What I Loved in Japan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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. :)