LL99's Profile

Hearth Yakiniku conveys a fun concept of giving their customers a taste of glamping while enjoying Japanese BBQ. The restaurant is adorned with   camping equipment, and instead of using booth seats, some tables have canvas camping chairs pulled up with genuine camping lights over-hanging the BBQ or if you're lucky enough can also reserve one of the tables enclosed inside a camping cabana.Service is quick and friendly and you order off the QR code given to you with your mobile. Menu consists of beef, pork, chicken, organs, seafood, BBQ platters, vegetables, starters, snacks, rice/noodles/soup, dessert and drinks. Cutlery and dishes are already set on the table for us to use, and there is a choice of BBQ sauce or their homemade red wine sauce (highly recommend this) for dipping. We start with a refreshing sip of their signature sea salt pineapple soda, cool and sweet with a sharp tang of salt on the rim. Shortly after our food arrives and we were ready to start BBQing. Each item is presented neatly on a silver dish with a printed label describing what it is. Very photogenic presentation. Ox tongue with scallion. One of my favourite meats, this was soft and luscious.Short rib. Rich with a lovely marbling of fat.Pork belly. Nice meat to fat ratio and melted in the mouth.Thick cut ox tongue. Look at that.. just beautiful.Garlic-butter scallops. Loved the butter and garlic sauce.Oyster blade. Sliced thin shabu shabu style, we ate this with an accompanying truffle and egg sauce which when mixed together was creamy with a lingering truffle flavour.Tiger prawns. Huge in size with firm, springy meat.Garlic-butter clams. The clams were so sweet and fresh, could have eaten several more portions.Chicken heart and gizzard. Springly heart muscle and crunchy gizzard.Thick cut pork belly. This was my favourite of the night. Pork belly from Korea, we grilled it till the fat was burnt so it was all crispy and melt-in-your-mouth. Highly recommend this.And to end. Two scoops of home-made vanilla ice-cream, one dusted in matcha powder, the other in soy-bean powder. The ice-cream was not icy at all, light and creamy with a fragrant aroma of vanilla.Would definitely come again. And one of the best things, we left without smelling like we had been cloaked in BBQ smoke.…Read More

Came here on the recommendation of a taxi driver. He said it was a relatively new place and seemingly popular with the locals. So one evening after dinner in Yuen Long, we decided to give it a try. Took taxi there, is a little hard to find if not familiar with the area.The place was super busy, but then again it was Sunday night. Quickly seated, we scanned the tables around us trying to get a sense of what to order. They do both traditional (Chinese sweet soups) and more 'modern' (chocolate fondants, soft serve, shaved ice) desserts. I was in the mood for a good black sesame soup as a lot of what I've had currently at other dessert places have been really rubbish so I picked that while my bf chose the chocolate fondant and durian pancake.Service was so fast, a few minutes after our order was taken, the desserts were already on the table.Portion size of sesame soup was huge. Really black in colour which was a good sign that not too much glutinous rice powder had been added. Fragrant and not too sludgy in texture. Good.Durian pancake turned out to be the typical two fat bundles wrapped in green pancake. The fruit was perfectly ripe and stinky with a good cream ratio.Chocolate fondant was luke warm as if it had been pre-made, but nevertheless the center spilled out in a chocolate liquid pool. Loved the 3.6 milk soft serve that came with the fondant super creamy with a rich milk flavour. Can also choose chocolate or chocolate swirl soft serve too.Will be back :)…Read More

The last time I was here, it was to taste a very special gala dinner prepared by Chef Kishida all the way from Tokyo Quintessence. This time, I wanted to appreciate The Kitchen in it's own one star glory. Known for it's selection of beef, just glimpsing the glorious cuts of bovine showcased at the entrance and admiring the different grades of marbling you can choose, meat lovers you know you are in for a treat! Those that are not inclined towards the cow, don't worry as you are catered for with seafood (fresh fish live from the tank) otherwise there is pork, poultry and lamb for your choices.Starting with bread that is made fresh in the open kitchen when you arrive. Two types, a chocolate chip brioche (yes choc chip!) and a gorgeous crusty country loaf. No picture as we were too busy tearing into the fresh bread, but let me tell you it was worth allocating stomach space to, especially when there is mango butter to be spread with it.For appetisers, Mr. C started with grilled abalones. Stealing a bite, I had a pang of food envy. Perfectly cooked and utterly tender paired with a tasty vegetable salsa, crispy ham and a drizzle of chicken jus.When in Macau, I can't go past the traditional Caldo Verde. A lovely creamy vegetable soup served in a toasted bread bowl with bites of grilled chorizo on the side.We originally wanted to order the bone-in-ribeye to be shared between two, but we lucked out as it was all gone. Instead Mr. C decided to go with a 14oz New York sirloin. Grilled to a medium rare with nice char marks, and his sides of sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and a little cup of tomato egg custard?Since Mr. C ordered steak I decided to choose something different. Fish. Grilled sea bass to exact. They give you a choice of being served a whole fish or if you don't feel like working for your meal, they can also de-bone it for you. I chose the whole fish and it certainly looks intimidating. Some parts were tender, some parts a little chewy, being grilled does take away some of the juices in the flesh and that is where your choice of sauce will come in handy. Lemon butter sauce is recommended for fish and it added a little zest to the dish.Apple tarte tartin and creme brulee for dessert.Presentation of the tarte tartin was pretty, but the actual tartin did not look like I imagined... I was hoping for a big puff pastry with sticky caramelised braised apple slices, but here it looked like a mass made version. Flavour was decent, hints of cinnamon, but a little disappointing.What makes a creme brulee special is a thick, full bodied creamy custard fragrant with vanilla and coated in a thick caramelised sugar layer that shatters with a satisfying thwack with the back of the spoon. The version served here was a little lackluster, just a thin sugar layer that gave way when a spoon was dipped into it and the custard a little liquidy. Tasted like creme brulee, but it was missing what a few key elements.I will definitely order steak next time and the bone-in-ribeye has our name on it!…Read More

As we were staying at the Banyan Tree, it only made sense that one of our meals were allocated to their Thai restaurant Saffron. They had two menus available that evening, a special menu for their hotpot and their normal a la carte menu. Not really in the mood for hotpot that night (now finished), we decided to stick to a la carte.Amuse Bouche to start, pleasantly surprised they offered this in a Thai restaurant.Fried rice cracker on top of a prawn cracker with an assortment of dips. Green was a spicy eggplant, red was minced pork and the creamy looking one was made with coconut milk. Tasted like a Chinese version of 'wor bar'.I love grilled pork neck and this version was a little more special. Charred and then placed on a smoker so when you eat the pork the smoky flavour is intensified. The sticky, sour sauce worked in perfect harmony.Green papaya salad. Crunchy strips of julienned carrots and green papaya tossed in a sweet and sour dressing. A little spicy kick in the aftertaste awakes the palate.Tom yum goong. Loved the spicy, sour flavours with a generous serve of four big, fresh prawns. It would have tasted even better if the temperature had been hotter as when it reached us it was already lukewarm.Saffron is open all day for lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and during the morning hotel guests have their buffet breakfast here.…Read More

A weekend trip to Macau means a morning ferry ride and arriving just on time for lunch~ And where is lunch? Why, The 8 of course :)The elegant decor of the restaurant is as always stunning with the glamorous crystal hanging ball and the striking goldfish motif.They have a great selection of dishes from their huge a la carte menu, but today is all about dim sum~Starting with their amuse boucheXO fried pork in a crispy nest and an individual baby abalone on a slick of yuzu jelly. Loved the freshness of the jelly paired with the tender abalone.Signature goldfish prawn dumplings. Cute as always and so delicately detailed with their gaping fishy mouths. The skin is nicely chewy with a bouncy textured fresh prawn.Scallop and prawn dumpling wrapped in a spinach tinted skin with a touch of truffle. Very moist with a lingering aftertaste of truffle.These porcupine buns are possibly my favourite item here. A bbq pork and preserved vegetable filling enveloped in a perfectly steamed soft bun with a crunchy pan-fried bottom.These crab shaped pastry puff tarts are also adorable. A fragrant Portuguese curry crab filling paired with the slightly sweet tart shell leaves the tastebuds wanting more.A whole prawn encased in a light batter and fried to a nice crisp. Not too oily and the mayo/sweet hoi sin sauce (although no too pretty) were a nice accompaniment.Deep fried custard mochi. Piping hot with a flowing custard filling, I wasn't expecting it to have a katalfi like exterior, but it added more texture to the dessert.I was looking forward to the usual petit fours of mini Portuguese tarts, but instead it had been replaced with black and white sesame roll. Soft and chewy, they packed a burst of toasted sesame flavour. Not bad, but I still miss their Portuguese tarts...As always the petit fours are accompanied with their famous milk tea, super strong, super creamy, super sweet.I am already looking forward to my next visit :)…Read More

After a couple of months in Sydney, coming back to Hong Kong meant a round of dim sum was in order. We were meeting Miss E and Mr A for a lunch date and Miss E kindly made us a reservation at Tin Lung Heen.Always a pleasure to dine in such a lovely space. So bright and spacious, I really have a thing for high ceilings~We left the ordering to Mr A and not too long after, our dim sum started arriving in timely succession.Iberico pork steamed rice roll. Sweet flavourful BBQ pork tucked inside a slightly chewy rice roll wrapper.I recommended the Iberico pork char siu and it was only when it arrived after the rice roll that we realised we had double ordered on the char siu oops. Luckily the char siu was still as luscious and fatty as I remembered with a slight char and a sweet sticky glaze.A serving of abalone and roast goose tart. Tender abalone, but I found the roast goose filling a little dry.Pan-fried wagyu beef gyoza. Certainly a striking appearance with its web of crispiness encrusting the bottom. It wasn't as crispy as it looked, in fact just soft and the filling had no meat juices. Just a sad, doughy, dry mouthful...Deep fried turnip cake in XO sauce was my favourite. Jenga chunks of turnip cake with a golden crunch and a spicy little kick from the XO sauce.Shrimp spring roll. Thin and crunchy, I just don't understand why they make spring rolls so thin in Hong Kong. I prefer them thicker so there is a heftier crunch when you bite into them.Assorted siu mai. The individual portions were a high class version of the humble siu mai topped with lobster and gold leaf, while the two in the bamboo steamer were the 'poor' version here topped with a big prawn and scallop. Nice and moist, a solid meaty mouthful.Contemplating dessert, it is always a bonus to dine with Mr C and Mr A as no sooner when we asked for the dessert menu, they said dessert had been organised for us :) I was most excited to see the fried sesame dumpling, crunchy and piping hot with a creamy custard filling. The mango cream, pomelo, aloe vera and sago dessert had a fresh mango flavour and the juicy aloe vera pieces were a nice textural surprise. Osmanthus jelly was subtly sweet, nice and cooling and the little almond cookie was a nice finishing touch.Quite enjoyable, and dessert was much appreciated!…Read More

So one fine Sunday when Mr. C has his day off I decided to drag him off to have a spot of afternoon tea with me. He doesn't really enjoy high tea since his job revolves around pastries and baked goods all day, but for me he will drink tea and eat scones (once in a while). He does have one condition for afternoon teaing with me though is that we go to a new place neither of us have been before so no Island Shangri-la or Four Seasons :( In the end we picked The Continental. Occupying the space where Domani used to operate, it is a gorgeous place to relax in day time, comfortable booths, full length windows with the light pouring in, it's like a little piece of oasis in the heart of Admiralty.After being seated it was a no-brainer for me to order The Continental tea set for two ($365) with an accompanying latte and earl grey tea for Mr. C. If a tea set is not your said cup of tea (yes I typed that), they do offer a small selection of more filling options during their afternoon service.So our three tiered set arrives~Starting with the warm raisin scones. They were decently sized and smelt buttery, but biting into them they tasted like a dense wholemeal roll. The accompanying clotted cream and Wilkon & Son strawberry jam helped a little, but I prefer a more fluffy, fragrant scone. The caramelised almond tuiles however, were wonderful, crisp with a burnt toffee flavour.I am a cream first then jam kinda girl ;)Savouries next.Salmon roulade on pumpernickel, prawn brioche, duck egg mayonnaise and coronation chicken. The bread of the sandwiches were fresh, not dry and shrivelled like some I've encountered and the fillings were decently tasty. My favourite was the coronation chicken, a mix of sweet and curry flavour with moist chicken.The sweets.Lemon cake, caramel eclair, raspberry macaron, berry tart, chocolate caramel truffle, mango cheesecake and chocolate mousse roulade. I'm never usually a fan of the sweets in a tea set as I find them made sloppily, but the pastries here were nicer than I expected. The pastry base and tart shells were crisp, the cheesecake was creamy and the lemon cake was buttery and fragrant.I wouldn't mind coming back for a proper meal and this tea set would gain higher regard in my eyes if their scone recipe improved.…Read More

Woooo, the day after I arrived back in Hong Kong , I was off to have CNY dinner at the hardest to book buffet in town! Replacing the previous fine dining Spanish establishment, The Grand Buffet now sits high up on the 62nd floor of the Hopewell centre in Wan Chai. Boasting 360 degree views of Hong Kong, the restaurant revolves ever so slowly, completing one rotation in two hours so don't worry you won't get motion sickness Lift entrance to lobbyThe restaurant is so beautifully decorated, all beige marble, sandstone walls engraved with the station of food, big spacious tables and the light accents are too chic to not mention.For those that enjoy a glass of liquor, The Grand Buffet has implemented an automated showcase where guests can use a pre-paid card to select their favourite champagne/wine/sake/plum wine to enjoy with their meal.As for food selection, let's take a look shall we ;) Be warned there is numerous photos and best not to view when hungry.Seasonal tomatoes and mozzerella cheeseCaesar salad mixing stationSucculent duck breastMy favourite foie gras terrine, so so smooth~Smoked salmonAssorted sushi rolls and nigiriOr for those that want to skip the rice, a sashimi bar is right next to it where a sushi chef is all ready to slice off luscious slices of fatty salmon, yellowtail, large size Hokkaido scallops, sweet shrimp and tuna.Don't just fill up on sashimi when there's a whole blue room dedicated to serving you seafood up the stairs. A selection of Boston lobsters, snow crab claws, whole bread crabs, cockles, mussels and three types of freshly shucked oysters from the US, France or whatever is freshly delivered that day. 3 per serve per person so each guest is able to enjoy these briny treats without waiting too long and since it is a buffet you can always line up again.And a little reveal to show how much roe goodness is inside those bread crabs~The seafood doesn't just end there... head over to the live big head prawn blanching station where they scoop them from the tank and cook them fresh. These were my favourite, juicy, sweet and I loved sucking the goodness from the head.If you need a break from seafood, there are plenty of other things to tempt you.A whole roasted prime ribChinese BBQ selection: char siu, soya chicken, roast goose and that suckling pig has the most crunchy crackling~Or some dim sum whose quality is equal or even surpasses those from a Michelin starred Chinese restaurant, but then again the dim sum masters here previously worked in one of those restaurants *cough Sun Tong Lok cough*Just look at the translucence of that dumpling skin on this spinach and prawn dumpling~Some delicious tempura with a thin crunchy layer of batter and surprisingly not very oily.What is a buffet without a collection of bain maries of hot food?This double boiled cockles, chicken feet and pork soup was so sweet and flavourful, I had to have two bowls of this.Whole steamed fishGrilled sea bass and lobster clawsBrown sauce braised sea cucumber, mushrooms and lettuce. The sea cucumber was slippery smooth and on different days the sea cucumber alternates with abalone. This is a dish where guests stand and wait for this to be replenished.Sauteed Boston lobsterFor the spice lovers, there's a curry station.Beef KormaAnd finally we made it to desserts Assorted fruit. Can eat it the healthy way or......you can dip it into the molten chocolate from this stunning chocolate fondue machine. Not too dark and not too sweet, a perfect balance.Assorted cakes, pastries and handmade chocolates.Madelines and friands.These macarons are definitely worth a mention. Not only is the display pretty, but the quality of these macarons are top notch since they are made by one of their affiliate restaurants Joel Robuchon.Assorted flavours caramel, vanilla, raspberry, lemon.Don't fret ice-cream lovers, there is also an ice-cream station with a server displaying her arm strength through chopping and sraping your choice of ice-cream and toppings on an icy teppanyaki plate. Ice-cream is also from Joel Robuchon and let's just say the vanilla bean flavour is divine~Dinner is currently priced at $658 + 10% and I have heard how difficult it has been to make a reservation via the phone so I would suggest to head up to the restaurant itself and make one directly with the helpful staff.Such a huge post. Hope you enjoyed it :)…Read More

Tang Lung st in Causeway Bay is known for its various eateries including ramen, yakiniku, hot pot (we always go to 'Paradise of King Asia Seafood hot pot' for their drunk cow~) and of course it's where Sound View Plaza is situated where people are lining up for Jamie's Italian.The Point is a new comer, right on the corner and everytime we are passing by we see it crowded with a line outside. Finally curiousity killed the cat one said evening and we decided to have pizza there for dinner.The wait wasn't too long, around 15 minutes and when it was our turn there were no more tables left so we were directed to the communal high tables. The menu is one-paged, a few options per category for appetizers, pasta, pizza and salad.We started with chicken lollipops and truffle cheese fries.The chicken lollipops came as 5 per serving, and they were quite tiny with a drizzle of sweet, smokey bbq sauce. Luckily they were fried nicely, crunchy while remaining juicy and flavourful on the inside.Truffle cheese fries were a given as who could resist TRUFFLES and FRIES! This was disappointing as it was a meager portion and the chips were lukewarm. The scent of truffles could be smelt, but not tasted meaning they were stingy on the truffle oil.When it comes to pizza, Mr. C likes absolute minimal toppings so margherita tends to be the choice. This came out quickly after the appetizers as The Point uses a 300 degrees oven which can cook a pizza in 3 minutes. Lookwise it gets topmarks, nicely charred, melted mozzarella cheese with a generous scatter of cherry tomatoes. The base is thin and biscuity which I am not a fan of as the middle ends up soggy and floppy while the crust is stiff and hard. The first couple of bites are pretty good, juicy tomatoes and stretchy cheese, but it quickly becomes boring.It was a last minute decision to add a pasta dish, I was already pretty full, but Mr. C didn't seem too satisfied. We picked the Vongole spaghetti and it was surprisingly tasty. Nicely al dente pasta, with a slight chilli kick.I think Hong Kong has much better choices for pizza so unless I was in the area and craving pizza I would revisit. Many reviews had mentioned the staff's bad attitude where they acted expressionless and emotionless, two of the female servers were like that, but it didn't bother us too much since we got our order promptly and correctly.…Read More

I can't believe it's almost April and that means Easter is just around the corner~ but then again it's pretty hard to forget since there's a long awaited public holiday for all you hard working types as well as alluring chocolate eggs and smiling bunnies popping up everywhere :)And speaking of chocolate goodies, this little fellow from Le Salon de The de Joel Robuchon is by far the cutest I have seen!Creamy white chocolate body with moulded coloured marzipan for his crest, beak and chicken feet. Really almost too cute to crack open and nibble on, but if you don't you will miss the fruity sugar coated gummies and mini chocolate Easter eggs hiding inside his belly.If he is too cute for you (how could that possibly be?!) they also have an elegantly decorated egg tempered from dark chocolate, around 80-85%. Melting easily in the mouth, leaving behind a tang of dark chocolate fragrance, it is obvious that high quality chocolate couverture is used. Ideal for the dark chocolate lovers and like the little rooster, it hides sweets inside.Perfect as gifts or why not just treat yourself to one!…Read More

Yes yes, I'm maybe a little 'out' with this post since Ronin has been quite a hot restaurant for some time now, but out or not here it is. Sister restaurant of the famous Yardbird, there was no doubt that quality of food at Ronin would be well above average since I had very much enjoyed my meal at Yardbird many moons ago. The main difference between the two is Yardbird concentrates on chicken while Ronin has its focus on seafood.Another of those secreted entrances, I mistakenly went to the building next to it and pressed the bell to its offices before being told the entrance of Ronin was the unmarked black door next to it... Nevertheless we found it. I made the booking a week ago, the restaurant only takes bookings seven days in advance and you must do it by email. There are two sessions available and you will be allocated one on the date you request unless you specify which you would prefer.Dark and dim, the restaurant is like a slightly sophisticated cave, but corridor style. Guests are seated along a bar table, where the lucky half can face the bar while the other half end up facing the wall. If you are even more unlucky to come in on a night without booking, you may find yourselves along the other side of the wall eating your food while standing- not an attractive option.Our server, an Asian gentleman very enthusiastically described the menu to us as being unique every night depending on the ingredients brought in that day. He seemed to be the main server to all the guests and yes although he was very helpful, I did find he talked a lot... and a lot.Complimentary eats to start. Tomato and radish. Not that great.Arkshell sashimi. Sweet with a slight chew.Razor clams. De-shelled and tossed with kelp and cucumbers. Refreshing, but became bland after a while.Uni atop a mixture of nori and panko crumbs. When this was served we were instructed to mix it all together in order to better appreciate the flavour. I didn't end up doing this as I thought spooning down into the uni and panko mix I would get all the flavours anyway. Halfway through the server comes by and sees that we didn't do as he asked, he instructed us to do so again but with a slightly forceful tone. Eye-rolling amusing, we mixed it in the end, but really it tasted exactly the same.Kingfish sashimi is not something I see often in Hong Kong, so it was a must order for me. Fresh thin slices of kingfish wrapped around bundles of greens. The tart ponzu-like dressing was a perfect match.Market chips. We didn't originally order these, but spying the gentleman next to us eating them we had a bubble of food envy and pretty soon an order of these came to us too~ A mix of perfectly fried sweet potato and taro chips drizzled with black sugar syrup. Really addictive! And to the Caucasian gentleman on the other side of me making a comment to his dinner partner that we used chopsticks to eat them, yes so what?Flower crab with uni. This is the signature dish that has people going a bit nuts over. A pile of soft sweet crab meat mixed with a generous amount of creamy uni. As if that combination doesn't sound alluring~Grilled squid topped with bonito-like flakes. Perfectly tender.Grilled scallops with butter? Overcooked so they were a bit chewy. I would give these a pass.By this time, my stomach was feeling a little queasy from the seafood overload so I needed something carby to soothe it. They only had udon on the menu so we ordered that quick smart. It was surprising really good, a little fusion, a mess of al dente udon tossed in a creamy sauce with hints of ume and fish roe. Worth trying.Tempura shrimp and corn fritters. These reminded me of the tempura corn balls Yardbird has on the menu only with the inclusion of shrimp. A generous portion, heavy, but they tasted good.And finally like a marathon finally coming to the end, another famed dish, the Kagoshima beef. This is what dreams are made of... if it was made from fatty beef. Thin slices of well-marbled cow topped with shitake mushroom, fried garlic chips and raw egg yolk. So delicate and decadent, but the oiliness of the dish may result in some difficulty in finishing.A lot of food, not cheap, but ingredients were fresh. Service attentive, a little overly so, but it was appreciated especially when the server knew I was not well he made sure my cup of warm water was refilled constantly. Ambience was not really my style as I think if there were more people it could become quite claustrophobic, but worth trying.…Read More

Being back in Sydney, I have been missing sashimi flown in from Japan so much. So coming back to Hong Kong albeit for a short time, I made sure I tucked in enough sashimi to tide me over till I return and first time at Sushi Ketsu more than fulfilled my needs.We were lucky to get a last minute booking on a Saturday night and when we walked in, all tables were full. Seated at the counter, we got front seats watching the sushi chefs prepare numerous cuts of sashimi and shape neat handfuls of rice into sushi.Let's start~Red snapper- I prefer this thinly sliced, but the chunky cut was still smooth and not too fishySalmon belly- always a favourite cut. So luscious and fatty~Toro- light marbling that just melted in the mouthScallop two ways- the one served as sushi had a more firm texture, while the sashimi was velvetyBotan shrimp- light sweetness exuding from the firm crisp fleshKingfish- chunky, sweet and a solid mouthful of fishSea urchin hand roll- handed straight over the counter to us ensuring the seaweed sheet was crisp and snapped nicely when bitten into. And the uni, light brushed with soy and so creamy~And all too soon, we were served our hot items.Chicken skin wrapped prawns- grilled to a lovely crunch covering juicy pieces of prawnsBeef tongue- here it is served as thin slices which lend to a more chewy textureJapanese greenhouse tomatoes- juicy, refreshing always perfect with the sesame dressingJapanese sweet corn- oh my god, this was so good! Yes it was served raw, but mother nature already did all the hard work. Crisp, sweet and juicy with none of that raw 'green' taste.Our botan prawn head returned to us fried to a crisp. Like a delectable prawn cracker, just with eyes and legs still attached...Tsukune- unlike others I've had this was held together loosely with a pleasing mixture of gooey cream cheese and what I think were prawn innards. Nice.With all the fish scraps they accumulate, they stew it into the most gorgeous soup. Milky and creamy, infused with enough ginger so there was barely any fishiness, I could have had two big bowls of this :)And for dessert, complimentary ice-cream, but it wasn't really photo worthy. Sesame for me and a funny tasting sweet potato flavour for him.I am counting the days till I return to Hong Kong just so I can indulge in all this again~…Read More

A trend. Chefs working in Michelin starred restaurants, gaining Michelin recognition and then moving off into their new ventures. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Well one of the newest members to do this is none other than Chef Olivier Elzer formerly the Executive Chef at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, the current and only holder of three prestigious stars in French fine dining in Hong Kong.His new venture 'Seasons' carries the theme of eating with the four Seasons, where different sections of the restaurant will be covering certain aspects of its designated Season i.e the main dining room is Autumn, a bright little court room filled with sunlight at the back of the restaurant is Spring and stepping outside into the courtyard is Summer, but Winter I'm not so sure...Stepping into Autumn, you are met with an open kitchen on your right together with bar table and high stools, but for comfier seating there are banquettes opposite. The grey interior is no doubt elegant, but makes the room quite dark despite the overhead spotlights and it reminds me a little of the decor used in Agnes B.We were there during the soft opening stage, but by then they were already pushing out set lunches as well as an extensive a la carte menu. A little unsure of what to pick, we decided to let Chef Olivier do the hard work for us with my sole request of foie gras terrine.French salami compliments of the chef :) Served with neat toast points and an amazing sticky sweet tomato jam.A small bread basket, a semi-dried tomato scroll if I'm not mistaken and a good baguette slice made even better by the special hand-churned butter served alongside.Our first dish was none other than my foie gras terrine *all smiles* while he had the Fried egg a la basquaise. A serving of two thick slices of terrine accompanied by peach chutney. Quite smooth while the peaches gave a much needed sweetness to balance the heady essence of duck. The ratio of terrine and peaches is a little off and a bigger portion of fruit is needed please.His dish certainly looked cheerful. A colorful bed of capsicums and tomatoes where a perfectly fried egg rests atop, ringed by a circle of toast. A hearty dish with Mexican flavours.I recieved salmon as my next course and really, that was one piece of perfectly cooked fish! Just so mouth meltingly tender. Despite it looking eerily similar to something served at Robuchon from presentation, components of salad mix to the slight lemon tang of the dill vinaigrette it was still one of my favourites.Escargots is not something I would pick unless it is slathered in garlic butter so excuse me for not remembering too well what his dish tasted like. All I recall was the escargot being cooked to a nice bouncy texture and the presentation of the empty shell being quite cute~Gnocchi was my next dish, cooked in a smoked milk sauce with bacon and egg yolk. Essentially a carbonara, I didn't find this very special at all although the gnocchi was the adequate fluffy, mushy texture, but if you are after a filling dish for lunch this is certainly an option.I loooved his prawn dish though. Obsiblue prawns on a bed of venere rice. He saw me eyeing his dish and was sweet enough to swap with mine :) Perfectly grilled prawns and slightly chewy rice, it was really good! The colours of the dish contrasted nicely against each other and don't you think the rice looks like glutinous purple rice Chinese dessert? A big thumbs up.Our last savoury course was a squid bouillabaisse for me and duck confit for him. The squid arrived in a murky ochre coloured broth, quite strongly flavoured of a type of spice, I'm guessing tumeric. The squid was again perfectly cooked, but I felt the flavour of the broth was too overpowering.Chef Olivier certainly knows Mr. C's heart when he served him duck confit. They do a boneless version paired with daikon braised in dark guinness. Presentation was lovely, but it was a bit too dry and lacked the crispy skin that makes duck confit sparkle.And dessert...My moelleux au chocolate or simply chocolate fondant, was spectacular. A rich, intense flavour that can only come from good quality chocolate and yes the centre was wonderfully melty~ The vanilla Bourbon ice-cream didn't have a strong alcoholic flavour which was fine by me, but he thought it needed more vanilla bean.Pretty strawberry jelly with a generous squeeze of mascarpone cream. I was swooning in my own chocolate heaven so didn't really pay much attention to his dish, but from the small spoonful of jelly I had, it was very fruity.Some very good dishes, if you are a fan of seafood I would recommend you come and try as the seafood here is cooked particularly well. Oh and don't forget to order the moelleux au chocolate~ it will make your chocolate dreams come true :)…Read More

Want to kill two birds with one stone? Eating and art admiring? Well Bibo is certainly a new name that has brought about this somewhat interesting idea. The entrance is not stand out, when google map announced we had arrived, it looked liked the entrance of a residential apartment. If not for one of its employees standing by and seeing our puzzled faces and stating 'Bibo' with a question mark undertone, we then realised it was the black sliding door next to it.The dining room is actually at the bottom, the entrance only reveals a hostess stand tucked into a small nook. Then down the stairs, past the barista/bar, along a short corridor lined with bookshelves with the most adorable ballon puppy dog ornament cast in a shiny red metal/plastic (I don't know I didn't touch it) and opens up into its dining area. It's not too big, but pleasantly bright from natural light while your eyes may need a few seconds to adjust to all the mismatch and colour from the art adorning the room.They say they specialise in Francais fine dining and the street/contemporary art decor is to 'reinvent' a little space of what Bohemian life in Paris was like in the 1930s. The combination is outrageous, daring, but in the end it all comes down to the food.I'm sure this sad clown is pretty famous now...Funky show plate and not at all cheap I was told.They offer a set lunch with a choice of two or three courses, both very reasonably priced. We decided to have three courses just so we could try their desserts too.Our bread basket and not bad at all. Thick cut rustic style bread with a slight sour tang. The insides was a little damp, but the crunchy crust gave it extra points. And the butter... heavenly~ Really high quality butter served.Appetisers. Langoustine for him, chilled cucumber gazpacho for me. The langoustine unfortunately was mushy which is an awful texture, but the thick pea emulsion was flavourful and best of all the dish was served quite hot.My cucumber gazpacho and if I remember correctly accompanied by a tomato sorbet was a little watery, a little bland. It was refreshing for a couple of mouthfuls before the flavour becomes a little tired.Both of us had eyes on the beef cheek, but he let me choose it while he settled on the guinea fowl. The beef cheek was braised till it was soft and easily poked apart with your fork, very full flavour.The guinea fowl looked a little dry, but I was happily proven wrong when it turned out to be quite moist with a crisp skin. The potatoes looked wonderful all crispy and golden brown, but they instead were the dry issue on the plate.The two dessert choices on the menu were both fruit oriented. Can't there be a chocolate option too? Not expecting much, but they turned out to be the highlight of the entire lunch.First a beautifully presented panacotta. Set as a shallow layer on the bottom of the bowl topped with raspberry sorbet, piped vanilla cream and a toasted almond crisp. Silky smooth it just melted on your tongue and the creaminess of both panacotta and cream were offset nicely by the light sharp sweetness of the berries.I don't recall having tried rice pudding at all. I mean I'm Asian and I love rice with my savoury dishes so when you present it to me as a dessert I would have to pass and pick something else. Well, if all rice pudding tastes like this then I would definitely order it next time I see it. Soft grains of rice cooked till there is a slight chew to it, all enveloped in a creamy vanilla custard. Really good~All the staff can speak really good english there, but service seemed a little unsteady as there were some mix ups happening at other tables, but in general it wasn't too bad.…Read More

I have heard that a lot of hard work goes into securing a table at Quintessence in Tokyo. A two month booking in advance where you can only call within two 1.5 hour periods throughout the day and provided you can actually get through the line, there is still the possibility of your preferred date being booked out...So when hearing Chef Kishida and his team would be flying in to hold a 2 night Gala dinner at The Kitchen in Macau, Mr. C though it most worthwhile to reserve a table for the first night My loves bread and butter~ Slices of freshly baked country loaf accompanied by The Kitchen's famous mango butter. Oh my god, the still hot crusty slice soaking up the salty sweet mango studded creaminess... Combined both of us went through four slices of the butter just because we could.And then it began~A perfect slice of shiitake mushroom atop a cepe biscuit. The typical foamy texture of the mushroom filled the mouth with its perfume and paired well with the herby buttery biscuit.Baked onion soup served chilled. The temperature struck me a little odd, but I shouldn't have had any doubts. Being chilled, it concentrated the essence of the onions enhancing the intensity and it was just so sweet~This was a signature dish of Quintessence. A delicate goats cheese bavarois with the most heavenly texture. Think thick and full like Greek yoghurt, but whipped till it was almost cloud-like, then drizzled with Chef's favourite olive oil and sprinkled lightly with sea salt. If angels ate food... this would be it.The scallop tartare was most refreshing, a little herby pairing well with the zesty marinated tomatoes and of course the caviar. Most delightful, I polished this off in no time while Mr. C was still halfway through slowly enjoying his favourite seafood.Sea urchin is always a favourite and it was featured here as a savoury clafoutis with ginkgo nuts all arranged on top of a mushroom. Being baked the sea urchin gave a stronger briny flavour while being just as creamy and I loved how big the ginkgo nuts were ihere with its signature gummy chew.The most flavoursome dish would have to be the socca of blue lobster and prawns. Left slightly undercooked the prawns were tender and sweet, while those brown cubes you see had a crunchy crust melting easily in the mouth and leaving behind the most concentrated essence of the lobster. Just amazing.The first of the main dishes was fish. Kinme-dai with sauce of passion fruit. A most generous slice with the skin fried to a thin crisp. The fish itself was lovely, flaked easily, but the middle was too undercooked for me and eating a mouthful of solid raw fish was not too appealing...Pigeon was the meat dish for the evening, slowly cooked for two hours the blushing meat retained all it's juices and was so soft. Pleasantly gamey paired with roasted potatoes and a hearty savoury sauce I would have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't been so full.The savoury dishes were pretty amazing, but the desserts were even more so. Don't be fooled by how simple they looked as the taste of them were anything but...Looking like a dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, Mr. C was puzzled by it when he came back to the table and saw this staring up at him In fact it was a most silky panacotta, so smooth and creamy you just don't want to think about how thick a cream was used to whip this up. Tasting lightly of coconuts, it paired surprisingly well with the much bolder shot of bitter espresso and the heady pistachio oil. This dessert alone deserves three stars and I could hear the diners at the next table murmuring their pleasure too.Freshly baked pastries always taste good and the savarin served to us was no different. Just a simple slice it had a hard crunchy crust protecting its soft inside of frangipani goodness. The tart pieces of apricot were a nice contrast to the sweetness of the cake, if only it was paired with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream...Not to be disappointed, we did have ice-cream to end our meal. Not vanilla flavoured, but meringue. I have never tasted meringue in ice-cream form, but the flavour was absolutely spot on. Even the slight tang could be felt on the tongue as an afterthought. What made this dessert special though was the sea water that Chef Kishida sprayed over the ice-cream prior to serving playing up the welcome concept of sweet and salty. No wonder this is yet another signature dish.Accompanying us all night was this bottle of Pinot noir.I'm not a big drinker nor a wine connoiseur, I'm one of those people whose faces become swollen and tomato red after a few sips, but Pinot I like and this was deep with fruity notes, a slight sour tang mixed with the sweetness.We had finished our dessert by the time Chef Kishida came around to greet us and at 39 years of age he looked so young and so humble too even for all his accomplishments. Hopefully we will have a chance to visit his restaurant in Tokyo as there had been murmurings that the dinner here was only about 70% of his actual ability so imagine what 100% would be like!…Read More