Beertopia! Hong Kong - 28 April 2012 [Event]

Attention Beer Lovers! A new beer fest Beertopia! is coming to town, this time with over 90 craft beers from around the world including Hong Kong's microbrewery, Typhoon Brewery. The festival will take place at the historical Western Market in Sheung Wan on the April 28, 2012. Tickets are limited and range from HKD250-300. Not a big fan of beer, no worries, attend and learn about them and enjoy the live music, beer lectures as well as play games such as beer pong and flip cup. Oh beer pong! I am definitely going to be there to try out some craft beers and support my friend who dedicated his time to organize this event because of his love for beer! Cheers to all! Stay tuned stay informed on Beertopia! Facebook Page! Almost forgot, check out the beer list <here>.

Posto Pubblico (Hong Kong)

Christmas is approaching and in such a festive season, all sorts of gatherings often filled the December calendar with endless meals. For some reasons, out of the so many festive holidays during the year, Christmas seems to be the only one that truly fill the air with love. Be it romantic love, friendship love, security love or unconditional love,  it is the feeling of being loved that makes this holiday one most of us look forward to every year. At Posto Pubblico on a particular evening this December, their private dinner venue Posto Privato was filled with all sorts of love, including my love for good food! I have to admit, Mr. G from Posto Pubblico knows how to throw a good party!

Flavours Asia (iPad App) - Wine Pairing made Easy

Wine pairing was never my thing but I have been learning, trying to pair different wines with different sort of food whenever possible. No, it is not an excuse to drink but part of a learning process. I think many would agree that Chinese food / wine pairing is difficult likely because of the wide range of flavors one would experience in one single meal. In many cases, quite a number of different types wines would be selected in one single Chinese meal to match the many individual dishes. Not an easy task for any sommelier in my opinion, not to mention for an average diner like myself with limited knowledge of wine.  A new iPad app named Flavors Asia may be able to assist those trying to enjoy matching wines while having a Chinese or even other Southeast Asian cuisines. This newly launched iPad app developed by Estates and Wines, the Moët Hennessy Wine Division, attempts to provide a solution for wine lovers when having difficulties in pairing wines with Asian food. It is this very app that interested me in attending the event. Without making a fuzz about it, I am sure it is quite obvious that the suggested wines in the app are all from their own unique collection such as Cloudy Bay, Cape Mentelle and Chandon.

Hiro Sushi (Toronto)

Not much of a review this time around but more of a sharing. Hiro Sushi has been in business for over a decade, situated in the downtown Toronto area headed by Hiro-san himself almost every single night! His dedication and joy of being at the restaurant serving diners inspired me in re-thinking about one's dream and possibly how to achieve it with passion, patience and perseverance, the 3P which l like to call it. When young, many of us have been asked what you want to become, some wanted to become policemen, some doctors, some firemen, some bus drivers, some lawyers, some chefs and some even wanted to become rockstars. As for myself, I honestly don't remember what I wrote or if I came up with anything as a matter of fact. I strongly believe that there is nothing wrong in having a progressively developing dream(s). Hiro-san's passion to food has re-sparked my quest in evaluating, prioritizing ... and realizing my dream(s).

Queen Margherita Pizza (Toronto)

Stepping into Queen Margherita Pizza (QMP) made me feel like stepping back in time for a moment with its name, its wooden door and the aged building exterior. However once I was greeted by a young, tall and stunning receptionist with such a welcoming smile, I know I am in for something ... different? The lower floor was quite cozy (aka small!) but a few steps up the tight and crackling staircase which can fit only one person and one way traffic, one will find a very large modern dining room filled with natural sunlight! Hello natural sunlight!!!

Domani Ristorante (Hong Kong)

Back in Toronto, there are two annual food events, one is the Summerlicous and one is the Winterlicious. For 2 entire weeks during a specific period, food lovers in the city can have the opportunity to satisfy their cravings for special tasting menus at some of the favorite restaurants in town at a much lower price than usual. The New York restaurant week offers similar "food festival" as well. Now Hong Kong is having its first week-long Springalicious food festival starting 27 April - 3 May. You can check out the Restaurant List and Menu <here>, do check often because the list is growing. When I was in Toronto quite a number of years ago, I attended a few featured Summerlicous / Winterlicious high-end restaurants which offer three-course prix fixe menus valued almost 50% discount compared with the usual menus. When the event first started, it was an immediate success but as the festivals carried onto their 2nd / 3rd year, things started to change in my opinion. A common issue experienced by many diners (including myself) was how the food quality and proportion seemed to be watered down along with the special price. When I first heard of this Springalicious event in Hong Kong, I admit I had the same concern and I clearly expressed that to the organizer during a tasting session which I was invited to. I have to say my concern is less relevant at this point because I realized I cannot quite compare this with what is being offered in Toronto for a number of reasons: (1) Springalicious covers more than just Western cuisines but a wider selection such as Japanese, Thai and Chinese; (2) the price discount is not extremely huge in comparison (~ 25% - 30% off) which sort of translates to more standard proportions and more of a reason to maintain food consistency for the participating restaurants; and (3) more than just for marketing purposes, this festival can let some chefs experiment with their creativity with special menus dedicated for it. Of course the above is yet to be seen or proven, but I think it has potential to be something interesting for many years to come in the Hong Kong food scene.

Liber Pater Winery

It is no news that I am not an expert in wine hence the lack of wine coverage in most of my food-related posts, however as a dedicated foodie or more appropriately, a food lover, it is no doubt that wine knowledge or more accurately the appreciation of it plays an important role in many culinary cultures. I have decided recently to be more proactive in learning about wine, one small step at a time. By chance this evening, Uncle KK invited me for dinner at Fortune Room at the Hong Kong Jockey Club to try some new wines he got. It turned out we were trying the different collection of wines from Liber Pater, a boutique winery in Grave, Bordeaux. Did I mention the owner of the winery, Mr. Loïc Pasquet, was here as well. It was hard not to take this rare opportunity and harassed bombard him with questions I have regarding wine making.

Kwong Wah Convenience Store 光華士多 (Hong Kong)

One word: Awesome! Thanks for the introduction and organization by @g4gary ! While it is named as a convenience store in Chinese, this little store front is a truly a wonderful neighborhood eatery solely operated by a single woman whom she likes to be called "Fat Mama." She cooks every single dish, take all your orders and act as the faithful cashier on your way out even when she is busy cooking. Diners grab their own soup, get their own rice and make themselves home by getting beer right from the fridge whenever you feel like. Frequent diners even help out by serving other patrons. That is one charming characteristic of this joint I truly love. Yes you will be seated plastic or even wooden stools, floor may be slightly wet, but you get air conditioning as well as TV while you enjoy the food. You can even bring your own wine (and glasses as well in our case, thanks @g4gary!)

Riquiqui Dessert Bar ~ Revisit - (Hong Kong)

It is no secret that I quite enjoy going to Riquiqui for desserts for various reasons. One being how it was all desserts, 3-course desserts meal to be exact. I covered it on this blog a while ago and I am blogging about it again because the menu changes every now and then, a very good reason for me to revisit. Alright, just yet another excuse to return but I can't blame myself for having a desserts craving ... every other day right? As I mentioned, guys can have a thing for desserts, just that not all would like to admit in most cases I presume. I am not afraid to admit my love for sweets ... and how my 3rd stomach is always on standby for desserts!

Christmas Eve Dinner - Turkey

I know it is a bit too late but Merry Christmas everyone! It is better late than never right? :) ... I missed the chance to roast up turkey during Thanksgiving so I got to make it up somehow right? Christmas would be the perfect time to do so. It was Christmas Eve 2010 and a simple home dinner was all I wanted. My aunt invited me over for dinner on this special night because she was having TURKEY!! I was lucky enough that I only needed to show up and eat, but I felt bad so I helped her with the turkey by ... readjusting the it and put in more stuffing ... HAHA ... would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to my aunt for inviting me over and I would like to share the wonderful feast with all of you!

Lobster Bar and Grill (Hong Kong)

Slurp! Slurp! and Slurp! ...  Such a simple word to describe my meal at Lobster Bar. Thanks to H who organized this dinner, I had the great pleasure to meet the person behind the food blog Slurp! which I got addicted to reading lately. The meal started with a long chat on food and related topics along with live Jazz from the band nearby which started around 8pm. I have been to the Lobster Bar quite a few times but only for drinks, it was my very first time to give their food a try. I have heard mixed reviews on this place but that did not deter me from trying myself. I really enjoyed the setting which was not overly pretentious (perhaps due to the slightly uncomfortable chairs) and the live band playing nearby. I should have ordered myself some whisky as well!

Christmas Bazaar at GSIS (Hong Kong)

A Bazaar by definition is a marketplace or shopping quarter where different vendors gather around to offer customers all sorts of items ranging from food to various clothing. The term originated from the Middle East and now it is a commonly used terms for all sorts of sales around the world. So what would interest me to this Christmas Bazaar held at the German Swiss International School (Hong Kong)? Cheeeeese! Racettle to be exact and of course I was very honored to be invited by V to join this event on this wonderful Saturday morning.  I thought 10am was very early but when we arrived at 10:15am, the party seems to have started hours earlier! A quick glance around, my focus was immediately directed to the far end of the venue where the Racettle stations were setup!

Feast @ Hotel EAST (Hong Kong)

As mentioned before, I rarely attend tasting events but this time would be an exception for the following reasons: (1) Mochachocolata Rita was joining as well, (2) the gathering was relatively small scale and (3) I could have the chance to meet Patricia of  Sù Yán Tiān Shǐ 素顏天使™ , the man behind Cha Xiu Bao Josh Tse as well as Nana Chan whose food writing I enjoy very much. However, it was to my disappointment that both Josh and Nana could not make it. Ah well, that certainly did not deter from from having a fun and entertaining evening.  Thanks for the warm invitation by Swire's Hotel EAST (Hong Kong), our night started off on the rooftop lounge Sugar overlooking the Victoria Harbour.

Classified (Hong Kong)

I love cheese and that's not a secret for those who frequent my blog. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to Geoff (the man behind Geoff's Twitchen) for inviting me to this Mont d'Or event / gathering at the Classified, an event he single handedly organized. I had a cheesy yet amazing night at Classified (Wan Chai) but there was one thing really disappointed me: I thought we could have one carton of Mont d'Or for each one of us! :) ... Where was I with cheese again? Oh right, I love cheese and Mont d'Or can be considered a beginner's cheese. It is a seasonal soft cheese made from cow's milk. If you are not a fan of cheese at this moment, give Mont d'Or a try and eat with a spoon while watching TV. I am very serious about it! Let the cheese rest under room temperature inside the round wooden box and dig in when it becomes slightly running and creamy!!!!

Sushi Hiro (Hong Kong)

Many crave for sushi or sashimi regularly, I crave for both at least once every two weeks. Sushi Hiro is one of the few Japanese places which I would return regularly when I feel like indulging myself in the land of sashimi without using any brain power in regards to ordering. Why? They offer plenty of set diners and most of them are multi-courses as well. My friend and I each ordered a set and our dishes were basically mixed up since we were sharing so please considered the following items to be the combined sets.

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.

Gaucho (Piccadilly - London)

Specialized in Argentine Steak, Gaucho can be considered a well known popular joint among locals whenever they feel like quality steak at relatively reasonably price. Gaucho is a chained restaurant but definitely not those similar to Angus Steak House which is around every major intersections! I quite enjoyed the dimmed lit interior of Gaucho (Piccadilly - London) with hanging white lights and chairs + wallpaper  with black and white cow-skin patterns.

Apsleys Restaurant (London)

Apsleys Restaurant at the Lanesborough Hotel is quite intimating to be honest. Located right across from Hyde Park corner, this hotel seems to be very exclusive from the outside, at least to me. Bentley and Lamborghini are the type of cars you would see outside the hotel on a daily basis. I was here for Afternoon Tea only so I wasn't sure how the Michelin 1-star status of this place really matters to my experience. I went to another Michelin starred resto in London and the experience made me wonder on the intention and the ultimate objective of being starred. Is the star(s) for the restaurant? the chef? or both? ... What does it mean to get one? Does it mean diners would enjoy the meal more for sure? I will discuss more on that on another post.

Jamie's Italian (London)

It maybe a chained establishment but it is one that I wanted to try for a long time. I am not a big fan of Jamie but I certainly agree that he has a special charm that made him who he is now. I am yet to verify the truth to the following but someone told me that Jamie’s Italian is a truly equal opportunity employer of which it encourages the management to hire handicapped individuals as well as those who wish to turn a new leaf after recent release from correctional institutions. If that is the case I truly admire his responsibilities to the community while aiming to deliver a great dining experiences at reasonable cost. On this very evening, we went to the Canary Wharf outlet for an early dinner.

Roast Restaurant (London)

This post should have been right after my Borough Market post but I was too excited about the picnic @ Greenwich post that I had it jump the queue! Anyhow, after my pre-lunch at Monmouth Coffee, we headed over to Roast Restaurant located right in the Borough Market. The decor / atmosphere was rather contemporary compared with the environment of the Borough Market. It was nice but a bit too fancy in a very humble marketplace in my opinion.