All American Brunch @ Lily & Bloom, Hong Kong

Last month, we celebrated 12 years of marriage. It's amazing we've come this far together. At our wedding, I would never have imagined that in 12 years time, we would have lived in both Japan and Hong Kong, with three kids all born outside of Australia! We've done so many cool and awesome stuff together, and our latest adventure sees us trying to raise our kids (two of whom are under 3) in Hong Kong. This year, the anniversary date fell on a Sunday, so we took the opportunity to treat ourselves to a nice brunch with the kids at Lily & Bloom, who had just introduced their All American Brunch (HK$320) on Saturdays and Sundays. We'd been here previously a few years ago, and I had quite enjoyed the experience. I love the design concept based on the New York 1920s speakeasy, and there was plenty of space to move around. There was a play area set up on the 6th floor, but we didn't use it because it was on a separate floor and we wanted to eat!

There were two sittings for brunch, and I booked the 11am slot which was perfect because we practically had the whole place to ourselves and our noisy children can be their boisterous selves without too much embarrassment. Service was friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious. The All American Brunch included an appetiser buffet and a variety of small plates for sharing served to our table. The kids' a-la-carte menu was also available to order from, and I appreciated the flexibility as our 7-year-old was just uninterested in the brunch selection. The appetiser buffet was quite small, but quality of the dishes were good. There were a few salads, a charcuterie and a cheese board with some bread, as well as seafood on ice (smoked salmon, prawns and mussels). We particularly enjoyed the chicken salad, and I helped myself to multiple servings of smoked salmon. There was also an omelette station, where there was several types of omelettes to choose to be freshly cooked and served to the table. The dessert buffet looked delicious, and the chocolate fondue was a novelty.

Appetiser buffet:

The chocolate fondue fountain was the main centrepiece of the dessert spread. There was also pineapple upside down cake and creamy coconut flan:

Cupcake decorating station! Our kids are already hyperactive without sugar and artificial colours, so they only enjoyed the plain cupcakes

The boy's Hot Dog and Scrambled Eggs (two of his favourites in one plate) from the kids' menu:

The first of the sharing plates was the BLT Avocado Toast with toasted brioche bread, zesty jalapeno avocado mash, fresh lime, cherry tomatoes and crispy bacon. The 6-month-old loved this! She didn't seem to mind the mild spiciness at all:

Lily & Bloom Diner Corned Beef Hash with slow-cooked spa egg, crisped potatoes and corned beef:

Billy's Blueberry Pancakes with crispy bacon and breakfast sausage links:

Big Brioche French Toast with orange spiked classic maple syrup and fruit compote:

Omelette:

The cappuccino was disappointing as it tasted like burnt coffee with too much milk (so it was more a latte than a cap). Hubby's flat white was a bit better:

This was another enjoyable experience at Lily & Bloom.

[Prices quoted above do not include the 10% service charge.]

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

Simple American classics @ Savoury's Restaurant, Mariposa (California)

After an amazing day at the awe-inspiring Yosemite, we headed back to the town we were staying at, and arrived in Mariposa in time for dinner. Our Airbnb hosts had given us a few dining recommendations in town, and although Savoury's wasn't the first place we tried (the first restaurant we arrived at was closed on Mondays!), it turned out to be a very good choice. We were warmly greeted upon arrival, and we were grateful for the warmth and comfort of the restaurant. The kids were given some toys and crayons, which entertained the 6-year-old for much longer than they did for the 1-year-old. Service was warm and friendly, and staff were patient with our kids, particularly the 1-year-old who had a penchant for throwing everything within reach (including said toys and crayons) onto the floor. The menu had a good range of appetisers, meats, seafood, poultry, pastas and salads that were reasonably priced. Portions were generous, the style was rustic and homely, and we all enjoyed the food.

Cosy and warm atmosphere:

Warm and crusty bread:

All the dinners were served with soup or salad. Soup that night was a tomato soup:

Salad:

The Chicken Strips from the kid's menu was homemade with actual chicken breast fillets, and quite delicious:

Lamb Shank braised with Casto Oaks Cabernet with creamy polenta:

Oven-roasted Duck Breast with cranberry chutney:

As usual, hubby couldn't go without dessert, and this chocolate tart was delicious:

Savoury's Restaurant
5034 CA-140
Mariposa, CA 95338
United States
Tel. +1 209 966 7677

Great chowder and seafood @ Crabby Jim's Seafood Restaurant, Monterey (California, USA)

Things are really busy for me, so it's been a bit quiet here on my blog. We celebrated baby girl's 2nd birthday last weekend (not a baby anymore!), and now preparing for my parents' arrival in Hong Kong. I have a lot of blogging material piling up, and I honestly cannot believe that I am still writing up about our California trip we did earlier in the year. We had lunch at Crabby Jim's in Monterey's Old Fisherman's Wharf after our scenic drive through the 17-Mile Drive. We tried several sample chowder being offered outside the seafood restaurants, and we liked Crabby Jim's the best, so that made it an easy decision for lunch. The food was fantastic, but the most memorable part of our meal was the great service we received from our lovely waitress, Priya. In fact, service on the whole was really good at this restaurant.

The dining room had a central fireplace feature:

Table with a view:

Delicious basket of crusty bread:

Fish & Chips for the kids (US$7.99) - breaded California cod, deep-fried and served with french fries with tartar sauce:

Hubby's Coconut Crusted Halibut (US$25.99), topped with lemon butter and tropical mango citrus sauce, served with potatoes and vegetables. The Asian-inspired sauce was delicious with the fish, and the potato gratin was yummy:

I got the Chowder Sourdough Bowl (US$12.99), which was lip-smackingly good. Better than the one we had the day before near the Aquarium:

Mexican Fried Ice Cream (US$7.50) - very rich, and lots of cream on the side. We had trouble finishing it:

Crabby Jim's is a good family-friendly option in the Old Fisherman's Wharf. Very good service, delicious food, and all at a good price. Thumbs up from us!

[Prices quoted above do not include tax or tips.]

Crabby Jim's
25 Fishermans Wharf
Monterey, CA 93940
United States
Tel. +1 831-372-2064

Clam chowder bread bowl and Italian seafood @ Louie Linguini, Monterey (California, USA)

Going back to our California trip, after a fabulous morning with our friends and a short visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we were hungry for some Monterey-style chowder for lunch. I usually do my research and have a list of food places to eat at whenever we travel, but this particular day was not planned until the night before (due to us getting into Monterey much later than expected and having to postpone our meeting with our friends until the next morning), so I had nothing planned for lunch. Before our friends left us for their camping trip, they advised us to look out for pots of chowder outside restaurants offering free samples so that we could try-before-we-buy. We didn't walk very far from the Aquarium on Cannery Row before encountering a girl serving up samples of hot chowder from Louie Linguini's. We've learnt to make quick decisions whenever we go out with our two kids, as we no longer have the luxury of 'shopping around'. When hubby and I agreed that we liked the chowder, we took a quick look at the menu next to the girl to confirm the availability of variety that were not too expensive, and we promptly entered the restaurant. Louie Linguini had a large dining area, with some outdoor tables, and the harbour views were lovely. The service was great, the menu offered a wide range of dishes, and serving sizes were generous. It was a bit of a novelty eating clam chowder from a bread bowl, but it wasn't our first experience, and while Louie Linguini's clam chowder was tasty, we had a better one the next day (you'll just have to wait for the review for that one). Overall it is a family-friendly restaurant conveniently close to the Aquarium, serving tasty seafood and a good version of clam chowder in a bread bowl.

View of a small part of the restaurant towards the entryway and bar - it looks like there is another dining room over yonder:

Some crusty bread with whipped butter:

Fish & Fries (US$8.95), from the special kids' menu - the 6-year-old loved it:

Hubby ordered the Scampi Linguini (US$20.95), expecting langoustines, but was a bit disappointed when served jumbo shrimps instead. Apparently "scampi" in the US refers to the style of preparation:

Clam Chowder Bread Bowl (US$12.95) - lots of delicious sourdough bread to soak up the yummy chowder:

I needed a caffeine hit by mid-afternoon (still severely sleep-deprived and a little bit jet-lagged), and the cappuccino was so pretty:

I'm glad that Louie Linguini turned out to be not a bad choice.

[Prices above do not include additional taxes and tips.]

Louie Linguini's
Steinbeck Plaza
660 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
United States
+1 831-648-8500

Fab beignets and breakfast at Trailside Cafe & Coffee House, Monterey (California, USA)

When we were in California a few months ago, we got to meet up with an old friend from my JET days, whom we hadn't seen for almost 8 years! (Going through my old posts from that era brings back such fond memories!) Alex was our next door neighbour in a tiny fishing village for one year, a jovial American who was also in the same intake of JET participants as me. He was contracted to the municipal (i.e. he taught at several elementary and junior high schools in the area) whereas I worked for a senior high school. Unlike most JET participants who joined the programme straight out of college, he was an experienced science teacher already in his 30s, and together we felt somewhat like oldies compared to our fellow JETs. The nearest foreigner to the three of us was at least 15km away, and we often had dinners together, though he was decidedly the more social one who often opened up his apartment for get-togethers and potluck meals with other Noto JETs.

We stopped in Monterey for three days during our road trip up the Californian coast, and I contacted Alex and his wife to see if we could meet up since they lived nearby. This meeting almost didn't happen, because we arrived in Monterey rather late in the evening on the day before Alex and family were to leave on a camping trip (spring break had just started at the time). Thankfully they managed to complete packing for their trip that night, and they suggested meeting up for breakfast the following morning at Trailside Cafe before they had to leave for their camping trip. So what has changed in the past 8 year? He got married (to a lovely girl we met when she came to visit him in Japan for a couple of months) and have two kids, who get along brilliantly with our own two rascals. We had a lovely time with this gorgeous family, who also took the time out to show us part of the gorgeous Monterey coastline on surrey bikes, and got us into the Aquarium as guests on their membership passes before they went on their camping trip. It was so nice to see familiar faces on foreign land.

The small inside dining area at Trailside Cafe:

We already had a small breakfast at our accommodation, so we ordered only ordered small. Alex got a basket of beignets to share, and these were the most divine fried doughs I've ever had, warm and fresh out of the fryer. It was my first time trying a beignet, and what a fabulous introduction it was! I am not a big fan of deep fried foodstuff, but these were ungreasy with a lovely crispy outer crunch into soft pillowy insides.

Beignets - so much better than donuts!

Got one of the kids' menu for the boy, scrambled eggs and a bowl of fruits:

Hubby could not resist ordering the pancakes with berries and maple syrup:

I discovered that the Trailside Cafe in Monterey shut down last month when the lease expired, but the shop has a sister cafe/bar/pub in Carmel Valley, called Trailside Cafe & Beer Garden, where the menu is similar. I imagine the quality is also similar, and maybe that is something we can find out if we ever find ourselves in California again!

Trailside Cafe & Coffee House
550 Wave St
Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
United States

Great sandwiches @ Sebastian's, San Simeon (California, USA)

After a relatively short visit to the opulent Hearst Castle, we were famished for lunch. We headed to Sebastian's located nearby to fuel up on food before embarking on the 2.5-hour drive north to Monterey. Sebastian's is a casual eatery that serves sandwiches, burgers and salads in a state historical building that was built in the 1850s. Tables and seating are limited inside, and thankfully a family was finishing up when we arrived and gave us their table. The setting was simple, the service was efficient, and the food was thoroughly enjoyable. Soft drinks, coffee and tea costs US$2.50 with unlimited refills - so I had a (large) cup of coffee, and refilled it before leaving to help me on the long drive to Monterey (it was during this 2-week trip that I developed my unhealthy habit of 4-cups-a-day to help me cope with jet lag, sleep deprivation and the long drives).

Ordered and paid at the counter, and then waited for our number to be called to pick up our food:

The Hearst Winery shares the same space:

Fish Taco (US$6) was piled high with lots of fresh veges. We also got a serve of French Fries (US$3):

Hubby had the Beef Tri Tip Sandwich (US$12). We wanted to try tri tip since the region is known for this cut taken from the bottom of the beef sirloin. Served with pickled onion, lettuce, tomato and BBQ sauce, this sandwich went down nicely:

I chose the Fish Sandwich (US$10.50) from the daily special board, and requested avocado with it (US$2.50 extra). Can't go wrong with salmon and avocado with tartare sauce in a sandwich:

Sebastian's is a great stop for a meal before or after a visit to Hearst Castle.

Sebastian's
442 Slo San Simeon Rd
San Simeon, CA 93452
United States
Tel. +1 805-927-3307

Hawaiian poke @ The Big Daddy Shack; and burrito @ The Flyin' Jalapeno, Venice Beach (LA, California)

I am back from California, and what a trip that was! It was a combination of exhilarating and exhausting, as it is never easy travelling across so many timezones with youngsters. Indeed, it was an experience I won't forget any time soon, and I have many photos to share in the weeks/months to come. Our first stop on the trip was Los Angeles, and we stayed in a rental house near Venice Beach. I tasked hubby with the job of doing up the itinerary of our two days in LA, and he did a fab job of it! We spent our first morning in LA at the beach, then we headed over to Big Daddy Shack for lunch. This was our first time eating Hawaiian poke, a raw fish salad heavily influenced by the Japanese cuisine. Big Daddy Shack is a small eatery mainly catering for take-away orders, though there were a handful of seats and some tables for the option to dine in. The girl serving at the counter was very sweet, friendly and helpful, and I loved her purple micro braids! The staff in general were lovely and amicable, so this place gets the thumbs ups for good service.

The Big Daddy Shack's shopfront:

The order counter and kitchen:

The front page of the take-out menu:

The menu was a pictorial instruction on how to build/design your poke bowl: choose a size (Lil Daddy for US$9 that comes with one topping of your choice, and Big Daddy for US$12 that includes two toppings), pick white or brown rice, decide between ahi tuna or salmon, and finally select one sauce. For those who don't fancy raw fish, there are a few seared and grilled options to choose from, and even a grilled chicken bowl for non-fish eaters. Also available were hand rolls, salads and fruit smoothies. Hubby and I are big fans of the poke bowls. The combination of flavours, textures aromas were excellent, and I liked how nutritious these poke bowls were.

Hubby's Big Daddy poke bowl of ahi tuna with brown rice, mango and macadamia nuts, drizzled with house shoyu sauce. Mango gave some sweetness, the nuts gave a crunchy texture, and they both combine well with the sashimi tuna:

My Lil Daddy-sized poke of salmon with white rice, seaweed and avocado, in sriracha aioli sauce. I loved this combination as it was spicy and had two of my favourite ingredients (seaweed and avocado):

We got our something sweet with the Acai Bowl (US$6) with mango juice base, acai pulp, blueberries, kiwi fruit, granola and honey. Eye-poppingly red and delicious too:

We enjoyed our poke bowls, appreciated the good and helpful service (especially after our baby girl tipped half our acai bowl on the floor), and highly recommend this casual eatery for a delicious and nutritious meal in Venice Beach.

The Big Daddy Shack
79 Windward Ave
Venice, CA 90291
United States
+1-310-804-5734



Almost everything on the Big Daddy Shack's menu contained sesame (except for the fruit smoothies and acai bowl, which aren't exactly lunch material for our sesame-allergic boy), so the chick at the counter suggested we headed next door to The Flyin Jalapeno. Hubby went with the 6-year-old to order the boy's lunch, and they came back to the table with a massive Chicken Burrito (US$10). It was hefty, packed with vegetables, beans, chicken and rice, which the boy happily ate. I cannot comment on the service of The Flyin Jalapeno, but I can certainly say that the burrito was delicious!

The Flyin Jalapeno was next door to Big Daddy Shack:

Chicken burrito (:

:

The Flyin' Jalapeno
83 Windward Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90291
United States
Tel. +1-310-392-8900



[The prices above do not include taxes and tips.]