East Shore Carp's Profile

Due to business commitments, I spent quite a bit of time in Beijing last year. Ate quite a broad spectrum there, from the "modern fusion gimmicks" to hole-in-the wall local restaurants, and yesterday all of a sudden, the yearning beckons.Have been trying to book here a few times to no avail, so it was a pleasant surprise to hit the "jackpot" so easily.It appears that the starters are still the darlings of the show. There is a radish dish on the menu, which we tried in Beijing, and the quality here surpasses the place of origin. Radishes normally have a tardy taste, and here, the chef cleverly marinates it with tastefully sinful vinegar to create a pleasant vegetarian appetizer. Nice.Beijing tends to include a lot of guts and innards in their dishes. Popular roadside snacks include tripes strips tossed in garlic, cumins, and other spices. We tried the pig's ear strips mixed in a variety of spices. The result was fascinating.Then the main dishes arrived. The cumin mutton comes in cubes, marinated and apparently charcoal broiled totally lacks in character. There's nothing in it which reminds us of Beijing at all. If you are a mutton fan, there is a restaurant in Beijing which makes the most succulent mutton ribs. Drop me a message if you want the name and address and the treat will be something you won't forget in a hurry.As people in the north tends not to have rice as a staple, most dinners are accompanied by different types of "cakes" or fried dough or "bread". We surveyed the menu and noticed that the deep fried mini-croaker fishes comes with an order of our beloved "bread". Sounds like a twp for one god-send, ain't it?The result is two things which were never "married" nor were they supposed to.The fishes are crispy to the bone, yet there is no apparent "tastes" whatsoever. I wonder why tempura can be made into such a delicacy and yet here, there wasn't much point. The "bread" was tasteless as well, and there doesn't seem to be any reason being paired together. Gosh, was I disappointed.The pork dumplings were bland. The dough is chewy and seem undercooked. The fillings are neither succulent nor tasty. I failed to be impressed.Seriously, the place DO remind me of Beijing. I did come across faceless and nameless restaurants there which serve mediocre food. I did not mind then because I was a transient and there's always a better possibility tomorrow. However, in the city that I normally reside, and wanting trustworthy restaurants that I can repeat patronage, this restaurant on an eighth floor is not really up to par.Too bad. Maybe I should fly to Beijing again soon. …Read More

This quaint little restaurant has been always been my favorite from day one. Used to go there quite frequently and totally agree with the early reviews in this site. Yet circumstances and other temptations came across, so I haven’t gone as often to satisfy my craving for those hot haunting numbing sensations. Also, the place has been almost impossible to get into without prior booking, so an impromptu person like me ends up waiting outside or being politely turned away. However, I never really complained because the sheer small size of this 20-something seater is limited by capacity, but I have always been assured of getting quality good food. I reserve this place as a surprise treat to out-of-town visitors who are courageous and adventurous enough to taste authentic and exciting Szechuan food.Funnily after a while, I even forgot their telephone number, which is why I had to google them, and imagine my surprise to read bad reviews yet at the same time mixed with Chili Fagara being named by Economist dot com as a “Best in China”in their Hong Kong Cities Guide. I became totally confused, and so decided to give Chili Fagara another go to see for myself. I specially invited two of my visiting mainland Chinese friends, one of whom resides in Beijing together with his wife who originated from Szechuan. I booked under their names and deliberately went late, let them ordered, to see if the racism charges are true.I arrived to find the place packed again and luckily my friends are fine and dandy. No problems whatsoever. I breathed a sigh of relief. They had started digging into the appetizers without me, and certified to me that the taste is interesting and authentic. We didn’t order too much, but I had a sample of my favorites including the fish in the hot and numbing fagara broth, a fiery hot veggies dish they make for vegans, a bowl of fresh greens, and a new dish which involves oxtail cooked to quite spicy proportions. I was in heaven again. Chili Fagara didn’t let me down and kept their orgasmic promises.My mainland friends were thrilled, not because we only had to shell out 800-ish (soft drinks only) to satisfy their home-town cravings, but mainly because they did not think such culinary levels could have been found in Hong Kong.For the “nasty”part, my friends thought that they should not have put red carrots in the oxtail dish. The lady from Szechuan thought the dish would be compliment much better with maybe lotus roots or even winter bamboo shoots. Also, the tight surroundings really do not proportionate with the price level that they are levying. However, all agree that in order to lay claim to being a “best in China”level, the main consideration should be food and food only. For the record, I do think they deliver the goods.Honestly, the price is not cheap by Hong Kong standards. If you are looking for a quick fix, a dollar saver or to just appease your hunger, I suggest you can give it a miss or maybe go during lunch time. Yet if you are sucker for chili and fagara like me, or if you want to challenge your buddies to an extraordinary treatment to their taste-buds, or if you want to treat your visitors to a fiery toasting but without having to fly them all the way to Szechuan, I would wholeheartedly recommend a hike up the Soho hills.…Read More

Although not much a gourmet diner, I do take my dining excursions quite seriously.This Hangzhou restaurant does take a little bit of exploring to find. The location is not easy -- it is situated on the 1st floor of a commercial building on Johnston Road, and it also has a staircase entrance on Wanchai Road.Regarding food, if you are into authentic Hangzhou food, you won't be disappointed. I talked to the waiters, and I do believe that they have their ingredients flown in fresh from the point of origin. Honestly, not a lot of restaurants care to do that.You MUST try the smoked yellow croaker fish which gives you another dimension of smell and taste. However, for pete's sake, do leave some for me, please? This type of fish is so difficult to find, and I don't want you to eat it to extinction.The beggar's chicken is so good. But I think it will probably takes at least a party of six to have a decent go. Mind you, you need to call in advance to get your share. If you can't do that, hopefully someone else would have ordered, and when they crack open the mud-casing, you will be so sorry that you haven't ordered in advance. Yes, the aroma is that good.Mind you, their starters and desserts aren't too spectacular, and I would say quite mediocre. But in these days of high overheads and serious competition, having just a couple of signature dishes really deserves one's respect.Cheers.…Read More