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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

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Appreciating coffee (art) @ Holly Brown, Hong Kong

Tastebuds can be cultivated to appreciate the finer things in life, and I am living proof of that. Take chocolate as an example: a mere 10 years ago, I'd abhorred the bitter flavour of dark chocolates, wondering why anyone would even want to eat a chocolate that is not sweet. It only took a few tastes of good quality dark chocolates to convert me, and I haven't looked back since (I can no longer stand the sickly sweet stuff they call chocolate with less than 70% cacao, and I can't remember the last time I ate milk chocolate). Coffee is another example: up until 2 years ago I was a coffee-teetotaler, believe it or not. Whilst I'd appreciated the aroma of coffee to be one of the best food smells on earth, its bitterness put me off drinking it. Even after my son was born and I was surviving on only 4 hours of sleep a day for 5 months (I am not exaggerating), I held off coffee because I was breastfeeding. I'm not going to keep it a secret that as soon as my boy had weaned himself, I started relying on the caffeinated energy boost that a cup of coffee every morning gave me to get through part of the day. I have been drawn into the coffee drinking culture, and while I am still no coffee connoisseur, I can certainly appreciate a good cup of freshly roasted and brewed coffee.

Yummy Chocolate Hazelnut Muffin, although the crumbly texture made for some messy eating. I like the simple logo design of the Holly Brown brand:

Last weekend hubby and I enjoyed a rare movie date. As soon as our son was placed in the babysitter's care, we headed for the newly-opened Holly Brown in the mall downstairs. I'd previously listed this coffee store as one of the things to do in Hong Kong, as Holly Brown stores can only be found in HK, and there are only three of them. We discovered that they also serve kopi luwak, but its expensive price tag (HK$280 for a cup, HK$1700 for 100g beans) prevented us from giving it a try - though I'm not sure whether I'd want to try it given the fact that they are some animals' droppings. Holly Brown is where you can get good coffee, and we love the fact that properly trained baristas make the coffee because it means that we can also admire beautiful latte art as we sip the delicious coffee.

The cappuccino:

The mocha:

I also found a video by the Holly Brown team that showcases their baristas' artistic skills:

Holly Brown (Elements)
Shop 1026
1st Floor, Elements
1 Austin Road West
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel: +85 2 28561201 / 28561202

Thursday 24 November 2011

Thai @ Nahm, Vietnamese & Thai (Elements), Hong Kong

It was sad when we had to say goodbye to my parents last week when they left Hong Kong, but I did it the best way I knew how: with a family dinner out on their last night. It was a school night, so I stuck close to home and booked one of the restaurants in the mall downstairs. Knowing my parents' preference for Asian food, I made sure to choose a restaurant that would please them. Nahm serves Vietnamese and Thai dishes in a contemporary manner, and this restaurant is a popular choice for shoppers in this mall.


The setting was quite nice for a mall restaurant, and service was courteous and friendly enough. The food served here is predominantly Thai with only a few obviously Vietnamese dishes (obvious only by the names of the dishes such as 'Hanoi beef noodle soup' and 'Vietnamese prawn paste') - which is not at all surprising because the executive chef hails from Thailand. There are plenty of dishes to choose from, and the selection of Thai curries will please all those coconut curry lovers out there. All the dishes we got were Thai food - I would have loved to introduce my parents to some traditional Vietnamese food (such as bánh xèo) but the Vietnamese selection was very limited. We ordered three dishes and a salad, which proved to be too much for my parents and I (hubby had a work dinner to attend, and the boy ate a packed meal from home due to all the nuts, soy and coconut that would be inevitably present in all the dishes), but it was easy enough to get the leftovers packed in takeaway containers to bring home.

Green Papaya and Mango Salad with Prawns and Crispy Sesame - deliciously crunchy with the right balance of sweet, sour and salty:

Glazed Duck Breast on Grilled Pineapple with Lychee in Thai Basil Curry - the duck meat was overcooked and hence very tough, but the curry was delicious. The lychee and pineapple added a lovely sweetness to the curry (ordered something similar at another Thai restaurant in HK, which I thought was better than Nahm's):

Grilled Sea Bass, Oyster Mushrooms and Green Vegetables in Yellow Curry - the sea bass was flavourful and moist, and the curry was very "lemak" (creamy and rich) due to the coconut milk. I loved the vegetables too:

Roasted Game Hen stuffed with Turmeric, Rice and Lemongrass in Tamarind Chili Yam sauce - this was a winner, I only wish it wasn't the last to arrive at the table when our stomaches were already full and groaning in protest. The sauce was lovely, slightly sweet and salty, and the glutinous rice stuffing was delicious from absorbing all the chicken's juices and the sweet sauce:

It was a good dinner, one that deserves a second visit so that hubby can also try out the food.

Nahm, Vietnamese & Thai
Shop 1044-1045
1st Floor,
Elements
1 Austin Road West
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel. +85 2 2810 7575
Online booking available at tablemap

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Things to do in Hong Kong

We said farewell to my parents last week when they left Hong Kong after visiting for 5 weeks. Their presence made this household more lively, keeping us busier than usual, and it was special having them over for the boy's 3rd birthday and my birthday too. On weekends we went out as a family, but it was more difficult to bring my parents around on weekdays because someone had to be home by 1pm to receive my son when the school bus dropped him off. That didn't stop my parents from exploring HK on their own, and they discovered areas, street markets and ate wonderfully cheap local food that we ourselves haven't had the chance to experience (having a small child - and one with multiple food allergies too - places limits on where we can go and what we can do and eat). Most of our overseas family and friends who visit us in HK weren't as adventurous or as keen to try any local food, especially if the level of hygiene is questionable, and I think that's where most of the cultural experience is lost. It helps a lot that my dad can speak and understand several dialects in Chinese, and that they are comfortable with eating food that most tourists and even expats would be apprehensive about. I think they had a great time here, and my dad said he would come to HK for a third visit next year.

Here are some shots from what we got up to with my parents that are mostly non-food related. This ought to give some ideas to those who are thinking of visiting HK on what there is to do and where to go. I've linked to other posts where I'd previously blogged about the sight/activity, where you can find more pictures and information on the subject. (The list is ordered mostly in a chronological manner, and not in order of popularity or importance.)

  • See Kowloon Park - known as the 'green lung' of the Kowloon peninsula, there are lots to do and see for all ages. There's an aviary (and a bird lake with pink flamingoes), fitness facilities (including an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a state-of-the-art sports centre), a large children's playground (and a 'discovery playground' for older kids), and did I mention there are cute turtles in the bird lake? Before my son started nursery, I used to bring him to this park weekly - great 25 minute walk to the park for me, and fun time at the playground for him. Kowloon Park is near a major shopping area, and it's great to just pop into the park for some rest from all that shopping that most tourists and locals like to do. More pictures here.

    Turtles sweetly nuzzling in the sun at Kowloon Park:

  • Across the harbour, Hong Kong Island has its own green spot, Hong Kong Park. It contains HK's largest aviary, as well as several historical buildings, a greenhouse, a sports centre and a large playground. It is a hilly area - the playground is split over 5 levels - and there are lots of stairs, so it may not be very wheel-friendly in some parts, but it's not impossible to get around the park with a baby stroller/pram. I used to come here with the boy when we stayed at a hotel for two months in Central after moving here from Tokyo last year. More photos of the park here.

    Beautiful red dragonfly, one of many around the artificial lake in Hong Kong Park:

    The adjacent Zoological and Botanical Gardens is also worth a look, where you can look at primates, reptiles and birds as well as some rare plant species, but we didn't manage to bring my parents there. (Some photos here.)

  • Drink coffee at Holly Brown. Okay, so this is technically not a tourist attraction, but there are seriously good coffee to be had at Holly Brown. The gelato looks good too, but we haven't tried it - yet. Only two running stores in HK at the moment (and I believe Holly Brown is only in HK), and I was excited to see that they are opening another Holly Brown at the mall downstairs!

    Cappuccino, lovely on its own sans sugar (but hubby prefers it sweetened):

  • Do a cruise around Victoria Harbour, or taking an inexpensive ferry ride on the Star Ferry between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central. There are plenty of cruise companies offering harbour cruise tours, and most cruises at night will offer grand view of the light and laser show that is held every night at 8pm.

    A shot of the ICC, the tallest building in HK. It was quite hazy that night:

  • The Peak is probably HK's most popular and well-known tourist attraction, so I shan't write much on it here except to say that it's better to go on a clear non-hazy day (a rare treat in this city), and to go early in the morning and/or weekdays to avoid the queues and crowd. You can pay a little extra to go up to the 'Sky Terrace' where you can see a 360° view of HK, or you can enjoy a little walk around on the road level to look at the view (the Peak Galleria also has a free observation deck). This was my third visit to the Peak in less than 18 months, but I'm still not yet bored of looking at this beautiful city!

    Good views to catch of the cityscape on the right side of the Peak Tram:

    You don't have to pay to use these binoculars. Here my mum is attempting to take a photo of the view with her phone, and my dad is trying to zoom in on our apartment building across the harbour:

  • Go yum cha. Our favourite place to have yum cha is Luk Yu, one of HK's oldest and most famous teahouses. Service might be a little brusque, but we go there for the dim sum (and tea) which is consistently good.

    Barbecued pork and garoupa pie, one of the dim sum we ate at Luk Yu on our most recent visit:

  • Check out Lan Kwai Fong, a lively night spot popular with the expats for the bars, clubs and restaurants. We were in the area for lunch on a recent Sunday, and caught the beginning of the LKF Carnival just as vendors were setting up (the street got really crowded a couple of hours later after we'd finished our lunch).

    Before the crowds descended (or rather, ascended) upon Lan Kwai Fong for the annual street carnival:

  • Scour the street markets for souvenirs and various shopping items. The Ladies' Market in Mongkok is one of the more popular ones (check out my post here). In fact, there are lots to see and do around Mongkok - the Flower Market, the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden and the Goldfish Market are in the area and can easily be worked into the same itinerary on foot. My parents made their way to Mongkok on their own, and came home with some yummy goodies for dinner.

    My mum liked browsing the Jade Market, but she didn't make any purchases:

    Market stalls on one of the streets in Jordan, selling fruits and vegs. These street markets are where the locals get their fresh produce and meat from, and my parents have bought home fruits and vegs from stalls like these ones that they always seem to encounter whenever they go out exploring HK on foot:

    I think that wet markets are also worth a visit, just for the experience - although you might want to go to a less wet one like the one in North Point.

  • Eat the cheap local food from one of the small food shops, a dai pai dong or even inside a public building like this one.

    "Pei tan chok" (century egg congee) and a plate of you char kway (aka you tiao):

    Century egg congee is a favourite with the girls in our family, and my mum have eaten this dish literally all over HK. On their second last day in HK, I took them to eat congee at a super-casual local eatery I found last year, and my mum said it was the best one out of all the bowls she's eaten on this trip. My dad was happy with his fish porridge - he said the fish was sweeter than the others he's had in HK. I don't even know the name of the shop (it's in Chinese), just its location on Jordan Road.

    Where we had the congee:

  • If you have a day or two extra, go check out HK disneyland and Ocean Park, especially if you have kids tagging along. We have done both places twice, and you can check out photos and read about the experiences here, here and here.
As you can see, there are lots to do and see in HK, and I hope this list helps someone who is planning a trip to HK.

Friday 18 November 2011

American cuisine @ Bloom, Hong Kong

What comes to mind when you hear the term "American cuisine"? To be honest, I am not too sure. My only exposure to American food (excluding fast food types) was during our (wonderful) time in New York in '07 and '09, where I found NYC to be a truly melting pot of many different cultures, so I got to eat many types of cuisines but nothing really specifically "American". There are plenty of restaurants in Hong Kong that offer American food, and Bloom is one such restaurant serving modern and upscale American fare. Bloom was participating in the Festival of Restaurants (part of the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Month), and since the promotion period was during my parents' stay in Hong Kong, I took the opportunity to continue my mission of exposing them to more 'western' food, and made reservations for Sunday lunch. I'd read good things about this place and it had been on my to-try list for some time now, so it was good to finally have the chance to try it out.


Bloom is the restaurant part of Lily & Bloom, the bar and restaurant with a design concept based on the New York speakeasy from the 1920s. Upstairs is Lily, the romantic Parisian salon-style bar, which we did not peruse except to get to the restaurant downstairs. Downstairs is Bloom, a casual New York-style supper club and bar with an intimate atmosphere, even in the middle of the day. Service was attentive and friendly, even providing crayons and paper for our 3-year-old son. We were given both the brunch menu and the special Festival of Restaurants menu, and although we were there for the latter, my mum and I decided to order from the brunch menu.

An amuse-bouche-style donut ball (a croustillon, perhaps?), served to whet our appetites:

My mum ordered the Grilled Salmon, served with corn and black beans salad, which both parents said was good:

I got the Bloom Benny, an eggs benedict with poached organic eggs and smoked pork loin on top of focaccia toast with brown butter hollandaise. The eggs were perfectly cooked with runny yolk, and the smoked pork was a nice change from the usual salty cured ham/bacon:

Ordered some fries as a side dish, and the boy loved it:

The following were my dad's and hubby's orders from the special Festival of Restaurants menu. There were four choices to choose from for the appetiser and main courses, and two dessert options with coffee/tea included.

My dad ordered the Artichoke & Shiitake Fritter with truffle bagna càuda. I had a little taste, and it was good - very flavourful and crispy:

Hubby's Shrimp & Grits was less impressive. The grits needed more seasoning and the shrimps were quite tasteless. :

My dad got the Salmon & Potato Napoleon, with leek-saffron cream and salmon roe. I liked the streamlined presentation, and it tasted quite good too:

Hubby's main course was Bresciole, an Italian stewed beef, stuffed with goat's cheese, ricotta, pine nuts and prosciutto, and rolled up roulade-style. The beef was tender and you could taste the distinctive flavour of goat's cheese in the filling. The brussel sprouts were prepared well and tasted pretty good:

Close-up of the filling of the Bresciole:

Chocolate Brownie Monkey Bar - a biscuit topped with banana slices and chocolate syrup. The biscuit base didn't resemble much like brownies, more like a choc chip cookie, but it was yummy:

Caramel Pot de Crème - very sweet and tasted just like the caramel candies. The glacé kumquats on top was a nice touch:

I love the double-wall glass that the cappuccino was served in:

Overall, it was a good dining experience at Bloom, with only one dud dish out of ten. Hubby's drink order of lemon, lime & bitters was forgotten, and when it finally arrived after I reordered, the bartender had gotten the mix wrong. The drink was replaced quickly, and the managress came over to apologise and explained that LLB is still relatively unknown to her staff. It wasn't a big deal, and we were happy with how quickly the matter was resolved. My parents enjoyed the meal (although they thought it was too expensive), and I hope that the experience took away some of their food prejudice against 'western' food.

Bloom
5th Floor, LKF Tower
33 Wyndham St
Central
Tel. +85 2 2810 6166.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Birthday chocolates: La Maison du Chocolat bars

It has become a bit of a birthday tradition for hubby and I - one that does not involve flowers or bling. Every year for the past four years, hubby has given me a box of gourmet chocolates on my birthday. And I love getting them, and hubby loves that I insist on sharing the chocs with him - it gives him incentive to keep on giving me the chocolates! This year he gave me three chocolate bars from La Maison du Chocolat, and each had distinctive flavour and aroma of their own. It was fun comparing the flavours, and we even did a blind taste test fo pick out the Criollo chocolate (and I guessed correctly!).

(left to right) Pariguan 69%, Cuana 74% and Coro 100% - the chocolate's colour darkens with purity:

The Pariguan bar is my faourite, made from the rare Criollo beans from Venezuela. I've previously tried a Criollo chocolate with 100% cacao content, and I loved its mild and fruity flavours, so it's no surprise that I like the Criollo bar the best out of the three types. Hubby likes the full-bodied flavours of the Cuana bar more than the Pariguan, which he said was a bit too sweet. The Cuana indeed has a strong and robust flavour, and I certainly appreciate as well. I'm still learning how to eat the Coro bar, which is intensely bitter and too tannic for my palate. I think my limit for 100% chocolates at the moment are the ones made with the Criollo types, but I'm still learning to cultivate my tastebuds.

Close up of the Coro 100% - check out how intensely dark the colour is compared to the 69% chocolate below:

Close up of the Pariguan 69%:

I love dark chocolates!

Friday 11 November 2011

Fine Cantonese @ Hoi King Heen, Hong Kong

I had my birthday this past weekend. I didn't have a big celebration, just a low-key lunch at a nice restaurant with my family, and then a movie afterwards at the cinema with hubby - just how I like to spend my birthday. It was special to celebrate my birthday with my parents (although the main reason of their visit was my son's 3rd birthday three weeks ago), as it had been 6 years since I'd last celebrated a birthday with them. I am not someone who likes surprises much, and hubby was gracious enough to let me choose the restaurant and to share the birthday celebration with family (versus having a romantic date). I'd recently read about Hoi King Heen, which was recently awarded a prestigious star by the well-known Michelin Guide, and we still had yet to bring my parents to eat some good Cantonese food, so we took the opportunity to have a small birthday celebration at this restaurant.

Say "Cheese!":

Hoi King Heen has been around for years, and is already established amongst the locals as one of the best Cantonese restaurants in HK. Its popularity was evident on that Sunday as many families filled up the tables, mostly to enjoy the exquisite dim sum. It is a fine dining restaurant with elegant settings and excellent service to match. We only had to mention the 3-year-old's multiple food allergies once (at the time of making the reservation), and the boy's needs were well-looked after. The menu was pretty extensive with no less than ten signature dishes and a separate menu featuring hairy crab which is in season at the moment. We ordered a few dim sum dishes, a couple of Chef Leung's signature dishes and one item from the special crab menu. The quality of each dish was nothing short of excellent, and the flavours were outstanding. The birthday cake (specially ordered to take my son's allergies into account) was delicious too.

Seafood Fried Rice, without soy, sesame and nuts, and quite yummy without those ingredients:

Pan-fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings filled with Peanuts and Pork - delicious morsels of slightly chewy rice wrapping...

...and savoury minced pork and peanut filling:

Premium Har Gow (shrimp dumplings) - nice chunks of shrimp meat, and very tasty, but the wrapping was more flimsy than usual and it came undone too easily:

One of the best Shanghai Dumplings I've ever tasted (the one at Man Wah is a close contender). This was my parents' first time eating Shanghai dumplings, and they were impressed:

Smoked Scallops with Rose - these were beautiful! The scallops were tender with a gorgeous smoky flavour, and the fried rose petals were interesting:

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Papaya - these literally melted in my mouth! Thanks to the natural tenderising properties of papaya, the beef chunks were super-tender, and thanks to the sweet fruitiness of papaya, the sauce was just lovely:

Pan-fried Stuffed Crab Claw with Beancurd, Shrimp Paste and Crab Roe Sauce. One word: YUM!

My crab claw on my plate. I loved the crab roe sauce which was decadently rich and very flavourful. My parents also appreciated the artistic effort put into the little bak choy tulips:

Organic Glutinous Rice with Abalone, wrapped up like lor mai gai:

The rice had been wrapped up in the neatest manner inside a large whole leaf:

A very elegant version of lor mai gai, there was even a yolk in there:

Hubby had arranged for a birthday cake, which he himself had forgotten about:

Light fluffy sponge cake with fruit and cream filling and whipped cream frosting, surprisingly not too rich for me!

I had a great time celebrating my birthday with my family at this restaurant, and I thoroughly enjoyed the food. Hoi King Heen is truly one of the nicest Cantonese restaurants in town.

Hoi King Heen
B2 Level,
InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
70 Mody Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel. +85 2 2731 2883