Since LY and CY brought me to this wonderful tonkatsu place, I’ve had cravings and dreams about eating deliciously crispy deep fried pork chops. They are as good as it gets in Hong Kong, you get unlimited refills for the salads and miso soup and you have a choice of wheat rice (barley grains) and normal grains.

I chose a set with an additional tempura.

They’ve got a branch in Singapore as well, I’m definitely taking my parents the next time I’m home. Our bill came up to less than 200HKD per person.

I still wonder about the name “saboten” because it means cactus in Japanese, and how does that relate to deep fried goodness, Tonkatsu? A quick search on their website, it relates to the owner’s vision “to build a shop full of vitality, one that would survive even in the harshest conditions.” Hmm okay. Word. Best tonkatsu I’ve had in a very long while.

Saboten 勝博殿
Lower Ground Floor, Henry House,
42 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay
銅鑼灣恩平道42號亨利中心地庫
Tel: 2895 4111

I spent all of last night reading horoscopes. I do that every year, in fact my mother and late grandmother used to consult the almanac all the time and every year my mother buys the latest book of Chinese horoscopes to get an idea of how the year will pan out. I’ve spent a few Chinese New Years away from home but this year I particularly missed it. I’m going to book my flights home way in advance for the following years to avoid astronomical prices.

Last year, I was wrapping up my 4 years in Beijing to move to Hong Kong and my friend V invited me to join her and her visiting parents for a huge homemade dinner. This year, I spent reunion dinner with chef and wandered around Macau most of today, catch the dragon lion dance and took the camera out with H. I also tried a traditional Portuguese egg tart at Ou Mun Cafe in Sanmalou on the Macau peninsula, unlike the Po tarts we all know. This one had a nice bouncy texture that reminded me of canelé without any butter crust or custard filling. I quite welcomed the different experience.

Everyone feels much more positive about this dragon year and the horoscopes all read well for all 12 zodiac signs, some better than the others, but none too bad.

It was a challenging 2011 filled with good things and I’m really looking forward to 转运 an upside change in fortunes this year.

Gong Hei Fatt Choi everyone!

A way overdue update. I cooked a chicken curry at our foodies crew Malayan night. I was meant to cook 3-4 dishes with M, native of Penang, but on a weekday night and wrapping up work late, I only managed time for a simple curry and M was a great sport to do the rest of the menu as she had the day off. Lucky lady! I have new found respect for working mothers who still make it home to prepare a meal from scratch for the kids so they would eat well and none of the processed food from cans and the frozen section of the supermarket. Someday, I want to be an awesome mum like that. No shortcuts! Well, okay maybe a little, cheating with the pre-made pastes when it comes to cooking Asian.

My mother’s version of a nonya chicken curry. She always puts in green beans and cabbage. This time I only added green beans which reminds one of the lontong gravy.

M made assam fish, okra (ladies’ fingers) to dip in sambal, pineapple assam prawns and we cheated and ordered satay as well as bubur chacha from Sabah restaurant. The satays were great, but the burbur chacha was really just bland coagulated coconut milk with bits of sweet potato and sago. This was a traditional Malay dish my grandmother and mother made all the time, so I’m definitely never having that dessert from Sabah restaurant again.

okra/ ladies finger to be dipped in sambal

assam prawns with pineapples

Roti prata, they sell frozen ones at Park n Shop and it’s pretty good!

Assam fish with okra

All these lovely dishes made possible by cheating with pre-made assam and curry packets!

I did a fantastic oyster shucking class the other weekend at Pacific Gourmet in Happy Valley. While I was more interested in the eating than working for food, it was really good fun and very educational. I’m not very well versed in oysters, usually going with the French Belon and Gillardeau (I know, I’m so spoilt, both I love dearly). Other times at buffets, I’ve had mostly coffin bay Australian oysters and in China I tried a range of Chinese oysters from Guangzhou, Qingdao etc, which taste vastly different.

At class, we shucked 3 Australian oysters from Coffin Bay, Duck Bay and Bruny Island respectively. The oysters are flown in every Thursday at Pacific Gourmet, so as a tip, perfect to get them on Thu through the weekend.

Coffin bay oysters brings back lots of childhood memories when my dad had a boat and we went out to sea every weekend, swimming, fishing and collecting seashells. The oyster first taste like seawater before you creamy the creamy sweetness.

Most of the class loved the Duck Bay oyster best, the sweetest given their large abductor muscle, but I preferred the Bruny Island Oyster that finishes sweet and creamy and a little tangy.

I wish I had better skills and knowledge to identify the origins of the oyster based on shell shape and size.

From left: coffin bay, duck bay, Bruny Island oysters

From my notes, the how to step-by-step:

1. Wrap the oyster in a towel with the hinge sticking out, chip away loose shell and flat side up, insert the knife in any nook you can find at an angle of 15º and use a rocky motion to gain entrance between the upper and lower shells.

2. To ‘pop’ open the shell, ‘rev’ the knife twisting it as if accelerating on a motorcycle until you hear the hinge pop. Be careful as it often happens suddenly at the knife dives into the shell.
I applied pressure to dive in but at the same time use a screw driver twisting motion clockwise and anticlockwise. And viola it unhinges

3. Now you have access, gently slide the knife along the inside of the top of the shell to sever the abductor muscle, releasing the top shell.

4. For good presentation, first loosen the meat from the bottom shell and flip it over!

Was great fun, would definitely recommend a class at Pacific Gourmet!

The first preview event at West Kowloon Cultural District took place at the M+ Bamboo Theatre, celebrating the traditional craft of Cantonese opera, taking it back to the streets with a large outdoor stage on its construction site, decorated with beautiful banners on each side done digitally by local veteran artist Gaylord. There were Cantonese opera ipad applications, a whole cooking counter featuring the traditional egg waffles and even a Peking duck carving station doing mini wraps!

The full project is slated to open in 2020, and this is just a taste of what’s to come. So far, so good, I’d say.

I loved the idea of the bustling street atmosphere, revisiting the old traditional form of street entertainment and making it accessible to the younger generation with a modern twist. Tickets for the live Cantonese opera sold out online in hours, but not to worry, there will be a free movie screening marathon on January 24 from 2pm-10pm, the 2nd day of the lunar new year—the perfect activity for Hong Kong family outings. Featured films: Princess Chang Ping, Let it be, Spooky Bunch, The Sorrowful Lute and The Dutiful Daughter Zhu Zhu.

Busy cooking stations

Giant lantern by Chu Hing-Wah

I’ve also cross posted it on Artitute and You’d be much better here, both blogs I contribute to.

January 17 is International Italian Cuisines day and Italian chefs all over the world are participating by cooking Osso Bucco–the chosen dish of 2012. The annual event revisits traditional recipes that have lost its authenticity around the globe. Cream in your carbonara anyone? Or parmesan on your seafood pasta? The carnage!

Organised by ITCHEFS and GVC (Gruppo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani) and in its 5th year running, chef Marino D’antonio of Sureño @ The Opposite House Beijing will be participating again this year.

Have a look at this year’s list of participating chefs here.

So, where are you off to for dinner tonight?

Recipe for Ossobuco in Gremolata alla Milanese (serves 2) by Mario Caramella, GVCI President

For the Ossobuco
4 hind veal shank cut 4 to 5 cm thick and 9 to 10 cm large
100 g celery brunoise
100 g carrot brunoise
100 g onion chopped
200 g butter
800 ml veal broth
300 ml white wine
120 g Prosciutto di Parma PDO (Parma ham) with fat, cut diced
200 g tomato, peeled, chopped
150 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the Gremolata

3 g lemon rinds, cut brunoise
6 g sprigs parsley, Italian, chopped
3 g cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Salt and white pepper

Method

1. Place half of the oil and butter in a casserole and heat over medium flame, season the veal and place in the hot casserole, brown for 5 minutes per side till they are nicely seared and golden brown.
2. Remove the veal and set aside.
3. Pour off the excessive fat, add the rest of the butter and the olive oil in the same casserole and add the carrots, the Parma ham, the celery and the onion.
4. Sauté at low heat until they are wilted.
5. Turn up the heat.
6. Add the wine and reduce till almost evaporated.
7. Add the tomato and the veal broth and bring to a boil.
8. Carefully arrange the veal in the casserole and spoon some of the vegetables and broth over it, the liquid should cover the surface of the veal, if not, add some more broth.
9. The casserole should contain the veal just right, however make sure your casserole is not too big or you will end up with to much sauce in the casserole, cxl- the right size brings the liquid cxl with the veal to a boil.
10. Cover the casserole with foil and place in a pre-heated oven at 180° Celsius, continue cooking for 2 hours.
11. Remove the foil for the last 30 minute so the surface of the veal will caramelize nicely. In the meantime prepare the gremolata by mixing the lemon skin brunoise with the chopped parsley and garlic. At this point the veal will be tender enough that you can eat it with the fork, and the marrow, well-cooked, will develop its characteristic unctuous texture and incomparable flavor.
12. To serve, remove the veal from the casserole and place it in a hot bowl. Remove the excessive oil from the sauce, add some veal broth if needed, bring to a boil, adjust the flavor and spoon it over the veal.
13. Sprinkle the gremolata on top and serve immediately.

Cross posted on the other blog where I manage, curate write and edit You’d be much better here.

2012 got off to a very gourmet start with two gourmet meals this month. Chef finally managed to get a table for me to try the legendary 8 1/2 with its newly crowned 3rd Michelin star. It’s full for lunch and dinner through till end of January and into Feb.

I can see why this place is full all the time, simple great food made luxurious with quality produce. Service is friendly, attentive and unobtrusive. I’ve very fond of Northern Italian cuisine having lived in the Veneto and one of my best Italiana friends is from Bergamo where Bombana is from. Chef Marino whose food I also love and find comfort in at Sureño in Beijing is also from Bergamo. He used to ring me every time special orders of fresh burrata came in.

There’s a great article in the NY Times on Bergamo, I regret only having had a brief day trip there. Definitely on the list to return and spend more time cooking and eating.

“And, of course, there are pastas: ravioli-like casoncelli, stuffed with ground beef, breadcrumbs and cookies and cheese, served in a sauce of browned butter, sage and bacon pieces; and pizzoccheri, a buckwheat pasta, mixed with winter greens, melted fontina cheese, Parmesan, sage and potatoes.

If those names are unfamiliar, it’s because when it comes to cuisine here, tradition reigns.”

We started with a belon oyster (one of my fav) marinated in champagne served with green apples and bits of salmon, topped with caviar—that set the tone for our lunch.

Giant tiger prawn pasta with courgette—fresh, simple and straightforward. It’s faultless, the pasta al dente, the prawn perfectly cooked, sweet and crunchy.

Given our weakness and love for truffles, chef bombana did a simple but very luxurious risotto for us. Could we have some risotto with our French puymeras truffles please. Inhale. Eat. Repeat.

This was my least favourite and slowed my rhythm a little. Pork cheeks with something that tasted like spam served with polenta. After being spoilt by the first few courses, I guess they had to bring us back to earth.

Dessert, however brought our spirits back up, fresh grapes with grape jelly and a sorbet.

Our first date night of 2012, chef took me to the newly crowned 3* Robuchon, an additional * to their 2* status in 2011. We told chef Olivier to surprise us and boy, was it yum!

Our amuse bouche was a lovely lobster, caviar jelly and royale de cauliflower, an intoxicating mix of rich flavours of the sea, layered textures topped with rich creamy cauliflower royale.

Then the best dish of the night, a wonderfully refreshing and very generous portion of lobster salad served with vegetable barigoule featuring my favourite artichoke, carrots and courgette, full of zingy citrus goodness. Light, a great way to set the pace.

Next up, we had quickly seared medium rare scallops served with a foie gras mousse topped with truffles and gold foil. Yum, a beautiful marriage of land and sea produce.

The humble veal cheek slow cooked with love, so tender that we ate it with a spoon, served with a delicious buttery truffle mash—I could eat this all my life.

Dessert, brie with tuffle mascarpone sandwiched in between served with truffle jelly. My first time having such luxurious brie and loved every morsel of it.

And finally mango mousse dessert to finish. Was never a big fan of mango desserts, but licked it all up anyway.

I think this is my best meal at L’atelier de Robuchon Hong Kong, yet. Looks like we’re going to be asking for more ‘do your own thing, chef, give us the omasake menu’ the next time we visit.

Merci chef pour les moment delicieux et pour commençait le 2012 ensemble avec les tres bonne repas. ♥

I would definitely recommend L’atelier over Le Jardin.

Shop 315 & 401,
The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2166 9000

I’ve been spending alot more time wandering around Old Taipa and Macau is actually starting to grow on me a little. Our new rented shop house is smacked right in the centre of all great local eateries and I can snack and people watch all day while working on the terrace.

If I could suggest another great place for Portuguese egg tarts apart from the highly commercialised Lord Stow’s bakery, San Hou Lei on Koon Ya Gai (Rua do Cunha) the main street where the library is and leads up to Macdonald’s at the far end.

I randomly pick this store because of the wonderful free local confectionary smells coming from it. Y was visiting so we bought a couple to try. The Po tart was pretty good as was the egg custard one (without the burnt crust like the po tart) and the coconut juice with milk was fresh and tasty. The last one with the huge puff was a little too sweet and had tasted like it had some coconut shavings on it—we didn’t pay attention ordering! Either way, whatever it is, don’t go for this one. Their specialty here is the bird’s nest egg tarts, I’m not particularly a fan of birds nest since its tasteless and mostly texture 口感 (mouth feel), so don’t be afraid to venture out to try one.

San Hou Lei Cafe
13－14 Rua do Cunha
澳門氹仔地堡街13-14號
Tel：(853)28827373

I got a random email one day and got sent a traveling spork to go eating for the blog. I thought to do something different by checking out a halal restaurant in pork heavy Hong Kong cuisine. F who is muslim and strict about halal food was in town from his SQ stopover flight, so we took the spork out! Warung Milang was recommended by a Javanese friend, and it was as good as we can get in Hong Kong I reckon as there aren’t really that many authentic Indonesian, Malaysian places.

The Indonesian version of vegetable tempura, fried in batter and fried soy beans

Nasi Goreng, fried rice served with sambal belachan and prawn crackers

These fish cakes were a little weird soaking in a sweet soy sauce.

Ayam goreng (fried chicken). a very lean and muscular village chicken.

Our chicken satay was a litlte burn, but it was nicely marinated and very lean, the yin yang sweet black sauce with chillies was more Chinese sauce than malay and the peanut sauce would have been nicer thicker, but still pretty yum.

Warung Milang
2nd floor Flat B-2, 9-11 Penington Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 29157859