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越旺 Phở 26One thing I missed most about Australia is the Vietnamese food. If 5 star is the highest rating, I would rate Vietnamese food in Hong Kong as 2.5 at best. And no, not only that. I find that Hong Kong people, in general, does not know what good Vietnamese food is. I remember I once dined in a Phở restaurant with my Hong Kong colleague. When she saw me picking the basil leaves into my Phở soup, she asked me what I was doing. "I always thought the leaves were there as decoration. I didn't know you can eat them." I almost fell out of my chair when my colleague said that. I mean I can accept people's ignorance, but that was simply stupidity. Another time, I invited a finicky friend to eat Phở with me. "I want to eat Phở. Would you like to join?" At the Phở restaurant, the waitress came to take our order. "What would you like?" the waitress asked. "Kobe beef!!" I thought to myself as I stared at my friend, who just claimed to be a lover of Vietnamese food. "That's like ordering sushi made of Thai rice!" Needless to say, I very soon realized my friend does not like eating Phở. Anyway, stories aside, I have recently found a restaurant that I dare to proclaim as the best Phở place in town. The place has a strange name; it's called 越旺 Phở 26.
The spirit of a Phở lies in the broth, and this place makes one hell of a good broth. The soup is crystal clear -- like French bouillon -- and the steam vapors the fragrance of garden herbs aplenty. Visibly, there were green onions, white onions, coriander leaves, Thai basil leaves, mint leaves and bean sprouts. The most amazing thing about the soup is that there were two herbs that I had not tasted previously -- a saw-tooth leaf and a stem-like herb. A generous squeeze of lime juice onto the soup gave the whole Phở an awakening. I took a sip of the soup, and words can not describe that definitive moment. Next, I squeezed equal parts of Hoisin and Sriracha sauce onto the condiment plate. I placed the slightly cooked beef onto my spoon, and dapped the mixture of sauce onto the beef. I swallowed the spoonful of beef in one go, and I could feel sweetness, savoriness and hotness dancing in my mouth. I later found out that their 3-color bean drinks, or rainbow drink, was extremely good too. I have taken a lot of my true Phở-loving friends there and everyone agreed it was the best Phở restaurant in town. At the moment, 越旺 Phở 26 has two restaurants on Hong Kong island. Their first restaurant opened in Wan Chai, and the one I tried was in Sheung Wan.
越旺 Phở 26 My First Korean LessonI finally arrived at my Korean class.
I looked at the time on my phone. I realised I was already 15 minutes late!
From the outside, I could hear the teacher speaking. I quietly opened the door. There was an awkward silence.
"Sorry, I am late," I apologized as I walked inside the classroom.
I tried to make as little distraction as possible. The teacher did not say anything. I found a seat and sat down. The teacher went on with her teaching, speaking in Korean that I could not yet understand.
I looked around the classroom. There were about 15 people in the class.
"Do you have a textbook?" the teacher suddenly paused and asked me.
"Sorry, I did not know that I was meant to have a text book," I explained. "The school mailed my information package to the wrong address."
"Oh, you can look at mine if you want," offered the girl who was sitting on my left side. "You were supposed to buy the textbook before you come, but you can look at mine for now."
"Thanks!" I said, as I moved my seat closer.
I looked at the girl's textbook. She had already written three to four pages of notes.
I then turned to the teacher and tried to pick up what she was teaching. She has already moved onto something that seemed way beyond my league.
"Maybe I came to the wrong class," I thought to myself. "Or maybe, this isn't the first lesson," I tried to convince myself.
I then asked the girl sitting next to me. "Excuse me. What lesson number are we in?"
"Oh, this is the first lesson," answered the girl.
"How come you had so much notes written on your book?" I asked. "Is it a second-hand book?"
"Oh no, no, no! I prepared for the lesson in advance, that's all," the girl explained.
The girl said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. My face froze for a minute. I then turned my head around and looked at the students in the classroom. They all look very serious and concentrated. There was no 'joking around'. It was like the ideal class, like something that only appears in fiction.
I have always pictured night school to be something more casual, but what I saw tonight was a class of complete dedication.
The teacher continued her teaching. The pace of teaching became faster and faster. At the end of the two-hour lesson, I have learnt half of the Hangul and about 50 vocabularies.
"Annyong hi kaseyo!" the teacher said as she marked the end of my first Korean lesson.
"Annyong hi keseyo!" I bid my goodbye and walked out of the classroom feeling young and energized, like a boy who just had his first school day at the kindergarten. Pasta de Waraku 和樂日式意粉屋It was my very, very good friend Puffduck's birthday. She loves playing Wii, so this year I bought her a Wii and the Mario Kart game. I also took her to the recently-opened, Singaporean-owned, Japanese-styled restaurant, Pasta de Waraku, for lunch. The place is a recent gem I found in Citywalk, the new shopping complex sitting amidst the Tsuen Wan area.
We had salad, pasta and pizza. It was my third time dining at this restaurant. I must say their shiso, cod roe, and garlic spaghetti, as well the cod roe and potato pizza are the best pasta and pizza I have ever eaten in Hong Kong. The spaghetti was al dente, and there were just the right amount of ingredients to cover the pasta. The moisture of the spaghetti was well controlled -- slightly dry on the outside, yet moist on the inside. I swear I could taste the 'wok hei' in the pasta. I often make shiso pasta at home. So if I say the Pasta de Waraku's shiso spaghetti is good, it must be really, really good! The pizza was light, crispy and extremely thin, almost like eating nothing but air. I have always been a fan of thin pizzas, but they are difficult to find in Hong Kong, especially when people are getting used to thick, crusty pizzas. I have tried other pizza toppings at Pasta de Waraku, but their potato and cod roe pizza is my favorite. Pasta de Waraku might be a bit pricey compared to other eateries in the Tsuen Wan area. But considering the food quality, cleanliness, and atmosphere, I think it is well worth the price.
Pasta de Waraku 和樂日式意粉屋 Watch This Space 十面舞伏This ballet performance was truly a gem, like a sapphire hidden in a cultural desert, discovered when I least expect it. Watch This Space (十面舞伏) is one of Hong Kong Ballet's 2008 performances at Sheung Wan Civic Center (上環文娛中心), comprising eight smaller work pieces choreographed by the company's rising stars. It was a rare opportunity for me to see what Hong Kong dancers and choreographers are capable of.
I thoroughly enjoyed all eight pieces of work. In particular:
Honestly, I thought just watching any one of the eight pieces would have made my money worth.
Watch This Space English Official Website: http://www.hkballet.com/2007/eng/production/0809/CW/index.html Modern Queen's Restaurant 新皇后餐廳In response to my last episode of lunch horror, I believe I have found the best Hong-Kong-style minced beef rice (窩蛋免治牛肉飯) in town!
Modern Queen's Restaurant (新皇后餐廳) is situated in Sham Tseng. I was not sure if the restaurant has any relationship with the better-known Queen's Cafe at Festival Walk, but the old man owner -- who also seems to be the only person serving us -- told me that his restaurant's chef used to work there. I have tried their minced beef rice for a number of times, both lunch and dinner. It was always full of minced beef and fresh tomatoes. In fact, I find there was so much sauce that there was just not enough rice! The snap peas, which accompanied the rice, were surprisingly sugary and snappy too. A word of reminder -- the minced beef rice tastes much better at dinner than at lunch. Also, the restaurant usually serve the minced beef rice with a sunny side up. If you want the real authentic taste of minced beef rice, remember to ask the restaurant to give you a raw egg (without the egg white) instead.
Modern Queen's Restaurant 新皇后餐廳 Mandarin Oriental Cake ShopMoney does not guarantee happiness, but happiness sure does cost money. After my afternoon haircut session, I began to feel a lot less depressed. I guess the hair really changes the mood of a person. I then went to meet up with Gwen at Mandarin Oriental cake shop for afternoon tea. I really like the place because they have very nice seats and cakes; and it is always nice to leisurely chat with friends about nothing while looking at people traversing across the busy streets.
We ordered a tea set for two. For HKD$298, we got a pot of tea; three-tier stand of finger sandwiches, cakes, and pastries; a basket of raisin scones with strawberry rose petal jam and clotted cream; a plate of marble cake and Battenberg; and a shot of chocolate mousse.
The mahjong-like finger sandwiches were my favorite. They were petite and easy to eat. The scones were warm and fluffy too, although I did find them a little too big. The strawberry rose petal jam was lightly fragrant, which added a nice layer to the scone along with the heavy clotted cream. Gwen told me that she will be going back to Europe to chase after her dream. Before she left, she gave me two of her books. I wished her good luck. In case Gwen gets famous one day, I also asked her to sign her books for me! Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop
Mario Kart WiiI really think that Hong Kong is a blessed city of electronics. The price of games in Hong Kong is very competitive, and might even be lowest in the world in some cases. In addition, we get the games earlier than anyone in the world -- even earlier than Japanese, because our shops do not have to follow an embargo launch date.
I happily got my Mario Kart Wii on 8 April -- two days before the Japanese official launch date. I have been anticipating the game for more than a year. The Wii handle was a bit difficult to handle at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I heard some people on the Internet said that the Wii handles were not good, but I found it to be the opposite; I actually felt like I was driving a kart when I used the Wii handle.
The original game came with a free Wii handle. I liked the Wii handle so much that I bought another three. With the current worldwide shortage of Wii handles, let me tell you it was no easy task! I also came up with the idea of hanging the Wii handles next to my flat screen using 3M Command hooks; their colors matched perfectly. The best part is that the Wii handles could house the Wii controllers, omitting the storage problem.
My next 'home improvement' project is to figure out a way to mount my two Wii Zappers with style. I tell you, you will see~!
Tomato and Egg JiaoziI found some extraordinarily high-quality Jiaozi skins at a Shanghainese grocery in Mei Foo. The skins were so soft and smooth that I could pleat the rims of the Jiaozi without using any water.
I spent a good amount of time over the weekend trying out different fillings with the Jiaozi skins. Tomato and egg Jiaozis (pictured) were the best, followed by pork and foie gras Jiaozis. The part I liked the most about the Jiaozi skins is their homemade-like elasticity. I could not stop myself but gobbled down 18 Jiaozis in one go.
The Two Concertmasters - Mozart in the CitySomewhere, somehow, something went horribly wrong...
Last week, I went to see The Two Concertmasters -- Mozart in the City (黃安源 x 夏定忠 -- 都會莫扎特), an Eastern Huqin meet Western philharmonic musical performance, at the Hong Kong City Hall. The experimentation of fusing two extreme genres of music together sounded good to me at first impression, but the result was as cacophonous as a market ruckus. I tried, oh I tried so very hard. But honestly, I did not find any harmony between the Huqin and the ensemble. The composition and the arrangement were pretty bad for a start. The more disappointing thing is that the Huqin masters and the orchestra were like a divorced couple who have not met each other for years. To my ears, Wong and his son seemed to be playing something completely unrelated to what other players of the orchestra were playing. The show sounded more like a round of strangers practicing than a serious group performance. The worst thing I found was the lack of professionalism and spirit in the orchestra. The players at the back of the orchestra (I forgot whether they were trumpets or trombones) must all had backbone problems that night. Why were they not sitting upright? Sit straight, for goodness sake~! Oh John, I am so very disappointed. I have listened to your performance -- by chance -- in Sydney, London, and now Hong Kong. The shows are getting worse and worse.
The Two Concertmasters -- Mozart in the City English official website: http://www.hkpo.com/eng/concerts_and_ticket/concerts/concertdetail.jsp?id=56
The fall of the Hong Kong minced beef riceI felt a little depressed at the beginning. The weather was not only warm, but it felt slightly stuffy. I got off the bus a few stops early. I cannot describe what I was thinking, but I wanted something that could cheer me up, perhaps something nostalgic, something that could remind me of past memories. I came to the doors of a familiar Cha Chaan Teng. I walked past this place many times on my way home, but I never had the opportunity to try it. I got inside the restaurant, sat down and looked at the menu. "We have afternoon tea specials. Would you like to take a look?" the waitress asked as she handed me a cup of tea. "Oh no, I don't want afternoon tea. No, no! I want something else, something more fulfilling." I said as I flipped through the menu, searching for something that might fulfill an empty feeling inside me. I was not particularly hungry anyway. Then, something caught my eye. It was Hong Kong minced beef rice (窩蛋免治牛肉飯) -- one of my favorite dishes in childhood. I remember I used to eat it every time my grandmother picked me up after school. In the classic version, the rice is covered with a tomatoey Bolognese-like sauce. A hole is dug in the center of the sauce for a raw egg to be placed. When you break the egg yolk with a spoon, the heat from the sauce and the rice is supposed to gently cook the egg yolk, making a soft, velvety blend of sweet, tangy and creamy texture that is characteristic to Hong Kong minced beef rice. The dish used to be a staple fast food item in Hong Kong, and I think it still is. Five minutes later, my rice came. The rice did not look anything like what I used to have. The beef was not minced, but in irregular bits and pieces that looked like leftovers from past meals. The color of the beef was an unnatural off-white, which reminded me of over-marinating using bicarb soda. The sauce was not only untomatoey, but also colored an unappetizing dark brown -- like oyster sauce, but take away the taste. The rice was rough, over-bloated, and full of broken grains. I took one spoon of the rice into my mouth. I then told myself to give up on the dish. I felt disgusted by the lack of sincerity in what used to be my favorite item on the menu. Have values in the Hong Kong people changed? Have we stopped learning and striving for the better? Have we abandoned our heritage of what used to be good for today's easy corners? I asked myself these questions as I continued my journey home. I felt more depressed than ever before. Kyoto Matcha CakeDear Regina, I really appreciate that you thought of buying me souvenirs when you were traveling in Japan. The cake, though slightly dry, was undeniably made from high-quality Japanese green tea. The chocolate chips in the cake were an unexpected but welcomed change of flavor. I must admit the unwrapping of the matcha color-matching cloth was more exciting than the eating. The joy of unraveling the awaiting surprises led me to wrap and unwrap the gift several times.
Yes, I know. I am childish at times, but I guess that's the Felix you knew from the very beginning! Many thanks once again! Felix Minamoto Kitchoan Fukuwatashi Senbei
On the topic of Japanese food, my colleague Konstans recommended me to these yummy crinkled galettes, known as Fukuwatashi Senbei (福渡せんべい), by Minamoto Kitchoan (源吉兆庵). I have tried them. These cookies are like melting moments you get in Starbucks, except they are on a whole new level.
It is difficult to accurately express the sensation. The crinkled galettes are light like wafers, but the buttery flavor is dense like melting moments. On the scale of crunchiness, these cookies are slightly tipped towards the end of brittleness. In every bite, the crinkled galettes snap with joy, oozing out the vanilla goodness inside. The cookies would go with Japanese green tea perfectly. I had two of these in my first tasting. It felt like a sinful crime in a world under heaven.
Minamoto Kitchoan Japanese Official website: http://www.kitchoan.co.jp Crabulous EasterGwen joined dinner on Easter. She was in for a real treat because I have ordered a 2.5-kg Taraba crab and a dozen of large scallops from Hokkaido through Sogo.
The monstrous crab took quite a while to defrost. We followed instruction on the crab container box and did not heat up the crab. Some parts were still frozen when we were eating the crab. It was like eating crab sorbet. We dipped the crab in Yuzu Ponzu (Japanese citrus vinegar) and a bit of lemon juice. The crabmeat was sweet, but I find the leg muscle a little too fibrous. I am afraid I might get stoned by people for saying this, but I did not find a marked difference between the taste of Taraba crabmeat and (high quality) seafood sticks. I would say I prefer the velvet texture of smaller crabs more.
Scallops, however, were very much to my liking. We had them as sashimi, dipped in Japanese soy sauce and wasabi. The scallops were so fresh that they had a crunch at the center. I could fully taste the Hokkaido seawater from the juice. Gwen and my mum liked the crab, but we all liked the scallops more. We tried our best to finish the whole crab, but we could only finish the legs. WiiwaringWiiware has just launched in Japan. I have downloaded two games already.
Ssshhh! Don't disturb me! I am busy building my own house in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles at the moment...
Wiiware Japanese official website: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/wiiware/ Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King Japanese official website: http://www.square-enix.co.jp/littleking/ Eating vegetables can be bad for youDid you know that eating vegetables can be bad for you too? Apparently Chinese people, who generally eats more vegetables than Western people, could not escape the fate of becoming obese (okay, maybe not as obese as most Western people).
"A vegetable-rich diet has been linked to a higher risk of obesity in Chinese people..." Best ChefLawrence and I went to watch the Korean movie, 식객 (English: Le Grand Chef, Chinese: 食客), at Palace APM cinema. I have anticipated this movie for so long, but was only able to watch it on its last day of screening.
The storyline was simple. Two rival chefs, who were trained under the same master, competed against each other in a national cooking competition. One chef attempted to win control over a famed restaurant while the other chef searched for a deeper meaning of cooking. Based on a popular comic book series, Le Grand Chef was at the top spot across Korean cinemas for three weeks. I had high expectations for this movie. I always thought that my understanding of Korean cuisine was limited, and perhaps this movie would broaden my horizon. However, I find the movie went only as deep as things I knew. Maybe it was the movie's problem, maybe something was lost in translation, or maybe kimchi and bulgogi were really all there are in Korean cuisine... Moreover, some of the scenes were hard pressed to believe: the emotional tears before the cattle slaughter; the Japanese judge's praises for Korean ancestors after tasting the soup -- I mean, come on! Things could have been much worse. Fortunately, once I switched on my ignorance, I was able to enjoy the movie without a problem. Le Grand Chef Korean Official Website: http://www.bestchef.co.kr Melon DramaMy friend Wei bought me a musk melon all the way from Shanghai. Her original intention was good; she wanted to prove me wrong that musk melons grown in China can be as sweet as crown melons grown in Japan. I know. People can be naive sometimes. "I hope it will be sweet," said Wei, as she handed me the 5-kg melon. "The fruit shop owner said if it is not sweet, I get to kill him." "Um, okay," said I. "You really shouldn't. The melon is so heavy, and you had to carry all the way from Shanghai." I cut open the melon. I took one bite from the melon. "So, how is it? Is it sweet? Quick, tell me!" "Um... yeah. It's sweet okay..." I tried to speak out the last few words as I was swallowing. "It's sweeter than a cucumber." Lunchbox MedleyMany friends have asked me this question before, "If you are such a good chef, why don't you open your own restaurant?" The answer is simple. If I open my own restaurant, the business will lose money faster than mold grows on cheese! When I cook for fun, I use whatever ingredients I want without thinking about the cost of the ingredient. If I work as a chef, however, I will not be able to cover the cost of wastage and labor, let alone making money. I guess you can never draw an equal sign between creativity and profit! Anyway, I got my cousin's hope really high because I promised her an obento lunchbox to take to school. This is my problem; I always make promises without thinking about the consequences. My brother and I had to shop in advance a day before and wake up at 7 in the morning in order to prepare these three boxes of food.
Poor me! I forgot how cold 7 in the morning could be. I have not woken up before 10 in the morning for more than a year! Well, having said that, my cousin was thrilled when she saw me arriving at her school, carrying boxes of food she knew she could boast before her friends. Her eyes were gleaming with joyful tears! For me, I had great fun too, especially after not cooking anything special for anyone for such a long time.
Next time, I might give money to my cousin to dine out with her friends instead. It is simply much cheaper than cooking myself. A New HomeI have just settled into my new home. A month of packing and unpacking has tired me out. Mum has just bought me a nice display box to house my plush toys. Finally, my plushies have a home and do not need to feel orphaned anymore.
Roxas, Pocoyo, ninja Toro, and tortoise Fai are four additional members to my plush collection this year. Welcome to the family! |
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