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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 28 May 2013

Decent dim sum @ Heichinrou (Causeway Bay Times Square), Hong Kong

Although I have been a mum for almost 5 years, it never fails to amaze me how often we have to buy clothes and shoes for our boy. The biggest pinch is that kids clothes and shoes are more expensive than the things I buy for myself! My boy usually outgrows the stuff before they get worn out, but last weekend we had to replace his shoes only after a mere 6 months because he'd managed to wear them out rather well - either that, or Crocs don't manufacture good kids' shoes that are durable. That was the first and probably the last time we'll buy that brand. We headed to Times Square for our latest shopping expedition, but the first thing we did upon arrival was to fill our tummies with food to prepare ourselves for the task ahead. Times Square, like any shopping areas in Hong Kong, is always packed to the brim on weekends, and about 15 minutes before arrival, I did a quick internet search for good restaurants in the area to make table reservations so we didn't have to queue. Thankfully I managed to get a table on the second phone call I made (my first choice was fully-booked for the next 3 hours, and I wasn't going to wait that long for lunch!), at a Chinese restaurant called Heichinrou. This restaurant brand originated in Yokohama Chinatown in Japan, with a history that dates back to 1884. I found it rather ironic that we were eating Guangdong-style Chinese food in HK from a restaurant with Japanese origins. Heichinrou is a popular option for yum cha, and it was operating at almost full capacity when we arrived at 11:45am.

Fairly large and reasonably nice-looking dining area:

The service we received was adequate, certainly better than your typical 'Hong Kong-style' service, but not really much to speak of. Staff was willing to take allergy requests (it helps to have the allergies written down in Chinese characters), and our son could enjoy the egg tarts, the prawn dumplings and the BBQ pork bun. There was an English dim sum menu, and also a number of a-la-carte items but they were on a Chinese menu. We played it safe and ordered mostly classic dim sum dishes, and we found the food to be pretty good and reasonably priced.

As predicted, the sweet items were served first. The Egg Tarts were quite nice, but we wished the pastry had more of a buttery flavour:

A single order of Fried Rice for the boy, who especially liked the large juicy prawns:

Chicken with Sliced Jelly Noodles, a cold dish. The translucent noodles were shaved thickly, and the dish was dressed in a tasty sauce:

A dim sum staple, Har Gow (shrimp dumplings). The wrapper was a bit sticky so one dumpling tore open while I was trying to pick it up, but the other three stayed intact. The shrimp filling was fresh and delicious:

Another staple, the Har Cheong (shrimp rice noodle roll), with the sauce served on the side. The sauce lacked the sweetness that we associate with this dish, but the shrimp rolls were perfectly enjoyable:

Char Siu Bao (barbecued pork bun), which was soft and fluffy with a tasty pork filling:

The Lor Mai Kai (glutinous rice with chicken wrapped in lotus leaf) was decent, but I wished there was more filling. Hubby thought it was pretty good, but he had the first helping, so we suspect that most of the filling were contained in the portion that he took:

This item was part of a selection on the menu that is available only on weekends and public holidays: Pan-fried Taro Cake. At this point in the meal we were so full that we probably didn't enjoy this to its full potential. Hubby said he preferred the radish cake that we usually ordered. I enjoyed the taro cake with the spicy XO sauce provided on the table:

We left the restaurant satiated and fueled for the shopping task ahead. Hopefully the new pair of shoes will last a bit longer!

Heichinrou (Causeway Bay Times Square)
Shop No. 1102, 11/F
Times Square
1 Matheson Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel. + 85 2 2506 2333

Thursday 23 May 2013

Fabulous seafood @ The Woodhouse, Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

The best food we ate in Kaohsiung were from local establishments frequented by locals. Yes, language was a bit of a barrier, but that made up part of the fun! I got to practise my Mandarin, and the friendly Taiwanese people were more than happy to extend a helping hand to a foreign family who just want to eat a good meal. We took a special trip on the MRT to have dinner at The Woodhouse, which I'd heard served good and fresh seafood dishes. We arrived at this eating place to find the tables were full and a line of people sitting on stools by the side street waiting for tables to free up. Needless to say, our group drew a fair bit of attention - hubby with his blond hair and fair skin, and myself once I opened my mouth to try and communicate in broken Mandarin. Ordering wasn't that difficult, as seafood and fresh produce were displayed quite clearly near the counter. To my embarrassment, the proprietress even took the liberty of asking me to look at the nearest table to see if there were any dishes on it that took my fancy, but thankfully the patrons of said table were very gracious, and even helped with some English. The staff at The Woodhouse took care of this group of foreign customers, and we were well-fed.

The simple set-up of The Woodhouse, which was clearly a popular choice for the local residents:

Unshelled Prawns, simply fried with garlic and spring onions:

An Asparagus Salad on top of a bed of shredded cabbage and carrots, accompanied by a gloop of mayonnaise on the side. Crisp and fresh and perfectly fine without the mayonnaise:

Stirfried Choysum with garlic - we still need our green leafies even on holidays!

Second dish of Shelled Prawns with Leeks. I must have really wanted prawns that night, hence the two prawn dishes:

Broiled Milkfish fillet, because I'd enjoyed the steamed milkfish we had for lunch at another place. Hubby liked this one better than the steamed one we had for lunch, as the collagen wasn't as prominent when the fish is broiled, however this fillet had a lot of tiny bones to pick out:

Oyster Soup - simple but delish! I think I hogged most of this one to myself:

This made up yet another memorable local eats in Kaohsiung. The food was simply delightful. There is a menu in Chinese for those who can read the characters. Otherwise pointing works well too. A fabulous dinner for our final night in southern Taiwan!

The Woodhouse (木屋家常料理)
151 Dazhi Road
Yancheng District
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 803
Tel. +886 7 561 3591

Saturday 18 May 2013

Solid Italian food @ Lupa by Mario Batali, Hong Kong

I've looked forward to writing up about this restaurant visit for almost two weeks already. For the past week, I had a taste of what it is like to work full-time and be mum to a preschooler. It was exhausting, and there was barely time to spend with my 4.5-year-old son, much less time for myself after I get home. A couple of weeks ago, we finally had a meal at Lupa by Mario Batali, almost a year after it opened its doors in Hong Kong. We are very fond of Lupa in New York City, which we got to try two times on separate trips to NYC. Needless to say, we were stoked to find out that Batali was opening his first restaurant in Hong Kong with Lupa. We made reservations and arrived early for lunch on a Sunday, keen to get some Italian food inside our bellies. However we were disappointed to learn that on Sunday during the daytime, only the Brunch Buffet was being served, and the a-la-carte menu would only be available in the evening. It must have been rather obvious on our faces that we'd really wanted to try the a-la-carte menu (where we could also make requests for our son's multiple allergies), that one of the girls at the front desk offered to ask the head chef if the kitchen could make an exception just for us. She came back saying that only certain dishes would be available for ordering, and we were grateful that the kitchen was flexible to cater to us. I'm not certain if the restaurant would entertain such requests in the future, so we will make sure to make a return visit on a time other than Sunday lunch time.

Dark wooden interior that is a sleeker and modern version of the NYC restaurant:

A semi-open kitchen where you can watch part of the hustle and bustle of what goes on behind the scenes:

The space that the restaurant occupies is gorgeous. There are two outdoor terraces, and the main dining room is a sprawling space of dark wood and floor-to-ceiling windows. I remarked to hubby that this Lupa didn't look at all similar to the original restaurant in NYC, which had an older and more rustic feel. He disagreed, and commented that the dark wooden interior in itself is reminiscent of Lupa Osteria Romana. Service was of course excellent, perhaps even a notch better than the NYC restaurant, and we were well-looked after. The buffet table looked good and was not too highly priced - if I recall correctly it was HK$388 per adult (HK$588 with free-flow drinks for 2-hours including alcohol) and HK$188 for kids - supplemented by a choice of a main dish. The a-la-carte menu was classically Italian, with a myriad of antipasti, pizzas, pastas, seafood and steak to choose from. Going a-la-carte didn't work out any cheaper than the buffet option, but we were much happier being able to choose specific dishes that were prepared to order, which we think is a better indication of the restaurant's food quality than the dishes that have been sitting out on the buffet table. We enjoyed a live jazz band which added a nice touch to the atmosphere.

A live jazz band to entertain the diners:

The central buffet table, which presented only part of the buffet spread - there were at least two other food stations located at the bar and near the live band:

Complimentary basket of fresh bread, to go with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar which our waitress poured into individual dipping plates for each of us:

Limoncello-Cured Gravlax with Avocado (HK$138) - house cured sea trout with fennel pollen. This was an excellent antipasto to start with, the gravlax was not too strongly flavoured nor overly salty, and avocado is a fantastic accompaniment to the sea trout. Perfect with the bread:

The boy wanted pizza, and he got the Margherita (HK$168) - tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil. It was simply delightful:

Hubby ordered the Duck with Saba and Sunchokes (HK$208) - confit duck leg with grape vinaigrette and roasted Jerusalem artichokes. The duck had a beautiful flavour, and the vegetables were subtly seasoned so as not to overpower the duck:

I chose the Braised Pork Shoulder with Averna and Cucumber (HK$208), glazed in apple and Sicilian bitter liquor. The pork was succulent and meltingly tender, robustly flavoured with a sweet and slightly spicy dressing. The crunchy cucumber provided a refreshing contrast of texture and flavour to the pork. It was a fair hunk of meat, and I was glad I was splitting with hubby because I wouldn't have been able to finish the whole portion on my own:

Hubby wanted dessert, and selected the Pear Coppetta (HK$98), with ginger gelato, poached pears, spiced mascarpone and crushed biscotti. I must admit that I wasn't that impressed with the presentation, but the flavours and textures agreed very well with my tastebuds. The slightly spicy ginger gelato complemented the poached pears very well, the mascarpone lent a creamy but not overly rich texture, and the crushed biscotti was just a delight to crunch into (hubby had already taken a couple of spoons before I could take a photo of it):

We had an enjoyable lunch at Lupa. It is a solid choice for good rustic Italian food.

[Prices quoted above excludes 10% service charge.]

Lupa by Mario Batali
3/F, LHT Tower
31 Queens Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2796 6500

Sunday 12 May 2013

Another local (cheap) lunch @ Mi Gou, Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

It's been another one of those crazy busy weeks, having been called to do two full days of relief teaching, and next week will be no better with three more days of relief teaching. But I'm not complaining - it's good to be kept busy AND earning income at the same time without having to commit to a full-time job.

Continuing on with writing about our Kaohsiung trip (I'm down to the last few posts!), after the long, somewhat tiring walk under the hot sun at Lotus Lake, we sat down to a nourishing meal at a very local eatery that served simple but delicious homemade fare. Like our first eats in Kaohsiung, the eatery had a simple set-up with a small prep-and-serving station with a few tables inside and out on the sidewalk. There were plenty of customers who ordered food to takeaway. A simple menu board hung near the front of the shop describing all the dishes available with very affordable prices listed below each item. Like most everywhere in Kaohsiung, the ladies tending shop spoke no English, but they were friendly and tried hard to understand my broken Mandarin. I managed to order food using a lot of pointing and gesturing, and I showed my handwritten list of allergy requests to ensure that the 4.5-year-old could eat the food. The food was tasty and utterly cheap.

This was around 1:40pm, so it was no longer peak lunch period, but there were still people eating on the sidewalk and customers were still arriving to order food either for a late lunch or mid-afternoon snack:

A small rice bowl topped with stewed pork, pork floss and cucumbers. This was delicious and we ordered three for each of us:

Our first time trying steamed milkfish, a common fish found in Taiwan. It had a smooth and fine-textured flesh with plenty of collagen. It tasted good and nutritious, and this was completely deboned so it was very easy to eat:

A bowl of fish ball soup. The fish balls were definitely handmade, which added a nice rustic touch. We also ordered a plate of green leafies, seen in the background:

If you're ever in Kaohsiung, I highly recommend eating local and don't be too daunted by the language barrier. Taiwanese people are extremely friendly and helpful, and pointing and gesturing work wonders for ordering. If you have any allergies, be prepared in advance by printing out allergy requests in the local language - something I always do when we have travelled to places I cannot speak the language (this is also something your hotel staff can help with). Local Taiwanese food is delicious!

Mi Gou
107 Daren Road
Yancheng District
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 803
Tel. +886 7 533 3168

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Delectable Thai @ Mango Tree (Elements), Hong Kong

It seems that we just cannot follow through with our plan to "eat light" whenever it comes to dining out. Our recent dinner at Mango Tree as supposed to be a small meal, but as you will see, we ordered a lot of food for 2+1. We even got two desserts! That Sunday evening, I wasn't feeling well nor motivated enough to cook dinner (and then wash up afterwards too), but there were two hungry mouths to feed, so I booked us a table at a restaurant in the mall downstairs that was opened a few months ago. The original Mango Tree restaurant is in downtown Bangkok, and this Kowloon branch is one of two Mango Tree restaurants in Hong Kong. The restaurant wasn't located with the other dining establishments in Elements, but amongst the haute designer brand shops. The restaurant fitted right in appearance-wise in its area with high ceilings, gorgeous wooden interior and a nice view of Victoria Harbour. Given its location and appearance, I must admit that I was a little concerned that it might be a bit costly for a small meal out with a kid, but was pleased to find that the dishes were well-priced and that this was a popular dining spot for other families too. We were there pretty early at a reasonable family-friendly period, but I can imagine this restaurant transforming upon nightfall with the sophisticated crowd sipping cocktails and enjoying the beautiful night lights across the harbour.

Sleek and classy interior:

Nice harbour view from our table by the window - a great spot for watching the nightly light and laser show:

The service we received was good - attentive and friendly but unobtrusive. Our table was in a quiet spot by the window away from the main dining area, but we didn't have any trouble getting staff's attention. Our waitress was quite enamoured with our 4.5-year-old boy, but I'm sad to say the kid was too busy enjoying the food to notice the attention. The food was really good, so it was no surprise we ordered as much as we did. The menu was quite extensive with a range of traditional Thai dishes to choose from, and the food wasn't very expensive considering its location in the mall and the view it offers.

Fresh young coconut juice (HK$45) that was just refreshing:

Larb with Chicken (HK$120) - a spicy salad with minced chicken tossed with shallots and fresh mint in Esan-style lime sauce. This was our first opportunity eating larb, and we ate it by placing a small amount on a lettuce leaf and rolling it up to eat (sang choy bao style, for those familiar with Chinese cuisine). On first taste I was quite underwhelmed, but I grew to like it the more I ate it, and wished for more when it was all gone. We ran out of lettuce leaves about halfway through, and the kitchen abundantly replenished our supply upon request:

The boy chose Fresh Crab Meat Fried Rice (HK$128), and we approved of his choice. It was simply delicious, delicately flavoured to allow the sweetness of the crab meat to stand out. Hubby and I only got a small taste of it before our boy claimed it for his own - and he did well to finish the whole plate!

Crispy Rice Crackers (HK$88) - served with minced prawn and pork, peanuts and fresh coconut dip. This was hubby's favourite savoury dish of the meal. It was very flavoursome, and the rice cracker gave a nice textural contrast to the dip, but it got too rich for me after the first couple of bites. Hubby was only too happy to eat more:

Thai Pandan Layer Cake (HK$75) - steamed layered cake flavoured with pandan and coconut cream. Similar to my beloved Nonya kueh lapis from my childhood, except that I couldn't separate the layers from these ones. The taste was lovely, and it was very easy to eat:

After polishing off the layer cake, hubby decided to indulge and order the Sticky Rice with Mango - fresh Thai mango with sticky rice topped with coconut cream. The mango flesh was top quality, very smooth and sweet. This was a very good version of the traditional Thai dessert:

All of us enjoyed the food, including me who was not feeling so well to begin with. I can see us going back there for more family meals, and also with out-of-town guests.

[Prices quoted above excludes the 10% service charge]

Mango Tree (Elements)
Shop 2032, Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon,
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2668 4884

Saturday 4 May 2013

Water lilies, pagodas and temples @ Lotus Lake, Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

I am slowly, but surely, working through my photos from our March trip to Kaohsiung. On the morning of our third day in Kaohsiung, we decided to go bike-free and give our tired legs and bottoms a day's rest from cycling. We hopped on the MRT and headed north for Lotus Lake, a popular tourist destination famous for the lotus plants and the numerous temples around the lake. We arrived at the Ecological District MRT station around 9:40am, enquired with the MRT staff about which bus to take to Lotus Lake, got to the bus stop only to discover that the bus ran on a one-hourly frequency, and that we'd just missed one. There was a playground near the bus stop where we let our son burn off some energy while I tried to figure out the next step. After ascertaining from the area map provided inside the MRT that the lake was only 1 kilometre away, we decided to walk it instead of waiting another 45 minutes for the next bus or catching the taxi. Walking is a great way to explore a new area, so we set out with gusto. Only we discovered about two-thirds of the way there that there was a train track that doesn't allow a straightforward passage through to the lake, and we had to walk half a kilometre along the train track before we reached a pedestrian bridge to cross over the track. Thankfully the route went through the beautiful Indigenous Plant Garden, and it wasn't really a detour as it led us southwards to the part of the lake where most of the interesting stuff were located. So the 30-minute walk actually took an hour, but look at how much we'd have missed if we took the bus/taxi straight to the pagodas and temples on the western side of the lake:

An ornate and colourful pillar by the lake just beyond the pedestrian bridge that crosses over the rail track and highway:

A gorgeous man-made lotus pond along the pedestrian pathway around the southern part of Lotus Lake:

Two of the many beautiful water lilies we admired in the pond:

A panoramic shot of Lotus Lake from the south-eastern part of the lake, and several temples, pagodas and pavilions can be seen dotting the western side of the lake. Lotus Lake was the site of several water sporting events of the World Games 2009, and you can spot some contraptions in the water which I presume was from that sports event (click on image for a larger view):

Crossing a bridge:

When we got to the first point of interest, the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, I was eager to enter the Dragon's mouth, explore each tower, and then exit the Tiger's mouth. Unfortunately for us (and hundreds of other tourists), both pagodas were closed for construction/renovation, so we had to make do with viewing from the outside.

We came to the Tiger Pagoda first from the south:

The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, with signs plastered across each entrance preventing entry:

The Dragon Pagoda from the side:

Cih Ji Palace, a temple directly across the road from the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas:

The entrance to Cih Ji Palace, with intricate stone carvings:

A view inside the Cih Ji Palace, with rich and ornate decorations:

The Spring and Autumn Pavilions, two Chinese palace-style pavilions with the 5-Mile Pavilion in between with a long (but not quite 5 miles) pier. See if you can spot the artist sitting under the shade of a blue umbrella working on a drawing/painting (click on image for larger view):

There are thousands of turtles in the half-moon pond in front of the Spring and Autumn Pavilions:

Preparing to be swallowed by the dragon:

Inside the dragon's belly were lots of paintings telling a story:

A graceful crane walking in the lake:

Walking all the way down the long pier to the 5-Mile Pavilion, where there were a few kitschy coin-operated rides for kids which I thought was rather oddly placed. It amused our 4.5-year-old boy, though he refused to ride one:

There were more to see around Lotus Lake, but we had reached the point of exhaustion after too much walking, and it was close to lunch time. The midday sun was also quite hot and unrelenting, and we decided viewing one temple and several pavilions were enough, so we hailed a cab and took a ride back to the MRT station.