Checking Out Check-In Taipei

Hollywood Road is getting a bit of a face-lift with all these new establishments and latest on the radar is contemporary Taiwanese joint Check-In Taipei, which opened a little over two months ago. When I think of Taiwanese cuisine I immediately think of you tiao (Chinese dough stick) , soya bean milk, fan tuan (sticky rice roll), sesame noodles and NIGHT MARKET FOOD- basically all the food I usually scoff my face with when I go to Taipei. But Check-In Taipei’s menu is a tad more sophisticated than that, with some of Taiwan’s classic dishes undergoing an inventive spin.

Photo courtesy of BD girl!

Inside Check-In Taipei’s narrow space, the decoration is relatively minimalist with clean lines, dark furniture and a long bar where you can sip on their signature cocktails and share plates with friends. There is also a takeaway window for those on the go, a great idea to retain some of the Taiwanese street food charm and makes this establishment appear more accessible to the masses.  Leung Nga Fong, whose CV boasts working at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Amber and Taiwanese ‘drink architect’ Shin Chiu, have successfully created an attractive menu and there are a few dishes which definitely capture the eye.

But, there are some buts to this tale.

When four of us paid a visit one evening, it was to celebrate a birthday, a fact that was subtly relayed when the booking was made. Not that we expected anything but possibly a little candle wedged on top on of our desserts (which actually happened, hooray!), but what I did expect, as one should from any restaurant really, is decent service, and there isn’t anything much worse than a birthday celebration marred by wearily making the same simple request over and over and over again, seeing your dessert get dropped, (more on that later) or the credit card transaction getting mixed up. Luckily the birthday girl, whose sweet nature is rarely riled up, didn’t mind too much.

Before I get caught up in my grumblings, I must say that the food itself was quite enjoyable. The menu is split into a few sections- some interesting bite-sized appetisers, vegetables, classic dishes with a twist and desserts.

Chicken and Waffles, one of their signature dishes, immediately caught our attention. The night market favourite of salty, crispy chicken that the Taiwanese do so very well, has been transformed into a fancy little thing at CIT. Mounted atop mini waffles with accompanying pineapple chutney and balsamic maple syrup, it looked delightful. The chicken was succulent, the skin crisp, but the waffle was unfortunately slightly sodden from the syrup and I didn’t detect the pineapple chutney.

Chicken and Waffles

Next, we had the Oyster Duet- homemade oyster soup served with a crispy oyster croquette (the oysters were fried with oyster sauce, Chinese chives and onion then mixed with mashed potatoes). This again, was a unique take on the oyster pancake and I have to say I liked this dish the most. The soup was a wonderfully warm and comforting oyster version of a clam chowder, and the croquettes were fluffy and light. I also loved the presentation- the soup being served from a teapot with tea cup. How very Asian chic!

Oyster Duet

We followed this up with their Gua Bao with two different fillings- braised pork belly with spicy sweet bean sauce and crunchy spiced eggplant with spicy bean paste and sweet chili mayo. The pork belly was good but to my surprise, I preferred the eggplant. It was spot on with its aromatic condiments and still firm texture.

Gua Bao- spicy eggplant

Gua Bao- braised pork belly

It was around this point of the meal that we had begun to notice a couple of service failings, namely, a complete failure to collect any finished plates and dishes without us calling their attention, failure to then pick up the empty dishes even when pointed at, (the waitress in fact smiled sweetly several times with a little giggle and then promptly walked off!) and a bizarre aversion to filling up our glasses with water. At one point I was tempted to walk over to the bar where I could see the water jugs, and just help myself. The aversion to topping up water continued for the rest of the night; I counted that between my friend and I we had asked the manager at least 5 times and waited a good 20 minutes before any water finally arrived. The place is tiny, “I CAN SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND IT ISN’T TOWARDS THE WATER!!”, I yelled in my head at the staff. Exasperation.

Anyway, our savouries continued with the Seven Layered Rice, a prettier, compact version of the Taiwanese braised pork pork rice (滷肉飯, Lu Rou Fan) which is one of my all time favourites. Whilst the flavours were all there and the egg was nice and soft, I would have liked more sauce. It was also served in a bloody difficult receptacle- a glass cup. It was a mess. Rice bits falling everywhere on the table trying to dig down through all the layers and in order to spoon a serving on our own plates. As I had then come to expect, the rice mess was not cleaned up either when the plates were eventually cleared. (I sound like a right moaner here!)

Seven-Layered Rice

We were most intrigued by their Ping Pong dish- four balls of purple yam with a mochi and parmesan cheese filling which are deep fried at low heat to attain a crispy outside and a chewy inside. This recreation of the traditional sweet potato balls is a great concept, and we especially liked their presentation on a ping pong bat but something was missing. The mochi was nicely chewy and the filling itself was tasty, but somehow this combination fell flat and certainly raised a few quizzical brows in the group.

Ping Pong

The Fish’N’Squid Sticks with flying fish roe served with chili mayo and sweet plum sauce was strange. The consistency can only be described as squidgy and whatever the batter was sprinkled with, was too sweet to make this dish work. I also couldn’t detect the fish roe anywhere. Great chili mayo though.

Fish’N’Squid Sticks

Our last savoury was the Mushroom Forest and this was excellent. Four types of mushrooms, shiitake, white, portobello and reishi are sautéed in truffle cream and then for an added touch, fried mushrooms, lightly battered in potato starch are in the mix to create a nice textural contract. Best bit is the gorgeous onsen egg which bound all the flavours together wonderfully once smashed in.

Mushroom Forest

To end, we ordered both the desserts on offer- the Taro cheesecake and the Yin Yang- marshmallow honey toast with black sesame paste. So this is a funny story…actually not that funny when it happened; the waiter, as he was just about to serve the Yin Yang toast to us, tilted the plate at such an angle to put it down that it was quite easy for all to see that this was going to be a disaster. CIT seems to choose the oddest plates to serve their food on, and toast on a flat plate, is BOUND TO SLIP OFF, especially if waiters are dashing in and out balancing stuff. And so, we see our toast promptly slide off and land face down with a loud PLOP on the dirty, rice strewn table. Mouths agape and sharp intakes of breath later, the waiter, for a nanosecond, looked like he was prepared to flip it over and serve it anyway. We sharply looked at him with a Don’t you dare! glare and thankfully he turned around and got us a fresh piece of toast. By the way, the toast was very satisfying, just be prepared to catch it in mid-air if you order it. The table, incidentally, got a perfunctory wipe later.

Yin Yang Toast

The taro cheesecake was dense, dense, dense. But we didn’t care as it came with a candle and our birthday girl was happy!

Birthday Taro cheesecake!

Taro cheesecake

There was also a bill fiasco, but I have no strength to go into that. Suffice to say, the food just about saves this review from being a total whiny account  and whilst there are a couple of misses, I do think that the food is enjoyable and the prices reasonable. I do recommend that if you go you keep your service expectations on the low side. Let’s just hope they improve ASAP.

Chopstixfix rating: 3/5

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Check-In Taipei, 27 Hollywood Rd, Central, Tel: 2351 2622 facebook.com/ctaipei. 

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A Night Celebrating Ms. Pearl Kong Chen’s Recipes at Kin’s Kitchen

With my customary slowness with uploading, as I am prone to being when work and play get in the way, I have finally gotten round to posting about a fun evening last month with fellow foodies at Kin’s Kitchen in Wan Chai. This evening was particularly interesting and special because the menu was dedicated to the recipes created by the legendary HK food authority Ms. Pearl Kong Chen (江獻珠), whose cookbooks and instruction have long captured the hearts and stomachs of many the Cantonese food aficionado. Having never heard of her until the dinner was arranged by the lovely Little Meg and Janice of e-ting, I was quite fascinated to learn about her history and how her dishes showcase the evolution of Cantonese cooking and the techniques, some quite laborious, needed to master some of these dishes.

Our menu had 9 courses which presented classic Chinese banquet and homey dishes following Ms. Kong’s recipes and techniques. These traditional recipes, long abandoned over the years, were just amazing and I’m not going to even attempt to explain her background, except to say that Ms. Pearl Kong is the granddaughter of a Qing dynasty archivist and the legacy of her grandfather’s recipes was passed down to her. Instead I am going to directly quote Janice, which I stole off FB from when she posted on another friend’s pic of the night haha- thanks love!

 “Kong (Jiang in Mandarin pinyin) Kong-dian was Mrs. Chen’s grandfather’s full name, although he was known by his position in the court (Taishi, ie. official court archivist/historian). He had cooks in his (supposedly grand) household and was fond of working out new dishes with them, and hosting other bigwigs at his house. As the Qing Dynasty crumbled, the family gradually had to supplement their income and it is said he ran his house as a bit of a private kitchen. He’s the one who invented snake soup as we know of today (often called Taishi snake soup as a result). Another random bit I read – he loved food so much he bought his own orchard and kept bees and stuff. And another random bit – the reason why Tim’s Kitchen is so well known is because chef Tim was trained by one of Kong Taishi’s chefs, and learned these crazy techniques and recipes.”

All in all, it was a beautiful evening with beautiful people, remembering and honouring the past and emphasizing how important it is to preserve tradition. For it is remembering our history that we can learn and move into the future. Enjoy the photos! 🙂

Stir-fry imitated shark-fin with eggs

Soup of Fish Head- expertly done. An impeccable dish.

Deep fried custard of chicken broth- this was pretty sensational, having never seen anything like this before. Firm chicken broth in a light batter, pretty addictive.

Steamed Chicken Stuffed with Shrimp Paste- a dish of hot discussion! How on earth do they do it? I loved this. Silky, rich chicken skin and chicken meat replaced with a smooth shrimp paste.

Stir-fried finely sliced pigeon

Braised Mustard Green with Ham sauce

Stir-fried noodles with assorted mushrooms

Smoked Chicken with rose stems and sugar cane- a Kin’s Kitchen signature. We ordered a plate as an extra! Fantastic and aromatic.

Steamed grouper fillet with fermented soy bean

Sweet pumpkin and almond soup with glutinous rice

Kin’s Kitchen, 5/F, W Square, 314-324 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, HK. Tel: (852) 2571 0913

Putting on a Funky Shou

Fu Lu Shou- Good Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity- has been open a little over a month and I have already been three times, something of a record for me when it comes to new establishments. And all because the place is just so darn funky. Two things to mention that make this my new go-to spot for laid-back cool- a fab rooftop terrace and rather yummy cocktails. Ping Lam, the brainchild behind the Nail Library, has successfully turned her attention from beautifying hands and feet to feeding people, and its all about bringing in old skool Western Chinese from her childhood in Australia.  Their motto is “Eat. Drink. And Be Prosperous”; I can do the first two, just hoping that one day Fu Lu Shou magically makes it rain when I next visit. I wish.

Eat, Drink And Be Prosperous

Fu Lu Shou is ensconced in a rather dodgy looking old building on Hollywood Road by the escalators and takes over the space formerly occupied by TBLS. The only way to get inside is to know the door code which changes every Tuesday. The code, the well-hidden location, plus the jittery old lift, add to the Fu Lu Shou atmosphere and make you feel like you’re in on a little secret. I loved it. Once you emerge on the top floor, you are greeted by a lovely rooftop bar and small, casual indoor dining area and an open kitchen. The bar is made up entirely of mahjong tiles which I was quite fascinated by, and inside, the look is completed by their motto emblazoned on the wall.  The real beauty is the outdoor terrace which is bedecked with inviting, comfy sofas, cushioned swing seats and a huge mural of a couple of happy, old Chinese scholars and one holding a cocktail!

Merry scholars

Mahjong tiled bar

The first time I went it was at the kind invitation of the awesome Rach from Through the Looking Glass and a merry group of us got stuck into the inventive cocktails and mocktails which are all worth trying and utterly delish. Firm cocktail favourites from my three visits are the Joh Sun, “Good Morning Hong Kong”- a feisty concoction of lemon-flavoured vodka, lemongrass syrup, lemon juice, ginger juice, lime and chilli- it certainly woke me up after one tiring day and their Haam Ling Chut “Salty Lemon”  which is a mix of Angostura Reserva 3 Yr Old White Rum, Salted Lemon, Salted Lemon Juice, Preserved Mandarin, Mint, Fever-Tree Lemonade & Fever-Tree Tonic. As someone who really loves the classic haam ling chut from cha chaan tengs, theirs was a lively, alcoholic version that went down a little too nicely! I enjoyed their mocktails too; all refreshing and fruity, especially their Yum Cha made with Chinese tea, homemade red date tea, lemon juice, passionfruit and elderflower syrup which is served in those gorgeous classic Chinese mugs with lids.

Yum Cha

Joh Sun!

But what about the food? It’s NOT authentic first of all, but that’s the point and half the charm. It’s a cheeky and fun medley of Australian, UK and North American westernised Chinese food that owner Ping, wanted to capture and remember from her native Oz.  Ping was very quick to state that Fu Lu Shou is ‘not food-centric’ nor meant to be Michelin-star, the dishes are simply there to be enjoyed with the drinks and not to be taken seriously. In other words, chill out, pig out and smile. Ping clearly has a fab eye for detail as all the dishes came on those amazing melamine retro Chinese plates which I fondly remember eating off from as a child. The plates were shipped all the way from Paris no less- dedication!

Any food item termed ‘Big Arse’ has got to be good. By Big Arse, they are referring to the Ozzie extreme version of the siu mai and this momma was massive when it came as part of the mixed sampler plate. This tasted great, but we especially liked their prawn toast which was deliciously thick and crisp.

Mixed appetizer sample and Big Arse siu mai

The Chicken and Sweet Corn ‘Egg Drop’ soup was soothing for the soul and was just the right consistency.

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

We sampled a variety of mains starting with the Beef in Black Bean Sauce. The sauce was slightly too heavy and intense on the salty black bean for me and should be accompanied by some rice. The Boss’ Honey Prawns’ light, sweet batter was nicely done and the prawns plump to bite into and the Sweet and Sour Pork was also a solid dish. The real crowd pleasers were the Deep Fried Tofu in Spicy Salt which were so addictive- I couldn’t stop piling the chili salt and pepper onto my rice, and the Kung Pao Chicken which was full of flavour and kick as well. For carbs you can go for anyone of the chow meins, though we were served the vegetable version to end the savouries.

Deep Fried Tofu in Spicy Salt

Kung Pao Chicken

Vegetable Chow Mein

Beef in Black Bean Sauce

Boss’ Honey Prawns

Sweet and Sour Pork

For dessert we tucked into a properly old-skool banana split with ice-cream AND an umbrella- yummy! We also enjoyed the banana fritters and the sticky toffee apples which we dunked into ice water with glee to solidify the toffee.

Banana fritters

Sticky Toffee Apple

Dunking Time

Banana Split

If you want a fun night out with delicious drinks and a great rooftop to enjoy the HK ambience, make Fu Lu Shou a regular hang-out. It doesn’t serve authentic Chinese food, but it sure does do a brilliant take on ‘non-authentic’ Chinese grub to make bananas like me nostalgic. I do recommend booking in advance and remember to check the door code or you’ll be stuck outside on Hollywood Road.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

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Fu Lu Shou, 7/F, 31 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2336 8812

 https://www.facebook.com/FuLuShouHK

No Motley Crew at Mott 32

I’m not certain what is gaining more interest at restaurants these days, the interior design or the food. With places like Duddell’s, (art gallery or dining establishment?), St Betty’s (Hanging Gardens of IFC) and AMMO (Tate Modern meets metallic staircase) distracting diners with their decoration, the food could be in danger of being a side dish rather than the main attraction. However, with newest Maximal Concepts’ venture on the block, (does this group ever stop?!), Mott 32, the food AND the decor are certainly neck to neck in the attention stakes.

Mott 32 is not your local Chinese eatery. The food is top-notch quality with prices to match, so don’t say I didn’t warn you if you look at the bill with bulging eyes. I will say this- I will most definitely be taking all my future visitors there. Mott 32 is the epitome of Chinese fine dining, and Maximal Concepts have gone all out for their first Chinese restaurant. Named after New York’s first Chinese convenience store which opened in 1851 on 32 Mott Street and an homage to those who left HK for NYC’s Chinatown, Mott 32 showcases Cantonese cuisine with regional specialties from Sichuan and Beijing using the Maximal Concepts’ farm-to-table cooking principles. Even finding it is an eye-opener; situated in the enormous basement of the Standard Chartered Bank building in Central, beyond one set of escalators and a seemingly never-ending and heel-unfriendly spiral staircase.

Enter and you will find a splendorous space beautifully furnished with an array of Chinese artifacts, sumptuous sofas and Oriental wooden screens that divide the restaurant into zones, each with their own gorgeous design. Their semi-open kitchen with an industrial duck oven and special air-drying duck fridge is an interesting focal point and one can get quite diverted by the duck carcasses hanging as if in suspended animation. My meandering took me to my favourite room- an intimate area decorated with hundreds of Chinese calligraphy paintbrushes and round the corner I admired a wall cloaked in a breath-taking silkscreen of silver birds and flowers. In yet another corner, a giant abacus floats serenely from the ceiling, whilst the walls play host to a hotch-potch of Chinese antique vases and ornaments. Street art and graffiti complete the East meets West/ ancient meets modern look and you are left with what is a truly magnificent interior, courtesy of award-winning interior designer Joyce Wang. There are also five private rooms, all equally stunning, that ensure you can have an uninterrupted, elegant meal with a party of friends. The bathroom is also worth a mention, not least because it feels like you’re at Hogwarts. Polyjuice potion scene springs to mind.

And onto the food, which is as impressive as the decor. The kitchen is headed by Chef Fung, previously of Dynasty Restaurant, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel , which explains why Mott 32’s prime char siu made with Iberico pork  is a smorgasbord of excellent flavours and succulence and touted as one of the finest in town, and Dynasty’s char siu has gone downhill in the last few months. When the char siu arrived, consistency was a slight issue though, as our table had two plates of this popular dish, and one was distinctly lacking the same love and care the other had. The winning plate was sensational; the char siu unbelievably tender and juicy, fragrant with the perfect amount of sweetness to the taste and edged with drool-worthy caramelisation. Its sister plate however, was a lighter colour, a little on the soggy side unfortunately and not quite as charred on the edges.

Iberico Pork Char Siu

We sampled a few of their dim sum delicacies starting with the Dry Fried Squid with sweet chili and lime zest. Whilst the squid itself was nice and chewy, this wasn’t overly memorable and the batter tasted a little on the chalky side.

Dry Fried Squid

I loved the Crispy Sugar Coated BBQ Spanish Teruel Pork Buns which were delicate, light, soft and fluffy. The sugar coating was beautiful to bite into and the pork filling sweet and lean. Another hit were the Kurobata pork, quail egg and black truffle siu mai. These posh siu mai were plump and delectable, and who can resist a surprise quail egg in the middle plus fragrant black truffle on top?

Crispy Sugar Coated BBQ Spanish Teruel Pork Buns

Kurobata pork, quail egg and black truffle siu mai

The Australian Wagyu beef with Shitake Mushrooms was a solid dish and we enjoyed the Aged Black Vinegar Sweet & Sour Pork which was a more sophisticated version of the classic dish. The sweet and sour sauce was great and a perfect balance of flavours. Rach from Through the Looking Glass and I were a bit confused by the addition of dragonfruit, (of the normal red variety I believe, as they had absolutely no flavour at all). The dish wants the pineapple back please.

Australian Wagyu beef with Shitake Mushrooms

Aged Black Vinegar Sweet & Sour Pork

As if we hadn’t had enough food, there was the Apple Wood-Roasted Peking Duck, (you need to pre-order this), which was stupendous. I couldn’t get enough. A bamboo steamer holding wonderfully thin pancakes was emptied at lightning speed as we feasted on crispy, glistening duck skins and succulent slices of meat.

Apple Wood-Roasted Peking Duck

At this point my stomach was starting to protest but we powered our way through a 12 hour Slow Cooked Sticky Pork Belly which was another outstanding dish. The invitingly glossy exterior of the pork belly fat was even better to taste as each mouthful melted.

12 hour Slow Cooked Sticky Pork Belly

I was disappointed I did not have more room to fully indulge in the next dish which was Black Cod, Potato, Chilli, Garlic, Spring Onion, or as we affectionately called it ‘Chinese Fish and Chips’. The whole dish was well-seasoned and aromatic; the battered cod was light yet meaty and the potatoes fat and moreish.

‘Chinese Fish and Chips’

We were all on the precipice of a food coma when the final savoury dish emerged- Fried Rice with Pork Belly, Preserved Vegetable and Egg. Don’t ask me how- pure greed coupled with a carb craving and a love for preserved vegetables in anything, meant that I finished both mine and Rach’s bowl of rice. It was delicious though, so no regrets!

Fried Rice with Pork Belly, Preserved Vegetable and Egg

To end, (yes, we had dessert too), we had the Green Tea coated Chocolate Mousse, 3 of which made up part of my dinner grazing at their opening party, and the Osmanthus Flower Jelly. The green tea flavour was a good counterbalance against the rich and smooth chocolate mousse and the jelly was a lovely, refreshing end to a hugely satisfying and delectable meal.

Green Tea coated Chocolate Mousse

Osmanthus Flower Jelly

Mott 32 is simply stunning to dine at, just sitting there to take in the ambiance and admire the interior is enough, let alone sampling the stellar food. The high-quality ingredients, first rate preparations and clever twists on traditional dishes without losing the essence of the original creations, make a dining experience at Mott 32 a must despite the price. With main dishes between $200-400 each, (the Iberico pork is $295), you are looking at a fairly hefty bill, especially if you are a) a glutton and b) ordering some of their delicious cocktails. However, I do think Maximal Concepts have really done a fabulous job with their latest venture, and while I won’t be a frequent visitor, I will definitely be saving up for my char siu fix on special occasions and when I have visitors to impress.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

 

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Mott 32, Standard Chartered Building, 4-4a Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2885 8688 Reservations@mott32.com

 This meal was by kind invitation by Maximal Concepts. Many thanks!

All Good Things Must Come to an End- Please Sir, Any Mo Food?

This will be brief. Because, sadly, this lovely, compact private kitchen, hidden in what feels like an abandoned building in Kwun Tong of all places, is closing down at the end of this month, i.e. this weekend. This is really a crying shame as 1) I only just discovered it, and 2) the food is really good. But I’ve been told that the owners have been struggling to keep up with cooking their amazing array of dishes and it is time to retire their skills. I could definitely see why they have decided to make this difficult decision to close Any Mo Food Private Kitchen as their menu the evening that I went, was by no means straightforward for a party of 8. So this is more of a photo gallery of what we ate and enjoyed, and to lament the loss of a great private Cantonese private kitchen. I hope that other kitchens serving traditional Cantonese fare of similar calibre do not suffer the same fate and that the older generation’s culinary skills are passed down to those who want to lovingly replicate these delicious dishes.

Ginger Thousand Year Old Egg- one of the tastiest thousand year old egg’s I have had

Not entirely sure what this was, but it tasted like turnip

Cucumber

Soy Sauce Shrimp White Rice Wine

Fried fish cakes

Abalone bamboo shoots with a lovely pineapple and lime sauce

Steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli- spectacular and not too greasy

Signature Chicken with lots of ginger infused through the sauce

Fish wrapped with bacon

Seasonal Veg

Pineapple fried rice

Smoked Egg- amazing

Caviar to go with our smoked egg

Gingko tofu egg dessert

Dim Sum lunch at Cuisine Cuisine

I love dim sum. Back in London my parents and I would go to New World in Chinatown for a spot of dim sum trolley service or head to Princess Garden in Mayfair for our fix. Of course, in HK, there is no shortage of dim sum places and as such, I have been valiantly trying to visit a few different restaurants, especially a couple of the more posh joints like Lung King Heen, just to see how their dishes measure up against the likes of the more down-to-earth joints.

So hot on the heels of my WHISK dinner, I found myself going back to The Mira to try out their One -Michelin star Cantonese restaurant, Cuisine Cuisine (by invitation). Cuisine Cuisine has another branch in IFC, which I’ve yet to try, and is also a One-Michelin star. In fact the Mira branch had Two-Michelin stars back in 2011, but unfortunately it did not retain it the following year.

Cuisine Cuisine at The Mira

Cuisine Cuisine is a rather resplendent forest-emerald green inside with these dramatic suspended glass orbs hanging from the ceiling and pretty views of Kowloon Park. The modern decor with traditional hints is very much a reflection of their menu which serves traditional fare with contemporary twists. The day I went, I was sampling their re-introduced All You Can Eat Dim Sum, which at $248 (+10%) per person, is terrific value, if your stomach is as big as your eyes. This is only available Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays between 11.30am till 2.30pm, so if you can escape from work then make the most of it!

We started with the crispy taro puffs with diced chicken and foie gras which were light and airy with hints of foie gras (not strong enough for me!) Stir-fried turnip cakes in X.O. Chili sauce was excellent; their X.O. sauce enhanced the fried turnip beautifully and made it difficult to tear my chopsticks away from each morsel. Their steamed wild mushroom and black truffle dumpling with a pop of colour from the melon inside, was fragrant and quite delicious, a well-executed vegetarian dim sum dish.

Crispy taro puffs with diced chicken and foie gras

Stir-fried turnip cakes in X.O. Chili sauce

Steamed wild mushroom and black truffle dumpling

The xiao long baos and steamed dried scallop with shrimp and vegetable dumplings were good but standard fare, but I was happy to note that the skins in the xiao long baos were not overly thick- I lost some precious soup from over-zealous picking up!

Xiao Long Bao

Steamed dried scallop with shrimp and vegetable dumpling

The mini steamed sponge cakes with black sugar were wonderfully warm and bouncy and not too sweet. The pop-in-your-mouth portions are a little dangerous, but as its an All You Can Eat, you can always order more! I loved the cheung fan or steamed rice flour rolls with BBQ pork which was quite succulent and had the occasional, but not too much crispy fat- a happy contrast to the plain but smooth rice rolls flavoured with soya sauce. Crispy glutinous rice dumplings with diced pork were also scrumptious and thankfully not too heavy or oily as these can have a tendency to be. No dim sum lunch is complete without char siu bao (steamed barbecue pork bun), and theirs was fluffy and soft, yielding easily to my fingers prying the bun open to reveal glistening BBQ pork.

Steamed sponge cakes with black sugar

Crispy glutinous rice dumplings with diced pork

Steamed rice flour rolls with BBQ pork

Char siu bao

Greedy guts we may be but it is surprising how your brain thinks you can eat so much more dim sum than you can in actuality. We ended up with just about room to spare for three sweet dim sum dishes. Their delightful egg tarts, piping hot when they emerged from the kitchen and filled with sugary custard goodness. Their yellow centres wobbled happily at me and were devoured with gusto. The coconut and osmanthus pudding was not a headlining dessert, but being chilled and light in flavours, was a clean-tasting bite to refresh the palate. The mango cream and sago pudding was by far the best, cooling and sweet yet tangy.

Mango cream and sago pudding

Coconut and osmanthus pudding

Egg tarts

Dining at Cuisine Cuisine can be an elegant affair, though there is also quite a nice, laid-back atmosphere, with service running like clockwork and high quality dishes rolling out and helping patrons to roll out of the restaurant themselves, stuffed to the rafters with food. Don’t stroll in wearing flip flops but otherwise you can have a relatively casual meal whilst enjoying the polished surroundings.

Chopstixfix rating: 3.5/5

$$$-$$$$$$$$$$

Cuisine Cuisine at The Mira, 3/F, The Mira Hong Kong,118 Nathan Road,Tsimshatsui /cuisinecuisine@themirahotel.com /+852 2315 5222

This was a tasting by invitation by The Mira Hotel- many thanks for the kind invite. Interior photo courtesy of The Mira. 

A Spot of Lunch at Lung King Heen

Four Seasons- Lung King Heen

There are some restaurants in our beloved, hectic city that I have been saving for a special occasion or just waiting for a good time to go with my other half and visitors, and Lung King Heen at The Four Seasons is way up there on that *special occasion* list. But there it languished for a couple of years, until I despaired that such an occasion would ever materialise until, to my surprise, The Four Seasons extended a very kind invitation to me to try their set lunch one weekday. They were equally surprised that I hadn’t as yet been to their Three-Michelin starred restaurant, (I wasn’t deliberately avoiding, honest!), so it was with great delight that I found myself gazing round their spacious dining-area with polished floors, plush seats and magnificent views of Victoria Harbour.

Now, to be crowned the world’s first Chinese restaurant to be awarded the Three-Michelin stars is no mean feat, so naturally, one wonders if it deserves such an accolade. Although I was invited, I do believe that day to day, invites make little difference, as this is a tightly run ship with stellar service and truly standout dishes at what are frankly, quite reasonable prices for the quality that one gets.

Lung King Heen

After nestling into one of their side booths I had a look at their Executive Set Lunch menu which, at $485 +10% per person for seven, albeit small courses, is GREAT value, especially once I started tucking in. The a la carte menu has an array of fabulous dishes and of course they have a fine selection of dim sum, being Cantonese and all, so if a tummy full of dim sum tickles your fancy then you should definitely do that at leisure. I was trying their set lunch which starts with the Chef’s dim sum selection followed by the Soup of the Day, Barbecue combination (highlight for any pork belly obsessive), two mains (more on those later), then dessert and petit fours.

Our attentive wait staff soon arrived and two neat, steamed dim sum parcels appeared before me- the mushroom dumpling with celery and the shrimp dumpling with bamboo shoots. They were both morsels of joy and deliciousness and not nearly enough to satiate my dim sum lust that they ignited. Their dim sum skins were delicate yet firm enough to hold their contents, and as they yielded to bite, I savoured the plump shrimp and tender bamboo shoots and the silky and flavoursome mushrooms, with the celery adding a fresh taste. I was also treated to their wonderful Crispy Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Hairy Gourd, which made that happy crispy sound as I bit into it.

Steamed Dim Sum- mushroom and celery dumpling and shrimp and bamboo dumpling

Crispy Spring Roll with Shrimp and Hairy Gourd

The Soup of the Day of dried vegetable, snake- head fish and pork, may not sound or look that impressive, but it was a wonderful, soothing broth to warm the cockles of the heart. As a Chinese soup fan, I fully appreciate the fine art that can go into a simple, humble soup, and I really wanted to produce a thermos and take some home!

Soup of the Day

Lung King Heen’s Barbecue combination may be small but they made an impact. And also made me want to weep that there was not more. (Am definitely having a plateful of crispy pork belly next time). My salivary glands were going into overtime and I had to tell myself not to wolf down my two precious pieces of pork belly and the equally magnificent two pieces of roast goose. The roast goose skin glistened delicately with the delicious goose fat; it was pretty much barbecued meat porn. But let’s not forget the marinated jellyfish with its yummy, crunchy texture, which was good but paled in comparison to its meaty neighbours.

Barbecue combination- crispy pork belly, roast goose and marinated jellyfish

The next dish is a little controversial, as I soon found out after tweeting a picture of this dish enthusiastically, in that the so-called “Chilean Seabass”, is actually the Patagonian Toothfish, cleverly marketed to make it appear more appealing, in name, to us mere mortals and not only that, it seems to be a fish that is teetering on the edge of sustainable, depending on whether you want to wade in on the ‘legal fishing’ debate. I was educated very swiftly by Wafflerica – thanks! Anyway, this awkwardness aside, this dish (Steamed Chilean Seabass with with Fermented Black Bean Sauce) was outstanding, the fish was amazingly fresh, meaty and succulent and I loved the fermented black bean sauce, which is always such a dynamic contrast in flavours to that ‘clean’ fish taste.

Steamed Chilean Seabass with with Fermented Black Bean Sauce

Next up was the welcome sight of the Braised E-Fu noodles with crab-meat in lobster sauce. Crab meat AND lobster sauce? Winning combination. I ate it so fast, such was my pure enjoyment of this dish, that I was not really registering any deeper analytics of the dish except YUM!

Braised E-Fu noodles with crab-meat in lobster sauce

And so we were coming to end of this excellent lunch, and I had to make room for one of my favourite Chinese desserts of all time- the Chilled Mango and Sago Cream with Pomelo. Deconstructing this, there is basically a glorious mango pudding, firm and inviting, drowned in a fresh mango-sago-pomelo cream. Fruity fun.

Chilled Mango and Sago Cream with Pomelo

To end, there was a lovely Chrysanthemum jelly with barley and a sesame biscuit to cap off an impressive lunch. Three-stars absolutely well deserved.

Chrysanthemum jelly with barley and a sesame biscuit

As the Terminator said- I’ll be back.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5




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Lung King Heen, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central. Tel: +852 3196 8880, 3196 8886 http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong

This meal was by invitation- many thanks to Four Seasons Hong Kong. (Interior photos also from Four Seasons. )

A Tonno of Food

The Tonno is an intriguing structure in a slightly awkward location. This all-in-one mega entertainment complex (club-cum-restaurant-cum-karaoke block) aims to inject a bit of sophistication into the Wan Chai nightlife as a more upscale alternative to the likes of Carnegie’s. However, its stark, black and shiny red Perspex glory is rather at odds with the rest of its surroundings and I felt a little out of place to be stepping inside in the middle of the day for a spot of lunch!

While the restaurant inside, Shanghai Lo (sister restaurant of the popular ‘upmarket’ cha chaan teng, Loyal Dining on Wellington Street) does provide very reasonably priced set lunch menus, its decor and atmosphere is definitely more suitable as a dinner venue. Dim lighting swathes the traditional-looking Oriental dark-wooden screens and black cloths drape the dining tables, all of which are secured in place by a red Chinese dragon paperweight.

Rach and I were ushered into a cosy side-booth where we were presented with an extensive traditional Shanghainese menu. As lounge music played in the background, both of us felt shut away from the outside world of blazing sun and traffic, lulled by the moody confines of the establishment. We had a feast in store for us, which only served to make us even more lethargic and relaxed!

We dove into the Shanghai Lo Platter for four, (of course, we ate the whole thing between the two of us!), which comprised of sliced pork terrine, sweet and crispy river shrimps, crispy bean curd rolls, beef shin and the Shanghai Lo lantern. Most outstanding were the bean curd rolls, the addictive crispy shrimps and beef shin in an excellent five spice marinade.

The Huadiao wine marinated ‘Drunken’ Chicken was succulent and not too strongly alcoholic, whilst my favourite of the starters were the tea leaf smoked eggs; the yolk was deliciously soft and a lovely bright orange – perfectly cooked and seasoned.

After demolishing the above, we unfortunately didn’t realise we should’ve saved our stomachs… we had a further seven dishes to devour, excluding dessert!

The hot and sour seafood bisque and the deep-fried dumplings were both standard, the soup thick and hearty but too filling to be finished. We loved the soupy xiao long bao in their nicely firm and thin skins and the crispy rice cones with diced beef and black truffle earned my nod of approval. The beef was succulent and flavoursome, a hint of black truffle just diffusing through without overwhelming. The rice cones themselves were a wonderful contrasting crunch.

Next were the sautéed minced chicken with pine nuts served with sesame pastry pockets which, had I not tried the crispy rice cones, would have been far more enjoyable. However, the sesame pastry pockets were too flaky, stodgy and dry in comparison and so we ate the well-seasoned minced chicken on its own.

We also enjoyed the wonderfully tender braised pork with preserved vegetables with Shanghainese buns, a favourite dish of mine and a definite thumbs-up to order, although if you do pay Shanghai Lo a visit, I recommend that you only have one of these three bun, crispy cone or sesame pastry pocket dishes, otherwise you will be completely stuffed to the rafters!

Sadly, due to our earlier greed and hunger, neither Rach nor myself could manage all the pork as we still had the main dish to come – the signature deep-fried Mandarin fish in sweet and sour sauce. This monstrosity of a fish (it really was too huge for two girls to consume) was impressively served, a whole fish frozen gulping in mid-air and encased in a sweet and sour batter, sprinkled with pineapple chunks and pine nuts. Whilst the flakes of fish inside were beautifully cooked, the batter was too thick and the sauce slightly too sweet and sticky for my taste. Nevertheless, it did make for a great entrance and would be fantastic way to wow any visiting friends to Hong Kong!

I always say there’s a separate stomach for pudding, but on this occasion, my skirt was not giving my ‘second stomach’ any room to expand and so I struggled with the desserts. Not to be outdone, I rebelliously rammed a fluffy egg white custard filled ball into my mouth and ended with a mournful nibble on an osmanthus jelly.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Shanghai Lo. I wasn’t expecting it be anything above average, but some of its offerings were really very good and certainly the more traditional dishes were solidly prepared. I’m still unsure if The Tonno is the best place to go for lunch, but if you’re after a pleasant quiet meal or a place to discuss matters over a long lunch without having to strain your vocal cords to be heard, this is a great venue.

Chopstixfix rating: 3/5

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Shanghai Lo, 1/F, The Tonno, 5 Tonnochy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, 3125 3232 www.shanghailo.com.hk

This review can also be read on Sassy.

In It To Wynn It- a day in Macau Part 1, Wing Lei

I was surprised to receive a kind invitation from the Wynn Macau to spend a day touring the premises and more excitingly, to sample the food at two of their restaurants- the Michelin 2-star Wing Lei (awarded in the 2012 guide) and Mizumi (see here for the review). If it weren’t for this opportunity, I doubt I would actually think about dining at the Wynn, but I’m very glad and grateful for this invite as I hope that this encourages people to think about the Macau dining scene a little more!

It was on a beautiful day that I set off, and apart from the frustratingly long wait at Immigration, I was soon waltzing through the elegant doors of the Wynn and on my way to lunch at Wing Lei.

As with most of the resorts in Macau, what strikes one immediately is the sheer size of the structure and the grandiose manner in which everything is displayed. However, compared to the others I’d visited before, I felt the Wynn, whilst still luxurious, was more understated and intimate in its decor, which was appealing to me.

The Wynn Macau has some impressive restaurants under its belt including the Michelin-star Golden Flower (awarded in 2012) and the Italian, il Teatro, as well as several casual dining establishments to cater for all palates. I wanted to go to the Wynn without any expectations. Obviously, Wing Lei, being bestowed with 2 Michelin stars is quite the accolade, but in my mind a luxury Vegas-style resort with such a badge of honour, usually means a fair bit of moolah and food artfully arranged on a plate. So what was in store for me when I sat down for lunch?

Before anything else, I have to mention the eye-catching crystal flying dragon that’s dramatically displayed on the back wall of the main dining area. This centrepiece is certainly an arresting sight, made more impressive by the fact that it’s constructed out of 90,000 Swarovski crystals and tiny lights. If anything is going to detract attention away from the food, that would be it! After I finished gawking at it, I had my first sip of Wing Lei’s Signature Tea, a floral and delicate blend of flowers, fruits and tea leaves that, as the meal progressed, nicely cleansed the palate. (I was delighted when I was presented with a tin of their signature tea to take home, will be taking my time with this precious supply!).

The menu for lunch had been prearranged to highlight the best of Wing Lei’s dim sum as well as a couple of their signature dishes.

To start we had a pretty selection of appetisers: drunken shrimps, marinated eggplant with chilli vinegar and shredded barbecued duck, chilled sliced sea cucumber and cucumber with spicy sauce and smoked bean curd, mushrooms and sweetened carrot. The drunken shrimps were plump and meaty with a light infusion of alcohol and I especially enjoyed the marinated eggplant.

I was very much looking forward to the selection of Dim Sum, in particular to the baked barbecued pork bun that I have a weakness for which arrived on a simply presented plate with a  steamed shrimp and vegetable dumpling with in-house made XO chilli sauce, a deep-fried shrimp spring roll and steamed layered bean curd skin with soy bean milk.

The elongated deep-fried spring roll was delicious. I loved the wafer thin, cripsy  wrap and the shrimp mince enveloped inside. The steamed layered bean curd skin was excellent and so intricately layered that it was almost an art-piece rather than a morsel to be eaten. But the real showstopper was the fragrant baked barbecued pork bun with a sweetened crust. The crust was perfect- beautiful, fluffy and sweet (the crust immediately made me crave a whole plate of pineapple buns when I sunk my teeth in), which gave way to a tasty filling of barbecued pork, which was just on the right side of salty to complement the sweet.

The most astonishing part about Wing Lei was discovering that their lunchtime Dim Sum Tasting menu costs a mere 158MOP (equivalent value in HK), for a selection of 6 dim sums from a fairly extensive list. Considering this is a 2-star Michelin restaurant, I found this to be incredible value for such fantastic quality dim sum.

The next course was their signature Steamed cod fish roll with preserved tree seeds. The rolled cod was fleshy and well-prepared, the light broth giving it that added succulency and flavour. The tree seeds added a contrasting sourness which I liked.

The Crispy crab claw with fragrant garlic flakes was huge and meaty. Nothing beats a good sprinkling of fried garlic flakes. I’m always a bit fussy when it comes to fried garlic as I hate it when it becomes soggy but these were nice and dry and gave the crab claw that wonderful garlicky aroma. The fried crab meat with egg white that accompanied it was also good and tempered the salty crispiness of the claw.

I should add that service during the lunch was exemplary, and I don’t just say that because my visit was expected. I observed the service across the dining room and the staff were attentive throughout and just as detailed about the courses when serving the other diners. My tea was refilled constantly and everything was said with a warm smile which always makes a difference!

No meal is compete without dessert, no matter how stuffed one is. The dessert platter was gorgeous, both in presentation and in taste. I enthused with girly delight over the tiny, golden steam basket which I really wanted to take home! Anything deep-fried usually gets my attention anyway, but the deep-fried egg custard roll was honestly delicious, the filling was so smooth and flavourful. The osmanthus milk pudding was reminiscent of a panna cotta and was quite delicate on the palate. I was deeply impressed by the baked walnut puff which looked exactly like the real thig. I couldn’t fathom how they made it, I doubt I would have the patience to recreate that in the kitchen, so gold stars for effort! I was also interested in the seasonal fruit on my platter which was a slice of yellow dragon fruit from Columbia. I find dragon fruit usually so bland and this was the first time I’d encountered yellow dragon fruit (Piyahaya). I was taken aback by its juiciness and honey-like sweetness which acted as a fabulous refresher and cleanser to the end of the meal.

Wing Lei impressed me and I could definitely see why it was awarded 2 Michelin stars. I would highly recommend going there for dim sum if you are ever in Macau, because frankly, you won’t find such quality at such a steal.

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Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

Wing Lei, G/F, Wynn Macau, Rua Cidade de Sintra, NAPE, Macau Te: +853 8986 3688

(Photos of the main entrance to the Wynn and the crystal dragon are courtesy of Wynn Macau)

High altitude dining at Tin Lung Heen

When it comes to hotel restaurants, I’m always a tad wary. Sure, the quality of the ingredients is most of the time top notch, but are we paying for the privilege of eating at an elegant location and for the assumed exemplary service or  is the food really worth the $$$$? In Tin Lung Heen’s case, I can say that it’s probably worth the lightening of the wallet on a special occasion, given the ambience, cool views, fab presentation and some real stand-out dishes. You can also read this review on Sassy.Tin Lung Heen is one of those restaurant names that gets casually dropped into a conversation and anyone who’s heard of it, gushes about it regardless of whether they’ve been or not. Since earning its Michelin star after eight months of opening, it’s been on my hit list and this month, I finally managed to see what all the big fuss is about.

Tin Lung Heen looks more like the serious, commanding older brother of Tosca with its sombre, burgundy tones, wooden panelling and red leather backed chairs, with infusions of Chinese influences. The whole interior design is rather reminiscent of a study. The centrepiece of the restaurant is, of course, the magnificent view, but people don’t come here to just gawk at the skyline, the focus is on the food.

Chef Paul Lau, formerly of Spring Moon at the Peninsula, uses his expertise in Cantonese cuisine and gives traditional dishes a contemporary twist. The menu is quite extensive with a good variety of dim sum dishes on offer. If you’re a bit of a Chinese tea buff, you might be interested in perusing their premium tea menu.Service is excellent, as to be expected, with the usual attentive waiters happily refilling your tea at every opportunity. The entire meal was a demonstration of refinement and impeccable presentation, starting off with three delightful dim sum dishes- golden shrimp dumplings with bamboo shoots and asparagus, shrimp and vegetable dumplings with spicy cod roe and the utterly divine baked barbecued pork buns with almond crust. The pork bun crust was just like that of a po lo bao (pineapple bun); a beautifully light crunchy pastry with that delicious sweet crusting giving way to the barbecued pork within.The double boiled chicken soup with fish maw, whilst refreshing and the chicken and maw tender, the soup itself was a tad too sweet and heavily infused by the coconut. The steamed crab claw with egg white in hua diao sauce was perfectly cooked and meaty, and the egg white silky smooth and of a good consistency.One of the most popular requests at Tin Lung Heen is the char-grilled barbecued Iberian pork (char siu) which was succulent and tender. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t eat more than three or four pieces as it was still quite heavy despite the leanness of the pork.The last main dish was surprisingly innovative and delectable- the pan-fried kurobuta pork stuffed with foie gras. The mere mention of foie gras would tell you that this was a rich dish. Luckily there were only two small parcels to feast on, and I enjoyed every morsel.To end we had a trio of little desserts- chilled milk jelly with black truffle, traditional baked custard tart with bird’s nest and a deep-fried sesame dumpling filled with egg custard. My favourite was the sesame dumpling. I loved the crisp exterior and the egg custard was wonderfully hot and buttery, with that fantastic sweet yet slightly salty tang to it. The black truffle with the milk jelly was unusual but an interesting flavor which gave the refreshing jelly some depth.Tin Lung Heen is the place to go if you want to impress first time visitors to Hong Kong and wow them with the views and treat them to an elegant meal. I’m confident it’ll be hanging on to its Michelin star, but it’ll be interesting to see what else Chef Lau can conjure up in the future, and if it’ll be climbing to dizzier heights.

Tin Lung Heen, 102/F The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon +852 2263 2263

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