Sine Qua Non toast, part 10

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It's been more than 2 years since this gang sat around a table and guzzled bottles of a beloved cult wine. I guess we were just all busy with our own stuff and no one got around to organize something. Once again I became the instigator, and this time we managed to round up enough people for a proper dinner. I was pretty happy that H-man was around and could join this dinner, and we've shared a few bottles of Sine Qua Non over the years.

I didn't want to be the one picking a restaurant this time, so after a few rounds of suggestions, we settled on Jiangsu Club (江蘇銘悅). I was once a big fan in one of its former incarnations, but I haven't been back in almost 9 years. I was really looking forward to seeing how the food would be after all this time.

A couple of the guys seem to be regulars here, and we collectively put together a pretty big menu for this big night.

I can't resist these seaweed peanuts (苔菜花生), especially when I'm hungry.

Chilled chicken in chilli peppercorn sauce (江南麻辣口水雞) - this is... not exactly Jiangsu cuisine... and normally I would expect this to be pretty spicy. Not the case tonight.

When a billion people know your face

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H-man is back in town for a few days, his first trip here since 10 years ago. As Rice and I took him to Neighborhood on that visit, we figured it only made sense to do the same this time around. Little did I know that The Kitchen Nazi had become such a celebrity since the premiere of the popular Chinese TV show, that tables at Neighborhood are now difficult to come by.

Since I had booked my table with Shirley, The Kitchen Nazi had no idea that I was coming tonight... until I mentioned it to him yesterday. That would have an impact on the selection of dishes I would be getting tonight.

We started with a tea session at Rice's office, where he poured me some tea for my cold, as well as giving us a taste of some Taiwanese green tea harvested in the 1930s...

We arrived before our table was ready, so the three of us stood against the bar while trying to stay out of the way of the staff and other diners. Coincidentally, DaRC and Ro Ro are also here tonight - in the company of Dashijie. This would turn out to be kinda fun later, as we were seated at neighboring tables.

Pine nuts - the boss was also on the same mushroom foraging trip in Yunnan as the three chefs from last night, and once again we have roasted pine nuts to start our dinner with. These were very, very good.

Avant voyage

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I must admit to being a little surprised when I received an invitation to a "6-hands collaboration" in Shenzhen. Chef Alessio Durante of Opus 388 at the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen and Chef Jerry Tian of Avant were taking turns hosting dinners at their respective restaurants, and they've invited Chef Paul Marcon - son of Regis and the latest winner of Bocus d'Or - to come all the way from Restaurant Marcon. I've never had the pleasure of visiting Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, and I thought this would be an opportunity to get a glimpse of what one could expect at the mothership. Similarly, I was also a little curious about Avant.

Everyone else was already in Shenzhen eating their way around town, so only two of us got picked up by the car at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. The trip across the border was quicker than expected, and we arrived at Avant with plenty of time before our dinner was due to start.

Well... the others did eventually show up, and I got to hear all about the drama from someone's trip to Yunnan with the three chefs...

We started with the sourdough bread from Avant and a tomato and rosemary focaccia from Opus 388.

Mushroom butter - made with a variety of mushrooms the chefs had brought back from their trip to Yunnan.

One last dinner at Metropol

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When my friend announced the impending closure of his family's Metropol Restaurant (名都酒樓) after 35 years, one of the first things that popped into my mind was to organize a dinner for a group of our school alumni. We've had a few gatherings there over the years, since the boss is one of us. I managed to round up about a dozen of us whose classes spanned 32 years, and even invited Kutsuyama along since Sacred Heart and St. Mary's are kind of sister schools.

The boss very kindly arranged a menu for us, and as a classic Cantonese banquet meal, it included shark's fin. I was happy to give my portion up.

Roasted whole suckling pig (鴻運乳豬全體) - it's pretty common for banquet feasts to start with roast suckling pig, so I was pretty happy to see this.

Ro ro e vino

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We took advantage of DaRC being back in town for a few weeks to catch up with him and Ro Ro over dinner, and this time I proposed going somewhere that Foursheets has wanted to try for some time - Carna by Dario Checcini. Foursheets has always liked a good piece of steak, and of course Ro Ro would not have any objections to having lots of ro ro (肉肉)…

The ride up to the restaurant on a high floor at The Mondrian in an observation elevator provided a nice view of Victoria Harbour, and instantly puts one in a good mood.

One is offered a choice of welcome drink at the reception area, and I chose the house cocktail over a glass of Chianti poured from a traditional fiasco. We are not at Dario’s place in Panzano, and I was saving my palate for the wines we had brought ourselves.

I left the ordering to DaRC, as he has been here before – and has visited Dario’s in Italy. Every now and then, it’s nice to not have the responsibility of ordering for the table.

First up was the focaccia and the [squid ink] carta da musica. This was accompanied by some pickled vegetables.

Louise et maman

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I've been dining out a lot this week, with a total of 4 big dinners out, and I have a brutal schedule starting the latter half of next week, so I was kinda looking forward to having a quiet night at home by myself this evening. My digestive system and waistline could definitely use a break. But things don't always go according to plan, and Hairy Legs messaged me today to see whether I would be free for his collaboration with Jan Hartwig.

Well, I would have answer a foodie call like this from very few people, and Hairy Legs happens to be one of them. So the plans of staying home to eat my Nissin Mapo Tofu Cup Noodles went out the window, and I dutifully trekked over to Caprice for another big night out...

I played the part of the solitary gourmet tonight, sitting at a table all by myself. Meanwhile, a bunch of big shot chefs strolled in to the private dining room... so that's where most of the senior staff were tonight.

We started with the presentation of amuses bouches from both chefs, as Jan came to introduce his little bite:

Ah yes… the second ang mo chef to serve me kueh pie tee this week… The pie tee shell was made with poppy seeds and black garlic. The wagyu tartare filling came with slippery balls of sago that had been cooked in 2-year-old soy sauce, which explains why this tasted a little on the salty side. But the little dose of acidity from what may have been finger lime provided a nice balance to that, and there was also crunchy cashews in the mix. The chef also added Japanese leek oil, fresh coriander, wasabi, pickled ginger, and fresh myoga – although I wasn’t sure the last couple of elements were necessary. There certainly seemed to be a lot of elements packed into one bite, and many of those are very Asian flavors…

Casual Friday

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It has been a LONG time since the Specialist and I last dined together, and since we would be at the Penfolds Re-corking Clinic tonight, we figured we should catch up over dinner. We would also crack open a pair of decent wines, naturally.

I could not have been more surprised when she suggested that we go to Yong Fu (甬府), since all of her friends know she doesn't spend money on high-end Chinese food. Fortunately the restaurant has been doing set lunches and set dinners since earlier this year, and this provided me with the perfect opportunity to try out the set dinner for the very first time.

Gemma remembered how much I loved their mahua (麻花) on my first visit earlier this year, so she made sure I got a plate of it before our food arrived. And just like last time, I had difficulty stopping myself from reaching for it again and again...

Pickled cauliflower (泡製菜梗) - this is always a good idea. I love how they jazz up cauliflower with a little vinegar and a mild level of chili.

Health check for wines

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I had long heard about the re-corking events held by Penfolds, where customers bring in older bottles of wine to be checked and re-corked, but I guess I never thought I needed to do something like that. I love drinking old wines and I'm used to seeing old corks, and also used to the mature profile of older wines. Recorking would, in general, involve topping up the bottle with a new vintage - which would damage the purity of the original wine... so I haven't been too eager to do something like that.

This time, though, one of the sessions was for clients of Christies, so the Specialist invited me to the session. She knew, of course, that I do have a small collection of old Grange that may fit the bill. After giving it due consideration, I figured I would see what this was all about.

I haven't stepped foot inside The Upper House for a few years, and certainly have not been to the top floor where the restaurant is located. As soon as the elevator doors opened, there was a full frontal assault by the intense perfume that permeates the room. Not sure who picked the space for this event, but there was no way I could smell anything from a wine glass...

So when I was poured a glass of Penfolds Champagne Cuvée Brut as a welcome drink, I very quickly gave up on trying to enjoy the nose. It was all perfume.

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Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago presides over these clinics, and he started by explaining how the process works, and the different treatment they give to bottles judged to be in various conditions. They first check the level and see whether it is low enough to warrant re-corking - something Peter described as a "last resort" - as it is preferable not to interfere with the wine.

A Cristal clear evening

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It has been months since that relaxing Friday lunch at Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic, and once again an invitation came from B Bestie - for dinner this time. The vibe would be totally different at night, and with memories of how the room is decorated, I worried whether my camera would get enough light in the romantic setting to deliver good photos.

I need not have worried. The restaurant has these light stands ready to make sure diners can see what they're eating, and for anyone wanting to showcase the dishes on social media to have all the help they need.

Different kind of Night Vibes

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Monsieur Jamin has been talking about doing a massive Champagne night, which he decided to call 夜檳紛 after the laughable campaign Night Vibes Hong Kong (香港夜繽紛) by the Hong Kong government. Our friend had amassed a collection of Champagne which are rare by virtue of their small productions, and being the teetotaler that he is, needed a few more mouths to be able to taste through the collection. I requested Mrs Film Buff's attendance so that Foursheets would have someone to talk to during the long session, and eventually we grew to a group of 13.

Dinner arrangements were made at Tempura Tenon (天ぷら 天穩), a place whose cuisine a few friends had praised for some time. I have been really curious, as Chef Wing's work at his former establishment also got great reviews from friends. There is, of course, a dearth of decent tempura restaurants in Hong Kong, and I have long given up hope of having nice tempura in town. So I was kinda excited about the food at dinner.

Cold chawanmushi (冷やし茶碗蒸し) - the custard was actually made with corn, together with both white and yellow corn on top. Very sweet and refreshing.

The preview

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I had been helping Ms. Hurricane plan her big party, as she needed an "in" with Restaurant Petrus. Well... The Chef Who Tries to Kill Me always whines that I don't love him, that I only love Hairy Legs... blah blah... so I took the opportunity to introduce Ms. Hurricane to him. It is totally reasonable that my friend needed a "taste test" before committing to hosting her big party at the restaurant, so we came for a preview tonight.

I was the first to be seated, and since my lunch wasn't that filling, I had arrived with stomach growling. I mentioned to The Chef Who Tries to Kill Me that "I hesitate to tell you that I'm hungry..." because, well, saying those things in his presence has consequences. I also advised him to keep things reasonable on account of my friend, and he promised to "let us off easy."

I was pleasantly surprised to see Nicolas in the house, as he had just joined the team mere weeks earlier. I felt instantly at ease having a familiar face look after us.

Most of the dishes tonight would come from the current "Summer Dinner" menu, with the addition of a special dish designed to match the wines which would be opened at the upcoming party. I was brimming with excitement and couldn't wait for the food to arrive.

We started with a series of nibbles:

Truffle and beef tartare tart - we've got some acidity with the tartare along with some crunchy shallots. I could taste the umami and flavors of the sea from the tart shell thanks to the presence of kelp.

Don't let them decant your wine

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The Compatriot is making a rare overnight stop in town so he could have dinner with me, and asked for Cantonese food. We could hit one of our regular haunts for that, but I decided to try something different. Having been stuffed with lots of goodies at a lunch organized by a VVIP last year, I have been wanting to return to Flower Drum (鋒膳) on my own. I finally got around to that tonight.

My friend wanted to try more dishes, so we opted for the Omakase menu. Not the more expensive one, because that includes shark's fin that I wouldn't touch. Yesterday I saw the boss put up a post on social media about a special dish, and I was hoping that it would show up on our menu tonight.

We start with antipasto platter (三喜碟), which wasn't actually a platter but three different starters:

South African abalone with Bannou negi (南非鮑魚配萬能蔥) - the chilled abalone was fine, and came with some condiment that seemed to resemble 薑蓉, except in addition to spring onions, ginger, and sesame oil there were also fine bits of Chinese ham. The sauce made with Bannou negi (万能ねぎ) purée, though, was not that great as it left a bitter aftertaste.

Metropol memories

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I'm overcome with sadness. After 35 years, our friend's family has made the difficult decision to close down Metropol Restaurant (名都酒樓). While business has recovered from the tough years of 2019 through the Covid pandemic, the family is sitting on unrealized gains on the restaurant space and that math just ain't gonna get better. The restaurant's coming closure before the end of September has been announced, and owners and staff can be proud of the institution that together they have built - hence the use of the term 光榮結業.

While I cannot pinpoint the exact date I first dined here, it would probably have been within the first week or two of me arriving in Hong Kong at the end of May 1995. My office was in Pacific Place then, and it was a regular affair to go to lunch at Metropol whenever visitors from other offices arrived in Hong Kong. What I didn't realize until years later is that the restaurant - part of the Heichinrou (聘珍樓) group which started in Yokohama more than 140 years ago - is owned by the family of an alumnus of my high school in Tokyo.

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The space is large, able to host banquets of 100 tables with at least 10 diners per table. Lunch here is alwas a boisterous affair, as the place would be buzzing for a few hours - building up gradually from 8 a.m. when their breakfast service begins. For our visitors from outside Hong Kong, it's a real culture shock and quite an experience.

Occupy Amber: balls, coins, and acidity

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Five years ago Fish Ball left us, and since then we have taken to keeping a vegetarian diet on this day each year. And every single year at dinner time, we have stepped through the doors of Amber to experience the magic that Richard Ekkebus weaves with no meat and no dairy. Just vegetables and fruit.

This year, though, things are a little different. After holding 2 Michelin stars for 16 years since the introduction of the Michelin Guide for Hong Kong and Macau, Amber was finally inducted into the hallowed halls of restaurants with 3 Michelin stars in the guide's 17th edition. Those of us who know and love him were incredibly happy for Richard and the team. Tonight would be my first opportunity to see him since the promotion.

We opted for the smaller, 6-course menu. I expect to be eating a lot of sourdough bread tonight... so gotta leave some space!

The sommelier gave us very big pours of complimentary Champagne to start, and it was a nice one.

Eric Rodez Blanc de Noirs, Edition 45, dégorgée en Decembre 2023 - nice and lovely on the palate, with a good balance between acidity and ripeness, good depth and a long finish. Classic marmalade on the nose.

Days of chewing carefully: TV chef in da 'hood

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I've been keeping my schedule light this month to make it easier on myself, but I had given Mr. Chichi the finger a few times too many lately, so I agreed to join him at Neighborhood tonight to meet a new friend. Just like it was 3 weeks ago, The Kitchen Nazi wasn't ready when I arrived, and shooed me over to Paragon to grab a drink. I was then introduced to our last-minute companion who would be joining us for dinner.

I did start my evening on the right foot, though, with a Blue Note. I'd always order a drink that's blue.

Days of chewing carefully: why so complicated?

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Nowadays I don't get to see The Compatriot often, as neither of us are in Taiwan much. But he happened to be in Taipei this week so we made last-minute plans to meet up for dinner. I didn't have any place I needed to try, especially given my current condition, so I happily went along with his suggestion of Hosu (好嶼).

I had never heard of the place, but these guys apparently have themselves a Michelin Green Star. They do seem to use exclusively locally-sourced ingredients, with dishes inspired by Taiwanese banquets (辦桌). Well... I'm not really "local" enough and left Taiwan very young, so I don't think I've ever been to a proper 辦桌... So the ingredients and the flavors are gonna be pretty unfamiliar to me.

Our welcome drink was a cup of tea from Yilan (宜蘭) with some plum from last year.

Days of chewing carefully: two beef noodles

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It's not surprising that whenever we are back in Taiwan, one of Foursheets' favorite things to eat is beef noodle soup. Ever since I first introduced her to Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles (林東芳牛肉麵) back in 2015, it has been a mainstay on her itinerary. She wanted to explore a couple of other places this week, so I let her pick...

We had tried to check out Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles (老山東牛肉家常麵店) a few months ago, but it was during the holiday season and there was an impossibly long line to get in. This time around, though, we went on a week night and had no trouble getting in. The place was still buzzing on a Monday night.

Pork and chives dumplings (豬肉韭菜水餃) - thick, hand-rolled wrappers with plenty of bite. Very nice.

Days of chewing carefully: Don't Go

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We have a visitor staying with us for a few days, and this was her very first trip to Taiwan. Naturally, we were eager to introduce her to some good, authentic Taiwanese cuisine. We were sitting in a taxi en route to our go-to casual Taiwanese when I suddenly thought of the delicious braised pork rice (滷肉飯) at My灶. It's a very popular place and normally not easy to book on short notice, but I picked up the phone to call them anyway. Much to my surprise, they had a spare table available. I immediately asked the taxi driver to turn around.

Stir-fried white water snowflake (炒水蓮) - this is always a good idea in Taiwan. I love this fibrous and crunchy veg, and pretty nice stir-fried with some mushrooms.

Days of chewing carefully: lost and found

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We're meeting up with the Parental Units tonight, and we chose to check out a place not far from their home. I may or may not have dined at A Gan Bistro (阿甘小館) before, but if I did it would have been close to 20 years ago. This was yet another recommendation from Little Rabbit, and I was looking forward to finding a place suitable for mom.

The place was busy on a Sunday night, and while the boss lady was too busy to stay and chit chat, she nevertheless was patient enough and entertained our request for the kitchen to dispense with MSG during cooking.

Coldcut chicken in Taiwanese style (鹽焗雞) - UMMMM, NO, this is NOT salt-baked chicken. It was, however, a very, very good steamed chicken (白斬雞). It was so, soooo tender, with that beautiful layer of jelly between the skin and the meat. The fact that it was a whole leg including the upper thigh was a plus, and seasoning it with some sesame oil made it even better. This is something I'd like to buy and take back to Hong Kong.

Days of chewing carefully: a homey lunch

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I'm back home in Taiwan for a week for my long-postponed dental surgery, and I would get just one meal between arrival last night and the dreaded procedure. Little Rabbit had recommended a place to eat chicken to Foursheets, so we trekked across town to have ourselves a quick lunch at Warm Home (溫暖好家).

Oyster mushroom three-cup sauce (三杯杏鮑菇) - pretty happy with this vegetarian version.

Venezuelans in Peru

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I've been a fan of Virgilio Martinez's and Pia Leon's for a number of years now, ever since Virgilio took up Richard Ekkebus' invitation for a collaboration at Amber. I have, sadly, never made my way to Central... having cancelled my trip to Peru three times for various reasons.

I should have been excited when MAZ opened in Tokyo, and it was the closest I could get to Virgilio's cuisine after I stopped visiting Ichu in Hong Kong. But I've had other priorities on my last few trips to Tokyo...

So I was pretty excited when MONO announced that they were doing a collaboration with MAZ. Thankfully seats were still available when I found out, and I invited a couple of friends along. Chef Santiago Fernandez who - like Ricardo - is also Venezuelan brought along greetings from Virgilio.

Miolo Cuvée Tradition Brut - this is always easy to drink, with light acidity on the palate.

The cuisine from Central and, by extension, MAZ is expressed as a journey through various altitudes or ecosystems. So it was with our menu tonight.

Sea floor

Fish maw empanada - accented with some guasacaca on top, with a sofrito inside made with fish maw. This was OK, as the fish maw didn't have much flavor and just added texture.

Cherry-popping 2025, episode 3

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While I was having my worst meal of 2025 a few months ago, I found out that Sporty Cousin had never dined at The Chairman (大班樓) and really wanted to. I wasted no time in grabbing a table so that Sporty Cousin could get his wish, so here we are tonight.

I knew that Sporty Cousin would be bringing a couple of frineds who, like him, were coming for the first time. So I let them choose the dishes they wanted to have, although I made a few suggestions. I also told them about a dish I would not allow to be on the menu tonight.

Crispy taro cake with smoked duck (茘甫鴨盒) - one of the classics here, although I felt that the taro mash tonight wasn't so fluffy on top and didn't look as beautiful as it normally would, and the oil used to fry this tasted a little old. However, the water chestnuts were still nice and crunchy, the smoky flavors of the duck still familiar, and this was definitely better with the aged vinegar on the side.

Champagne and pasta

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It's been a couple of weeks, but our good friends the Birdiegolfs still wanted to celebrate my birthday with me. I wasn't very particular about the venue this year, but when Locanda was suggested as one of the choices, I immediately asked whether they could still serve the black truffle carbonara that I had missed out on right before my birthday. Ahleeso checked with the chef, and happily reported back that they were still able to do it.

Locanda is a restaurant that Foursheets and I like well enough, but somehow we don't go there enough because it doesn't pop up in our heads when we think of places to go. That needs to change. We also need to make our first visit to Aedes Wine and Pasta Bar next door.

Gavin had forgotten that we are friends with Ahleeso, so he was a little surprised to see me walk in tonight. I hope that makes up for not answering his call on the black truffle dinner.

Culatello di Zibello D.O.P. - we needed something to go with our Champagne, and this is always a good idea.

Mushroom Forest

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The Kitchen Nazi pinged and asked if I was doing anything tonight. I know he had just been on a trip to Yunnan and came back with a haul of mushrooms, and my ever-generous friend wanted to share. For a split second I thought this was an invitation for a home dinner, but of course it would make much more sense for him to do this at Neighborhood. He extended the invitation to a few other friends, but we kinda had to figure out who else was coming by asking each other.

And he didn't tell me what time to show up. Same with a couple of other friends. So typical.

Those of us who arrived earlier than expected were shooed away to Paragon around the corner, because the boss wasn't quite ready for us. So a bunch of us sat around the bar while Foursheets nursed a drink, until we were called over to take our seats at our table.

Peanuts and pine nuts - well... I guess our dishes still weren't ready, because for a while all we had to eat were these peanuts and pine nuts from Yunnan. I guess they went well with the Dom Rosé that we started drinking...

16 hours in Osaka: Kanazawa in Osaka

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We have 1 night in Osaka - a city I hadn't been to since 1998 - and need a place to eat. Fergie has promised to buy me dinner, but surprisingly didn't have any suggestions on the venue. Well... the couple of places I've been wanting to hit in Osaka for years are either booked out for the evening or not open. I turned to the ever-trusty Tabelog and did a quick search. Much to my surprise, I was able to book seats at the counter for the four of us with two days' notice at a place with Tabelog Bronze Award and a Michelin star.

The second seating on a Sunday night at Higashichaya Nakamura (東茶屋 なかむら) finds us seated next to three friends of the chef who had brought their own bottles of wine. I had never heard of the place until two days ago, so I didn't have much expectations other than the approval and recognitions it had received. Besides, I wasn't the one paying for the meal, anyway...

Chef Nakamura Manabu (中村学) hails from Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県), known for their great produce around Kanazawa (金沢) and Noto Peninsula (能登半島). Having trained in a number of estasblishments with Michelin stars in Kansai, he is known for bringing most of the seafood ingredients from his home region. Displayed prominently behind him tonight was a bottle collecting charity donations for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1st of 2024.

Appetizer: lotus root, Japanese horsehair crab, sea urchin (先付: 蓮根 毛蟹 雲丹) - this was a pretty presentation on a large lotus leaf, which was sprayed with some water to create that look with summer rain drops on the leaves.

16 hours in Osaka: cold sake on a hot summer day

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Fergie pinged me two days ago, telling me there's been a change in his travel plans. Would I be able to join him for a short visit to Daimon Brewery (大門酒造) today? Well, I did have plans to meet up with Rikachu for lunch today, but I realized this visit was probably more important... So I apologized to my friends for bailing on them and made my travel arrangements.

After shoving some contraband into my check-in luggage, Fergie and I made our way to The Bridge. I haven't been here since this lounge re-opened, and I quickly got myself some breakfast.

I had seen friends post about the new biangbiang noodle (𰻞𰻞麵) offered at the lounge, which was in addition to the usual dandan noogle (擔擔麵). I figured I needed to check it out, and while some of the noodles stuck together as expected, the minced pork sauce was nice and spicy with the fragrance from Sichuan peppercorns.

Sweet drinks (are made of this)

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I had been looking forward to the new desserts that Astoria and the team had been developing at Caprice, and had the idea of doing a casual dinner at the Caprice Bar where I could try them all at once. I had to wait a few weeks until the new desserts all passed their internal taste tests, which was apparently done over last weekend. So I got myself a table for tonight, allowing me to catch Hairy Legs before he left for the summer.

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Anyss greeted us upon our arrival, and he was pretty excited to show us the new cocktails and the presentation format. Since we're on his turf tonight, we decided to order cocktails with our dinner for a change.

I Can't Drive _ _

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It’s that time of the year again, and I’m grateful that Foursheets flew halfway around the world to be back for this dinner. Just as I did last year, I chose to spend this night at my beloved Ta Vie 旅, as there were a few dishes I really wanted to have.

I chose not to dine here during the period when they were serving their 10th anniversary menu, featuring their “greatest hits” since opening, so I knew there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to have the exact menu served to me tonight. Sato-san did, however, agree to serve me some of those dishes as part of the special menu he selected for me – interspersing the classics between new, seasonal dishes.

I’m also grateful that such a fine dining establishment would be open for business on a Sunday with the chef in the kitchen. That made my choice of restaurant much easier.

Nukazuke (糠漬け) bread – this little bread has been part of the journey on every single occasion, ever since the restaurant’s opening. I shall never tire of starting the meal by tearing open this piping hot bundle.

Snacks with an Accent

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The Great One pinged me asking whether I'd be interested in attending a four-hands collaboration between Chef Shantanu Mehrotra of Indian Accent and Chef Gaurav Kulhari of Chaat. She would be in Europe for the festivities in advance of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, but had been told that she could pass along her invitation to someone else.

As Foursheets is halfway around the world, I needed to find a dining companion willing to put up with me for a couple of hours. Thankfully The Man in White T-shirt was available and curious enough, so I didn't have to be the loner for the day. 

We are treading on B Bestie's turf, so I wasn't the least bit surprised to find that lunch had turned into dinner service for us. Thankfully I don't have anything planned for dinner since I'm home alone. B Bestie also very smartly kept me away from the table he was actually hosting for lunch...

Khakhra, vatana, chutneys, from Indian Accent - the flavors of the Gujarati khakra (ખાખરા) shell were now familiar to me after the few visits I paid The Bombay East Indian Girl last year, and here we've got some peas inside, with yogurt and tamarind chutney, and finally bits of dhokla (ઢોકળાં) on top with a tiny piece of avocado.

Funky Aussies

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Monsieur Jamin and the Film Buff have been talking about doing a dinner where all the wines tasted would be Aussie. Not only that, these would include some very off-beat, small production, highly sought-after gems that most wine lovers have never heard of. They invited me to join their shindig and, since the cat's away this week, this mouse decided that he would play.

We took a private room at Ming Court (明閣) Wanchai for the ten of us. I am, of course, aware that there's been a Wanchai outlet for this well-regarded restaurant for a few years now, but this part of town remains largely off my dining map. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to see how it compares with the "original" in Mongkok.

We started the evening with the crispy trio (脆香三疊), which I thought was perfect as a snack to go with some wines:

Fried cashew nuts with garlic salt and black pepper (蒜鹽黑椒腰果)

Fried lotus root chips with salt (鹽香脆藕片) - this was perfect as a snack to go with our wines, as the flavors were relatively neutral but one could taste the oil used in deep-frying... and that's just so satisfying.

Sweetened walnuts (琥珀甜桃仁) - I can never stop eating these once there's a bowl of it within my reach...

Smoked with delicious fat

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One of the restaurants in Shenzhen that I had heard good things about is Fumée (拂鳴). I had yet to pay them a visit as I'm still in the discovery stage with regard to the city across the border, and I have naturally focused on restaurants serving various schools of Chinese cuisine. I figured I'd get around to it eventually. When Mr. Chichi asked whether I'd be interested in joining a group tasting on a Sunday night, it didn't take me long to say 'Yes'.

After taking a detour on account of my stupidity, we arrived at the restaurant just before the appointed time. Our group was seating along the counter facing the kitchen, and I had the good fortune to keep the Kitchen Nazi company. He's always fun with eat with.

Our evening started with some Champagne...

Christophe Mignon ADN de Meunier Brut Nature, dégorgée le 20 Mai 2020 - initially this was served much too cold, a common mistake, so there wasn't much showing on the nose except for a little minerals. Got a little better once it warmed up with a little more depth on the palate.

Chef Reina Chen explained that she was serving us a spring menu, with ingredients reflecting the flavors she associates with the season. We would start with something refreshing:

We were shown some of the 9 ingredients used to make our welcome drink, including cardamom and "leaves from the forest".

This smelled of guava and pine or cypress... definitely very green. Nice and refreshing.

A classic Hong Kong experience

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Mikacina is back in town, and I was excited to have the opportunity to show her something more "local" than the other places she had on her itinerary. It would only the second trip here for Mr. P, and I was eager to let him experience more of what we love about Hong Kong. Rather than taking them to a cha chaan teng (茶餐廳), I opted for a slightly more comfy experience at Ho Hung Kee (何洪記). After all, it's a place that Foursheets and I visit from time to time by ourselves. I jokingly told Mikacina that she could have "Michelin-starred congee" when I first suggested the place, but she didn't take me seriously, and didn't realize until she arrived that the restaurant does, in fact, hold a Michelin star.

We were placed in a cozy booth just next to the restaurant entrance, which had been decorated with a flower motif. A somewhat romantic touch I did not expect from this place...

Foursheets and I proposed a few items that I thought were classics and visitors should experience, and after getting our friends' approval - including for items Mr. P did not think he would enjoy - we placed the order.

Assorted meat congee with sliced fish (羊城荔灣艇仔粥) - well, this IS one of the classic congees, and our Korean guests enjoyed it a lot. It's clearly very different from Korean porridge, and the varied ingredients like sliced fish, squid tentacles, jellyfish, shredded pork, peanuts... etc. make for an interesting mix.

Hot in the city

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I seldom have hankering for hotpot meals in restaurants. Besides the soup base - and often I would prefer something clear or even plain water - it's mostly about the ingredients. There isn't much cooking skill involved, and I freely admit to having next to none in that department. I'm almost always joining friends or family when I find myself at a hotpot restaurant. So it was the case today... when Mr. Chichi extended a rare invitation to join him for Beijing-style lamb hotpot (涮羊肉).

Having spent a lot less time in Central over the last year or so, I've been oblivious to the opening of Peking Hotpot (新京熹老北京涮肉火鍋) - a genuine Beijing import. I had, in fact, walked past it last month without taking much notice. But since Mr. Chichi is organizing, I figured I'd get to have a pretty good experience - and a lot of food.

We have the hotpot with traditional clear broth (傳統清湯鍋).

We were presented with the array of condiment sauce (搭檔小料), and I love the traditional sesame sauce.

Rush, rush

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My friendly neighborhood prime broker wanted to take me out to lunch in order to celebrate my new job, and also as an early celebration of our birthdays. She was rambling about some restaurant she'd never been to... when she suddenly lamented that she hadn't been back to The Chairman (大班樓) in a long time. Well... I decided to grow some thick skin and begged for a table - which was how we ended up here today.

Lunching at The Chairman is something I have seldom done, unless it's a weekend or I'm not working. Imagine showing up here today and immediately recognizing people at a few neighboring tables. I guess I don't live the same leisurely life as those people... but that's OK.

I left the choice of dishes entirely in the hands of my broker a.k.a. the Landlord. I thought she would consult with her colleagues before making the choices, but I was wrong. There were a few dishes that I would not have picked, that I didn't care for, but I bit my tongue. This lunch was about making someone else happy, and it had nothing to do with me.

Cold squid noodle and lily bulbs with pine nut gazpacho (魷魚涼麵百合配松子凍湯) - no, this isn't Cantonese cuisine. It's more Japanese and Korean, and that chilled pine nut cream is just so refreshing on a warm day. Those petals of 9-year-old lily bulb from Lanzhou (蘭州) is just so crunchy with incredibly high sugar content.