Three white tees in the 'hood

Having been away for the last 6 years, S is finally back in Hong Kong on a stopover for her work trip. The last time I saw her, she was trying to keep up with Geruhage and his son in a gyoza-eating competition at 4 a.m. in Fukuoka while I quietly slurped down some tonkotsu ramen (豚骨ラーメン)... We missed each other by a few weeks in Japan last year, so I was pretty happy that she finally found an excuse to come back to Hong Kong.

She chose to make Neighborhood her first stop in the city, and stepped into the Kingdom of White Tee a mere two hours or so after landing. RAW Yeah and I both showed up in white T-shirts to match the Kitchen Nazi, and when the boss came to join us for the latter half of our dinner, we had three white tees around our table. S, of course, didn't get the memo...

I had warned S about the Kitchen Nazi and that we'd end up with stuff that we didn't order. Sure enough, the first three dishes that showed up were all items we hadn't ordered.

Deep-fried sillago / yogurt - always happy to have deep-fried sillago (鱚) here, and tonight this came with a yogurt sprinkled with some spices on top... and reminded S and I of Indian raita (रायता).

Spanish piparra peppers / Spanish blue fin tuna - I know the Kitchen Nazi is conscious of sustainability issues, and there has been farmed bluefin tuna on the menu for some time now. The peppers I took were not spicy.

Tomato salad / stone fruits / burrata / 20g grams Kaluga caviar - this time around, the seasonal fruit offered were Japanese peaches, which were incredibly juicy and sweet. That worked very well with the acidity from the balsamic vinegar and the fruity acidity of the Japanese fruit tomatoes, and also well balanced with the salt of the caviar that had already been tempered by the creamy cheese. Everything just works fantastically well together, as always.

Porcini / goose liver / fried egg - finally... something we actually ordered. As we are in porcini season, these were sautéed and the kitchen added some goose liver. The Kitchen Nazi was quick to clarify that this was technically not foie gras, but the goose liver one gets at Chiuchow restaurants.

And yes, it DOES get better when you add a fried egg... and even if that liver isn't foie gras, it still tasted pretty damn good. Best taken on sourdough, as always.

Grilled baby squid - another dish we didn't order, but always happy to see this on the table.

As we'd just had a typhoon which would affect the catch of local fishermen, tonight these babies came from Italy. ALWAYS so much better on toast.

Handmade garganelle / black pork ragu / porcini - these days I'm very grateful that the Kitchen Nazi Man in White T-shirt allows me to order garganelli when I come, and tonight we've got some shredded porcini in the ragù... which explains why it's unusually wet. Still very tasty, though.

Fourfinger threadfin head - fish heads are a no-brainer if one is available at this establishment, and after S made her choice, I was tempted to quote the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and tell her "You have chosen... wisely.". What we got was half the head of a fourfinger threadfin (馬友) weighing around 25 catties...

This was prepared in the classic style of the Kitchen Nazi. As is customary, the cheek of the fish was offered to our honored guest, but just look at the size of that thing! (Spoken in the tone of Luke Skywalker upon seeing the Death Star...) That was one giant and amazing fish cheek! RAW Yeah proceeded to dismantle the rest of the head so we could get to the good bits, including the kokotxa.

Seasonal vegetables casserole / lardo / truffle - this is another dish that's been on the menu for quite some time, having originated from The Man in White T-shirt's stints in Alain Ducasse's kitchens. I loooove that we've got lots of peas tonight in addition to the carrots and radishes.

But the most amazing thing was this slice of lardo, which happens to be one of my most favorite things to eat.

Chocolate palet - someone wanted a little dessert, and chocolate was called for, so... can't go wrong with this.

Canelés - happy ending, as always.

I brought a pair of wines from the Lucien Le Moine, as Mounir is a winemaker I am fond of.

2012 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - the palate seemed a little too ripe at first, which was not a surprise given the history of the wine. Definitely got that buttery profile on the nose. The acidity gradually came out as the wine got chilled further, and this ended up drinking just fine.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - meaty and a bit toasty on the nose, but nowhere near how powerful it was a couple of years ago. The wine has definitely softened a lot more, and is currently much more rounded and elegant.

The night was still young and we needed more drinks, so we headed over to COA and I grabbed a couple of not-so-girlie drinks.

Mole negroni - this was pretty interesting. I definitely smelled the chocolate, and a hint of the poblano.

Coconut milk punch - definitely coconutty, and pretty cool that this was clarified.

A pretty good but civilized night out with S, but the real party is in two nights.