August 14th, 2010
I think we’ve found the perfect French restaurant in Hong Kong (well actually my mom found it and she has been nagging us to go check it out since we arrived). It’s non-pretentious and serves delicious home style food, which already says a lot. I had my very first steamed whole artichoke and enjoyed the process very much.
Plus service is impeccable and non-intrusive. The only thing that keeps us from going back more frequently would be the price factor. Oh well it’s definitely one restaurant we’ll bookmark for special occasions… which leads us to why we were there that night, because I’d found a job !
I’m now two weeks in and been kept on my toes with so many new things to learn. It has been exciting but also rather stressful so I’ve mostly been cooped up in the office and not exploring the city (or blogging) too much. Explorations are generally limited to the food-related sort in our neighborhood and I think I can get used to the laid back weekend dim sum brunch routine Hongkongers do with tea and good reading materials in hand.
And yes don’t judge me, that is chicken feet (though not in black bean sauce the way I like). I’m trying to get past the not-so-classy aspect of consuming chicken feet by cutting them up into smaller pieces with my spoon and chopsticks first. Blame my coworker for getting me hooked. So tasty !
Tags: china, hong kong
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July 14th, 2010
An extra incentive to drink milk, considering they come in such lovely old school bottles.
Hong Kong, the land of fishball mee pok soups.
Like I said, land of fishball mee pok soups. A pity they aren’t served with red chilli slices in soy sauce though.
Tags: china, hong kong
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June 3rd, 2010
Hot pot highlights: KY’s refreshing pea shoots and mango salad and her mom’s oh-so-spicy chilli sauce.
Kidney bean, mushroom and pan-fried salmon linguini for two.
Made the most of an all-you-can-eat Japanese dinner on a school night.
Tags: china, shanghai
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May 17th, 2010
Not the best Korean we’ve had…
… but I think it is good enough given its proximity to home. No waitress to help us with the cooking so sore hands after all that tongs gripping and meat flipping.
Finally tried crab xiaolongbao’s, the mothership of them all.
Very tasty and worth every bit of the RMB 81 price tag though admittedly a little too rich to consume on a regular basis.
Tags: china, shanghai
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April 19th, 2010
I’ve recently rekindled my love for this fiery hot and savory mix-it-up streetside snack which originated from Sichuan Province. KY first introduced me to it a few years ago when we were flatmates. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a stall selling the snack and guess what, I couldn’t resist.
It’s an easy process: Let the stall owner know which ingredients you would like in your snack – from a selection of mostly sliced beef, beef offal to processed food – and she will weigh the portions (so you know how much to pay) before mixing everything skillfully in a large wok with generous sprinklings of condiments, coriander and roasted peanuts. It should cost about RMB 10+ and definitely under RMB 20.
I’m not a big fan of beef or beef offal so my version is usually more a combination of crunchy things such as cucumber, jellyfish, seaweed, pig ears, transparent noodly things and Jew’s ear. While I’m quite certain it doesn’t sound very appetizing to the non-Asians among my readers but trust me, it is ! Crunch crunch, om nom nom nom !
Tags: china, shanghai
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April 2nd, 2010
Singaporeans enjoy spicy dips. Sounds like an understatement and it is. As much as the term ‘spicy dip’ brings to mind a non-eventful saucer’s worth of chilli-based condiment, it is anything but that in Singapore. Not to mention we also love sliced chilli in soy sauce, which surely deserves a post of its own.
Just offhand, I know I can’t live without the chilli sauces which come with, in no particular order, chicken rice, kuay chap, mee hoon kueh, mee soto, c-harm, bbq chicken wings and yong tau foo. So many variations. All lipsmacking fiery.
Kopi O, not mine.
If I have a choice, I can eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. Yes the spicy dip forms a significant part of the attraction.
I only know these shells as gong gong. Just like how I know some others as la la. It is crucial that they be eaten with their accompanying spicy dips. For those who find c-harm (blood cockles) yucky, give gong gong a try. Likewise, it’s also an acquired taste – the raw taste been replaced by a fully-cooked, chewy texture. I have to admit part of the fun lies in twirling the flesh out from the shell using a toothpick.
Tags: singapore
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March 31st, 2010
Good girlfriend and good Indian vegetarian grub, although to be frank, I was also eyeing the delicious-looking spicy non-Vegetarian options ordered by diners next table.
Tags: singapore
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March 29th, 2010
Mommy’s take on the hotpot we’ve come to associate Chinese New Year with over the years. Tasty MSG-free meat broth (made from scratch, not from a bottle) and spicy home-made dipping sauce (non too finely-chopped garlic and chilli in calamansi juice, light soy sauce and vinegar) guaranteed.
Inspirasi mee soto, how I’ve missed you so.
My favorite yu sheng is actually this one that is available all year round at Maxwell Food Centre. $2 worth of a refreshing and very fresh sashimi salad, in savory Singapore style. Uh, salivating now as I write. Thanks YM for the treat !
Tags: singapore
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March 28th, 2010
My sister took me to get ayam penyet in the unsuspecting bowels of Lucky Plaza. Indonesian food can’t get any better than this, no ? (Not that I’ve had alot.)
The Soh sisters also went to get their mee kuah fix. It’s so spicy but it’s oh so so good. I swear by the mee kuah from this 24-hr coffeeshop near Middle Road. And of course, it will be wise to have a glass of kopi-c peng on hand to help put out the fire.
Tags: singapore
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March 21st, 2010
I used to eat this for lunch almost everyday at the university cafeteria. I guess you can say I’m rather predictable with food I love.
Every year, on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, mommy prepares a stir-fried dish comprising of seven types of vegetables. There are one or two types that are only available once a year during the Chinese New Year period. A little guilty that I can’t name the seven vegetables even though mommy must have told me dozens of times.
Another (semi-) annual ritual, the awesome supper at Blk 85 with a number of friends, some of whom actually trudge all the way over from the other side of the island. Appreciate it, guys.
Tags: singapore
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