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

Egg tarts and many more…. Macau

It was a long weekend here in Hong Kong and originally Hubby and I were going to head over to China – we somehow stuffed it up and since we didn't want to waste a long weekend, we headed up to Macau for 2 days, 1 night, staying at the Venetian hotel for some food, shop and a little bit of gambling!

Macau is no Vegas, but it does have its cheesiness just like Vegas! The Venetian Hotel / Resort is in Taipa and like all the other hotels in Macau, it has a 24 hour Casino! However, the Venetian Hotel has one of the biggest indoor shopping mall – I literary spent HOURS in there wondering and looking! But alas – did not buy anything. Believe it or not, I wasn't in the mood for shopping, was happy to just look… I think the aim of this holiday was to relax and EAT! So….

It was way pass lunch time by the time we checked in and wandered and I was starved! Found the food court, and I personally did 3 laps as I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat and finally settled on Nasi Lemak. Nasi Lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia / Singapore which consists of rice (soaked in coconut milk) with sambal, fried ikan bilis, chicken, cucumber slices and egg). My Nasi Lemak came with all that (egg on the bottom of rice) PLUS deep fried prawn. The prawn was a little cold so it wasn't the best, however, the chicken was crispy on the outside and tender inside. The ikan bilis was also crunchy and salty, however the sambal I found was not hot enough. This was good enough to satisfy my Indonesian / Malaysian food cravings.

Hubby on the other hand went for something more traditional – Macanese / Portugese food. He got Portoguese chicken curry – it was definitely a generous serving. It was served on a hot clay pot – so it wouldn't go cold quick. The chicken was tender, however, the curry had too much coconut milk for my liking. It was served with potatoes and was chilli hot – just the way I like it!

The one must thing you must eat in Macau is the egg tarts. They are known for their famous egg tarts and as predicted, the Portugese Egg Tarts were delicious! The flaky and crisp pastry crust held together a warm baked egg custard that was lightly caramalized… one of these egg tarts are never enough!

Dinner that night was at Mortons – we both wanted a 'good' steak. Morton's steak house is quite famous, they opened a branch in Sydney and I remember going there for a friends' 21^st. However, it didn't last very long, it is quite expensive, and I am sure you can get cheaper steak elsewhere. Our hostess was a little cheesy – but great value! She recommended that we got the New York Strip steak to share, and will cut into two for us (hence the half cut steak!) with boulonnaise sauce, French fries and some beans. We weren't disappointed with the steak – asked for medium rare and it was indeed medium rare. It was still slightly red on the inside (no blood oozing!), and was tender and juicy. The boulonnaise sauce was creamy (as it should be) and was a great compliment to the steak. The French fries were thick cut and crispy and not too oily. It was bit on the exy side, but it was definitely worth it (especially when you are craving for a 'good' steak!)

We didn't do much else besides walk around the gaming room, hubby played on the roulette and won back what we spent on food that day – which is not too shabby. You can definitely do a day trip to Macau – which I am sure we will do again when we have visitors.

Chee Kei, Langham Place

I was told that this was one of the best places for noodles and wontons. It apparently won the Michelin star for fast food – I didn't even know there was such at thing! Their 'specialty' is actually wonton noodles, however, they've got delicious crab soups, five types of noodles you can choose from, and set lunches which includes either an entrée or vegetables and a drink all for 80 – 90HKD which is great value!

Was craving for Hainan Chicken rice, so I ordered that, and my friend ordered noodles with pork knuckles. We both ordered the set lunch so I got the vegetables (choy sum with oyster sauce) and she picked the entrée (fried wontons) and we both had a drink each.

The Hainan Chicken was a little bit of a disappointment, mainly the chicken rice, as it had too much 'stuff' in it – i.e. mix vegetables and mushrooms. It wasn't the proper traditional chicken rice that you get from Singapore or the ones that mum makes. It was different. It had too much. It just needed to be simple – cooked in the chicken broth with garlic and salt – that's it. They didn't have to put mix vegetables in it. The mushrooms on the side were great, but again, not required with the rice. The presentation made up for the lack of taste in the rice. It came out in a bamboo dish, like those in yumcha, so I assume it was steamed. The chicken came with the sauces, and the chicken was flavoursome and moist. Pity the rice didn't meet my expectations.

You can never go wrong with choy sum, unless it's totally over or under cooked. The fried wontons were crunchy and not oily.

The place does get busy so make sure you get there before the lunch hour rush. It does get a little noisy, however, we came with a baby and they were very accommodating. Will definitely be back for noodles and wontons I think!

Chee Kei, Langham Place

Sift – Velvet cupcake

I am always in search of the 'best' cupcake! What makes a cupcake the 'best' cupcake? Well for one, it has to be moist, it has to have the right amount of sweetness to it, the right flavour and the right bite size. I have had a couple of horrible cupcakes in my time – too dry, too sweet, too big and the worse, cupcakes that are like muffins so you just eat the top and not the bottom (muffin tops!)

I was invited to a wedding, hubby's cousins wedding and the wedding cake was a tower of cupcakes (just what hubby wanted for our wedding but it was over ruled!) 6 towers of cupcakes all in red with white (assuming vanilla) icings. I didn't realise at first this was from Sift until much later in the evening (i.e. after dinner!)

Doesn't that look pretty?

I was stuffed but had to have some! (There is always a second stomach for desserts!) Thought I would cut the cupcake into quarters, so I wouldnt stuff my face. I took one bite and thought I had gone to heaven. Could not stop after the first bite, and before I knew it, I had scoffed one cupcake down!

Ok the picture above doesn't look 'that appealing' but I was a little hungover, so it was good enough that I even put it on macro! The reviews were right; this velvet cupcake was absolutely divine… it was moist (tick!), right amount of sweetness (tick!), right bite size (tick!). I don't know if it's because I was drunk, however, I was lucky enough to take home FOUR cupcakes, and had it the next day and it was still divine!

I found out later on how the cupcakes are made. The red velvet cupcakes use a light Valrhona cocoa base with a hint of Madagascar bourbon vanilla. It is then dyed red and topped with a Madagascar bourbon vanilla cream cheese frosting. It's happiness in four bites.

Sift
G/F, Dominion Center, 49 -53 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, 2528 0084.

Sevva

Sevva is located at the Penthouse of Prince's Building in Central. It is an incredible venue: a 360-degree balcony with stunning views of the skyscrapers of Central and Admiralty, the harbour, and the Kowloon skyline – perfect for sunset drinks and impressing loved ones, friends or clients. I came here twice – once with Hubby and once with my cousin in law – I know – twice in the space of a week! The furnishing and décor is absolutely gorgeous.

The first time I was in Sevva was with Hubby, we got there about 6pm and we were lucky to have gotten a table – mind you it wasn't a sit down table or a comfy couch space. We got a tall round table along the sides of the terrace where you have to stand. By about 7pm, it was chockers with people in suits, people that are dressed to impressed and mostly gwai los or non locals.

This place is great for after work drinks, however, there is a price to pay! Beer and a glass of red wine totalled to 200HKD+!! OUCH! But like I said, you are here for the view and with the 'right' company – it is worth every penny!!! Every night, there is a band that plays – great live music, views, music – what more can you ask for?

They gave us an endless supply of chips / nuts / crackers. I would say the downfall would be – the service. Trying to order our drinks took a while, and waiting for our drinks took even longer – I don't think they had enough staff behind the bars making the drinks! However, I was happy enough with the supply of nuts! (I know I am easy to pleased!)

The second time I went here was with my cousin in law. Since we were waiting for hubby to finish work, thought we would get a table. Standing with my super high heels last time was not ideal and I know that we were going to be here for a while! Get there early-ish if you want a table or a couch! We were there a little bit before 6pm and had no problems in finding the table.

My cousin and I were starving! Neither of us has had lunch so thought we would have something 'small' before dinner. We got the menu and I have to say, it wasn't your typical bar menu! I was expecting to see wedges / chips of some sort but alas no! They did however, have chicken wings which we thought were just too messy, and nachos – Indian nachos. We wanted chips so thought nachos would be perfect! The 'Indian Nachos" came shortly after and it was definitely NOT what I expected! When you see nachos on the menu, you would automatically think, corn chips covered in beef, avocado, beans and cheese. However, that's not what came to us! A small plate of what seems to be nachos was put on our table – what came was 6 crackers, and on top of each cracker was beef, avocado, with some curry flavoured sauce and what I thought seems to be cheese. However, it wasn't gooey but crunchy – I think it was fried vermicelli. Weird I know!!!! Surprisingly, the mixture of all was good, the different flavours mixed well together in your mouth – not your average / typical nachos that's for sure!

All in all – a great experience, if you have visitors coming from overseas, definitely worth taking them here for a drink or two. Dress to impress and be prepared to spend a bit of dosh here!

Sevva – Prince's Building, Central

Japanese Ootoya

On my days that I pretend to be a wanabe 'tai-tai' – I would try a restaurant on my own. I don't mind dining on my own – used to do it a lot when I was travelling for work. As long as I have a good book with me, I am happy to sit there and eat at the same time!

I have read about this Japanese place and have walked passed it several times. It is located in the Shama building opposite Times Squares. Their speciality is actually donburi (rice topped with meat or fish), classic katsu (deep-fried pork or chicken) and noodles. I was also told that their Bluefin tuna with rice was one of their specialities! Unfortunately, I wasn't craving for tuna / salmon like I always do.. I was craving for Unagi (eel).

I ordered the Unagi Donburi set – which was grilled eel, marinated in soy sauce, rice, soup and salad. The eel was satisfying rich - it was just absolutely divine. The salad, which was a small bowl of okra, cabbage, carrots and radish, was a great compliment to the eel. The soup was not your typical miso soup – I was told it was 'homemade and no it's not miso soup' – I would definitely expect it to be homemade and not from a packet! It could definitely taste the miso in it, but like your typical miso soup – it didn't have tofu. Overall, it was a pretty good meal!

The waitstaff was very tentative with my tea – it was always refilled which was an added bonus. I sat there for a while whilst reading my book and were not asked to leave. Mind you - it was rather late in the afternoon and was not peak lunch time hour. I thought if I sat for a bit I would crave for some dessert, alas no. I think I will definitely have to take hubby back so I can try more food.

Definitely worth going and exceptional quality for your dollar.

Ootoya Restaurant, Causeway Bay.

Vietnamese – Ha Noi Pho

This little Vietnamese restaurant can be found in one of the little alley ways in Fortress Hill. It's a very small and cozy restaurant – maximum of 10 people inside with a few tables outside to accommodate half a dozen more. We were greeted by a friendly yet older couple – whom I assumed owned the restaurant. The menu was quite intensive with your typical Vietnamese cuisine – although – I was a little surprise that they did not have fried chicken with tomato rice!

I didn't have to guess what hubby was going to get – he usually get the same – Pho! He thought he would be 'different' this time and get special beef pho – 'special' being the different types of beef (beef balls / tenderloins / beef strips). I have to admit – I usually order the same thing fried chicken with tomato rice, but they didn't have this, so opted for the pork with lemon grass and rice.

Hubby's pho came very quickly – not a surprise really – it would have to be one of the quickest meals anywhere! It came with thin rice noodles, and lots of different types of 'special' beef. It wasn't the best pho I have ever tasted and hubby agreed with me on this one. The fact that I was extremely thirsty after dinner indicated that they would have used a lot of MSG! The noodles and beef were fine, I think it was more the soup – it wasn't as good as the one you could get back home at either Bankstown or Cabramatta. It was lacking something – I wasn't sure what. Chilli perhaps? Or Lemon? I don't know – it just wasn't the same. It wasn't bad, but I am sure there are 'better' ones out there.

My meal came and to my surprise it wasn't what I ordered! Chicken wings came with the rice instead of the pork! I was too hungry to make a fuss over it… It could probably have been my fault when ordering – but surely I couldn't have gotten chicken / pork wrong! Anyway, it was better than I thought! Chicken wings can be a little messy at times, but this was definitely good! It was crispy on the outside and you could still taste the lemon grass in between the bones of the chicken wings - definitely well done. I have to admit – I think they over did it with the spring onions / shallots. I needed a strong drink or mint to get rid of the spring onions / shallots taste! (not a massive fan of after taste, but at the time – it was definitely good!)

Overall it was a quick / cheap place for dinner. It would definitely good if you wanted something quick for either lunch or dinner. Was a little disappointed that I didn't get my fried chicken with tomato rice, but I am sure I will find it somewhere!

Ha Noi Pho – Fortress Hill.

Best Mango Drink Ever

You wouldn't think my first blog in Hong Kong would be about dessert – but hey, seriously, this has to be the best dessert drink ever! I don't know why they don't have this in Australia! Especially on a hot day, or even after dinner when you want something sweet – this dessert is divine!

It's called Chilled Sago Cream with Mango and Pomelo – and as the name suggests it has mango, sago and pomelo. It's the perfect combination! They use copious amounts of fresh mangoes and the pomelo gives it that bitter taste – making this classic chilled Chinese sweet classic a standout – and definitely my favourite!

Can be found at Hui Lau Shan – it is everywhere in Hong Kong and its one of those places you just have to try.

2009_Hong Kong

Hubby came home one day and told me that he had news – I was cooking at the time, so in my head I presumed he got a promotion or a bonus. However, to my surprise, he was being transferred to Hong Kong for 12 months – my first reaction was – FOOD / SHOPPING / FOOD!!!!! Then after about 10 mins – it sunk in… what about me? what about my job? what am I going to tell my bosses? Well to answer that, I would definitely go with hubby for 12 months and try and find a way to work from overseas if they will still have me!!

That night, after dinner, I logged on and opened two browsers and Google "Shopping in Hong Kong" and "eating in Hong Kong" – it doesn't come to a surprise that there are many shops / eateries in Hong Kong! A couple of friends have actually said to Hubby "is it wise to take your wife to Hong Kong – do you realise what you are doing to yourself". I don't think Hubby realise the amount of food available in Hong Kong and don't get me started on the shopping! (I think I would need a separate blog for shopping!) I was over the moon and as nerdy as I am when it comes to 'spreadsheets', I started one and called it "HK Adventures" with tabs "casual dining" / "fine dining" / "coffee" / "bars" – and yes I have assigned the 'filter' function!! Yes I am a geek – but hey, if I am only going to be there for 12 months – I will want to try as many restaurants as I can!

Packing – I was told (by Hubby) that I was only allowed to take ONE suit case – that's right ONE suit case to Hong Kong! Was this an open invitation to shop?!?!?! It was one of the hardest things to do – trying to fit my whole life into one suitcase! What shoes to take? What bags to take? Most importantly – what clothes to take? At the end – I ended up taking 6 pairs of shoes (2 of which were my choos! I felt bad leaving the others behind but… I had no choice!), 4 handbags (and no I didn't take any of my brand bags – thought I would just buy another one here!) and clothes (more casual / partying clothes than work clothes!). It all ended up being 29kgs!!!! FRIG!! But I couldn't really take anything else out! I 'really' needed those – and it was the bare minimum!

The day of telling my boss finally came…and again I have to say, this was one of the hardest things I had to do! I like my boss, and I enjoy my job and I actually like the people I work with! So when the day came for me to tell them, I was a little sad but at the same time excited about this new adventure! I mean 12 months in Hong Kong! I have always wanted to live overseas for a while. So to cut the story short, after long discussions the Partners had amongst themselves, they finally agreed to let me work part time – 3 days a week. Of course my role was going to be slightly different but hey, I was definitely up for the challenge! And it's PART TIME, in HONG KONG!!! I couldn't ask for more!

The day finally came when we arrived in Hong Kong! It took a good 6 weeks to organise, and it felt like eternity! We have been here for about 2 weeks now – and everything is going great so far!! I am working part time at home, part time wanabe 'tai – tai' (a wealthy housewife, and one who often lives to shop and lunch but trust me – I am NOT, and I repeat NOT a wealthy housewife!) and totally loving the days that I am a wanabe 'tai – tai' – wondering through Hong Kong and eating my way around Hong Kong. Hubby is enjoying his work and his colleagues are all very friendly! So all in all – so far so good!

We are staying at a serviced apartment (BONUS!) and no it's not in causeway bay / central / mid-levels! We thought we would live a bit out of central, so we can experience the culture of Hong Kong… live with the locals so to speak. There aren't many gwai-los (westerners) around here, maybe in our building but i havent seen many!

We are on the 19th Floor, and it gets cleaned every single day (except weekends!), that's right DAILY! The place feels dirty by Monday morning - terrible! I don't even clean the apartment in Surry Hills once a week! I can definitely get used to this life style! Our maid is extremely sweet - she cleans all the rooms on the 19th floor, and she calls me 'maam'! So weird being called 'maam' - I have told her many times to call me by my first name but I guess 'maam' would just be easier! Really loving the apartment and well … – I have too considering I spend 3 days a week working here!

I am hoping to use a bit of my free time to blog about food in Hong Kong and catch up on all the food blogs in Sydney! And of course…. To experience the life of a 'tai – tai' here. I wish "B" was here, she would definitely enjoy the life here with me and my gosh – we would definitely eat our way around Hong Kong!

Anyway, hoping to a fantastic 12 months in Hong Kong! I am sure you will either read about it or hear about it!!

Wang Fu, Central

One of my ultimate favourite foods is dumplings – loads in carbs but when dipped in vinegar and chilli – what carbs? Who says they have carbs? It has to be 'right' though – the correct texture, the right thickness of skin, and flavouring. If the skin is too thick, it totally ruins the dumplings experience!

I have heard and read about Wang Fu many times, and when my cousin in law wanted to go for dumplings I suggested this place. I thought about Din Tai Fung, but we have that in Sydney and wanted to try something different.

Wang Fu is not a big place, probably could sit around 30 people, and it's not 'flash' but it didn't bother us and it's exactly what we wanted after a few drinks.

My 'ideal' meal would be to get a couple of different types of dumplings, alas, not everyone had the same idea – it was out ruled! After much negotiations, we decided to have 1 boiled shrimp and pork dumplings, chicken and cashew stirfry (very very gwailo food – but funnily enough I was craving for chicken and cashew!) and eggplant stirfry.

The shrimp and pork dumplings were very balanced – you could taste both shrimp and pork. Dipped (sometimes 'drenched) in vinegar and I was a happy camper! I could have seriously eaten a whole plate of it on my own.

Next came the chicken and cashew stirfry – I find this a very non-traditional Asian meal and would order it from time to time. I utterly enjoyed this dish – the chicken was moist and had the 'right' amount of cashews and chillness. One downside would be it was a tad bit oily, but nothing tea can't wash down!

Eggplant is one of my favourite vegetable. Unfortunately I don't get to cook it very often at home as it's not Hubby's favourite meal! So when we go out with friends, I try and order an eggplant dish. This dish didn't disappoint either, the eggplant was cooked extremely well, with capsicum, ginger and onion. Bit on the oily side, but otherwise, it was perfect and a great compliment to the chicken / cashew stirfry.

Great meal at Wang Fu, reasonably cheap also – will definitely go back! Next time will have to try all the different types of dumplings! Was a tad disappointed that we only got one, but its another reason to go back!

Wang Fun, Central
G/F, 98A Wellington St, Central,
Tlp: 2121 8006.

Mushashi – V Day Dinner

We have never been really big on gifts on Valentine's Day, as we both believe that it's a wrought – and besides, I would prefer that hubby would buy me something that's not on a 'commercial' day. However, when it comes to celebrating with food – how can I say no.

I have always wanted to try this Japanese restaurant, there are always a horrendous amount of people lining outside. Like the other Japanese restaurants under the 'Masuya' chain – they don't take bookings, and they have a 'ticketing' service, whereby, you rock up, and if its busy, you take a number and request whether or not you want to sit at the bar, table or outside. We were there 'early-ish' and didn't have to wait too long, however, we weren't exactly fussed where we sat.

The place was buzzing! We sat on the bench and I got to see behind the scenes of the kitchen! It's always exciting to see how they cook and how a kitchen operates. The waiters were friendly and tentative, our green tea was always topped up – which was a bonus!

We started off with the sashimi main – it's always a favourite of ours. Six different types of sashimi – 2 lots of salmon sashimi, tuna, king fish, octopus, king fish, and raw scallops. It was all very fresh, as you would expect!

We also ordered Chicken Karage and Beef Tataki – being Indonesian, I am used to having something deep fried at every meal. Thankfully, hubby doesn't like to eat deep fried food all the time. However, it was a special day, and he knows how much I love chicken karage – who can resist when it comes with sweet chilli sauce? Chicken was very soft and moist, crunchy on the outside.

Beef tataki was very very tender – it was medium rare. The sauce was rather sweet, didn't think it complemented the beef, but hubby seems to have enjoyed it.


Hubby unfortunately wasnt a great fan of the chicken karage - he said that my mother's fried chicken was a lot better! I agree, mum's fried chicken is good, but its not the same. I was more than happy to finish the chicken karage on my own. Clearly he demolished the beef tataki!

Over all, it was a great V Day dinner – relax and not pretentious. You can never really go wrong with Japanese food, especially if its under the Masuya chain. It is definitely worth another visit but be there early.. otherwise it would be a 30 – 45 mins wait!

Mushashi

447 Pitt Street (Corner Campbell Street) Sydney 2000
Phone: +61 2 9280 3777

The ‘Tea House’

I never really know the name of this café – however, to us who goes there quite regularly, it's the 'Tea House'. It's called that because it has all the different types of teas behind the counter, and the name 'La Buena Mesa Café & Providore' is just way too long to remember!!

I think they have changed owners again. I don't recall the menu being very Spanish! Regardless it's an old favourite. It can get extremely busy on Sundays for brunch and going there with a big group is just a complete nightmare! There have a few tables outside if you want to sit under the sun, otherwise, a communal table inside in the middle and table for twos closer to the window.

It was a gorgeous sunny morning, however, with a big group; we had to wait for a while and surprise, surprise, not a single table in sight. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait for long, otherwise, would have suggested elsewhere. It was definitely too hot for coffee, so I opted for the berry smoothie which consisted of all the 'berry' type fruit you can imagine. It was indeed what I needed after the 'long' wait.

Ordered the scrambled eggs with spinach and a chicken sausage. The eggs were creamy and moist – just the way I like it, and the spinach gave a very nice touch to it.

Hubby ordered eggs with bacon (which was rolled up) and roasted tomatoes. I personally think, my scrambled eggs with spinach and chicken sausage was a definite winner.

If you want a relaxing, casual café for a lazy Sunday with friends, go to the Tea House – be warn – it does get extremely busy!

La Buena Mesa Café & Providore
61 Annandale Street, Annandale
Telephone: +61 2 950 2698

Hubby’s 30th – Fish Face

It was hubby's birthday a while back and when I asked what he wanted to eat, his response was 'seafood' - somewhere that makes bouillabaisse. Not many places in Sydney does that, and I would assume a 'french' restaurant would. However, as per usual, he is as fussy as ever and didn't want french! I remembered going to this little spot whilst at uni and haven't been back since! This was indeed the perfect time to go back.

Fish Face is located in the heart of Darlinghurst, and its a very small restaurant. I would definitely recommend you make a booking. I made a booking a couple of weeks before, and was a little unimpressed when they didn't have it! However, the hostess was kind enough to fit us in at the bar, and I was close enough to see the action in the kitchen and to meet the chef himself, Stephen Hodges.

As the name of the restaurant is 'Fish Face', you can guess what they serve - mainly different types of fish, cold and hot. They even have a small sashimi bar at the bar with fresh sashimi, oysters amongst other things. Usually entrees intrigue me, but I went straight for main. The main I order was TO DIE FOR! It was ocean trout (petuna), mushroom and leek filo pastry with sorrel sauce (did i say this dish was to die for?!?!?!?). The ocean trout was medium rare, and the filo pastry melted in your mouth. The sorrel sauce truly complimented the ocean trout. It was simply divine!!

Hubby ordered the blue eye travella on potato scales, parsley and capers with preserved lemon. The blue eye was fillet, and what appears to be 'skin' on top was actually potatoes cut into scales! It was indeed genius! The potato scales was crunchy but yet soft, and it worked perfectly with the parsley and capers. It was good, but am a tad bias in that mine was definitely the winning dish!

As always, I craved for something sweet! Had a quick look at the menu and it was a toss between the quinche cake and a chocolate fondant. Didn't feel like chocolate and after toing and froing, I went with the quinche cake - it's not something I would order, but was absolutely glad that I did. The quinche cake was warm, and the vanilla bean icecream was melting on top of it. It was absolutely divine! Hubby ordered the creme brulee with rhubarb - he didn't particularly like rhubarb, so instead of it just going to waste, I thought I would have it with my warm quinche cake. It was perfect - cake, icecream and rhubarb!

My meal was an absolutely winner! I was literary in a food coma, and had to waddle home! Hubby kindly offered to get me a cab but after all that food, I really truly needed to walk it off! Fish Face is definitely a definite winner, and it was as good as I remembered it. Every time I think about the ocean trout with filo pastry my mouth waters! Not many dish does that for me, this one definitely does! It's a great little spot for a first date, an anniversary, a birthday, or simply if you feel like it. I would strongly recommend that you book, otherwise just rock up early. A definite favourite!

Fish Face – 132 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst

Tel: (02) 9332 4803

Seabay... dumpling heaven

Whenever someone says 'dumplings', my eyes light up! Who doesnt like those meat filled pastries that are slightly fried, boiled or steamed - not all together of course! So when hubby said why don't we have dumplings tonight for dinner, I wasn't going to say no!

Seabay has been around for a very long time, it used to be an old, dark and dodgy little place on pitt street, but they have done it up the past couple of years. Its not so dodgy, but very bright and shinny - on some nights you definitely need your sunnies! It is so bright! Thankfully, the owner hasn't changed and you are guaranteed a delightful meal.

As much as I love just eating with hubby, the more the merrier right? More food and more choices, and who better than my brother and his gf to join - I know how much they both LOVE food :)We pretty much knew what we wanted to order - the usual choice of dumpling and noodles. Fried dumplings of course - slightly pan fried on the outside, and moist on the inside. I usually saturate my dumpling in vinegar and chilli! Although, everyone is different, some have it with just with soy sauce, and some just as it is! You get a good serving of dumplings - 12 on the plate.

The fried noodles is also quite generous - it's apparently 'hand made' and it comes with either beef / chicken or pork. We opted for the beef and it came out quickly. I am still not 100% sure if its handmade, I know the dumplings are as I have peeked in the kitchen and have seen a couple of older ladies sitting there tunning dumplings one by one!

We would usually order more dumplings, but thought we would try something different - salt and pepper pork. It came on a bed of shredded lettuce, and looked 'different'. But don't let that fool you! It was tasty! It had the right amount of salt and pepper! Personally, it could be a little bit more spicier, but I am big fan of chilli! Everything just tastes so much better with chilli!

We have never ever ordered this next dish, and I wish I had discovered it earlier - better late than never I guess. Eggplant with seabay 'special' sauce. I am not 100% sure what the sauce is, but it was a slightly saulty, yet sweet. Its like they put honey but it wasnt gooey like. The 'special' sauce was indeed special, and hubby is not usually a big fan of eggplant but surprisingly enjoyed it.

You can never go wrong with Seabay - don't let the door or the dodgy sign fool you! It is child friendly, and one of the best place for dumplings in the city. It is quite reasonable in price, and the staff are friendly, although, might not be as tentative as other chinese restaurant. It is value for money, and definitely worth a visit if you haven't been before.

Seabay - 372 Pitt Street, Sydney

Tel: (02) 9267 4855