My previous visit in April suggested Summer Palace has the potential for 2 Michelin star and here we are – 2013 Hong Kong and Macau Michelin guide has recongised summer palace as one of the finest Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong and awarded it with 2 Michelin Star. A round of applause.

Cuisine: Cantonese
Food rating: 8/10*
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Price: HK$500pax (with wine)

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Sliced Barbecued Suckling Pig (7/10)
The skin was crispy and the pork was tender. The chef separated the skin and pork for diners to eat in 2 ways. The skin to go with the sugar and pork with the sauce.Steamed bean curd with Mastsutake Mushrooms (8/10)
This dish has been removed from the menu; this is a good thing, because the chef does change the menu from time to time. But the dish was so good that I had to re-order, the tofu steamed with the mushroom and topped with soy sauce. It was so simple, but clearly this dish is a perfect example of simplicity is the best.

Crispy fried chicken (8/10)
You would never go wrong this order, the skin was crispy and the meat was tender. The seasoning was well balanced. Pan-fried beef with Foie Gras in black pepper sauce (7/10)
The beef was tender cooked to medium well; the foie gras gave the dish a rich and creamy taste and blended well with the black pepper sauce for the authentic taste. Stir-fried conches in Black bean sauce (9/10)
This was the highlight of the night, it was rather impressive. The black beans were perfectly handled, and allow the taste to fully develop. The conches were stir-fried with the onions, spring onion to give a very exotic flavour, absolutely beautiful. Summer Palace has been very consistent with its cooking, perhaps a level better in my opinion. For a dinner HK$350 per person is definitely a bargain, can’t wait for my next visit for the surprises Summer Palace offer.

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This is the first restaurant I have been with the receptionist can called my name before I speak, very impressive. St George has 4 rooms, the main dining room can seat about 30 guests the tables were very well spaced. The décor was very English traditional like. Haven’t been to the private rooms, but I am sure it would be very well furnished.

Cuisine: Chinese
Food rating: 8/10*
Service: 10/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Price: HK$500 pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin starsMaine Lobster & Green Asparagus, Cauliflower with Combawa zest & 'black' dressing (7/10)
Great presentation. Lobster was fairly cooked and season. The dressing is foamy, delicate and complex. Pan Fried Foie Gras, Green pea with curry Madras, pear marmalade & Damhout slices (7/10)
Foie Gras was cooked perfectly, but lacked a bit of seasoning. The sauce was sweet and delicate, it suits summer very well. Brittany Oyster & Roasted Scallop, in mushroom broth with Damhout slices (8/10)
The broth was stunning, very well made with fresh mushroom, it was rich yet simple. The scallop was pan-fried perfectly, spongy and very well seasoned. Perhaps curry salt were use to give it a kick. The oyster was creamy. It was one of the best dishes of the lunch!Roasted Lamb Saddle & Shoulder, Green sauce with Roquefort cheese, eggplant & turnips (8/10)
The lamb was well seasoned and very tender. I particularly liked the richness form the Roquefort. Raspberry with lemon sorbet and chocolate (7/10)
Not a big fan of sour dessert. It was alright, the sober was soft and rich. The chocolate was delicate and not too sweet. Not a bad combination.Pistachio & Jivara Chocolate bar, Green apple sorbet, milk chocolate cremeux, confit lemon & Nori (8/10)
This was something really caught my eyes. Never ate any dessert was made with Pistachio and the presentation was great. It wasn’t too sweet and the bottom was crunchy. The sober was soft. Just don’t really know what the nori was doing there.Don’t know what to say really, great décor, outstanding service, and excellent food. A restaurant with great potential for a 2 Michelin stars in 2013 guide.

It has to be one the restaurants with top quality of sashimi at a reasonable price in Hong Kong. I have yet to find a place to replace this little cosy Japanese décor restaurant for years.

Cuisine: Chinese
Food rating: 8/10*
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: HK$250 pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Sashimi Set
The fish are fresh, and iced at the right temperature. The chef’s has decent knife skills, the sashimi were evenly sliced.
The perfect example of simplicity with fresh ingredient is the magic of great good.

天膳 is one of the best fine dining Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong. From sashimi, sushi to hot dishes, it will serve you without a single disappointment. More importantly, it has a great selection of sake, however, it is slightly overpriced in my opinion. It is a small restaurant with simple décor, but its cosy, perfect for catching up with your mates.

Cuisine: Japanese
Food rating: 7/10*
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: HK$750pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

Sashimi Set (9/10)
WOW! That was my first impression. The sashimi were not just fresh, it have the texture as well. It was just sensational.Sea urchin Sushi (6/10)
The sea urchin was sweet and delicate, as soon as it enters your mouth, it perfectly and flavour linger around your palate forever. The rice has great balance of the rice vinegar and was perfectly shaped into sushi, not easy to break at all.Prawns and Wagyu beef sushi (7/10)
The prawns were much creamier than the one we usually eat, yet sweet and crunchy. It was extremely fresh. The wagyu beef were perfect glazed by the blow torch, slightly cooked on the outside. The beef was very soft, full of the meaty flavour, and the juice of fat was just extraordinary. Miso soup with Prawns (7/10)
The prawns add the complexity to the Miso soup, it was much sweeter and fresher. Probably one of the better Miso soup I have tried.The manager Thomas, waitress Elaine and Chef Man were amazing. They were friendly, sorted out our order without us ordering. More importantly, we drank together! They offered us free desserts and a small bottle of sake too, isn’t it great?!

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The Ming Court kitchen’s décor is inspired by the collection of Ming Dynasty potteries by leading Chinese artists. Executive Chef Tsang Chiu King gave Ming Court’s traditional Cantonese cuisine a 21st Century twist, a mixture of classic Cantonese dishes with some modern ones. Ming Court has replaced its wine menus with iPad, with a selection of over 400 wines from both old and new world. The everyday drinking wine was reasonably priced and affordable.

The best dish of the night was the shredded duck with black truffles and enoki mushrooms. It was beautifully presented in a heart shape. The duck was cooked with tendency and went really well with the black truffles. The black truffles gave the dish a long last finish; if a little bit of vinegar were added with the mix greens would make the dish to perfection. Braised fresh prawns with crab meat, spinach and steamed egg white in broth is a special of Ming Court. The broth was reasonably standard, and the soup has lacked the WOW factor. I presume the egg white was steamed/curdled in the bowl (gave it a very smooth texture) before the ingredients were added. I believe if the prawns were grilled before putting the whole lot together, it would give a new dimension to complete the soup! The stir-fried Japanese kurobuta pork loin with orange and honey sauce was somewhat below par. The kurobuta was crisp on the outside, but it was over cooked. However, I loved the orange and honey sauce, which wasn’t not over power by the sweetness and was reduced to syrup. The chef needs to get his timing right; else a Kagoshima black pig will be wasted again with his elementary cooking skills! The suckling pig is the restaurant speciality; therefore we ordered the special fried rice with suckling pig. The suckling pig was over roasted; the charcoal flavour lingered around my mouth, wasn’t very pleasant. The idea of using raisin to keep the fried rice moist with sweetness was brilliant. Overall, the fried rice lacked real excitement. The bird’s nest crystal extravagance presentation was a knockout, it made the ordinary extraordinary! The combination of mango and bird’s nest has a good sense of 21st century Cantonese cuisine. The sweetness intensity was just right! The waiter could be more caring by keeping the drinks topped up, replacing the tea to keep it warm and fresh without being asked. Overall this was an impressive meal; 2 Michelin stars seem to me fair for food of this quality.

View 62 is located on the 62nd floor of Hopewell centre in Wan Chai. The restaurant will bring you the stunning view around Hong Kong along with your meal. The journey includes Victoria Harbour, The Peak and the Happy Valley. The cosy and elegant setting not only enhances your experience at View 62, together with the spectacular view, it brings you an unforgettable experience.

The staffs are very professional, not as the other reviews suggested on the internet. They know the food menu thoroughly and the wine guy would perfectly match your meal with the perfect wine. More importantly, it has over 100+ teas for you to choose from. I am sure this is the new top-notch top would earns Michline’s recognition next year.

Cuisine: Spanish
Food rating: 7/10*
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Price: HK$825pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

XXI Century Omelet (7/10)
The omelette was separated in 3 layers. The top was potato foam, then it was the egg foam, and at the bottom was a caramelised onion. You needed to spoon from the top to bottom and eat all 3 layers together. The flavour and texture was extraordinary, greatly seasoned, delicate, rich and foamy. Octopus Galizian style with potato puree and virgin olive oil (6/10)
This is one of the better potato puree I have tried, it reminded me the Joel Robuchon potato puree at London. The octopus was seasoned with paprika, slightly sweet, but the salt and pepper was not seasoned equally, some were rather tasteless, some were perfect. But the texture was outstanding; the chef got its timing right.Foie-Gras in Royal with stewed lentils and porcini (6/10)
The foie-gras was made in the puree state and place at the bottom and then topped with the lentils soup. All 3 ingredients have very strong flavour, the beginning it was rather difficult to get the foie-gras from the bottom; hence it was over powered but the lentils. Vice versa, toward the ends, each spoon of soup was full of foie-gras, hence it was dominated by the foie-gras. The innovation was great, but the results weren’t exactly perfect.Garoupa With Pisto a la minute, green sauce and cuttlefish noodles (7/10)
The garoupa was cooked in water bath and then pan-fired. The garoupa was perfectly seasoned, and was just slightly over cooked. Great presentation, and the green sauce and cuttlefish noodles was absolutely spectacular, full of flavours. Beef Cheek In civet with artichoke, French onion and stripes of smoked bacon (6/10)
The beef was some high quality stuff; it was full of the meaty flavour. It was accompany with a sweet and delicate onion sauce. The artichoke and the bacon was perfectly seasoned, that enhanced the comparison of the beef was not seasoned. If the Beef was well seasoned, this would have been my favourite dish. Tiramisu (8/10)
This has to be the best Tiramisu I have ate in my life so far. It was totally different with the conventional one. The mascarpone was unexceptionally smooth. I don’t know what else, I should comment, please try it out yourself. SnacksNo doubt the Chef is famous for his contribution to nouvelle cuisine and food innovation. It is highly emphasised on the taste, texture and its presentation. I am looking forward to revisit the restaurant, especially for Jake’s and Simon’s wonderful services. But certainly, one of the “manager graded” waiter – fat with glasses - was a total disgrace. Every time I asked him for something, he always looks for his junior, seriously, if you ask, why your boss hired you.

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Chili Fagara is a small restaurant furnished with dark wood in Chinese style. It has well captured the traits of Sichuan cuisine; enable the diners to rediscover the true local Sichuan cuisine in Hong Kong. If diners are looking for a dramatic challenge for your palate, Chili Fagara will offer you a remarkable experience that you will never forget.

A quick word about the menu. I loved the design, Chinese style with jade as a decoration. Perhaps I am short sighted, the colour made it difficult to read.[IMG:1

]Hot & Sour Soup
This is a warming soup, which is perfect in the winter’s day. It is crunchy, full of texture and flavour, a great balance of hot and sour flavour. It was slightly sweeter than previously, not as hot as I was expecting.Beef Onion Soup
This is one of my favourite. The stew beef is exceptionally tender and the onion gave the soup a slight sweet flavour. The Sichuan pepper corns offer a numbing taste. More importantly, everything integrated well together and the beef has soaked in all the flavours. The soup is absolutely astonishing. Kung Po Chicken
This is a classic dish from Sichuan. The sweetness and tanginess were well balanced, spicier would be ideal. The chicken is well seasoned and coated with potato flour (was crispy in the outside). The flavour of Sichuan pepper corn and dried chillies were nicely infused with the chicken. For sure, this is a lovely local Sichuan dish.Baby Squid Simmers in Red Hot Chilli and Fagara Broth
This is a mouth tingling numbing dish. The spicy soup stock base is a delicious broth in which fresh ingredients are poached. It is probably one of the best dish I recently had, loved the burning taste. It felt like a sensation. Dan Dan Noodles
This is a famous Sichuan dish originated from Chengdu. There are plenty of variation, some spicier and some drier than others. The one from Chili Fagara had a thick peanut sesame sauce; it is a sweeter and drier version of Dan dan noodles. The noodles was al dente, would love some crushed roast peanuts to go with it! Chili Fagara’s quality of food is outstanding. I have been a regular diner; it has consistently given me an unforgettable experience. The ingredients are fresh and the dishes are full of flavours. The cooking timing and techniques are faultless. But if you are looking for good dining services, you better bugger off elsewhere and start learning how to appreciate Sichuan food.

One + one bar is one special hidden gem in Shatin! You can sit back and relax comfortable with the live band and the elegant décor. More importantly, the outdoor Terrance is even better. The services are outstanding the staffs take care the diners with extra cares. I have always been dying for German cuisine, and it is rather difficult to find a good one in Hong Kong, and tonight I found it. Cuisine: German
Food rating: 6/10*
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Price: HK$300pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

Roast Lamb thigh (7/10)
The lamb was greatly roast, fairly seasoned with garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. The lamb was extremely tender (medium), more importantly the gravy maintained the lamb juice and cooked with the beef stock, very delicate, the chef know exactly what he was doing. Clams (7/10)
The clams were very nicely grilled with the broth, full of garlic taste, buttery and slightly peppery.

Mussels (6/10)
The mussels were very nicely cook, great amount of white wine were used to cook with thyme and garlic. Octopus (6/10)
The octopus was marinated nicely with the sesame oil and chilli sauce, sweet and slightly spicy. The texture of octopus were crunchy. Loved the idea having the Octopus as a cold starter.

German Onion Soup (6/10)
It is a tomato based onion soup, which cooked with beef stock. It was rich and delicate, the onion further sweeten the soup. Never know that Germany has onion soup, and it is actually can compare with the French one.Grilled tiger prawn (6/10)
The chef seasoned the prawn with salt and pepper, perhaps he finished it with garlic butter. The prawn was cook to just right, it kept the crunchiness, while staying juicy. Apple tart (7/10)
The apple tart used a lot of apple, and great balance between butter, flour and egg yorks. It would be even better if cinnamon was employed. The pasty was nicely made and the tart was full of apple’s sweet and delicate flavour. Swiss roll (7/10)
This was the best of the night. The roll was extremely soft with perfect sweetness from the icing sugar. Great balance of the cream. One you started eating, you will crave for more and more.If you are looking for a comfy restaurant with live music and eat all you want, this is the place for you. They don’t just serve ordinary buffet, they serve high quality German cuisine. The most important part is, we are in Hong Kong, we buy services, One + One bar certainly offers that.

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Sichuan Da Ping Huo is a private kitchen, which cooks westernised Sichuan cuisine (not spicy) for a decade already. If you want to try Sichuan food, but you can’t handle the hotness, this is the best place for you. More importantly, this is not just a restaurant; it is also an art gallery. The owners are a married couple, who are artists. The husband runs the dining room, which displayed his paintings. The wife is a Chinese opera singer and the head chef. As you can imagine, this is a private kitchen, you choice of food are limited, if you are very fussy about food, you can please bugger off.

Cuisine: Chinese (Sichuan)
Food rating: 4/10*
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 10/10
Price: HK$97 pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

雞豆花湯 (3/10)
Chicken broth was the base of the soup and it was served with minced chicken, Chinese cabbage and mushroom. It was something very light to kick off the lunch.

Stir-fried Vegetable (4/10)
Stir-fried the vegetable with Sichuan Chilli! The chilli was not bad, loved the spiciness. The vegetable was very crunchy, great texture.回锅肉 (4/10)
It was perfectly tune to westerners taste, it was not the回锅肉you would expect. It would be better if the pork belly is fatter. More importantly, the甜面酱 dominated the 豆瓣酱 flavour, it was kinda too sweet and lacked hotness. But overall, it did taste good, just not the Sichuan style 回锅肉.田元三宝 (4/10)
Stir-fried the aubergine with French beans, it was greatly seasoned, again something that is very home style cooking. 雪耳豆腐花(4/10)
It was a cold Chinese dessert, kinda like a soup base with tofu. It was decent, a very pleasant way to end the lunch.Over all, this was a very nice lunch, but it was rather non-Sichuan style. A set lunch with 5 dishes at HK$88 was an absolute bargain, the only problem being the menu doesn’t change, its always fixed.

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Celebrity Cuisine is a cosy restaurant with modern-luxury décor. It is a small restaurant with 40 covers, yet the tables are still fairly spaced. As far as I remember, once we sat down, we have no intention of leaving even the food was finished, because the services were absolutely outstanding.

A quick note on the chilli sauce and XO sauce, both were freshly made. The chilli sauce was spicy and tangy. The dried scallops were thinner there the one you get at supermarket, it wasn’t as dry, yet it is full of flavour and texture.

Turnip Cake
The cake was made by fresh turnip and the taste was incredibly strong. The cake was perfectly pan-fried, crisp and dry on the outside, and smooth in the inside. It was matched perfectly with either the XO sauce or chilli sauce. Bird's Nest in Chicken Wing
The chicken wings were grilled to excellence, crispy and a nice colour. The wings were deboned and stuffed with bird’s nest. The texture of this dish is somewhat interesting, the first bite is crispy, and when it reaches your mouth is crunchy. And the vinegar bought complexity to the dish, it was extraordinary!Steamed King Prawn with Soy Sauce
The prawns were pan-fried with the garlic before steaming, hence the shell was crispy. Soy sauce was steamed with the prawns, and the flavour was infused into the shell. It is a nice and simple dish, full of flavour. Ginger, Chilli, Mushroom & Steamed Dragon fish
It wasn’t a special dish, expect the fine ingredient was used. The fish was steamed with ginger, chilli, mushroom and soy sauce and topped with spring onion. The fish was steamed with perfect timing; the meat was smooth and silky. But it lack of freshness, rather disappointed. Spinach in chicken broth with century egg, salted duck egg and garlic
It is the perfect season for eating spinach. The spinach was boiled in the broth together with the eggs and garlic. The spinach was soft and absorbed the flavour. Not a bad vegetable dish to end the evening.Egg white almond tea
The dessert was sweet, delicate and silky, full of flavour of almond. Yet, the egg white brought bitterness to the tea, really not my cup of tea. I love the restaurant inside out. By the quality of food alone, you must be joking that 2 Michelin stars was awarded, but together with the services, why not. The service was just terrific. We were please to have turnip cake, Fruit platter and dessert on the house.