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June 19, 2011

Song of the Day

Eating Around in L.A. – ONDAL 2 - we ventured into this Koreantown eatery known for their spicy korean crab soup, kkot geh tang (꽃게탕). Korean “kkote geh” or flower crab, is a popular crab cultured in Asia and offers a flesh that is more generous than Atlantic or Maryland blue crab but more flavorful than Dungeness crab which is quite popular here on the West Coast. Ondal 2 specializes in special stews and soups of this wonderful crab in a bright and spacious restaurant. Generally the smallest order of the kkote geh tang, or brothy stew, serves three to four, and considering that we are having five hungry people here, we decided to share the five-crab order which is considered as a medium order.

A very generous spread of banchan, or side dishes, came with our meal…..notable ones were the raw sliced sweet potato, potato salad, sweet seaweed dust, octopus, egg custard, and a whole mackerel pike fish…..

The first part of our meal was the stew with stuffed crab shells. Mushrooms and bitter greens added flavor while the spicy broth was absolutely delicious. One of the waiters prepares the crab pieces for us. Pretty much all of the cooking, while done on the tabletop, was done by the staff, who were very timely and professional. They then stir in kong-nah-mul or young bean sprouts, which soak up the broth and get to a translucent tender in just a few minutes of simmering in the broth. The crab pot is excellent – succulent and flavorful.

Here at Ondal 2, they only use female crabs. The server takes the crab shell and begins to add crab roe, rice and bean sprouts into the shell. And tops it off with a nice shot of crab-flavored soup from the hot pot.

For the last part, using mainly the broth and other solid ingredients of the stew, the staff creates a delicious fried rice or bokeumbap, the best way to savor every last bit of flavor from the soup. Kimchi is added while additional broth is ladled in to keep it moist. Meanwhile, we finish off the rest of the crab pieces that were floating around and removed from the stew. The rice starts to get crispy on the bottom. This crispy bottom is a gourmand’s delight (ask any paella-lover).

Overall the meal is very delicious, though perhaps a larger order should be had for groups of 5. Every part of the meal was a wonderful iteration of the flower crab’s flavors, which was fresh, pristine, spicy, and rich. Cost is around $25 per person, which is reasonable, though not particularly a bargain for Koreatown. Still, for a once-in-a-while treat (and culinary adventure), there are very few places much better than Ondal 2.

ONDAL 2 | 4566 W Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 | (323) 933-3228
2:04 pm

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June 12, 2011

Song of the Day

Eating Around in L.A. – Summer is around the corner! Time to wine and dine out again! LUKSHON - a new establishment tucked inside the Helm’s Bakery Complex in Culver City. This joint is an edgy, grownup restaurant serving Asian-ized small plates menu, very much the new taste of Los Angeles cuisine.

We were seated at the kitchen counter with a great view of the action…..

Cocktail – Fujian Cure – isle of Skye 8yr Scotch, lemon, galangal, lapsang and soughing tea; an intriguing drink, with a marked citrus tinge (lemon and galangal), intertwined with the bitterness of Scotch, I love the bit of candied ginger too…..

Baby Monterey squid – Chiangmai pork sausage, candlenut, mint and rau ram…..

Duck popiah – cilantro stems, pickled jicama, house-made hoisin chile sauce…..

I was under the weather, this Chicken dumplings soup has good tasty broth with a boiled egg in it too…..

X.O. Rice – jasmine rice, house-made X.O. sauce, long beans and egg…..

Yu Choy Sum – aged ham, Shoxing wine and garlic; …..

Dessert is complimentary – (front) Mango pana cotta with coconut tapioca and black sesame shortbread; (back) Kiwi soup with jasmine, pineapple, Beijing yogurt; two completely opposite tastes, a dish with the refreshing tartness of yogurt versus the sweetness of coconut and mango…..

I have never had anything quite like the dish of tiny bulbs of squid stuffed with Chiangmai sausage, as well as most of the other dishes in the menu, which do not appear in any known cuisine. But what matters is that they are very delicious! LUKSHON exceeded my expectations with flying colors. Dishes were bold, lustily flavored, and though not 100% authentic, very true to their Southeast Asian roots. This joint is a great addition to the neighborhood, and I think it will do very well indeed!

LUKSHON | 3639 Helms Avenue, Culver City | lukshon.com

May 15, 2011

Song of the Day

下一站。澳門!
人生的場景就僅是匆匆而過…
有時往回頭看, 也許現在的自己也會認不出以前的自己?

HONG KONG (Final Act) – Macau – Mom got a surprise installed for us during our last days of the trip. She bought us show tickets to the House of Dancing Water and a one night stay at the Venetian Hotel. I’ll always welcome all inclusive free trips! We started early in the morning leaving by turbo-jet, which took a little bit less than two hours arriving into Macau.

After settling down into our hotel room, we headed out and munched at one of the highly acclaimed old-time Macau restaurants, near the downtown business district…

Lunch was ox tail stew and vegetables….

Found a chicken foot in my bowl of rice porridge. Roast chicken and potatoes (background). The lunch was really not that good at all…..

Afterwards, we wandered around the city, snapping up photos of touristy spots…..

The stunning facade of the new Casino Lisboa…..

Found a small cafe to rest our feet…..

We continued onto the crowded alleys with snack stores selling the local delicacies…..

Yum….all sorts of dried meat…pork and beef jerky…..

Approaching the Ruins of St. Paul, there are so many snack shops along the way…..

More munchies…..

Later on the night, we arrived at the Dancing Water Theatre…..

The stage has a retractable cover, concealing the huge pool underneath…..

Taken on the morning of departure, view from our room, apparently there are other developments underway nearby….

Our last supper back in Hong Kong, Agnes b Le Pain Grille on Leighton Road. It was b’s last few weeks at this location, as the restaurant is going to relocate around the SOHO district…..

Appetizers…..

Main courses…..

Dessert…..

(It was a tiring but enjoyable trip so far. Thanks W for most of the fabulous photos in this entry. The lighting was less than ideal but the photos came out great afterall!)

April 10, 2011

Song of the Day

好．久．不．見
就這樣意外的撞見, 我登時啞口無言…
看著你那熟悉的臉, 回憶一幕幕翻過眼前…
你最後那一句話, 應該只是客套吧…

YAY!! Spring is finally around the corner! And I’m coming out of hibernation. What have I been doing these past couple of months? Not much, just some house cleaning…trying out a couple of new restaurants…finished my tax return…and a few lame chores here and there. That’s it. This entry is a continuation of the last one, trying to finish off my long overdue blog of the Hong Kong (Five-part series) trip.

HONG KONG (part 4) – “Disneyland” – The ‘happiest place on Earth’ opened in 2005, and consists of only four themed areas: Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland. When compared to the Disneyland in L.A. (Anaheim), the Hong Kong park is seriously lacking some punch. Not to worry though, by 2014, Hong Kong Disneyland will include a total of seven themed lands with the addition of Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point and Toy Story Land as an expansion of the park.

Everything (well, almost) in this place is about the Mouse…..

Before entering Snow White’s Castle, there’s a roundabout where you can catch the bus for a ride down Main Street…..

Joy riding in ‘Autopia’, with Space Mountain in the backdrop…..

Somebody is obviously unaware of the road ahead…..

The Jungle Cruise…..

A different view of Tomorrowland…..

This place serves pretty okay Chinese cuisine…..

I like the colorful lanterns…..

Set lunch – I found the animal shaped dim-sum very interesting to look at, but the taste is somewhat less than appealing…..

Rabbit (some sort of marshmellow), rat (sweet n’ creamy inside), porcupine (crispy dough with red bean paste), with the rest consisting of gold fishes, squid, etc…..

It was a fun half-day adventure, photo-op with the characters is a must-do…..

Afternoon tea at Intercontinental Hotel, Tsim-Tsa-Tsui – After an active morning, it’s time to relax our tiring soles, the lobby inside the Intercontinental Hotel is just the right place.

The fabulous harbour view at close range, while high-teaing…..

The lobby lounge gets crowded quickly, with tables on the right side filled up first…..

The multi-tiered pastry tray, you need a strong arm to move it around…..

Warm scones are very delicious with cream and jelly…..

An assortment of mini-sandwiches quelled my hunger after that light meal at Disneyland…..

Mini pasteries are mostly run-of-the-mill flavors…..

Rasberry n’ creme sandwich…..

We ordered the regular Afternoon Tea Set, the final tab was around US$60, including service charge. It was a dear meal afterall, but totally worth it, considering the seating is very limited and we grabbed a very good table with a fablous harbour view. I’d love to come back again in my upcoming Hong Kong visits! (My many thank-you’s to dear W for the fantastic photos, you did it again!)

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!

January 21, 2011

Song of the Day

A duet by Aarif Lee and Janice, this is a slight departure from the original version by 哥哥 Leslie Cheung, still evoked memories from the 80′s…..

常常在旅途中迷失…
那種猶疑不定的感覺…讓自己錯亂在城市中
自己到底扮演什麼角色…或者我以後要成為什麼樣的人…
不斷不斷的嘗試和跌跌撞撞…

(My heartfelt thank you to W for this fabulous harbour photo, as well as many other photos in this blog, especially the Din Tai Fung’s and Tim Ho Wan’s)

HONG KONG (part 2) – “Tidbits” – one of the perks of staying near CWB (Causeway Bay) on Hong Kong Island is the abundance of good eateries, we can start the eating tour from sunrise until the wee hours at night. The restaurants in my last blog, Cova and Ding Tai Fung, were only a few blocks from where I was staying. One night, after a multi-course meal with my parents and relatives, I wanted some dessert. No problem. Just walk over a bridge towards the direction of Victoria Park and across from the Chinese Recreatin Club (CRC), there lies a couple of small and cozy dessert stops. One of them is “Xiao Tian Gu” which literally means “small and sweet valley”, serving traditional Cantonese sweeties. It was a cold night, so I ordered a “stewed sweet pear”, in which a whole pear is stewed in a sweet concoction of Chinese herbs. A soft and juicy pear bathing in a tub of sweet and pleasant herbal soup, just like home cooking, that sure hit my sweet spot!

W ordered a tapioca pudding infused with kiwi fruit bits and coconut milk, it was equally refreshing…..

The menu (with limited English translation) and a wall of famous clientele…..

The ho-hum exterior…..

SWEET “千口甘” – is another dessert shop just around the corner from “Xiao Tian Gu”. We needed some sugar infusion after a long luncheon, it was still early in the afternoon and there was no wait. I ordered a strwberry flavoured shaved ice, and my brother had a baked custard with red bean and sago…..

I was told the shop utilized a special ice shaving machine to create this special “silky” texture…..

Not too sweet, baked just right but the portion is quite huge for a single serving. Think Creme Brulee+baked egg custard+red bean+sage = super delicious

Outside view / menu on the wall…..

“Tai Ping Koon” Restaurant – is one of the oldest and well established restaurants that serves Hong Kong style Continental cuisine. They have branches located in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Ti and Causeway Bay. The one in Causeway Bay is just a few steps from where we were staying, and is the same place we have been patronizing since junior high school. So, having a meal over there is just like reminiscing back to the good old days.

The interior design has not changed much from the 1970′s, even a few of the waiters have been working at the same place since then / the special menu celebrating their 150th year in business…..

The menu even included a story about their famous “Swiss Chicken Wings”, one of their must-try items…..

Bosch soup / Roast quail…..

Roast squab / Grilled Canadian Angus Ribeye with pepper sauce…..

We waited and waited, for almost forty-five minutes, and we got the largest soufflé in all of Hong Kong. It took up almost the whole table, and everybody in the restaurant was staring at it…..

Man Fai, King of Cuttlefish Balls- was one of our destinations back in 2009. W really like their noodles with the special cuttlefish balls. So, one day on our way back to our place, we stopped by for a quick snack. The restaurant is still crowded even after lunch hour, at four o’clock in the afternoon? Lucky for us, there were a few emprty chairs just when we walked in. W ordered the usual – squid and cuttlefish balls, seaweed with noodle soup, and I had the stewed goose meat on egg noodles.

Goose meat is apparently more meaty than duck, similar to turkey meat…..

All cuttlefish noodle soup…..

Everybody just kept on eating and eating / Simple menu, just nine items…..

Outside is just a street full of eateries…..

Tim Ho Won (添好運)- was again anointed a Michelin one-star in 2011, instantly becoming the CHEAPEST Michelin starred restaurant of the world! Compared with other Michelin-ranked restaurants where a meal can cost more than $400, Tim Ho Won is an excellent value. Tim Ho Wan is headed by a former dim sum chef at Hong Kong’s Four Seasons Hotel, where he worked at its three-starred restaurant Lung King Heen. In 2009, we went to their original smallish restaurant in Mong Kok. Since then, the chef has opened a larger place in Shum Shui Po, which in my opinion, is in the middle of nowhere. I can understand the owner wanted a place a hundred times larger to seat more people, so that we do not need to queue up every time we visit. But why in SSP? Maybe this place will service the inner Kowloon clientele much better. We arrived before noon and got seated in no time, the place was crowded with mostly locals from the neighborhood.

“Shiu-mai” and beef balls with dried Chinese orange peel inside, just tasted so freshly put together and steamed….

Steamed spare ribs and stewed chicken feet in black bean sauce….

Crispy baos with barbeque pork fillings…..

Dessert – jello with sweet Osmanthus pedals inside

The entire meal costs HK$71, which is less than US$9…..

We have to walk several blocks and through a wet market to find this place / While we were walking out at round half past twelve, the entrance was full of patrons waiting for a table.

The appearance and presentation of the dishes was still as shabby as before, but still did not do justice to the calibre of the taste at all. It would help with a few garnishes and dressings here and there. But considering how quickly the dishes are consumed and nobody was complaining about the sloppy presentation. Why fix it ? Even so, I’d definitely return for future bites!

Din Tai Fung- In my last entry, I went to the Din Tai Fung in Causeway Bay. A week has past since that visit, and we were itching for dumplings again. Why not do some shopping and eating in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side? “Good idea, we should eat first and then shop”, W said. Well, for the record, each of the Ding Tai Fung restaurant was awarded one Michelin Star. This particular DTF in Tsim Sha Tsui is inside a shopping arcade, Silvercord, which is also across from a really huge shopping mall – Harbour City. Now, I’m really excited looking forward to eating and shopping!

The entrance has very good lighting / access to the restaurant at the top floor is through an escalator…..

The “kitchen” is at the rear end of the restaurant, out of plain sight…..

Each of the DTFs has one of this “instruction label”, in Chinese, English and Korean (what about Japanese?)

First up, pan fried river prawns. These little shrimp never tasted so fresh and crisp!

Bean sprout leaves are just so tender and tasty…..

Black truffle pork xiao long bao (which costs three times more than the regular ones)…..

Crab roe and pork xiao long bao, these little darlings were just oozing with crab roe oil and soup, waiting for us to eat up in no time…..

While we were happily eating up, I noticed there were only six dumplings in each serving. When compared with the ten dumplings we usually get at the DTF in Los Angeles, we get less value for the food here in Hong Kong. But the quality of the ingredients, texture and taste are far better than the DTF in Los Angeles. Just for that, I don’t mind flying over again for more meals.

January 4, 2011

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting HAPPY 2011!!!!

YAY!! Finally made it back home in Hong Kong. I have already spent one week here, have not accomplished too much, but managed to spend a great deal of time with my parents. Dad is getting progressively weaker since my visit a year ago. His left hand still trembles a bit whenever he is talking or sitting still. My mom is keeping a close tab on his daily habits. Dad is not a talker but I can tell that he is very happy to have his sons close by, having a good meal together. As typical with my annual visits, we always enjoyed dinning and meeting up with family friends and relatives. Here’s a recap of what I did during the past few days.

Cova – this is located inside the Lee Gardens complex and is quite convenient near where I’m staying. The atmosphere is very festive. We had the Christmas Gourmet Dinner there, appetizer include Green Pea Soup with crispy Italian pancetta & brandy crab meat; Fried scampi with flower tempura; Main courses are: Risotto with giant sea scallop, caviar; Tagliolini with quail ragout & crispy duck liver; Roasted lamb loin wrapped with breadcrumb, eggplant and potatoes; Dessert is Nougat parfait with persimmon sauce.

Lung King Heen (龍景軒) – Just sitting at my table looking at the view from atop the Four Seasons Hotel, and gazing at the meditative arrangements of wood and glass dipping into the harbor, that was enough to induce a good appetite. Still, the food is phenomenal. Cups, plates and chopsticks are arranged impeccably. The efficient waiting staff gliding swiftly around your table as if they are on a rail system. I’m pretty sure there are other dim sum places in Hong Kong which have greasier and better tasting dishes. But none are as cool and composed as LKH.

Menu choices are limited, with only 10 dim sum dishes (plus a few daily specials) to choose from….

Fried taro roll / steamed shrimp and vegetable dumplings

“chue-cheung-fun” – bbq pork in steamed rice rolls are soaked in sweet and tasty soy sauce…..

steamed rice with bits of roast pork, dried shrimp, muchrooms, etc. wrapped in lotus leave…..

Hong Kong style “pineapple” buns stuffed with bbq pork…..

A must-have dish – baked whole abalone puffs with diced chicken…..

Plate with bbq pork (left) and roast suckling pig (right)…..

roasted fresh water eel glazed with orange sauce…..

Dessert – assortment of coconut milk custard, jellos and crispy rice cakes…..

I need a cold treatment, so this is what I got – coffee caramel custard, served with a small dose of coconut milk…..

A very satisfying and delicious dim sum lunch indeed! I dare not look at the final tab, my parents took care of the bill before I could lay my eyes on the receipt. “The meal was more expensive than usual” as I was told.

“Lan Fong Yuen” (蘭芳園) – While strolling along Wellington Street in the Central District one early morning, I longed for HK Style breakfast and a cup of hot milk tea. I used to frequent small eateries all over the streets on the Island while I was attending high school here. Finding small mom n’ pop operated tea houses and cafeterias was my ‘hobby’. “Lan Fong Yuen” is a hole-in-the-wall place, specializing in simple and quick HK style dishes.

I think there is a menu in English for “gwei-lo’s” and people who cannot read Chinese…..

The milk tea is so silky smooth, but the bun is just okay…..

The egg omelet with minced beef was very good…..

The breakfast costs only a few US dollars per person. Nowadays, there are dozens of similar and newer establishments all over the city. But just making my way to this place once in a long while is a very notalgic experience.

“Capital Cafe” (華星冰室) – is another HK style cafe located in a side street in the Wanchai District. Unlike Lan Fong Yuen, which has been around since the 1950′s, this place just opened its doors a little bit less than a year ago. The decor is 1980s chic with photos of famous singers of that era.

The menu boasts the milk they use in the milk tea comes from premium milk cows from Japan…..

Omelet with minced beef / club sandwich with ham, cheese, scrambled eggs and tomatoes…..

French toast with a layer of sweet jam in between…..

Outside, the main street slowly bustles to life in the early moring hour / I took this interesting looking tram back….

Din Tai Fung – is just a few blocks from where I’m staying. There are a total of two branches in Hong Kong, the other one is in Tsim Tsa Tsui.

The menu has more extensive choices than that in L.A…..

Appetizer – Peppered cucumbers / duck tongue in soy sauce…..

The regular flavor pork xiao long bao…..

Black truffle pork xiao long bao (which costs three times more than the regular ones)…..

pork and vegetables wonton / steam red bean cake for dessert…..

Overall, the quality of food is very good and we were very impressed with the extra choices on the menu, such as the “Black truffle pork xiao long baos”. I’d like to try the other branch located in Tsim Tsa Tsui too.

November 30, 2010

Song of the Day

每種配料都有它的提味效果…即使原本再不起眼…不重用…集合起來都會是完美的味覺…缺一不可…
不管是朋友還是情人…總有互補或相互牴觸的地方..但只要互相體諒…便能散發最美的芬芳…

Last Thursday, we (well, mostly W) made Thanksgiving dinner from scratch. These are the basic ingredients…..

First, we began with the pumpkin pie…..

Pumpkin puree into the mixing bowl, and then add three eggs, brown sugar, spices…..

And don’t forget to add one cup of half & half, then stir all the ingredients until the texture is nice and smooth…..

The stirred mixture will be poured into the pie crust pan, and then baked for 50 minutes…

Now comes the cranberry sauce. Wash the fresh cranberries, and then boil one cup of orange juice and sugar. Add the cranberries. Stir and heat until pasty.

Mashed Potatoes – boil the chopped potatoes until soft, then add butter and milk. Mash the potatoes until the texture is smooth…..

We have fresh Brussels sprout, and they are still like baby buds on the stalk…

After breaking them off the stalk, wash and boil the sprouts for a few minutes. Also, prepare to saute the Pancetta at the same time…..

Mix in some chopped onions, and then chicken broth, with the Brussels sprouts last…..

This is ready for dinner…..

Ingredients for turkey stuffing. Mix chopped celery, onions, croutns and stuffing mix in a large bowl…..

And then, mix with chicken stock and walnuts until the croutons are soft but not soggy. Then bake for 60 minutes at 425F…

Turkey breast (7 pound), and spices…..

Hand rub the spices underneath and above the skin, all over the turkey breast, until the spices are evenly spread out…..

Then bake for 40 minutes, unitl the skin is brown and crisp…..

Dinner is served…..

Served well done, I suppose…..

The entire course took almost seven hours to prepare, excluding numerous trips to the grocery stores. The total cost was reasonable at approximately US$90, considering how much leftovers we had. The Brussels sprouts only cost us $3 even with such an enormous package! It was a delicious meal after all and we’d not hesitate to do it again on the next Thanksgiving!

October 13, 2010

Song of the Day

‘The Age’ album – Social consciousness is the keyword in Hong Kong pop star Leo Ku’s latest Canto-pop album, which ponders on various social phenomena today besides offering catchy pop tunes like he used to. Each of the 10 tracks on the album is about certain issues prevalent in modern times, particularly in a city like Hong Kong. The haunting lyrics in this track, “Diamond Losers”, encourages the middle-aged single women yet to find luck in love…..

YAY! – it’s the time of the year again. When you hear Wolfgang Puck on the 6 o’clock news, saying,”It’s time to come and eat out at our restaurants! We need you to visit! I have my waiters, line cooks, sous chefs, bus boys, waiting to be fed. If there are no customers, I have to lay them off! So, please come out and dine!”

Eat up! Chow down! Here we come!

Upstairs 2 – located upstairs above L.A.’s largest and most comprehensive wine store (20,000 sf.), the Wine House. While dining at this restaurant, I’m sure there will be no problem picking the perfect wine for dinner. Well, since I’m allergic to alcohol, I only went for a brief tour of the wine shop and had tap water instead. The restaurant serves a Mediterranean-themed menu of tapas or “small plates,” which was enhanced by presenting other dishes, highlighted by seasonal ingredients.

(left) Different brands of beer from all over / (right) wine from every corner of the world is here…..

“Help Yourself” wine tasting room…..

The dining room atmosphere is proper. Dim lighting and the decor has a very 1980′s brown and beige feel…..

The menu – each course has its own wine pairing, which costs an extra $20 per person…..

Menu / small cuts of oven fresh bread, quite a lot of dough for the two of us…..

W had the Lobster Bisque Soup (left) while I tried the Duck Confit Ravioli (right). The delicious soup has huge chunks of lobster meat, a very good value indeed. My Duck Confit is of average portion, but the sauce is quite overwhelming, I felt like overdosed with salt.

(left) Sauteed Pompanao topped with Dungeness Crab did not present too well here. Some other toppings would be nice to minimize the excessive aroma of sea-shore in this dish. My Braised Boneless Pork Shank is the star of this meal, the pork is nicely stewed and super tender, just melts as you bite in, totally make our trip worthwhile.

Lemon Verbena Ricotta Cheese cake is a good roundup…..

Nothing beats a crispy Peanut Brittle Snowball, especially when Vanilla Bean Gelato is involved…..

This is the ideal place to have a proper dinner in a quiet atmosphere (the linen tablecloth, blinds and carpeting did a good job insulating unwanted noises). Now, where to look for that perfect bottle of wine? Downstairs, of course.

Waterloo and City – just opened its doors for a few months, and it has already garnered a huge mass of followers, serving extraordinary gastronomic English pub-like cuisine (that’s what their website states). It was named after the shortest stop of the London Underground. The restaurant is a fairly large space complete with hunting lodge motif wallpaper and dark wood details, with a variety of seating such as the 30-foot-long copper top bar, and a large communal table, rounded out with smaller dinning tables with high-backed wooden chairs. Overall, the atmosphere and ambience make us feel we are in a English pub.

The dineLA menu…..

For starters, we each ordered a small charcuterie platter – Pig Trotters, Sweet Bread, Salsa Verde…..

Rabbit & Pistachio Terrine, and Soused Peaches. Each of these plates comes with pickled mini olives, cucumbers and thin cuts of bologna and smoked ham, what a perfect combo.

W’s Prime Pork Chop was cooked to perfection, but he shunned the Black Pudding on top.

I had the Miso Glazed Salmon, the fish was done beautifully, together with the garnishings and miso sauce, this dish made my day.

W had the Sticky Toffee Pudding, a tried and true British classic that’s hard to resist.

Huckleberry Tart while served warm, slightly crumbly with a scoop of cold espresso ice cream melting on top. The sweetness of the brown butter and the pastry complemented the tart huckleberry flavor perfectly, wasn’t too sweet, the perfect way to end the meal.

We’d definitely like to come back to check out Waterloo & City again, there are just too many interesting items in their regular menu. At least one more order for that warm n’ sticky Toffee Pudding, soaked in sweet toffee sauce. Food orgasm at its best!

Susan Feniger’s STREET – from Topchef Masters fame (and author of numerous cookbooks), Chef Feniger opened STREET in April 2009, to promote traditional handmade street food from around the world. Kaya toast from Singapore? Yes, it’s here. Burmese melon salad? No problem. Syrian lamb meatballs? Got it covered too. Street food in this place represents a kind of brilliant smashup of fast food and regional home cooking. The decor is fun and casual, but since it is located in the rather hip section of the city, you have to expect the ‘non-street-food-price’ items on the ever changing menu.

Outside and inside – L.A. casual chic…..

There is a side patio for al fresco dining / menu cover…..

dineLA menu…..

Mango Lhassi (left) / Tamarind Ginger Cooler (right)…..

Millet puffs – popcorn texture with hints of marshmallow, cereal, dried currants, a sort of indian rice krispy if you will.

Mandoo Vegetable Dumplings – filled with Asian vegetables and sweet potato noodles, served with roasted honey yam and sesame dipping sauce…..

New Jerusalem Bread Salad – all the ingredients just come together, with the boiled egg rounding up a delicious salad…..

Braised Beef Tacos – just a very delicious and huge beef taco, the meat just melts in your mouth…..

Tatsutage Fried Chicken – after one bite, I think of ‘thin and crisp’. Dark meat fried chicken at its best, this would be one of the dishes I’d like to eat on my dying day.

Dark Chocolate Cookies – very chocolate with hints of berries to balance the sweetness…..

Egyptian Basbousa cake – the sourness of the lime curd goes very well with the cake texture, and every little bulbs of blueberry was so fresh and delightful …..

Every plate is fresh and new to us, not just the ingredients, but the concept behind them as well. This is exotic comfort street food at its best! Totally a shockingly unexpected joy for me visiting this place, and I’ll be back!

(Last bite – thank you W for taking the above fabulously huge food porn photos, you make them come alive!)

October 4, 2010

Song/MV of the Day

New mv from 2NE1 – which is nothing short of drama and intrigue. “Go Away….eh, eh, eh ,eh….Go Away….eh, eh, eh, eh….슬픔은 지금 뿐이야, boy…..Cause love is over, love, love is over tonight”. Love that dramatic car race!

Los Angeles Korean Festival – lots of food and goods from Korea, cultural shows, concerts, beer and more. The four-day event ended last Sunday. It was fun hanging out and checking all the booths selling different kinds of interesting stuff.

Food all over….hot and spicy…..

Don’t know what’s in that big pot…I scored a few chicken wings, fried and sauteed with Korean spices….

There were people all over, it was like somewhere in Seoul…..

Even more crowded inside the shopping section / they have Korean toilet seat cover for sale too…..

Some sort of dried fish (left) and a garlic food product in a box set (right)

I was quite hungry afterwards, so we went to Sweet Lady Jane for a take-out – “Princess Cake” – with layers of custard and berries. The tiny roses and leaves are made of whipped cream, while the whole cake is cloaked in marzipan (almond paste) atop a thin layer of vanilla buttercream….

Side view…..

Anyone interested? A noodle joint which we frequent has this annual contest again. I’m not sure how much wonton noodles the winner has to chow down, but I’d love to find out this Saturday.