full tasting and dinner menu would certainly be much better in terms of choices and execution of the dishes. I would strive to return to Pierre, should I return to Hong Kong again.

Pierre by Pierre Gagnaire

25/F Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught Road
Central, Hong Kong

Telephone: +852 2825-4001

My Cathay Pacific flight (P.S. they served one of the worst omelettes unfortunately) touched down at the Hong Kong International Airport at 12pm exactly; I was starving by the time that I reached the hotel and completed all the necessary check-in procedures.

Really, that meant only one thing – it was lunch time. I needed to unpack and reply a few important emails; so I did the unthinkable: Order In-Room Dining.

On hindsight, what was I thinking – Ordering in-room dining service on an overseas trip, in Hong Kong no less. By the way, it is times like these when those daily hotel credits come into play!

Thankfully, what I had ordered did not disappoint!

Read on to see the two dishes that I ordered from the menu!

I went for something safe and ordered the Miso Cod (HKD 198), which consisted of Miso Marinated Cod Fish Fillet atop Organic Black Bean Noodles, accompanied by Shiitake Mushrooms, Edamame, Teriyaki Sauce.

The cod fish was cooked perfectly – its flesh tender and moist. The fish tasted sweet from the natural sweetness of the fresh cod fillet and the brushing of the teriyaki sauce.

I found the noodles to be somewhat undercooked – if I were to describe it, it would be a notch down from al dente pasta. I’m not sure if the texture was meant to be or was it a lapse in standards.

The broth that accompanied the dish, however, was too salty for me. In retrospect, perhaps the whole idea of the sweet fish and salty broth, were meant to compliment one another.

Nonetheless, the fish on its own, was more than enough to win me over.

The Har Gow or Shrimp dumpling was not on the in room dining menu, but true to Mandarin Oriental’s philosophy of never saying NO to a guest, they willingly obliged and by hook or by crook brought a platter of 3 dumplings alongside my Miso Cod.

Considering that a Cantonese restaurant, Man Wah, is located on the 25th floor of the restaurant, I was certain that this request was not that difficult to accede.

Har Gow is my favourite dim sum and never will I leave a restaurant without ordering a Har Gow. Just as how the standard of a business’ Beef Rendang is my gauge for Nasi Padang restaurants, Har Gow, plays the similar role when it comes to Chinese.

The skin of the dumpling was neither too thick nor too thin. and the prawns that filled the dumpling was really crunchy and fresh. In truth, it was neither outstanding nor was it bad in any aspect. But, I was glad that I had, somewhat if only marginally and temporarily, satisfied my har gow craving.

P.S. I ordered in-room dining service on another occasion – but this will be in another entry, another time.

Disclaimer

This was not an invited review. HungryEpicurean paid for his meal at the restaurant reviewed here.

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

5 Connaught Road, Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2522 0111
www.mandarinoriental.com

Last month, I had the opportunity to escape the sweltering heat of Singapore for a short work cum leisure trip to Hong Kong! Fine, I shall delude myself no further for it was frankly not much of an escape. Hong Kong was equally as hot as Singapore for the period that I was there.

This marked my second visit to Hong Kong and having stayed in Kowloon on my previous visit (P.s. I stayed at  Hotel Panaroma – which I highly recommend as well), I stayed at the vernerable Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong this time around. Most of my meetings that I had planned to attend were scheduled to be held somewhere in the Central area, which made Mandarin Oriental the most obvious choice.

Now for the foodie in me, a 2 minute walk to the Central MTR station proved to be very much useful, especially on days that I had (rather, wanted) to travel out of the Central area in the hunt for local delicacies.

Read on to see my thoughts and photographs of my stay.

I knew that my stay at the Mandarin Oriental was going to be great right from the moment I checked into the hotel. A hotel staff would walk you all the way up the hotel room and provide a welcome refreshment upon arrival. The brewed Jasmine green tea made for an excellent welcome refreshment.

I stayed in their Superior Room, which came with a King-sized Bed in a well appointed 375-430 sq ft room.

There was no choice of an alternative view, so a view of the city, it was.

The room came with a 37″ flat screen TV. I must add that the myriad of tv channels (from the usual cable news networks to Asian Food Channel and Channel News Asia) would keep anyone occupied on those lonely nights. For those with kids, there were like 5 Kid-friendly channels like Cartoon Network and Disney Channel.

Trust me when I say that the sofa was extremely comfortable! I took many a shut-eye here whenever I had time in between meetings.

A pair of binoculars was made available – but frankly, there was not much to see out the window.

The toilet is physically seperated from the bath and shower facilities.

In between the toilet and bath facilities is, ‘powder room‘ of sorts.

P.S. never miss a show on TV, for there is a 15″ LCD TV right by your side. If there was one thing here that I disliked, it had to be the weighing scale! I weighed myself on the first and last day of my trip and realized that I had actually put on some weight while I was in Hong Kong.

For those of you who are into brands, Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries are part of the package.

A choice of a rain shower and a  shower head is for the taking. I must add that, the rain shower, felt awesome!

But of course, nothing beats spending time in a bath tub!

Conclusion

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong certainly lives up to the reputation of being one of the finest hotels in Hong Kong. The staff were friendly and efficient – from the receptionist to the room service to the concierge. The centralized location, its proximity to the Central MTR, Landmark and Lan Kwai Fong, are really bonuses compared to the stellar service that I had received throughout my stay. If you were to ask if I would stay at the Mandarin again, a resounding yes, would be what you would hear from me! P.S. For foodies who are reading, there are 2 Michelin-starred restaurants within the hotel and quite a number within walking distance, including L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Amber at Landmark.

Promotions

Mandarin Oriental has promotions all the time and many of them include daily breakfasts at their two cafes and credit for use at their hotel stays and in room dining service. The previous package that I got for myself included a daily credit of HKD$500. Good news for those who are planning a stay at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, I had just paid a visit to their website and realized that their current promotions now include a daily credit of HKD$600 for rooms and HKD$1200 for suites. I visited a few of their cafes and restaurants in the restaurant and trust me, the daily credit does come in handy! More on the restaurants coming soon!

For a list of their offers, please visit http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/tempting_offers/

Disclaimer

This was not an invited review. HungryEpicurean paid for his stay at the hotel reviewed here.

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

5 Connaught Road, Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2522 0111
www.mandarinoriental.com

Hong Kong is place well known for their desserts as well.  Having said that, I’m going to introduce to a dessert chain that uses mango as their main ingredient.  Hui Liu Shan Desserts is a chain with stores located all over Hong Kong, well known for serving their desserts made mainly from Mango.  Mango puree, mango slices, mango dices, mango ice cream – every single possible way of eating mango in a nice and chilled manner, they have it covered.

Glenn and I, sat down at a busy store just opposite Time Square and had 2 desserts.  Mainly the Mango with Ice Jelly and Mango with Coconut.  The desserts are made to order – which means, the puree and the mangoes are freshly cute and pureed on the spot to preserve maximum freshness of the dessert.

On first mouth, you will know the Hong Kongers don’t go easy on the mangoes.   No water, no syrup and definitely no bottled mango juice is added to the puree.  Its pure mango with every bite.  Sweet yet not overwhelming, smooth and silky.  The diced mangoes are firm; And the jelly is not soft, but it has got strength to it.  The mango ice cream – well, its not really ice cream, but rather frozen puree.

I had the Mango with Coconut.  Strips of smooth coconut meat didn’t really go really well with the mango though.  Or rather, the unique taste of coconut was overwhelmed by sweet mango.  Still, if you love mango, you’ll probably forget about how coconut taste like.

This place is a must go for all mango fanatics.  Extravagant amount of mangoes goes into one dessert.

Note: This entry is part of my “Hong Kong Series” and is a combination of the efforts of my guest author, CY, and your humble author.

Hui Lau Shan Healthy Desserts

Hong Kong

http://www.hkhls.com/

Many websites, food blogs and even Anthony Bourdain have waxed lyrically (and I mean literally, for most of them used the exact same phrase) about the grand old-dame of noodles, Mak’s Noodles. An institution on its own right, I do have to state the obligatory note that Mak’s Noodles has their own English article on Wikipedia.

Wanton Noodles (HKD$ 28)

Before visiting Mak’s Noodles, I read on Openrice (the HungryGoWhere equivalent in Hong Kong), that their specialty lies in their Wanton Noodles and Beef Brisket Noodles).

Having that at the back of our mind, both CY and myself decided on having an order of each of their specialties. The wantons were awesome! Unlike some of the wantons that we have in Singapore, the skin was awfully thin and one would not feel short changed, after having a look at the fresh crunchy prawn, wood ear fungus (I presume) and minced pork filling.

The clear broth was flavourful, without it being too MSG-laden. Both of us could attest to that, for both of us are sensitive to MSG.

The noodles were, for lack of a better word, QQ. The closest word that comes to mind would be, springy.

Beef Brisket and Dumpling Noodles (HKD$ 32)

The beef brisket noodles were excellent. Unlike what you get in Singapore (ala Crystal Jade) where you get little of the gelatinous parts of the beef brisket and mainly meaty parts, what you get at Mak’s Noodles is the primarily the gelatinous portions.

A word of caution though, the restaurant is tiny and portions served were not big (Great for those times when you get all hungry and starving in-between meals, breakfast or supper!).

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with many who claim that the amount that one pays for meals at Mak’s Noodles, is not worth the small tiny portions one gets. I am a firm believer in the practice of paying a premium for quality, rather than paying lower prices for a less desirable meal. That said, price is not the only key element in what I perceive as quality, for there have been many instances where I have had excellent, mouth watering meals, for an inexpensive price.

Mak’s Noodle (麥奀雲 吞麵世家)
G/F, 77 Wellington Street, Central
Tel:+852 28543810

Our first dinner in Hong Kong brought us to Yau Ma Tei.  Four Seasons Claypot Rice is an old cafe/eatery located just around the corner of the subway station.  This restaurant is what you would imagine in the late 80s/early 90s – mosaic flooring, tiled walls, fold-able wooden tables, chairs and friendly aunties donning apron colored brightly with flowery prints.

Everything here is starts with a humble HKD$18, and portion-wise, you are really getting a good deal out of this.

We ordered two choices of claypot rice, first being Salted fish and meat.  The meat slices are generous and well marinated.  The julienned ginger counteracted the robust flavor of the salted fish and gave it a very good balance.

But, I felt that the salted fish could be cut into tinier bits so that its easier to eat.  The rice was too moist by my standards.  But the “crispy” rice at the bottom of the pot made me forget about it.  Yes, apparently me and Glenn are suckers for that.

The other one claypot rice that we tried was the Preserved Vegetables and Pork Ribs, which I found a bit lack-lustred as compared to the previous one.  But the preserved vegetables were nice though.  A nice balance of sugar and salt.

Personally, I would give this a miss if I were to visit Hong Kong again.  Not all that fantastic as well even though it does come with free flow of tea.  But if you are a sucker for claypot, this would be the place you might want to put on your itinerary.

Note: This entry is part of my “Hong Kong Series” and is a combination of the efforts of my guest author, CY, and your humble author.

四季煲仔饭 (Four Seasons Pot Rice)

Arthur Street46-58
Yau Mah Tei

Located at The Mira Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Whisk is opened by celebrated and award-winning Singaporean chef, Justin Quek.

Whisk marks his first foray into the Hong Kong food and beverage industry.

Acting as its Consultant Chef, Whisk serves contemporary French and Asian cuisine with an innovative menu using fresh seasonal ingredients.

Complimentary Bread

The breads were served cold, resulting in majority of them being dry and hard.

Both CY and myself left them untouched.

Shared Appetizers

Warm Salad of Sauteed King Prawns Flambed with Grand Marnier (HKD$220 )

In a flambe, one would expect a hint of the sweetness of alcohol used to be present in the dish. Unfortunately, no hint of this residual sweetness was present.

The King Prawns were huge (In fairness, my photos do not do justice to them) and were crunchy and firm to the bite.

The warm salad had just the right amount of cheese and came served with very sweet honey mango slices.

Baked Lobster Bisque “Herb Souffle” (HKD$138)

Both CY and myself loved the lobster bisque. Creamy and full of “lobster-flavour”.

The Herb souffle, though mild, gave the otherwise, ‘boring’, lobster bisque another dimension, an additional texture. Tucked inside the souffle, hid a few pieces of lobster pieces.

If I had not had the opportunity to try The French Kitchen’s lobster bisque, I would have claimed that this was one of the better ones.

Note: Seeing how we were going to share the Lobster Bisque, the wait staff arranged to have 2 small servings of the lobster bisque, instead of 1 large one. Therefore, what you see above is only 1/2 of the intended serving portion.

Baked Miso Marinated Cod in Ginger and Lime Sauce (HKD$268)

Whisk’s rendition of the Miso Marinated Cod Fish was far sweeter than that of Saint Pierre. A little too sweet, I thought.

On the first slice, I saw that the flesh was flaky, a good control of temperature and timing. But, a few slices later, I noticed that the sides were a little over-cooked resulting in some parts being dry.

The Ginger and Lime sauce was mild and would have preferred some that slightly more stronger, to cut through the sweetness of the marinate.

Pan Roasted Duck Confit with Sauteed Porcini Mushrooms and Potatoes (HKD$200)

Duck Confit was CY’s choice of the main course accompanied by a nutty flavoured salad.

In CY’s opinion, the Duck Confit was a tad fatty – One that I concurred full. He did, however comment that the porcini mushrooms were excellent – Not being overpowering and were flavoured lightly with rosemary.

Everything else, the duck confit was decent – The skin was crispy and the meat, tender.

“Flourless” Grand Marnier Souffle served with Vanilla Ice Cream and Red Berry Coulis (HKD$138)

An Utter Disappointment.

Without me going further into the details, one look and you could tell that, this should never have been served.

Not only was it served lopsided, it tasted far too eggy for my liking. To add injury to insult, there were far too much undissolved sugar crystals at the sides.

Flaky Apple Tart (For 2 persons) with Roasted Almond and Vanilla Ice Cream (HKD$199)

Meant to be savored by 2 people, this flaky apple tart was huge! What you see above, is only 1 out of 6 slices.

A purported signature of the restaurant, it was as described, flaky. However, there was not much of “Apple” in the dessert than was there “Tart”, if you get my drift.

Petits Fours

Left untouched.

Whisk
5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀彌敦道118號The Mira Hong Kong 5樓
+852 2315 5999
whisk@themirahotel.com
www.themirahotel.com

It was my second day in Hong Kong with Glenn and both of us headed out for some claypot rice (which will be blogged about later) Yau Ma Tei.

So after our dinner we explored the surrounding area for a while.  After passing by countless Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang and Luk Fooks, we stumbled onto this quaint little place that sells milk based desserts.

Prior to this trip, I have watched some Taiwanese variety show that introduced this milk base dessert.  Basically, its milk pudding made from either steaming or adding a solidifier e.g Ginger juice.

It was after dinner, and we’ve walked around a bit since it was a bit cold outside, we decided to sit down to rest our tired legs and to chow down on some sweets before continuing with our exploration.

There are many varieties of milk puddings to choose from, and all of them come either cold or hot.

I ordered their Famous Double Skin Milk Pudding (a direct translation from the Chinese name) and I had it hot.  The pudding was really really smooth.  Smoother than silken toufu or chawanmushi.  The top layer of skin is actually curdled milk from the cooking process.  On first taste, it was really smooth and sweet.  To compare the taste, it somehow, tasted exactly like Anlene milk.  But then half way into this, I found it a bit heavy because it was a bit too sweet.  If its cold, maybe it would have been a bit different.

Glenn ordered a cold Ginger Milk Pudding . This was a lot more refreshing and tasted a lot lighter than my pudding.  I’m not a big fan of Ginger, but the Ginger taste in this pudding was strong but not overwhelming.  The spiciness of the ginger counteract the sweetness of the milk pudding thus making it a lot easier on the taste buds.

Personally I liked this a lot better than mine.

Note: This entry is part of my “Hong Kong Series” and is a combination of the efforts of my guest author, CY, and your humble author.

Yee Shun Milk Company

513 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei,
Hong Kong

It was lunch and I was in the mood to indulge, especially so after the recent, somewhat disappointing visit to Spoon by Alain Ducasse.

A flip-through the Hong Kong Tatler Guide to Restaurants, brought me to another restaurant owned by a Michelin-starred chef in Hong Kong.

On the 4th floor of the upmarket shopping mall The Landmark, lies L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Owned by renowned French culinary supremo Joel Robuchon, it is one of his six casual dining restaurants worldwide.

While both the bar top seats facing an open kitchen and a formal dining room were available, I chose the former. Not a hard choice to make, don’t you agree? Just like how one would prefer to have his Sushi meal in front of the Itamae, being in full view of the cooks and chefs preparing one’s meal is a joy in itself!

Complimentary Bread Platter

While it was served warm, it was not nothing much to shout about, other than being a quick fill-me-up.

I liked the fact that, there was a variety of breads available and that the wait staff would explain, in detail I must add, each and every single one of them.

Amuse Bouche

A tomato puree alongside a mild tasting custard, topped with small bits of truffle got the meal going.

I liked how, ‘light’, the amuse bouche tasted, without being overpowering. But as to whether it achieved the purpose of whetting one’s appetite, unfortunately, it did not.

La Saint Jacques (a la plancha, condients au kumquat et jeunes poireaux)

The pan seared scallops with baby leeks and kumquat sauce were done wonderfully! Seared perfectly, in terms of done-ness, well-cooked on the outside, pink in the centre.

The kumquat sauce, however, was a little disappointing. Personally, I do not have a heavy palate, but I felt the sauce was a tad too diluted, not in texture though.

Forgive me, if I seem to be contradicting myself, but I can understand the reasons behind the lack of flavours, if it was the Chef’s intention. The Chef could have probably wanted a light sauce to bring out the freshness and natural flavours of the scallops.

That said, I would have preferred something a tad heavier in taste.

La Courgette (une royale de thon et de foie gras)

As interesting as the dish may sound, I did not take to Zucchini on tuna and foie gras “royale”.

A thin, gelatinous layer infused with the essences of tuna and foie gras, with bits of zucchini.

Frankly, the dish came around as being flat and void of much flavours.

Having said that, I liked the ingenuity and the presentation of the dish.

Le Porc (cuit a la plancha, accompagne de coeur de sucrine)

Pork has never tasted so good before! This pig, most definitely died for a just cause.

From where I was seated at the bar, I witnessed the chef painstakingly cook the pork on a flat grill, turning it occasionally, ensuring that no side gets overdone (or burnt). Witnessing such dedication to his job at hand, I knew, there and then, that every slice was going to be excellent.

Excellent, it truly was. 6 pieces of succulent pork loin, lay before me. As I cut a small piece and slowly placed it in the interior of my mouth, I let out a soft, but long “ooohhhh”. It was tender. It was juicy. It was the best pork dish that I’ve ever tasted!

Tiramisu (Classico, au mascarpone a notre facon)

Having had the excellent pork main, I was expecting an excellent dessert to end off the meal. But, perhaps because of such heightened expectations, the classic tiramisu in L’Atelier style failed to deliver.

It was awfully sweet and it did not have any trace of alcohol or coffee in it. I am pretty sure that this is L’Atelier’s interpretation of the Tiramisu, but ;

Give me a traditional Tiramisu anytime over this rendition.

Petits Fours

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Shop 401 The Landmark 4F,
Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2166 9000

After my visit to NOBU, I walked around the Intercontinental Hotel and saw a signboard that piqued my curiosity, “Spoon by Alain Ducasse“.

A lot has been heard of Alain Ducasse, one of which is holding the acclaim that he is also the only chef to hold 19 Michelin stars throughout his career. Not having had the opportunity to visit his Michelin Star restaurants, I paid a visit to his Spoon-branded restaurant. While I was not expecting mind-blowing cuisine, I was half-expecting something memorable, considering the branding of the author of Grand Livre De Cuisine. Join me while I relive my experience.

It was the Easter weekend and Spoon was offering a Easter Set Dinner that went for HK$988 per person (Plus 10% service charge).

*I apologise for the quality (rather, lack of) of the pictures due to the very harsh lighting of the restaurant.

Complimentary Bread & Amuse Bouche

Decent bread but they came out cold though.

Unfortunately, I did not quite take to the cold amuse bouche of a Mayonnaise marinated tuna.

While I was having this, guess what came to my mind. Canned tuna, that you can purchase from the supermarket!

Appetizers

Light green asparagus velouté, crayfish, tarragon cream

This was an interesting first course. I liked the flavours that the green asparagus veloute brought about.

It was all about savouring the natural sweetness of the asparagus and the freshness of the crayfish.

Egg “cocotte”, spinach and morels, toasted baguette

This dish was my favourite throughout the dinner. And it should not be too hard to understand why.

A lightly cooked egg served on top of bitter-sweet spinach and morel mushrooms complemented each other in perfect harmony.

Fish Course

Filet of suzuki with shellfish, caviar

A disappointment, if you were to ask for my honest opinion.

The suzuki, otherwise known as the Japanese seabass, according to my Google search,, is prized for its qualities as an excellent candidate for sashimi.

However, Spoon did not do the prized fish justice, for it was far too overcooked, causing it to be dry and slightly tough.

Unfortunately, Neither the Caviar-dotted cream sauce nor the shellfish (overcooked too, I must add) could salvage this dish.

Main Course

Burger Indulgence

Initially, the main course that that came along with the menu was a lamb. However, having just had lamb the day before, I left it up to the Chef to come up with a replacement, a surprise of sorts.

A treat for the stomach (but a dread to the cardiologist) was what appeared before me.

A decadent ‘burger’ consisting of medium-cooked beef tenderloin topped with a huge piece of foie gras, sitting atop toasted brioche. A red wine and mushroom reduction complemented the dish.

Served alongside polenta sticks and vegetables, the beef was well cooked, tender throughout, with hints of pink. That said, the foie gras was not as well executed. It was too soft for my liking, undercooked perhaps?

Desserts

Yoghurt lime, raspberry jelly

Unfortunately, the first dessert did not cut it out for me.

If I were to describe this, think of a larger version of the chilled yoghurts with mixed fruits that you see in the supermarkets.

Easter egg shape, mango marmalade, exotic mousse

SPOON petits fours

Conclusion

It may be some time before I step into SPOON Hong Kong again, because while the service was excellent, impeccable even, the food failed to meet my expectations. Yes, there were some hits in this meal, but for the price that I had paid, I was expecting a lot more.

SPOON by Alain Ducasse

InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2313-2256

Lunch on Sundays, from 12:00 noon – 2:30pm
Dinner Daily from 6:00pm – 11:00pm

Website: http://hongkong-ic.dining.intercontinental.com/honic/spoon.html

First thing in the 2nd morning of our Hong Kong trip, Glenn and I had planned to visit Lin Heung.  So on our way there in a cab (take the subway, its much faster and alot cheaper) we decided to ask the nice cabby where to eat in and around Central.  He then recommended us the Roast Goose from Yung Kee.

And while having our dim sum breakfast, the patrons that shared the same table as us talked about Yung Kee as well, which stoked our curiosity even more to try this restaurant.

Yung Kee is a Chinese-Cantonese restaurant that is well-known with the locals for serving roast goose and their Cantonese dishes.  And its generally a suitable place for families to have their dinner or lunch here.

Need I add that, Yung Kee was awarded 1 Michelin Star in the The Michelin Guide – Hong Kong / Macau 2010? That, alone, should be reason enough to plan for a visit to Yung Kee.

Glenn: I had this small appetizer of century egg served with pickled gingers. A simple appetizer to whet those tastebuds, not that that the aromas and atmosphere of the restaurant had not already done so.

Glenn: I saw this on the menu and was all gung-ho about wanting to have a go at it. Chicken Feet. A delicacy to some, while a nuisance to some. It’s funny how the Chinese (not all anyway, CY included) love their innards and feet, while some cuisines discard them at first sight.

The caramelized sweet sauce complimented the gelatinous chicken feet that melted in your mouth. However, I felt that the sauce was a tad too sweet. In my opinion, it could have done with 20% less on the sweet scale.

I’m rather picky when it comes to Cantonese porridge, and Yung Kee’s Slice Fish with Boxthorn Leaves Porridge certainly met my expectations.  Just to clarify, Boxthorn Leaves are more commonly known as “Gao Gei Choy”, yes, the ones your mother use to make soup along with Ikan Bilis, Fishball and eggs.

I never had Boxthorn Leaves inside my fish porridge before but this was a surprisingly good combination to start a typical morning breakfast.  There was a generous amount of fish slices in the smooth porridge and the unique taste of the leaves gave a fresh experience to my tastebuds.

Yung Kee’s famous Roast Goose certainly lived up to its reputation.  In fact, it is so popular, every customer orders this when they visit.  And it was sold out shortly after we left the restaurant.

The fragrantly roasted bird was crispy on the outside, but the meat remained succulent, juicy and really tender.  The texture of the meat was more refined than that of the duck.  It was nicely seasoned.  I would say this is by far the best roasted bird I’ve had in my entire life.

Yung Kee Restaurant
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2522 1624
Fax: (852) 2840 0888

Email: info@yungkee.com.hk
Website: http://www.yungkee.com.hk/index.html

I wanted to visit a Japanese restaurant while I was in Hong Kong. Flipping through the Tatler dining guide showed a recommendation to NOBU. I was practically staying within a 10 minute radius of Hotel Inter-Continental, I thought, why not give NOBU a try?

A partnership between Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Hollywood actor Robert DeNiro, NOBU is synonymous with innovative new-style Japanese cuisine. Opened in 2006, NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong was Nobu’s first restaurant in Asia (ex Japan) and is among 21 NOBU and 4 Matsuhisa restaurants currently in operation around the world.

For the inquisitive, Chef Nobu Matushisa’s profile can be found on Wikipedia.

Ankimo Yuzumiso with Caviar

Ankimo is basically made with Monkfish Liver. Unlike French foie gras (made of Duck or Goose), the texture was more creamy and literally melts in your mouth, somewhat like a Pâté.

The Caviar on top gave it a savory hint to the dish and the sweet Yuzumiso Sauce complimented the Ankimo like butter to bread.

Each bite tasted better than the previous one.

The Red Yamamomo, last to be eaten as suggested by the wait staff,  helped to cleanse the palate in preparation for the next course.

Kanpachi Sashimi with Jalapeno

Served on a bed of marinated cucumbers, The Kanpachi Sashimi tasted fresh, no complaints there! Paired with soy sauce and a little bit of vinegar, it was wonderful on it’s own.

But NO, Nobu goes one step further and introduces a spicy element to the dish – The Jalapeno Chilli Pepper. Now, who says you can only eat Sashimi with wasabi?

To balance the spicyness of the chilli peppers, sprigs of coriander were available.

A Brief Background – Kanpachi is a shusse uo , or “promoting fish”, which is a fish that changes its name (in Japanese fishing terminology) according to its age. Kanpachi is the amberjack’s most mature stage.

Shokko	1 ft
Shiogo	2 ft
Akahana	3 ft
Kanpachi	Over 4ft

(Adapted from http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/sushi_fish/amberjack.html. Last Accessed 19 April 2010)

King Crab Roll with Matsuhisa Dressing

Wrapped in a thin layer of radish, the roll was stuffed full of Succulent King Crab Meat with crunchy and juicy asparagus in the middle.

The flavours of the crab meat, his signature matsuhisa dressing and the asparagus all complimented one another!

Lurking around behind the tomato, are exquisitely presented rolls and bundles of vegetables. Evidently, presentation plays a huge part of the whole dining experience here at Nobu.

If I were to choose my favourite dish, this would be it!

Crystal Bay Prawn with Ginger Salsa

Of course, no meal is without its misses and for this meal in particular, this was clearly one of 2.

The prawns were a tad mushy for my liking and were overly salted. The ginger salsa failed to add any flavour element to this dish.

The steamed asparagus were decent and the mushrooms were firm on bite and moist.

Saga Beef (A3) with Goma Ponzu

Besides for a fact that Saga Beef is from the Saga prefecture in Japan, and claims (after my quick Google Search) that it is known for its flavourful rich sweet taste and perfect marbling, I do not know much else about Saga Beef. I would be curious to find out if there are any differences between the other well known Wagyu.

Note to readers: If you do have knowledge on this matter, please add your comment below or e-mail me. I would love to find out more.

The Beef was char-grilled perfectly to medium which allowed it to remain tender and retaining all that yummy natural jus. The charcoal grill imparted a earthy flavour profile, one that I completely adore.

The light sprinkling of sesame seeds on top and Goma Ponzu sauce both worked well with one another to enhance the flavours of the dish.

Gently grilled Cherry Tomatoes (still on the vine), Japanese mushrooms, Carrots, Cucumbers and Eggplants accompanied the dish.

Seafood Soup Udon

This was the other miss of the dinner.

While the soup was seasoned perfectly and the udon noodles were well cooked, the prawns were too mushy for comfort.

The Scallop and Squid were both overcooked, resulting in a rubbery like texture.

Suntory Whisky Iced Cappuccino

Dessert came in the form of a Sherbet and Chocolate. While nothing to shout about, it was a sweet and refreshing dessert to end the meal proper.

Conclusion

Would I come back? Probably. The view from the 2nd floor of the InterContinental Hong Kong, overlooking the Avenue of the Stars pathway and the Harbour, alone is suffice as a reason to return. The food served here was a mixture of hits and misses.

While I can understand and fully appreciate the idea being fusion cuisines, the culmination of ideas, in this case, of Japan and South America, and the thought that goes into creating dishes that brings the best of both worlds together, I am proud to say that I am a firm supporter in classic cuisine styles. This is much like my preference to have cuisine classique rather than nouvelle dishes.

NOBU, till we meet again. Another place, another time.

NOBU Hong Kong

InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2313 2323

Lunch Daily from 12:00 noon – 2:30 pm
Dinner Daily from 6:00pm – 11:00pm

Website: http://hongkong-ic.dining.intercontinental.com/honic/nobu.html

Searching through Openrice got us to a nearby French Patisserie near our hotel in K11. A quick Google showed that ‘Paul Lafayet‘, belongs to French expat, Toni Younes and that it is a relatively young upstart, having only opened its doors in February 2010.

To quote Younes’ interview with Luxedining, “We don’t use artificial flavouring or preservatives or anything like that. We just use good quality ingredients: President butter from France, almonds from Valencia, and Valrhona chocolate and so on,” says Youne.”

This was Paul Lafayet’s Mille-Feuilles (Puff pastry layers & Vanilla cream).

Traditionally, a Mille-feuille is made up of three layers of puff pastry, alternating with two layers of cream pâtissière, but sometimes whipped cream, or jam. The top is usually glazed with icing or fondant in alternating white (icing) and brown (chocolate) strips, and combed.

Retrieved 17 April, 2010,  from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille-feuille

Glenn: While CY preferred this and admittedly, the puff pastry were crisp, I did not quite like the overall taste to this cake. Personal opinion, I suppose.

This Chocolat Blanc Aux Fruits De La Passion (White chocolate Passion fruit cake) had just the right balance of sourness and sweetness.

Glenn: I preferred this over the Mille-Feuille. The texture, the flavours and the appearance of it just agreed with me. Somehow, while eating it, I was reminded of K-ki’s Kinabaru. Yes, they are completely different cakes,but the common denominator being, the passion fruit triggered the memory.

I do like K-ki’s cakes.

According to the (read: very friendly) sales person, the Creme Brulee is Paul Lafayet’s best-seller apart from the Chocolat Blanc Aux Fruits De La Passion. The friendly staff at the counter will actually caramelize the sugar in front of your eyes when you order this lovely dessert. (Read: a-la minute)

And guess what, you can actually bring home the clay ramekin that the creme brulee was made in.  And CY has it siting on hi shelf right now.

CY: I liked the consistency of the dessert, except that it was just a tad too soft.

Glenn: I found it to be a tad light (in the sense of  a creme brulee), but for someone who has a lighter taste bud like me, it was just nice! In addition, I was pleased that it did not have a over-whelming “eggy” flavour undertone, as I do not fall in love with too strong a “eggy” flavour (again, personal preference).

Paul Lafayet Patisserie Francaise

G23, G/F, K11
18 Hanoi Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 3586 9624

Website: www.paullafayet.com