metherattaz's Profile

Categorically speaking, there were only two ways this story pans out, either blog entries continue, or they stop. I have been looking forward to some Chinese Vegan comfort food.Harvester, a weigh-and-pay restaurant tucked behind the Sheung Wan Western Market. The food selection is on rotation but there's always a soup of the day, wild red rice and congee to accompany the selection of vegetarian goodies. I order the broad beans, sauteed water spinach, braised root vegetables and tofu skin warppers,There's no appetite. How is it possible that I feel full but also so empty?…Read More

It's late. Her body language is less enthusiastic, folded arms, lateral pelvic tilt and there's no smile. The conversation is incongruous and I'm not sure why she agreed to meet up. She's not eating, I ordered a take away falafel wrap with tahiniI've eaten at Maison Libanaise countless times before and the meat is usually cooked perfectly. The wrap is dry, overcooked, chewey and hard to swallow. The same could be said about the date; Something isn't right.…Read More

Been meaning to try Pici for some time, but the whole 'no reservation policy' always makes it a little tricky to navigate. It's a Sunday evening so I call ahead to see if I can get some colour on the line situation before making the trek out to Wanchai. I feel a bit guilty pulling her out of Central on a Sunday night, especially considering how hungover she is.We arrive just after 6:30 pm, there's no line but the restaurant is quite full. The wait, is a couple of minutes beforewe are seated at the bar. The kitchen staff meticulously arrange plates of charcuterie while we wait to be served. We ordered the tasting menu: Burrata cheese, Meatballs, Roman Ravioli, Lasagna, parpadelle, tiramisu, panna cotta, Word of caution, the tasting menu comes at you in true Italian fashion, lots of food and plenty of satisfaction. The pastas are the highlight and the Lasagna is something that I will crave in the future!I still find it strange, that even though she had an all-you-can-eat Carbone brunch the day before she still wants to have Pasta. She can't look at the meatballs, and occasionally pops a few morsels of food into her mouth while continuing to push things around her plate. We take a nice long stroll home to let the food settle. Great way to end the weekend!…Read More

We had agreed on a Friday dinner. As usual, I had not planned anything.  We eventually decided on having Thai food in Soho; enter Soul Food.We ordered: Yum Yam Goong, Soft-Shell Crab Pad Thai, Morning Glory, Crispy Red Snapper Curry, Coconut Ice Cream and Mango Sticky Rice.In hindsight, we probably ordered too much food - The Coconut Ice Cream was by far highlight fresh, creamy, perfect for cleansing the palette. The Fried Snapper Curry and the Crab Pad Thai were also good, I knew she had a crab allergy and watched with anticipation expecting to have to call an ambulance. The Morning Glory was a touch sweet and the Sticky Rice was dry.  The service was outstanding and the ambiance, lively.On an aside, I can never tell the whether her RBF is a product of her being tired or her being unimpressed, likely to be a product of her being perpetually tired, or me, being me.…Read More

Back in August, we had decided to do a Ramen run, actually I suspect this is the first verbal date we had agreed to. For some reason or another, Ichiran slipped down the list of date spots. It just so happened that today was another Typhoon day and word had gotten out that Ichiran was open. We paid a taxi driver an extra 50 HKD and we were soon at Jaffe Road.  We ordered the ramen, firm nooldles, 8/10 spice, + extra egg and extra rice. If you want to talk about hitting the spot. Try Ichiran during a typhoon with good company.…Read More

"Crispy Skin Chicken" she said. "Malaysian food" she countered. "Let's go for a walk around Sheung Wan" she suggested. "Something soupy?" she proffered. We would eventually end up at Min Saam Gun. I had mixed reviews about the restaurant, but the concept and photos suggested that this could be the ideal comfort food.We ordered the: Super Mega Size Beef Short Rib Soup, Fresh hand cut noodles, VegetablesThe waitress looks at me with a raised eyebrow and double checks my order. That, should have been a red flag. Instead, I proceed with the 368 HKD bowl of noodles. This is the most I had paid for a bowl of noodles and expectations were high. So what's the verdict? The Short Rib soup was not good. There was nothing redeeming about it. The broth was luke warm and lacked any flavour. The meat was tough and chewy. The upside is that she enjoyed her dish. I leave hungry.…Read More

Once again, we end up in Tin Hau. Once again, I forget how to say Electric Road in Cantonese. Once again, one of us is hungover. ThisThe selection of hot pot condiments is one of the easiest ways to tell if a Hot Pot restaurant is up to par. Hot in a Pot, has all the essentials, raw garlic, fried garlic, coriander, shallots, sesame oil, magic sauce, satay sauce and fresh chili. We ordered: A combination of the spicy premier and the preserved egg and coriander broth. Mixed balls, Local Beef, Fish Skin, Mixed Vegetables, Egg Tofu.Highlights included: mixed vegetables, local beef and the cheese balls. As a side note, I also found out that she has a mild allergy to crabs and shellfish.…Read More

With all the cardiac issues and the additional school work I thought I would treat myself to a nice vegetarian meal full of greens and fibre. I managed to twist her arm and she joined me at Wellington Street for a plant-based meal. We ordered: Large Mixed Salad, Mana Love Flat, Soup of the Day: Carrot and Coconut.The salad, was fresh and not drenched in dressing. The soup, was comforting and on point. The wrap, wasn't great, the balance of ingredients was slightly off. The company, much needed on a Wednesday night. One thought, what's with the gray contact lenses?…Read More

A brisk walk from Tin Hau, through Victoria Park and we find ourselves in Causeway Bay. My mouth is numb and I'm pretty sure the dumplings have caused superficial nerve damage and temporarily disabled all taste buds. It's dessert time, we umm and err between Chinese and Western dessert and end up at Lady M. We ordered: A slice of the Earl Grey Mille Crepe, a slice of the Couronne du Chocolat, a Chamomile tea and an Earl Grey Tea.The Earl Grey Mille Crepe was awesome. Light, whimsical and delicate. Exactly how I felt that evening.…Read More

So here's the situation - It's Sunday afternoon, I am incredibly hungover and she wants to go to Tin Hau to get her dumpling fix. Part of me wants to order online dining platform and end the pain, the other part wants to see her. We meet in Central and take a cab over to Tin Hau. Question, how do you say "Electric Road", In Cantonese? We ordered: Classic Pan-Fried Buns, Shrimp Buns + Truffle, Soy Bean Milk and Red Date tea.The dumplings are cooked fresh and are of perfect size. I am able to the entire morsel in my mouth. I bite. I flinch. I tear. I savour. Each time, hot soup scalds my tongue and the inside of my mouth. I repeat the process until we've finished the 8 dumps. This is a stark reminder that I do no operate well hungover. Delicious.…Read More

I had given my friends a progress update. Which was met with raised eyebrows and general counsel: "Why are you doing a Sunday date?" and, "Why are you traveling so far from Central?" and finally, "Nobody wants to kiss after Sichuan food!". In any case, we had tentatively agreed to meet on Sunday. "I wanted to cook instant noodles at 7 am; but I didn't want to spoil lunch" she revealed. Which led to a conversation about ramen burgers, which lead to Japanese Burgers, which lead to Sushi Kuu and their Crispy Rice Burger. We arrived at Sushi Kuu just after with no reservation, and were shown to a quiet table. We ordered the: Pork Shabu Shabu Salad, Vegetable Hot Pot, Crispy Rice Wagyu Burger, Crispy Rice Pork Katsu Burger. That salad and those burgers. …Read More

Dinner had run its course and wrapped up at around 11 pm. I had been in the restaurant for almost 4 hours and left with a belly full of Bourbon, White Wine and Mala). In my head, I wanted to go to a dessert place specialising in Deep-fried Milk; unfortunately, the place had closed for the day. Fortunately, she had worn her "hiking shoes" (not to be confused with actual hiking shoes). We walked up Nathan Road and turned off at Jordan."That's a dessert place, I can read those Chinese characters" she says - We had stumbled on Ming Kee, a street vendor with plastic chairs and laminate menus specialising in Chinese-style desserts. It's after midnight and most of the tables are occupied, we and ordered: Soybean Milk something and a Mango Coconut Sago.Mango Sago was decent, Soybean thing, not so much. All was going fine until she opened her mouth and let out the biggest yawn. I'm usually pretty oblivious to opposite sex signals, but this one was received loud and clear. It was time to get the check; cash only.…Read More

Second date. I had promised an evening of spice and warmth, which referred to the cuisine, not a declaration of hanky-panky. In my head, this meant either Sichuan or Pakistani food. We settled on Nine Dragons, it met the criteria of: a cozy, Kowloon-based Sichuan restaurant with a nice bar.I arrived 15 minutes late at 7:15, the restaurant was still empty, but the staff were attentive and sat me down by the window of the 20th floor restaurant. She was running late, too. The complimentary appetizers were brought out: Beans, lotus root and some other unidentifiable vegetable. I order an Old Fashion and pick at the starters. 7:45, I assure the staff that I haven't been stood up and head up to the rooftop bar and order another drink. I receive a message replete with apologies, saying that she was waiting in line for a taxi. The rooftop bar, perched behind the Peninsula faces Victoria Harbour is a lovely spot. I was that guy, drinking cocktails alone on a Friday night.8:15, she arrives, clearly flustered she orders a Cosmopolitan. The Old Fashions have gone down a treat; I was mildly tipsy as the city lights blurred in and out of focus. We moved back downstairs and returned to a single-seated table; the wait staff had presumably given away my +1 seat. We ordered the Chilli Oil Wontons, the Deep fried sliced chicken Chongqing Style, the Mandarin fish fillet in chilli oil soup and the seasonal vegetables. Just the right amount of spice and warmth.…Read More

The girl? A self-proclaimed "simple eater", who enjoys grapes for breakfast and cereal for dinner. This alone presented an interesting proposition. How to have a memorable dinner with somebody who is more than happy to eat Weetbix?Dinner was a last minute, impromptu decision. We met in Central and arrived at Han Ga Ram just after 7:30 pm to a half-filled restaurant and were immediately seated. The owner helped take our order and the service was excellent. We ordered the Fried Chicken, the Sausage and ham stew (with additional ramen), the Pork Belly and Soju. It was a piquant and satiating affair; textured, crunchy, salty, fresh, spicy, comforting and familiar. The food was also very good.…Read More