Little boy: Mama, why is that tower leaning?
Me explaining about the leaning tower of Pisa- we are studying the atlas these days...
Me: Do you think it's going to fall?
LB: Nope, the constructioneers (what he calls enigneers) have made sure it won't.
Me: How did they do that?
LB: By using glue and tape, of course!
How can you argue with such sense?
Friday, March 07, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
Megu
Saturday evening, dinner at Megu Japanese Restaurant, Elements Mall, Kowloon.
Megu is a modern Japanese restaurant aiming to dazzle clients with artistic, over-the-top presentation and equally exaggerated prices. While I was impressed with how each dish was presented, only half of the meal was amazing and fresh. Nobu Hong Kong is better, more creative and innovative, and I prefer their simpler designs.
the brightly lit ad of Megu in one of the floors of Elements Mall
the menu
VOSS water from Norway. Personally I would drink tap water, but HK restos like "pushing" expensive bottled water from faraway places....
an order of shrimp tempura, 3 pcs. costs a whopping HKD 175, which is quite "cheap" compared to sister-in-law's 10,000 yen (per piece) tempura experience in Tokyo! It came with a delicate, somewhat tangy, ume plum salt
the shrimp head filling was also battered and fried
fresh wasabi rhizome (none of that sickly bright green stuff from a tube) resting on a "oroshi" grater, sharkskin mounted on a wooden paddle
Our friend grating the wasabi. The flavor is milder than commercial pastes or powders.
Grilled "toro"(fatty tuna belly) at HKD 78 per tiny, thin slice. It wasn't too fatty, if you know what I mean. They say Inagiku's grilled toro are the best (Inagiku is located at the Four Seasons Hotel).
Wild Red Snapper Madai with Nuts, Vegetables and Oriental Spicy Dressing. The dressing was heated until smoking then poured onto the greens. It was an ordinary salad with extraordinary tableside presentation.
Special sashimi set served in a bowl of crushed ice decorated like a pond with an ice "grotto", lit by soft blue light. Resting serenely on the ice bed are slices of maguro (bluefin tuna), hamachi (yellowtail tuna), red snapper, scallops, fluke, alfonse, toro and 2 very fresh shrimp. I was a bit disappointed there was no amaebi in stock. The hamachi, snapper and scallops were very fresh, the tuna insipid.
Foie gras in Crispy Australian Wagyu Beef Croquette- crunchy breading, flavorful beef leading to a rich, foie-filled center.
White Miso Clam Chowder with Kiritampo (grilled rice) Stick
Mushroom Essence for 2
Dramatic: a siphon, which, when heated, allows the broth from the bottom to "drain" to the top.
Served in tiny, tiny cups.
Here I am refilling my cup with more broth, very light on the tummy, but full-flavored indeed. There was a small dumpling at the bottom of the cup, hidden by the mushrooms.
*We were served a grapefruit sorbet in shot glasses to cleanse the palate at this point.
Stone-grilled Wagyu beef with garlic slivers on top.
Set on fire with liquor.
* we also ordered their beef done 4 ways, cubed tender beef skewered and basted with wasabi, Japanese chili powder, sesame paste and garlic.
A view of the hot coals inside an implement used to cook the sauteed salmon and vegetable dish we ordered.
*They do a lot of table side cooking at Megu.
The comfort rooms were Japanese-inspired as well. Here you see the zen-like faucets and the softly-lit mirrors below portraying geishas. Of course all the cubicles had the high-tech bidet system found all over Japan.
Megu is a modern Japanese restaurant aiming to dazzle clients with artistic, over-the-top presentation and equally exaggerated prices. While I was impressed with how each dish was presented, only half of the meal was amazing and fresh. Nobu Hong Kong is better, more creative and innovative, and I prefer their simpler designs.
the brightly lit ad of Megu in one of the floors of Elements Mall
the menu
VOSS water from Norway. Personally I would drink tap water, but HK restos like "pushing" expensive bottled water from faraway places....
an order of shrimp tempura, 3 pcs. costs a whopping HKD 175, which is quite "cheap" compared to sister-in-law's 10,000 yen (per piece) tempura experience in Tokyo! It came with a delicate, somewhat tangy, ume plum salt
the shrimp head filling was also battered and fried
fresh wasabi rhizome (none of that sickly bright green stuff from a tube) resting on a "oroshi" grater, sharkskin mounted on a wooden paddle
Our friend grating the wasabi. The flavor is milder than commercial pastes or powders.
Grilled "toro"(fatty tuna belly) at HKD 78 per tiny, thin slice. It wasn't too fatty, if you know what I mean. They say Inagiku's grilled toro are the best (Inagiku is located at the Four Seasons Hotel).
Wild Red Snapper Madai with Nuts, Vegetables and Oriental Spicy Dressing. The dressing was heated until smoking then poured onto the greens. It was an ordinary salad with extraordinary tableside presentation.
Special sashimi set served in a bowl of crushed ice decorated like a pond with an ice "grotto", lit by soft blue light. Resting serenely on the ice bed are slices of maguro (bluefin tuna), hamachi (yellowtail tuna), red snapper, scallops, fluke, alfonse, toro and 2 very fresh shrimp. I was a bit disappointed there was no amaebi in stock. The hamachi, snapper and scallops were very fresh, the tuna insipid.
Foie gras in Crispy Australian Wagyu Beef Croquette- crunchy breading, flavorful beef leading to a rich, foie-filled center.
White Miso Clam Chowder with Kiritampo (grilled rice) Stick
Mushroom Essence for 2
Dramatic: a siphon, which, when heated, allows the broth from the bottom to "drain" to the top.
Served in tiny, tiny cups.
Here I am refilling my cup with more broth, very light on the tummy, but full-flavored indeed. There was a small dumpling at the bottom of the cup, hidden by the mushrooms.
*We were served a grapefruit sorbet in shot glasses to cleanse the palate at this point.
Stone-grilled Wagyu beef with garlic slivers on top.
Set on fire with liquor.
* we also ordered their beef done 4 ways, cubed tender beef skewered and basted with wasabi, Japanese chili powder, sesame paste and garlic.
A view of the hot coals inside an implement used to cook the sauteed salmon and vegetable dish we ordered.
*They do a lot of table side cooking at Megu.
The comfort rooms were Japanese-inspired as well. Here you see the zen-like faucets and the softly-lit mirrors below portraying geishas. Of course all the cubicles had the high-tech bidet system found all over Japan.
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