jin loves to eat's Profile

Hutong has been voted many times as one of the best in Hong Kong. This comes as no surprise as dining in this uber chic resto is not only a feast for the palate but also for the eyes. With stunning interiors, the enchanting view of Hong Kong Harbour as backdrop, and food that never fails to please, it is easily one of the best in my list, too.Crispy Deboned Lamb Ribs - This is absolutely the best! How the chef manages to make the skin so crispy and the meat so tender is a true testament of his masterful culinary skills.Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Sichuan Red Peppers - Served in a red basket full of red peppers, this dish is so red you sweat just looking at it. And it tastes just as hot as it looks! There is no stopping us though. Bring on the rice, Baby!Braised Beef Rib Wrapped in Lotus Leaf - Beef is tender but lacking in taste. “Ma-la” Prawns with Sichuan Chili & Chinese Celery - Prawns are big and juicy, but aside from the spiciness, there is really nothing special about the flavor.Spicy Ground Meat with String Beans - This is what surprises me most. A rather simple dish but done exceptionally well. I can eat bowls and bowls of rice with it.See full review and photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/05/hutong.html…Read More

Wok This Way! is the fruit of Executive Chef Hector Pliego and Executive Sous Chef William Cheng’s travels to Southeast Asia’s top culinary destinations in search of the best street foods. In this journey which they document in their blog, they explore, they research, they taste, they learn, they replicate, and now they bring back to Hong Kong not so authentic tastes of the best Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam have to offer.DIY Nasi Lemak – A buffet style nasi lemak, you choose your own topping. Except for the coconut rice being too sticky, this complete meal on banana leaf is quite a delight. Pork, Beef and Chicken Satay - Just average, need more spicy sauce.E-Fu Noodles with Lobster and Cream Cheese Dressing – DELICIOUS!!!!Fried Shrimp Cakes – would have been good if not too oily.Salad Station - We all LOVE the Duck with Mango & Melon Salad and keep going back for more. The other three – grilled beef salad, spicy diced chicken salad, and peach and chicken salad - are also good, but not AS good.There are also other food like gado-gado, bahn mi, more thai appetizers, a noodle station, sushi station, but all are forgettable. The worst, however, is the dessert spread which is downright boring and disappointing. The only good one is the tiramisu, and it's not even Asian! Overall, I would say Wok This Way! the story, the blog, the buffet is a truly awesome concept. Now if only the execution was just as awesome...See full review with photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/08/wok-this-way-at-lounge.html…Read More

At The Big Bite, you can specify how you want your meat done. Because they cook the patty as you order it, a bit of a wait is expected, but my, how you will be rewarded! Bak Goo Mushroom Burger - I ask for medium rare, and they give me medium rare. Thick, tender and juicy patty on a bed of mushrooms and gravy, and all that wonderful beefy juices oozing out with each forkful, I would give absolutely anything to trade places with that soggy bottom bun! And those buns… please do not get me started on them Big Bite buns. They are not the usual soft and mushy ones you get out there. These buns are toasted perfectly, with the outer layer a bit grainy, a bit crisp, a bit sweet.We order a side of chili to go with our burgers. I pour some on mine. Sloppy Joe Mushroom Burger. Yummm.See full review and photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/10/big-bite.html…Read More

Crispy Cha-Siu Bun 脆皮叉燒包 – This arrived cold so I found it just ok, a bit disappointing even. Would have fared better if served piping hot.Braised Baby Pig Knuckles 鹵水豬腳仔 – If you like chewing on anything soft, fatty and salty, then this is for you. These knuckles are so tender and succulent, definitely a winner!Chicken Feet in Abalone Sauce 飽汁鳳爪 – Despite most people’s apprehensions about this bony and cartilage-y terminal part of a bird’s leg, chicken feet is the bomb! And Dynasty’s version does not disappoint. Really tasty peanuts, too.Salt Baked Chicken 鹽焗雞 – This is so silky and fragrant that my ever conscious mom happily eats a few pieces without even taking off the skin. A round of applause for the bird!Cha-siu and Roast Goose Combo 叉燒垪燒鵝 – The roast goose is surprisingly very good, even better than Yung Kee’s I daresay. The meat is tender and juicy, and the skin is not too fatty and has a nice crisp to it that you’d think the goose is actually fried. But aaahhhh… it is the cha-siu… that red bundle of sliced piggies glistening in all its gloriousness, with just the right amount of fat to excite cholesterol levels. This cha-siu is The Star.Mango Pomelo Sago Soup 楊枝甘露 – I can confidently say, the best in Hong Kong!See full review and photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/11/dynasty.html…Read More

Hot Chocolate - So good and so rich! Be still my heart. This is chocolate multiplied by a hundred. This is chocolate on steroids. And I have to say, that layer of chocolate on top is just brilliant. I derive intense pleasure from the sight of it melting into the cup of hot chocolate, and I am torn between wanting to see it melt completely, and wanting to lick the whole thing off before it disappears. Brownies - I swear these are the best brownies I have ever had! The people at Vero stuff this piece of brownie heaven with so much chocolate and walnut chunks that it’s almost excusable to think that you are biting into a nutty chocolate bar. Vero, vero sweet, and vero, vero good!!!see full review with photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/11/vero.html…Read More

Zenpachi serves all you can eat wagyu set meals that come with a tiny plate of appetizers, sushi and sashimi, soup and dessert.The sashimi and sushi are very fresh. Clam soup is average.Wagyu – very soft and beefy, with a bit but not very much of that buttery, melt-in-your-mouth quality. Okinawa Pork – I don’t know how special the pork from Okinawa is supposed to be, but this one tastes like ordinary pork. Bland.see full review and photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/11/zenpachi.html…Read More

The antipasti are good, I especially like the perfectly cooked prawns, mozzarella balls, sundried tomatoes, and the salad loaded with shaved parmesan cheese, grated parmesan cheese, walnuts and pine nuts (my very own creation, of course!).Rack of Lamb, Medium rare - This is my usual order at Sabatini, and it is very well executed each time. However, today’s lamb is a bit overcooked, a medium perhaps, but still very good and most importantly, with flavor bold enough for my taste. After all, without that distinct gamey taste that I love, lamb is but mere second rate beef. Chilean Sea Bass - This favorite fish of mine is tender but firm, with slight flavor of fish fat and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Yum.Seafood Bouillabaisse - This is quite tasty and the seafoods are cooked perfectly.St. Honoré - Sabatini’s signature cake is a giant cream puff with mini cream puffs circling it. The only thing I don’t like about the cake is the caramelized layer on the mini puffs. I love chocolate-sweet to death, but not sugar-sweet. This does not really pose as a problem though as everyone seems to be more than happy to have my share of these sugar coated balls. Without the puffs, I can easily eat 3 slices of this cake, and 3 more slices worth of that yummy chocolate and pastry cream. Tiramisu - Sabatini’s tiramisu is the real thing, not those fake whipped cream or ice cream filled ones. Real mascarpone cheese is used here. The cake layers have been soaked to seep up the right amount of coffee and amaretto to keep them moist and wet but not dripping. One of the VERY few good ones in Hong Kong.See full review and pictures here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/11/sabatini.html…Read More

Roast Goose 金牌燒鵝 - Some pieces are delicious, some pieces are dry. Overall it is good, but not that good to be hailed The Holy of Holies for roast goose. Personally, I think it is overrated, but I haven’t been to the members only Yung’s Club, which I hear serves excellent food as Mr. Yung reserves his best geese for the VIPs who can afford. Average Joes and Janes like me eat at the average Yung Kee and get average fare. Oh well, that’s life. The average life.Salt Baked Chicken 正宗鹽焗雞 – Again, average chicken fare.Sauteed Garoupa with Vegetables 菜遠斑球 – Tastes as boring as it looks.Seafood Ho Fan 海鲜河粉 – The less oily and less brown version of any Hong Kong cha chan teng hofan. Okay fine, Yung Kee’s has bigger pieces of seafood, but it’s definitely not bigger in taste.Pea Shoots 上湯豆苗 – My favorite vegetable and the best dish of the meal.Preserved Eggs and Ginger 糖心皮蛋 - Now this is what Yung Kee should be famous for. Yolks are smooth and creamy, a bit runny even, mildly pungent, but good pungent. The ginger slices are pickled pink (hehehe), sweet, and are the most excellent complement to the thousand year old eggs. Simply the best I’ve ever had.see full review here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/11/yung-kee.html…Read More