January 28, 2011

• Song of the Day
  
  “Fear is the heart of love…I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, into the dark.” A song about commitment with the person you love.

  清晨…..沿著熟悉的小路上走著…..
  轉彎…..抬頭…..總是不知道前方的路是怎麼樣…..
  就是一直這樣漫無目的的往前著走…..
  這種感覺難以言喻…..也許這是我開始喜歡我老家的第一步…..
  香港是屬於我的…..我在那裡快樂多年…..

  

  (Many thanks to W for numerous of the photos in this entry, especially the ones at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.)

  HONG KONG (part 3) – “Central District” – Early one morning, W and I visited a couple of interesting spots around Central. One of them is the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road. As usual, we enjoyed a leisure morning walk, exploring the streets in one of the oldest part of Hong Kong Island. By the way, there is more than one Man Mo Temple, the two others are located in Tai Po and Lantau. This one on Hollywood Road is considered to be the largest. It was built in 1847 and is part of a complex that comprises three adjacent blocks. The Man Mo Temple, which is the main building of the complex, is dedicated to the civil god and the martial god. The temple was graded as a Grade I historic building in 1993 and it is now a declared monument. It is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm daily.

  Please follow us today on our brief tour along Hollywood Road and certain parts in the Central District…..

  A small tour bus already dropped off a band of visitors…..
  

  The main entrance to the main complex painted bright red, the purpose of the red paint is to ward off evil spirits…..
  

  Wishes are written down on a red colour note card, and then attached to the circular inscense sticks, hoping they will come true one day.
  The temple is a small compact building with only one main chamber where most of the activities took place. After a brief praying, we then walked from the temple and explore the nearby streets…..
  

  There is a flight of stairs next to the temple, leading up to the mid-levels…..
  

  At the very end up the stairs is an interesting building housing the HK University’s Museum of Medical Sciences. Originally, this building housed the Pathological Institute and continued to be used as a laboratory until the 1950′s. Since W is involved with medicine, this place aroused his interest…..
  

  After a brief moment, we then descended back to Hollywood Road and continued on towards the Central District, where there are lots of antique shops and small eateries…..
  

  Off Hollywood Road, there lies an egg tart place made popular by Mr. Chris Patten (the last Governor of HK). The ‘Tai Cheong Bakery’, (泰昌餅家) located at No.32, Lyndhurst Terrace, has been in business for over half a century and is one of the most well known places in Hong Kong to have egg tarts. The highlght of the egg tarts (HK$5 each) served here is the soft egg filling. Unlike usual egg tarts, the filling here is extremely soft and it actually flows into your mouth as you eat it. The texture and the fragrance from the egg filling will definitely leave you wanting more. The pastry is also consistent but may break easily.
  Traditional Egg Tarts are not to be confused with “Portuguese Egg Tarts” which have a creme brulee and caramel like top and is sweeter in comparison.
  
  

  Stop over at Kung Lee Sugar Cane located at No.60 Hollywood Road, for a cup of 100% most refreshing sugar cane juice (HK$8). The sugar cane juice here is freshly and originally blended by sugar cane. Unlike those made by artificial colours and sugars, you won’t feel thirsty once you finish the whole sweet cane juice. Personally, I believe this proves the freshness of the juice made from sugar cane, no additives added. We occupied a seat inside the shop, dwelling into the atmosphere of 1950s-60s Hong Kong era. Under the conservation policy in Hong Kong, the government is trying to strike a balance between high-rise buildings and preserving the traditional shops and cultures, although some of the old shops were demolished, this is one of the few surviving relics.
  
  

  We then explored the smaller streets nearby, and took more photos along Pottinger Street, also known as the ‘stone-step street’, there are plenty of small stores and shops selling various type of knick-knacks and souvenirs on both sides of the path…..
  
  

  Starbucks on Duddell Street – this Starbucks is totally retro. The 1950’s Hong Kong tea house design was done extremely well and is almost an exact replica of some of the older tea houses you can still find in Mongkok and Yaumatei. The attention to detail was quite impressive; they have got everything down from those prints on the table, those old-school electric switches, adaptors and to even the type and colour of the blinds, the dusty old fans and folding chairs, not to mention those cool posters and old chess sets. Before you can sip some coffee, there are a few steps to conquer. The entrance is up the steps, where the blue-shirt guy is standing…..

  

  

  

  

  

  The retro chairs and benches feels kinda hard, if you need better seating, there are more comfortable sofa/chairs in the more modern section of this coffee place. I like the location of this Starbuck and will definitely be back for another cup of latte.

  L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – ‘Atelier’ literally means workshop. The overall design of the restaurant is casual, with a contemporary chic. The colour and design scheme reflecting red light, black marble, chrome, black leather and dark wood. This is a restaurant where you can see the chefs cooking, with diners sitting on bar stool height seats surrounding the open kitchen. The idea is to give diners, or audiences a square surrounding vantage point on high red leather-and-chrome stools from which to watch the black-clad chef and his staff at work. This is a carbon copy of other ateliers in Las Vegas, New York, Tokyo and Paris, with the counters designed with Japanese sushi bars in mind. One floor down is the ‘Salon de the’, where shoppers can rest and nibble on some of the restaurant’s delicious pastries.

  A set of up/down escalators provides access from the shopping area of the Landmark Building…..
  

  The sushi-bar-like design with a good view of the open kitchen…..
  

  

  I am amazed at the different choices of freshly baked bread…..
  

  amuse bouche – some sort of tomato and seafood mousse…..
  

  Scallop carpaccio with black truffle, baby leek and croutons…..
  

  Crabmeat in turnip ravioli with avocado, orange zests and rosemary vinaigrette…..
  

  Roasted Bresse pigeon with sweet corn mashes, chanterelle and port reduction…..
  

  Lamb rump with caramelized vegetables from South of France…..
  

  Lavender honey cream with verbena jelly and basil sorbet…..
  

  

  Caramelized apple with Tonka cream and green apple sorbet…..
  

  

  Chocolate bar with hazelnuts with coffee ice cream…..
  

  Well, it was supposed to be “End of Story”. But while I was finishing up my sorbet, the maître d’ walked over and asked in a concerned tone of voice,”Was there something wrong with the lamb rump? You did not finish the dish.”

  I was caught by surprise, and remembered that I left a few pieces on the dish untouched.

  “Oh, it was a little too bloody for my diet. Sorry!” I replied.

  “Oh no no, I apologize for the mix up. The chef today is new on the job, so please accept our sincere apologies for the under-cooked dish. We shall make it up to you.”

  Guess what? More dessert from the house, pastries from the cafe downstairs. That means afternoon tea fastforward! In addition to the free pastries, I was also offered some sort of exotic named green tea from Japan. Good deal!

  Dessert from the house – blueberry chesscake and apple tart?
  

  Chocolate mousse cake and ???…..
  

  Macarons adorned with bits of jello candy and little chocolate pills…..
  

  After finishing up these five varieties of pastries between the three of us, it was like taking a lesson on dessert from Joël Robuchon. At least this portion of the meal is free of charge! Thinking back, each of the dishes we consumed was thoroughly explained, including the ingredients. The servers were very polite and attentive. I later learned that the restaurant garnered ‘Two Michelin Stars’ again in 2011. Well, that was an enjoyable lunch afterall and will not hesitate to come again.

  Breakfast at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – One early morning before leaving for a side trip, W and I sneaked up to the ‘Le Jardin’ and have ‘Le Petit Dejeuner’. There is plenty of power in the power breakfast, starting with a bowl of muesli accompanied by a strawberry-raspberry yoghurt. This is not mass-produced supermarket yoghurt but a dish so fruity and flavourful that it is difficult to find the yoghurt itself. After that comes an assiette du marche –a plate of cold cuts including salami, mortadella, roast beef, corned beef , turkey and cheeses artfully arranged. That is followed up with eggs to order. The omelette is filled with mushrooms, cheese, ham and herbs, along with perhaps the lightest, airiest croissant I have ever eaten, a buttery masterpiece folded 27 times and re-folded before it was baked.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  There is a smaller variation of the power breakfast – basically a continental breakfast including a bread basket, some cereal with yoghurt, seasonal fruits and juice, all for HK$230 plus 10 percent. It is a better deal to share the big one with a friend. There will be plenty for two, and breakfast with a friend is a nice way to start a weekend day. Even though at more than HK$300 for breakfast, it is expensive. (Oh, by the way, you need to order a second glass of juice if sharing the breakfast.)

  Breakfast isn’t served at the counter, partly because the breakfast dishes are complicated enough that they must be laid out on a proper table. It’s served in a quiet dining room with a view of – believe it or not – a lawn with planters that makes you forget you are five floors up in one of the most crowded cities on the planet. Indeed, it is a fine and dear way to start the day!

  • 3:40 am
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