FOOD FRENZY

Why Do I Love Cooking and Eating?

2010-11-25T13:03:00.007+08:00

It makes me remember. Sensations, pleasures, fleeting memories. Happy, exciting times. Special, personal moments. It makes me adventurous. Throwing caution to the wind as I embrace new textures, new tastes. It unleashes the creative in me, in anyone who attempts to please both eye and palate. Most of all, it makes me believe in something better.

Food is transformative. I see something bright green and sprightly wilt ever so slowly under the influence of heat and steam, turning a raw vegetable into one of slightly crunchy goodness. I visualize pink turning white, red turning pink, grill marks seared on flesh as if branded and possessed. I struggle to contain my excitement at the intoxicating sight of seafood curling up or ever so slightly shrinking, as if afraid of the heat but tamed by it.

I am witness to ordinary, almost unwanted cuts of meat absorbing the colors of the sauce they're cooked in -- deep tomato red, dark earthy brown, creamy blushing pink, bright sunny yellow, virginal blinding white, milky chocolate brown; absorbing the flavors of wine, onion, butter, or cream, stock, garlic, or tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar or any one of a myriad ingredients that have the power to convert plain into magnificent.

Only the delicate art of frying can turn flimsy and yielding into crackling and bold, full of confidence and swagger, curling up as it swims in bubbling oil, each second making it crispier, crunchier, more appetizing to shatter in one's mouth.

To observe a soft, pliable, homely piece of dough rising, and becoming a hunk of chewy, oven-baked receptacle for any number of spreads, jams, butters, pates and thick chowders is a solemn experience. To inhale the wondrous scent of pastries, cakes and breads baking is a moment unmatched.

How folding ribbons of batter, composed of earth's simplest treasures, become a cake, that, after some window dressing, metamorphose into something dreamy, elegant, pretty, decadent and delightful is a mystery, a result of science and magic and yes, a fair sprinkling of fairy dust.

From spartan to ornate, from unsightly to mouthwatering, cooking and baking wield the power of alchemy, and is the driving force behind the optimism and hope I harbor within me.

Stufffing Myself Silly

2010-10-26T18:20:00.012+08:00

"I'm a better (wo)man than this. I will not succumb to gluttony."

This is my mantra the entire 3 weeks that I find myself in Manila, Subic and Batangas, ostensibly to spend time with my family (which I did!), but let's face it, I was hoping to stuff myself silly in less than a month, since long vacations like these are too few and far between.

In Subic, a gigantic pizza takes center stage (literally). For something so showy, its substance surprises; a chewy crust cradles gooey four cheese goodness.

Another Subic find, mushroom burger. While it didn't knock anyone's socks off, the meat was cooked medium rare and the chargrilled flavor was evident in every bite.

The temptation to "taste" just a bit of this soft, pillowy ensaymada and its Westernized cousin the cinnammon roll was just too strong.

Ar Angel's Kitchen in Greenhills, their famous pinakbet rice topped with bagnet and served with chocolate bagoong satisfied a curiosity I've harbored since reading about the dish. While the individual components were not the best renditions, the overall presentation and blending of tastes worked pretty darn well. A creative dish!

A party at home was catered by Mongolian Grill! The scent of sizzling meat and seafood, the sight of fluffy white rice, the anticipation of how your "experimental sauce" will taste like...it was a build up of excitement for a Mongolian fan such as myself. Then you see the rice tossed with the vegetables, the meat joyfully dancing in the air, that blur of movement as your rice is placed in a bowl, hot, heaping....how can one be enough?

**Other no-holds barred pig out moments include: brunch at Bistro Filipino (always a clever, ingenious little gem of a restaurant), cheese steak from Charlie's Grind and Grill, a dripping mess of tender, thinly sliced beef and molten cheese that sticks to the roof of one's mouth; Taiwanese beef noodle, oyster omelet, black gulaman and other street snacks from Mien San in Gilmore Avenue (a childhood favorite); lunch at Cafe Romulo (the only disappointment during my 3 week dining spree), dinner and wine at Masseto, where I chose to try two attractive sounding appetizers instead of a main, and coffee at Bag of Beans in Tagaytay.

Bo Innovation

2009-10-30T12:24:00.021+08:00

Alvin Leung is the tattooed, long-haired demon chef of Bo Innovation, the 2 Michelin starred restaurant famed for its take on molecular gastronomy. Dinner there can cost upwards of HKD1000, so good friends and I settle on the HKD198 lunch. On the day I finally sashay over to the second floor of a side street in Wan Chai, who do I see lording it over the kitchen but a chef with long bangs and tattooed arms in a sleeveless black chef's uniform -- so for a moment there I thought the demon chef would be cooking our lunch. But on second glance I realize it's not him, which is a bummer but totally understandable given that we were there for the less expensive and less varied lunch set.

Appearances of chefs aside, the all important question is: Did Bo live up to its reputation? I'm not an expert on molecular gastronomy, having eaten at El Bulli only in my dreams, and I have yet to muster the courage to splash on Bo's dinner chef's menu or tasting menu, so I can't say my opinion truly counts. But for those who are interested, let's just say I didn't die and go to foodie paradise, but I would go back for dinner. They should turn down the air-conditioning though. It was a freezer inside. The pinpricks of sunlight that danced on our skin when we left were oh so welcome. Maybe we should have eaten on the casual terrace outside.

We were greeted by this unique place setting with a diagonal fork rest.

My companions and I ordered the set lunch with different dishes so we could taste them all. This was my friend M's savory foie gras bread pudding, which was tiny, rich and had a hint of 5 spice powder.

Two golden orbs of scallops with dollops of fragrant kaffir lime sauce peeking through. This dish was an easy favorite. Imagine a bite of soft scallops followed by an intense flavor hit from the tangy, zesty, creamy sauce.

P's foie gras potsticker. A lone piece of luxury. It tasted like potsticker with foie gras inside. Decadent. I really can't be more poetic or descriptive than that.

Porcini "fun gor", deep moss green steamed dumplings filled with exquisite porcini mushrooms. A sensual, inspired creation that could convert a carnivore. Slippery sliced porcini encased in a thin, light, dumpling wrap.

"lap mei fan", steamed rice with preserved meats in normal restaurants, but Bo is anything but normal. Steamed rice is reincarnated as rice krispies, and preserved sausage is not to be seen, but tasted. The white ice cream underneath the krispies was redolent with the flavor of sausages and Chinese wine. There was also a hint of duck powder. Texture and temperature wise this dish was a revelation. One expects the krispies to be sweet, like the cereal, but it's bland, and the ice cream is anything but. It's as if they distilled the essence, the soul, of a Chinese sausage and magically transformed it into tongue-numbing cold ice cream. A fascinating dish, but it will do nothing to tame hunger. So men with big appetites beware, this restaurant is not for you.

Oxtail "xiao long bao" with avruga caviar. The best looking of the lot but the least attractive to our taste buds. I prefer the genuine xiao long bao. This one had a too-thick skin and insipid broth, like an older fowl with a tough exterior and tasteless meat.

Starch du jour: rice with fish roe. 2 words: more! more!

Duck with green salad and crispy taro. Not a memorable dish, except for the sweetish sauce and the hidden duck meat inside the taro shell. Now that was a nice surprise since I was wondering how one itsy-bitsy piece of duck leg could possibly tide me over for lunch!

"Ballotine of Chicken beggar-style, lotus flavor". Now this is something I would order again. Beggar chicken in Chinese restaurants is more of a showy dish than anything, flamboyant in presentation but lacking punch. Not so with this winner. Each bite begged (no pun intended) to be savored, the sauce was something you wanted to lick, if you were in the privacy of your home.

24-hours cooked pork lasagna, a quail egg yolk sitting pertly atop. P beamed when she saw the egg. As hinted at by the name, this dish was composed of many layers of pork slices that probably bathed gently in a vinegar and sugar braising liquid (an upgraded Chinese adobo). Now after 24 hours in a gentle bath, it's only right that one feels soft, smooth and silky, which was how the pork felt on the tongue. Sometimes, though, it's a case of too much of a good thing-- this dish was too sweet, the seasoning too intense, we all felt bored after a few bites.

Dessert was a simple affair: a chocolate pastry boat filled with souffle. The sprinklings you see on the side are not reddish cocoa or colored icing sugar but a berry dust (I'm guessing raspberry). I've never encountered such a crackly shell in my life! Each time my fork or knife came near a small bit would jump onto my napkin. In case you're wondering, I would pick the bits up and eat them. They were delightful, after all.

Hospital Food

2009-07-17T08:40:00.003+08:00

If hospitals all over the world serve what Matilda International in HK does, I think there would be a spike in admissions, longer-staying patients, and more visitors than usual.

My 7-day stay in this lovely place overlooking the harbour (with fabulous, sweeping views of Aberdeen, Lamma Island, and the few breathtaking mansions that line the Peak) was made all the more special because of the menu. Before I get into that, though, let me say that Matilda also has what it takes to be a premier medical facility.

Are the doctors professional yet reassuring? Yes. Mine were more than competent and a joy to encounter. Are the nurses and midwives knowledgeable, accessible and friendly? Most definitely. There were several Pinoys and it was great to be chatting to them in Tagalog. Are the facilities adequate? It's a 100-year old hospital blessed with modern equipment, spic and span public spaces while maintaining a classic, homey ambiance in the rooms (one friend thought I was in a bedroom with a hospital bed when she saw pictures).

What sets this hospital apart, though, is the food. Rumor has it a former hotel chef runs the kitchen, and after a week of "ordering" three meals a day, I can say with certainty that whoever is boss of that distant universe where my meals come from, can cook, and cook well. Oh, lest I forget let me say the plating is mighty pretty too (especially the salads).

Most hospitals will give you a choice of dishes from a very short (and blah-sounding) list. Some will just deliver tasteless looking mush on a tray, hoping you will be ravenous enough to finish it off and thank them for it (not to mention pay for it as part of your bill). At Matilda there is a menu to choose from, with both Western and Oriental breakfasts and main dishes, vegetarian options, pasta, sandwiches, soup, salad and dessert. The descriptions are well-written, similar to a restaurant, with nutritional info for each dish. Quite understandably, the prices can be steep compared to other HK hospitals. This isn't a problem for patients, who as part of their package are allowed to order 1 starter or dessert and 1 main dish for lunch and dinner, as well as their choice of breakfast. Family and friends who visit or stay have to pay, and pay they do, because they also want a taste of the food!

Here is a list of what I've been eating, and what family/friends have been ordering since I was admitted:

Breakfast:
Peach juice, oatmeal cereal, bakery basket and fresh fruits
Congee with sweet corn and steamed pork and vegetable bun
Congee with mixed beans and seeds with steamed barbeque pork bun
Congee with minced pork with wok-fried rice vermicelli with chicken
Grapefruit juice with all-bran cereal, bakery basket and fresh fruits
Sausage Omelette with toast

Lunch/Dinner:
Cappa Ham with Artichoke Heart Platter
Chicken Consomme with Vegetables Julienne
Mixed Garden Vegetable Soup
Potato and Leek Soup (Little boy loves this!)
Club Sandwich with Chips
Wheat Baguette with Smoked salmon and Salad
Baked Free-range Chicken Breast with Herb Sauce and Steamed Rice
Grilled Rib-Eye of Beef with Herb Gravy and Mashed Potato
egg Noodle in Soup with Wonton
Sweet and Sour Pork
Wok-fried Fish Fillet with Celery (the fish was tough and overcooked, I guess you can't have everything)
Wok-Fried Broccoli with Chicken (I have to say that Matilda wins hands down when it comes to Western dishes, their Chinese ones could improve)
Grilled Mixed Vegetables Salad with Feta Cheese and Balsamic Dressing
Pan-Fried Salmon with Balsamic Glaze, Pine Nuts and Baked Potato
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Tomato Basil Soup
Papaya with Black Dates and Peanut Soup (I was feeling very "health-conscious" after delivery)
Wheat Pita with Grilled Vegetables and Avocado Dip
Wheat Linguine with Mixed Mushrooms and Parmesan

Not bad, wouldn't you say? :)

Baked Pistachio-crusted Sea Bass with Mashed Potato

Caesar Salad

Baked Spaghetti Bolognese

Trying New Restos and Loving Them!

2009-06-27T23:53:00.009+08:00

Living in Hong Kong can make a foodie out of even the most food-averse of souls. There are restaurants everywhere; in commercial areas, malls, office buildings, markets, quiet residential streets, a nunnery, temple, up the mountain, by the beach. Name the location, and HK is sure to have an eatery or food store around the corner. Food just assaults the senses, from the moment one steps off the plane, boat or bus. You can find almost all kinds of cuisine the world has to offer if you are resourceful enough. You can eat out every single day for every meal and not repeat a restaurant for a year. This is what makes HK so exciting for me. I cannot adequately describe the awe I feel at eating at a place older than I am, the delight at being lucky enough to eat at Michelin-starred temples of food, the adrenalin rush that comes with planning a food sojourn somewhere out-of-the-way, the anticipation in trying out a new restaurant, the pure joy that courses through me when I pop something innovative and truly well made in my mouth.

For the past month I've been fortunate enough to be able to try three out of four new places with the people I enjoy being with the most: my 2 boys. Hubby and son are creatures of comfort and they have their favorites, as do most people, so we tend to gravitate towards the tried and tested. When I'm alone or with adventurous friends we try new places, even hyped-up ones (I am admittedly a sucker for hype).

With Franco from one of my favorite Manila food blogs tableforthreeplease I ate at the Shanghainese private kitchen Gong Guan. This was to kick start the weekend habit of trying out new places. Last Father's Day we gobbled up Fu Sing's yummy dimsum. Tonight we ate refined and delicate Cantonese cuisine at Island Tang. Tomorrow brunch is at the Press Room, a New-York style eatery with an interesting brunch menu.

Island Tang is an oasis of calm in the middle of the rush hour pathway that is Queen's Road Central. They say it's quite crowded and noisy at lunch so dinner is the way to go. The place is decorated in the 1940's style, with comfortable chairs spaced reasonably apart, so unlike most Cantonese restaurants that try to squeeze tables in every imaginable space. There are ceiling fans, chandeliers, mirrored private rooms, and a beautiful condiment tray bearing cut glass bottles of soya sauce, Chinese vinegar, salt, pepper, chili paste and chili oil. The service is unobtrusive yet attentive, and we were given tiny servings of a bean curd skin roll with crunchy (bamboo shoots? this is my guess, I forgot to ask) salad mixed with mayonnaise to start with. Our server then proceeded to take our order and recommend dishes. He noticed me studying the chopsticks and explained that they were made of buffalo bone, which explains the color variation.

After a pleasant interlude our dimsum appetizers came. We ordered the steamed crab and egg white dumpling and puff pastry wrapped wagyu beef and mushroom, both highly recommended by our knowledgeable server. The dumpling skin was very thin and soft, and held a juicy interior with the most delicate of flavor, as opposed to blandness. There was nothing overwhelming about this dish, yet its simplicity made it all the more attractive. The wagyu was the perfect partner, then. It was rich and redolent of fatty beef flavor coupled with the sensuousness of slippery mushrooms. Not very Chinese, this dish, but very haute cuisine and definitely a winner.

Some notable dishes include the kale (choi sum) with ginger and rice wine, nice and crunchy yet soft, and the cha siu which was melt in your mouth tender, and without the sweetness of Fu Sing's sauce (so hubby likes this more because he's not a fan of sweet food).

Not all restaurants are perfect though, and I have to say the peking duck 2-ways did not elicit moans and groans around the table. Though not disappointing; in fact the pancake wrapper was a nice discreet size, almost paper-thin and a joy to chew; the flesh wasn't as tender or tasty, the skin not as crispy or fatty as that of Peking Garden. The lettuce with minced duck meat was cut with scalloped scissors to a perfect bowl shape, definitely eye candy, but lacking in ooomph, flavor-wise. A fried noodle dish with chicken and satay was forgettable.

We missed out on a lot of the other dishes on the menu, since we were only 5, but my eyes were drawn to the seafood in hot and sour soup (and all the other soups, for that matter), the roasted pork belly which they ran out of, deep-fried frog's legs, all the seafood choices, traditional braised duck with eight treasure (my mom makes a mean braised duck), roasted crispy pigeon, stewed wagyu beef cheek, and spare ribs with sweet and sour strawberry sauce. Good thing we live in HK so there's always a next time!

Island Tang can be found at shop 222, The Galleria, 9 Queen's Road Central.
+852 2526 8798. It's by Shanghai Tang founder David Tang, and is reminiscent of China Club, which is also a favorite, but since it's for members only and I'm not one, I'll settle for Island Tang. :)

Dimsum at Fu Sing

2009-06-21T19:27:00.003+08:00

If there's anything HK does well, it would be dimsum and roasts.

Where to go for dimsum in HK if you want:

Touristy, noisy and cavernous: Maxim's at City Hall
Popular, small and not that easy to find: Dimsum in Happy Valley
Full of locals, noisy and of average quality: Metropol
Quiet, relaxed atmosphere: Moon Koon at the Happy Valley Racecourse
Other popular places: Victoria City, Treasure Lake
The best cha siu appetizer and cha siu bao I've had so far? Fu Sing in Lockhart Road.

Today, Father's Day, we squeezed ourselves (me more than hubby and son because I'm 8 mos preggy) into a tight dining space to enjoy some cha siu, cha siu bao, steamed shrimp dumpling, fried sticky dumpling, lotus wrapped sticky rice with steamed yellow chicken and wolfberry, fried vermicelli and crystal noodle with shrimp, and the best of the lot: fried taro and scallop spring rolls.

Their a la carte menu looked so interesting as well, and I spent some time craning my neck to check out what other tables ordered. I think it's time to arrange a lunch or dinner with friends in the coming weeks!

Fu Sing: 1/F, Sunshine Plaza, 353 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai. +852 2893 0881.

Private Kitchen Pictures

2009-06-17T19:20:00.018+08:00

cold tofu appetizer

marinated cold and thinly sliced beef shin

soy braised tofu skin with black mushroom

very spicy and crunchy bamboo shoots

eggplant with pork floss and sesame seeds

crunchy cucumber sticks with cold peanut sauce

bland tofu and fish soup to cleanse the palate

best dish of the night: thin bread, sweet ham and crunchy tofu skin

eaten like a sandwich

braised chicken pieces

steamed fish

surprisingly tasty white cabbage with wolfberries and garlic slivers

tender braised pork with dried plums

fried rice to end the meal

Warm sesame dumplings in barley soup was our dessert. Tea and hot water washed all this down.

Private Kitchen Dinner

2009-06-15T23:21:00.004+08:00

How private is a "private" kitchen in HK? Well, for one, they won't accept bookings of less than 8 people. If there are only two of you, forget it, their doors and kitchen will remain closed, unless you're wiling to pay for the non-existent six. Secondly, they want to remain hidden, so getting there can be a pain sometimes. Thirdly, they don't issue official receipts and lastly, they do not have a menu so you have to eat what they serve you, like it or not.

So if you have a problem with getting lost, eating in a non-licensed, most likely non tax-paying place, and having to shovel down food you might not be familiar with, go to a MacDonald's instead. Private kitchens are for the adventurous, the cowboys and cowgirls, the true foodies, the gluttons, the ones who like to be surprised (pleasantly or not), the ones who don't mind spending for food.

In the presence of such a group, I tried a famous Shanghainese private kitchen tonight. Nice digs, and six small appetizer plates plus eight courses later, I was full to bursting. When I asked the chef how many courses there would be, he burst out in the usual cryptic and curt manner of Chinese chefs: "many many". And indeed, there were "many many", some of them done superbly, others a bit more average but enjoyable nonetheless.

And for dessert? For how could one skip dessert? Roshan's thick, soft, Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookies from Manila. Thank you Franco.

Pictures, c/o Acky Ferreria, to follow.

Gong Guan can be found at the 12/F, Fung Woo Building, 279 Des Veoux Road Central, Sheung Wan. +852 2577 9789.

Paella

2009-06-15T22:59:00.004+08:00

Hubby and I like our paella, but I've never tried making this dish at home. We hie off to Spanish restos here in HK (which are not as good as those in Manila), and share an expensive paella while trying to outdo each other at getting to the all-too-little chorizos.

Making it at home means we could have all the chorizos, mussels and prawns we would like, so deciding to get a paella pan was a no-brainer. There's a hidden Spanish food/crockery/gift item supplier in an alleyway off Central. I got my pan, my paella rice, and (yes, I am a cheater!) a can of sofrito. In a small store called EuroTreat in Soho I bought some paella seasoning long ago and it had a minute amount of saffron in it, so I didn't bother with the much more expensive saffron strands. I will spend for them next time!

Using my friend's recipe found here, I rustled up some pretty good paella one night, chock-full of seafood and Portuguese chorizo from Macau (which I prefer more than Spanish chorizo), with artichoke hearts to boot!

My pan is now oiled and resting, waiting for another paella night. Soon.

BEST GIFTS EVER

2009-05-22T11:50:00.002+08:00

Hubby and friends say I spend a lot on groceries, eating out and food in general. Maybe I do, but I'm still a pretty thrifty shopper. I go to the wet markets and local groceries more often than the gourmet shops, and I never, ever buy basic necessities in places that sell foie gras or have a cheese and deli meat counter.

I do salivate over the barrels of olive oil and artisanal vinegars on display, and drool over bottles of exotic herbs and spices. I'm like a kid in a toy store when in the kitchen gadgets section, and my eyes sparkle when I see rows of chocolate bars. These products beckon, and tempt, and beguile, but I do have a household budget to consider.

So when I am gifted with amazing food products, I am speechless with delight.

Some of the best gifts ever (and they're not necessarily expensive):

1. 2 bottles of truffle olive oil from houseguests years ago
2. vials of vanilla pod and salt with herbs from France
3. a free box of exotic salts (4 kinds) from City Super during my b-day month
4. homemade bangus relleno from a friend's Tita
5. bangus from LVM in Cavite which a friend's mom buys for us
6. a bottle of hazelnut oil from a friend leaving for Australia
7. a huge jar of manuka honey from New Zealand
8. a bottle of green curry paste and spicy bagoong from Thailand
9. Laduree macarons from France

What I Loved in Japan

2009-03-25T17:19:00.024+08:00

Our very first meal in Japan was something familiar, unhealthy and definitely available in HK. No, it wasn't McDonald's (thank goodness). We ate at Tonkatsu Wako, a very affordable restaurant serving all manner of deep-fried pork cutlet, with some chicken cutlets and oysters thrown in for good measure. The rice and miso soup with tiny, fingernail-sized clams are refillable, and so is the shredded cabbage that the Japanese drizzle yuzu dressing on. In HK Tonkichi at the World Trade Center is a family favorite, they deep-fry well and properly (in other words, all crunch and no grease), little boy loves the sesame seeds you pound in a special ridged pestle, and they have 2 tangy salad dressings to choose from. Wako was definitely nowhere close to Tonkichi. While the servings were huge, each bite left a slightly oily aftertaste. Since we were exhausted and famished it didn't matter, especially since the yellow mustard sauce (Japanese horseradish) and the tonkatsu sauce (a fruity concoction the Japanese use like catsup) were there to save the day.

Funny enough, the next day for lunch we had deep-fried and unhealthy all over again. I had wanted to try a kushiya place when I first visited Japan a few years back but wasn't able to. So Sis-in-law (SIL) and her gang brought us to one. In this eat-all-you-can palace of battered and breaded goodness you get 2 hours to snatch whatever you want from the display. I can recall: eggplant, okra, peppers, lotus root, asparagus, pumpkin, onions, potatoes, pork, beef cubes, chicken thigh, chicken breast, chicken liver, chicken gizzard, mochi, shrimp, scallop, salmon cubes, rice with dried scallops, plain rice, udon which you cook and garnish yourself, curry sauce, miso soup, various salads, an array of sweets, sauces galore and a drinks bar. The bite-sized vegetables, meat and seafood were on thin bamboo skewers (just one on each skewer). On the table were shallow bowls filled with a viscous white batter and breadcrumbs. At the center of the table was a built-in fryer filled to the brim with hot oil. Around the fryer you could place your cooked food to drain. I ate 3 bowls of udon, countless shrimp, gizzard, scallop and pumpkin and was so full afterwards I found it hard to get up! Little boy enjoyed cooking for himself. I found myself craving for the potato salad tossed in a curious creamy fish roe sauce that SIL says is popular in Japan and is used for pasta as well. Guess how much our kushiya feast cost? A little above P600 per person, or HKD 100. What a bargain!

One day in Ginza we decided to eat at this place offering rice bowls. I wasn't interested in meat and ordered the soup instead and here's what I got:

a heavy serving bowl set atop blue flames

which was filled with a very spicy and garlicky soup, thick chewy noodles, some slivers of pork, mushrooms aplenty and sliced eggplant. It tasted a bit too Chinese for me, and normally I love Chinese, but I wanted something lighter.

my brother-in-law and boss were raving about Japanese ramen and the volcano eggs that come with it. volcano eggs are boiled eggs whose centers are slightly cooked, chewy, silky and creamy at the same time. I am happy enough with Sapporo in IFC, with their very refreshing miso broth, but being in Japan I had to try an authentic ramen place.

I got the specialty, topped with seaweed and sliced pork so tender and savory it reminded me of my mom's Fookien-style "humba". Hubby got the eggs since he's the egg lover in the family. They had gyozas too, but the gyozas I bought form the basement food store of Mitsukoshi in Ginza were so delicious everything I had afterward paled in comparison.

One can't go to Japan and not eat strawberry mochi. I bought this beauty in a specialty shop in Ginza, that chi-chi part of Tokyo and it cost a whopping P135 each. The strawberry inside was huge and very sweet, and the mochi itself sticky and delicious, so I decided to forget the cost and just enjoy my sweet. The mochis in Kyoto were the best I've had though, especially since it was mochi season when I went 2 years ago and there was such an array of fresh ones to choose from it was bedazzling and befuddling at the same time. I never buy the prepackaged ones at the airport. They just don't taste the same.

At Universal studios I spied a long line waiting to buy hotdogs at this cart. Being the sucker for hype that I am (I queued up for a gyoza bun at Disney Sea, which is simply gyoza wrapped in siopao-like buns and wasn't yummy at all), I walked to the cart with aching feet and bought a hotdog that I though would at least have some relish on it, only to find out it was drearily similar to the plain old hotdog sandwich at HK Disneyland. Adding to my dismay was the horror of being served small sachets of catsup and mustard you tear open and drizzle on top. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

I wasn't too happy about the hotdog but wolfed it down anyway, the took a leisurely stroll around a New York neighborhood and spotted this photo op just beyond an alley.

At Minami Osawa (a sprawlng complex of outlet shops which makes one think they're in the States) I found a French pastry shop selling tarts and puddings. I got myself a wedge of this berry-topped pudding. It was spongy and eggy, and like most Japanese sweets, not heavy on the sugar at all. I liked it but found the wedge too big for one person to consume.

Also at Minami Osawa we ate at this place called a sakura suisan (an izakaya of sorts where workers take a cheap but filling meal similar to what they would eat at home). I had the sukiyaki and although my picture looks very bad, the dish itself was very good. The broth was sweetish without being overwhelming, the slivers of beef quite tender and the vegetables and noodles just the perfect quantity. They serve most of their noodle soups with rice in Japan, similar to what Pinoys call pancit ulam (noodles as viand), so you can imagine how very full I felt. SIL ordered some deep-fried oysters for us to try and it was golden brown and crunchy and full of briny fresh oyster goodness inside. The oysters were oozing their juice, the flesh pillow-soft.

At another sakura suisan where we had dinner one night I got to try this grilled saba fillet along with the ubiquitous Japanese-style garlicky fried chicken that's heavenly with a squeeze of lemon juice, some fried chicken tendons served with purplish salt, cubes of tuna grilled and served on a hot plate looking like beef salpicao, tofu hotpot, and a Japanese-style papaitan. It's great eating out with a Japanese because otherwise you can't eat at a home-style sakura suisan. There are no pictures, and everything is in Japanese.

I am a fan of strawberries and bought a pack at a grocery near our hotel. Look at how fake they look with the dewy, bright red skin...

... hiding such sweet, sweet flesh. Mmmmmmmm

Froyos are all the rage nowadays and though I haven't tried any in Manila, here in HK Ive tried 3 places and they all taste average to me. In Osaka SIL and I tried a place called the Golden Spoon. I had my usual strawberry froyo, she ordered the chocolate because the Reese flavor wasn't available (oh sadness!). Each was served with a golden plastic spoon (SIL and I had an a-ha! moment when we spied the spoons). Were they good? Were they? Let's just say if I could have some right now, I would have 3 cups.

If you are a takoyaki fan, like me, you would have jumped with joy at seeing this sign. I couldn't jump, being 5 months heavy with my 2nd child, so I grinned a silly grin for several minutes instead.

Inside the "museum" are 4 takoyaki vendors selling differing styles of these famous octopus balls. We tried the smallish ones pictured here, served without any sauce or garnish, and I was disappointed. SIL says the large ones at Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo topped with mayo, okonomiyaki sauce with paper thin katsuoboshi (dried bonito flakes) are heaps better and I have to agree. Maybe somewhere else in Osaka there is a takoyaki for gourmands. It is where the dish originated from, after all. Good thing my dinner saved the day! I ate by my lonesome at an udon place where you pick up a a tray, choose a broth, get some fried stuff as topping and slurp away!

Our last meal before flying out was at this dark basement izakaya with no English on the menu. Salmon strips and dried fish stared balefully as we walked past the grill. My tummy was rumbling and my senses were on full alert. Instinctively I knew we were to have good meal ahead of us.

Our orders grilling...

I had the chicken teriyaki bento with extra orders of grilled chicken wings, chicken gizzard and liver on the side. Ahh, the smoky scent, the crisp burnt bits, the splash of lemon. Yum.

We also tried different kinds of saba fillet, some were salty like our own native "daing", some were bland but with an interesting sauce brushed on. All in all, a genuinely Japanese meal. Burp!

You might be wondering why we never had sushi or sashimi. Hubby's very thoughtful family decided to just eat all cooked food while we were there. Being preggy and a raw fish lover they knew I would just get frustrated and envious. Little boy had salmon sahimi several times though. It's his absolute favorite!

I have to mention, before I end this entry which is making me hungrier by the minute, that I had a superb bento lunch in Osaka composed of a light and refreshing udon soup with grilled eel, a multitude of pickles, and steamed brown rice with vegetables. I think I love udon much much more than ramen or any other Japanese dish except sashimi. Which sorta explains the number of pounds I gained on the trip. :)

What I Loved in Manila

2009-01-12T11:15:00.011+08:00

At In Yo in Katipunan, with its gravel driveway, old trees, and quaint decor, we thoroughly enjoyed the following:

Oysters 2 ways, one wasabi-flavored, battered and deep-fried. It wasn't greasy at all, but could do with more wasabi. I think Kai's version is better but this didn't disappoint. The other was cooked Rockefeller style.

Steak with mushroom risotto. The steak was charred on the outside, tender and flavorful on the inside. The risotto hubby liked, but I've tasted better.

Hubby's grilled eel resting on flavored Japanese rice in a jarring bright pink color. He gave me all the rice because he said it tasted too sour. I liked it! We exchanged carbs, in other words.

Hubby's order. That's foie gras on the side.

What I most appreciated most about the resto? The wooden footstool that the waiters present, for ladies to place their handbags on. Thoughtful and unique!

Adobo-marinated tawilis at Terry's Selection. Each crunchy bite exploded with garlic/vinegar/soy. Paired with balamic vinegar, it was an addicting appetizer!

Terry's also serves kick-ass tsokolate e (the thick kind) with their version of churros: bread fingers so crunchy, they were almost like chips! I wasn't crazy about their paella, though.

The Happiness Scale: Or 22 things I ate, received, read, brought back to HK, cooked, and plan to try

2009-01-05T17:46:00.006+08:00

1. In Yo: oysters 2 ways, steak, eel (happy, happy)
2. Alex III: boneless chicken and pork bbq with java rice (happy)
3. Terry's Selection: adobo marinated fried tawilis, paella, chocolate marquis, churros (happy)
4. Pinakurat selection of Vinegars: sweet vinegar and tokwa't baboy sauce (will try soon)
5. Reyes BBQ trio of sauces: peanut sauce, BBQ marinade, pica-pica dip (will try soon)
6. Longganisa galore (happy, happy, happy)
7. Kulinarya, the book (haven't read yet)
8. Food Tour by Claude Tayag (happy, happy, happy)
9. Crukitchen tablea balls from Batangas (happy, happy)
10. Claude Tayag's taba ng talangka (will try soon)
11. Montano's Spanish Sardines (happy, happy)
12. Callos and chicken menudo of mom-in law, rellenong manok of a tita, velocity [a bagoong with gata dipping sauce for boiled native vegetables], various sumans: (happy, happy, happy, happy)
13. San Lo's famous emapanadas: carne norte, chicken pastel, jamon y queso (happy, happy)
14. Kitchen's Best peanut butter bar (happy)
15. Ferino's Bibingka: leftover from the night before, cold but still fluffy (happy, happy)
16. the sweetest suha (happy, happy, happy)
17. Lunch at Aling Tonya's: crab claws in sweet-chili sauce, grilled tanguige, maya-maya head sinigang, prawn tempura, halabos shrimp, steamed super meaty lobster, mounds of white rice (happy, happy, happy, happy)
18. Cafe Via Mare: sotong goreng, bibingka, pancit luglug, boneless bangus sinigang (happy, happy)
19. Fresh kesong puti from Bulacan with freshly baked pandesal and jam (happy, happy, happy)
20. Ma chang with pork and pork fat eaten with lots of catsup: simple, just the way I like it (happy, happy, happy)
21. What I cooked: Home made stuffed turkey with a whole baked cinnamon-scented and bacon-topped pumpkin, salad, mashed potatoes, mushroom risotto with some dried mushrooms from Italy, grilled lamb chops and prawns (happy, happy, happy)
22. Cyma: cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers, chicken gyro (happy, happy, happy)

Pictures and details to follow.

First 2 Meals in Manila

2008-12-22T18:29:00.014+08:00

1. La Regalade, Arnaiz St. (former Pasay Road) in Makati.

- The night was cool so we had the soup of the day, Spinach Cream Soup, which I rate a B+.
- Upon the recommendation of a friend we ordered the Manila clams with chorizo which came steaming hot in a bowl with the heavenly scent of cream. I give it a B for Boo! The clams were NOT FRESH, in fact, they were going bad. Hubby, who eats spoiled food without noticing, commented on his first bite. Any self-respecting restaurant should serve sweet, fresh seafood. Of course I complained and expected not only an apology but at least an offer of another appetizer, for free. I only got the apology.
- To replace the clams we ordered the sable parmesan, a baked, thin parmesan tart topped with tomato slices and served with a bowl of tossed greens with vinaigrette on the side. I would have enjoyed this so much more were it not for the bad experience with the clams, and if only it were given to us for free as "consuelo".
- The waitress recommended the 7 hour lamb leg and hubby wanted to try the snapper with eggplant. I added the ratatouille as a side dish. The servings were huge, and I would give the lamb an A for Average (though very tender). The snapper was well-cooked, though not the freshest, but I did fall in love with the eggplant puree it was resting on and give it an E for excellent. The ratatouille did not elicit any feelings of childhood wonder (maybe because I never ate it as a child haha) but it wasn't anything special. The service was good, the servings generous and the prices reasonable but the question is...

Would I return? DEFINITELY NOT.

My friend, who has great taste in food, was quite impressed with La Regalade the first time he tried it. I read somewhere Chef Alan Raye plans to return only 4 times a year from his Vancouver home base to check the resto out because he feels the staff are all reliable and ready. I beg to differ. I think he needs to be around more. At the very least the kitchen staff should have known better than to serve bad clams. That spoiled the dinner for me. I couldn't enjoy the other dishes anymore after the heavenly- scented appetizer's fall from grace. Sayang.

2. Mamou in Serendra. Last year I tried to book at this famous place three times and got rejected. This year I was lucky, but was a bit apprehensive and wondering why is it suddenly easy to book? Hmmmm...

- With the refreshing, smooth and not-too-sweet dalandan shake, I was off to a good start.
- An appetizer of Melba chips and vegetable dip with truffle oil was only half-eaten, sad to say. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best.
- My friend ordered the chicken noodle soup which had a fragrant, tangy, sweet Vietnamese soup base. She liked it. I thought it was a tad too sweet.
- The fish in beer batter with malt vinegar and a side of red rice was crunchy and tasty, but the fish was not the freshest.
- After trying (and loving!) the chorizo pasta in Chateau 1771, I decided to try the Batac Bolognese with fennel and tomatoes. It was bland. I had to sprinkle a lot of freshly shaved parmesan, some lemon juice and pepper flakes to liven it up. The pepper flakes were fantastically hot and I would love to take some home with me.
- To cleanse the palate we had the key lime pie but I thought my friend's version better.

So sue me for being so finicky but I had expectations. And I was (and still am) disappointed.

I would give Mamou another try though, and order the steak, steak rice and the pork and chicken with beans and cinnamon saba.

In the meantime I will stick to the tried and tested: the vendors at Salcedo Market, pork bbq from my favorite Capitol Medical Center vendor, Via Mare for simple Pinoy food, longganisa from my mom's suki at Kamuning Market, Dampa, Fook Yuen in Banawe.

Maybe, once I've recovered from my disappoinment, I will try Galileo, In Yo, Bistro Filipino, Cafe Juanita and Adarna.

Next Monday I'm eating at Terry's Selection at the Podium. I wasn't too happy when I fist ate there, several years ago, I hope it has only gotten better with age.

Have I tried anything interesting? Yes, definitely! Good friends from HK sent an enormous rhum cake that, a week later, is still soft and seeping with rhum and butter at every bite. I bought some of Kitchen's Best goodies like food for the gods, butterscotch bar, chocolate fudge and peanut butter bar. The peanut butter and butterscotch were the best. San Lo's Famous emapanadas (chicken pastel, jamon y queso and carne norte) were rich and filling as well. The jamon y queso and chicken pastel were my favorites. In my mom's fridge now is a bottle of Joyce Aragon's queso de bola spread which I will try tomorrow.

Birthday Meals

2008-12-16T08:15:00.002+08:00

For lunch hubby and I had a "date" at Hanagushi at Lan Kwai Fong, this large Japanese restaurant that's not street level, is quite pricey and yet always full. Hubby had his usual beef fillet cubes on rice with raw egg (HKD 185), a teppanyaki of sorts with very tender beef and a sweetish sauce you can ask extras of (not exactly teriyaki but addicting!). Of course beef paired with sticky, hot Japanese rice with lots of sauce to dribble over is always a sure winner.

I had their yakitori set lunch (HKD 220) which came with miso soup, Japanese fried rice and dessert. Skewers of mushroom stuffed with minced chicken, giant asparagus, chicken fillet with leeks (they call it long onions), chicken balls, chicken wings and chicken liver arrived one after the other. All in all a happy birthday lunch. Not exactly the prices you would find at the "set lunch" places in Soho, and I was surprised with the crisis and all there were people waiting for a table at 1:30 pm, but that's HK for you. We were there because it was my birthday, they were there just because.

Dinner was supposed to be at Grissini (the Grand Hyatt's Italian restaurant) but hubby has been wait listed for a week (see what I mean? people in HK are still eating out, and eating well!) so we opted for Baci instead. Little boy was with us (I think he's old enough to go to proper restaurants and is adventurous enough to not go home hungry). We shared the rich and creamy porcini and black truffle risotto, a tomato, basil and spicy salami pizza, and fresh tagliatelle with rabbit ragout. Little boy ate tons of the crisp flatbread, tried the pesto dip, ate 2 slices of pizza, finished off his half order of bolognese, and ate a lot of the tagliatelle (without the rabbit, which all of us found too gamey).

Little boy loves eating out, whether at a formal restaurant, a cafe or his favorite HKD 16 noodle shop. He probably takes after me, the one who gets excited at the mere thought of eating someone else's cooking.

No cake or dessert for us on this day, no candle-blowing either. I'm trying to eat healthier this time around, and not gain as much as I did with Little boy.

Winter journeys and foodfests in pictures

2008-12-09T13:23:00.028+08:00

It was my first time to go to Tai O Fishing Village, touted by the HK Tourism Board as the "Venice" of the East (I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to Venice), with its homes on stilts and fishing boats. It's a tiny place but there are boats you can rent for HKD20/person and if you're lucky you can see the famous pink dolphins.

Dried fish parts: which parts, I have no idea. The vendor gestured that it was part of the belly. Oh how I wish I had a translator with me that day.

Other dried fruits of the sea: scallops and sea cucumbers.

A quiet lane leading to a sun-dappled seaside promenade of sorts. The picture of village life marred only by tourists and their cameras.

Ate hotpot at Yau Gwat Hei, a very popular resto. We ordered the specialty, wintermelon broth studded with shredded dried scallops and lotus seeds. Check out the size of that melon! Was the restaurant worth the hype? Definitely not! Service was lousy and the place was old and ill-maintained. Was the broth good? It looked good, but was decidedly bland. My pa makes the BEST hotpot broth ever.

We ordered pig's liver (generous portion), fishballs (very tasty and springy), Shanghai dumplings (average), baby bok choy (fresh and crunchy), enoki mushrooms, thinly sliced marbled beef (not the best), cuttlefish (tough and chewy), tofu and vermicelli.

the beef

the dumpling which Little boy loved

the broth simmering with the wintermelon flesh

Good Spring Company Limited, found on the corner of Stanley and Cochrane Streets in Central, sells herbs and herbal tea. After lunch office workers queue up for their requisite HKD5 cuppa which they say aids in digestion. After eating a cheap, oily and msg-laden lunch they need all the help they can get.

Pa was fascinated with the tea dispensers.

There's ginseng tea, sweet flower which I tried a long time ago, and the one with 24 bitter herbs which my intrepid father tried.

The man was oblivious to my camera. He must be used to it.

In Macau where everything is cheaper, even these skewered snacks were at least HKD3 less than their HK counterparts.

At Thai Basil in Pacific Place, we ordered the pumpkin custard with pandan ice cream. It was pleasantly cold (I thought it would be baked and warm), refreshingly sweet in a way only pumpkin can be.

An image of the other side: pandan ice cream (I wish they used a larger scoop). What are those pink and green strands you say? They tasted like cotton candy! Or should I say haystack candy?

Another dessert: sticky purple rice with mangoes, caramel, coconut cream and toasted coconut slivers which were a tad too jaw-breakingly crunchy.

Laduree

2008-11-19T22:58:00.004+08:00

Ah... France. I dream of visiting, of walking its streets, OF EATING ITS FOOD!!!!!

I can't just yet, but something from France came to me in the form of Laduree, a 146 year old Parisian institution that started as a bakery, and is now a tea salon/purveyor of luxury food.

A good friend thoughtfully brought over her baby pink Laduree box, and inside 6 macaroons were gently cradled, waiting patiently for a delicate hand to bring it over to not-so-delicate lips smacking with anticipation. I'm not a big macaroon fan myself, but I timidly tried one, and ended up enthusiastically eating 3.

We each had the pistachio, coffee and the revelation of the afternoon: the salted butter caramel. Similar to dulce de leche but less cloying, it was a sensation to the taste buds, a creamy, toffee-like silken creation with salty undertones. I, the not-a-macaroon-fan, could probably eat 3 in one sitting. Good thing there was only 1. After enjoying the macaroons, and while in the throes of utter pleasure, a part of our brain prodded us with the reminder that we had overeaten, that we consumed more sugar and calories in 10 minutes than we should have, so in an act of desperation we drank some hot tea and immediately felt better. I mean, what could be healthier, right? And tea does go so well with macaroons.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2008-11-19T20:30:00.010+08:00

I can't enter a food shop or walk by a market without buying something. Anything. A calorie-filled snack, an unnecessary, expensive ingredient, a kitchen doodad I admire then stick in a drawer, a bar (or three) of chocolate, something I feel my family back home will enjoy (even if I can only give it after several months), an exotic find from a country I haven't been to (now that definitely increases my choices exponentially).

Hubby says I enter with good intentions to just "window" shop, and leave a few hundred dollars poorer. My friends are testament to this predilection/addiction. Which means grocery lists are largely ignored as I tend to purchase far more than I originally planned -- but then aren't most shopaholics this way?

Last week I walked up to the Peak after my class and chanced upon Marketplace by Jason's. Part of the Dairy Farm Group, it's a cross between an upscale, expat-targeted Wellcome and Oliver's in Prince's building. That is to say, it's not as nicely stocked as Oliver's, but is far, far better than your ordinary neighborhood supermarket. I cruised the aisles and found nothing that interesting, plus I really didn't need anything. My freezer was groaning, my fridge bloated, my cupboards barely had an inch of space.

And yet you can guess what happened. The card got swiped, and the goodies lugged home.

wicked! Lindt dark chocolate with chili

worth a try: Movenpick 72%. I love my bittersweets. I love my darks.

The only dark hubby likes: with whole, crunchy almonds

For our families back home: rich, silky truffles

And my happy find: sinamak or spiced vinegar. I'm sure it's not the best brand out there but just look at the floating "silis" and flavorful spices and tell me you don't crave chicken inasal.

WHY I LIVE WHERE I LIVE IN HK

2008-11-07T15:02:00.002+08:00

1. I am several blocks away from HK's oldest street market, where I get my weekly supply of fresh seafood and thrice weekly supply of fresh vegetables.

2. I am a few blocks away from 2 Italian delis where I get my deli meats, cheese, fresh bread, fresh herbs and other Italian bottled condiments and sauces.

3. I can count at least 6 private kitchens that I can walk to, if I'm so inclined. One Cajun, 2 Cantonese, 1 Sichuanese, 1 serving Sichuan/Beijing cuisine, 1 French. Pierre Gagnaire's PIERRE and Joel Robuchon's Atelier can also be reached by both my legs, in less time than it takes to eat lunch.

4. I live 20 minutes away from work, and on my way I pass by hidden slices of local life and culture (think stores selling paper houses, cars, LV bags and other material possessions the Chinese bring to the other world; dried seafood and herb stores with abundant displays of aromatic and medicinal bounties of the sea and land; small shops selling extremely inexpensive clothing from Korea and China).

5. There are supermarkets all around me, with one selling prepared sushi, sashimi and Chinese roasted meats.

6. I live 10 minutes away (by walking) from the premier restaurant and cafe district of HK, SOHO and NOHO. I'm a few hundred steps away from innovative food, leisurely Sunday brunches, decadent desserts, dimsum restaurants older than I am, a snake soup shop, the yummiest burgers and thinnest thin crust pizzas, noodles and wontons galore. Oh and did I mention I can have my pick of the following cuisines? Ukrainian, Russian, French, Mexican, Lebanese, Nepalese, Egyptian, American, Chinese regional, Chinese desserts, Finnish, Swedish, Canadian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Moroccan, Japanese, Indian, Singaporean, Filipino, Spanish, Australian, Argentinian, Cajun, African, Malaysian, British, Irish...

If visitors ask me where I live, I won't rattle off my address. All they need to know is that if they visit me, they will surely be well-fed.

Pizza! Home-made! Perfect!

2008-09-29T21:12:00.012+08:00

A good friend who's also a great cook lovingly made the thinnest pizza crust I've ever laid eyes on from scratch and invited us over for a night of conversation, pizza variations, wine and mojitos, and if that weren't enough, she ended the fantastic repast with a multi-layered mango float.

To start, we had insalata caprese, a slice of red-ripe Australian tomato on top of which rested an oval of buffalo mozzarella, kissed by fresh basil leaves. A few spritzes of extra virgin olive oil and drizzles of balsamic reduction and viola, a beautifully plated appetizer materialized before her (hungry and grateful) guests' eyes.

The 2nd course, a pizza salad or sorts, was simply small versions of the cracker-like crust topped with slivers of mozzarella, with whispers of baby arugula floating about and 2 paper-thin slices of parma ham folded, accordion-like. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil nicely rounded off the dish, and groans of "mmmmm" resounded as the saltiness of the ham mingled with the slight bitterness of the leaves which were offset by the sweetness of the balsamic. Each bite ended with a crunch and pleasurable sounds pervaded.

Three kinds of pizzas followed.
First, Mediterranean-style with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and artichokes topped with feta and Manchego cheese.

Second, meat lovers with chunks of veal sausage, Andouille sausage, anchovies and garlic on a bed of tomato with roasted capsicum sauce, mozzarella cheese and Manchego.

Third, Hungarian salami with capers, olives, tomato with roasted capsicum sauce and mozzarella cheese.

After the first pizza no one was in the mood to take pictures. We were ravenous and just wanted to savor each slice.

Stuffed as we were that night, no one could resist this sweet ending.

Restaurants in HK are fine and dandy but nothing beats a dinner prepared with passion, served in a beautifully maintained home, with the proper lighting, music and aroma. Next week we veer away from gourmet and hold a proper American and Pinoy barbeque. After that, who knows? We plan to make this a regular thing, with various hosts receiving us into their homes, the food depending on mood, kitchen size and whether a dining table is available or not. Good company, dishes that could rival any restaurant's any day, and stimulating conversation are all the ambiance and inspiration we food lovers need.

* Thanks Acx for the pictures.

Vietnam in Kowloon

2008-09-20T11:06:00.014+08:00

Kowloon City, to my mind, is a place steeped in history, hard to find and reach, the Thai quarter of HK. It means fantastic, cheap food; but it also means planning and coordination on my part such as: getting friends together, traveling far from HK Island, searching for the right restaurant.

As usual my OC-ness got the better of me. After eating there last night I realized it wasn't so far after all. Think: a short 10 minute subway ride from Central station to Mongkok on the red line, then a transfer to the green line for another 10 minute ride to Lok Fu, then a HKD16 cab ride to the restaurant. Searching for the right restaurant was a breeze. I had my usual arsenal of magazine clippings and recommendations from those in the know. The only thing that required planning was getting people to go with you so you could order tons of food without looking like a glutton and straining the limits of your stomach. Yet even that was easy. I mean, who can live in HK and say no to an invitation to dinner?

So off we went, 3 friends and I, to try out this Vietnamese/Thai restaurant with 4 branches within walking distance of each other (I thought that privilege was reserved for 7-11 and McDonald's).

What did we order, us 4? Crab in chili sauce, fried soft shell crab, beef cubes with tomato rice, shrimp balls, garlic vegetables, and chicken/pork satay.

fried soft shell crab: a generous portion that was not greasy, seasoned lightly, a gem!

crab in chili sauce: yummy but lacked heat!

beef in tomato rice: looked better than it tasted

beer

the menu

Garisberg and San Mignel beer, anyone? Or maybe you want some Pesi-Coca.

pictures!

What else did we want to order but did not have room for? Tom yum soup (weather was too hot though), vermicelli with crab meat (crab overload!), shrimp and pork rolls (we only saw it after ordering so much already), fried frog with salt and pepper, lamb ribs, all manner of curry and noodle soups.

Evidently we ordered too much and had to suffer a period of moaning and groaning. We walked a few blocks of Kowloon City after the meal and promised ourselves we would be back, to try Combo Thai (Thai/Viet), a hotpot restaurant, an incongruously located French bakery, a place known for typhoon shelter crab.

Read up on Kowloon (Walled) City!

http://www.arch.columbia.edu/index.php?pageData=21536
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/parks/kwcp/en/index.php

Adventures in a Wet Market

2008-09-12T20:38:00.013+08:00

Today was supposed to be food trip day. I had a doctor's appointment planned, then lunch with a fellow food-obsessed friend at this hawker stall in North Point (specialties: duck rice and squid ink noodles), followed by a hot stone massage treatment in Causeway Bay. Ahhh, indulgence, every woman's best friend.

But plans change, and since I couldn't contact Tung Bo and my friend and I met late, we decided to eat at this noodle shop in Central serving a set lunch of 5 pieces xiao long bao with spicy noodle soup and cold soya milk. All for HKD38. Yum!

I headed off to my spa treatment, which happens only twice a year for me here in HK (but daily when I'm in Manila, where prices make me smile), and forgot about my cooked food market obsession for 2 hours. For those who are scratching their heads in wonder, a cooked food market is a series of food stalls selling a variety of cooked (what else?) food, usually located above a wet market. These wet markets are located in a building, with some vendors spilling out onto the street. All manner of items are sold at these wet markets, like meat, poultry, vegetables, noodles, fruits, seafood, desserts, flowers, roast meats, cloths, hardware items, plastic ware and sundry articles. At a second floor accessible by stairs or escalator you will find the food hall or cooked food market. Some sell forgettable stuff swimming in oil, but others are well-known, like Tung Bo at the Java Road Market.

I read about some stalls at the Bowrington Road (the address says Causeway Bay, but it sits in the middle of CWB and Wan Chai, and I always don't know where one district ends and the other begins) cooked food market and after my massage my OC-ness returned full blast and with a painful foot I hobbled out into the smoggy, humid HK outdoors and walked towards Bowrington Road.

A kind vendor showed me where to go, and even gave me a toothy grin with a thumbs up sign when she saw me walking out, my fingers laced around heavy plastic bags filled with food in styro boxes. Inside the market no one could speak English, so armed with a combination of sign language, the article I had cut up, and a determination to seek out good food wherever they may be I sought out three places.

The first is called Qing Zhen. The write-up said they serve roast goose to rival Yung Kee, so I immediately ordered half a goose and was pleasantly surprised to be charged only HKD 70. The old man minding the stall wanted to sell me marinated goose wings but I declined. This stall is over 60 years old!

Next up: Hoi Kee Roast Specialist, which chaxuibao blogged about here. Of course I ordered the curry lamb noodles. HKD 40 for a huge, huge serving.

A short trek across the hall brought me to Kan Kee Vegetarian, whose owner is Buddhist, to get some veggies for our dinner, but they had nothing cooked and I couldn't wait so off I went to the stall by the entrance selling seafood. A guy with a cigarette hanging form his lips greeted me and I asked for an English menu so I could order vegetables. Obviously they had none so he told me to enter their tiny (and dark, and dirty) kitchen and choose what I wanted. What an honor to be welcomed into a sacred place! I was greeted by steam, the odor of cooking food and the odor of those cooking the food, a grand slam in one go! I asked for the tung choi, which is like kangkong, and told the guy to cook it in whatever way he wanted. I also pointed to some sliced eggplant I spied sitting in a basket in the dining area, and he told me he would pair it with pork. Yes, whatever, surprise me!!!! I paid HKD68 for both dishes and trudged home.

So here are the results of my adventure today, costing a mere HKD170 (very cheap by HK standards, considering there's half a goose included).

The verdict? The goose was very meaty, which is a plus, but Yung Kee's skin is crisper and the meat more tender. Their sauce was quite nice, pale but not too sweet. The curry lamb noodles were some of the best I've tasted! And I've been to the popular one in Gough Street where luxury cars park outside waiting for their classy owners to finish up their noodles.(This one is better!) Yes it looks quite oily, but heck we only live once, right? The tung choi was overcooked but the garlic and chili flavors were pronounced and the seasoning, perfect. The eggplants were likewise overcooked, or perhaps they cooked in their own heat during my long walk looking for a non-existent cab and my subsequent trip home, but the pork was tender, and I wasn't expecting much.

In retrospect I should have waited for the vegetarian meal, but with prices and servings like these who am I to complain?

Bowrington Road Market, 21 Bowrington Road, Causeway Bay. All stalls located at the 1/F. Qing Zhen is stall number 5, Kan Kee is number 6, and Hoi Kee I don't remember.

Commercial Break No. 4

2008-09-08T16:56:00.003+08:00

Me: You should try to wake up earlier each morning if you want time to play before going off to school.
Little Boy: But mama, it's so hard to get up.
Me: Then you should sleep earlier.
Little Boy: Can't you just plug me in every morning?

I asked him if he was an appliance and he said yes, he needed to be plugged in through his back to summon the energy to get up so early. :)

Too many herbs=Grilled porkchops

2008-09-02T09:46:00.008+08:00

Inspired (again!) by Marketman's posts on the thin porkchops he had in Greece, and wanting to deal with the surfeit of fresh herbs in my fridge (I tried using the word "ref" here in HK, but no one understood) begging to be used, I brought out my weapon of choice, my trusty mallet, and pounded away.

Here are pictures of the chops rubbed with dried oregano, fresh thyme and rosemary, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, with a touch of salt and pepper. I don't have an outdoor grill and had to make do with my grill pan, so I sorely missed the char marks and burnt, crisp sides, but it tasted good! So good I forgot to take pictures of the finished product.

Favorite Supermarket No More

2008-09-02T09:34:00.003+08:00

I went back to Jusco in Taikoo Shing recently, and viewing the supermarket from the eyes of a grumpy hubby, I realized it was too crowded, and the Chinese and Japanese language labels were more of a hassle than an inspiration to re-learn Mandarin. I still love the food stalls, and bought 3 (yes, 3!) Japanese pancakes- one with matcha and adzuki, one with banana chocolate and another with strawberry adzuki.

It's not my number one favorite supermarket anymore. I guess after shopping in cramped stores with a limited selection, you are awed by such cavernous (by HK standards) space, bright, bright lights, and scores of Japanese goodies waiting to be devoured! I realize now that all supermarkets in HK have their limitations, so I'll just go to each one for the good stuff they have.

Jusco or Apita in Taikoo Shing: anything Japanese

Great in Pacific Place: Polaine bread, balsamic vinegar in barrels, beautiful but limited selection of cookware and silicone products, sauces from all over the world

City'Super in IFC, Harbour City: Little Mermaid Bakery for their tantalizing smells wafting throughout the store, a selection of Japanese goods, their cheese and deli counter, chocolate products

Oliver's in Prince's Building: their veal bratwurst from the deli

Three Sixty at the Landmark: reasonably priced deli stuff and fruits

Wet market: seafood, meat, fruits, and vegetables!

My Favorite Supermarket in HK

2008-07-23T08:01:00.003+08:00

I didn't use to have a number 1 favorite supermarket or gourmet grocery store simply because living in HK you are spoilt for choice. Three Sixty (The Landmark, Central) has a convenient location, a wide range of organic products and reasonable prices. Oliver's Delicatessen (Prince's Bldg, Central) has very reasonably priced deli meats and sausages, City'Super has many locations and a wonderful-smelling bread shop called Little Mermaid. It also stocks Splenda by the packet, and my trusty fire-engine red silicone utensils. Great Food Hall (Pacific Place) stocks food from all over the world, and always entices me with their expensive "olive oil and vinegar" in barrels selection. They also carry Polaine bread from France. I'll segue a bit and tell you about the avocado oil and avocado oil with lime my friend is raving about. She says it can be found in HK but it's very pricey. She bought hers from New Zealand, where it's made. I can imagine drops of this fragrant oil on salads and pasta. Mmmmmmmmm, I miss the truffle oil an uncle gave me. It ran out ages ago.

So you see? There are so many food shops in HK (I hear the newly-opened Jason's Marketplace is a must-visit) that it's hard to choose just one favorite.

Yesterday though, a friend brought me to Jusco in Taikoo Shing (far away on the Easternmost side of HK Island)and I fell in love. A few of the highlights:

*Wide aisles and bright lighting.
*A lot of Japanese food on offer. And I mean a lot.
*Prices are far better than most.
*The crowd at their ready- meal counter was awful and jostling for space, but this can only mean the food is good.
*I've never seen such a variety of fish on sale.
*A Japanese restaurant inside that serves set meals that look yummy, although I have yet to try it this weekend.
*So many food stalls selling a variety of sweets like Stick Sticks (cakes cut into sticks instead of wedges), Beard Papa (the gourmet cream puff), Antique Tea Room, Maria's (their cheesecake was selling out fast), and Sakura Street (I loved the Japanese pancake filled with matcha cream and azuki and gobbled one up in minutes), to name a few.
*Savory stalls include a Fat Angelo's pizza by the slice and packed salads, 2 long Chinese cooked food counters, 2 sushi counters, a takoyaki counter, Japanese skewers, and so many more.
*If you get tired of grocery shopping, they have several floors of department store above.
*A Macau restaurant across the street that's well-known for their pork chop bun, curry and fried rice.

I ask you then, what's not to like? Probably the fact that there's no fresh seafood stall or a butcher, but I can walk to the Graham Street market (HK's oldest, since 1841)near my home. Most labels are also in Chinese, which means I have to brush up! Despite these negatives, Jusco is officially my favorite supermarket in HK.

Nearby is Apita, (located in Cityplaza, a mall in Taikoo Shing) another supermarket run by a Japanese chain, if you get bored with Jusco. Their prices are slightly higher, though. On the top floor of this mall is the best food court in HK! Their Taiwanese food, Wonton and Congee, Vietnamese Food and Sergeant Chicken (Hainanese Chicken Rice) stalls are famous! I tried the chicken rice yesterday. It was dreamy to be able to eat soft, pliant flesh dipped in soy sauce, chili sauce and the finest ginger, mixed with fragrant rice and soup. Their chicken is boneless! They even have boneless chicken feet.

I have now decided that the eastern side will be the location my next food trip. This includes Taikoo Shing and North Point (haven of Fujian cuisine, the one I grew up eating).

For a list of HK food shops see this link: http://eatdrinkhongkong.com/deli.html.

Wonton vs. Dumplings

2008-07-23T07:58:00.002+08:00

A Chinese friend just taught me a food lesson yesterday. She says wontons and dumplings should not be interchanged or confused with the other. Wontons are often crescent-shaped, and fillings are composed of meat, vegetables and crunchy strips of dark fungus. Dumplings are usually round, and filled with meat only.

The Wonton Chronicles

2008-06-23T18:45:00.004+08:00

One rainy afternoon I met up with Hiro Sakai of the blog Eating and Cooking. The reason we met up was simple: he had a mission. To try several wonton places in Hong Kong that I previously blogged about here and here.

How we found out we knew each other from long ago is not so simple, and involves convoluted, funny, and scary emails sent back and forth for several weeks. We thought we were each other's "stalkers", and had we not discovered each other's identities we probably would never have met up for an afternoon of eating and talking about food.

A wonton, or wanton, is a type of dumpling filled with savoury minced meat or vegetables. I personally love those with one or a combination of the following: shrimp, prawn, minced pork, minced watercress/spinach/courgette/chives. I've tried one with lamb at a famous hotpot place called Little Sheep. It's a chain restaurant from China, and is so huge it was listed in the stock exchange recently.

Hiro S. told me to prepare my tummy for our feast so I didn't eat lunch. Using a tiny umbrella meant for one we walked around Central and tried the following places:

Tsim Tsai Kee, Wellington Street: We shared a bowl full of steaming soup and generous servings of prawn dumplings and some beef noodles.

Mak's Noodle, Wellington Street: We had a bowl of shrimp dumplings and another with beef brisket and tendon.

Sam Tor, Pottinger Street: Again we had a bowl of soup with shrimp dumplings and shared a huge plate of fried fresh fishball with clam sauce. The clams were tiny, fermented and salty. I've tried fried fishball at so many places but this for me was the best- not fishy, no overpowering Chinese herbs, not greasy.

For dessert we relaxed at this place called Antique Tea Room on Lyndhurst Terrace, and Hiro S. remembered to buy some BBQ pork (cha siu) and roast goose from the famous Yung Kee on Wellington Street.

I'll let Hiro S. blog about this foodtrip (which had the best dumplings, prices , ambiance etc...). He took pictures and he's got a great memory for tastes, prices and food in general. He never wrote anything down so you can imagine how much that memory holds- considering how prolific he is when it comes to restaurant hopping.

Thanks Hiro S., that was a fun afternoon! For those who are based abroad and want to know where to eat in Manila, his is the blog to read.

Greek Salad

2008-06-23T13:15:00.004+08:00

Inspired by Marketman's posts on Greece, especially this one about a Greek Salad he tried at home, I decided to whip up my own Greek-style salad for lunch today.

I used these lovely grape tomatoes I found from my neighborhood fruit stand (tomato, is, after all, a fruit), cut them in half, and tossed them in with some leftover lettuce, crispy cucumbers (the small kind, like MM suggests), dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar (my red wine vinegar was way, way past its expiry date so I had to bin it), a splash of lemon juice, and I poured in half a pack of cubed feta cheese and kalamata olives marinated in herbs and oil.

Of course I was in a hurry and had to make do. Next time I'd grab some fresh oregano leaves, a huge hunk of feta, some wicked marinated olives from Great, and beautiful tomatoes from the market.

For breakfast today I had some yogurt with Manuka honey (from New Zealand, supposedly with healing properties) and 2 fresh strawberries. How's that for feeling like I'm in Greece?

Kitchenware Sale=Naughty Thoughts

2008-06-22T21:21:00.004+08:00

Yesterday hubby and I, along with a male friend, went to the most disappointing kitchenware clearance sale ever!!!!!!

It was held in a tiny hotel function room, and most of the wares were either damaged, detached or downright ugly.

I went to a Le Creuset Clearance Sale and it was heaven compared to this one, despite the 1 1/2 hours I had to endure standing in line.

Maybe it was our fault. We arrived at 3pm, 2 hours to closing time. Maybe bargain hunters scrambled for pots and pans in the morning and left the unwanted items sitting forlornly on the tables, looking old, stale and pathetic.

We saw a silicone spatula, it's head detached from its handle. The head was selling for HKD 2. Hmmm, I wonder if it's truly a bargain to buy it considering you'll have to burn your hands since it didn't have a handle. Or maybe the handle was lying somewhere far away, ashamed to be seen in the company of castaways and mutant utensils.

Out of boredom, and sheer naughtiness, we decided to scrutinize some of the stuff on sale and guess what they were. My friend and I being kitchen buffs, it was easy to rattle off names like nutcracker, potato masher, melon baller etc.. Poor hubby had no idea what they were. We decided to take fun to the next level and describe their uses.

Anyone interested in something that will "mash your potato", "scoop your balls", "hold your eggs", "separate your eggs", or, horror of horrors, "crack your nuts"?

Commercial Break No. 4

2008-05-27T18:06:00.002+08:00

My little boy's favorite expressions when he feels pissed, frustrated, resentful, angry, irritated or just plain buggered.

Last year: Aw, pickles! (from Higglytown Heroes on Playhouse Disney Channel)
A few months ago: Aw, Man! (from Swiper on Dora the Explorer)
Now: Tricks in copper bottom! (NOW WHERE DID THAT COME FROM????????)

THE Miele Guide

2008-05-26T00:12:00.003+08:00

This is Asia's answer to the Michelin (sort-of, considering ordinary people get to vote, and the the criteria isn't as stringent). And I say, it's about time! Asian cuisine is steadily becoming accepted and even "fashionable" in the West. Europe is not a place everyone can travel to, and even if they could, Michelin-starred restaurants are not exactly cheap, so it excites me that an Asian list is coming out...

For those based in the Philippines, do help put 3 local, outstanding restaurants on the world food map. Just go to www.mieleguide.com to vote! Hubby and I have voted for our favorite restos in the Phillipines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Macau and Indonesia. I'm definitely getting a copy- biased reviews or not, I'm a sucker for any literature that's food-related.

Food Experiments

2008-04-18T12:05:00.005+08:00

Spinach artichoke dip

Pochero, complete with ham bones

Seafood cake with Pumpkin Pine Nut Risotto. Lacks a green garnish.

What I'm Loving in HK

2008-04-18T11:47:00.014+08:00

Pineapple buns and other "panaderia" goodies

Fluffy omelet and crunchy buttered roll for breakfast from a very local place

Colors of the market: the oranges, pinks, greys of various fish, the depth of green of leafy vegetables, the rainbow colors of fruits in season, the reds, browns and yellows of roasting meat and fowl hanging from hooks

Stinky tofu

Dried seafood

More dried seafood, with dried kumquat (the roundish green thing) that people use in soups for its medicinal properties

Starfish! Wonder what they use this for...

Streetfood: skewered everything

Cuttlefish! Deep-fried and sprinkled with pepper salt. I prefer mine plain and swimming in vinegar.

Deep-fried vegetables, some with fish paste (made of dace)

Fresh fruit shakes/juice. No sugar or ice added! This is one of the nicer-looking fruit stands, by the way. I usually get my fruit fix from a hidden sidewalk vendor who uses maybe 2 blenders and 1 juicer of dubious hygiene for many different types of fruits.

Waffle. Who doesn't love the egg-y smell of this childhood favorite?

More to come...

Phuket Trip

2008-04-18T10:46:00.025+08:00

Headache-inducing sunshine greeted us upon arrival in Phuket 1st week of April. Blasted heat and sticky armpits aside, we enjoyed our stay at the Sheraton Laguna, although I must say the very famous Ruen Thai restaurant at the Dusit was only average for me, while the meal we had at Sheraton's Chao Lay Thai Restaurant was superb. And the best eating places? In Patong Beach, where everything was cheap! in-your-face (or should I say in-your-mouth) fresh! delicious!

Who can go wrong with ordering mango with sticky rice for dessert?

Yep, we had Western food. And the burger and seafood pasta were surprisingly good. Little boy ignored his kid's menu bolognese and went for the more expensive, chock-full of seafood pasta dish of the adults. Notice the modern, zen-ish plates? Phuket has lots of handmade stainless steel stores, and I got myself a whole flatware set woohoo!

At a famous seafood restaurant in Patong, we ordered pad thai (a bit too dry but when I added more lime juice it sprang to life), sauteed morning glory which hubby LOVESLOVESLOVES, I suspect the oyster sauce they use is different and the chilies are charred), grilled red snapper fillet (oh my what a revelation, fork-tender, very very tasty without being salty, sensual in its simplicity).

The shrimp in red curry was spicy and went so well with steamed rice. Boy that was a satisfying dinner. And the day before at this hole-in-the-wall in Patong we had the spiciest tom yum ever (it made me cough so often, and I am a chili lover), the spiciest chicken in green curry and again, sauteed morning glory. I was even afraid to venture in at first because they served Western food too and I hate places that try to serve anything and everything, but I had to swallow my trepidation and admit that these eateries around Patong have to serve Western food for the non-adventurous, but their Thai cuisine is still as genuine as ever.

In Patong I saw all sorts of hawkers selling noodles in soup, grilled chicken or fish with the charcoal grill hanging from the vendor's neck, in the street facing a wet market were tables with "add-all-you-can" beansprouts, Thai basil, fresh chili and fish sauce for hungry locals, and of course the fresh fruit stands were everywhere!

Mango shake at one of the many Thai restos we went to.

Phuket has so many Italian and Indian restaurants it was unbelievable! At the Sheraton's Puccini, where we ate twice, I had this gigantic salad the first time, and was so happy with the generosity of the serving. Loved the asparagus, sun-dried tomato, artichokes, wispy flakes of Parmesan, feta cheese, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes and fresh greens served on a huge, lopsided white bowl. Hubby had the 4-cheese pizza. The crust was crunchy and light at the same time, the interior full of airy goodness. Our next try we had the prosciutto pizza and seafood risotto, both a joy to eat.

At Puccini they try not to starve you so they serve assorted bread in this conical implement along with various dips like pesto, tomato and basil, beetroot, sundried tomato pesto and butter.

I could finish off a whole warm ciabatta loaf, diet be damned!

Little boy was so hungry he took first dibs at the crunchy flatbread!

We ordered this catfish dish at Ruen Thai and immediately regretted it. It was so sweet and caramelized it tasted like dessert! The yellow balls are salted egg yolks. We also ordered beef massaman curry with peanuts and the beef was so tender and the sauce so rich and tasty we decided to forgive the cloying sweetness of the fish. We expected more from this restaurant boasting "Royal Thai Cuisine" though. After this experience we would always ask whether a main dish was sweet or spicy. One should learn from one's mistakes.

This is a famous soup, next to tom yum. It's chicken with coconut milk and galangal. It was very refreshing.

Fried morning glory salad made up our appetizer for the evening. It was average.

At Ruen Thai, the place settings are quite elegant and the accordion-like menu not very extensive.

The omelet for breakfast at the hotel was more scrambled egg whose sides were cooked and shaped into this submarine-like thing. I slathered catsup all over. Not the way I would cook my omelet, which I like fluffy and filled with all manner of vegetables and meat and gooey cheese, but with some toasted rye bread it made for a filling meal.

Other memorable meals with no pictures:
For Little Boy's birthday dinner at Chao Lay we had a lime-based shrimp broth, roasted duck curry with grapes, lychee, eggplants and fresh green peppercorns (the best dish I had in Thailand), sauteed morning glory, fried seafood salad with crabs, prawns and squid.

We also tried this place outside the Laguna gates. We had tom yum, fried rice with prawns, sauteed morning glory (yes, we had it in practically ALL of our meals) crab in red curry sauce, and tons of rice.

I love Thai food and am craving for some as I write this. Kowloon City (Little Thailand here in HK), here I come!

Food books and other thoughts...

2008-03-14T18:09:00.003+08:00

Just finished reading:

The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

Currently reading:

The Art of Eating by M.F.K. Fisher
Sacre Cordon Bleu (What The French Know About Cooking) by Michael Booth

Moving on.

Little boy is a fussy eater. I have to mash his greens, or hide them in soup, cut his carrots and squash into teeny tiny pieces and make a smoothie out of all sorts of fruits. It's not so much the taste as the texture he has an aversion to, I think. He can eat dark green leaves but not the tough or crunchy stalks. For a long time I was sad because he would only eat soup, shrimp, noodles or fried anything, but this year signaled a change. He has started eating, and enjoying, sushi, pesto pasta, pasta with sundried tomatoes, papaya, honeydew melon, zucchini, prosciutto, and pizza. He still won't eat hamburger or mayonnaise or catsup or noodles that aren't in soup, but hey, I think he's starting early in the yummy food department.

Commercial Break Number 3

2008-03-07T08:54:00.003+08:00

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?

Megu

2008-03-03T19:02:00.034+08:00

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.

Lasang Pinoy 24: A Warm Pinoy Dessert for the Cool Hong Kong Winter

2008-02-27T11:52:00.017+08:00

I've always enjoyed the entries to Lasang Pinoy, and being able to finally join thrills me no end. Lasang Pinoy 24 is all about coconuts, which is perfect because my mom ate tons of fresh young coconut when she was pregnant with me! They say that's how I got the shape of my head and my pale complexion. Thank goodness she didn't crave for niyog or I would have been born with rough, scratchy, fibrous skin, although a permanent "tan" would be nice-- if you believe in these things, of course.

Hubby is in love with anything that has gata (coconut milk) in it. We eat Bicol express, or ginataang sitaw, kalabasa, talong at hipon (long beans, squash, eggplant and shrimp cooked in coconut milk), laksa (a dish of Malay origin that we discovered in Singapore and greatly enjoy), and any form of curry, whether Indian or Thai, at least twice a month. Yet as much as I enjoy coconut-milk based savoury dishes, I wanted to prepare and write about a dessert. So I thought-- why not make an ultimate comfort food, something sweet and sticky that reminds me of my childhood, full of soft chunks of saba banana, cubed pieces of gabi (taro root), little bits of sago that give off tiny pleasant explosions in the mouth, and my favorite galapong (glutinous rice flour balls).

I was fortunate enough to find langka (jackfruit) at my favorite independent (i.e., NOT a part of a major grocery chain) fruit stand. The bananas will have to be sourced from Worldwide House, a building in Central where a myriad of Filipino stores can be found. These include banks, remittance centers, shipping companies, jewelry, toy, cd shops, convenience stores where one can get his daily ration of pan de sal, and where I get my weekly supply of calamansi. Even kamote leaves can be found in this House away from home! Add to that the local dailies, gossip magazines, tabloids, photocopy and photo developing services, toiletries and canned goods, hopia and other kakanins (native rice cakes and sweet delicacies) and you feel that you're back in Manila.

I digress though, from the topic. Maybe I'll write more about this special "House", whose neighbor Jollibee always smells of fried Chicken Joy, next time.

Gabi, sago and coconut milk I bought from the ubiquitous Wellcome Supermarket. As much as I'd like to squeeze my own "milk" from freshy grated niyog, it's hard to find them in HK when you need them so I resort to using canned ones. I'm not that happy with the quality and find them watery at times, but in a foreign country you try your best... and pray the results aren't too bad.

And I'm happy to announce that the guinataan we made was nice and thick, with the right amount of sweetness to it, the langka flavor shining through, the sago and glutinous balls chewy and delightful to eat. Next time I'll add some ube halaya (purple yam cooked until is it thick and pasty) for color and because it marries well with langka.

We enjoyed this for dessert during a gathering at our home, a dinner with fellow Pinoys. We really are a resourceful and hardy lot. We create memories of home in any way possible - through the food we prepare, the company we surround ourselves with, the music we listen to (we have many CD's of Pinoy artists), the jokes we share. I certainly felt comforted, and remembered my mom and mom-in-law's own delicious versions of this dessert. On a wintry evening in Hong Kong, which hasn't experienced the shivers in many, many years, we all felt the warmth, thanks in part to the versatile coconut.

Sai Kung

2008-02-04T15:59:00.000+08:00

One Saturday we were craving for fresh air and even fresher seafood so we hied off to Sai Kung with another Pinoy family. We rode the MTR to Choi Hung, then took the minibus to Sai Kung. The entire trip takes between 40-50 minutes from Central, and kind of makes me wish we had a car, or a yacht! :)

We ate at a famous restaurant gilded with gold all over and with huge display tanks in front. There's even a humongous fish swimming in an upright aquarium, and old folks say this fish can never be killed or eaten because some spirit resides within- that's why it's so old and big. It was too scary looking anyway, and would probably weigh a ton and cost the earth, so no thanks, I'd rather eat live garoupa.

After a satisfying lunch of scallops with vermicelli, poached shrimp, crispy fish, spicy squid with green pepper, salt and pepper mantis shrimp or "squillamantis", fried rice and sauteed pea shoots (normally I would insist on lobster and razor clams but we were only 6, after all) we walked around the town and ended up at a tiny coffee shop with 2 cute dogs manning the doors. The coffee smelled great and was a perfect ending to a cool, breezy day.

Live fish, geoduck clams, lobsters, razor clams, horseshoe crabs, shrimp, scallops and other marine life clamoring for space and attention in their tanks.

We had scallops served in their shell with vermicelli and tons of garlic.

No skyscrapers from where we stood: just boats, the sea, the breeze and hiking trails galore.

Hubby loves uni but kind of balked when he saw how it was harvested.

Check out my Lamma seafood post.

I take it back!

2008-01-28T20:57:00.000+08:00

I wrote a few months back about this congee and noodle place in IFC..

M friend brought me there one time and we had the salted fish fried rice and baked fish head with ginger and scallions and both were chopstick lickin'good! The fish, especially. I don't normally eat fish head but this one was pretty easy to pick on, with salty gooey globs of flesh in between crunchy bits of head. The ginger slices are crisp and a joy to munch on. While I still think the noodles are a rip-off, the congee, fish head and rice, as well as the pork bun with running sauce are sure winners!

Manila Trip High and (Low)lights

2008-01-28T13:25:00.000+08:00

Ms. Polly's cake: nothing fancy, sticky, moist and toothsome. Comfort food.

My favorite fruit: star apple. It's not in season, but I couldn't resist. Haven't had it in ages.

Pan De Manila bread and crunchy peanut butter and calamansi-guyabano jam. The jam was good.

Lechon skin meticulously sliced to serve the hungry horde at Christmas.

Baked lapu-lapu with 3 kinds of sauces.

Roast turkey with giblet gravy, another favorite!

Food lovingly prepared by my mom-in-law. Yummy pinakbet and pinapaitan. Igado. A crunchy shrimp lumpia appetizer. Sis-in-law from Japan made kimchi nabe, a hotpot that was quite spicy and tangy and delicious!

I ate the aligue of countless of these tiny crablets. On steaming rice it's a heart-attack inducing winner!

Enjoyed my lunch at Apartment 1B in Makati: cheesy vegetarian lasagna.

My best friend's order of salmon with tomato hollandaise was a generous portion cooked exactly right with the inside still soft and raw-pinkish.

Chinese lumpia from The Little Store in Gilmore: the wrapper was pathetic! All the filling spilled out on my first bite. My mom makes better lumpia.

The kian peng, or a Chinese paella of sorts, was tasty enough, but it lacked slivers of Chinese sausage. Again, my mom makes better.

The steamed fish was tiny and not too fresh, but thumbs up to the ginger soy sauce!

At Fleur De Lys in Tomas Morato, my sister ordered the chicken galantina with garlic rice and fried egg. Her verdict? It tasted ordinary.

I had the creamy adobo pasta at Fleur De Lys and I liked it! Bits of crunchy adobo in every mouthful of al dente pasta made silky with a creamy adobo sauce and salty with grated cheese. The raw sliced tomatoes went well with the dish, too.

Cute, cute, colorful glasses at Fleur De Lys. I know desserts are their specialty, and I tried the Bailey's Mousse, but it tasted old and dry.

I recommend taking Carlos Celdran's Intramuros Tour! It was funny, informative and far from being a boring history lesson! I cried during one part of the tour, haha! This is Casa Manila, restored with the help of former First Lady Marcos.

Courtyard of the rich and smelly. The servants bathed 2-3 times a day, the masters of the house so infrequently they slept without matresses yech!

Fountain at Father Blanco's Garden inside the San Agustin Church complex.

I forget what building this is.

San Agustin Church and Museum.

Taho before the tour.

Brings back memories of high school days when taho was a requisite after-school snack and students asked "manong" for more sago and syrup.

Frozen buko pandan sherbet at Don and Teban's, my cousin's grillery in Tomas Morato. Wonderful way to cool off! Speaking of T. Morato, I ate at Heaven and Eggs. Their steak and eggs was out of stock (grrr) so i ate the Corned Beef Sandwich. I liked the corned beef itself, but the bread was white and not rye and tasted like cardboard, the "sauerkraut" nasty, the cheese was freshly grated and not melted, and the coleslaw, horror of horrors, was swimming in its dressing. I had to fish the drowning shreds of cabbage out before they expired fully. NOT a nice lunch, expensive too. Definitely not worth my time or money. The mango shake was fresh enough, to be fair.

The much-hyped pudding. Expensive and too sweet. which reminds me, I tried a frozen Brazo from a place in Dasmarinas Village, and it was so sweet my head ached! NOT a pleasure to eat, I tell you.

Hubby and I enjoyed the Delimondo (by Chef Ed Quimson, P100 a can) ranch-style corned beef. I wish I brought back more cans to HK. My friend's dad makes a mean homemade corned beef and has generously agreed to share his recipe! Yahoo I can't wait to make some myself!

Part of my loot from the Salcedo Market. I bought Nana Meng's Tsokolate (average), Jaq's pesto with casuy and bangus (very good), Jaq's tuyo with red egg pasta sauce (haven't tried it), several budbod kabog and flavored suman (good), milkfish pate (average, a bit too fishy), malunggay pesto (Immigration confiscated it from my handcarry wah!), aligue sauce (still in my ref), La Cucina de Tita Moning Queso de bola sread (expensive but good), Ineng's BBQ (expensive too but good), kaldereta (ho-hum), Cely Kalaw's stuff (yummy!), and so many more I can't recall anymore. My only complaint? a lot of the cooked food were quite expensive! Manila has become expensive already!

Filled up half the cart even before 30 minutes passed. That's way too much plastic for recycling-obsessed me. I should have brought my MarketManila canvas bag but I was in too much of a hurry!

A stall selling French food: I spied a quiche, terrines and pates.

Paella: wanted to buy some but forgot. I wanted to try the crepes being cooked on site by this Frenchman and the pulled pork sandwich too. Next time.

People milling about the market.

It's my first time to visit Salcedo Market.

Other Manila meals:
Cuillere at Serendra: well-priced but the food wasn't special.
Chelsea Market Cafe at Serendra: some items were expensive, the others well-priced due to the generous portions. I liked our pizza, fish and portobello mushroom appetizer but the onion soup was watery and bland and the meatball pasta was served cold. And to those of you who know me well, of course I complained!:)
Trattoria Gourmet at Shangri-La: They have an interesting roast beef pasta.
Kitchen at Galleria: My duck adobo sandwich was yummy! The fried catfish appetizer was difficult to eat because of the bones. Too bad there were no people eating except us.
Cibo at Shangri-La: For some odd reason the spinach gorgonzola dip was tasteless that night, but my pork sandwich with 3 sauces: liver sauce, lemon mayo and red wine was divine.
Kai in Greenbelt: It's sad that when a new, trendy location opens, old ones lose their customers. The food scene in Manila isn't as vibrant as that of other places, and I suppose a lot of it has to do with finances. There are only a select few who can afford to eat out often. Plus a lot of households have cooks at home. Serendra was always full, and Greenbelt was sad and empty. Kai, the night we were there, only served 3 tables. I thought the food was executed and presented really well, and while the sashimi wasn't the freshest, the other items on the menu were innovative, and indicative of the owners' experience at Nobu.
Sango Burger and Amici Pizza: Both much-touted, but the actual meal didn't live up to the hype. I know there are many fans out there, but the burger and pizza didn't do anything for me.

Other places to try: Mamou (I couldn't get a table and I tried three times!), In-Yo in Katipunan, Cafe Juanita in Kapitolyo, Antonio's in Tagaytay, places these 2 blogs recommend: docchef's blog and this..

Happy Days

2007-12-21T00:23:00.000+08:00

The past 2 days were eventful: dinner with old college friends with the best home-made bbq as the star of the show, Carlos Celdran's Intramuros tour which left me alternately in stitches and in tears (though I tried to hide it since no one else seemed to be as emotional as yours truly), lunch at The Little Store (Chinese lumpia yahoo!), creamy adobo pasta for lunch at Fleur De Lys.

Pictures and details to follow.

So Far in Manila I Have

2007-12-17T19:07:00.000+08:00

*eaten at Heaven and Eggs, Chelsea Market Cafe and Green Tomato.
*bought stuff from the Salcedo Market and The Blue Kitchen.
*been given 3 books to cross off my Amazon wishlist: Trattoria by Patricia Wells, Chocolate by Mort Rosenblum and Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.
*been to The Urban Spa for a facial and massage.

Happy with most of the above, disappointed with some. Pictures and details to follow.

FoodtripPinas.doc

2007-12-03T11:34:00.000+08:00

Based on Marketmanila's and Dessertcomesfirst's recent blogs I have compiled the top 50 places I will visit/order from when I go to Manila. Check it out:

1. The French Corner:  Commerce Avenue corner Filinvest Avenue  Westgate Center, Filinvest Corporate City  Alabang, Muntinlupa City 771-2345
(ube cheesecake)
2. Karen’s Kitchen: (KEY Specialty Foods)  428 Adalla St. Palm Village, Makati 632.8982280 (trio of frozen brazos)
3. Paisley Pastry: by Gina J. Lopez 850-9917 0920-9280528 (chocolate fudge)
4. Chelsea Market & Café:  Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 909-7011 / 909-7012 (cookie dough cheesecake)
5. Jill Sandique of Dèlize:  33 Sunrise Drive, Cubao, Quezon City 721-7022 (ask for Lea, Mimi, or Vangie) Allow a minimum of 2-3 days for your order(s). (cheesecake)
6. Sweet Bella : 844-0680 / 844-9905 / 0928-5025027 1730 Banyan St. Dasmariñas Village, Makati sweetbellacakes@yahoo.com (chocolate and Strawberry charlotte)
7. Apartment 1B: Gourmet Comfort Food One Lafayette Square 132 L.P. Leviste Corner Sedeno St Salcedo Village, Makati Tel: 843-4075 (white chocolate cake)
8. Chocolate Cake of Celine Caltex at the corner of Buendia and Pasong Tamo, Makati.
9. Cibo, Pepatos, Café Bola
10. Café Ten Titas
11. Mamou, Abe
12. People’s Palace Green belt
13. Sala at Locsin Bldg Ayaa cor. Makati Ave.
14. Antonios
15. Lolo Dad’s
16. Galileo Enoteca Mandaluyong and another Italian place in front of San Antonio in Forbes
17. Cantinetta Pasong Tamo Ext.
18. Recipe’s Greenbelt
19. Casa Armas
20. Café Juanita Pasig
21. Amici
22. Trellis
23. Heaven and Eggs
24. Gaster Deli Ayala25. Bistro Filipino (Net One Bldg., the Fort; 856-0634/856-0541)
26. Xocolat
27. La Grotta
28. Chateau Verde
29. Krung Thai near Marikina Public Market
30. Mom and Tina’s
31. Three Sisters BBQ at Tiendesitas
32. Manos Greek Taverna Tagaytay
33. M Café Makati
34. JT’s Manukan
35. Guernicas Malate
36. Kopi Roti T. Morato. Blue Ridge, Mall of Asia, Naia
37. Everybody’s in Pampanga
38. Bellini’s Cunao and Trattoria Uno ali Mall
39. Katre T. Morato
40. Gourdo’s Fort
41. Brazil Brazil Metrowalk
42. Old Swiss Inn
43. Sebastian Ice Cream Podium
44. Kalye ni Juan Mall of Asia
45. Uno off T. Morato
46. Cely Kalaw’s foodstuff at Market Market
47. In-yo E. Abada QC near Katipunan
48. Roti Mum SM Megamall
49. La Resurreccion Tsokolate Binondo
50. KKK West avenue

Currently Reading

2007-11-26T14:46:00.001+08:00

EVERYBODY EATS THERE by William Stadiem and Mara Gibbs. Thank you so much Tehlin!

What Am I Bringing Home From Manila?

2007-11-26T14:05:00.001+08:00

Yep, I consider HK my home now, after 4 long years. Manila is the place where I grew up, studied, met my lifelong friends, did crazy things, met hubby, had little boy, got married; it's where my loved ones live, and where some of the most spectacular beaches and sunset views are to be found; it's a place of fantastic food, wonderful company, cherished memories.

But I am home, and at home in HK. I am familiar with its sights and sounds, with its idiosyncrasies. I breathe its polluted air every day, I walk through its colorful streets. I know this may be temporary, no one stays long in HK, after all, and while hubby's heart beats for HK now, it will yearn for Manila when we are much, much older.

And while HK is my home for the time being, my heart beats for both this cosmopolitan city and the city I left behind, corrupt government, silly bus and jeepney drivers, bureaucratic red tape, traffic, heat and all. My family and dearest friends live there, and they are the ties that bind me to Manila, Manila.

However, whenever I go on vacation, I consider it a vacation, and think of flying back to HK as going home.

So what am I bringing home from Manila?

- A new hairstyle, hopefully :)
- Fat and Thin brand longganisa, pork and chicken (the garlic, sugar and salt all balance out, plus there's not much fat! It's made by a fellow ICAn who supplies to the company Fat and Thin)
- Vigan longganisa
- Longganisa from a semi-blind old woman vendor in Kamuning Market (this is her only source of livelihood, and I've loved her fat, sweetish longganisa with the caramelized skin since childhood!)
- Foodstuff from The Blue Kitchen and La Cucina de Tita Moning
- LZM boneless bangus from Cavite
- Table napkins, placemats, candles, coasters from Tiendesitas and Kultura
- Yummy, Preview, Mega and Food magazines
- Tons of cookbooks from Fully Booked
- Tablea from Nana Meng's Tsokolate
- Lemon Squares from this stall in the Glorietta foodcourt selling Sylvanas (one of the yummiest I've had)
- Calamansi (for all my marinating needs) and the dalandan concentrate from The Blue Kitchen is great for juice!
- Connie's Kitchen tawilis and gourmet tuyo
- Salad dressings and a packet of multicolored peppercorns from Chelsea Market Cafe in Serendra
- Montano brand spicy sardines (litte boy's fave)
- Aligue, aligue, aligue! (I'll try several brands)
- Anything by Claude Tayag
- Machang (sticky rice cooked with chicken, pork, black mushroom and sometimes beans, wrapped like an imperfect pyramid in lotus leaves and steamed) from Wei Wang Chinese store in Wilson street, Greenhills
- Memories from my trip to Baguio, and hopefully walking trips with either Ivan Man Dy or Carlos Celdran.
- Memories of Avenue Q the Manila production
- Memories of all my foodtrips

Drool-worthy blogs!

2007-11-25T22:33:00.000+08:00

Check these out:

http://cafefernando.com/
http://www.wanderlustsha.com/
http://cupcakeblog.com/

the pictures amaze me. make me hungry. awaken the dormant sweet-tooth in me.

How Very New York!

2007-11-25T22:19:00.001+08:00

And how very interesting! Elevating street food to gourmet dessert bar level...Check out this NY Times article:

Wait Till Ice Cream Trucks Get Wind of This

If there are times when you would prefer a crème brûlée from a truck to a Popsicle, your appetite is ready for what Chris Chen and Jerome Chang have to offer.

Mr. Chen, a graduate student in business at Columbia (at right in photo), and Mr. Chang, a former pastry sous-chef at Le Cirque, are on a mission to elevate street food. "There's no high-end restaurant-style street food in New York," Mr. Chen said, explaining why they started the Dessert Truck in Greenwich Village.

From the truck they serve chocolate bread pudding, a warm apple dessert on puff pastry, molten chocolate cake, a caramelized pear on almond cake, milk chocolate and peanut butter mousse, and, indeed, crème brûlée. For those in need of a quick dessert for tomorrow, there is a pumpkin custard with gingerbread crumble and meringue.

The desserts are all $5. The truck is parked on University Place near Eighth Street on Tuesdays through Fridays from 6 p.m. until it sells out, Saturdays and Sundays from noon; www.desserttruck.com.

Soho Fridays

2007-11-23T21:48:00.001+08:00

Been having lunch with the ladies in Soho lately. Set lunches are priced well and portions are just right.

Cecconis (Italian fare) served up a choice of Caesar Salad or Wild Rocket with Poached Pear and Provolone as starters. M had the Asparagus Risotto for the main dish, P chose Grilled Salmon with Sweet Pea and French Beans Salad, I chose the Basil and Tomato Pizza. Their balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip was lovely. P tried the pannacotta with berries for dessert.

I had lunch at Zest with my boss recently. I've always loved their food, and that day was no exception.
Starters were a choice of: Tuna Carpaccio with Shaved Parmesan and Greens or Cream of Cauliflower
My boss had Confit of Chicken Leg while I tried the Pan-Fried Snapper. For dessert we were served Lemon Cheesecake with Yogurt and a choice of coffee or tea.

Today lunch with M and P was at Tivo along Wyndham Street. The service was great, owing to the friendly Pinay who gladly chatted us up. P had Cream of Tomato with Basil Oil, M and I the Roasted Eggplant Layerd with Tomatoes and Buffalo Mozarella with Balsamic Glaze, P tried the Grilled Salmon, M and I the Lamb Shank with Sweet Potato Puree. Three sinful desserts of Valrhona Cake and Frangelico Ice cream, Coconut Creme Brulee with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream and an on- the- house Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis were enjoyed by all.

Food is Central to all Gatherings

2007-11-21T21:20:00.000+08:00

A dinner plan:

Prawn Gambas Tossed in Chilli
Garlic Chips Studded Beef Salpicao
Grilled Chorizo Macao
Roasted Zucchini, Eggplant, Mushroom and Capsicum Skewers with Balsamic Glaze or Pesto Dip
Cheese Platter: Roquefort, Sundried Tomato Spread, Baby Brie, Gouda
PoppySeed Crispbread and Gooseliver Pate
Salami Milano
Smoked Salmon Wrapped Breadsticks
Mini Quiches or Tarts
Iberian Chicken with Chorizo Rice
Lemongrass Iced Tea
Green tea biscuits with Roasted Rice Green Tea from Japan
Dark Chocolate Fondue with Fruit, Marshmallow and Brownie Dippers

Lunch with the Ladies: Hairy Crab

2007-11-20T23:27:00.000+08:00

It's hairy crab season once again! Pam bought some from Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan (they cost about HKD 80 each, which is a bargain compared to resto prices). She steamed it and served it with garlic sauteed pea shoots, a ginger-red-vinegar-brown sugar dipping sauce and some soothing ginger tea.
Hairy Crabs, also called mitten crabs, are delicacies for the Chinese. The tasty roe is highly-prized and I loved the sticky, gooey fluid oozing out from its various orifices. Paired with steamed rice, this crab is a winner! It's not very meaty though, so for my sweet crab meat craving I always make it a point to go to Dampa in Manila or my favorite hole-in-the-wall in Banawe which serves the best oyster omelet, pata tim and chili crab!

Salad Number 1

2007-11-20T23:23:00.001+08:00

Mesclun plus Seared Canadian scallop plus Lemon-Wine Shrimp plus Mango Vinagrette = My dinner.

My Le Creuset Loot

2007-11-20T23:13:00.000+08:00

Le Creuset HK had a sale, and off I went. I lined up patiently for 1 hour 15 minutes, and came out with these lovely cherry red mini casseroles and saucepans and 3 oven-to-table dishes. I wanted the larger casseroles as well but would have to rent astorage space for them. My kitchen is TINY.

Then Pam gave me the best present of all: a mini vegetable dish. I chose cherry red, of course!

Happy me. :)

Disneyland Hong Kong

2007-10-22T12:35:00.000+08:00

We slept over for a night at the Disney Hollywood Hotel, which resembles a convention center in the morning, with all the tour groups and noisy Mainlanders milling about the smallish lobby. We enjoyed our stay- we were upgraded to a parkview room, little boy played in the chilly waters of the swimming pool and could not get enough of the slide, and the burgers at the Sunset Terrace were huge and reasonably priced.

The Disney hotel, which is Victorian in design, is much more elegant, although pricier as well. There's a cool maze at the back, and for breakfast we ate at the much-hyped Enchanted Garden, where Pluto, Goofy, Minnie and Mickey wend their way around the tables and pose with mostly kids and some adults (including us!)who acted as if they didn't know it was just scrawny locals stuffed inside cute costumes who they were going ga-ga for.

Little boy was major-ly SCARED of the mascots. Good thing mom-in-law and I liked the food or else hubby would have called it a day. It's the usual hotel buffet breakfast, complete with Japanese and Chinese goodies like miso soup, cod teriyaki, congee, wonton, turnip cake and pile upon pile of fattening Western stuff like an omelette station, eggs all ways, sausages, Virginia ham, bacon and beans. Healthy stuff were in a small table in the middle, and only a small percentage tried the muesli, cereal and oats. I mean hey, if it's a toss up between bacon and muesli, I'm sure most of us would hug the hog.

What I enjoyed the most, and ended up getting platefuls of, were the Babylon cheese (cut to resemble a garlic clove), air-dried meats like salami, rockmelon and its sweet and juicy cousin the honeydew, the grapefruit juice, and the Mickey Mouse waffle! Yes, the waffle is a sure winner- crisp edges, airy and soft centers, each bite went perfectly with the maple syrup and strawberry jam I smeared. Forget the mini pancakes, they were as hard as frisbees and as tasteless as cardboard. But get the waffle. Lots and lots of waffle.

There was a lady there whose job was to snip off the uneven edges of each Mickey waffle that came out of the waffle maker. Hmmm, tough job that one, having all that sweet crunchiness in front of you, but having to resist popping them in your mouth. Hubby loved the roasted Nuremberg sausage all coiled up like a reposing snake, unaware that a sharp knife was about to cut a piece off of it to serve to my hungry hubby.

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Food aside, if you ever go to Disney, look at the trees and mountains and spend time in the gardens of the hotel, views you will never find in the city center. Watch the 2 Broadway style shows: The Golden Mickeys and The Lion King. The performers, especially the Pinoys, are AWESOME! Never mind the rides. The shows alone are worth the entrance ticket price.

Comfort Sweet

2007-09-26T23:12:00.000+08:00

When I was in grade school my meager allowance provided me with a once-a week ration of chocolate KnickKnacks (those fish-shaped chocolate-covered crackers). I had to depend on my best friend Anita for the remaining 4 days. As my allowance increased a bit more, I was able to include Nissin wafers in my recess repertoire. The rectangular, cream-filled wafers, with the ice cream cone hue in transparent packaging was my favorite sweet. A thin red tape wound around the plastic was pulled off at its tip to tear the top quarter of packaging and reveal a bite-sized sugary specimen. I loved it with milk, with juice, with Iced tea, with Milo, with water.

Then my paternal grandmother presented me with a round tin can in a dull dark green shade with the imposing words GAUFRE on top. I had no idea what was inside. After several tentative minutes I opened the can to reveal a stack of perfectly thin, round wafers filled with either chocolate, vanilla or strawberry cream. It was the crispiest, thinnest dessert sandwich I had ever tasted and I fell in love. I forgot about KnickKnacks and Nissin wafers (that sad impostor!), and set my heart upon eating Gaufre (at that time I didn't even know what it meant) forever.

My grandma continued to give me a tin for a couple of years, and then she stopped; and like so many things that interest an adolescent my craving was shoved to the dustbin of my memories.

I developed a liking for new sweets, new tastes.

Until the day my sister-in-law moved to Tokyo in 2006 and suddenly my memory of thin wafers resurfaced, bringing along with it a longing for that childhood taste I once could not get enough of. For some strange reason I could remember exactly the tin, the word Gaufre, and the Japanese characters printed on the cover. I knew my sweet could be found in Japan, but I could not describe it enough to my sister-in-law, and silly me didn't even think of using google.On my trip to Japan last March I searched the basement food shops in vain. I went back to HK with the promise to look for my comfort sweet.

Luck was on my side when one drizzly afternoon my siblings and I ducked into Sogo Department Store in Tsim Sha Tsui and the first stall I see upon entering their grocery is the GAUFRE (which is French for waffle, by the way) FUGETSUDO one with tin upon tin and box upon box of my favorite wafer in the world!!!!!! I found out it is from Kobe in Japan. I was hugging the box on my way home and I had it for dessert after dinner. It was sweeter than I remembered, and probably not something I would gorge on these days, but it was crispy and light and yummy. I gave some to hubby and little boy and they loved it.

Here's to my favorite childhood sweet snack, the very best wafer as declared by my selective memory. When I visit Belgium I'm sure this might pale in comparison to what they have, but to my (much) younger self, Belgium was a world away and the tin can was within reach.

Having Friends Over

2007-09-15T18:29:00.000+08:00

My friends and acquaintances know I love hosting dinner parties, even if our flat is tiny and our dining seats only 6. Tonight I invited 4 friends and we are eating:

Feta and Basil Cheese Triangles with 2 kinds of salsa: chipotle tomato and honey mango
Pinoy Puttanesca using bottled gourmet tuyo from Manila
Grilled Marinated Pork Belly
Prawns in Calamansi-Crabfat Sauce
Steamed White Rice
Fried Sticky Rice Logs with Caramelized Bananas and Muscovado Creme
Lemongrass Iced Tea

Door Knock Dinners

2007-07-26T19:15:00.000+08:00

Remember that show with uber-popular chef Gordon Ramsey (how embarrasing, I've been rightly corrected by a fellow blogger, thanks Dr. Jeff, that it is Gordon Elliot who hosted that show, and he is Australian, not Brit. My apologies.) speaking in an accent so strong I couldn't understand half of what came out of his irreverent mouth? It was shown on Food Network in Manila, when Food Network was new and everyone went crazy over shows featuring Ming Tsai, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali etc...?

He would go to a chosen home with a chef in tow, knock on the door and to the utter surprise of the inhabitants he and his crew would then rummage through the cupboards, cellar, refrigerator and freezer and whip up a fantastic dinner with whatever they could find. Some families were lucky they had just gone food shopping before the "knock", others were embarassed with the skeletons they had hiding in their kitchen- imagine year-old turkeys with the worst freezer burn imaginable, rock-hard and unrecognizable minced meat, expired canned goods and dairy products, stale bread, moldy cheese; these were the stuff nightmares were made of, certainly nothing you would serve at a fantastic sit-down dinner.

Yet serve these Gordon and his crew did. With a telented chef as his magic wand he would turn these freakish ingredients into an appealing meal, and the famished, delighted family all sat down to a wonderful dinner.

I'm writing about it now because I usually have a late lunch at home and have to rummage about my tiny kitchen, throwing things together and getting hungrier by the minute. I'm not the cornflakes and milk sort of person, and I can't imagine eating a slice of toast with some cheese when I'm ravenous. I always manage to make something that is more presentable than leftovers and sometimes, they taste pretty darn good. I scarf this down with ice-cold tea or Coke light and marvel at the laboratory that is my kitchen. I have some cookbooks with me, most are in Manila. I peruse them and use them whenever I let someone else do the cooking. I don't really enjoy following recipes to the letter, nor do I enjoy stocking up on the ingredients necessary to make 1 meal from a cookbook. I'd rather experiment. Kitchen wizardry, for me, is cooking without loads of technical knowledge or theoretical back-up. The best chefs are not those on the Food Network or those who have tons of cookbooks with their names emblazoned in the front. Jeffrey Steingarten, my favorite food author, is a former lawyer and current food critic. Patricia Wells was hopeless in the kitchen before she married. Food bloggers like Marketman, Lori of Dessercomesfirst, Joey of 80 Breakfasts... these are the kitchen wizards of today, experienting endlessly with unique results, always eating, always cooking, never afraid to fail.

I've had my failures in the kitchen. Too salty, too soggy, weird-tasting combinations have all made their humiliating trek from pan to plate to stomach. I'm proud of all my failures though. Cooking up a storm is not possible without some lightning strikes and forceful gales that leave the kitchen a mess and the tastebuds wailing for mercy.

So far, my lunches have been delicious. All manner of stuff thrown in from my well-stocked cupboard and ill-stocked refrigerator have found their happy way to my numerous pots and pans. I call them my door-knock lunches.

And Little Boy Does It Again! (Commercial Break No. 2)

2007-07-11T23:10:00.000+08:00

Mama: What do you want to be when you grow up?
LB: An animal doctor.
Mama: Great! What kind of animal?
LB: I want to be a dinosaur doctor and dinosaur hunter.
Dada: Then you won't find a job because there are no dinosaurs mwahahahha
LB: Ok, then I just want to be a dinosaur.

Mama: What do you want to be when you grow up?
LB: A crocodile

LB: How about you Mama what do you want to be?
Mama: I am something already. What's my job?
LB (mulling it over): Um, you teach.
Mama: Good answer! How about Dada, what does he do?
LB (with no hesitation): He does basketball work.

Ouch Dada! Better hide the xbox and basketball shoes.

Looking forward

2007-07-11T17:05:00.000+08:00

to next week.

making Marcella Hazan's bolognese recipe

a low-carb shepherd's pie using the bolognese and mashed cauliflower

lasagna and roast chicken for a friend wer'e having to dinner

lotsa seafood stuff my from fave seafood cookbook!

maybe I'll take pics.

Cravings...

2007-07-10T18:24:00.000+08:00

Like a preggy lady, I am craving for the following, in no particular order:

Inihaw na baboy (grilled pork belly) with atsara (pickled raw papaya) and ensaladang talong (eggplant salad) or ensaladang dahon ng camote (sweet potato tops/leaves salad) to be eaten on a banana leaf by the seashore

Authentic curry laksa and Singaporean chili crab with hot steamed buns

Lobster noodles at Federal Chinese Restaurant in Olympic

Rellenong alimasag (Stuffed Crab)

A really chunky, "stuffed with chewy bits of brownies or chocolate cake" ice cream

Seafood paella

Garlic prawns from Fernandos in Macau

Peking duck

Fried pigeon

Machang (Triangle-shaped wrapped pieces of sticky rice, Chinese-style)

My auntie's siomai

My mom's kidney-misua soup and Chinese lumpia (fresh vegetable spring roll is puting it mildly, you have to wrap it and stuff it in your gaping maw to believe it)

WAAAH, so hungry!

New Food Books!

2007-07-10T18:22:00.000+08:00

Come August, my 2 new books and I will be united forever! Thank you, Amazon.

Chocolate and Zucchini, a cookbook-cum-journal based on a Parisian's famous blog.
The Art of Eating, by the incomparable MFK Fisher.

Woohoo!!!!!!!

Dinner Parhh-tees and other ramblings

2007-07-06T14:34:00.000+08:00

I'm a dinner party sort- I like setting the table, entertaining, cooking and conversing over glasses of wine or my drink of choice, the sedate and boring Minted Iced Tea.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for formality, and wish for a huge dining set seating 12-20!, with crystalware, sterling silver, fancy shmancy napkin folds, maybe personal butlers even? Nah, that's too fancy for me (the butlers, I mean. I still want the rest. :))

Most of the time I gather close friends and neighbors for dinner on Fridays, and if I'm too lazy to set up, then I use my "everyday" dinnerware and go casual. It's the food, company and conversation that count anyway. Plus I may have beautiful napkin holders, but I don't have starched napkins to go with them!

So far I've served the following during these get-togethers:

* Grilled Pork Neck, Beef Tadyang, Butternut Squash, Okra and Eggplant in Coconut Milk, Fried Boneless Bangus, Garlic Rice

* Baked Potato Skins with Chive and Truffle Salami Studded Sour Cream, Mushroom or Seafood Risotto, Cream of Pumpkin-Carrot or Broccoli with Cheese Crisps

* Minced Roast Goose/Duck with Pine Nuts and Puffed Vermicelli on Lettuce Cups, Asian-Style Chicken with Tortilla Wraps, Spicy Pork Ribs

* Calamari with Dill Dip, Mediterranean Style Farfalle with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spaghetti Scampi Tossed with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes

* Nachos with Spicy Minced Beef, Sour Cream, Salsa and Jalapeno, Chilli Con Carne

* Patola Shrimp Soup, Baked Beef Ribs, Prawns in Garlic or Prawns with Aligue

* Tomato and Barley Salad, Truffle Salami and Brie on Melba Toast, Scampi in White Wine Cream Sauce or Spaghetti Marinara/Arrabiata, Roast Herbed Chicken with Gravy and a side of Mashed or Baked Baby Potatoes

* Beef Sukiyaki, Japanese Fried Rice or Tonkatsudon, Cold Udon Crabstick Salad

* Caramelized Onion Beef Burgers with Home-Made Potato Chips

* Lokal stuff like Pinaputok na Kesong Puti, Crispy Tadyang, Aligue Pasta, Mango Taho, Kangkong Atsara, Chicken Sisig, Fried Fish with Mango Curry Glaze, Green Rice

I really miss: baking my own pizza. Yes I used to do that, let the dough rise, knead it, shape it and lovingly bake it on a pizza stone. I even had a paddle back home!

I also miss: a barbeque grill with outdoor cooking area facing a pool!

And Kesong Puti! And Laing!

Last night we tried this Laksa Boxed Set (HKD 27 for 2-3 servings). For an instant meal it wasn't bad at all. It even came with laksa leaves and sambal chili paste. I just added shrimps, chicken and tofu fish blocks. Hubby enjoyed!

My Week in Food

2007-06-15T19:52:00.000+08:00

Am quite pleased with our meals at home, and with the way my classes at the Y are going. Might teach Baking for Beginners but need to brush up first and study cake decorating.

We had, over the past week:

Shrimp Monggo and Fried Pampano
Tempura Shrimp and Beef Sukiyaki
Hainanese Chicken Rice with Chinese Spinach and Beancurd Soup
Arroz A La Cubana with Fried Potato Wedges
Home-Made Pesto Pasta

Tonight we're having Pork and Chicken BBQ with Java Rice and Ginataang Veggies and my comfort food: radish and carrot atsara like my mom makes. We've found a yummy "timpla" for the BBQ. Not quite like my fave back home but good enough.

Saturday is hubby's day so for lunch we're doing the Shake 'Em Buns experience with Chili Dogs and Nachos with the works, then for dinner it's Roast Garlic Chicken with Haricot Verts and a Salad.

All home-made!

Sunday is eating out day!

Next week I might grill some Lemon Prawns and make Chicken and Mushroom Pasta.

Beth is really good at cooking already and I like buying her cookbooks. She likes poring over them too.

SO NOT TASTY

2007-06-10T22:17:00.000+08:00

Its name is a misnomer, that's for sure.

Heck, we ate lunch there this afternoon and after an interminable wait, we were ushered to a booth and given the menu to scan. Prices range from 24-45 for the noodle soups and stir-fried noodles, and from 36-lower hundreds for congee. While I wasn't surprised at the numbers, given that the place is in high-rent and high-end IFC Mall, the tiny portions were disappointing, to say the least. Chee Kei in Russel St., Causeway Bay, which I wrote about a long time ago, charges much less but with double the quantity and definitely better quality.

Little boy was famished so we hurriedly ordered the wonton noodle soup, and chose the large bowl (HKD36). When the waiter arrived with the tray there were 3 similar-sized bowls with the same amount of noodle and soup in them. He asked us if we ordered the large and upon hubby affirming he took one of the bowls and placed it on the table. We asked what the other bowls were and he said they were small orders but I SWEAR they all looked the same. I cook so I'm pretty much attuned to weights and quantities and the large and small were one and the same! Unfair!

Obviously Little boy finished the whole thing but was still hungry, so we ordered the noodle in soup (HKD24) which arrived in a small bowl, again, with noodles so pathetic it would take less than 3 times for a chopstick to lift it all up. Little boy made short work of this order, which I feel is highway robbery.

Hubby ordered the stir-fried noodles with pork in soybean paste which looked, in the picture, quite generous and similar to Chee Kei's Spicy Pork noodles. This one cost a whopping HKD45. What arrived was a "platitoful", in a small plate whose size was better fit for leftovers.

We also had the rice rolls stuffed with barbeque pork. The sweet soy sauce that came with it was familiar and satisfying, the rice rolls were not. I ordered the shredded pork and century egg congee (HKD 36) but the pork was stringy and dry, like unmanageable hair full of tangles. I've tasted better congee, in larger bowls and at cheaper prices, in Causeway Bay. Beef brisket is a favorite of mine, so I had to try the beef brisket noodle, which, while tender enough, tasted so ordinary.

Hubby was still hungry so we tried the deep-fried wontons with sweet and sour sauce. A few tiny, shriveled up balls arrived, tasting too salty for their own good, with a washed-out sauce that tasted neither sweet nor sour. When the bill arrived I was shocked and wounded to find out these shriveled excuses cost HKD40! No way will I recommend this resto to anyone. I am so happy we ate at Union Bar last night with friends instead of Tasty. Not that Union Bar was spectacular, but at least it wasn't as distasteful. I totally wasted my time waiting for a seat at this place. Maybe expansion isn't good for them. Sometimes staying small and out of the way is the secret (They have branches in Happy Valley and Hung Hom which I'm sure is nowhere as flashy as the IFC one). If there's one redeeming factor to this rant, though, it's the HKD22 cha siu bao with runny sauce that I saw one table devour in seconds. I'll try that next time, but only that, and probbaly a long time from now.

Dream Class

2007-06-07T23:45:00.000+08:00

Full Through 2008

Probably out of reach of my pocket too.

The Meatball Manic's Guide to the Galaxy

2007-06-07T23:44:00.000+08:00

What will they think of next?

Wish I Could...

2007-06-04T20:16:00.000+08:00

Check this out!

I need tons of money to rent a flat with a large air-conditioned kitchen, a built-in oven and storage space for my ingredients.

The business registration will only take half a day, there are weekend bazaars to join and birthday parties to cater to, but I need my KITCHEN AND OVEN! ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

I used to have a food delivery business, called Peppermill Catering, which was reborn as The Food Factor (I know, ugly names). My specialties included beef lasagna, rellenong manok (stuffed chicken) for Christmas, several cheese-based dips with breadsticks, 2 salads whose recipes were handed down by my grandmother, my mom's famous old-fashioned apple pie, beef pie and paella, and rum truffles for dessert. Later on I added Pinaputok na Kesong Puti and Mango Pannacotta. At one time I dabbled in baking and selling my mom's secret butter cake by the slice. When I stopped catering my best friends and I started Pastry Haven, specializing in bite-sized desserts for low-budget weddings and Christmas giveaways. We offered our services to several big caterers. Our bestsellers were a fudgy chocolate almond bar, peanut paisley brownies, lemon squares, food for the gods, my friend's amazing chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, and my mango cream cake. We were poised to study cake decorating and enter the lucrative world of wedding cakes and high-end pastries when one of my partners left for the States, the other had to back out and I eventually got married.

So I really, really miss that time of my life when I was in the kitchen, surrounded by the smell of freshly-baked sweets or roasts, rushing about fulfilling orders, waking up at 3 am to start cooking for my weekend retreat clients, going off to various markets and haggling with my "sukis" (choice vendors), buying catering stuff in Quiapo (a quaint, eclectc, noisy place in old Manila), delivering goodies and seeing the smiles on client's faces, planning menus and inventing new stuff, testing recipes on my family and friends, researching, reading, buying cookbooks....

It had its downs, of course. I worked weekends, holidays, nights. I received complaints at times, I made enough to survive but I could see my corporate peers getting more. I applied to various malls for spots only to be turned down or offered pathetic locations because I wasn't McDonalds or Jollibee or Red Ribbon. I was dead tired. But I was happy. Like the former corporate slaves in the NY Times article above who are struggling with their cupcake businesses.

I like what I'm doing now, teaching, cooking and experimenting a bit, developing recipes. But it lacks the chaos of the kitchen. Even in Canada I lived a crazy life cooking breakfast for 100 people on my own.

Call it a third-life crisis (I am past quarter-life and far from mid-life). I'm suddenly wishing for a home-based food business (I don't want the expense, headache and overhead of an outlet) where I can flex my cooking muscles, and get my son involved in two of my very first loves - FOOD and CHOCOLATE. I get to see him often, shut down the biz anytime I want, and live the best of both worlds. Too much to ask? Maybe, maybe not. One day I know the stars will align, and I can take up my dream 7-month intensive course at the CIA (with hubby and kids by my side, of course; and if possible, a year apprenticing in France haha I wish) and start cooking up a storm.

More foodtrips

2007-05-24T11:41:00.001+08:00

Not happy.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about Harlan's and H One. When Harlan's first opened, hubby and I ate a fantastic Good Friday dinner there. On our next visit, I swore never to return (if I had any choice at all in the matter). Then H One opened amid hype and fanfare so we decided to give it a try, seeing as it was still new and we might get a repeat performance of that first Harlan's dinner. The menu was disappointing- very similar to Harlan's with a few Asian dishes thrown in for good measure- imagine a mishmash of steaks, curries, Thai and Italian. I am very suspicious of restos that try to serve a little bit of everything, never mind if they have a wood-fired oven or a seriously authentic Indian chef. I can get my Indian fix anytime in HK, at any number of wonderful, authentic establishments.

I started my meal with a truffled tea broth that was a bit too bland. I was served a similar starter at Caprice and that was divine. Smooth, silky and decadent, but light on the tummy all at the same time. We tried their pizza, two of them in fact, and both were soggy. Did I love my FAMOUS HG Burger with truffles and gouda? Not really. 'Like' is more the word. The toasty bread was buttery, the burger medium well, as I'd requested, but it didn't taste extraordinarily good, just average. I'm not going to wax poetic over it anytime soon. Nor did I experience the shivers-- which happens whenever I ingest a sublime treat. So the "best burger in town" myth is exactly that, a myth. A friend ordered the Thai roast chicken, and proclaimed it good but a bit too dry. Their lobster pasta was the highlight of my evening. Imagine a richly-flavored lobster bisque tossed with al dente pasta and served with soft and fleshy lobster meat.

We didn't even bother to try their desserts. Good thing they don't charge astronomical prices and their waitstaff are very professional and friendly- Pinoys, in fact. Still, I'm not going to be back in the near future.

*************************************************************************************

I've been in HK for almost 4 years, and while I am aware that there are many professional Pinoys based here, I've only met a few, and hang out with the Thursday Group and some neighbors and that's it. So last week we decided to have a foodtrip Saturday and asked friends to invite other friends until the group grew in number, and 12 of us tried to squeeze into Lin Heung's cramped, chaotic, noisy dining room for a late dimsum lunch. We ate half a roast goose, a huge platter of shredded pork fried noodles, 22 kinds of dimsum, more than half a dozen cups of rice, and paid a mere HKD 55 per person! Talk about cheap! The food was ok, not spectacular, but tasty enough, and with a price tag like that who wants to complain, right? The setting is not for the faint-hearted though. Hygiene-wise I wouldn't recommend it to those with squeamish stomachs or a taste for glamour and luxury.In other words,the place is "pang cowboy". We had fun, though, and transferred to Pacific Coffee afterwards where the atmosphere was more relaxed and conducive to conversation amongst new friends. While it poured outside, our rowdy group chatted, laughed, warmed ourselves with coffee and stories and generally enjoyed being with fellow Pinoys.

*************************************************************************************

Last night was another Pinoy (plus a Chinese-Thai and Swiss) gathering at I Caramba, with some people from the Saturday foodtrip present, and some I'd never met before. Hubby and I were just going to stay for dinner but ended up enjoying ourselves so much we got home way past our curfew :)- midnight, a bit tipsy from the endless glasses of sangria. HK is feeling more and more like Manila now, when I used to go out a couple of times a week and have coffee or drinks with friends. Now there are junk trips, barbeque parties, karaoke parties, beach trips and foodtrips to look forward to. When the Thursday Group ladies and their hubbies start joining these gatherings, it will be even bigger and better. Connecting in HK has never been so much fun. And you find real friends too, those you keep in touch with after settling down elsewhere.

Cococabana

2007-05-17T08:03:00.000+08:00

A rare sunny Sunday saw us and 2 more families heading off to Deepwater Bay Beach for an afternoon of food and fun.

It was Mother's Day and we were supposed to have brunch at The Verandah in Repulse Bay, but it was full. I read about a casual, al fresco Mediterranean place with killer views and supposedly fresh, satisfying food so lunch was at Cococabana.

The deck was breezy and bright, with white furniture and tablecloths glinting in the sunlight. I was happy with my choice until the harrased waitress showed us our table, which had 7 chairs instead of the 9 I had requested. So much for making reservations if they don't get it right. I had to get the menu myself twice, and almost had to get glasses, utensils and clean plates for the extra 2 covers THEY MISSED OUT ON. The kitchen was behind us so I could see the action. I thought the French chef-owner would be cooking, but it was his second doing all the work- and he was a grumpy one, this chef, who told the waitress, albeit jokingly, that he wanted EASY orders for the day. Hey, jokes are always half-meant, and he shouldn't have said that with me within earshot. I could tell he wasn't passionate about his cooking. 2 points against the place, and we hadn't started ordering!

I didn't mind that the menu was limited and full of seafood and salad choices, because I love Mediterranean food. The men were none too happy though. No grilled meat, burgers and just ONE steak choice (TOUGH AND OVERCOOKED) is not their idea of a great restaurant. And the service sucked. One waitress seemed so confused with my order -- they only have at most 6-7 entrees so it's not understandable. At least the head waitress seemed to be in control, although our entrees arrived more than 20 minutes after we finished the starters.

Anyway, there were some delicious items that I enjoyed, and I ate more goat's cheese in an hour than I have my entire life. So if you can forgive the complaining chef and poor service, and if you don't particularly like steak but enjoy fresh seafood in a beach setting, then Cococaana is worth trying. ONCE. It's not a place I would visit again.

mezze platter with hummus, spicy flatbread crisps, stuffed vine leaves, hard-boiled egg topped with an extremely salty tapenade, marinated cheese and couscous

Greek salad with a refreshing, sweetish balsamic dressing

a generous serving of piri-piri prawns, perfectly done, sweet and juicy with Jamaican spice undertones

warm goat's cheese and bacon salad with honey which everyone loved

grilled sea beam, doused with liquor and fired up at the table. the dancing flames excited the kids. it's stuffed with garlic slivers, fresh herbs and onions, and served with a lemon wedge. it was the best dish that day.

We were also served grilled chicken, which was undercoked and bloody, but the kitchen was professional enough to replace it with new cuts when I asked them to cook it some more. The mashed potatoes they came with was a hit! Buttery and rich, it was gone in a jiffy.

Next:
another disappointing Harlan G experience
newfound friends and a foodtrip

Another Solitary Lunch Hits the Spot

2007-05-11T19:05:00.000+08:00

My lunch: Thinly-sliced, boiled and braised beef shin resting on a hot broth where long, thin scallions, crunchy beansprouts, pickled mustard greens, and ground meat were scattered here and there. You could see the chili oil in places. The white noodles were firm to the bite.

Where: Nam Kee Noode House along Jaffe Road, where at 12 noon they've already served 120 customers, both for dine-in (the place accomodates maybe 50 at most, and that's a tight fit) and take-away (HK equivalent of take-out).

Nam Kee is right in front of Mang Ambo, a famous Pinoy "carinderia" in Wanchai known for their pork bbq. I was turned off by the woman manning the fort though. She was rude to a prospective customer (me) when all I wanted to know was whether they had the bbq or not. It's good but I've tasted better. And that attitude just makes it so much worse, in my opinion.

Happy with my HKD 23 lunch though. Next time I'll get the beef brisket soup.

Another Solitary Lunch

2007-04-28T20:08:00.000+08:00

Yesterday smartly-dressed office workers and ladies who lunch gave me the once-over when I entered Cafe Des Artistes in Lan Kwai Fong. Not that they have a dress code or anything, but I was in my summer best- spaghetti-strap top, capris and slippers! Plus I was all alone. Anyway I didn't care and set my butt on a corner table. I wanted to try their braised Wagyu beef cheek, simmered for hours in a red wine-rich sauce with potatoes, carrots and cubes of chewy bacon. It was served on hot plate with turned green and yellow zucchini, baby turnip, broccoli and snow peas set on a splash of jus.

For starters I had their fish soup served with grated parmesan and rouille (olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic). I placed some cheese and rouille in the soup, and used the rest of the garlicky mustard yellow rouille on the crisp tiny baguette slices that came with the soup. I thought the soup would be chunky and thick, but it was slightly watery and came with no chunks of anything- more broth than soup, really. I was disappointed and thought about ordering the endive salad with citrus fruits and honey dressing but I was starting to get full. A bread basket came while I was halfway through my soup. There were 3 kinds of bread, 2 slightly too sweet and all 3 not as warm or fresh as I would have wanted.

I was starting to regret my decision to spend lunch here when the beef dish arrived, set in a white soup bowl and concealed by a golden brown, crumbly, thin pastry sheet dotted with poppy seeds. Intrepid me was poised to shatter this delicate sheet with my fork and as soon as I broke the surface the hot, fragrant steam billowed out. I inhaled deeply then dug in. The beef is meltingly tender, and slides like silk on the tongue. Rarely can you swallow a chunk of beef without chewing but it is a possibility here. I broke off pieces of bread -the one that wasn't sweet, and dipped it in the sauce. Was this proper or not? Again I didn't care. The sauce was there, the bread was there, a spoon wasn't. So what's a girl to do? Enjoy her meal any way she can.

Washed down with a glass of plain water, my entire bill came out to HKD 379.50. Expensive for lunch, yes. And I could've done without the soup. I highy recommend the beef cheek though. But share it. And order their other regional specials like the cassoulet and snails.

Merveilleux!

2007-04-26T19:11:00.000+08:00

Makes me want to do these right away:

catch the next flight out to France!
buy the books!
cook the dishes!

FOOD FRENZY

2007-04-24T22:23:00.000+08:00

From a Word Mac file of mine: a list of HK eateries, some venerable, distinguished and multi-awarded; some in unknown alleys with no pedigree to speak of. I've already checked many items off this list, and yet it grows. So much food, so little time.
Here are the ones I haven't tried.

HK RESTOS TO TRY OUT

HOTELS:
Grissini – Grand Hyatt
One Harbour Road – Grand Hyatt
Niccholinis- Conrad
Gaddis- Peninsula
Felix- Peninsula
Mo Bar- Mandarin Landmark (Burgers)
Pierre Gagnaire- Mandarin Landmark
Chinnery- Mandarin Landmark
Felix- Peninsula
The Pizzeria- Kowloon Hotel
JW’S California- Marriott
Sabatini
Nobu – Intercon
Spoon – Intercon
Amber – Mandarin Landmark
The Steak House - Intercon
Angelini – Kowloon Shangri-La
Inagiku- 4 Seasons

MIDDLE EASTERN:
Habibi/Habibi Café
Marouche- Cochrane Street 25418282

CHINESE:
Shui Hu Ju
American Peking
Taste of Beijing
Hutong
Kung Tak Lam – CWB
Lei Garden Resto
Xiao Nan Guo – Times Square
Peking Duck
Ning Po – LKF 25230648
Dong Lai Shun – Regal Hotel
Spring Deer – Mody Road
Fook Lam Moon
Hei Kee – Crabs, Wan Chai
Fishball – 80-82 Old Main Street Aberdeen
HK Old Resto – Miramar 27221812
Kau Kee 21 Gough St. – beef brisket
Yu Sin – 98 Ivy St. Tai Kok Tsui 36202660 (Three Knife Fish, Soups)
Mala – 35 Peel St. 28181236 (Rendang beef curry, Hainan Rice)
Sang Kee Congee – 7-9 Burd St. Sheung Wan 25411099 (Chick congee)
Peking Resto – 227 Nathan Road Yau Ma Tei 27351316
Wang Fu Beijing Dumpling – 98 Wellington St. (Veg dumplings in hot and sour soup)
Boat Dweller Fish Balls – 135 Belcher St. Kennedy Town
Wing Cheung Resto – 2 King Kwong St. Happy Valley (roast meats)
Yun Fu – Basement 43-55 Wyndham 21168855
Under Bridge Spicy Crab- 414 Jaffe Road and 401-402 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai 28346818 28931289
Wu Kong Shanghainese – Food Forum Times Square (shredded chix with bean curd sheets, lion’s head meatball)
DIM SUM:
Dim Sum – 63 Sing Woo Road Happy Valley 28348893
Lin Heung Tea House – 160 Wellington 25444556
Yung Yuen – 53 Belcher St. Kennedy Town 28557738

SEAFOOD:
Fai Kee – Po O Toi Pier Sai Kung 27199129 (fried octopus, sashimi)
Chuen Kee – 53 Hoi pong st. Sai Kung 32861779

HAIRY CRAB:
Imperial Kitchen – CWB 25772018
Avenue Joffre- CWB 28826001
YunYan Szhechuan – Miramar 23750800
Green Willow – CWB 28816669]
Peach Resto – Wan CHai 21100363
Lung King Heen – 4 Seasons Hotel
Dong Lai Shun – Regal Hotel

ITALIAN:
Gaia – Sheung Wan 21678200
Aqua Roma
Tuscany By H 25218116
Aspasia- 1/F Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberley Road TST 37638800
Peccato – Elgin St.
Cecconi’s Cantina- Elgin St.

JAPANESE:
Fuji
Sae Culinary
Kun – Cheerful Court 1-5 Shing Ping St. Happy Valley 28933917
Koi Sushi – 25378332
Kiyotaki – 13 Gough St. 28771772
Asian Ghetto- Jap Ramen 30 Tai Wong St. Wan Chai 23383498
Nishimura – Marco Polo HK 27356899
Chura – Unit A B1 The Toy House, 100 Canton Road TST
31058950 (okinawan cuisine)

PRIVATE KITCHEN:
Xi Yan – 25756966 3/F Hang Wai Comm’l Bldg 231-233 Q. Road East, Wan Chai
Yellow Door- 28586555
Chez Les Copains – 117 Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung 22431918
Wo Tai Ju – B5 9?F Kingston Bldg. 2-4 Kingston St. CWB (Thai and Jap)
Alcove- 55 Peel St. 29759788

KOREAN:
Chang Won
Sorabol
Jin Luo Buo- CWB 28953986
Secret Garden

HOTPOT:
Little Sheep – 463 Lockhart Road, CWB 28938318
Tao Heung Seafood Hotpot – 338 Hennessy Road 28383097

FRENCH/CONTINENTAL/FUSION/DELI:
Robuchon – Landmark 21669000
Café Des Artistse
Gough 40
Goccia – 21678181 (devil pizza)
Ingredients- 25445133 23 Wing Fung St. Wan Chai
The Verandah
Orange Tree
Peak Café Bar
Bizou
Mezze
Harmony Café –CWB
Lawry’s – 29072218
Pearl at The Peak
Percy’s- 68 Catchick St. Kennedy Town 28551882
Green T. House- Cyberport
Agnes B. – Leighton Road, CWB 25772718
Lux
Agura- 13/F Henry House, 42 Yun Ping Road, CWB 25042929 (Jap-Italian)
Bricolage- 62 Hollywood Road 25421991 (duck confit)
The Press Room
Cococabana – Deep Water Bay 28122226
Armani Restaurant- Chater House

VIETNAMESE/THAI:
Song
TRU- 25256700
O Sip Hah – 36223222 Old Bailey St.
Wong Chun Chun Thai – 442 Prince Edward Road, Kowloon 27160099 (tom yum)
Chili Club
Noble House- 73 Wellington St. (Tom Yum)

ASIAN/INDIAN:
Nepal
Viceroy
VEDA
Tandoor
Kohinoor
Masala- Sheung Wan 25819777
Katong Laksa – Sheung Wan 25434008
Nepal
Woodlands – 61 Mody Road TST 23693718
Gaylord – 1/F Ashley Center 23-25 Ashley Road TST 23761001 (North Indian)
Sangeet – 17-23 Minden avenue TST 23675619
Indonesian 1868 – 28 Leighton Road, CWB 25779981 (ox tongue stew and rendang beef)

OTHERS:
1. Sai Kung
- Under The Pier
- Anthony’s Catch 27928474
- 131 27912684
- Scarecrow 27910888
2. Au Belge – Belgian 11 Old Bailey St. 25481818
3. Electric Road, Tin Hau
- Poppy’s 1 A Tsing Fung St. CWB
- The Fresh Soya Shop 74-48 Electric Road
- Te Se Kitchen 69 Electric Road (sweet dumplings)
- Tin Hau Laksa 81 Electric Road
- Shun Fung Noodle House 87 electric Road (Pork Chops)
4. Kin’s Kitchen – 9 Tsing Fung St. Tin Hau 25710913 (fried wonton skins with shredded duck meat)
5. Discovery Bay
- Hemingway’s 29878855 (Carribean, BBQ)
- Manta Ray 29872298 (seafood)
- Fagara 29876222 (Sichuan)
6. Ooh La La – Pui O Beach, Lantau

Commercial Break No. 1

2007-04-24T11:03:00.000+08:00

Let's take a break from food-centered ramblings to take an irate look at HK weather.

gloomy, doomsday view from our window, April 24, 10:30 am

are the dark, Mordor clouds here to stay?

argh! big fat droplets of rain pouring down from angry skies

Bon Appetit!

2007-04-23T19:05:00.000+08:00

I am currently reading Bon Appetit! Travels Through France with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle, author of A Year in Provence.

In one part of the book, he says that what distinguishes the French from other nationalities is their utter love of food; from the way it is grown, harvested, and prepared, to the way it is served and eventually partaken of. The French take a rapturous, sensual delight in food, and this is best witnessed during Sunday lunch, when everyone is leisurely perusing the menu, taking their sweet time and "...mentally tasting the dishes on offer. You can almost hear the flutter of taste buds."

I must have been French in my past life. When I read that passage I silently said, bingo! I always take my time in restaurants, visually imagining each and every dish, composing a picture in my mind, my taste buds emboldened, my senses on full alert, my heart racing as my salivary glands go on overdrive, seeking and longing that first bite, bursting with life and flavor.

Hutong

2007-04-23T18:23:00.000+08:00

Had a lovely dinner at Hutong (28th Floor, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui), a glamorous Chinese restaurant rife in atmosphere and artistic food presentation, with stunning harbor views.

Hubby and I admired the decor, especially that of the restrooms, but we would be scared silly to look at ourselves in the mirror and "do our thing" if we had as dark and eerie a room in our own home.

Eye candy for me were the wooden trays, hand-painted bowls and lacquer servingware where the inventive dishes reposed.

To start with we had:
- poached cold drunken pigeon and crispy roast pigeon which little boy finished most of so we had to order again
followed by:
- crabmeat rolled in thinly-sliced radish, in one perfect row, with a black sesame dipping sauce. bland but refreshing
- mixed vegetable spring rolls, crisp and very tasty
- deep-fried battered eggplant with a minced prawn and lotus root filling, served with fresh minced garlic
- bamboo clams steeped in rose wine and chili sauce
then came the main courses:
- a boneless lamb rib, Hutong-style, fried to perfection and served with warm, thin pancakes, slices of leek and a garlic dipping sauce
- soft-shell crabs hiding like cowards under a fierce mountain of fried fiery hot Szechuan red peppers - beautiful to look at, served in a red wooden receptacle with handle
- roast pork ribs topped with fennel seeds
- squid sauteed with lofty sea urchin (uni)
- braised sea cucumbers wading in a rich brown sauce redolent with golden scallions and prawn roe
- Mandarin fish fillet smartly dressed in a heap of crunchy garlic
- chunky green asparagus stir-fried with salted yellow croaker
- steamed taro balls with prawn roe sauce
- eggwhite fried rice with spring onion

Some of us with adventurous tastebuds and possibly alcoholic tendencies tried the Jia Qing Tung Pao- one small lychee placed in a clay pot (like those for dipping sauces) where a heady, sweetish concoction of lychee liquor, gin and soda water is poured. An extraordinary way to sip one's alcohol.

The kids, little boy and his pretty friend, each ordered noodle soup with diced shrimp, but shared in the adult's fare as well. My son took one sip of my strawberry-lime shake and never let go of the glass. He seemed to be suffering from endless thirst so I ordered a peach shake for him but he turned his nose up at it. I should've known, he's a darn good actor for a 4 year old.

After dinner we all walked to Knutsford Terrace and ended the night canoodling with a vanilla souffle, molten chocolate cake, nougat parfait, apple crumble and pistachio creme brulee.

AMAZING RACE JAPAN- ON A LAST NOTE

2007-04-18T19:08:00.000+08:00

LIVE. LOVE .EAT. My sentiments exactly.

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 8

2007-03-29T11:02:00.000+08:00

PACKING for our trip home was a sad affair. There were so many places I wanted to go to, like Nara, Himeiji, Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaido and Okinawa; so many restaurants I wanted to try; so many experiences, like an onsen (40-degree hot spring public bath where you are fully naked while soaking with strangers) I wanted to relish. 8 days is not enough especially if you're a food and adventure junkie like myself.

LITTLE boy was going to miss his tita, who acted as babysitter, playmate and friend the entire trip. Good thing she was due in HK the next day for a much-needed respite from the Japanese language. We will always be grateful to SIL, for being patient enough to take us to the same old places she'd been to countless times, for planning each day so we could take in as many sights and sounds as possible, for tirelessly researching bus routes to Gotemba, for waking up so early every day and walking from her dorm to our hotel in the biting cold just to pick us up, for putting up with our moods and demands. I was the adventure-food-walking-museum type, hubby the coffee shop-shopping mall-food-very little walking please type, and Little boy was, well, wonderful. He only spent a half day at Thomasland but went around with us to all the temples (of both culture and retail) quietly and without complaint. We normally don't buy toys for him unless it's his birthday or Christmas, but we made an exception for this trip and he happily lugged home 5 new toys back to HK. It was his reward for being so well-behaved during the mostly boring (for him) trip. It's good to know we can take him around the world easily.

AFTER checking out we decided to spend our last day walking leisurely around Shinjuku. Lunch -yes, delicious and memorable, was at a mall restaurant serving tempura.

4 kinds of salt for sprinkling on the tempura: pinkish salt, light yellow lemon salt, ordinary salt, herbs with salt

steamed tofu

Japanese ceramic pot for soy sauce

the tempura was brought to our table in small batches as they were being fried. how fresh is that? no soggy, cold ones in this resto.

READERS of this blog, I know this took way long to finish. Arigato gozaimasu for your patience!

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 7

2007-03-29T10:15:00.000+08:00

FRIDAY in Japan was darn depressing- I hadn't eaten at any resto on my list (although I did eat at some fine restos and was happy with the food) because of logistics, and I only had 1 1/2 days to go. SIL and I had planned to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4 am to catch the action at the Tsukiji Fish Market and eat some freshy-caught seafood for breakfast, then jog around the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The plan sounded good on paper, but we were bone-tired and didn't meet up until 9am. Too late for the fish market, which is why I am going back to Japan in 2 years time when SIL graduates from fashion school for good. Too late for the Imperial Palace too, because apart from buying last minute "pasalubongs" at the Y100 shop (yes, I am a cheapskate),I had to buy books at the bookstore I visited on my first day, then meet up with my sleepyhead hubby and son for lunch. I know there are bookstores in HK too, probably carrying the same titles at a cheaper price, but irrational me had to have some books to bring home. I already had one in my luggage from our visit to Kyoto- Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights". How ironic is that- buying an English classic at an obscure Kyoto bookshop! What can I say? It was on sale.

WE VISITED the Takashimaya basement food shop, after waiting patiently for the doors to open and the perpetually bowing attendants to usher us in, and I bought some pickled ginger and cooked gyoza. THe Japanese waste too much paper in wrapping their food products, and I hated the layers of paper and plastic I had to grapple with before reaching my food. I was hungry, darn it, and not in the mood to open presents like it was Christmas. Their landfills must be choking. I don't mind the wrappers when they're for presents, though, because it's a nice, elegant touch, but when I'm buying food to assuage hunger pangs...

AT THE bookstore with the tiny English books section on the top floor I bought:

Mark Kurlansky's CHOICE CUTS (A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World and Throughout History) with essays by MFK Fisher, Waverly Root, Alexandre Dumas, Pablo Neruda, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens and other literary and foodie heavyweights.

Taras Grescoe's THE DEVIL"S PICNIC (Travels Through the Underworld of Food and Drink) which is "an investigation of what thrills us, what terrifies us, and what inspires us to travel ten thousand miles and evade local authorities..." Very intriguing.

Rudolph Chelminski's THE PERFECTIONIST (Life and Death in Haute Cuisine) which takes a look at the world of French haute cuisine, and how one of France's most celebrated chefs took his own life when his restaurant ratings dropped and rumor spread that he was about to lose a Michelin star. It is my dream to eat at (at least 5) Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris.

AT THE Y100 store I bought these popular, lightweight, clear plastic umbrellas to bring back to HK. I gave one away, and the other one was so lightweight I forgot it in China on a trip to Shenzen.

FOR LUNCH we went to Shibuya, took some pictures of the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world (which reminded me of the SOGO Causeway Bay crossing on weekends and holidays) and took a snapshot of me standing by the Faithful Dog - the one who waited faithfully for its owner at the same spot for years after he died- who has a bronze memorial erected in his honor. Note: The bronze statue was stolen a few weeks after we left Japan in a daring heist, to be sold in the black market, probably.

I WANTED to search for a tonkatsu resto featured on my list, but we couldn't find it so we settled for this:

3 kinds of tonkatsu sauce: a tangy one, a sweetish one, and a spicy one

can't wait for the tonkatsu!

the food was ok

tonkatsudon

THE REST of the afternoon was spent shopping for hubby's office shirts. He likes the Japanese brands because they are so trendy and metrosexual-looking. Perfect for my queer-eyed better (dressed) half.

DINNER was a treat from one of SIL's Pinoy friends who has lived in Japan many years. He wanted us to try authentic Kyushu cuisine called Motsunabe and brought us to a well-known restaurant in the Asakasa area. SIL and I were delighted with everything we tried that night, especially the mango sake and lychee sake we sipped while munching, although hubby and little boy were wary of the dishes.

HERE IS Motsunabe's description, from Wikipedia: Motsunabe (Japanese: もつ鍋) is a type of nabemono in Japanese cuisine, which is made from beef or pork offal. A hot pot (nabe) is filled with soup, prepared beef or pork offal and boiled for a while; cabbage and garlic chives are added. The base soup is usually soy sauce with garlic and chili pepper, or miso. Champon noodles are often put into the pot and boiled to complete the dish.The offal used in motsunabe is mostly beef intestines, but various kinds of offal can be used.

this is liver steak, breaded, fried and served with a tangy sauce. you can only order one per person each time you go there. each liver is counted. this resto does not accept walk-ins. ever. the liver was so good, crunchy but not greasy, with no aftertaste.

the specialty of the house- motsunabe. here the pot is covered with cabbage, bamboo shoot and garlic chives with chilies on top. we set the pot over a high flame, and as the vegetables wilted into the soup, we scooped the fillings, composed of various innards, into our bowls. the broth was very garlicky and flavorful.

a stir-fried mixed vegetable and innard dish

crunchy "mustasa" salad with a piquant mustard dressing, tomatoes, steamed lotus root and crisp sugar snap

pickles on the side

this tamago had an extra special pinkish ingredient inside. i thought it was "bihod" (fish roe), because of the tiny dots that popped (very slightly) but saucily in my mouth. hubby ate it first before trying to find out what is was. lo and behold, it was a Fear Factor ingredient- bull's testicles. not bad tasting at all. i would eat it again.

we fnished it all off

sweet potato and purple yam ice cream to refresh our tongues and glide smoothly down our throats after that very interesting and full-bodied dinner

KNOWING it was our last night in Japan SIL and her friend brought us to Roponggi Hills for coffee. Little boy and I had wandered off to check out the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo and grab a copy their spring food brochure. Hubby was so happy the girl behind the Starbucks counter could speak English, with an accent at that. We were finally able to order a latte with skimmed milk (not the best choice but we are not coffee lovers to begin with) after 6 days of full-fat milk. While sipping our coffee we saw several Caucasians in either business suits or trendy clubing attire walk by. One was a bald, handsome man in a pink button-down shirt and white jeans. He was HOT. SIL thought he was smiling at her so she smiled back, until we realized, after much debate, that he might have been smiling at hubby. HAHA. In any case, hubby was giving him the once-over too because he liked the guy's clothes. Hubby was in a pink sweater, by the way. It was a laughter-filled evening until little boy got tired of running around, coughed endlessly, and proceeded to vomit all over Starbuck's Roponggi Hills' shiny, clean floor. Good thing the Japanese are so polite. The staff did the polite thing and helped us clean the mess. We took that as a sign to take little boy home to rest.

HAPPY ME went to bed that night with thoughts of more exotic meals to come when I visit Japan again.

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 6

2007-03-27T15:40:00.000+08:00

THURSDAY brought grey skies and freezing temperatures to Tokyo. It was Little Boy's turn to enjoy himself in Thomasland after the past two days of temple and garden hopping. He was quiet throughout the early bus trip to Hakone, by the slopes of Mt. Fuji, where Fuji-Q Highland Park was located.

ON THE WAY there we passed through industrial towns and valleys surrounded by pine-covered mountains. Although the trees were in a dull shade of brownish grey, one can imagine how verdant the countryside really is in the spring and summer. It seems that illegal logging is rare in these parts.

AS SOON AS we were finished admiring the many hills and grassy fields surrounding us we suddenly caught sight of that oft-depicted mountain with its perfect, gentle slopes capped by white- MT. FUJI. We were more in awe this time compared to that short sighting from the bullet train because the mountain (or should I say volcano, because it is, technically, that) was right in front of us, looming vast and large, its presence commanding.

UPON alighting from the bus we proceeded to cross the highway through an overpass, mistakenly thinking Thomasland was on the other side of the road. We realized too late that we were on the right side the entire time, but it was a lucky mistake since we were able to take pictures from the top of the overpass, where Mt. Fuji could be seen in all its glory behind us, the view unimpeded by trees and structures.

WE BOUGHT entrance tickets to FUJI-Q, instead of the more popular day pass which would have allowed us to ride everything on offer (including 4 kinds of roller coasters, a longish rolller-coaster ride clocking in at 3 minutes, a bicycle ride for the lazybones and scaredycats on wires high above the ground, a huge, horrific haunted house) because we needed to catch the bus to Gotemba after lunch, so all we had time for was Little boy's wonderland.

MANY locals, Pinoys in Japan and forums on the web cautioned us that Thomasland was a very tiny part of Fuji-Q and not really worth going to unless your kid is obsessed with the series, which Little boy was. We walked through the amusement part with low expectations but were plesantly surprised.

A BRICK archway with the words THOMASLAND greeted us and we knew we made the right choice in bringing Little boy here instead of Disneyland or Disney Sea. We took pictures by Knapford Station, and Little boy frolicked in the souvenir shop, where Thomas themed toilet paper, seaweed, furry slippers and toilet seats, among other things, were being sold at high prices to fans of the railway series. Being suckers, we bought 2 toys for Little boy, one of which he promptly lost the next night while I was eating my most memorable Japanese meal.

LITTLE BOY rode on a Duncan roller coaster, Harold the Helicopter, Lady the steam engine, the Sodor boats, Percy and Thomas bump cars which he controlled (steered, started and stopped) all by himself, Cranky simulating a ferris wheel on drugs (it was a jerky, fast ride), Mavis with the tambourine and singing attendant, and a Toby tunnel ride in a cave with life-size Gordon, Spencer, Harvey, snow-covered Percy, a real turntable, and a chocolate factory at the end of the ride! Even the adults had fun!

AFTER an exhausting morning, and I say exhausting not because the park was huge but because it was so darn cold (2-3 degrees C) and it took all our energy to keep our hands warm, we had a very average pasta lunch at the theme park then proceeded to the nearby bus stop where we were the only foreigners around. There was an old, tiny shelter where we took refuge until the bus to Gotemba came. A friend of SIL told us about the outlet shops in this place, 1 1/2 hours from Hakone, and since hubby is a shopaholic, off we went! The road to Gotemba was lined with pine trees, a view of Mt. Fuji's cone, a touristy fishing village (literally, a place where tourists went to fish by the banks of a river), a small beach, and rolling hills covered with something mustard-yellow- a bizzare sight. Gotemba itself is a quiet, sleepy town that offers hiking tours to Mt. Fuji, a smattering of Onsen (public baths using water from mineral springs heated to 40 degrees C), and other nature-oriented trails for the adventurous city-phobes. The outlet shops are located in a sprawling, modern complex put up by a US company. It seems small from the entrance, but in fact you have to cross a bridge spanning a deep ravine to get the to other side. There are 170 shops in all, with big names like Escada, Gucci, Miu Miu, Prada, Hugo Boss, Furla, Tod's, Kate Spade, Cole Haan, Celine, and A. Testoni, to name a few. Hubby was in shopping paradise! Little boy was asleep the entire time. We boarded the bus for Tokyo after 4 hours of window-shopping, hubby with a wide grin on his face after purchasing new shoes. It was so cold there was no point in trying on clothes; SIL and I just felt so lazy we gave up after one round of the place.

TOKYO was drizzling at 8pm, and we were famished and tired so it had to be fastfood for us, because we were ready to hit the sack. SIL brought us to a cheap place frequented by salarymen, where you choose from window displays of fake food, place some money in a vendo machine and press your choice. Afterwards you present a receipt to the counter and pick up your food. The noodles were not spectacular-tasting, but hot, filling and fast, just what we needed that rainy night.

sil choosing our dinner. fast food at its fastest. hubby even timed one customer, 5 minutes to finish his meal then in 2 minutes another one took his place.

the display

hubby's dinner: plain soba with broth and seaweed and a bowl of tonkatsudon

my dinner: thin soba noodles in a salty broth with various toppings - no meat or seafood

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 4 AND 5

2007-03-27T14:10:00.000+08:00

WAKE-UP CALL on Day 4 was at 5:30 am. We had to walk to the Shinjuku train station; a mere 15 minutes from the inn that felt more like 2 hours because we were frozen. From there it was a 30-minute train ride to Shinagawa station, where we would catch the Shinkansen or bullet train, Japan's high-speed train that zooms past its countryside and takes Tokyo-dwellers to places like Osaka, Kyoto, Nagano etc...

LITTLE BOY loved the ride, and so did we. It was smooth, comfortable and scenic. We gasped in awe when majestic Mt. Fuji, its upper slopes blindingly white with snow, suddenly appeared by the window opposite us. After a brief nap, we opened our eyes to a scene right out of a postcard: that of a small mountainside village whose rooftops, treetops and cars were bathed in snow. This was Nagano, and although we ignorantly thought it was snowing in Kyoto, after 30 minutes of this charming view it was back to flat and grassy fields awash with sunlight.

ARRIVING too early to check in we walked to Nishiki Market, a famous food market in Kyoto. The long street is lined with shops sellling pickled ginger in a myriad of colors and tastes. There was a knife shop I was interested in, but their extra sharp goods were too expensive for my budget, although I gazed longingly at the chef's knives on display. There was no lack of cooked savory and sweet food to be had: grilled fish, breaded pork and seafood, bento boxes, soy milk donuts (we ordered these hot and fresh, and the distinctive taste of soy milk was evident in every sugary bite), and more mochi than I've ever seen in my life! Kyoto in Spring in mochi territory!

entrance to Nishiki

tuna on sticks, waiting to be grilled

dashitamago-large omelets with various fillings using dashi (dried bonito fish and kelp or seaweed) as a flavor base.

making tamago using special rectangular tamago pans. i've tried making some with a regular round non-stick pan and it worked out fine, even if it differed in appearance from restaurant tamago.

i ate 2 of these beauties in one sitting. imagine the onslaugt on your senses: sticky, bland mochi balls encasing smooth and sweet red bean paste, then a squirt of sweetness and tang from a soft, ripe, juicy strawberry. i tried some from a convenience store in Tokyo but the berry was guilty of being too small, too bland and too squished. this handmade one from Nishiki was worth every cent.

triangular, paper-thin mochi with sweet fillings, a specialty in Kyoto only during spring. i also tasted plain white mochi balls that you dip in a black sesame paste. wonderful!

OUR STAY in Kyoto was devoted to visiting it's lush gardens, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and temples steeped in history. SIL and I were lucky enough to have our pictures taken with both maikos (apprentices) and geishas. The cab drivers who brought us around chatted with SIL about geisha history, showed us a geisha's mansion, and took us down memory lane by driving by a street depicting the Kyoto of old - more than 100 years old; the small houses once home to ancestors of Kyoto residents now used as quaint restaurants, izakayas and souvenir shops.

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Kyoto Imeprial Palace

WHILE walking around the Maruyama Park SIL and I spotted an English-style manor serving Western food, and at first I thought how silly it was, this pretentious restaurant, until I was silenced by the plaque in front: it had been serving the general public at the exact spot since 1909.

STUNNED, I laughed my silliness off by walking farther away from the source of my shame, and came upon an English-style (again!) tearoom, complete with rose-painted china and other relics of genteel Victorian life scattered about the diding room. Here I ordered herring soup with buckwheat noodles (um, yes, they serve authentic Japanese food). The steaming hot broth cleared my nose and warmed my chilly insides. The herring was grilled and brushed with a sweet, teriyaki-like sauce. Its bones were so soft they melted in the mouth. SIL and I stayed for a bit and sipped their aromatic green tea before gathering enough energy to walk around again. We toured the Eastern part of Kyoto (Kodaiji Temple, Yasaka Shrine, Chionin Temple, GIon) for a good 3 1/2 hours, and was rewarded for our efforts by the sight of Kiyomizudera Temple at night, its cherry blossoms lit by garden lights.

Kodaiji Temple

Kiyomizudera at night

FOR DINNER we all trooped to the restaurant two doors down from our hotel - oh, did I mention our room here was 6 times bigger than our Tokyo one? It had a proper closet, dressing room, living room, a long cabinet housing fluffy robes and silky kimonos, and two TV'S! And it cost far less than our Tokyo box! Dinner was at a bright, happy place where the specialty was shabu-shabu, which we didn't order (don't ask why, it frustrates me to this day). I wasn't disappointed with my bento box and SIL's sushi platter though. Hubby's bento box contained tuna sashimi, which I happily ate, chicken teriyaki, a flavorful, quivering mass of chawan mushi (egg pudding) with generous bits of prawn hidden inside, pickles, salad and assorted tempura. Mine had assorted sushi and tempura, a mini beef hotpot cooked in a coffee filter- like paper bowl over a slow flame, chicken teriyaki, chawan mushi and a delightful vegetable and seafood ball broth. All this for HKD 120/bento box. My camera's battery had died down at this point, and the memory card was full, which explains the lack pf pictures for these 2 days and why I bought a camera upon arriving at Tokyo on the afternoon of DAY 5.

AFTER A leisurely breakfast at the hotel the next day - composed of convenience store bento boxes, we set out for Kinkakuji, an extremely beautiful and serene temple made out of gold leaf. It sits in a lagoon and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The surrounding hills, streams, mountains and gardens are forever embedded in my mind, and hopefully hubby will endeavor to surprise me with a Japanese garden replica in our future home, albeit a fraction of the size, and without the gold leaf pavillion, of course. It was a perfect morning marred only by the tourist shops, too many of them, noisily selling their wares a few meters before exiting temple grounds.

Kinkakuji

RYOANJI temple was next, a "masterpiece of Japanese culture", according to the guide books. The complex houses the Kyoyochi Pond, made in the late twelfth century, and a famous rock garden, composed of only 15 rocks and white gravel, and measuring 25 meters east to west and 10 meters south to north. Philisophers would sit by this garden and contemplate life and the meaning of the rocks. Whoever designed the simple garden at the end of the 15th century meant to inspire in the viewer zen-like meditation.

ON THE WAY back to Tokyo I overdosed on onigiri at a convenince store. What looked interesting was simple a circle of rice dipped in soy sauce with NO FILLING INSIDE! ARGGGGGH! I was sick of bland rice! Another ongiri using red rice and beans was average, and the salmon one had a strand of hair sticking out from it so I lost my appetite altgether and didn't buy a single onigiri for the rest of my stay.

GOOD THING we had dinner at the Wolfgang Puck Cafe in Lumine EST Department Store, Shinjuku. Wolfgang has 3 eateries in this city, an express at Harajuku, tha cafe and a fine dining option. By this time I had my new camera, a Canon Powershot A640 (hey, it got good reviews on the net, with a professional photographer saying it's more than a beginner's camera, though not a professional one, and will work well for the camera enthusiast, like me!). I hadn't tinkered around with it or read the manual so in the box it stayed while we enjoyed our baby spinach salad with crisp bacon, goat's cheese and caramelized pecans tossed in sherry vinaigrette; Italian sausage pizza; tomato. basil and garlic spaghetti; fresh chittara with cream, bacon and basil paste; the house special burger with onion rings; and a truly indulgent appetizer of truffle potato chips with bleu cheese dip.

BEFORE we had dinner SIL took us to Harajuku, shopping havens for either the rich fashionistas or weird teenagers of Tokyo. I feasted my eyes on the shops selling gothic wear, lacy undergarments in the most "baduy" designs, and even sighted some Harajuku girls that looked like Gwen Stefani's back-up dancers.

ALL IN ALL, an eventful 2 days.

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 3

2007-03-23T12:55:00.000+08:00

AS EXPECTED, I was up and about even before the sun rose over Tokyo's streets. I spent this down time writing on my travel journal- the hotel's stationery-- and poring over my Kyoto research papers. I'm such a nerdy traveler.

BREAKFAST, composed of a cup of hot chocolate, a hotdog sandwich and a ham and cheese panini, was at Cafe Doutor. I know I balk at eating typical Western food at exotic locales, but sometimes I have to give in to hubby and little boy, who don't really share my penchant or obsession for eating what the locals eat, 24/7. SIL knows this, and turns out to be the savior of the morning. She brought 2 packets of onigiri from the convenience store near her dorm, and showed me how to open the wrapper. Triangle is the most common shape of this "fast" food, and the 3 numbered corners have to be peeled carefully to preserve the shape and leave one with a small amount of wrapper to hold on to while munching. I was so clumsy the seaweed wrap disintegrated on my clothes, but never the mind, I still ate my salmon-filled onigiri for breakfast and liked it. I can't eat this everyday, though. There's just way too much rice and too little filling. On Day 5 I was sick of onigiri, but that's another story.

onigiri

OUR ITINERARY today: the retrospective streets of Asakusa and museum area of Ueno. The shops in Asakusa are from the Edo period- it was like stepping back in history, but nothing compared to our tour of old Japan through the eyes of a loquacious taxi driver in Kyoto on DAY 4. All I needed then was a kimono, a samurai warrior, and a meek demeanor behind my lacquer fan. In any case, Asakusa was teeming with centuries-old food shops, touristy stalls selling souvenir items, restaurants, newer fastfood chains and convenience stores. The shops lined the 250 meter Nakamise lane, and walking through each block from the entrace at Kaminarimon Gate brought one closer to the Asakusajinja Shrine and the oldest temple in Tokyo-the Sensoji Temple. Outside the Temple stood a fierce-looking warrior statue standing in the middle of a flowing fountain. Old folks and brave tourists would drink fountain water from a long-handled cup, gargle it and spit it onto the outer rim encircling the fountain. I wonder if they thought the water had healing powers... I was only brave enough to hold the cup.

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed trolling the shops selling kimonos, lacquerware, fans, sharp swords and knives, table runners and placememats, textile and of course, food. Pickled everything was present, the ubiquitous mochi, rice cracker shops were a dime a dozen, and picture-taking was allowed!

spoofs unlimited-Japanese style

BEFORE we left Asakusa SIL and I were escorted by a kindly old woman to Kappabashi Doggugai, a street filled with shops selling the cute plastic food displays found in almost all Japanese restaurants worldwide, knife stores, utensils, ceramics, porcelain and everything a home or professional cook could ever need. I could only gaze in amazement at the quantity and prices. I didn't have enough luggage space for everthing. I especially liked the realistic and colorful plastic displays. They're kitschy but who cares? During this little side trip of ours hubby was frantic. Little boy was feeling uwell and literally s*** in his pants. Hubby was all alone with him and had no way of contacting us. He handled the disaster pretty well, and was a darn good sport about it. Little boy was happy with his overlong Uniqlo cargo pants. What a (mis) adventure!

toasting rice crackers. they're not a personal favorite, but my mom loves them. i bought her an assortment.

this store sells basketsful of rice crackers in various flavors (salty, sweet, sesame, green tea, nuts) and colors (light green, pink, natural, black). other stores sold popcorn- like spicy rice puffs; bite-sized, crunchy, neon-colored rice puff candies with sesame seeds, plain or with nuts. it's rice cracker paradise.

a man making "dolls", pancakes filled with red bean paste and molded into fancy shapes like birds and pagodas. they taste like debimanjo in Megamall.

my pogoda pancake

with the red bean paste. we bought it freshly cooked, and nibbled on the hot treats while sightseeing.

sweet sake is a powder added to boiling water. it tastes slighty sour- like spoiled milk, after a couple of gulps the initial hint of alcohol becomes more pronounced. if you don't drink it right away the powder becomes grainy and forms small granules in the liquid.

my sweet sake. perfect for the cold day.

our quickie lunch at Asakusa- bento boxed lunch set and sashimi on rice

NEXT STOP was Ueno, but since we arrived past 3pm (because of the mishap with the pants) there was no time for the Ueno Park and Zoo, Japan's first; or the Tokyo National Museum, which I longed to see. We decided on Ameyoko, a noisy street system with a "tiangge" vibe. I was able to taste a savory mochi (sticky rice wrapped in seaweed and grilled), sweet mini mochi balls on sticks (see picture below) and

the largest takomaki i have ever laid eyes on. it was so filling i almost didn't eat dinner. almost.

A TRADITIONAL takomaki stand will give you 8 normal-sized octopus balls in an ark-shaped paper plate, and you garnish it as you wish with the brown sauce, wasabi paste, mayonnaise, bonito flakes and nori flakes. The store from which we bought our giagantic one had a bright pink sauce.

FOR DINNER we ate at a traditional kaiten sushi shop in Shinjuku. This is where they place a few pieces of sushi on small plates and let this rotate around a conveyor belt. Customers sit around the belt and get what they want, eat, stack the plates, pay and leave. There's powdered green tea, hot water, pickled white ginger, sushi soy sauce (not just any soy sauce will do because this one is milder, more delicate and does not overpower the freshness of the sushi) on every cover. Wasabi is something you have to ask for. Unlike the large chains that have since set up shop abroad like Genki Sushi in HK, there are no temaki rolls, no deep-fried soft-shell crab or tempura prawn sushi. Everything is raw, except the chicken breast, and everything is fresh. Their only concession to "non-sushiness" was a kani salad, miso soup and edamame. I savored a ceviche-like fish sliver with chopped coriander and ginger on top, and a fish sushi drizzled with minty herb-infused dressing and topped with jade sprouts. The explosion of flavors made me want to bow to the chefs in adoration. The Japanese would normally eat the lower-priced items first, like poached ebi, squid, tamago, then move on to uni, hamachi, salmon, the sweet tiny raw shrimps I am ecstatic about, and toro (bluefin tuna belly). The place was brightly lit, tiny, and the chefs could fashion perfectly-shaped sushi rice balls with their eyes closed. I have no pictures of my wonderful dinner, but my tastebuds and brain have everything on record. Japan made such an impression on me.

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 2

2007-03-23T11:43:00.000+08:00

I WOKE up early; much, much earlier than my alarm clock, which was set at 8am. The only time I happily and willingly wake up before an alarm clock (or before noon, for that matter) is when I'm travelling. I'm just too excited to sleep. My normally sleep-addicted body knows when it's in another place. My heart races, my brain explodes with plans and ideas, my tummy demands to be fed with everything delicious, exotic, and local.

FIRST stop was the basement grocery of the Odakyu Department Store. Not very big as far as basement groceries go, but filled to the brim with diverse products like raw fish and seafood, fish roe, pickled fish, ginger, turnip and various other vegetables, all the chicken parts you can imagine (wings, breast, thigh, gizzard, skin, heart and liver, hmmm, come to think of it I didn't see chicken feet) grilled on skewers or deep fried, bento boxes in all assortments, colors and sizes, tempura prawn, vegetables, tonkatsu pork, platters heaping with Western and Japanese salads, sushi and sashimi, onigiri (wrapped Japanese rice with various fillings in triangle, square or oblong shapes, which salarymen eat like Westerners would sandwiches or Mexicans burritos), gyoza, Western pastries and cakes adorned with the largest, freshest, most vibrantly hued fruits I have ever seen, Japanese-style mochi and wafers, bread, fresh fruits, and other delicacies known only to Japan. Looking around made the glutton in me come to life. My eyes were treated to a visual gastronomic spectacle unlike anything I have ever seen. Mouths watering, hubby and I sampled almost everything we saw. I was in foodie heaven. Unfortunately, they are quite strict when it comes to taking pictures, so I quickly snapped these when the vendor was busy...

"sandwiches" made of a batter with egg, flour and chopped cabbage (which tasted like coleslaw) filled with either shrimp or scallops

they looked like english muffin to me. the taste was interesting, like eating a vegatble patty. i found their seafood portions generous.

AFTER this feast we headed out to Yamanote to attend Mass. I must give special mention to the wafer-like host they offered at Mass. It was light, crispy and sweet. In other words, it was yummy! Like eating merienda biscuits! Goodness, hubby and I were startled by the taste and crunch. Who says spiritual nourishment has to be bland?

WE met up with fellow Pinoys after Mass and decided to have lunch at an eat-all-you-can Yakiniku place near Ginza. While walking towards the station we saw parked vans outside the Church and tables set up with Filipino food like kakanins, hotdog on sticks and pork barbeque. Seems like Sunday Mass is also an occasion to treat oneself to sorely-missed homemade Pinoy foodstuff. I even spied a Caucasian couple greedily eating their steaming hot arroz caldo from styrofoan bowls!

at the restaurant we piled our plates high with thinly-sliced raw meat, cuttlefish, chicken teriyaki skewers, fresh fruits, Japanese curry, stir-fried noodles, peanut noodles, udon, gyoza and salad. softdrinks were bottomless too. you grill everything and dip it in the special yakiniku sauce -sweetish and tangy. eat to your heart's content for the next 2 hours then off you go! each table is timed by the waitstaff so stuff your mouth while there's still time!

AFTER walking off that heavy meal around the prestigious, flamboyant area of Ginza, where we met a Mario brother standing outside a toy store and I spent a good 20 minutes salivating outside a French pastry shop, we headed to Odaiba. It's a waterfront area with shopping centers, amusement zones, a huge Ferris Wheel, the futuristic Fuji TV Headquarters, the Museum of Maritime Sciences housed in a massive vessel and Odaiba Marine Park. It also offers a stunning view of Rainbow Bridge (which looks like the Golden Gate Bridge). There's even a miniature Statue of Liberty. In the distance you can see Tokyo Tower (Japan's Eiffel). We took a scenic train to get there and spent some time in Aqua City and VenusFort. We visited a cavernous Toyota showroom, a Roman-themed mall, a vintage car museum, an arcade where little boy got to ride Thomas and of course, we relaxed in Starbucks.

i love their hot matcha tea. the white milky foam against the bright green tea against the black tray- lovely. and it sure helped beat the shivers.

jet-black chocolate marshmallow cookie. dense, sticky and decadent. lemon bar with a caramel coating. tart, not-too-sweet, soft and crumbly.

sakura chiffon cake. light pink, fluffy, with a touch of berry tartness.

a tonkatsu resto called Wako served this up to our group of ravenous tourists. the Japanese have mastered the art of frying, according to Jeffrey Steingarten my favorite food writer, and he's right! crisp on the outside, fork-tender and juicy on the inside with no trace of greasiness. the tonkatsu sauce, which is like their catsup, is just the right blend of sweet and pucker-up sour for me, with spice notes (from laurel, cinammon, cloves) thrown in. the shredded cabbage, steamed rice and miso soup with tiny clams the size of one's fingernails are bottomless. there's no sesame-seed grinding ceremony or seaweed and citrus salad dressing though unike in Tonkichi in HongKong (more about this on a later blog). i didn't even know there was a king of tonkatsu pork and that's the roundish fillet, which is pinkish in the center and melts in your mouth, until i ate at Tonkichi. the long pork strips i've known my entire life no longer have a hold on me. they are the jesters, not worthy of the tonkatsu throne.

fusion Japanese: chicken tonkatsu roulade with seaweed and cheese. very much like Chicken Cordon Bleu.

DAY 3, coming up soon, is street food and grocery shopping day. I am longing for Japan as I write this blog.

AMAZING RACE JAPAN - DAY 1

2007-03-21T09:09:00.000+08:00

I had 8 days to tour Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan, 8 days to check out as many department store basement groceries as I could, 8 days to walk around the metropolis taking pictures of their solemn temple areas and tranquil gardens, 8 days to gorge myself on the 40+ restaurants I researched about, 8 days to explore all their famous food markets- make that 7 days if you count the flights back and forth-7 days to be a mom, wife, super tourist, shopper and eater. How can you pack an itinerary like this in 7 days? Go amazing race, of course, while trying to smell the flowers in between.

March 10 was the date of our scheduled 4-hour flight to Narita from Hongkong. I was awake at 4am, busy with last-minute packing, checking of passports and other details only a mom would bother about. We were at the airport just in time, and before long we were flying in clear blue skies to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Our arrival in Japan was hassle-free, despite warnings by friends that Immigration lines would be long. Perhaps we were lucky enough to miss the throng of arriving tourists. They spoke enough English at the airport so we were able to ride the correct airport limousine (a huge coaster-like bus with a toilet at the back) for the 1 1/2 hour trip to Shinjuku ( a crowded, shop-lined area famous for several tourist spots, skycrapers and entertainment options). We were met by my sister-in-law (SIL), a fashion student in Japan who, after a year of mastering the language, was to be our official guide.

Settling down at the 15-floor inn (a cross between a hotel and service apartment) in the heart of Shinjuku, right across SIL's impressive fashion school, was a breeze because of SIL's fluency. The room was tiny, but very modern. The bathroom was so compact it reminded me of an airplane toilet- but bigger. Everything was prepaid either at the reception or through the numerous prepaid machines around the inn. (Japan is the master of automation and vendo machines, after all), including phone calls, laundry, laundry detergent!, cigarettes, drinks (no mini bar in the rooms). There was no bellboy. We saved a lot by staying at this ultra modern place because what they save on labor reflects on their rates. For those who desire swankier, newer and bigger digs, Oakwood Apartments will do as well. Their rates are just slightly higher than where we stayed, although I suspect the rooms are roughly the same size.

Since it was close to dinnertime and we were famished, SIL brought us to her favorite izakaya, a dark place with private booths serving "pica-pica" and various kinds of beer and sake - a Japanese bar, in other words. We were early and had the place to ourselves, which was a good thing. The cigarette smoke from alcohol-guzzling salarymen would have made little boy cough. We ordered several plates to share. One was a grilled chicken platter composed of skewered chicken balls, wings, skin and breast meat. A crispy tuna dish arrived, coated in sesame seeds and deep-fried. Hmmmm, crunchy morsels! We throughly enjoyed the sizzlling teppanyaki beef with corn, whose buttery soy sauce tickled our tastebuds. There was grilled thinly-sliced pork neck, and an onion and lettuce salad served as an appetizer. We didn't try any sake though. We needed to keep our wits about us for the coming days...

After our merienda-cum-dinner we sought out the local McDonald's. Hubby misses his comfort food whenever we travel. I personally dislike eating at McDonald's wherever I may be, but they had an ebi burger and flakey chocolate pie that seemed interesting. I fell for the ebi burger simply because it was crisp on the outside, with whole, crunchy shrimp on the inside. THe texture was firm yet sticky and creamy at the same time. It wasn't fishy at all (unlike Fillet O' Fish in other countries). THe chocolate dessert reminded me of pop tarts. THe pie was very flaky and croissant-like, and from the middle oozed chocolate sauce. Not the Rolls-Royce of desserts, but it will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth. I ate ebi burger 2 more times before leaving, a record considering I can go a whole year without eating at McDonald's, amused as I was with its freshness and texture, and knowing it was only avalable in Japan.

The rest of the night was spent walking around the NSEW (North, South, East, West) exits of the Shinjuku train station. I will not even attempt to explain the craziness that is the Japan railway system. There are 20-plus exits to choose from, as many lines to decide on taking, and very, very little English to help one get by! Thank God for my SIL!

We strolled around the Takashimaya Times Square area, where the lines for Krispy Kreme snaked around the block despite the biting cold (I really don't get the obsession with this sugary donut, but that's just me). I spent a good hour in Kinokoniya, a seven or eight-floor bookstore which devotes half of the seventh floor to English titles. During the first few weeks of April, they put all the English books, both paperback and hardcover, as well as coffeetable books, on sale. And when I say sale, I mean SALE! I have given SIL several titles to purchase for me. Of course despite the normal prices I had to buy a few books, which I did on DAY 7 of the race... er trip. Little boy bought a CARS read-aloud book.

I remember we entered the huge GAP store at Lumine EST department store, and the items were all overpriced. Uniqlo (Japan's trendier Bench, Giordano or Old Navy) was our next stop. We also went to camera shops. The have an amazing array of cameras and cellphones in all possible price ranges! Some cameras are made for the Japan market only and will never see the light of day in other countries, unless a tourist buys one, in this case, me! More about the camera on DAY 5. Before heading back to the inn SIL and I bought a stick each of fresh, huge, Fukuoka strawberries, so red and juice and fake-looking in their smooth-skinned perfection! It was JPY200 for each stick (that's approximately PHP80 or HKD 13).

Walking around the many bars, restos and pachinko establishments under bright neon signs, we felt we were really in Tokyo. Below our hotel/inn is aconvenience store and we bought gyoza, cold soba and a chicken teriyaki bento box to eat as a midnight snack. We slept soundly that night, getting ourselves ready for the onslaught of activities SIL and I had planned.

Solitary Lunches

2007-01-24T12:43:00.000+08:00

when I'm all alone, down and lonely.... oh heck I sound like a bloody crappy song!

I like being alone. Sometimes. I don't need to ask anyone where they want to eat. I don't need to defend my weird food choices.

So on rebellious days I eat lunch alone. When lunch at home is comprised of leftovers. When I feel like spending a bit on myself. When I want to try a resto and can't wait for company.

In Soho, weekday lunches are great value for money. You eat 2-3 courses for less than HKD 100. If you're lucky, less than HKD 60.

I tried V-best tea house one day. It's not easy to find. A small, quiet eatery on the "other" side of Elgin street, it boasts of a long tea menu. I am a tea drinker myslef, but that time I didn't bother reading the menu because I was famished. I sipped the house tea delicately enough, but wolfed down the Shanghai style dumplings with lettuce and broth. I like Shanghai-style dumplings because I enjoy biting into the slightly chewy but slippery outer dough encasing a mixture of pork, pork fat and cabbage. I like dipping the things into Chinese vinegar garnished with strips of ginger. After the dumpling I ate a bit of lettuce then drank the hot, tasty broth that warmed my insides like only Chinese-style clear soups can.

At Bistro Manchu, which serves Manchrian food, obviously, I was only able to try the set lunch composed of a spicy salad (mostly greens from the allium family which I do not like but I fished out and finished off the roasted peanuts) and, not surprisingly, dumplings in broth. I don't know if Manchurian and Shanghainese dumplings are supposed to be the same, but they tasted exactly alike. Hmmm, not exactly. V-best had better texture while Bistro M's was more flavorful.

Next time I want to try V-Best's smoked duck breast with rice or broth and Bistro M's Manchurian specialties.

I'm quite easy to please. I love Crystal Jade's (a Shanghainese franchise) dumplings and la mian noodles.

Yesterday I sat down, after hitting my head on an incongrously placed stepladder, on Life Cafe's al fresco top deck. I had a lavander iced tea with lime and what I assume to be organic, raw sugar syrup. Not bad, but there was a bitter tea aftertaste and the lime was too pronounced.

Their pumpkin tart platter was quite the artwork. On one side sat the salad composed of various shades of green, tossed with shredded orange carrots, deep red beets and white alfalfa sprouts and served with a lemon-herb house dressing that was pucker-up delightful. On the other, a burnt orange triangle posed with bits of dark green broccoli peeping out, topped with diced red, green and yellow capsicums, with melted cheese oozing from the middle. The medley of colors and vegetables was proudly held up by a honey-hued whole wheat crust. I like that the pumpkin and broccoli were in big chunks and not overbaked. The crust was a bit on the sweetish side. It was a filling, healthy meal but hubby would never eat there. Lentil burgers? He'd rather have the real thing. Or McDonald's. But i'd like to try that soon. it comes with caramelized onions and roasted potatoes on a whole wheat bun.

Before I left I bought a piece of "healthy, fat-free" brownie with whole wheat flour, organic chocolate, raw sugar, a lot of zucchini and banana. Hubby was not in the best of moods after one bite of the monstrosity. I enjoyed every bite and saved half for my dessert today. It actually doesn't taste much like brownies, but I like the sweetness and the chunks of everything in between. All in all, a pleasant lunch at a pleasant place. Not cheap, though. But then, healthy and organic never is.

I will take a real fudge brownie anytime, though. The fat-free stuff is okay, but not for everyday. Good gracious, I live to eat!

Caprice and the loser blog

2007-01-24T12:17:00.000+08:00

Yahoo! Got to eat at the premier French resto of the Four Seasons HK - Caprice, recently.

Ordered high-falutin' dishes. Will do the links once I figure out how to work Blogger on Mac.

Like langoustine (Dublin Bay prawns or small lobsters) ravioli with sweetbreads.
Lobster carpaccio with yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit) foam and caviar served with crispbread. Decadent.
Warm foie gras with something something... can't remember dang it!
Chicken consomme with foie gras dumpling. Rich-tasting soup of a chicken.

The chef also gave, before the appetizers and soup came, tiny servings of appetite-inducing foamy and silky stuff. Can't remember too! Was deep in conversation the entire time and I didn't bring my cam or a ballpen or my notepad. So there. What a loser blog.

Ordered a glass of red wine. Was asked by sommelier to taste it for approval. Swirled the stuff, sniffed, inhaled, sipped, twirled on tongue then swallowed. Heck, I'm not a wine connosieur but it felt good to practice whet I learned in beverage management class. although i might have overdone it a bit. Good thing he wasn't snooty. I gotta start taking a wine appreciation class.

all of us ordered the wagyu. I should've had the scallop and rosemary appetizer, then the pigeon with Jerusalem artichokes and endive. anyhow, the beef was seared perfectly on all sides, leaving a clean cube of pinkish meat in the middle. I like my steak and I like them marbly and soft, but wagyu is waaaaay too fatty-tasting for me. after several bites I was hankering for seafood or fowl. next time I'll have myself a rib-eye or prime rib. No matter, the men liked their meat. And I'm probably the only steak eater in the world who complains of wagyu.

Dessert was nothing to go into raptures about. Even the plating was average. Not a very inspiring dinner, except for the appetizers which were different, sinful and exceptionally sensual on the taste buds. As always, the company was the highlight of the evening.

Where to for my next gourmet dinner?

While in Manila, and the aftermath

2007-01-24T10:50:00.000+08:00

Happy:

- to have tried Dencio's Bangus Sisig. it was spicy, the fish had crisp edges, and although a bit too oily the seasoning was just right. i've tried it here in HK using bangus belly, with chopped garlic, onions, long finger chilies, Knorr seasoning, a dash of chipotle pepper sauce, lots of calamansi juice, some salt and pepper and olive oil. served it on a hot plate too for that "Dencio's" feel.

- that i got to bring home Blue kitchen's Crab Fat Paste and Gourmet Tuyo and Pampanga's Best fatless tocino.

- about my Antonio Pueo Tablea tsokolate into which i dunk my buttered hot bread roll. comfort food!

- that Pam remembered my obsession with LZM bangus and brought back lots from Manila to share with me.

- because i got to spend time with my family and hubby's family. we ate together at CYMA Greek Cafe in Shangri-La Mall and everything we ordered was delicious, although i was down with a stomach bug so i just ate a forkful of everything.

- that we travelled to Tagaytay to eat at Sonya's Garden. it's a quaint and refreshing place with relaxing cabanas scattered throughout, and i liked their salad dressing, olive tapenade, marinated anchovies, KESONG PUTI!, pomodoro sauce, crispy turon, soothing and fragrant tarragon tea, BUT (check out my sad post).

- with our anniversary dinner at Chateau 1771. nothing fancy, just good cooking, a tomato-cheese fondue, a fantastically fresh and creamy scallop appetizer, the best chorizo pasta i've ever had, soft music, candlelight and conversation with my hubby of 5 years.

- that my BORA trip with my best high school buddies sans one finally came true!!!!! ecstatic is the word. still on a high, in fact. the food isn't anything to blog about, (see sad post). the fresh buko i had while snorkeling though, that was the most fun i had eating and drinking in the Philippines! the light-colored, crispy dilis from Roxas City and fresh kakanins sold near the airport in Kalibo were memorable as well.

- to have eaten bangus belly adobo; tinapa noodles using pink, yellow and green noodles; Velocity (bagoong alamang with coconut milk and chili) with boiled eggplant, sigarillas, sitaw and okra; a famously tasty chicken relleno with the "can't-get-enough-of-it" giblet gravy; chicken igado and an equally famous and in-demand callos; yummy Caloy's lechon with the great-tasting crackly skin; tender baked ribs; sweetish longganisa from an old lady in Kamuning Market which i ate with fried egg and garlic rice; chicken ham; a bringhe/paella valenciana type of savoury dish with a crusted "tutong" top and sticky, "suman-like" consistency; one of the best pork bbq's ever grilled; a satisfying gambas pasta and four-cheese pizza; buko pie filled with thick slices of buko; JT's Manukan (a bit dry because we took it home and zapped it but the intrinsic flavor was all there); Cunanan's queso de bola-topped fluffy ensaymada.

- for myself and my 6 new cookbooks and 5 back issues of FOOD Magazine.

Sad:

- for Bora's food. the famous Jonas Shakes was cold and fruity and wickedly large, but not earthshakingly good. the choriburger didn't fulfill my expectations either. i liked Bite Club's burgers though. funny how i stay near Katipunan but only got to taste these in Bora. too bad i didn't get to try Gastof's, Banza, True Food, Travesia, Real coffee (where they have to-die-for calamansi muffins).

- that i didn't get to eat my mom's Hot and Sour Soup, Fresh Chinese Lumpia and authentic lomi, as well as Fook Yuen's Pata Tim, Chili Crabs and Oyster Omelet, Nana Meng's tsokolate, Farah Ylagan's foie gras specialties, Ian Carandang's ice cream, MienSan's minced meat and mushroom noodle, and a host of other stuff i wanted to try from the food blogs dessertcomesfirst and Market Manila.

- that i almost, but did not get to, meet Lori of dessertcomesfirst. maybe next time.

- that i didn't get to eat at Antonios, Parallel 45, Kai, Gourdo's, Fleuer De Lys, the restos at Serendra and the Fort, Melo's, Galileo, Amici, Vieux Chalet in Antipolo which holds fond memories for hubby and me, and the Greek taverna on the way to Tagaytay.

- because we missed out on home accesories from Tiendesitas and looking around the artsy shops and art galleries at Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao (say that again?). for those who haven't been, yes, it is in Cubao.

- because i got irritable bowel symdrome that lasted Dec. 22-31, so i missed out on pigging out!

- for Sonya's Garden because they did not maintain their quality and cleanliness (except for the private huts). the washrooms were dark, stank and had no running water, the food was served cold --they should place them on warmers especially on cool, breezy -ber months, the pretty embroidered tablecloths and tissue box covers were stained and the seatcovers encrusted with dirt, and the servers seemed so harassed. palatable though the food was, and countrified the setting-- the food temperature and lack of order and cleanliness will turn out to be their downfall so hopefully Sonya the owner does something about it.

Looking forward to:

- more LZM bangus from Pam

- my panini press, thanks to Lori's post

- a yakiniku grill

- frozen buko pie

- FOOD Magazines

Chilly nights call for hotpot

2006-11-19T14:26:00.000+08:00

I can't seem to drag anyone to try HK's hotpot hotspots with me, so one chilly night last December I just made some for myslef, hubby and his officemate.

colorful things one throws in the pot of boiling broth: thinly-sliced beef, squid rings, peeled shrimp, crabsticks, shrimp sticks which look more like logs, squid balls

healthy things one adds to the pot: fish and tofu squares, kale or choi sum, fresh black mushroom

clockwise from top left: fried shallots, brown sugar, soy sauce,, chili sauce for those who who wanted to mix and match flavors.

I provided rice and hubby and his friend made Mongolian rice and had the soup on the side. For the clear and concentrated broth I used pork and chicken bones boiled separately for hours and removed of all scum.

I still want to eat out though. Pick out mutton, beef, chicken, a variety of "balls", vegetables and dipping sauces without having to prepare any of them. Winter days are lazy days for this cook.

Macau, again!

2006-11-19T14:08:00.000+08:00

my favorite resto in Macau!

Codfish croquettes- fried bite-sized bits that will really whet your appetite

hot inside

fried beef steak smothered in gravy ( a bit too salty for my taste, this dish, but my friend lapped it up)

codfish with milk and potatoes. creamy and salty, and way too large a serving for just two.

dessert. serradura on top (cream, sugar, crumbled biscuits), chocolate mousse at the bottom. a happy ending to a happy trip.

The Departed (Seafood, that is)

2006-11-18T12:05:00.000+08:00

At the Hilton (nothing to do with the hotel or the scandalous fashionista heiress) Seafood Restaurant in Lamma Island we devoured huge platters of fresh seafood one glorious Sunday. At around 12 noon they were alive and kicking, swimming happily in their tanks while tourists and locals alike ogled them and pointed accusing fingers at their intended "victims". By 12:30 the first of the departed started arriving at our table. In our excitement to partake of these jewels of the sea in all their fresh, perfectly-cooked and reasonably-priced glory, we forgot to take pictures of the heaping plates. Instead, we made up for it by clicking away just before the final pieces entered the bottomless depths of our tummies.

Oh, and did I mention we rode a company yacht to get there? Lovely weather, a cool breeze, a pristine white vessel with attentive staff... sitting on the top deck pretending I was part of the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" show, what a fantastic day that was!

Before eating a friend requested the following: pungent garlic slivers; bright red chopped chillies, seeds and all; red vinegar
It comes with the territory: red vinegar, dark soya sauce, chili-garlic paste
We wanted something ice-cold to wash down our enticing lunch: freshly-squeezed orange juice and Tsing Tao beer. Ahhhh, this is the life.
A shrimp head frantically trying to get included in this shot. Look at the orange pulp!
Mantis shrimp (some might say crawfish) deep-fried with salt and pepper. It was crunchy, and the sweet, oily juice spilled down out chins as we bit into its purple-streaked flesh. It tasted like a cross between squid, lobster and prawns. We ordered another plate of this just because it was so tasty and fun to eat. The tiny legs were abrasive to the tongue but we still ate all the parts, except the head and shell.
The last piece of mantis shrimp... all for me!
The last 7 members of the hipon family. Steaming shrimps should be relatively easy, but many restos bungle the task and return the crustaceans to the table an overcooked deep-orange, and customers can barely peel them. These ones were cooked exactly right. Their shells glistened with moisture, the heads were plump and juicy, the flesh slid right off the shell like smooth hands from a well-fitting glove. Paired with some vinegar and garlic, their simplicity reminded me of summer vacations with my family where we would welcome fishermen with their catch, grill seafood by the beach, and eat with our hands.
The baked lobster in cheese sauce wasn't a big favorite. The sauce was bland, watered-down and thin. I ate a similar dish at Lei Yue Moon, also known for their fresh seafood, and although the lobsters there were tad rubbery and I ran out of Mandarin phrases when haggling with the seafood guy, the sauce was excellent! A creamy, cheesy, butter-yellow velvety coating for the 3 large lobsters we ordered.
Bamboo clams sauteed in black bean sauce. These funny-looking creatures are housed in a long, razor-like (they're also called razor clams) receptacle. The flesh is cream-colored, slightly rubbery, and as we divested the hard brown shells of their inhabitants an explosion of three flavors assaulted us: salty, sweet, spicy.
Crabs cooked with eggwhite. The taste was ho-hum, but the meaty crab was a sight to behold and I enjoyed sucking the life out of its many crevices.
The Chinese have taken steamed fish to a new level. A sauce made of soya, ginger and spring onions never fails to marry well with steamed white rice. Teasing the bones from the tender flesh without breaking up is easy to look at but difficult to master. As evidenced by this picture, the vultures at our table made short work of stripping this fish down to its bones, tail and fins. It was a massacre of the gastronomic kind!
On our way back to the yacht we passed by a street food vendor. Manong fishball or isaw in Manila. In Hongkong there are various kinds of balls to choose from. In this cart we see curried fishballs at the bottom left, plain fishballs with soya at the bottom right, octopus balls on the top right, and siomai on the top left. The siomai is the cheap kind made with processed fish paste and not your usual pork and shrimp.

A view of the cart: there were also cuttlefish tentacles ready for deep-frying, and an array of sauces.

On a sad note: the little store in Lamma selling the yummiest taho (soybean) drink and dessert I've ever tasted, along with some native Hong Kong kakanins (sticky rice pastries) filled with sesame paste, red bean paste and peanuts and a red bean bibingka was still there, but it was yummy no more. I took pictures, but I'm so sad at the decline in taste and quality I'd rather grieve silently, without visual reminders of the desserts that were.

Where to get DESSERTS around Soho and Lan Kwai Fong

2006-11-03T11:40:00.000+08:00

Pictures, locations and descriptions to follow. In the meantime, try these decadent sweets.

Chocolate Tiramisu from Fat Angelos
White Chocolate Cheesecake from Uncle Willie's
Lemon Tart and Chocolate Truffle from Vanilla
Dessert sampler from Baci and M at the Fringe
Remy Martin and Banana Caramel offerings from Antique Bakeshop
XTC's Lemon Pepper and Cocoa Ice gelato

Coming soon

2006-10-28T23:15:00.000+08:00

A Yacht. Victoria Harbour. Lamma Island. The Departed Seafood.

A Lorcha in Macau- mah favorite!

V-Best Tea House and Bistro Manchu