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Valentine’s Dinner (Part I) at Maison Akira – Since V-Day falls on a week night this time around, we picked a place closer to our home base, avoiding the infamous LA commuter traffic. Maison Akira was the sensible choice. We are no stranger to this restaurant, having the pleasure of dining here during Dine LA Week 2012. (see entry)

Maison Akira serves French/Japanese fusion cuisine, and has been an establishment in the Pasadena area for almost twenty years.

The design of the menu reminds us of this special event…..

Amuse-bouche – scallop tartare…..

House smoked salmon and caviar…..

Maine lobster corn chowder…..

Grilled miso marinated Chilean sea bass and grilled prawn…..

Maple leaf duck breast a l’orange sauce…..

Valentine’s dessert to share…..

The dinner was short but sweet. If I had not seen the menu, I’d thought it was more like a prix-fixe business type dinner. The dessert items were sure the highlight of the meal. More on Part II later…..
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L.A. Eats – In celebrating the Lunar Chinese New Year, we went to The Peninsula Beverly Hills for afternoon tea, which has a special menu just for the Lunar New Year.

Strawberry and whipped cream, and a tall glass of bubbly…..

Tea is served…..

Three-tiered serving tray with savories and sweets (Lemon Curd and Devonshire Cream on the side)…..

Currant and Classic Scones…..

Pastries: Green Tea Macarons, Red Bean Tart, Raspberry Lychee Cake, Coconut Mochi Cake, Almond Cake…..

Sandwiches: Egg Salad with Watercress on Marble Bread, Cucumber Sandwich with Dill, Charred Vegetables on Wheat Bread with Pesto Spread, Housemade Smoked Salmon with Cucumber and Preserved Lemon, Curried Chicken with Almonds on Raisin Bread…..

Savory Caviar Cake…..

Our tea time at 2pm was perfect since we had an early breakfast, and I was totally hungry/motivated to chow down this well portioned tea set. It was a very satisfying and savory meal. With the harpist playing in the background, I’m ready for my afternoon nap!

(Thank you W for snapping a few of the above yummy looking photos!)

The Peninsula Beverly Hills | 9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, Ca | (310) 551-2888 | www.peninsula.com

Hello Las Vegas! – Last weekend, we went to Las Vegas for the Celine Dion Concert . It was a short 3.5-hour drive and here we are! Morning view from the room, the Strip and part of the City Center……

A very short trip, Wine+dine and catch a show……

Nice features about this room: the view and a huge bathtub…..

Restaurant Guy Savoy, a Michelin 3-Star back in France. A photo with Chef Chartron, (I had a few drinks, pardon me for my red puffy face), who became the Executive Chef in 2011, he was also the youngest chef on The Strip to attain this title…..

A quintet of amuse bouche, French Club Sandwich (upper left) with foie gras + tiny triangle of French country bread; the fluffy Parmesan waffle (upper right), Green apple purée + celery, and a little surprise hidden underneath…..

There are no less than a dozen varieties for us to choose from: plain, caramelized onion, seaweed ciabattas; pain de campagne; olive bread; lemon bread; basil bread; multigrain; baguette; plain and poppy seed baguettines; mustard seed bread; and Parmesan and bacon-sea salt pain au laits. Definitely a over-the-top presentation…..

Black Truffle on poached egg…..

Colors of Caviar – one of Chef Savoy’s most well-known creations, a multilayered affair of caviar vinaigrette, topped with caviar crème fraîche, topped with Ossetra caviar, topped with haricot vert purée, topped with hot egg sabayon, all eaten with a traditional mother of pearl spoon. The dish is followed by (right) the Red Mullet Fillet, with Spinach and Mushroom Gratin…..

Foie Gras with “bitter infusion”- Hudson Valley Moulard duck foie gras, which is pan-seared, then cooked en papillote. Then added with cherry vinegar and pink radishes, the radish added a bitter, vegetal, spicy, pungent smack that cut down the heaviness of the foie gras…..

Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, Toasted Mushroom Brioche, and Black Truffle Butter +Mushroom Brioche. This is Guy Savoy’s most famous dish, we have here a soup of artichoke, topped with shaved Parmesan and sliced black truffle. The aroma of this soup was about as decadent as you could imagine, abound in the smells of truffle and cheese, absolutely saturating with flavor, it was the soup that was the star, not the sliced truffle. The brioche, which was stuffed with mushrooms and spread with truffle butter, was a rich, flaky, soft bread that my server encouraged me to dip in the liquid…..

American Prime Beef Tenderloin, Carrot Paleron Cannelloni…..

Concassé of Black Truffle, Croutons in Comté Mousse…..

Intermezzo: (top) a little palate cleanser, small scoop of cherry sorbet, paired with pomegranate and sweet ginger. “Coconut” (bottom), everything you can imagine, fresh sliced coconut, coconut sorbet, roasted coconut bits, coconut pearl tapioca and coconut chips…..

Chocolate Fondant, Crunchy Praline and Chicory Cream…..

The confection cart, loaded with the following goodies: coconut macarons, caramelized bananas, blancmanges, apricot-stuffed grapes, raspberry cheesecake, raspberry-mango phyllos, fresh grape soda, pâtes de fruits, marshmallows (butterscotch, bubble gum, jasmine-root beer, creme caramel), chocolate mousse, rice pudding (French vanilla, pink praline), sorbet (raspberry, cherry), and vanilla ice cream. We tried to restrain ourselves here, but still ended up requesting pretty much one of everything.

It was a very decadent dinner, especially for the dessert portion. Despite of the multiple dishes being served, we managed to finish the meal within two hours and made the Celine Dion Concert on time!

Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace | 3570 Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109 | 702.731.7110 | www.caesarspalace.com/casinos/caesars-palace/restaurants-dining/restaurant-guy-savoy-detail.html

Valentine’s Candies – We exchanged candies on V Day. W got this box of chocolates with multiple flavours! These are mostly truffles covered with milk chocolate, some with small pieces of nuts or rock candies hidden within.

Me to W, fruity flavoured truffles plus a bar of chocolate ‘Love Potion’…..

This was one of the sweetest V Day so far! It’ll take us weeks to finish all of the above!

Saturday marks the seventh day of the Snake Year, which is an auspicious day on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. As for the Chinese, each New Year brings on a new zodiac, 2012 was the Dragon year and next year (2014) will be the year of the Horse. How the coming year unravel will remain a mystery.

As a tradition within my family, we would visit the Chinese temple and get our blessings for the year. Then, we’ll pay homage to our family fortune teller, Mr. Y, whom we know well. Mr. Y predicts my Snake Year fortune will be not as good as last year’s. He predicts that certain members in my family or friend may depart us. As for myself, this will be a year of luck as well as misfortunes. Well, all that sounded quite ominous, but I think I should have this “wait and see” attitude, before getting too depressed. My way to start the New Year is to visit a Chinese temple, ask for a blessing by the monk and then make an offering. This should be done on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.

Anyhow, as a gesture to good fortune for the Lunar New Year, W and I made Korean dumplings (mandu/만두) and paired these with rice cakes (dduk/떡) and soup. To start the process, we have got ourselves some ground pork and beef, mushrooms, green scallion, tofu, wonton skins….

Chop all these ingredients into small bits, then squeeze liquid out of tofu…..

All ready to be mixed together…..

Just need a small spoonful for each wrap…..

We made some pot stickers too…..

Condiments for dduk-mandu-gook (dumplings and rice cake soup)…..

Vóilá! The finished product, 떡만두국, dduk mandu gook, let’s eat!!

It took us only a couple of hours to make this, it was a delightful and delicious meal! 맛있었어요!!

Sunday Dim Sum – Golden Leaf (金葉庭). When Sunday comes along, we’d like to have dim sum for brunch. But most of the dim sum places in Hong Kong are quite crowded on the weekends. What to do? No problem. Mom just happens to be a regular at Golden Leaf, so getting a table there would be a quick phone call away. So, here we go.

Golden Leaf is situated at the lower level inside the Conrad Hotel Hong Kong, with its traditional Chinese-styled carved teakwood and rosewood furniture, the subdued lighting gives it an ambiance of grace. Most Chinese restaurants are known to be noisy but The Golden Leaf is an exception to the rule. Their dishes are known for the light touch, without excess oil or overpowering flavours, a welcome change from the heavy-handedness of some of the city’s dim sum chefs. Golden Leaf received a Michelin “One Star” rating during 2009 to until 2011, Gourmet Traveller named it one of the top five Yum Cha restaurants in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Tattler magazine listed The Golden Leaf restaurant as one the best for the past 19 consecutive years.

The entrance is quite formal, this makes some sense since the restaurant is inside an upscale hotel…..

As the name implies, at least something is decked with gold…..

First course, steamed dumplings with vegetables and shrimp…..

Baked BBQ pork pies…..

Inside filled with BBQ pork…..

Starchy rolls with fried donut and dried shrimp…..

Steamed Shrimp dumplings (Har-Gouw) topped with gold-foil…..

Close-up…..

Baked sea whelk stuffed with diced seafood, abalone, chicken and onions…..

Dessert, baked egg tarts…..

Steamed multi-layered egg and coconut cake…..

Mango pudding…..

Overall, it was a savory brunch in a relaxing surrounding. The service was attentive and discrete. The Maitre d’ appeared a little cold but this is typical Hong Kong-style efficiency which can at times seem impersonal to the point of impoliteness. The restaurant is also conveniently located next to the Pacific Place Mall with direct access to MTR. This place is sure worth another try on my next visit to HKG!

Golden Leaf | Lower Lobby, Conrad Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty | (852) 2521 3838 | www.conradhotels.hilton.com |

Family Dinner – Peking Garden (北京樓) is the place to be each time when we meet up with our relatives. Another member of the well-known Maxim’s Group of restaurants, Peking Garden specializes in Peking and northern Chinese dishes. We always arrive early enough for the nightly presentation of handmade noodles. Tonight, we dined at this one located in the Landmark Shopping Mall in Central. There’s another branch located in Tsim Tsa Tsui, in the Star House right in front of the Star Ferry, with harbor views.

Red table cover, I like the brass napkin holder…..

First courses, appetizers; pardon my little cousin, he’s occupied with his game pad…..

Vegetable rolls in soy bean wrap…..

(Clockwise from top left) Vegetable rolls, Spare ribs in sweet sauce, Peking ham, Cucumbers with sesame sauce…..

Filing up the sesame pockets with Minced pork…..

The finished product…..

Consommé with bits of lean pork, goji berries, sea whelk, abalone, fish bladder…..

Their popular dish, Peking duck…..

Peking duck slices…..

Rice paper wrap, duck slices, onions; ready to go…..

Finishing up the meal with Chinese donut with sugar sprinkles…..

Small dosage of Red bean paste inside…..

A very short video of chef making “hand pulled noodles”…..

We have been coming to this restaurant frequently because of their consistent food quality, good service and convenient location. Somehow, I see more and more foreign tourists through the years, maybe they like to watch the “show” the restaurant put on each night, plus the elaborate presentation of some of their dishes. The kids love it for sure!

Peking Garden | Shop B1, 1/F, Alexandra House, 16-20 Chater Road, Central | (852) 2526 6456 | http://www.maxims.com.hk/

Lunching in HKG – Mom frequently treats me and my brother for a nice lunch. This time around the place of choice will be Lung King Heen (View of the Dragon 龍景軒). This is a top rated Michelin restaurant, with 3 stars (Fourth year in a row), making this somewhat like the French Laundry of Hong Kong. Lung King Heen is located on the fourth floor of the posh Four Seasons Hotel on Hong Kong Island, and connected to the ultra high end International Finance Center – IFC shopping complex. Back in 2009 , we booked a table for lunch here. We returned for lunch in 2010 , and also in December 2011 as well. Lung King Heen was properly decked out with silver-leaf ceilings, glossy dark wood floors, immaculately-pressed linens and elaborate floral arrangements. Coupled with magnificent views of the sprawling skyline, it certainly looked the part. The staff were also appropriately knowledgeable and friendly (even more so when it transpired that I spoke Cantonese), although the noticeable push of the higher ticket items when ordering did irk a little. The food here is all about contemporary Cantonese classics, without frills, just executed really really well. Helmed by Executive Chef Chan Yan Tak, the first Chinese chef to receive three Michelin stars, the dishes on Lung King Heen’s intricately designed menu give traditional Chinese dishes a big nudge forward.

The interior, modern and spacious, with a large window overlooking the Hong Kong harbour makes a great setting for a wonderful meal…..

Interesting floral arrangements…..

Tea pot comes with a mini-warmer, very thoughtful…..

I like the napkin holder…..

The dim sum menu…..

Steamed dumplings with vegetables…..

Steamed rice rolls with lobster in sweet bean n’ soy sauce…..

Baked BBQ pork buns with pine nuts…..

An inside peek of the BBQ pork bun…..

Baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken, the puff was buttery, warm and light, and the small abalone on top was packed with flavours and had an attractively chewy texture. The dim sum was then glazed in a sweet, light sauce…..

Deep fried frog legs…..

the frog legs are garnished with fried anchovies……

Steamed Shanghainese pork dumplings with scallops, Lung King Heen is rather famous for their Steamed Shanghainese Pork Dumplings with Scallops – not for the actual dumpling itself, but for the adorable little rack which the pork dumpling is held in. The wrapper was thin and smooth (note for my non-Chinese friends: wrappers for Shanghainese pork dumplings are meant to be thin, whereas wrappers for other types of dumplings, such as Cantonese shrimp dumplings, can be thicker), and the pork and scallops inside the dumplings were smooth and flavourful. The inventive spark of this dumpling was in the addition of scallops – scallops will not be found in traditional Shanghainese dumplings.

Mini greens in vegetable consommé…..

Shanghainese style spare ribs with egg noodles…..

Steamed Rice wrapped in lotus leaf…..

Petite-fours after the meal, sesame puffs and coffee pudding…..

It was a delicious and satisfying dim sum luncheon, with splendid food, warm, attentive staff and a magnificent sea view, Lung King Heen is simply a notch above other Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. I sure hope to visit this place again soon!

Lung King Heen | Podium 4, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central | 3196 8880 |

After lunch, we stopped by Petite Amanda Patisserie, which is tucked away in a corner in between the Apple Store and Starbucks. To be honest, it looks more like a counter than a pastry shop and is directly opposite to 2 lifts which is a little weird. Petite Amanda does have seating but it looks like the mall manager has just given them some dead space within the mall rather than a dedicated enclosure. I suppose that’s the sacrifice one has to make to get the top-notch location of IFC.

Petite Amanda is owned by ex-model Amanda Strang. Amanda is half French half Chinese and as far as I know, in 2005, she put a hold on her modeling career and jetted back to Paris to enroll at the famed Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts school. She did her first internship at Caprice with chef Ludovic Douteau (now executive pastry chef at The Peninsula). After Caprice, she interned at renowned pastry house Ladurée. And after Ladurée, she travelled to the boutique shop of Jacques Genin. It was at Genin’s where she learned the fundamentals of running one’s own pastry business. So, around Summer in 2011, Armanda S. started the Petite Amanda Patisserie…..

Amarina (lower left), pistachio mousse and cherry jelly, with a mini cherry macaron on top. Mont Blanc (lower right), chestnut jelly and vanilla mousse…..

Mango tart (right) with sweet mango slices over a crispy tart filled with creamy custard, Delice aux Framboises (left), white chocolate mousse underneath a raspberry coat…..

Overall, I find the food quality decent, with room for improvement in flavor matching – I noticed the chef likes to use light, refreshing flavors, with too much gelatin in the mousse. One notable point is that Amanda did graduate from le Cordon Bleu superieure in 3rd place. Other chefs in Hong Kong had also mentioned that Amanda worked very hard during her internship at Caprice (there is no secret in this industry, I guess!), which is something worth-respecting when many other celebrities treat culinary school as a pastime rather than a real education.

Petite Amanda | Shop 2096, Podium Level 2, IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View Street, Central | http://www.petiteamanda.com/

回去走走熟悉的路…
呼吸屬於自己的空氣…
走走自己一起長大的海邊…

Lei Yue Mun 鯉魚門- During the first couple of days I arrived in Hong Kong, Alice and I went for a quick lunch across the harbour at Lei Yue Mun. A little introduction about this place – Lei Yue Mun is the eastern gate into the Victoria Harbour, hence it serves an important trade route in and out of the South China Sea. By definition the “Lei Yue Mun” area covers both the Hong Kong Island side, with its strategic vantage point for military purposes (hence that’s where you’ll find the Hong Kong Coastal Defence Museum) and Kowloon side, with its bustling seafood market where Hong Kong-ers traded their catch of the day for ages.

The unmistakable arch, where the Lei Yue Mun village begins…..

Broadwalk along the cove…..

The water front, it does felt like as if you have stepped back in time, the rustic, unhurried lifestyle of the old Hong Kong…..

Perhaps it was midday when we visited during winter; the many fishing boats weren’t busy and the few fishermen we saw were tending broken nets and washing their vessels. It was all quaint, which is kind of hard to believe since it is situated well within reach by the MTR network…..

These old buildings on the right, connected by a maze of alleyways, which amazingly, won’t get you hopelessly lost…..

Living up to its name as the trading post for seafood in Hong Kong, the covered alleyways of Lei Yue Mun was crammed with all manners of seafood shops; selling all sorts of seafood. The variety was mind-boggling, even for a seafood lover like yours truly. It almost felt like being in an aquarium…..

Apart from the endless seafood stalls, there were also stalls selling nuts (cashew, walnuts, peanuts), floss meat and precious stones. Our restaurant is here. The custom at Lei Yue Mun was this; you pick and pay for the seafood of your choice at one of the many stalls before bringing it to a restaurant. The chef, then, will cook your seafood the way you like it, charging you on a per head basis plus drinks and service charge…..

Upstairs is more airy and bright…..

First course – Steamed scallops with green onions, red pepper and glass noodles…..

Black bean paste steamed “tube scallops”…..

Salt n’ pepper shrimp…..

Spicy peppered giant “mantis shrimp”…..

Lettuce in oyster sauce…..

Steamed garoupa in sweet soy sauce…..

Mini-abalone…..

So meaty and kinda cute……

Ending the luncheon with Fried sticky rice……

One last gaze at Lei Yue Mun, on the left with newer residential towers, and on the right side with the quaint fishing village; what a stark contrast……

To the ferry pier back to Hong Kong side…..

Taking a look back, Lei Yue Mun on the rightside back drop…..

Victoria Harbour looking westerly. The short trip towards Sai Wan Ho pier on Hong Kong side took at most five minutes, before you disembark right into the midst of East SoHo with its upscale restaurants. Back into modern day Hong Kong…..

That’s Hong Kong, where the old meets the new in a fusion of east meets the west. Lei Yue Mun as a whole was a good outing, especially because it was so conveniently accessible for a short hop!

Xangans Hong Kong Eats- After Tim Ho Won dim sum brunch (and then seeing Chris off at the metro station), me + my brother + @rudyhou headed up to the top floor of IFC Mall where the Agnes b Cafe is located, we had a mini dessert break with latté and pastry…..

A trio of pastries…..

Fruity flavor with a hint of lemon…..

Chocolate crust, pistachio cake filling…..

Afterwards, we stopped by Tasty Congee & Noodle Wonton Shop for a small snack. This popular eatery was awarded “Bib Gourmand” distinction in the Michelin Guide……

The interior was nicely decorated…..

Their delicious wonton, perfectly sized, immersed in a bowl of clear broth…..

Seafood congee, with slices of fresh fish, squid, dried fish skin, peanuts…..

Fish head congee, surprisingly very tasty…..

Stir fried Chinese broccoli…..

Later, we joined up with other Xangans for afternoon tea at 1881 Heritage, which is a former Marine Police Headquarters Compound and is now redeveloped into a hotel and retail complex.

The menu…..

We ordered three Afternoon Tea Sets…..

The Sweets Plate is quite savory, with a decent sample of desserts…..

On another night, we had another Xangan dinner at The Pawn. Also, please check out @christao408 for his entry. The Pawn is an English gastropub, with the restaurant and bar located on the upper floors, and the only way up to the pub upstairs is through a small lift or a little doorway and up some narrow stairs. The building was built in the 1920s and used to be a pawn shop for years. It is one of the few existing old buildings in the Wanchai district. Its location on Johnston Road which at one point was very near the coastline and there have been a series of land reclamation schemes through the years which have meant the coast has moved away significantly from this spot now.

From the Headchef,”I insist on the freshest greens and seasonal fruit. Around 80% of the produce we use is organic, with free-range poultry, sustainable fish and Grade-A meat & game. British cooking has moved with the times and can be just as refined as that of France or Italy.”

A glimpse of the inside from our balcony table…..

Bread plate/board…..

Starter – Organic beets, with ricotta cheese, sliced pear, pistachio, sunflower seeds, dandelion leaves…..

Starter – Roast chicken risotto, thyme & sage crumble, quail egg & sweet onion…..

Carved at the table to share – Naturally reared Cedar River sirloin with sage slow-roasted onions / duck fat roasted potatoes, gravy, cauliflower & Montgomery cheddar bake, Yorkshire puddings…..

Hanger steak, smoked onion mash, baby gem, peppercorn sauce, roasted bone marrow…..

Roast whole young chicken with smoked garlic & marjoram…..

Large serving of Roast chicken risotto, thyme & sage crumble, quail egg & sweet onion…..

My plate with cheddar bake in halves & gravy, delicious…..

Dessert – Eton Mess – toasted meringue, raspberry sorbet, clotted cream & Thai basil…..

Chocolate Fudge Pudding – malt chocolate sorbet, toasted marshmallow…..

Treacle Tart, with blood orange jelly…..

Melon & Strawberry – watermelon, white chocolate, strawberry sorbet & granola…..

View of the tram track and nearby buildings from our table…..

A very sumptuous dinner indeed and definitely one of my rare chances of trying English cuisine. Overall, The Pawn is sure worth a second try on my future visits to Hong Kong. As with the Xangan meals we had in the past few days, it had been a very full and filling experience, I hope we could do it again soon!

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