Tour Eiffel - Paris (June 2012)

We often travel with the objectives to find the best restaurants, hunt for bargains or even to find the best location to photograph (with) iconic structures as an alternative to having a signboard saying "I was here." Hey, I am guilty as such at times but is that the best way to experience a city, to understand the culture and ... travel in general? It is an open-ended question for all of us to think about but my recent trip to London and Paris, I tried something different, I travel without my DSLR and only with my iPhone with me. Yes I mentioned about that in my previous post but in additional to illustrate smartphone photography as a valid category of photography, I wanted to travel through my own eyes and not through the viewfinder.

Antique Patisserie (Hong Kong)

I am not lazy, I am just busy recently sorting out different projects I am "trying" to work on plus I am about to move to another flat thanks to the rapidly increasing rent in Hong Kong! In about 3 weeks or so, I promise I will start cooking / baking / sharing more! Just in time for some XMAS treats perhaps? I do want to talk more about my long awaited return to Antique Patisserie since they moved location a while ago but for now I will share my recent Afternoon Tea experience in the form of images. I went there early that afternoon (or perhaps morning?) intentionally so I can take advantage of the natural sunlight and minimize disruption to other guests while I play with my food and doing my funny poses from taking images from all imaginable perspectives! (P.S. - make sure you BOOK before you go, so PLAN AHEAD!)

Bettys Kitschen (Hong Kong)

There have been countless reviews and mentions of this new establishment by Alan Yau ever since it opened. Reviews and feedback so far have been mixed, many complained about the food, many raved about the food and its rather rare selection of French recipes. Some emphasized on Chef Largard's skills and creation while many were captivated by the venue and its decor, including staff's 1950's maid-like uniform. For those unfamiliar with Alan Yau, he is the mastermind behind the famous Wagamama, Hakkasan and the recently Michelin starred restaurant Yauatcha in London. Whenever I hear his name in association with any restaurant, the first thing that comes to my mind is exciting culinary marketing initiative followed by trending culinary creativity. Alan is a successful restaurateur as well as a remarkable entrepreneur when it comes to the F&B industry. Take Hakkasan for example, he not only popularizes Chinese cuisine in London but he took Chinese fine dining scene to a next new level. With that taken into consideration, when I step into Bettys Kitschen at IFC (Hong Kong), the thing that got my attention or interest was the overall execution of the whole concept which of course includes service, decor, menu, atmosphere and food. I wanted to see what took Alan so long to open his first restaurant concept in Hong Kong and what sort of dining trends he is going to set with his new venture.

The Mirror (Hong Kong)

A former apprentice to Alain Ducasse, Jeremy Biasiol is now the man behind The Mirror and I dare say it is quite an exciting restaurant which I would love to return soon if I can get a table that is. It is rather unfair to relate Jeremy with Alain Ducasse because he now has his own styles and approaches to traditional French cuisine. I think I can only say he was strongly inspired by Alain to become who he is right now. Looking at him behind the open kitchen in this rather homey and cozy setting, one can see his passion and dedication in cooking. He checks on his guests every now and then to control the pacing. I was observing him after my starter and he thought I was waiting impatiently so he looked at me and called onto the wait-staff by saying  快脆 (Faai3 ceoi3) in Cantonese which translates to "hurry up!" to serve us the mains. He even came out at the end of the night to chat with all guests and ask for comments and feedback. A very nice touch indeed!

Pied à Terre - Michelin 2** (London)

This post signifies a pleasant end of my week long stay here in London. We ended our trip with an exceptional meal at Pied à Terre, a Michelin 2** restaurant with Shane Osborne behind the kitchen. It was this meal that made me pondered a long while on the purpose and meaning of being starred by Michelin Guide. Is the star(s) for the restaurant? for the chef? or for diners? I have heard stories that some chefs strive to get an extra star by trying to achieve the so-called perfection in food and food presentation. In my opinion, what is perfect and great food presentation often translates to great food wastage. I have also heard stories that Michelin starred chefs overstressed themselves with the pressures in maintaining such starred standard years after years. The most notable and unfortunate example is Bernard Loiseau who killed himself due to the stress in maintaining the 3-star status its restaurant La Cute d'Or upheld for many years.

ABC Kitchen (Revisited)

My first visit to ABC Kitchen was a couple of months ago but on a different capacity. You can check out my first review here. This time around I finally got the chance to order the entire Roasted Suckling Pig since we have 6 people. Pictures will follow later. As mentioned before ABC Kitchen stands for A Better Cooking kitchen which offers a range of Continental cuisines including French, Italian and a bit or Portuguese.  Yeah, it is a mix of everything. Compared with m first visit, one thing I noticed was their menu which was updated quite a bit with a slightly increase in price. I guess that's normal for being popular. And they no long have set dinners, at least on the night we were there.

La Creperie @ Shanghai

If you find the name La Creperie familiar, it is because there is one in Hong Kong as well located in the Wan Chai district as well. The Shanghai outlet is actually the first outlet of the franchise and I was here to give it a try before I go for the Hong Kong one.

Franck

This French restaurant located in Shanghai's French Concession area has built up its name as one of the best in town and I paid a lunch visit during my short stay in town. It is located inside Ferguson Lane, a charming red-bricked, hospital-turned trendy establishment full of history and of course different upscale cafes, art galleries and restaurants. I thought I was in Europe as soon as I stepped through the gate. It was a bit surreal when there was such a big contrast in terms of atmosphere compared with the streets outside full of rusted bicycles and individuals street vendors selling home grown fruits. Anyhow, I am here to talk about food, my opinion on the huge income disparity issues will be discussed here later.

Chez Moi Private Kitchen

After many years of operations, Chez Moi moved out of the walk-up building in Causeway Bay into a relatively more modern building and changed its name to Chez Moi Private Kitchen. I suppose adding the "Private Kitchen" to its name would make it ... trendy? I am not sure about that. There are so many new restaurant establishments nowadays attaching themselves with this label which to me is rather meaningless.

Bonheur

Those who frequent the Central and Sheung Wan area must have heard of the establishment Bonheur which serves upscale French cuisine at relatively reasonable price or perhaps you like to call it fine dinging at affordable prices or whatever you like to call it. Many friends of mine and many from the foodie community recommended me to come pay a visit and so I did with my friend M in celebration of my birthday. However, either we have overly high expectation or simply it did not live up to what we have been told.

Sup 1

Many of my recent write-ups are long overdue reviews and this one is the same. The meal in the review took place on the 1st Jan 2010. I have been to Sup 1 several times and I often return not just because of their food but for their cozy, unpretentious atmosphere as well as attentive services. I prefer the upstairs sittings because of the coziness; if you want to talk about secrets, make sure you specify where you want to sit.

The quality of their food is decent and fairly consistence over the past year or so which I considered very important. We started off with Salad Frisee with Bacon and Poached Eggs. It looked rather plain when served but after mixing the yolk with the rest of the salad it became rather tasty with the ham giving off the the right saltiness to it.

Compared with the previous salad, the Caesar Salad was rather plain and no surprises.

The ran out of Baguette so they provided us with toast instead to along with the Duck Liver Mousse served with Baguette. Flavor was alright but it was rather too tough to be called a mousse. It was rather hard to spread it over the toast.

I don't think I will order this special platter next time. (Pigeon Confit with Parma Ham, Stuffed Duck Neck with Duck Meat and Black Truffle Merguez (Beef & Lamb)) No surprises at all and most of the items were rather salty, flavors were too rich.

I only tried a sip of the Bouillabaisse and it was too rich and too intense for my liking. I am not really into bisque related soup so cannot provide my take on this soup. But I think it was too watery, should have been thicker.

The Angel Hair with King Prawn in Tomato Basil Sauce was alright especially its sauce. The pasta and the king prawns were a bit overcooked but still enjoyable. Aside from the fact that it was tough the de-shell the prawns, a fairly decent dish.

an overly creamy Carbonara with overcooked pasta. Flavor was very good but just too creamy!

A very simple Roasted Chicken with Bacon and Mushroom but a rather well prepared dish which I enjoyed. Tender and moist with good flavors. Make sure you place this order as soon as possible because it takes some time for the time prepare with their one and only oven (as informed).

The Duck Confit in Casserole Rice was like a crossover between French and Chinese cuisine with the rice prepared in a Chinese style clay pot. I liked it. The seasoned shredded duck meat together with the semi-sticky rice gave it a nice chewing texture on every bite. It was surprising flavorable as I was expecting it to be rather salty.

Desserts were another story, the pastry we order was rather tough to chew on or simply overly elastic in my opinion. Good that we bought our own desserts!!

Woohoo! Milktop Pudding to share! Yum O!

Likes:

• cozy atmosphere and good services
  
• some interesting dishes like the duck confit casserole rice worth trying
• roasted Chicken with Bacon and Mushroom, simple yet tasty
  

Dislikes:

• Desserts are not their strength
• Carbonara too creamy

Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

Sup 1
11 Gough Street, Central
Tel: +852 2522 5002


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L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon

My writeup for this piece is ridiculous overdue and I apologize to those who have been waiting for it. What so special about this review? It was my very first tweetup (twitter meet-up) and I was lucky enough to be invited on this special occasion / luncheon held at the L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon!!!!! It was nice to put names to faces (total of 8 twitters!) and chat with each other (instead of typing). I reckon that with the advance of technology, we can do almost everything online and communicate without speaking a single word; but such method just lacked the warm human touch! Having face-to-face interactions remain an act that can help create a certain bond among individuals and nothing so far in my opinion can replace the importance of verbal & face-to-face communication. Would like to take this opportunity to say that it was my pleasure in meeting all of you who attended! (@Fernandogros, @coffeemeow, @e_ting, @CNNGo, @SamStevensHK and @anjkan) The meal was wonderful but it was the company that made the meal an amazing one!



The bread basket at all outlets of Robuchon is simplest the best in town! (at least so far in my own experience). I was overly captivated by the bread that I started right away, consuming the various kinds of bread provided and forgot about taking pictures!! I guess I now have another great excuse to come back soon! @Fernadogros ordered for us the Tirant 1998 - Rotllan Torra (Priorat) which was slightly sweet on the palate with hints of oak flavor if I recall correctly.



The set lunch menu came with various choices of starters and main courses. It started with the Amuse Bouche which was custard like and carried a warm smoothing sensation to the palate. A great way to start the meal indeed!



The Salmon tartare with shiso flower and toasts that followed was amazing. I rather use the word amazing to describe food but I really liked the dish, and it was that good! In addition to the finely diced salmon, they added fish roes, tiny capers and finely chopped onions (I think) to the tartare, giving it a mix of mushy, soft and crunchy textures in every single bite! The exploding fish roes elevated the whole sensation. Sound exaggerating? Not really to be honest, if you like salmon tartare and thought you have tried very good one before, I am sorry, you better give this one a try ASAP!



@Ferandogros ordered the Pan-seared scallops with pasta 'fregula" and lobster emulsion which looked just great! From his comments, it tasted good as well. I should have snatched one from him when I had the chance!!! Argh!



As for main, I ordered the Braised Pork cheeks with Couscous and broccoli bouillon. The texture of it was surprisingly soft and mushy! I know mushy is not a common word to use to describe pork but it was and reminded me of wagyu beef kind of mushy that almost melted in my mouth. The bouillon on the other hand was rather light in flavors, a bit stronger would be wonderful.



@Ferandogros who sat beside me ordered the Diced lamb fillet on the sizzling plate with asparagus and comte cheese. How it tasted? @Ferandogros was pretty quite while enjoying his lamb so I bet it was be speechlessly good? :)



@SamStevensHK helped me take this picture of her dish which was the Lightly cooked cod fillet with eggplant and aromatic verjus. Argh!! ... I should have taken the picture of the Oxtail confit with red wine sauce and celeriac puree because those who ordered were very pleased with the dish!



For dessert (or my second main course I like to call it sometimes), I ordered the Cinnamon cream custard with caramelized apple and green apple sorbet. The presentation took my heart already! The custard was light so to let the caramelize apple flavors to dominate. The green apple sorbet would cleanse your palate, ready for the next spoonful of caramelized apples!



I was very disappointed ... that the meal was coming to an end so soon! To my pleasant surprise, there were more to come: Macarons and concentrated jellies. :) Soft and not overly sweet, a wonderful way to complete such a wonderful meal!



It was indeed a wonderful lunch and special thanks to @Fernandogros who helped organized it. Let's do another tweetup soon!!!

Likes:

• Excellent bread basket! Yet to find one that can beat it! (Please let me know if you do!) Did I mention I love their Almond Croissant as well?
  
• The pork cheek was very soft, mushy to be exact. A good way to describe the texture would be to compare it with Wagyu beef texture.

Dislikes:

• The broccoli bouillon was a bit light in my opinion.

Avg Spending: Above HKD 500 per head (with wine) / without wine around HKD 300 - 500.

L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon
Shop 315 & 401, The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2166 9000
http://www.robuchon.hk


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Chez Moi

There were much buzz about this little private French kitchen hiding somewhere in CWB but why all the buzz? A few of us were here to find out on this lovely evening. There were no hanging signs near the building entrance so it took us a while to find this place. All you will find the little sign on the door, smaller than you would expect. There were nothing overly fancy in the dining area with tables spaciously arranged. The ceiling fan added a touch of colonial atmosphere to the whole decor.



The menu for this evening has several options and we picked one of each so we can try all of them among ourselves. Oh please note that they don;t serve wines here so bring your own bottles with zero corkage fee. Before our appetizer were served, we were given a basket of garlic bread fresh from the oven based on the crisp texture and the wonderful garlic aroma.



(1) Sauteed French Live Mussel with White wine garlic sauce
It was just too salty in general, too much garlic were used. The mussels were unevenly cooked as shown by the several shells which remained closed. There were several broken shells and there were sand in some of them. The sand part was a big No-No for me!



(2) Pan-seared Goose Liver and sliced Caramel Apple with Port white sauce
The size of the Goose Liver Foie Gras was huge! It was too thick in my opinion. There was a thin layer of crystals on the surface, likely a result of potato starch being used to prevent the overcooking of the piece. I personally don't like to crunchy surface. I really appreciate the effort they put into the cooking it (esp the addition of potato starch) but a thinner slice would do the trick right? Plus, the huge piece did not have much flavor to it anyhow. Bigger is not always better.

(Thanks for the smogsblog's clarification, it is indeed a common mistake to describe goose or duck liver as foie gras. I made the same mistake as well. The term foie gras should only be used for goose or duck liver that has been specially fattened typically through gavage (force-feeding) corn.)



(3) Fisherman's Seafood Soup
The flavor was very strong and rich, closer to a seafood bisque. There were plenty of seafood ingredients inside such as diced shrimps, fish and mussels (with sand!!). Good that the next item was the Sherbet so I can clean my palettes.



(4) Homemade Sherbet
Good timing to lighten up my palettes before the main dishes were served.



(5) Grilled Australian Wagyu Rib Eye Steak with Red Wine Sauce
The steak was very nicely done, med rare as we ordered. Flavor of the sauce was adequate not to overtake the beef flavor. The meat was quite tender indeed. Not bad at all.



(6) Grilled US Lamb T-Bone steak with Mashed Vegetables
No surprises here unfortunately. Meat was tender but a bit overcooked to my liking. I still prefer my rack of lamb over lamb T-bone steak.



(7) Pan-fried Cod with Macadamia Nuts Better Sauce
The cod was alright, not as "fishy oily" as I expected it. The sweet potato mash was a nice touch. I actually liked the sauce and it went quite well with lightly flavored fish in general.



(8) Bread Butter Pudding with Ice Cream
That was not a bread pudding at all in my opinion. It was so tough that it was more like a loaf cake instead. Very disappointing.



(9) Japanese Pumpkin Cheesecake
Another very ordinary serving in my opinion. It was the soft kind of cheesecake but the flavors was a bit weak.



To be honest, at this price range, the dishes being served were above average. The chef and his team put in a lot of effort in my humble opinion to provide the guests a wonderful dining experience at this private establishment. A simple use of the potato starch to prevent overcooking the goose liver Foie Gras was a nice touch indeed. It was more a personal thing regarding the dislikes below but I think they do have to work on the minor details such as broken mussels shells and sand within.

Likes:

• A very cozy and homely environment for a casual yet delicate dining experience
• Pan-fried Cod

Dislikes:

• Sauteed French Live Mussel with White wine garlic sauce - too salty, unevenly cooked mussels, broken shells
• Bread Butter Pudding with Ice Cream - too tough, more like loaf cake to me

Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 500 per person

Chez Moi
3/F, 17 Yun Ping Road, CWB
Tel: 2881 1929


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one thirtyone - my new love of 2009!

Caprice, step side: you are no longer THE ONE, I have found my new love for 2009! Don't worry, we can still be friends! Like in a relationship, I want to keep this new love all to myself, no sharing at all! Selfish Love? Yes! Unreasonable? Depends! - I have been struggling all night long, deciding whether I want to post this review because I want to keep this place as my secret little love nest! But I should not be this selfish right? My new love lives in the middle of nowhere along the shore but has her own private sea dock and a helipad, yes a so-called helipad!



When I first entered the estate, I felt like returning to my home somewhere in the middle of southern France located along the coast! The homely and cozy dining area was like my own private kitchen with windows overlooking the garden and the sea. (I will return one day for lunch for sure!) How come I was not introduced to this place earlier???? Anyhow, the important thing is that I finally met my new love and truly hope this relationship can continue for a little while!



(1) Boston lobster ragout with lobster vinaigrette topped with spiced mango foam & wild arugula
"WOW" was my first reaction and my second then third as well! The marriage of flavors was simple wonderfully with the sweetness of the mango joining forces with the hints of spiced mango created a great match. Don't be fool by the word vinaigrette, the overall flavors of this starter was both refreshing and stimulating for my taste buds! Talk about love at first sight!!!




(2) Salad of French "ice leave," Japanese green house melon, Spanish 36 months cured "Iberico bellota" ham (5J) & hazelnut vinaigrette
Before tonight, I was a virgin to French "ice leave" and I was glad to have spent the night with this crisp and tender ice leaves which I regret not being introduced to earlier! I dare not to make my move immediately because I wanted to start with a gentle kiss before doing it the French way! The French ice leaves deserve to be treated gently and delicately! The sweetness of the hazelnut was a wonderful compliment to the slightly salty ham and the sweet Japanese green house melon.



(3) Cappuccino soup of wild mushroom topped with Italian autumn truffle
Another delightful surprise! The flavor was rich and gave my mouth & throat an intense stimulation. I would not go as far as describing it as reaching climatic stage in terms of flavor, but it was darn close!!! After several sips of the soup, my eyes were rolling up because I am in love!



(4) Char-grilled swordfish & Canadian sea scallop in Mediterranean style
After the soup, this dish seemed rather ordinary to me. It was still wonderfully prepared with the swordfish perfectly done. However, the sauce was rather sour and salty due of the use of olives in my opinion.



(5) Sorbet / palate cleanser
It was about time to cool down a bit because it was quite an exciting ride so far for my taste buds!



(6) Slow-cooked USDA prime sirloin & Australian "Wagyu" beef cheek in Madeira sauce with Porcini mushroom, "petits pois", baby carrot & baby potato
The beef cheek simply melted in my mouth! Enough said! The prime sirloin could have been more tender but it was very beefy in terms of flavor! The flavor of the Maderia sauce was rather complex, I am not too sure how to describe it but one thing I do know, not only did the sauce elevate the flavor experience, it caused my eyes to roll up even higher!



(7) Cheese platter
I did not expect to be presented with a platter of cheeses but a pleasant surprise indeed! While there were only a limited selection, it was nice to have some cheese!



Why think so hard on which cheese to try when you can try all of them! Come on, I can handle all of them!



(8) Chocolate-raspberry souffle with "Madagascar" vanilla ice-gelato
Ahhh, the hints of raspberry flavor in the soft and mushy chocolate souffle was beyond words! My eyes reminded closed from every bite and mixing it with the vanilla ice-gelato was a new experience by itself! Ending the meal with yet another climax!



(9) Coffee & chocolates
I needed the coffee because I need to stay up late to write up this review and to share the good news about my new found love!

I also ordered this wine because of its interesting name! Cockfighter's Ghost ... lolz



I will be framing the menu of my love of 2009 as a reminder to myself how difficult it is to find love!



Note: I wonder if the folks at Michelin Guide somehow missed this place or they got some flat tires on their way to here??

Jin considers this place as her deepest, most-guarded secret, but it was just too hard to control myself not to share this with the world! It is rather difficult for men to control! Check out her blog and you'll see what I mean.

Likes:

• Boston lobster ragout with lobster vinaigrette -great combination of flavors!
• Cappuccino soup of wild mushroom - talk about intense sensation and stimulation!
• Australian "Wagyu" beef cheek - simply melt in your mouth
• Chocolate-raspberry souffle - ending the meal with yet another climax!

Dislikes:

• Rather remote but well worth the trip!(or try taking a helicopter if you fancy!)
  
• Char-grilled swordfish & Canadian sea scallop - sauce slightly too sour

Avg Spending: Above HKD 500 per person

one thirtyone
131 Tseng Tau Village,
Shap Sze Heung, Sai Kung
Tel: 2791 2684
http://www.one-thirtyone.com/

Please Check Official Website above for Address / Map


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