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The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G.K. Chesterton

Thursday 27 October 2011

A visit to the wet market

Earlier this week, I brought my parents (visiting HK for a few weeks) to the nearest wet market, which is inside the Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building. Hubby and I discovered this wet market almost a year ago soon after we'd moved to this apartment, and even worked up enough courage to eat a super-cheap meal in the "Cooked Foods" level of the building (we drew quite a lot of attention as hubby was the only Caucasian in sight and our boy was the only kid in the area). We had our toddler with us at the time, so we didn't explore the wet market, but this week I finally got to see just how wet this wet market was. The wet market occupies the first two storeys of the building, and each level had been split into two to yield four levels. The first two sub-levels were for meat and fish, and the remaining two sub-levels were occupied by fresh fruit and vegetable vendors and packaged foods wholesalers.

It's called the wet market for a reason:

I spent the first decade of my life in Malaysia where I'd often accompany my parents to the wet market, so I am quite familiar with what they are and how they function, but I must be spoilt with the neat, air-conditioned and sanitised set-up in supermarkets because I found myself tiptoeing gingerly through the area and making sure I wasn't touching anything. I saw the furry hooves of some animal and the remains of a cow's head (at least I think it was a cow - kinda hard to tell with just the skeleton). And the floor was very wet - everyone I saw (but us) had rubber boots on, but I doubt that a sound OHS system is in effect here. My parents had previously been to the wet market in North Point and they said that the Kwun Chung market was definitely wetter.

Parents buying some kangkung from a vendor:

We saw some kangkung (aka water spinach, morning glory), and my parents had to buy some after finding out that it cost less than 1/6th than at the gourmet supermarket I usually get my groceries from. Except that it's usually not on the shelves at the supermarket. I let my dad make the transaction as his Cantonese ability is infinitely better than my non-existent one.

Our purchase on top of an old school weighing scale:

We also had a look at the street market stalls on the nearby Bowring Street, then my parents returned back to the Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building to have lunch at the same food court mentioned above while I went home to collect my son from the school bus. That night my mum cleaned, trimmed and cooked a simple stirfry dish of the kangkung using onion, garlic and chili flakes, and it disappeared very quickly off the plate.

I love vegetables, but kangkung the most of all:

Tuesday 25 October 2011

HK Disneyland Revisit, and Plaza Inn Restaurant

I said it last time, I'll say it again: Disneyland is so much better when you bring along a little child for the experience. It's even better when you go on a weekday - no crowd to deal with nor endless queues to wait in. We wanted to bring our son to Hong Kong Disneyland for his 3rd birthday because he's gotten to the age where he could better appreciate Disneyland (at least compared to last December when we first brought him there), and also because we knew he'd love the treat. (Yes, we also threw a party for him, which would normally be enough for a birthday, but we had last year's lack of celebration to make up for.) So hubby took a day off on Tuesday last week, and together with my parents, we all spent a day at Disneyland enjoying the rides, watching the shows and eating a surprisingly good meal at one of the restaurants. We did much more than what the photos below show, but I only took photos of the rides and shows that we missed last time. The shows were fabulously performed and the rides were fun enough, and the weather was uncharacteristically fine and sunny - all made for a great day out.

A Mickey Mouse-shaped hedge near the entrance, complete with pumpkins to go with the current Halloween theme:

The boy was delighted to ride Dumbo, one of the few rides we missed last time:

Saying hello to Buzz. The boy loves Buzz, but he was pretty terrified of this one, and this was the only shot of him not wearing a scared expression:

The Golden Mickeys musical, in the style of the Golden Globes:

The "Flights of Fantasy" parade, commemorating HK Disneyland's 5th year:

The Pooh bear part of the parade procession stopped in front of us for a few minutes, and we were treated to a Tigger dance performance. I thought those springy stilts were great!

Festival of the Lion King performance - amazing voices, fabulous dancing and fantastic costumes:

By 6:30pm, I was done and would have been more than happy to head home, but we decided to stay on for the nightly fireworks show since we only had to wait only 1 hour, which was 1.5 hours earlier than the time scheduled on weekends and holidays. We wandered over to Plaza Inn Restaurant, which serves Chinese food, checked that they could accommodate the boy's allergies, and sat down for a quick bite. Service was pretty good and prompt, and it was thoughtful when one of the waitstaff came over to the table at 7:20pm and queried if we'd intended to watch the fireworks, so that we could settle the bill before we finished eating. The food was surprisingly pleasant, and not as expensive as I expected it to be. Hubby declared that it was the best food he's ever eaten at a theme/amusement park. The food was quite tasty, and I liked the "No MSG" policy.

Chicken fried rice for the boy, sans soy, sesame and nuts:

No dinner is complete without some vegetables, so we ordered a plate of Stirfried Mixed Vegetables:

The Stirfried Beef and Vegetables was yummy:

My mum was craving for some sea cucumber, and the plate of Sea Cucumber with Chicken and Mushrooms had plenty of sea cucumber in it. Hubby is not a big fan of sea cucumber (nor anything else he thinks has a slimy texture), which meant more for everyone else:

We joined the crowd of people already waiting for the fireworks, and settled down near the restaurant where the castle was visible. Unfortunately my camera battery went flat before the fireworks started, so I have no photos to show of it. The fireworks display was very good, and everyone - big and small - enjoyed it thoroughly. It was our first time staying so late at Disneyland, and I must admit that the fireworks was well worth the long day.

The Tinker Bell Castle Illumination was very pretty:

Friday 21 October 2011

Peking Duck @ Spring Deer, Hong Kong

Peking duck is one food I've missed eating since we moved overseas from Perth more than 5 years ago - partly due to the lack of good Chinese restaurants in Japan, but mostly because we no longer have the numbers from our family to enjoy a whole duck. We had a good Peking duck dinner last year in Sydney when we visited my Sydneysider sisters, but it had been years beforehand since we'd eaten Peking duck. My parents are visiting Hong Kong at the moment, so we took the opportunity of the extra family members to go and enjoy a Peking duck at Spring Deer. This northern Chinese restaurant has been a favourite in HK for more than 40 years, and it is most famous for its specialty: honey-glazed Peking duck. Spring Deer is listed in almost every guide books (including the Michelin guide), and I found it to be quite foreigner-friendly, with both English-speaking staff and English menu available. Its location one floor above ground level inside an unassuming building meant that we had to keep a bigger eye out for signs, but we had no trouble finding the restaurant at all.

Follow the sign:

Spring Deer is not a super-fancy restaurant, and the decor looked like it hasn't changed much since it opened in the '70s. Even the experienced staff look like they've been working at Spring Deer for years, and there wasn't a fresh-faced young waiter to be seen anywhere on the dining floor. Service was affable and efficient, and the 3-year-old got quite a bit of attention from our waiter. The menu was quite extensive, with three sizes available for each dish depending on the number of diners at the table - something that more restaurants should adopt to accommodate small groups and couples. The manager was happy to take note of our boy's allergies, and got the kitchen to prepare a plate of fried rice that was free from the allergens. It's a good thing our son loves to eat fried rice because that is what we always order for him whenever we go to Chinese restaurants as it is an easy way to get carbs, protein and veg in him (although fried rice could always do with more veg, in my opinion).

Fried Rice with prawns, roast duck, chicken, egg and not much vegetables at all. It was tasty, but it was a generous serving, and we adults had trouble helping the boy finish the plate because the duck was quite filling:

I love my meat, but I can't live without greens. Here's a yummy plate of stirfried Shanghai bakchoy, broccoli and long beans:

Moments before the pièce de résistance was served to our table, a chef had to slice up the duck flesh:

The pancake and condiments to go with the duck. The pancakes were thicker than what I'm used to (apparently a negative for many food reviewers), but I thought the thickness was actually a good thing because the duck was served with both the flesh and skin, and hence required a more substantial base both for wrapping strength and the taste. The thin pancakes are better suited for skin only, and wouldn't have worked as well here:

One duck yielded two plates like this - plenty for 4 adults:

This is how I typically assemble my pancake and duck meat, which I then fold up and eat like a spring roll. I really enjoyed it - the crispy duck skin, succulent flesh, the aromatics of the scallion, the crunchiness of the cucumber, and the savoury sweetness of the sauce were all held together in perfect harmony by a slightly doughy pancake:

We all enjoyed the Peking duck, but the four of us had a little trouble finishing the whole thing, so I was glad that it didn't come with the extra courses like we're used to. We could order the extra dishes (sang choy bau (lettuce parcels with mince duck) and duck soup) if we'd wanted to, but we opted to just take home the leftover duck carcass, which we used for soup and stirfry for dinner the following day. Lunch came to under HK$600 for 4 adults and 1 toddler, which was pretty good value for the quality we got.

This place gets fully booked weeks in advance for dinner on the weekend, so reservations are highly recommended.

Spring Deer
1st Floor
42 Mody Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel. +852 2366 4012 / 2366 5839

Wednesday 19 October 2011

A Marble Cake and a Space Shuttle Cake for the birthday boy

My son turned 3 on Saturday, and I did more cake baking last week than in the past year! The boy's kindy had asked me to kindly bring a cake so that his class could celebrate his birthday, and I baked a Choc-Vanilla Marble Cake using this joyofbaking recipe. There was another kid in class who shared the same birthday as my son, and my homebaked cake looked rustic and not as pretty as the store-bought ones that the other mum had brought. Most mums in HK are too busy to bake, and to be honest - given how busy I was last week - I would probably have been happy to buy a cake from the store, but the boy has so many food allergies that it just wasn't an option. It was my first time baking a marble cake, and I was so glad to see it did indeed have a marbled effect when the cake was cut in class. The teacher and helpers appreciated the homebaked effort, and they were happy that Zak could finally eat a birthday cake in class!

The whole marble cake on the cooling rack:

My little piece in a yellow plastic bowl in my son's classroom:


We also had a party to celebrate the boy's birthday, and I baked and decorated a space shuttle-themed cake for the party. I used the same basic butter cake recipe as the marble cake to bake a chocolate cake, made some orange-flavoured buttercream using orange oil, and used the template from this Betty Crocker recipe to cut and decorate the sheet cake into a space shuttle shape. I'd chosen this theme because my son has a special interest in space (recently I overheard him correctly name all the planets in the solar system, by memory and in perfect order - I still get the planets in the wrong order myself!), and I must admit it was no small feat, especially when I already had plenty on my plate preparing for my parents arrival and organising the party. It was my first time dabbling in cake decoration (beyond simple icing), and it really was rewarding to see all the pieces come together. I don't think I've ever used so much butter for a cake before!

The chocolate sheet cake baking in the oven, the largest piece I've ever baked. It's also the largest size that can fit in this table-top oven:

The finished product, from the top. I used glacé cherries, jelly beans and gummy lollies for the final touches:

View from the side (note the strategically placed candles, a suggestion that hubby and I thought were brilliant):

Now that the cake baking projects are done, I can say that it was a fun experience. I've certainly learnt a lot about frostings, and am no longer apprehensive about decorating cakes.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Thai @ Thai Paradise, Hong Kong

I have been extremely busy preparing for my parents' arrival in Hong Kong and my son's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. My mind is on overdrive at the moment with so many things still left to do on my to-do list, and the rainy weather is not helping (outdoor BBQ party planned for Saturday, you see). Perhaps writing in my blog will help me relax and catch my breath (even if it can only be done in bits and pieces over a couple of days). Blogging about a yummy meal is sure to help, therapeutic even. The said yummy meal to took place at a small oft over-looked Thai restaurant. We must have gone past Thai Paradise countless times when we took the Mid-levels escalator, yet somehow we'd never taken notice of it even though the restaurant's first floor location is at the same level with the base of the escalator. We had a discount voucher for Thai Paradise, courtesy of hubby's office, and that was the only reason we became aware of its existence. The food was good, so I am doing my duty to let other people know about this restaurant.

Simple but pleasant decor, but not a big fan of the exposed ceiling. We weren't the only ones with a young child, and in fact as we were leaving, a second family with a sleeping baby strapped in a baby carrier arrived for a meal. The lack of crowd was a blessing in disguise for those of with sleeping bubs:

Thai Paradise is not a fancy restaurant, but the service and food more than made up for that. The waitress was such a lovely lady who did her best to accommodate the boy's food allergies. The menu had a decent variety of dishes, and it took us awhile to decide what we wanted to eat.

Plain fried rice with chicken without nuts, soy and sesame, for the toddler. Simple but well-seasoned and very tasty. It could do with some vegetables:

Hubby chose Beef Stirfry with Mango. I loved the colours on this plate! The tender beef pieces and soft mango flesh were a nice textural contrast to the crunchy vegetables and cashews. Enjoyable dish:

I ordered the Grilled Salted Fish. The crisp charred skin gave way to reveal tender and moist flesh underneath. The fish was fragrant with lemongrass and herbs - another simple but good dish. I don't think the heavily-salted skin was meant to be consumed:

Water Spinach with belacan (aka Kangkung Belacan - my all-time favourite greens!). I liked this one better than the one at Good Satay:

Dessert was Sticky Rice with Coconut and Mango - duo of lightly sweetened white and black glutinous rice with a generous drizzle of coconut cream, served with sweet mango. This was the highlight of the meal. The white glutinous rice layer reminded me of a Nonya kuih called kuih salat (aka seri muka, or more traditionally, gading galoh), and it had me aching for my favourite childhood snacks:

We enjoyed our meal, and the window tables are great for people-watching!

Thai Paradise
1/F, Jade Centre
98 Wellington Street
Central
Tel. +852 2815 5926

Friday 7 October 2011

French @ Café de Paris, Hong Kong

I have a little obsession with European food at the moment. Last week after having lunch in Soho, we walked past a little bistro called Café de Paris, and their lunch menu at the window looked quite enticing and very affordable. So on the weekend past, we once again braved the narrow streets and busy sidewalks of Soho - something that we will do many more times, judging by the number of restaurants we want to try - and made our way inside the peace and quiet of a Parisian-style eatery.

The bustling street seemed so far away at the very back of the restaurant, by the bar:

We were greeted by a Chinese waitress, and I must admit that part of the French illusion dissipated when I realised that I wasn't going to be served by a cute waiter with a French accent. More of that magic disappeared when I saw that the chef was Asian, and that the bread rolls were pulled from a packet (I'd asked if the rolls were safe for our boy to eat due to his food allergies, and was shown the bread packaging for ingredients). However, I do not hold these against the restaurant because I understand that this is how they keep their costs down, and there won't be any complaints from us as long as the food is good. We'd already counted it a good thing that the kitchen was willing to accommodate the boy's food allergies for all the dishes they prepared on-site. I really liked the French bistro-eque decor, and the atmosphere was cozy and comfortable. Service was adequate, but I felt that there was room for improvement. There were two lunch sets offered (for HK$98 and HK$218), and both included no less than four courses, with a choice from four different main courses, plus coffee/tea. The main course dishes from the more expensive set are from the a la carte menu, which I assume is what they normally serve for dinner at a much elevated price.

We both liked the look of the Spiced Duck Breast with Crispy Polenta, Creamy Spinach and Red Wine Jus on the HK$98 lunch set and the Mussel Marinière with House Fries from the HK$218 menu, so we got one of each and shared. Our appetisers, soup and dessert were the same, so we only had to exchange plates once. The boy was happy grazing from both our plates - loving the bread dipped in the soup, enjoying the duck and mussels, but he was most keen on the homemade fries, which was probably the second time in his whole life eating them.

The Appetiser of the Day - duck (or was it chicken?) breast salad. Fresh vegetables, and lightly dressed:

Soup of the Day - cream of cauliflower. Tasty and easy on the palate, perfect with bread and not too rich:

Mussels Marinière with House Fries - plump and fresh mussels cooked in a simple herbs and butter sauce. The homemade fries were pleasantly not greasy, and came piping hot straight from the fryer to the table:

Spiced Duck Breast with Crispy Polenta, Creamy Spinach and Red Wine Jus - tender meat, lots of spinach and a good sauce. I liked it, but hubby thought the duck flavour was different to how he remembered duck meat to taste:

Dessert of the Day - Strawberry Pannacotta. The pannacotta was quite light, and quite tasty. We both ordered cappuccino for an additional HK$10:

Café de Paris may not be the most authentic French restaurant, but we enjoyed our lunch in this cozy little restaurant. And the bill was easy on the wallet, which is always a good thing.

Café de Paris
23 Elgin Street

Soho, Central
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2810 0771

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Super-simple Orange Honey Roast Chicken

I am reluctant and a little embarrassed posting this recipe up because of its simplicity, containing no more than 4 ingredients (5, if you include the oil for oiling the baking pan). However, one of the most important things I've learnt since becoming a mother is not to shun a simple recipe, especially if it is a good one. And I'm sure there are many of you out there who would appreciate simple but delicious way of making food that keeps everyone happy. Most of the work in this recipe comes from juicing the orange and chopping the garlic, which really is no effort at all. The citrus acid is great for tenderising the chicken and orange flavour goes very nicely with poultry (the French knew that when they introduced the old classic Duck a l'Orange to the rest of the world). The honey adds a subtle sweetness that also helps caramelise the chicken to a beautiful golden brown during the roasting process. Add some roast vegetables to cook with the chicken, and you have an easy and healthy meal. Hubby and the toddler loves it whenever I cook this, which is great because it takes almost no effort at all!

Super-simple Orange Honey Roast Chicken


Ingredients

1kg chicken pieces (about 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs)

Marinade
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
Some oil for oiling the baking pan

Method

1. Combine the marinade in a large unreactive container (I use a glass bowl). Place the chicken in the bowl and mix the marinade well with the chicken.


2. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (overnight is best, but I usually manage with only a few hours because some days I plan what's for dinner after visiting the supermarket in the morning).

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced) / 220°C (conventional) .

4. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large, lightly oiled baking pan, and roast the chicken in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Voila, a yummy chicken dish for your enjoyment!