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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

Friday 29 June 2012

Out and about in Hong Kong

Last Saturday was Tuen Ng festival (aka Dragon Boat festival), and my friend - the lovely Stephanie of The Travelling Tastebuds - crossed the border from Shenzhen to visit Hong Kong. Her dad had flown in the previous night from California, so it was like a little reunion, and they could also meet hubby and son. Unlike the last time we met up in HK and I could only hang out with Steph in the morning, this time we had the whole day to do some sightseeing and eat (of course). First we headed to Hong Kong Park for a stroll and a look at the walk-through aviary. On the way to the aviary, we came across two heavily fruiting jackfruit trees - a rather unusual sight in this park. There was talk of grabbing a few of these fruits, but rest assured that it wasn't actioned upon (nobody was willing to lug these great big spiky things around).

Two tall jackfruit trees with many large jackfruits, inside Hong Kong Park of all places:

We wanted to head to The Peak next but the queue for the Peak Tram was prohibitively long, so instead we walked to our next destination to have yum cha at our favourite teahouse in HK: Luk Yu. Once again the food didn't disappoint, and our tummies were kept full until dinner time rolled around some six hours later.

Some of the delicious dim sum dishes at Luk Yu Teahouse. The mashed date tart remains my favourite item at Luk Yu (which I'd discovered on our first visit), and Steph enjoyed it so much she requested for another plate:

After the delicious yum cha lunch, we took the bus to the south side of HK Island, for Stanley where the Stanley Dragon Boat Championships was being held. The line for the express bus at the bus stop in Central was very long and it seemed that everyone had the same idea as us. The normally 30-minute bus ride took 1 hour because traffic was horrendous getting into Stanley. Then we had to battle hordes of pedestrian traffic when we got off the bus, and the viewing platforms were uncomfortably crowded that we stayed for only one race. At least now we can say we've seen dragon boat racing!

Racing towards the finish line. There were many boats and yachts parked on the outskirts of the racing area, which granted great views of the races for those sitting on them:

The Stanley Market was likewise packed, but it wasn't terribly unpleasant. I got some productive clothes shopping done for our fast-growing boy.

Coming down the road towards Stanley Market:

We were on the bus again less than 1.5 hours after getting off the first bus, and it was 6pm by the time we got back to the Elements mall. We brought our guests to have dinner at one of our two favourite restaurants in the 'neighbourhood', a Singaporean/Malaysian restaurant called Katong (the other being Mexican, which Steph's dad requested not to have since he "can get it all the time" at home).

There was char kuey teow, chai tau kueh, beef rendang, satay, sambal kangkong and special prawn laksa - some of our favourite Malaysian dishes. That's Steph doing what I was doing:

And then it was time to say our goodbyes again. We had a fun day out with Steph and her dad, and I'm sure we'll be seeing them again. By the way, Steph and I met in the blogging sphere, and we would never have met if not for my blog. Making new friends and meeting interesting people is one of the great reasons why I'm still blogging after more than seven years!

Monday 25 June 2012

Birthday dinner @ Lung King Heen, Hong Kong

In addition to the birthday lunch with fabulous French at L'Atelier, we also celebrated hubby's birthday with dinner at Lung King Heen, also a 3-star Michelin restaurant. This gorgeous restaurant was the first (and to date, the only) Chinese restaurant in the world to be awarded the highly coveted three stars by Michelin. Hubby raved to me about this restaurant when he first dined at Lung King Heen with his colleagues in 2010, and had always wanted to bring me there to have yum cha, but the restaurant was always fully booked out during lunch on weekends. This time was no exception, despite the fact that I rang two weeks in advance. It wasn't hard to get dinner reservations for a Sunday, and it was no problem making a last minute booking change to a Monday evening. In fact, it looked like walk-ins are possible on weeknights as the restaurant wasn't at its full capacity, but I would still advise to reserve in advance even on weekdays just in case.

Beautiful interior with well-spaced tables:

The restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows boasting views of Victoria Harbour (that tall skyscraper on the left is the ICC, the tallest in Hong Kong). Our boy was excited to see our building from the other side of the harbour:

Lung King Heen was spacious and gorgeously decorated. Service was impeccable and amicable, and the waitstaff doted on our boy who was the youngest diner that night. When I changed our booking from a Sunday to a Monday, I was informed that the no-kids-under-3 policy would be observed because it was a weeknight, which gave me the impression that this policy is not the rule on weekends. It is a very family-friendly restaurant, we were well looked after, and our son was a happy chappy that night. As it was a school night, I'd requested for a copy of the menu to be emailed to me so that we could pre-order our selections. As we flipped through the virtual pages of the menu, we were amazed by the number and variety of dishes on offer. There is something for everyone, perhaps even the most fussy palates.

A little plate of tasty vegetables (asparagus, snow peas and baby corn) to whet our appetites:

A trio of chilli sauces of varying degrees of heat and made with different ingredients were placed on the table, to be used as how we liked to enhance our food. I had some fun testing out each sauce with the food, and discovered that indeed one sauce would enhance some dishes whereas another type was better with other dishes:

Lung King Heen Lobster Fried Rice with Seafood, which we'd requested to be served up at the beginning of our meal, so that our boy could begin eating his dinner (the rice dish is traditionally served last in Chinese banquets). This was definitely the most luxurious (and most expensive) version of fried rice I've ever eaten. It was indeed very good fried rice, but fried rice is not the best way to showcase lobster:

Chef’s Signature Appetiser Selection - 3 Varieties: Lobster Roll, Barbecued Pork with Honey, and Crispy Sea Bass. Cute portions, lovely presentation and very high quality (to the top right is the chrysanthemum tea that we enjoyed with our meal):

This was the epitome of the perfect luxurious spring roll. Crispy skin but not overly greasy, and the lobster filling was delectable:

A haute version of the ubiquitous Char siu, this was very moist, very flavourful and a very enjoyable. This was definitely one of the nicest charsiu I've eaten (up there with the barbecued pork at Cuisine Cuisine):

Usually I'm not a big fan of battered-and-deep-fried anything, but this was really good (the boy agreed too, hence I got to enjoy only half of it). The portion was just nice for a deep-fried item:

Crispy Scallops with Fresh Pear, one of Lung King Heen's specialty dish. I loved biting through the crispy shell to the moist and tender scallops which was nicely contrasted with the slightly sweet crunchy pear. It was surprisingly not greasy at all:

The most visually appealing dish of the evening was the Pumpkin Stuffed with Sautéed Vegetables, Mushrooms and Fungus (the waiter had already begun cutting it up (as you can see in the photo), but he obligingly stopped and held the dish up to my camera when we requested to take a photo of it). The pumpkin was sweet, and there were at least five different varieties of mushrooms and fungus which I really appreciated because I love mushrooms. The portion was too big for two people, and we struggled after awhile to finish the whole thing (but we managed to do it!):

The Chinese birthday bun, sau bao (which translates to "long life bun"), usually comes in the shape of a peach (a symbol of longevity) with smooth lotus seed paste. At Lung King Heen, the sau bao came with two types of filling - the always-tasty traditional lotus seed paste, and a delicious sesame filling. I have a soft spot for fluffy steamed 'bao' with savoury meat filling and sweet pastes alike:

A complimentary plate of sweets - osmanthus and goji berry jellies, and a little walnut pastry. I love that Asian desserts are so light and easy to consume especially after a big meal (unlike most Western sweets):

It must be said here that we didn't order any sweets for our boy, and the waitstaff must have felt bad that neither the sau bao nor the complimentary jellies and pastries were suitable for the boy due to his allergies, so they served him mango pudding.

Probably the best mango pudding you can get from a Chinese restaurant! This is the perfect dessert for any mango lovers - pudding made with real mango and mango bits all swimming puréed mango sauce:

Unfortunately, our son disdained the thoughtful gift and wanted none of the delicious mango pudding. The waiter noticed the rejection, and brought him a scoop of vanilla ice cream! (Don't worry, hubby and I happily polished off the pudding.) That boy got spoiled that night by strangers who were happy to spoil him

If only he was that enthusiastic about vegetables:

Hubby said the experience fell below his expectations because he found many of the dishes were too greasy. The unusual thing is that between the us two, I'm the one with low tolerance for grease, yet I found the food pretty good and not greasy at all. We put it down to him not feeling well that night. On the whole, we had a good time at Lung King Heen, which is an excellent fine dining choice for families. I would love to come back for their lunch time dimsum dishes.

Lung King Heen
Podium Level 4
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
8 Finance Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 3196 8880

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Another simple lunch @ simplylife Bakery Café (Festival Walk), Hong Kong

We recently went to our son's kindergarten to watch a concert that he'd taken part in. All the kiddies were so cute, and the concert went well, and I think that all the teachers, assistants and students did a job very well done because having 150 young children under 6 years old performing on stage has a huge potential for a disastrous outcome. After the concert, we enjoyed some family time over lunch at the nearby mall, and we weren't the only ones with the same idea of lunching at this particular spot. The simplylife Bakery Café at Festival Walk was filled to the brim with a queue, and this was only at 12pm on a weekday! I'd hate to endure the queue on the weekend at this popular restaurant in this equally popular mall. We waited about 25 minutes before our little group of 3 was brought to a table.

A full house with a rather long queue that only got longer over the next hour or so:

Our boy found some friends to play with during the wait for a table. This simplylife café seems to be a popular choice for families:

A few months ago we had a good experience at another simplylife, and while both simplylife restaurants had an in-house bakery shop, the food menu were quite different. Service was efficient and prompt, and dining out in the bright open mall space gave the impression of 'al fresco' dining but without having to endure the heat and humidity of summer. The lunchtime menu was very affordably priced, and it gave the flexibility of having only one main course for HK$78, or adding HK$10 to have each additional course of soup/salad course and dessert. The dishes are European, and there were ten main dishes to choose from. Hubby and I went for all three courses, and our son enjoyed his one-course meal.

Hubby's Potato Soup which was tasty, but hubby wasn't a big fan of the chalky texture. That bread was superb:

My Salad, with dressing on the side as requested. I really liked the crusty bread that was served with the soup and salad:

The boy's Organic Spaghetti Carbonara, which he dug right into after having some of our crusty bread. However he refused to eat the bacon bits, which hubby reckoned was the best part of the dish. (We surreptitiously gave him egg, beans and duck meat from our main plates to make up for the protein content):

Hubby went for the English Big Breakfast, which contained pork sausage, crispy back bacon, scrambled egg, baked beans, grilled tomatoes and sautéed mushrooms. Quite lovely, but pretty hefty - I most definitely could not do that plate on my own, however hubby finished every morsel (except for a couple of bites that the boy and I had):

I ordered the Roasted Duck Breast with Orange Gravy. The duck breast was tender and tasty, and the roast zucchini and squash were delicious. Orange sauce is a safe but always good choice for duck:

Dessert was a Cheesecake...:

...and a Chocolate-frosted Cake (not quite sure what the actual cake was). Quite enjoyable, unfortunately we weren't able to finish the plate as we had to tend to an urgent matter:

Our little family had an enjoyable time at this simplylife café (marred only by a toilet emergency - but such is life when dining with a little one). The food was delicious and affordably priced, and it's easy to see why it's so popular.

We came back (after that urgent matter) to have a quick look at the delicious looking baked goods on offer at the in-house bakery:

simplylife Bakery Café
Shop 42, Level 2, Festival Walk
80 Tat Chee Avenue
Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2265 7418

Friday 15 June 2012

Excellent French @ L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Hong Kong

Last weekend we celebrated hubby's birthday at his favourite French restaurant, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong. Although this was our first time at this particular L'Atelier, we'd been to the one in Tokyo two times before and absolutely loved both experiences. We also had the privilege of dining with some relatives two years ago at the more formal Le Jardin, which is a part of L'Atelier offering a more private experience. L'Atelier has since been awarded a third Michelin star, an award that we know is well-deserved.

Stairway (or escalator) to gustatory heaven. On either side of the archway were four pages of the menu on display:

Service was excellent, helpful and friendly - always a fantastic combination at fine dining restaurants. There is a dress code for gentlemen and boys ("No shorts or sandals"), and there is a no-kids-under-4 policy (our boy is only 4 months shy of his 4th birthday and easily passes for a 5-year-old). I have always adored the sleek and earthy interior of L'Atelier - the HK one is based on the same concept that Robuchon created in Tokyo - and I believe that eating at the bar overlooking into the central open kitchen is essential to maximise the L'Atelier experience. There is also the option to dine at tables for those who prefer more privacy, but I almost always choose bar seats if available.

Watching the chefs in action in the (gorgeous) busy kitchen:

The lunch menu titled Composez Votre Déjeuner Selon Votre Appétit (which translates to "lunch at your own composition") gives diners the choice of a 3-, 4- or 5-course meal, with three options for most courses. Each dish was well executed and delighted our sight, smell and taste senses. We also loved the bread basket, which we happily munched on in between courses.

The beautiful basket of baked goodies. There were crusty baguettes, cheesy rolls, bacon and onion twists, buttery mini-croissants, soft brioche and walnut rolls. The boy did not hesitate to pounce upon the basket, and would have eaten only bread for lunch if we'd let him:

The amuse bouche was presented in a shot glass, which allowed us to admire the duality of the dish. The creamy green bean soup was topped with a light-textured tomato mousse, and sprinkled with sweet ginger confit and crispy bacon chips. This little shot glass left me wanting for more!

Les Entrées (Appetisers)

Hubby's appetiser was La Cerise en gaspacho avec un lacté de brebis givré aux éclats de pistaches (cherry gazpacho with ricotta cheese sherbet and roasted pistachios) - refreshing and big on flavour. The crushed pistachio gave a nice crunch:

I got Le Haricot Vert en salade de mimosa aux copeaux de foie gras et parmesan (green bean mimosa salad with foie gras rolls and parmesan cheese). The slices of foie gras were thin enough not to overwhelm, and I adored the symmetrical presentation of the dish:

(At our request, the boy was also served his plate at the same time as our appetisers, but I've put it under the main course below since that's where it technically belongs.)

Les Soupes (Soups)

For his soup course, hubby chose La Laitue en fin velouté, émulsion d’oignons nouveaux (French lettuce “veloute” and baby onion foam). The veloute and foam were kept separate, and the foam was poured into the veloute upon serving. This was a light and refreshing soup that had subtle flavours:

My soup was L'Aubergine à l’oeuf sans coque, aux croutons dorés et “Joselito Gran Reserva” (fine eggplant cream soup with soft-boiled egg, iberico ham and croutons), which was creamy, robust and delicate at the same time. I loved the crispy cheese disc that lay atop, and the crunchy croutons contrasted nicely with the soft texture of the eggplant. I also liked the soft-boiled egg:

Les Poissons (Fish)

Hubby got Le Homard du Maine aux pennes de maïs et émulsion coralline épicée (Maine lobster with penne pasta and “coralline” sauce), and the generous chunks of lobster flesh were delectable. Pairing with the humble pasta allowed the lobster to shine in all its glory:

Le Black Cod avec une mousseline de daïkon à l’huile d’olive Vierge (black cod fillet with smooth daikon cream and virgin olive oil). The cod had been marinated in a soy and mirin mixture, and the flesh imparted an unmistakably Japanese flavour. The sweet, juicy flesh went very nicely with the creamy daikon sauce:

Les Viandes (Meats)

Hubby's Le Canard en duo de foie gras aux fruits de saison (slow cooked duck breast and foie gras garnished with seasonal fruits). Wow. I loved the presentation, and the flavour was incredible. The duck breast was tender and juicy, and the foie gras was indulgently rich. The cherries were beautiful too:

I was allowed to choose a fish dish from my meat course for our son's meal, which was kind of our waiter because this worked out a bit cheaper than ordering a plate from the a-la-carte menu. The boy had Le Saumon poêlé a la citronnelle, étuvés de jeunes poireaux (pan-fried salmon with lemongrass foam and stewed baby leeks):

Close-up shot of the salmon, which was delicious, but sad to say that this haute dish was lost on the boy. He could only consume about half, and I happily claimed the rest for myself. I really liked the lemongrass flavour, and the creamy mashed potatoes that came with the salmon:

Les Desserts

La Forêt Noire à la vanille de Tahiti, compote et sorbet de cerise (L’Atelier-style black forest with Tahiti vanilla cream and cherry sorbet). This came with a little edible chocolate plaque bearing a birthday wish and a candle for hubby (off to the top left of the shot). The French is known for their dessert, and this one was executed very well:

Le Parfum Des Îles onctuosité aux fruits de la passion, granité au vieux rhum, légèreté à la noix de coco (smooth passion fruit cream with vintage amber rum granite and coconut mousse). This dessert was light and indulgent at the same time. The passionfruit cream beneath it all contained honey macadamia nuts, which was a delightful surprise:

Coffee or tea is included in the lunch set, and we both had cappuccino (check out the swan latte art):

Complimentary petit fours to enjoy with our coffee, which included macarons, golden crunchy chocolate beads, berry jellies and madeleines:

Once again, we had a thoroughly enjoyable experience at L'Atelier. Hubby and I agreed that even though we'd been to Le Château de Joël Robuchon in Tokyo, which is widely regarded to be the ultimate Robuchon experience in Asia, we still prefer the casual setting (but just as delicious food) of L'Atelier.

L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon
Shop 315 & 401
The Landmark
15 Queen's Road Central
Central
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2166 9000
Online reservations available at Robuchon's website

Friday 8 June 2012

Penang 2012 eats: Gurney Drive Hawker Centre

Finally, I am able to write and post up some foodie photos of our trip to Penang last month! It has been a really full-on past two weeks for my family (which also saw me in hospital for 3 days!), and it's still no time for rest, but I am stealing a moment to relax and work on something I enjoy. We had the privilege to attend my cousin's wedding in Penang, and we stayed at a hotel on Gurney Drive (aka Persiaran Gurney), one of the most well-known places in Penang. It is a beautiful location with sweeping sea views, and home to one of Penang's biggest and most famous eateries.

Gorgeous sea views along Gurney Drive. Shot was taken as we were walking northward towards the other end where the hawker centre is located:

One section of the vast open-air hawker centre, with many stalls offering diners plenty of choice:

I was informed by one of my cousins that the Gurney Drive Hawker Centre is more expensive than other more 'local' hawker centres. We encountered many tourists in this area, so perhaps that is the driving force behind the higher price. It is still very cheap by Aussie standards, and is slightly more tourist-friendly than the more local hawker centres. As typical of most hawker centres, each group of tables are claimed by a particular drinks vendor, and you cannot order drinks from a drinks vendor other than the one that serves your table. I guess the drinks vendors have to also make their money somehow. It is always a crowded and noisy affair when dining at a hawker centre, and it can be great fun when dining out with family or friends. We had an enjoyable time "shopping" for our dinner, browsing through the different food stalls and marvelling at the wonderful variety of delicious-looking food.

We found one stall selling many types of Nonya kueh! Nonya is part of my heritage, and these kueh make up some of my fondest childhood foodie memories in Malaysia. I could not resist buying a few goodies for later (photos of our purchase towards the end of this post):

This Char Kuey Teow hawker had a long queue, which we took to be a good sign that the noodles are good:

The queue moved fairly quickly, and before long I was at the head of the line where I had a good view of the CKT chef in action:

The fried flat rice noodles, served rather unglamourously on the lid of a Styrofoam takeaway box. However, it was really tasty char kuey teow, not too greasy and perfectly seasoned with wok hei (that lovely charred flavour from the wok):

A plate of Rojak (a type of fruit and veg salad), from a stall claiming to serve the best rojak on Gurney Drive (there were other rojak stalls making similar claims such as "Best rojak in Penang" and so on). Not bad for a rojak, and was a nice balance of sweet, spicy and sour:

At a popiah stall, yet another food item that conjures up fond childhood memories of DIY popiah parties. Hubby said he'd never had popiah before, and I didn't hesitate to make my way to this stall to get some:

Popiah is essentially a 'fresh' spring roll (i.e. not fried) with a mostly vegetarian filling, primarily made from grated turnip or jicama and a few other crunchy vegetables. The vendor had drizzled a sweet sauce over the pieces before handing the plate over. A fabulous way to get that all-important vege intake:

There were a few "Ikan Bakar" stalls that had seafood on ice. Diners could pick fish, prawns, squids and other seafood to be cooked to order on charcoal grill. I chose squid...:

... and some king prawns. These two were more expensive than all the other items and drinks we'd also bought, but they were pretty fresh and quite enjoyable to eat:

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the first things we bought at the hawker centre: Nonya kueh. When I was a kid, I used to eat the Kueh Lapis (layered cake, foreground) by peeling off each individual coloured layer. In the background is Kueh Dadar: pandan-flavoured crepe with grated coconut and gula melaka (palm sugar) filling. So good:

Two flavours of Kueh Kosui: gula melaka (palm sugar) and pandan - both very traditional and typical flavours in Nonya kueh:

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre
Northern end of Gurney Drive (aka Persiaran Gurney), between Sunrise Tower and Gurney Plaza
Georgetown, Penang
Malaysia

I leave you with a photo of the best durian - or what was left of it - that hubby claimed he had ever eaten thus far (and he is not a big fan of durians), bought from a streetside vendor opposite the entrance of The Butterfly Farm. It was deliciously creamy with a beautiful taste and a heavenly aroma. It was probably a bit expensive by Malaysian standards (still cheaper than any durian in Australia or Hong Kong), but it was SO good that I only thought to take a photo after we'd eaten six of the seven pieces. I reckon if all durian virgins ate durians as good as this one, they would fall in love with the "king of fruits".

Durian that was so good, it'd probably even convert durian-haters: