Sushi Express, Quarry Bay

I went to the gym at Quarry Bay and by about 2.30pm was absolutely famished (!) and wanted something 'quick'. I was walking back to the MTR when the sign 'express sushi' caught my eye... must have super duper hungry, as the sign actually says Sushi Express! I wanted something simple and quick and sashimi would definitely go down nicely!

It was 2.30pm and there weren't many choices on the conveyor belt, I quickly looked at the menu and knew exactly what I wanted! Sashimi, sashimi and more sashimi! So I ordered one Sashimi and two types of salmon sashimi – one being toro (nom nom!).

As its name, 'express' the food did come relatively quickly. I inhaled the sashimi in 2 seconds flat, as I was hungry. However, the sashimi was fresh and it wasn't slimy or oily. Next, the Salmon sushi which also went down quickly and lastly the toro salmon sushi – which is the fatty part of the salmon. This has to be one of my favourite parts of salmon! It wasn't oily or chewy and it was definitely tender. With soy sauce and wasabi (not too much wasabi, otherwise it goes straight to the head / nose) it was the perfect 'express' lunch!

Sushi Express
19-21 Tong Chong Street
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2563 3000

Kiku, another Japanese Restaurant

I was strolling on my day off at Central and stumbled across this restaurant, Kiku – I have read a couple of reviews on this restaurant and was pretty stocked when I stumbled across it. I have to admits - It's not the cheapest Japanese Restaurant, it is one of the fanciest Japanese restaurant I have been thus far in Hong Kong. Décor was simple with traditional Japanese design features. It does get extremely busy and booking even for lunch is a must! I was lucky to be there early enough to get a table, however, I was told that I had to leave after about 1 hour, which suits me fine.

Menu was quite intensive – almost all styles of Japanese cooking and fresh seafood played an integral part on the menu – grilled, simmered, steamed, you name it, they had it! Prices also varied pending on what you order. Unfortunately, I was dining solo, which means my ordering was limited to just one person! I wanted a salad to start off with, saw Smoked Salmon and Mango Salad – and thought perfect! I am a huge fan of agedashi tofu – and tofu is usually light so ordered that and a I was craving chicken karage – so I ordered that too!

The salad came first – smoked salmon and mango salad – it was just too pretty to eat! The salad consisted of shredded cucumber, lettuce, bit of onions and carrot, which was topped with a generous serving of smoked salmon, mango and Japanese caviar roe with mayonnaise dressing. The combination of it all was simply divine, the mix salad, with the saltiness of the smoked salmon, the sweet mango and the creamy mayonnaise… I savoured every single mouthful I took… it was just absolutely delightful – I could have definitely eaten another plate of that!

Agedashi tofu came not long after, and it wasn't what I expected! I was expecting a bowl of tofu cut into small pieces, instead just one tofu served in a small plate with seaweed and mushroom. Probably a good thing, as I may have ordered too much! Agedashi Tofu is silken firm tofu, cut into cubes lightly dusted with potato starch or cornstarch and then deep fried until golden brown. It's then served in a hot tentsuyu broth made of dashi, mirin, and sho-yu (Japanese soy sauce) topped with finely chopped negi (a type of spring onion), grated daikon or katsuobushi. (One can easily make this at home – however, I am not big on deep frying food at home!). The tofu was definitely soft with a crunchy exterior and sauce was a little tangy.

Last but not least – chicken karage. I went through a phase this week where I was craving chicken karage. I was a little disappointed with the chicken karage – the chicken was not as moist / juicy / tender as I have hoped - It was a little try. The tempura was perfect, it wasn't heavily coated, however, if it was a more tender and moist, it would definitely have been better!

All in all – it was a great meal. Will definitely have to bring Hubby here, so I can try more things. I hear there is a Japanese grill, which provides an excellent smoky cod in miso sauce (is it as good as Nobu though?) and the stone-grilled Wagyu sirloin is also a favourite! Next time!

Kiku
B/F The Landmark,
16 Des Voeux Rd, Central
Hong Kong

Desserts at Tin Hau

I seriously do not need any forcing when it comes to desserts. I have a fairly sweet tooth and believes that dessert is the most important meal of the day! My mother is absolutely appalled at that comment and that I would rather eat something sweet for dinner than savoury. Of course – this is not good for anyone’s diet, but once in a while it’s ok.

We decided to go for desserts one night in Tin Hau (get name) after dinner and have noticed that this place is always busy! The later it is, the busier the place. The menu was extensive – it ranges from different types of fruits with sago, or fruit puddings, custards, icecreams and traditional chinese desserts. For those who knows me well – one of my favourite all time fruits is Durian! It is an acquired taste, and if you can get pass the 'smell', it is truly a fantastic fruit! So… without even perusing through all the choices, I got durian with sago.

As soon as the lady put the bowl in front of me, I can smell the durian – which to me smells absolutely wonderful and delicious! It's a cold dessert, with durian puree, sago and fresh durian on top (writing this makes my mouth water and wanting more durian!). The durian puree was creamy and had the right amount of sago in it. It truly didn't disappoint – my only complaint would be there weren't enough fresh durian on top!

Our cousins ordered mango with grapefruit sorbet – it was a huge bowl with fresh cut mango, nata de coco (which is chewy, translucent, jelly like food which tastes like coconut) and a choice of sorbet, and he picked grapefruit. The grapefruit sorbet was utterly bitter on its own, however, mixed with mango and nata de coco it was surprisingly tasty. The combination of the three really worked well together.

Hubby ordered his favourite, which is mango and sago dessert – basically mango and mango puree, sago pearls and bit of coconut milk. I didn't have any this, however, he devoured all so I think it was more than just 'good'.

There are many great dessert locations in Hong Kong, this is one of them. I am sure this won't be the last time we visit here.

Tin Hau

Peking Garden, Tsim Tsa Shui

When my cousin in law called and said 'do you want to have Peking duck tonight', I automatically said yes! How can you say no to Peking duck? It was their last night here, and they wanted to have good Chinese food, which includes Peking duck! I have heard about the Peking Garden, it's a chain of restaurants under the Maxim's Group specializing in Beijing and Northern Chinese cuisine. They claim that they serve the best Peking Duck in Hong Kong, and one of their specialties include the infamous Beggar's Chicken which has to be pre-ordered a day in advance. As we found out later that evening, every night, the restaurant also provide a daily demonstration of hand-pulled noodles (lai meen) but we didn't come to see the demonstration – we wanted the Peking duck.

We quickly perused the menu – there were 4 of us, so we each ordered a meal, Peking Duck, some sort of beef dish, a fish dish and veggies.

The fish came out first – it was fish stirfry with mandarin and chilli. The fish was fresh and soft and was not over cooked at all. It was served with beans, mushroom, shallots simmered over soy sauce with a mandarin tang to it and chilli. The combination of mandarin was perfect for the dish. It was extremely light and absoutely delicious.

The second dish to come out was what we have been waiting for – Peking duck! It is customary for them to cut the duck in front of us (or near us so we can see) and it was a fat and juicy duck!

TWO whole plates of Peking duck meat was served before us and my cousin in law and I both had grins from ear to ear! This was superb and this would definitely satisfy our Peking duck craving – one would think! The meat was tender and juicy and it didn't have a lot of fat like some Peking duck and the skin was crispy and thin! Wrapped with pancake (which was thin! I really don't like the thick pancakes!), a dollop of hoysin sauce and cucumber (not a huge fan of raw spring onions!) I was once again in heaven! I lost count of how many of these I made in front of me and put in my mouth! All I know is that it definitely satisfied my Peking duck cravings! What I forgot was, the rest of the duck was made into a stirfry – so duck stirfry with vegetables and lots of chilli!

The beef came shortly after, however, at this stage I was still fixated on my Peking duck! The beef was cooked in soy sauce and celery which made it sweet and drenched in chilli! The beef was again tender and soft and the chilli gave it a nice 'kick' to the meal. It wasn't what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised.

The tofu was not what I 'thought' I ordered. I wanted tofu seafood hot pot but instead got steamed tofu with seafood! I guess that was 'their' version of tofu seafood hotpot? It was still pretty good – the tofu here (in Hong Kong) is absolutely soft – softer than anywhere I have tried. Partly cause I was so full, I didn't really get to try this dish at the time, so took it home (ta bau) and had it for dinner the night after and it was pretty damn tasty! It was tofu with prawns and fish and beans.

I didn't take a photo of the 2^nd dish of the Peking duck – by this time, we were all STUFFED and could not look at another dish! Took it home – and had it as leftovers and I can say that the 2^nd dish duck stirfry with veggies and chilli was absolutely delish! Especially those who likes duck like me!

I would definitely recommend Peking Garden – you can get some expensive dish here, but we went for the 'standard' type of dish which wasn't too expensive but extremely tasty. Would definitely go back and try something different (of course the Peking Duck will given a second try!)

Peking Garden
Star House, 3rd floor 3 Salisbury Rd
Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tlp: 2735 8211

Nobu Hong Kong

Nobu is one of Hubby's Japanese restaurants. We first came across Nobu in New York about 3 years ago, and ever since then, we have always tried to go to different Nobu's in the world. We have been to the one in London and also in Melbourne. This would be our 2^nd time in Nobu Hong Kong and have never been disappointed with our meal.

Out of the 3 Nobu restaurants I have been too, I have to say that the one in Hong Kong has to be my favourite. It has spectacular views, water views, overlooking the harbour – Hong Kong Island and if you are there at about 8pm, you get to see the light show from the restaurant. Nobu resides in the glorious InterContinental Hotel.

There were 6 of us tonight and Hubby and I had the pleasure of ordering (as no one else there has been). Thankfully everyone wasn't too fussy about food, so we thought perhaps 8 dishes, 4 hot and 4 cold (or something like that). The menu came to be: yellow tail sashimi with jalapeno; saga beef toban yaki; tuna tataki sashimi salad with matsuhisa dressing; salmon new style sashimi; shrimp and lobster with spicy lemon sauce; black cod with miso; US prime beef tataki steak; and soft shell crab harumaki. A lot right? but it was right for 6 people.

First dish – yellow tail sashimi with jalapeno – one of my favourite Nobu dish. The combination of the creaminess of the yellow tail sashimi and the saltiness of the soy, and the zing of the jalapeno was absolutely divine. This was perfectly executed and was absolutely fantastic!

Saga beef toban yaki – beef cooked on ceramic plate. It wasn't a warm dish, however, it was cooked slightly on the outside, leaving the inside 'blue' so to speak. The beef was so tender and juicy, it melted in your mouth. It was accompanied with some ginger / radish / carrots and spring onions – the combination of all the condiments and the soy sauce and the beef was mouth watering and divine.

Tuna Tataki Sashimi salad with matsuhisa dressing – this was hubby's favourite dish. At the bottom of the plate, thick slices of sashimi tuna, drizzled in Matsuhisa dressing (which I think is soy sauce, finely chopped onion, mustard powder, sugar and a touch of sesame oil). Piled with greens and shaved radishes, carrots and cucumbers. This salad is a visual feast for both eyes and the palate. The dressing I have tried to replicate but have failed many many times.

Salmon new style sashimi – this is another favourite of mine. Hot oil is poured over seasoned raw fish, creating a half raw-half cooked preparation that melts softly in the mouth. Well executed and divine! I could have seriously eaten a whole plate on my own (not that I am greedy or anything!)
That should conclude all the 'cold' dishes, so now to the warmer dishes.

Shrimp and lobster with spicy lemon sauce. I wouldn't say it was spicy but the creamy lemon sauce was mixed with basil and was tossed with mushroom and lettuce. Not a favourite of mine but was not too bad.


Black cod miso – this is the famous Nobu black cod with miso dish. This dish was absolutely divine – the butteriness of the black cod is a perfect foil for the sweetness of the miso glaze, and when the outside sugars are properly caramelized and the inside is soft and moist…. This dish so lived up to the hype. It was perfectly prepared and a favourite amongst the eaters that night.

Soft shell crab harumaki – another words, soft shell crab spring roll. This dish didn't really do it for me. I thought it was a bit oily and tasteless – I have had better soft shell crab elsewhere. The soft shell crap spring roll I thought was pretty tasteless, the dollop of sauce made it more interesting but still was not the best – and I love soft shell crab!

US prime beef tataki steak – this dish really surprised me – it was EXTREMELY good! The dish came out in a hot pot – sizzling. The beef was still medium rare – blue you can probably say and it was so tender and juicy it melted in your mouth. The sauce was a little sweet – tastes a bit like sweet soy sauce and was a great step up from the soft shell crab!

That concluded the main part of the night. We thought of dessert – and no we weren't joking! We ordered chocolate and raspberries and chocolate bento box.

Nobu chocolate and raspberries – two plates came out and I was like 'my gawd – will we finish it'. I can't believe I even had doubts! Of course we finished if – there is always room for desserts right? 2 plates of 6 triangular chocolates came out, both with raspberries, pistachios sprinkled with raspberry sauce and dollops of chocolate sauce. The presentation was just too pretty to eat! I tried only one triangular chocolate as I was eye-ing my chocolate bento box…

Nobu Chocolate bento box – I have had this one before so knew what to expect. It is one of my favourite desserts of all time. It comes in a bento box (hence the name) and it's a chocolate fondant with green tea icecream. The chocolate fondant was warm and when you cut the middle it had chocolate oozing out of it. The green tea icecream was creamy and delish! The combination of warm chocolate oozing, chocolate cake and creamy green tea icecream was absolutely perfect! This dessert totally completed the meal at Nobu.

It wasn't the cheapest meal we had, but it was worth every cent. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal and we were lucky enough to see the light show from Kownloon. Definitely recommend this place for somewhere fancy or for some sort of celebration!

Nobu

18 Salisbury Road, Hong Kong
Tlp: 2721 1211