Recipes

May 15, 2024 Belgium

Savage Brussels - A Plant Focused Experience

Savage Brussels Belgium — *Beetroot sorbet*

Savage is a hot new trendy restaurant in the Ixelles neighborhood of Brussels in Belgium. It’s interesting in that it really focuses on vegetables, to the point that the main tasting does not include any meat.

Their mantra is "A plant-focused experience, with meat and fish as optional extras."

The protein dishes are optional sides that you can add to share family style (e.g., steaks, scallops, etc.). We actually decided - and I was surprised that Bryan agreed to this - to go with the vegetarian tasting without adding any protein.

The dishes were artfully created, with bold vivid flavors.

What we Ate: the 38 EURO Tasting Menu

Cheese + Sake

General Thoughts: Savage Brussels

I actually felt that I was fine without the protein and I was pretty full after the entire meal was over. Bryan decided to get the optional cheese plate (partially to get some extra protein). With the cheese, he felt that it was a good amount of food.

Overall I really enjoyed the dishes for the price of €38 for the four course tasting. I thought the quality was much higher than the price would let on. Perhaps the cost of the ingredients for a vegetarian meal is lower. But still, I thought that this was a great place to have a nice meal in a very nice trendy environment. The staff were friendly, the food was enjoyable, and overall we had a great time sitting at the counter.

Savage Brussels
Place St Boniface
Rue de la Paix 22
1050 Brussels, Belgium

May 11, 2024 Belgium

Bozar Brussels Revisited

We have nostalgic memories of Brussels.

After all, we were stuck here at the beginning of the pandemic for close to seven weeks. It became like a second home of sorts. We got to know neighborhood restaurants, and even be-friended some of the families running those restaurants.

Bozar was by far our most memorable meal during that period.

Bryan fell in love with the signature pithivier that Bozar makes, and I just loved Chef’s overall approach to food and his obsession with quality.

Since our first visit, Bozar has attained another Michelin star now holding two stars total.

To be honest, I’ve always thought it’s quality was excellent and fully deserving of two stars. So I’m really glad Chef Karen Torosyan is finally getting the recognition that he deserves.

The menu does not include Chef's classic, signature pithivier anymore (the one filled with duck, foie gras, and mirepoix). However, Bryan called in advance, and they confirmed that they could still make the classic version.

Yay! We decided to relive our memories from our previous visits once again during our visit to Brussels just this past March (2024).

We love this place. I highly recommend Bozar if you want to have a really thoughtfully designed and executed meal. Even if you don't get the classic, you can still enjoy a croute as part of the tasting menu.

Classic Tasting Menu with Pithivier

The last two times we came, the restaurant gave us a keychain to commemorate the number of pithivier that we ate. We'd eaten 221 the first time and 319 the second time. Alas, they told us they don't give away key chains anymore.

I'll treasure the other two that I already have. At least they are still willing to make the pithivier! Thank you Chef Torosyan and the entire team!

Bozar Restaurant Brussels
Rue Baron Horta 3
1000 Bruxelles

May 8, 2024 Europe

CTC Urban Gastronomy - Athens Greece

This is the third post in our series about Greece. Other posts include The Zillers Rooftop Restaurant and HYTRA Restaurant and Bar.

CTC Urban Gastronomy is certain an urban oasis in the middle of Athens. Unlike The Zillers Roof Garden Restaurant, which is right in the Plaka and thus easy to access, CTC is about a 30 minute walk from the Plaka, and, frankly speaking, not in the prettiest neighborhood.

This is why it’s even more of a break taking surprise when you walk into the gates of CTC, because the big outdoor patio is absolutely beautiful.

The Space - A Beautiful Garden Oasis

Despite CTC Urban Gastronomy's location slightly away from the center of where most tourists might live, I would highly recommend take the time to come out to CTC. The food is incredible. Not only was everything done with precision and excellent, we were extremely impressed by the creativity behind the dishes and the funky Greek wine focused pairing.

It’s called an 11-course blind tasting. You know nothing about what is to come. The server will ask if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. Otherwise, your only choice is whether to upgrade the lobster dish for 25 EUROS (they highly, highly recommended it), and what drink you want.

We opted for the 60EURO “funkier”, more unusual Greek wine pairing. Not the 90EURO “safe” and traditional pairing using mostly international wines.

Initial Creative Bites: Whimsical Artistry

The bread course immediately gave us a sense of the innovative dishes that would follow.

A notebook and crayons is our “bread course”. The crispy flatbread “pages” are fastened together with metal coil, and colored “crayons” turn out to be flavored whipped butters.

It’s delightfully cute, bringing back thoughts of primary school, a universally shared experience, and a time when life was simpler and carefree.

Next, two more amuses bouches (though we were already quite amused by the first course!).

A churro topped with a sweet lemon sauce, this dish was both savory and sweet, which was refreshing. A beetroot tart, made with two types of beets. Excellent execution and delicious.

Finally, a crab-filled roll, crispy on the outside and generously filled with crab on the inside. It was fantastic.

Bread + Butter

Imprinted butter seems to be the trend in Athens, and here the butter was stamped with the restaurant’s logo "CTC Urban Gastronomy 2023". A stunning brioche “monkeybread” with pull apart pieces was set at the table before us.

“This bread is meant to be eaten with the entire meal.”

The places works like clockwork. They have the timing of the dishes planned out to a T, and things came smoothly one after another.

Starters

"Main Course"

“What do you think this next course is?” asked the server as we looked at a square piece on our plate with many layers.

“`Bacon!” I yelled out.

Yes, it is bacon, yet it is not bacon. Like all surprises, this piece of “bacon” was actually layers of pig’s head meat (like a rillet) served with cheese and a crispy potato chip (the “skin” of the pork). On the side was another piece of fried potato cake, topped with some fresh salad greens and herbs.

Dessert + Mignardises

The petit fours consisted of calva- caramel pate fuielle, a rose macaron, and almond custard cake with a charred top.

General Thoughts - CTC Urban Gastronomy

All in all, an absolutely delightful meal in a beautiful outdoor space. Despite the slightly gritty neighborhood in which the restaurant is located, once you walk in through the door you feel as if you’ve been transported into another world.

The food is very good, and I really appreciated the playful creativity and attention to detail. The dining space is really, really pleasant and relaxing. Frankly speaking, this 1-Michelin star meal is a steal at 95 EUROS.

Highly recommended. This was my favorite meal of this whole Athens trip.

CTC Urban Gastronomy - Athens Greece
15 Plataion Str., Athens 104 35, Greece

May 3, 2024 Europe

HYTRA Athens Greece

This is the second post in our series about Greece. Other posts include The Zillers Rooftop Restaurant

If possible, we like walking to restaurants when we can. However, Athens has been a bit of a surprise for us, as we’ve ended up in neighborhoods where we didn’t expect to find a Michelin-starred restaurant.

It wasn’t straightforward finding HYTRA. The restaurant sits at a roof top on top of an office building. If it weren’t for the tiny sign with the words HYTRA at the first floor, we’d probably still be circling the non-descript gray concrete building (situated on a busy road that is almost like a highway).

HYTRA’s dining space is magical. The open air restaurant only “exists” when the weather’s good. If there’s rain, the entire dining room moves indoors.

The space is beautiful and gives you 360 views of Athens, including the Acropolis, distant mountain, and the sunset.

I highly recommend trying to get a reservation that includes the sunset. It really adds such a vibrant and warm light to the entire room.

A Drink to Start . . .

We were extremely impressed with our server. He was especially observant and could “read” the table. I hesitated when trying to decide whether to do the wine pairing, and he quickly offered helping me pair a glass of white and maybe a red to go with the meal. Sold. When Bryan asked for suggestions on the cocktails, our server quickly sensed Bryan’s preferences for dry cocktails (because Bryan asked about the Negroni), and suggested something that Bryan would like.

By the way, HYTRA is known for their cocktails, and there are many very unusual and interesting ones on the menu. Bryan opted for a citrus-y one that was refreshing and “not sweet at all” (good in Bryan’s book).

The Food: 11 Course Tasting Menu at HYTRA Athens

HYTRA includes a la carte options as well as two tasting menus: an 11-course degustation (80 EUROS) and a 15-course degustation (95 EUROS). Add an extra wine or cocktail pairing for 115 EUROS.

We decided to go with the 11-course tasting menu. Bryan got the wine pairing (generous pours!).

Cheese Course

Bread . . .

The Meat Course

For our second to last main course, the "meat" course, we had pork cheek, pork belly, and baby gem lettuce.

Dessert + Other Sweets

Our palate cleanser was a blackthorne Greek yogurt “ice” served with a lemon verbena kombucha, which was refreshing. The dessert wine was MUSCAT DE LEMNOS.

General Thoughts - HYTRA Athens Greece

Like other Michelin starred restaurants in Athens, HYTRA was an insanely good value at 80 EUROS for the 11-course tasting menu. The restaurant certainly plays around with technically challenging dishes, and I enjoyed the food, especially the creativity of the dishes. The rooftop panoramic views are also fabulous. I highly recommend trying to book dinner right before sunset so that you can watch the sunset with 360 degree views of the city (and the Parthenon).

HYTRA Restaurant & Bar
6th/7th Floor OCC/STEGI
107/109 Syngrou Avenue
11745 Athens, Greece

April 27, 2024 Europe

The Zillers Roof Garden - Athens

We are beginning a new series on our trip to Athens in spring 2023 to attend an actual Greek Wedding!

I almost gasped when the elevator door opened onto the rooftop patio at The Zillers Roof Top Garden. Diners get an incredible view of the Parthenon from virtually every table!

The ambiance is magical during sunset, and the warm afternoon light is certainly great for photos.

We had just arrived in Athens the day before, and this was our first "real" meal in Athens. What a great way to start a trip! Bryan had done the legwork and booked most of these restaurants. He chose The Zillers Roof Garden because it was close to the center of town, has GREAT views, and was recommended by the Michelin Guide (1 Michelin star).

Chef Vasilis Roussos, who has spent time at multiple Michelin starred restaurants in Greece, leads the kitchen with an aim to capture "the essence of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine in a truly unique way." [source]

Bread + Butter

The butter arrives with 2 types of bread: a sourdough and multigrain (reminds me of my beloved Copenhagen bread).

“Oh cute! It’s a cow.”

“It’s not a cow, Can you guess what it is?”

It turns out we were enjoying goat’s milk butter with our bread. It had a slight, “goaty” finish, but it wasn’t too strong.

Next, a spiky sea-urchin shaped glass came with a delicious seafood filled bite, a consommé in jelly form, small morsels of mussels, and a seafood foam.

Welcome Treats

A trip of Chef’s welcome treats came next: asquid ink baton (like a “Pocky”, haha) that we dipped into an intensely flavorful Bottarga cream. A single bite chewy croquette flavored with herbs; and a goat cheese beetroot tart.

The Actual Tasting Begins

Our first official course was langoustine 3 ways. I loved the refreshing langoustine tartare, marinated in flavors of lime, coriander, and bergamot (which we soon learned was one of chef’s favorite spices) and served with a light camomile langoustine consommé.

On the side, the langoustine tail was fried as tempura (with puffed rice) and dipped in a creamy shrimp head + lemongrass sauce. The tempura was not very crispy, though the flavors were quite rice and paired nicely with the tart wine.

Next was "salsify two ways" presented in a single dish with layers: chunky bits of the root on the bottom and a blended soup on top. “Scoop it all in one bite” the server advised. Loved the black truffles, which added a nice, earthy element.

A homage to the traditional Greek lemon and rice soup, the next course consisted of a single artichoke elegantly deep fried (it was amazing how each leaf was preserved) and served over a lemon rice emulsion sauce.

Bread Part II

We'd already enjoyed fantastic bread at the beginning of the meal. Now was part II: a beautiful Japanese milk bread topped with sea salt from Crete.

More Seafood

We continued with seafood, moving onto a beautiful lobster pasta served with a rich, creamy lobster cheese sauce.

The lobster itself undergoes a lengthy preparation, including being coated in wax for 24 hours before being lightly poached. The server showed us an example of the "waxed" lobster.

The pasta was reasonably al dente, and the overall sauce was decadently rich. Bryan loved it, and I even gave him some of mine (since I was getting full).

Meat

The meat course was a beautifully roasted piece of quail breast that was almost rare on the inside (we aren’t complaining!). We enjoyed the quail with a tart made with the quail’s leg meat and a beautiful, flavorful celeriac root mash.

Dessert

General Thoughts

It’s hard to beat the ambiance and stunning views of the Acropolis that Ziller has when it comes to eating in Athens. On the one hand, the food isn’t really that *Greek* per se. Sure, the chef add some Greek concepts, such as the lemon rice soup, and sharing with us about Greek bread (before telling us that this bread is actually a Japanese milk bread), but it’s more like a French restaurant using international flavors and ingredients.

On the other hand, the food is very good, and the views are pretty hard to beat. You’ll enjoy a lovely dinner (probably together with mostly other well-to-do foodie tourists), while at the same time supporting Greek chefs, workers, and their high-end restaurants industry as a whole.

Try to get a reservation before sunset. It's beautiful to watch the sunset from the rooftop. Remember to ask the staff to help takes some photos of you before the sun sets, otherwise it’ll get too dark!

The Zillers Roof Garden - Athens
54 Mitropoleos
Athens 105 63, Greece

April 20, 2024 Japan

Tsukada Farm Izakaya Tokyo

What a great find! We found this lovely izakaya just a few minutes' walk from our hotel in Shinagawa. Turns out it's a well-known popular restaurant with many locations throughout Japan!

Tsukada Farm Izakaya serves jidori chicken from its own poultry farms and vegetables from a limited number of contracted farmers. The ambiance is super cozy, the prices are very reasonable, and the food is great.

You order by scanning the QR code and choosing from a large variety of items. Thankfully, there are pictures (and you can also read it in English!).

Fun Drinks!

I decided to try the fun strawberry soda with strawberries! My friend's daughter got the mango drink, which was pretty cool looking with half a mango included!

Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are sourced from farmers that work directly with the restaurant. In general, Tsukada Farm tries to avoid "middle-men", which explains why they also have their own poultry farms.

This interesting dish "Nira kama-dama" (ニラ釜玉) consists of a tightly packed cylinder of Asian chives steamed with a raw egg yolk delicately placed on top. It is interesting. (How did they get the egg on top??). They definitely showcase this on their website a lot, since it's so insta-worthy. (They serve it with the whole egg yolk intact and you break it to become what you see in the photo above.)

Roasted eggplant with bonito flakes on top.

Bitter melon stir fried with egg (and more bonito flakes!).

Chicken is the Star of the Show

The restaurant has its own poultry farms where it raises free-range chickens.

The charcoal grilled free range chicken is their signature, and it's excellent! It's surprisingly black on the outside, maybe from the charcoal. This was one of the best items on the menu, and definitely worth ordering! It was tender, juicy, and just really good quality! (sorry the photo is a bit blurry, but you get the idea . . .)

Sous vide chicken with a spicy mala sauce and pine nuts! 低温調理の地鶏のよだれ鶏

Homemade "tsukune" chicken meatball skewer with an egg - a classic yakitori dish. 自家製月見つくね串

Grilled hand shredded chicken

This fun one is actually a rice ball covered with a thin layer of meat.

Chicken mentaiko spring rolls 鶏明太春巻き. Fried chicken wings (yum!) 手羽先の唐揚げ

Oyakodon (chicken and egg over rice) was delicious.

Shrimp yakisoba.

General Thoughts - Tsukada Farm Izakaya Tokyo

Overall this is a solid place to have a delicious meal when you feel like something a bit more casual, laid back, and simple. For us, it was less than a 5-minute walk from our hotel, so it was nice to take it easy and enjoy such a satisfying meal so close to "home."

I'll definitely keep this in mind if I am craving for simple izakaya food (or just really good chicken!) the next time I'm in Japan.

Tsukada Farm Izakaya Tokyo
Many locations [Tokyo locations]

April 17, 2024 Japan

Harakuju Mame Shiba Inu Cafe Tokyo

Some things you only find in Japan. A few years ago we visited a hedgehog cafe in Akihabara. This trip our friend's daughter really really really wanted to visit a Shiba Inu cafe. Shiba inu is a Japanese hunting dog that has become quite popular due to social media in recent years. Mame shiba inu is a smaller breed of the same dog.

Harakuju Mame Shiba Inu Cafe is located in a very, very popular neighborhood of Harajuku. It's right on Takeshita-dori (the street that is always packed with young people, often dressed in crazy outfits).

You can't make reservations in advance. You can only show up that day, put your name on a queue, and then come back later during that time window. If you come too late, they may be sold out.

There's me on the right, waiting in line on the narrow stairwell leading up to this cafe.

The Dogs!

For JPY1000 (USD$6.60), you get a drink (from a vending machine), and about 30 minutes with the dogs. The whole area is covered with tatami mats, and they require that you take your shoes off.

It feels like you are inside someone's Japanese home and hanging out with their dogs. It's a very nice atmosphere.

They do control the numbers very well, not allowing too many people at once to be in the room with the dogs.

That means the time you do spend with the dogs is pretty good. However, it also means the line can take a loooooong time, especially during peak seasons.

The dogs are really cute, and they're pretty used to people (since that's their full time job!).

Our friend's daughter loved it, and the adults had fun too. 30 minutes goes by fast. And then they need to ask you to leave in order to let the next (patiently waiting) party come in.

Mame Shiba Inu Cafe Harajuku
3F, 1-6-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-kuTokyo

April 12, 2024 Japan

Wagyumafia District Yakinikumafia Tokyo

This is the second post about my Japan Travels in 2023. Other posts in this series include Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji Tokyo.

Wagyumafia is an elite members-only club that has spawned out a number of restaurants in Tokyo focusing on different aspects of Wagyu beef. For those obsessed with the top beef in the world, Wagyumafia is at the pinnacle. Wagyumafia started out in 2016 as a private supper club in Tokyo. Beef exporters Hisato Hamada and entrepreneur Takafumi Horie held private wagyu-themed pop-up dinners in Tokyo showcasing top cuts of beef from the best producers in Japan.

Membership was extremely limited, and for as long as we have been aware, there were no more memberships available in Japan.

But then in 2018 they decided to open their first overseas location . . . . in Hong Kong!

Boom! All of a sudden a whole new batch of new memberships became available in Hong Kong. Better yet, if you got a membership in Hong Kong, you could book any of the restaurants in Japan as well!

Of course, then the pandemic hit and we were sort of stuck (like everyone else), unable to travel for a couple years. It wasn't until this Tokyo trip in 2023 that we finally had the opportunity to take advantage of our membership and book a Wagyumafia restaurant in Tokyo!

Wagyumafia has several different restaurants in Tokyo, focusing on different themes. We decided to try a Yakiniku at Wagyumafia District. Please do note this is different from Yakinikumafia in Hong Kong, which is a more casual, open to the public (no membership required) restaurant at a lower price point serving "affordable cuts" of Wagyu.

The price of a tasting at Yakiniku Wagyumafia is JPY22,000 per person (USD$145). If you want to add on the famous Ozaki sirloin "sando", it's an extra JPY11,000 (USD$72).

いってらっしゃい！itterasshai!

They showed us all the different cuts of beef we would enjoy later in the yakiniku. Yes, that is a huge beef tongue on the tray.

But first, Veggies

We enjoyed some lightly grilled cabbage and bean sprouts. The quality was amazing. It may not look like much, but the cabbage was exceptionally sweet, and the bean sprouts were crispy. The vegetables are carefully sourced from (I believe) a dedicated farm.

The tongue meat was also tender and very tasty.

Onions and zucchini on the side, a piece of beef fat in the center.

Aside from the tongue, we tried other cuts of more unusual meat, such as diaphragm and even an offal hot pot at the end.

Sando + Lots of gold flakes

In a lot ways, photos don't do this meal justice. When they brought out their famous signature Ozaki beef sirloin "sando", they shut the lights and told us all to set our phones on slo-motion.

Watch the video below to see what happens:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Che (@tinyurbankitchen)

The sando is one of my favorite items at Wagyumafia. I could do without the gold (it doesn't add anything in terms of taste), but I guess they do put on a good performance with it.

Offal Hot Pot

It is interesting how the tasting at this restaurant mostly focused on more unusual cuts of beef. I guess the more conventional cuts of meat are sold at the normal Wagyumafia restaurant, and these other parts are used for yakiniku?

In any event, these other cuts are also delicious, and it's nice to make use of all parts of the beef (at least as much as possible). The hot pot was delicious, and a warming way to finish the meal.

Wagyumafia District Yakinikumafia Tokyo
3-7-4, Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku
Shibuya City, TOKYO 150-0001

April 8, 2024 Asian

Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji Tokyo

Hello Tokyo! We came to Tokyo in July 2023 to meet up with friends who were visiting the first time with their pre-teen daughter (who is a huge foodie). One purpose of this trip was to introduce her to a variety of foods representing different aspects of Japanese cuisine.

First stop: Sushi in Tsukiji!

Although the famous Tsukiji Fish Market left Tsukiji in 2018 (so glad we had a chance to go in 2017!), the outer market is still thriving, as well as the area sushi restaurants. Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji is a famous restaurant "headquartered" in Tsukiji, where they have several restaurants. In fact, they have over 40 locations around Japan. It's famous, and thus you will see a line, especially during high travel season (yes, we went in July).

This places is open 24 hours! So you can come at any time . . . great if you're jetlagged!

July is HOT in Tokyo! This is why we opted for the iced matcha, which was really refreshing. While we were dining there, a woman actually started suffering from some sort of heat exhaustion (or heat stroke?) inside the restaurant. The staff were really attentive, bring her a cold towel and letting her lie down for as long as she needed.

Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji is know for its tuna. The owner is famous for bidding the 150,000,000 JPY in 2013 for a tuna! (USD$1 million in today's dollars, but during the exchange rate at the time, maybe USD $1.5 million!)

Because of that fame, Bryan and I both decided to get their special tuna focused set, which included various types of maguro, chutoro, otoro, and seared toro.

For around JPY4800 (which is only about USD$32), this was a steal. The quality was excellent, and the fish slices were generous!

The tofu "yuba" was fresh and delicious.

Bryan loves uni, so he had to get some of that.

This is the longest eel nigiri I've ever seen!

The place is full of energy. People come in and out fast, there's lots of lively conversation, and overall it's a fun places. Prices are very reasonable for the quality. I can see why people line up!

It's fun to visit this location because of its location in Tsukiji market. It's fun to explore the market after lunch (or like in our case, before lunch while the guys waited in line!). All in all, we had a great time enjoying good sushi in Tsukiji Market at very reasonable prices.

Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji
4-5-12, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045
Japanese Address
〒104-0045 東京都中央区築地4-5-12

February 17, 2024 Asian

Forbidden Duck Causeway Bay

I have a friend who has been visiting us in Hong Kong regularly (from the US!) ever since we moved here in 2017. Every time he comes, there are a few favorite foods that he has to eat. One is any rendition of sweet & sour pork ribs (“咕嚕肉” or ”京都排骨“). The second is the fried chicken with pomelo at The Yuan (原汁原味）in Wan Chai. And the third is the fantastic aromatic duck seafood stew at Forbidden Duck (Causeway Bay).

Ever since the pandemic ended and international travel resumed, we've seen our friend on a regular basis again, which has been great. One side effect of that is more visits to Forbidden Duck lately!

Forbidden Duck is part of Chef Alvin Leung's empire of restaurants in Hong Kong (his most famous being his [formerly 3 now 2] Michelin starred Bo Innovation). Chef Alvin Leung is probably the most decorated Hong Kong home grown chef. Forbidden Duck is his more casual restaurant, and there are a few locations around Hong Kong.

The focus of the restaurant, of course, is the Peking Duck. They do an admirable job, and since duck is the focus of the restaurant, it's pretty much always available. (At a lot of other places, you typically have to pre-order the duck.)

The side veggies were a bit more creative a few years ago, including melon and pink radish. During a more recently visit, however, they've switched back to using just the traditional cucumbers and scallions.

The steamed skins are pretty nice, and they'll give you more if you run out.

I must agree that the Seafood Rice in Aromatic Duck Soup ($218) at Forbidden Duck is indeed amazing. My favorite part is how they use two textures of rice. There's an insanely aromatic broth made (presumably) from duck bones and other seafood. There's scallops, pieces of duck meat + skin, and rice inside the soup. The scallops are barely poached, and thus have an amazing texture. And the best part? The sizzling toasted rice 鍋巴 that comes on the side. Add them together, and you've got yourself a fantastic duck soup with beautifully contrasting crispy + soft rice all happening in one bite.

This is definitely a "must order". In fact, my friend comes to this restaurant just for this dish!

More recently Forbidden Duck started launching a coupon program where they give you five $100 (HKD) coupons to be used at a next visit (usually within a month). You have to spend $500 to use one $100 coupon, and you can only use 3 coupons. It's effectively 20% off a HKD$1500 meal. At the same time, I noticed prices have gone up quite a bit (~30%) since our first visit 5 years ago. Perhaps that is to be expected?

Since Bryan loves Peking duck so much, I don't ever need to really twist his arm to get him to agree to come here. I personally am happy as long as we get the Seafood Rice in Aromatic Duck Soup, (and would be totally fine if we skipped the duck!). Haha, of course Bryan wouldn't go for that.

All in all, this has surprisingly been a place we have visited more often this past year.

Forbidden Duck
Times Square
1001b, 1 Matheson St,
Causeway Bay

February 14, 2024 Europe

Cheri Charlot Paris - A Simple Parisien Lunch

I love a good sandwich, but I'm extremely picky. The bread has to be crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside. The ratio of bread to fillings has to be just right, and I personally like have less meat and more veggies. I am a bit partial to pickled vegetables in general. So, for example, I love a good banh mi. Finally, ideally it's not too messy to eat, and each bite should be a balanced combination of all the ingredients inside.

Bread is important (and there's really no better place to get fantastic bread than Paris).

I’m also not a purist when it comes to bread because I actually love a toasted sandwich (or pressed sandwich). I know you’re not supposed to toast bread unless if it’s stale, but I just really, really love toasted or grilled bread.

I have several favorite sandwich places in Paris. This would include chez Alain Miam Miam in Marche des Enfants Rouge for their monstrous vegetable stuffed grilled sandwich or the beautiful classic sandwich with cornichon and terrine at Le Petit Vendôme Paris.

Another small and cute shop that I really like is Cherie Charlot. Cherie Charlot checks all the boxes of my picky standards. Their sandwiches have a nice combination of fresh, high quality vegetables and meat. The ratio is perfect, and the sandwich actually fits in my mouth (i.e., it's not crazy huge). They also press the sandwich, which makes it a bit flatter (easier to eat!) and nice and crispy.

The staff is very friendly. The shop is small, but there is some seating and the place feels warm and cozy. I've come with Bryan before and managed to grab one of the seats. It's best to come early if you want to sit.

Cheri Charlot Paris
33 Rue Richer 75009,
75009 Paris, France

February 11, 2024 Europe

Le Petit Vendôme Paris

Bryan's in Paris right now. I'm a bit bummed I can't join him this time on his business trip. So instead I'll catch up on some way overdue posts about some of my favorite Paris places. I can't believe I hadn't written up some of these posts before.

Another one of our favorite places to have a traditional Parisien sandwich is at Le Petit Vendôme. This tiny little traditional French restaurant serves a full menu of classic French dishes (e.g., escargot cooked in Burgundy, French onion soup, veal kidneys, beef tartare, duck confit, etc.). However, they also make fantastic charcuterie, terrines, and sandwiches.

I must thank David Lebovitz (who lives in Paris) for introducing this place on his blog. I followed his post exactly and ordered the country ham (jambon de pays) with fresh goat cheese sandwich during my first visit. It was delicious.

They make fantastic charcuterie, including delicious terrines. We both loved their terrine sandwich with cornichons and butter. Enjoy with the house wine, which is super reasonably priced.

Sandwiches are only available for take-away (typically a long line forms during lunch), or you can sit at the bar and order the sandwiches. If you sit at the regular tables, you'll get the normal food menu. We love the vibe of sitting at the bar and just watching the action in front of us.

It's in a lovely neighborhood. Definitely check out Place Vendome afterwards, and then walk towards Jardin de Tuileries and the Seine River. Oh, I miss Paris already. Can't wait to go back!

Le Petit Vendôme Paris
8 Rue des Capucines,
75002 Paris, France

February 8, 2024 Hong Kong

No. 9 SBI Canteen 9號軟庫飯堂 - Softbank Private Kitchen

Many people who are in-the-know say that this private kitchen is one of the best Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong!! That's quite a statement, considering how many top notch Cantonese restaurants are here.

It's nearly impossible to get a reservation at No. 9 SBI Canteen (or Softbank Private Kitchen) if you don't know someone. The private kitchen is hidden away on an upper floor in a high rise in Central. I was kindly invited by a friend who's "in-the-know", and was able to get a peek into this other world of Hong Kong wine and dine culture.

I arrived a bit early, so they let me sit on this couch opposite of the dining area. Soon afterwards, people started arriving. Some people were really familiar with each other, while others, like myself, were lucky first-timers who were brought by a friend. Unfortunately Bryan was on a business trip that day, so I came alone to experience this exciting meal.

Update: Bryan was able to go back to this restaurant one year later, thanks to an invitation from the same kind friends. As it turned out, it was me that was away on business this time. So glad Bryan got to try it!

The Banquet!

Softbank Private Kitchen Hong Kong — We started with a plate of black pork charsiu and octopus. The charsiu was excellent, flavorful with just the right amount of fat. The octopus was nice as well.

Signature Winter Melon Soup

Rice & "Veggies" (with a lot of crab)

Dessert

The evening involved a great round up of wines! Cost was around HK$2500 per person, a bit over USD300 a head.

That time Bryan went . . .

The menu changes by the season, and there are certain very anticipated dishes that people talk about. One of these dishes is their Imperial Scholar's Five snake soup 太史五蛇羹, which is more like a thick soup (羹）filled with super thinly julienned snake meat (almost like slivers of fine noodles), chrysanthemum petals, lemon leaf, and more. The texture is phenomenal and like nothing I've ever tasted before. It's usually only available during the winter season.

Bryan was able to enjoy the snake soup during his visit to No. 9 SBI Canteen (Softbank Private Kitchen). Although I didn't get to go that time, I still got to try the famous snake soup. It turns out one of the guests didn't want hers, and she offered to give it to Bryan to take home for me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity. It was really really good!

All in all, I was indeed very impressed with the food. Most of it is very classic Cantonese dishes but executed at the highest level. There were many dishes I'd never had before. If I ever get a chance to go again, I would definitely jump at the opportunity.

No. 9 SBI Canteen 9號軟庫飯堂 - Softbank Private Kitchen
4/F & 5/F, 7-11 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan

February 5, 2024 Hong Kong

Testina Hong Kong

I've really gotten quite spoiled with the amount of fantastic Italian food that exists in Hong Kong. Another new one that opened during the pandemic (in 2022) is Testina Hong Kong. Testina arose out of a collaboration between a restaurant in Milan, Italy called Trippa Milano and ZS Hospitality in Hong Kong (Feuille, Hansik Goo, Whey).

Testina's unique aspect is its genuine focus on nose-to-tail dining, offering dishes made with veal tongue, beef tripe, chicken liver, chicken offal, bone marrow, and pig's head. Recommended in the Michelin Guide, the quality of the food is excellent, and it was certainly hard to book when it first opened.

Initial Thoughts - Testina

Tripe, veal tongue, and a chicken offal ragu, Testina Hong Kong keeps prices reasonable while offering excellent quality Italian food. Our first visit was really nice, and I'd totally come back again. Testina definitely has a warm and cozy feel, and the dishes are "home-style" yet creative at the same time. Offal is the star, and prominently used throughout the menu. However, if you don't like offal there's still plenty of options.

Testina Hong Kong
3F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace,
Central, Hong Kong

February 2, 2024 Hong Kong

Estro Hong Kong

I think I first heard about Estro at Sushi Shikon (of all places!). You know, when you sit at a sushi bar, it's easy to strike up a conversation with the people sitting around you. We met this woman who was obsessed with food. She couldn't stop gushing about Estro. She also lamented about how hard it was to book. After all, it was new, word was flying around about how amazing the food was, and . . . well, it was impossible to book.

Well, not impossible, but you had to contact them early. We ended up having a couple opportunities to go. In a lot of ways, I agree with the hype. The food really is very, very good. It's incredible to know that this Chef Antimo Maria Merone's first restaurant, opened in collaboration with the JIA Group.

Chef Merone is from Naples, and the aim of Estro is to elevate Neapolitan cuisine. He's done it tremendously well. The food is excellent, and I've really enjoyed every meal I've had there. The restaurant currently has one Michelin star, which is a fair and accurate rating.

Below are two meals that we had at the restaurant. My personal favorite dish is always the "bottoni", or button shaped ravioli. They have rightfully earned their status as the icon dish at Estro.

Lunch Menus - $680 - $980
Dinner Menus - $1,580 - $1,980

First Meal: February 2022

Second Visit to Estro - January 2023

General Thoughts - Estro HK

There's a clear reason why this place is so popular. The food is very, very good, and execution is very precise and at a very high level. The ingredients are great, the pasta is amazing, and all in all, you'll have a great time. Just know that you'll have to follow the chef's rules while you're there.

Estro Hong Kong
Level 2, 1 Duddell Street,
Central, Hong Kong

January 30, 2024 Hong Kong

Ama Ristorante by the Amatricianist Wan Chai

"AMA signifies our love for food, while also being short for AMAtriciana, a classic Italian sauce" reads the menu of this newish Italian restaurant steps from our home in Wan Chai. The food is classic, rustic fare from Rome, and you almost feel like you are in Rome when you are there.

They have a HUGE screen that just shows a video of a person wandering the streets of Rome. Because I've been to Rome before, the video evokes memories of our times in Italy. For me, it's a bit nostalgic, and just brings back pleasant memories in general.

We love this place because the food is great, the ambiance is very cozy and comfortable, and it's very, very close to our home (less than 5 minute walk). It's the type of place we can go to, even on a weeknight, and get out with plenty of time to spare.

This restaurant is also a dream come true for Chef Paolo Monti, who finally open his own restaurant after working for 20+ years at Gaia Ristorante in Sheung Wan. He took the plunge during the pandemic to secure a space, and opened up this restaurant in February 2022.

Salads + Starters

We like the salads, and we've tried many different kinds. Lately, we've been enjoying the spinach salad with hard boiled egg and feta (not pictured), but most of the salads are nice.

Ama Ristorante Wan Chai — Corn salad with avocado & aged balsamic vinegar 148

Pasta

The signature dish (and also something we order every single time), is the signature "Maccheroni Amatriciana" made with “Cacio di Caterina il Fiorino” (cheese) $288. Apparently, it became famous through social media as an off-menu item at Gaia Ristorante, where Chef Paolo used to work. It's served in an old iron pan and made with pork cheek, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

It is really, really good! They used a high quality al dente dried pasta that works really well with this dish.

We've tried a number of other pastas, and they are all good. However, overtime we just keep gravitating towards the Amatriciana.

Angel hair pasta with tomato sauce.

Main Dishes

General Thoughts - Ristorante Ama Wan Chai

This is a place we visit regularly because it fits a number of our criteria: delicious food, nice ambiance, close to home, one of Bryan's favorite cuisines, and typically not too hard to book. We're fans, we're regulars, and we really hope it does well and stays right where it is!

Ristorante Ama by the Amatricianist
AMA Ristorante
25F, 208 Johnston Road,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (852) 2117 9789
WhatsApp: (852) 3702 0809

January 27, 2024 Hong Kong

Day Trip to Sai Kung, Sharp Island, Cheun Kee Seafood Restaurant

Sai Kung is one of Hong Kong's most beautiful corners, and a haven for nature lovers or anyone who wants to get away from Hong Kong's crowded, hustle-and-bustle, overwhelming intensity (not to mention pure urban density!). We had out-of-town friends visiting us (it's been sooo nice to finally have visitors in Hong Kong again!), so we took them on a relaxing Saturday excursion to Sai Kung to see another face of Hong Kong.

11:45AM - Early Dim Sum "Brunch" on the Seaside

No one wanted an intense schedule (it's vacation, after all), so we took it easy. Leave home at 10:30AM, arrive in Sai Kung around 11:30AM. Since there were four of us, it made a lot of sense to just take a taxi there.

Especially on Saturdays, popular restaurants can get very, very crowded. We went to an old but good standby, Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant, which is right on the waterfront. It's not too far from the pier, so it's a convenient first stop. We arrived before 12PM, so we didn't have to wait for an outside table at all. It was awesome, sitting facing the water while dining on delicious dim sum.

The restaurant also has fish tanks full of all sorts of seafood that you can choose for them to cook. Since this was brunch (and we planned to hike in the afternoon), we took it easy and just enjoyed dim sum. There are a bunch of steamers at the front, and you just go up and select what you want.

1:15PM Take a Boat to Sharp Island

There are numerous small stands along the pier hawking boat rides to the nearby islands. The prices are all pretty reasonable, and I didn't see a huge price differential (~ HK$40 a ticket). We pretty much just walked up and down the pier and found out which one was leaving soon. It was easy to just buy tickets on the spot and hop on a boat. We took the Blue Flag Boats, which were fine.

There are many, many boats that go to Sharp Island or Hap Mun Bay Beach, two sides of the same island. You can hike from one location to the other, and then pick up another boat back to the mainland.

Hap Mun Bay Beach

We first took the boat to Hap Mun Bay Beach, a lovely secluded beach surrounded by lush green hills and beautiful crystal blue green water. If you bring a swimsuit, definitely spend some time on the beach.

If you're more of a hiker, there is also an excellent trail that goes from Hap Mun Bay Beach to the other side of Sharp Island, where the "pineapple bun" shaped rocks reside (more on that later).

The trail is beautiful, with endless views of the surround ocean and mountains.

I thought it was funny the park even set up these natural looking "selfie stands" for people to take photos.

Pineapple Bun Rocks

As we got closer to where the pineapple bun (菠蘿包) rocks were, we noticed that there were cute little pineapple bun themed signs and statues.

Hello stone pineapple bun man!

For reference, this is what a pineapple bun looks like. It's a classic Hong Kong bread, topped with a delicious crispy topping. This one is from Kam Wah Cafe in Mongkok, and it's delicious.

At the end of the hike we arrived at the other end where all the pineapple bun rocks were hanging out. These rocks have the same crackled surface as the pineapple buns, hence the name.

Sharp Island Tombolo

There is a tombolo over here, a thin strip of land that acts as a natural bridge connecting Sharp Island to another small island. When the tide is low you can walk across it.

Fishmongers on the Pier

Finally, we caught another boat back to Sai Kung Pier. At the pier, it's fun to watch live seafood hawkers selling seafood right off their boat to people standing at the pier above them.

They literally use this looooong stick to transact. Live seafood and money exchange hands all via this stick and basket. It's quite amusing to watch.

If you're a fan of beer, one last stop to make before heading out is The Bottle Shop. They have an amazing collection of craft beers from all around the world, including some extremely difficult-to-find bottles!

If you want to stay around for dinner, try Loaf On, which is an excellent Cantonese restaurant having 1 Michelin star.

January 25, 2024 Hong Kong

Belon Hong Kong

I first visited Belon in Hong Kong back in 2019. The cute French bistro in Soho nailed the perfect combination of top notch food in a warm, cozy, and casual environment. At that time, I wrote in my blog post, "I can't wait to go back." Though something called a pandemic put a stop to dining out, we did enjoy delivery from Belon several times in the past few years.

This past summer (August 2023) was our first time back. Aside from the name, the Michelin star, and the signature roast chicken, it's a completely different restaurant.

Previous executive chef Dan Calvert moved to Tokyo to head up SÉZANNE at the Four Seasons. New executive chef Matthew Kirkley (formerly Coi, Amber) came in. The restaurant also left its small digs in Soho and moved into a much bigger, much fancier space in Central.

Our foodie friends were visiting from out of town, so we wanted to find a place that was special and different. We were certainly curious about Belon, so we decided to try out this new 2.0 version of this restaurant.

There's a chef's tasting menu and also an a la carte menu with "entrees" (appetizers) and "plats" (mains). We opted for the a la carte menu, choosing to each order an appetizer and then sharing the signature roast chicken along with some other "plats".

Bread

According to Chef Matthew Kirkly, the bread, signature roast chicken, and mille feuille (dessert) are remnants from the old Belon. So in some ways, it maintains its French bistro charm with these classic dishes.

Cervelas en Brioche with Truffle Gastrique

Belon's Signature Truffle Roast Chicken

We remembered the roast chicken well from our last visit in 2019, so we decided we just had to have it again.

Belon uses local "Three Yellow Chicken", which is one of our favorites.

The chicken is indeed perfectly executed, and has a huge layer of truffle-goodness right underneath the skin. The mashed potatoes were decadent, and reminded me of the Joel Robuchon's ultra creamy mashed potatoes.

Haha, Bryan loves chicken feet at Chinese restaurants, and it's no different here! He was happy they kept the chicken feet on . . .

Aside from these carryover French bistro dishes, the rest of the menu has changed. Overall Belon has morphed into more of a high end French restaurant from its former casual French bistro self.

Sweets

The desserts were beautiful and created with such precision and care. We enjoyed them all.

General Thoughts

The new Belon is lovely. The service was great, the ambiance was comfortable, and the food was very good. Near the end of the evening, our friends had to relieve their babysitter, and thus had no choice but to bring their two elementary school kids into the restaurant. The restaurant was amazing. They didn't miss a beat and immediately set up a table for the kids (right next to our table), even giving them some sparkling water. I was impressed.

Belon has kept some bits of its old personality, but has refined itself in a lot of ways. The new space certainly changes the overall feel of the restaurant, as does the menu and the service.

For us, old friends who hadn't caught up in a long time, it was perfect. It was quiet so we were able to talk, yet we weren't afraid of laughing out loud. We could really relax and enjoy each other's company while enjoying exquisite dishes.

Belon Hong Kong
1F, 1-5 ELGIN STREET, SOHO
+852 2152 2872

January 23, 2024 Hong Kong

A Junk Boat Birthday on the Eve of a Typhoon: Lamma Island

Bryan's birthday has had its fair share of drama in the past few years. In 2019 his birthday fell on a weekend, and thus the scheduled date of a massive protest. Despite the "danger", close friends ventured out and joined us for dinner at Tosca di Angelo at the top of the ICC. The next several years, the pandemic hit, making gathering together as a large group always an iffy thing. Despite rolling restrictions, we managed to dine out for his birthday with different sized groups starting in 2021 (Xin Rong Ji, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon), and even traveled around Hong Kong's outerlying island, geopark, and Saikung in 2020 when we were "stuck" in Hong Kong.

This past year in October, a different threat arose. The first potentially category 8 or higher typhoon was on its way, heading towards Hong Kong. Although we had booked a junk boat trip a month earlier, it turned out that this typhoon just might hit Hong Kong on Bryan's birthday.

"We'll have to wait and see" the captain said.

As his birthday got closer, the winds changed a bit, and it seemed like the typhoon wouldn't come until the evening of Bryan's birthday. It was tough and truly a test of patience for us as we waited and waited, intently watching how the storm would move. We had friends traveling in from out of town just to come celebrate on this half-day boat outing, so the weather made things particularly hard to plan.

Finally, the morning of his birthday, the captain green lit the boat trip. The typhoon wouldn't start until later that evening.

It was a GO!

After taking a leisurely boat ride around Hong Kong island, we landed at Lamma Island right in time for a seafood banquet. The sky was still blue, almost clear at this point! I even enjoyed another "first" in my lifetime. First time playing guitar (and singing hymns!) on a boat together with a professional musician from the Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestra!

Lamma Rainbow 10-Person Set Menu

We had pre-ordered the 10-person set meal and added a few additional dishes (for our non-seafood eating friend) after arriving. The restaurant was very responsive via WhatsApp, and everything went very smoothly. They sent me different menus and the wine list via WhatsApp, so we were able to put in our order early. Lamma Rainbow has a great wine prices (hardly a mark-up), so we ordered some nice bottles of champagne (always a crowd pleaser).

As an aside, I will say Lamma Rainbow was very, very accommodating and flexible with respect to our reservation due to the weather. I told them we couldn't confirm whether we could come or not until literally the morning of the meal, since we had to watch the weather. They were very kind and agreed to hold our reservation (without any deposit) until the morning of the meal (which was a lunch!).

Thankfully, we were able to set sail, and after a lovely excursion around Hong Kong island, we arrived at Lamma Rainbow around 12PM for lunch.

A Seafood Feast

There are many different levels of set menus, as you can imagine. Prices range roughly from HK$250 per person to $HK1000 per person (plus tea charge of $20 and 10% service charge). The menus change, so it's best to contact them to get the most recent menu. The below set meal for 10 people was HK$9699 total.

We had a friend who didn't eat seafood, so we did order a few non-seafood items.

We had a great table right next to the waterfront, so we could enjoy dining outside while looking at the ocean.

Time to Head Back to the Dock

Afterwards, we took a short stroll along the waterfront back to the boat, which was waiting for us at the dock.

If it wasn't this special occasion, we probably would have done what most of the other diners did, take Lamma Rainbow's free ferry for their guests. It picks up at TST, Central Pier, Cyberport, and even Aberdeen, and goes straight to Sok Kwu Wan (which is where the restaurant is). You just need to book about a day in advance. You can also just take the normal ferry, depending on which time slot works better for you. I like hiking from Sok Kwu Wan to the other end of the island (Yung Shue Wan). In that case, I'd just take the public ferry back home from Yung Shue Wan.

Originally we were thinking we might hike a bit on the island (like I did with my mom back in 2019), but the typhoon was coming, so we had to get going. Unfortunately, due to the winds, the captain said we had to go back. Our original plan to stop at Stanley had to be canceled.

The ride back was peaceful (though we kept our eye on the skies). The clouds were coming in, but there was still no rain. We hung out on the boat, chatting, taking photos, and generally just relaxing.

The boat arrived at the pier right around 5PM. Everyone made it back home with no issues, and we're very thankful for the wisdom of the captain in allowing us to have our birthday trip in a very safe manner. The category 3 typhoon warning signal came down around 6PM that evening.

Even though we didn't get to visit as many islands, we're still thankful for the sunshine in the morning, lack of rain, and the cool weather. Most importantly, it was a blessed time to spend together with friends, and we're truly thankful for the entire day.

Happy Birthday Bryan!

Lamma Rainbow
G/F, 23-27 First Street
Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island, Hong Kong
WhatsApp: +852 6407 4179

January 18, 2024 Hong Kong

Beefbar Hong Kong

It's never just a single birthday, right? How about birth-week, or even birth month? For me, it was birth-weekend this time, with back-to-back celebrations on Friday and Saturday. Saturday - my actual birthday - was going to be a double celebration with my birthday "twin" at the highly anticipated Feuille by David Toutain.

Friday night was just Bryan and me, a quiet pre-birthday dinner at Beefbar, a 1-Michelin starred steak restaurant in Central that we'd never tried before.

Little did we know how "huge" of a brand it is. Beefbar has a sprawling empire of restaurants, with a huge concentration in Europe and a strong presence in the Middle East and Central/South America. Interestingly, there are none in North America, and only one in Asia, namely, this Hong Kong branch.

Beefbar originally came from Monte-Carlo in 2005, but has since expanded broadly.

Despite starting out as a meat purveyor, Beefbar's concept is to "break" from the traditional steakhouse model. Yes, the focus is on the beef, and they source a lot of excellent high-end exclusive beef from the US, Australia, Japan, and more.

Street Foods

But there's a lot more besides the beef. They have a whole "Street Foods" section of the menu where you can pick all different types of street snacks.

The Steak

Of course the focus is on the beef. We shared a bone-in Ribeye and black truffle fries. The steak was fantastic, cooked with a lovely char.

They tempted us with black truffle fries. How could I say no?

Yum! Haha, yep, I love gnawing on the bone, where the most flavorful meat is!

Great, great wine that went really well with the steak.

Dessert

It was soft, fluffy, and all around just perfect. A small dollop of ice cream completed the dessert.

All in all, a GREAT prelude birthday meal. The ambiance was comfortable, the service was great, and the food was high quality. We had a really nice time and would totally come back again.

BeefBar Hong Kong
16 Ice House Street
Central, HONG KONG

January 12, 2024 Asian

Yamato Yakitori Wan Chai right in our backyard!

Yamato Yakitori quietly opened during the pandemic. Since we live right around the corner, we noticed the construction leading up to the opening of the restaurant. There are no windows, so you cannot see inside. It felt private, secret, hidden while also being in broad daylight. We often saw very, very nice race cars parked outside of the restaurant.

It wasn't until much later that we learned that it was a yakitori place. Yamato Yakitori originates from Osaka, Japan. The restaurant sources 150 day free range Jidori chicken from Nara, Japan and grills them over a charcoal grill.

I love yakitori, and one of my favorite restaurants in Hong Kong is a yakitori joint. Yet the fancy cars made me wonder whether this was some kind of super high end yakitori.

Yes and no.

During normal dinner hours, omakase menus are the only option, and you can enjoy them paired with fancy sakes or nice wines. However, starting at 9:30PM, the "Supper" menu becomes available. This is when you can order skewers a la carte (HKD60 each), or enjoy more casual "omakase" sets, 7 pieces for HKD400 or 10 pieces for HKD580. Contrast this with the tasting menus at dinner, which cost HKD 1080 for the classic omakase, and HKD1680 for the Signature omakase.

The Signature Omakase

Since we were coming to celebrate Bryan's birthday, we decided to go all out and try the Signature Omakase. It comes with a variety of dishes, as well as 12 skewers. If you're still not full after the 12 skewers, you can still order add-ons, which cost between HKD60 and HKD80 for most pieces (and HK$120 for special ones like the Yamato Special Chicken Thigh and Kumamoto Wagyu Filet).

They have a pretty good sake selection, and we tried several different kinds together with our chicken.

Grilled Vegetables

Cheese and Mini-sliders??

And then we tried thier mini-burger, which was so small!

It was super cute. It's also nice to be able to eat a burger in one bite.

Rice, Somen, or Ramen?

Bryan immediately went for the chicken ramen. It is the most traditional and classic choice. After all, we are eating at a restaurant that specializes in chicken. The chicken broth is bound to be fantastic (and it was!).

Happy Birthday Bryan!

All in all, we had a great time. High quality ingredients, expert execution, meticulous attention to detail in how every dish is made . . . it was really a lovely meal. The environment is cozy and intimate. Yes, it was quite pricy, and for yakitori, you can probably get just as enjoyable of a meal at another yakitori joint (or even come to Yamato late at night). However, a dinner at Yamata Takitori is much more than just going to a yakitori joint. It's an entire tasting menu that also includes a lot of other seasonal Japanese specialties. For a special occasion, it's really quite nice.

The tiny restaurant only seats twelve, so it's safer to make a reservation.

Yamato Yakitori Wan Chai Hong Kong
Shop No. 3-8, The Oakhill
28 Wood Road, Wan Chai

January 10, 2024 China

A Weekend in Dongguan China

Dongguan, a large city located between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, is known for its massive manufacturing sector. Despite its industrial reputation, Dongguan actually has a rich history and culture (unlike its more famous, mega-modern neighbor, Shenzhen). It's easy to get to Dongguan by taking the high speed rail from Shenzhen. The ride is only 45 minutes, and you enter another world.

We came during Chinese New Year and it was crazy crowded. The huge Covid wave had just finished blazing through China, and now everybody was ready to go out and travel! Dongguan has its share of gems, and we visited several of them during our weekend in Dongguan.

Song Shan Park

Song Shan Park is a huge park that is a wonderful place to spend the day on bike.

Renting bikes, we explored the park's expansive trails. This sprawling green oasis in the heart of Dongguan provided a lovely retreat from the city's hustle.

SongShan Park is adjacent to a company's campus that is built to look like a European city. From the park we could just get a glimpse of some of those European style buildings.

Urban Villages

Dongguan still preserves a lot of "urban villages". A stroll through one of these villages feels like you are walking back in time.

A Taste of Local Guangdong (Cantonese) Cuisine

Dongguan's food scene is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of the Guangdong province. Cantonese cuisine, known for its subtle flavors and emphasis on fresh ingredients, is ubiquitous here. We indulged in classic dishes like congee, a comforting rice porridge; tofu pudding, silky and delicate; and chicken feet.

Our next meal was at a restaurant called "xiang ge li la" “湘阁里辣”, a clever play on the Chinese wordplay that echoes 'Shangri-La' but stands for Hunan cuisine (湘) and spiciness (辣). This restaurant highlighted Hunan's bold and fiery flavors, a stark contrast to the more subdued Cantonese palate.

We tried the signature dish, a whole fish head simmering in a broth of aromatic spices and chilies.

However, my favorite dish was their hand-smashed eggplant, with longhorn peppers and century egg, which was prepared table-side using a mortar and pestle.

The peashoots in a light, savory broth was lovely. While I passed on the duck blood dish, Bryan really enjoyed it.

The place is known for their rice (and I agree, the texture is fantastic), and they sell it separately. It's a lot more expensive than normal restaurants (a bowl of rice is like US$3, which is A LOT in China!).

If you want to get a sense of old Guangdong (Cantonese) culture, Dongguan is a great place to visit. It's much better than neighboring Shenzhen, which is a sprawling metropolis that was built up in a very short amount of time. The prices here are also cheaper than in Shenzhen, so people from Shenzhen will sometimes come here to get massages, pedicures, treatments, etc. I seldom get manicures (I think this was my third time?), but they did a fantastic job (spent over an hour on an intricate design!), and it only cost like $15 USD.

Dongguan is a huge city, and a lot if it is very industrial (it is a manufacturing center, after all). However there are many pockets of culture, nature, and beauty.

January 7, 2024 Hong Kong

Feuille Hong Kong by David Toutain - A Double Birthday Celebration

I'm hard to please when it comes to French food. I've never liked the heavy use of butter, nor am I a huge fan of stewed meats, foie gras, and offal. At the same time, some of my all time favorite chefs come from France, especially those that focus on vegetables, one of my favorite foods.

One of my favorite meals in recent memory in France was at 2 Michelin star David Toutain in Paris (right at the start of the pandemic!). David Toutain trained under legendary French chef Alain Passard, who is famous for how he cooks vegetables (3 Michelin star L'Arpege). As a huge fan of Alain Passard, I was definitely intrigued by his pupils and those that were trained by him.

I loved our meal in Paris at David Toutain. However, I never, never would have imagined I would have a chance to have his food in Hong Kong. Imagine my surprise when Bryan told me that David Toutain has just opened Feuille in Hong Kong.

We have a friend from Shenzhen who celebrates her lunar birthday (which changes every year on the "normal" Gregorian calendar). It just so happened her lunar birthday this year fell on the same day as my Gregorian birthday. So, we decided to have a joint birthday celebration at Feuille HK.

About Feuille's Food Philosophy

Feuille means leaf in French, and they chose this word because leaves are beautiful. Leaves express the restaurant's focus on "nature-inspired meals", particularly the "product, the tree, the seed . . ."

It's challenging to open up a restaurant based on this philosophy in a new geographic location in a very different part of the world! Yet Chef Toutain and Executive chef Joris Rousseau have done just that, taking Chef's Toutain's ethos and cooking style, yet expressing them with a whole new set of local ingredients.

Chef Toutain shared about his visit to farms in the New Territories in Hong Kong. "I was very, very surprised at the amazing products you have." He felt that Hong Kong had the right foundation "to make it happen." [source: https://www.feuille.hk/]

The Menu Terroir

The menu is divided into four different "stages", Grains & Seeds; Leaves, Stems & Roots; Flowers & Fruits, and Origins. It takes the diner through a journey "showcasing the philosophy of Chef David Toutain by preparing the most seasonal local produce with French cooking techniques through the life cycle of plants."

The Menu Terroir (the tasting menu) costs HK$1,599 per person (USD$205) and HK$988 for a 7-Glass Wine Pairing. Filtered water is HK$38 per person, free flowing.

Grains & Seeds

We began with several different small canapes that incorporated the "grain" or "seed" theme.

A number of single bites, to be eaten with our hands, arrived next.

Leaves, Stems & Roots

We were impressed at this healthier alternative to butter that we found to be even more flavorful and addictive. We actually requested second helping because we finished the initial amount so quickly!

Watermelon daikon wrapped around blue crab and kombu was refreshing and delicious.

Bryan's favorite dish

Bryan's favorite dish at David Toutain in Paris was French Bretagne lobster cooked a la plancha with grapefruit and juniper. Here, Chef Toutain used a similar technique, but used a more local spiny lobster, and smoked it over saffron and an Asian kabocha pumpkin.

We dipped the lobster into a decadent sauce made with lobster head, pumpkin, and saffron.

Upgrade option: Pithivier

We had an option to replace the pigeon main course with a beef pithivier (which all parties would have to share). Bryan absolutely loves pithiviers, and was probably still dreaming about his favorite pithiviers from Restaurant Bozar in Brussels. So, we decided to try it.

It was indeed an impressive dish (and tasty), but hard to compare with the best pithivier we've ever had. We were still very impressed with how evenly the inside of the beef was cooked, and overall we enjoyed it.

Flowers and Fruits

Origins

We ended with some simple mignardises to finish off the meal, exploring flavors such as lemon mint, chocolate lovage, and sesame strawberry (not pictured).

General Thoughts - Feuille Hong Kong

We all really enjoyed this special birthday meal at Feuille. It's not easy to incorporate a whole new set of local and seasonal ingredients (from a less familiar region!) into a menu. I applaud Chef David Toutain for making a truly valid effort. In general, I think the team pulls it off, and the resulting meal certainly carries David Toutain's overarching style, but with a Hong Kong twist.

Service was excellent, food was very good, and overall we had a lovely time. The staff was very nice, accommodating, and took very good care of us, even when our friends ran into traffic trouble and arrived a bit late.

I like the philosophy, and I think it will be fascinating to see how Chef Toutain adapts to the seasons here in Hong Kong. Can't wait to go back!

Feuille Hong Kong
5/F, The Wellington
198 Wellington St
Central, Hong Kong
reservations

December 29, 2023 Belgium

Merry (Belated) Christmas

Merry Christmas! Greetings from Southern California, where we are spending Christmas with family that we have not seen in a very long time. There’s a comfort in re-experiencing decades-long family traditions during the holidays. We’re so thankful to be able to come back.

I’m taking this opportunity to try and catch up just a bit on my backlog of posts. I’ve traveled quite a bit this year, but have fallen woefully behind in posting here in this space. I’m still working my way through our month of travel in Mainland China (this past JANUARY!).

I plan to at least write a summary of the year, where I will share some highlights from the past year. For more current updates, feel free to check out my Instagram, Facebook, or even LinkedIn posts.

* * * * *

The pandemic was a weird time that still messes with my sense of time. Even though we were stuck in Hong Kong at the beginning of the pandemic (and celebrated Christmas over Zoom with family in 2020), we did have the opportunity to travel more in 2021 and 2022, which gave us a peek into what Christmas looked like in other parts of the world.

Last year we spent a significant amount of time in Brussels, and got to see the city come alive with incredible lights, decorations, a huge Christmas market, and more. Here are some photos from that time . . .

The Grand Place, the old city square that never loses its romantic charm, becomes even more special during Christmastime.

At night it lights up into many colors, and music lights shows occur regularly throughout the evening.

In the surrounding area, a huge Christmas market springs up during the month of December.

St. Catherine’s Square is another lively area that’s not too far from the Grand Place.

All sorts of traditional Belgian foods are available, such as waffles, fries, beer, and chocolates. We always like to get mulled wine, which is also easy to find.

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is a fantastic place to buy chocolates (my favorite is Pierre Marcolini) and waffles (go sit down at Maison Dandoy at THIS location, where the waffles are still made to order and not made in advance).

Festive Street Lights

Each street gets to choose how to decorate its own lights. It was really fun to walk around and explore the light decorations of each street. Some are quite elaborate!

Yes, this was a performer on stilts walking down the pedestrian street! So festive!

We showed up right before the Christmas Market opened, so we got to see a lot of the things being set up. This ended up being a HUGE chocolate/candy shop where people could buy all sorts of delectable chocolates and more.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

December 13, 2023 China

Kardia Cafe Kunming China 從心開始

In one of the art districts in Kunming sits a very special cafe called Kardia Cafe, or 從心開始 (cóng xīn kāishǐ). This term literally means "starting from the heart" but also sounds identical to a phrase that means "start over" or "renewal" 從新開始。The word kardia is also the Greek word for heart, thus connecting the Chinese and English names of this special cafe.

Bringing the World to Kunming

The owners are a couple with roots from Hong Kong and Canada, long-time foodies who have a passion for making the highest quality baked goods completely from scratch. The husband Nathan is a huge fan of Chef Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon). He's been inspired by the level of precision he sees in Chef Keller's work.

Nathan and his wife Priscilla bring this same intense focus of quality to this little corner of Kunming, which is such a unique find.

"At our cafe, we just wanted to bring to Kunming the food that we like to eat. As ethnically Chinese we’ve grown up overseas in Canada, the US and Australia and there are such diverse foods available that that also defines who we are as people who enjoy food."

For example, Nate and Priscilla have fond memories of Vietnamese bakeries and going to their Vietnamese friends' houses when they were growing up. Banh mi became a staple in their childhood diets, so they decided to put it on Kardia Cafe's menu as well.

Montreal Bagels in China?

A recent new bakery item they've brought to Kunming is the beloved Montréal bagel. Nathan, who is from Montréal, tested for months before finally releasing this bagel. Kardia Cafe's Montréal bagels have a distinct crispy outside, chewy inside texture that is different from "the bagels you find around here" says Priscilla. This is because Nathan first boils the bagels in water with malt syrup before baking, resulting in the unique texture.

Made From Scratch

One of the earlier names that Nathan and Priscilla were tossing around for the cafe was "Made From Scratch." This is because all the baked goods are painstakingly made from scratch each morning using high quality, often imported ingredients.

Our family’s food philosophy has always been “made from scratch” as much as possible. We’ve always made mooncakes, noodles, nut butters, nut milks, breads and all sorts of baked goods, sauces and meals from scratch. We enjoy the process. At our cafe we use imported ingredients like French and Japanese flour (depending on the bread or baked good), imported butter (usually from Australia or New Zealand), and French or Belgian chocolate
Priscilla

The locals who frequent the place feel like the cafe is a second home. These devoted regulars come just to say hi to the staff, sometimes staying for hours just chatting about life. Those who come regularly say they like the vibe of the place. There's a feeling of positivity and joy something that's much needed in this "內卷“ intense "996" environment where everyone is working as hard as they can, yet feeling like they are not making progress and instead are "curled up" into a tighter and tighter ball.

It's a pretty new cafe, opened for about a year. The environment, located in an arts district of Kunming, is indeed warm, inviting, and pleasant. On weekends, the cafe sometimes hosts events to bring the community families together, such as game night, "English Corner", or family activities (example, "Daddy & Daughter Date Night").

They recently expanded the cafe, so now there's a lot more indoor area. This has allowed them to host more neighborhood focused events on weekends.

Kardia Cafe Kunming China
云南省昆明市五华区金鼎山北路14号拾翠民艺公园1栋, Kunming, Yunnan

October 10, 2023 Hong Kong

Unexpectedly Closed: Écriture Hong Kong (2 Michelin Stars)

2-Michelin starred Écriture suddenly closed without warning last month, shocking everyone including even executive chef Maxime Gilbert himself, who wrote a heart-wrenching good-by on his personal Instagram account.

Opened in 2018, Écriture shot to fame with its intricate and luxurious dishes. Chef Maxime Gilbert (formerly at Amber) applied French technique to Japanese ingredients (totally up my ally), using top notch ingredients. The restaurant achieved 2 Michelin stars within a year, and is a favorite among many food enthusiasts.

We had the opportunity to go twice this past year, the first time with friends who know Chef Maxime well. We had no idea what would soon happen . . .

Below is a reflection back on that special meal.

Gougère - Hay cream with caviar

French Mussels Yakitori: charred mussels from Mont Saint Michel, smoked with pine needle

Signature dish "Tartatouille" consists of gorgeous paper thin layers of zucchini, eggplant, and red peppers. Truly an exquisite dish.

Iwashi on French Toast (made with brioche) with tomato compote.

Amaebi "à la cuillére": Shrimp "mousse" that reminded me of a savory creme brulee.

Cucumber Flowers: leek confit, kiwi + cucumber jus dressing, tonka beans, and pickled cucumber. This refreshing cold dish reminded me of a similar Japanese/Taiwanese quick pickled cucumbers my mom makes.

Another signature dish: Caviar and Uni Tart: is a supplemental add-on to the menu. It's made with Roval Caviar Club schrenckii, Hokkaido sea urchin, and celeriac puree in a buckwheat tart. It's delicious, absolutely decadent, and worth trying at least once (though it is very pricy!).

Uni foie gras custard and coffee cooked in a passion fruit shell, "like a chawanmushi".

Jamon Iberico bellota fat torched fish in a consomme of sorts.

Red Mullet, mint, and fresh almond stuffed in a trompette zucchini flower.

delicious breads.

A delightfully refreshing dish, tomato stuffed with paper thin layers of summer squash and served with basil oil and another sauce.

Line Caught Turbot: fava beans and "fraise de veau" ragout, concentrated turbot sauce infused with tagette.

Pork shoulder?

This beautiful garoupa fish head was not on the normal tasting menu, but we got to enjoy this special extra course because our friends knew Chef Maxime well.

This next course is made with Brittany crab that has never been refrigerated, thus giving it a very clean flavor. The crab leg meat with served with a spicy peach jam and a Brittany curry sabayon.

Basque Country Milk-Fed Veal Chop roasted in tobacco leaf and served with a potato dashi sauce.

Delicatessen potato (delicious!) served over roasted apricot and verbena. The dish was fantastic, a bit spicy with a sweet and sour kick.

Charente melon, freshly baked madeleines, and several other desserts.

Citrus: Timut pepper meringue and coconut sorbet

Gariguette strawberries and basil panna cotta and Moshida tomatoes

Les Gourmandises: Classic French Flan.

This is what it looks like cut.

Also, a chocolate tart with Miyazaki mangoes (not pictured). Finally, to finish, freshly-baked brown sugar madeleines (So. Good.)

Farewell Ecriture

We barely got to know you. Even though the restaurant's been around for 5 years, we just discovered it this year. After this meal in 2022, we went once more for Valentine's Day in 2023. The menu was similar, but with a few changes. Both times it was done very, very well. Little did we know that the Valentine's Day meal would be our last at Ecriture.

I'm sure Chef Maxime Gilbert is not done. I do hope he stays in Hong Kong so that we can continue to enjoy this talented chef's ideas and creations.

October 8, 2023 China

Aozao Guan 凹糟館 - Modern Yunnan Cuisine in Kunming, China

This post is one of several posts about my trip to Yunnan Province. You can read "Two Days in Kunming Yunnan China" first for an overview. Other Yunnan posts include Yunnan (Poisonous Mushroom Hot Pot), Xishuangbanna Dai Culture & Cuisine, Xishuangbanna Gaozhuang Night Market, and Foreigners Navigating Post-Pandemic Travel in China.

View of Green Park from Aozao Guan Restaurant

Green Park in Kunming is a beautiful park and a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Right next to Green Park, we had a fantastic dinner of modern Yunnan food at Aozao Guan 凹糟館. This restaurant showcased the bounty of Yunnan's produce, but with their own modern twist to the dishes. I loved the food. I don't even know if I can describe these dishes accurately enough to do them justice, but I'll try my best.

One of my favorite dishes (and the most memorable one to me) was this chili candied bean dish. It may not look like much, but it was strangely addictive. Each bite was savory, sweet, spicy, crunchy, candied . . . and I couldn't stop eating it! The beans reminded me a bit of certain crispy (slightly sweet) beef dishes you might get in Chinese restaurants, but made with beans instead.

Stir fried thick and chewy noodles!

This purple mashed potato is their signature dish and it is FANTASTIC.

Mustard green stems.

This dish reminded me of Hong Kong's typhoon shelter crab, which is buried in fried garlic and chilis.

Chicken, onions, and spicy chili peppers!

I can't remember exactly what this was, but it was a local vegetable that I am not very familiar with . . .

This doesn't look like much, but I was insanely impressed with the dressing on this salad of raw chrysanthemum greens. It was sooo good. It was beautiful balanced: a bit sweet, spicy, umami, etc. I just remember wishing I could replicate this salad at home.

Dessert! Deep fried mochi balls with a sweet and sticky filling.

General Thoughts

All in all, I loved the restaurant. The food was different enough from other types of Chinese cuisine that I still found it "exotic". Yet, at the same times the flavors were often familiar, and more importantly, delicious and deeply satisfying. (perhaps I was also hungry?) I loved how the restaurant showcased the local produce in the various dishes.

The place was PACKED with locals, and we had a hard to ordering many dishes because they were already sold out. Perhaps the holiday week had something to do with it. Still, even though we couldn't order a lot of what we had originally wanted, the food that we got was still excellent. Honestly, I'd go back in a heartbeat if I were to return to Kunming again.

昆明市五华区翠湖南路五号片区倚翠轩A幢3层A11号营业

Aozao Guan Restaurant
No. A11, 3rd Floor, Building Yicui Xuan,
Area 5, Cuihu South Road,
Wuhua District, Kunming City

October 7, 2023 China

Two Days in Kunming Yunnan China

This post is one of several posts about my post-pandemic travel to China. Other posts include Guilin & Yangshuo, Guilin & Yangshuo (Food + Lodging), Hangzhou, Yunnan (Poisonous Mushroom Hot Pot), Xishuangbanna Dai Culture & Cuisine, Xishuangbanna Gaozhuang Night Market, and Foreigners Navigating Post-Pandemic Travel in China.

Kunming is a launching point for those who want to travel throughout Yunnan. There's an international airport, and from Kunming you can conveniently take the high speed rail to many of the famous scenic spots, such as Shangri-La, Lijiang, Xishuangbanna, and Jian Shui. There is a direct flight from Hong Kong to Kunming which takes about 2 hours.

So we did what many do, used Kunming as a launching point to both Xishuangbanna and Jian Shui. In between "excursions", we had a couple days to also enjoy Kunming itself, our own "two days in Kunming."

People love coming to Yunnan province especially during the winter because the weather is temperate all year round. It's great to be outdoors. This could explain why Kunming has so many beautiful parks that you can visit.

We visited Green Lake Park (or Cui Hu Park 翠湖公園). It was beautifully decorated, there are many different bodies of water, bridges, and even mini-forests you can walk through.

We came during January. Isn't this just amazing weather for January?

Modern Yunnan cuisine at "Aou"

Right next to Green Park, we had a fantastic dinner of modern Yunnan food at Aozao Guan 凹糟館. This restaurant showcased the bounty of Yunnan's produce, but with their own modern twist to the dishes. I loved the food. I'll follow up tomorrow with a separate post dedicated to this restaurant, detailing each dish!

Crowded Night Market

We were brave and we visited a popular night market one evening (Taruwawa Market). Wow. It was crazy, crazy crowded. Again, this was the week of Lunar New Year soon after the whole nation had just recovered from Covid.

We tried. We walked through the market once. But it was really too crowded. We didn't even feel like stopping to buy anything. I'm sure it's fun when it's a normal crowd size. But this was a bit too much, haha.

The decorations were indeed festive though!

The Amazing Song Hotel

Huge shoutout to my friend who recommended this hotel to us. The Song Hotel in Kunming is stunning. We were blown away by how nice it is, and it's really not that expensive for what you get (~ US$200 a night).

The overall property is huge, and each room is actually a "villa", a two-level townhouse with super nice furnishings. We had fun taking walks outside around the "neighborhood" during the day.

The lobby area is stunning and grand.

This is the view behind the hotel. It looks over at the area mountains.

Here is the view from our balcony! And the rooms are typically under US$200 a night, which isn't bad for a 2-story villa with a King bed!

Right outside the hotel there are great places to walk. We walked along this river for quite some time and passed other hotels.

We even stumbled upon this cool outdoor food fair, which was really fun!

Cafe in an Art District

The owners are a couple with roots from Hong Kong and Canada, long-time foodies who have a passion for making the highest quality baked goods completely from scratch. The husband is a huge fan of Chef Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon). He's been inspired by the level of precision he sees in Chef Keller's work. They bring this same intense focus on quality to this little corner of Kunming, which is such a unique find.

It's a pretty new cafe, opened for only about a year. The environment, located in an arts district of Kunming, is indeed warm, inviting, and pleasant. I'll soon follow up with a more detailed post about this unique cafe!

All in all, our trip to Kunming was fun but way too short. I'm sure I'll be back again, since there are still so many places in Yunnan Province that I need to visit. Kunming is still a great launching point for all these trips, but the city itself also has much to offer.

September 10, 2023 China

Xishuangbanna: Hani Minority Food

This post is part of a larger series detailing my trips to China earlier this year in 2023. Other posts in this series include Guilin & Yangshuo, Guilin & Yangshuo (Food + Lodging), Hangzhou, Yunnan (Poisonous Mushroom Hot Pot), Xishuangbanna Dai Culture & Cuisine, Xishuangbanna Gaozhuang Night Market, and Foreigners Navigating Post-Pandemic Travel in China.

On this trip, we had hired a tour guide to take us around during our three days in Xishuangbanna. He was actually a friend of a friend, and was from the Hani minority group.

Hani is the second largest ethnic minority group in Yunnan Province (Dai being the largest). The Hani have their own spoken language, though there is no written language.

Hani Coffee

Our tour guide Jason worked part-time at a coffee shop called Hani Coffee, opened by an Australian who was fluent in Chinese and had a passion for making high quality coffee beans grown in Yunnan Province.

We had a lot of fun tasting different types of coffee. We even tried some coffee "tea", a tart drink made from steeping leftover coffee fruit in hot water. It's really quite interesting!

We bought a few bags to take back. Apparently you can buy these on Taobao all throughout China.

We also asked Jason whether he could take us to a place to enjoy a very local Hani dinner. Jason warned us that Hani food was much more homestyle, much more basic. It's not as famous as Dai cuisine, and I can see why. It doesn't have the vibrant flavors that characterizes Dai food.

Despite his "warnings", we told him we really wanted to experience the food of his culture. He finally ended up bringing us to this very local place, owned by a family friend who he grew up with.

Traditional Hani Food

Going to this restaurant with Jason was like visiting the home of an old friend. The moment we arrived the owners welcomed us warmly with the utmost hospitality.

The husband was actually Chinese (from Shanghai), and the wife was full-blooded Hani. They had met in Shanghai and lived there for some time, but then decided to come back to Yunnan, to her hometown, and settle in one of these villages.

The guy really got along with us (he was very, very chatty), and invited us to have tea with them after the meal. For fun, they let us wear their traditional clothing.

Hani Food

And then we had a chance to sit outside (again, on these low to the ground stools) and enjoy this traditional Hani meal.

What a unique experience! The food was lovely, and we really cherished hearing stories about this couple's experiences moving "back" to Yunnan. It was also very interesting to see how Hani food was quite different from Dai food. Definitely not as strong flavors, more simple and comforting.

As we got up to leave, the warm and friendly couple beckoned us to come back soon.

September 7, 2023 China

Gaozhuang Night Market Xishuangbanna 告莊夜市

This post is part of a larger post about my recent trip to Yunnan Province. Other posts include Xishuangbanna Dai Cuisine & Culture, Poisonous? Mushroom Hot Pot, Jian Shui Yunnan Trip Report, and Foreigners Navigating Post-Pandemic Travel in China.

For most people visiting the city of Jinhong in Xishuangbanna, Gaozhuang Night Market (告莊夜市) is a must visit. This vibrant open air night market is especially fun to visit at night. It's easy to spend a whole evening marveling at the wide variety of food and goods at the numerous stalls. It's one of the most popular attractions in the city, so be prepared for big crowds during peak times (starting around dinnertime and stretching into the night).

Our friend told us that the dresses they sell in the touristy spots are not the authentic style of the minority groups in Xishuangbanna. Instead, they are more Thai style. However, most tourists can't tell the difference. In Xishuanbanna, every minority group has its own style of dress, and you can recognize the minority group by their dresses and head coverings.

For example, we purchased Dai style dresses from a Dai shop that customizes it for you once you choose your cloth.

Our local Chinese friend who was traveling with us had lived in this area for about a month before the pandemic. She had gotten to know Gaozhuang Night Market quite well, and had a favorite chicken feet stall she really really wanted to visit.

Amazing, despite the 3-year pandemic, the same lady was still at the same stall, still making our friend's favorite chili lime chicken feet salad. The lady makes this salad fresh-to-order, smashing all the ingredients together in that huge mortar & pestle. Just imagine, chicken feet, lime, fresh chilis, fish sauce, and lots of herbs. This region is right next to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, so it's not surprising that they use a lot of Southeast Asian herbs and spices.

Flashback

I came to Xishuangbanna and Gaozhuang Night Market five years ago, soon after moving to Hong Kong. I still have very vivid memories of eating larvae and crickets (!). This time, I did not see any insects at this market. Perhaps the pandemic put a stop to these types of stalls.

Dai BBQ Restaurants

It's fun to have dinner at one of the Dai BBQ restaurants. Essentially, they lay out all sorts of fresh vegetables, meats, and seafood. Often the meats are on skewers, and you just pick what you want them to cook. They also have a wok, so they can stir fry as well.

Snoopy??

One funny sight I didn't see when I came 4 years ago was the abundance of these Snoopy 3-wheeled scooters all around town. I believe it was mostly tourists riding them, and I saw several rental places right around the night market.

In fact, traffic was TERRIBLE and parking at Gaozhuang Night Market was near impossible when we went. If you can take a taxi, it's probably a lot easier. However, since we were with the tour guide, we had to park a bit further away in order to avoid being stuck in really really bad traffic.

I guess this may not happen on normal weeks, but we happened to be there the week of Chinese New Year.

All in all, definitely visit here if you can! They've really made it quite nice, and it's an easy way to sample a lot of different types of food. If you hate crowds, come a bit earlier, or just come off season!

September 4, 2023 China

Xishuangbanna - Dai Cuisine & Culture

This post is part of a larger series detailing my trips to China earlier this year in 2023. Other posts in this series include Guilin & Yangshuo, Guilin & Yangshuo (Food + Lodging), Hangzhou, Yunnan (Poisonous Mushroom Hot Pot), and Foreigners Navigating Post-Pandemic Travel in China.

Xishuangbanna is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in China, having more than 25 different ethnic minority groups. The Dai is one of the largest, and thus their food is quite prevalent and well-known, both in the region and also throughout China.

In essence, Dai cuisine is characterized by four basic flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. This is reminiscent of Thai, but bitter replaces sweet, and they don't really use coconut milk or fish sauce. The cuisine is fresh and vibrant, characterized by some combination of (1) fresh herbs (such as cilantro, culantro, mint, garlic, and ginger) + (2) fiery chilis and (3) something acidic (usually lime but sometimes vinegar).

You can read more detail about the Dai minority group and their food in my previous post (which goes into a lot more detail!).

We traveled to Xishuangbanna over Chinese New Year (!!) [you can read all about that craziness here]. Yes, China was CRAZY crowded. And since we'd been to Xishuangbanna before, we decided we wanted to have more of an "off-the-beaten-path" type vacation this time.

A friend of a friend (who worked as a tour guide before the pandemic) was happy to be our tour guide just as things were opening back up in China.

A Very Local Dai Lunch

We asked our tour guide to take us to a very local restaurant. We wanted to eat like the locals. He was a local (from the Hani minority group). He knew we were desperately trying to avoid crowds and tourist jam-packed places.

So, he drove us to a small Dai urban village to enjoy a very traditional and local lunch.

Consistent with traditional Dai style, we sat on little low stools and ate at a low table. We were sitting outside, in what almost felt like a garage.

These looks a bit like fries but they are more like deep fried fresh cut potatoes. The spicy sauce was addictive, and the fresh potatoes really make the texture more crisp. It was delicious.

I love this cold refreshing dish of liangfen (bean starch "noodles") tossed in a dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, chili, and many other flavors. The fresh vegetables, peanuts, and everything else really added all different types of flavors and texture.

This sour mango salad is made from unripen mangos. It was VEEERRRRY spicy, so I couldn't really handle it!

I was floored by the prices. Keep in mind that US$1 is about 7RMB. Most of the appetizers above were between 8-10 RMB, so like $1 - $1.50 USD. Crazy. And they were so fresh and so tasty.

The centerpiece was the make-your-own fried fish lettuce wraps. Everything was so fresh, the sauce was so flavorful, and the dish was oh-so-good.

Hee hee, they even gave us gloves to use, which was great for Bryan, who hates getting his hands dirty.

Visiting an Ancient Dai Village

There are many traditional villages in Xishuangbanna, and each one has its own culture and personality. We visited one called Mann He Na Natural Village 曼贺纳自然村寨. It was a Dai Minority Cultural Park.

Dai houses are made of bamboo and are unique in that no one lives on the ground floor. It is usually kept open, so the houses look like they are on stilts. Once used to keep livestock and food, in modern times this area becomes space to park cars or mopeds.

Dai BBQ at a Night Market

Dai BBQ Restaurants are popular throughout the region. We enjoyed one right inside Gaozhuang Night Market. Choose your ingredients and they grill it for you. Head over to the Gaozhuang Night Market post to read more about it.

Traditional Dai Dinner Feast

Dai food is really flavorful, a wonderful blend of the bountiful produce in the area and the rich flavor influences from all the surrounding Southeast Asian countries. It's really worth trying!

Dai Clothing

Dai dresses are really colorful and have many different intricate patterns. If you want to buy some dresses, the prices aren't too bad, and they will tailor it for you on the spot.

Our local friend who was traveling with us loves pretty dresses, and thus we went around multiple shops to look at Dai dresses. We found a good one right across the street from the Manting Imperial Garden (one of the most popular tourist sites in Xishuangbanna).

This place （世光傣族服） sells higher quality Dai style dresses. You select your fabric and they will tailor it for you on the spot. Most dresses cost between RMB150 - RMB350 including tailoring (about $20 - $50), which is really not bad considering the quality.

It was fun to dress up and visit some of local sites (and take photos!). I will say, these Dai dresses are not that easy to walk in! I guess I am a fast walked, and I usually take wider strides!

Next up, a Hani Food & Culture (another ethnic minority group)

August 31, 2023 Hong Kong

Restaurant Mora 摩 Hong Kong by Vicky Lau

Restaurant 摩 Mora, Hong Kong - Vicky Lau — Do you remember "Tofutti"? It was an ice cream brand made of tofu (in the US) that probably launched before its time. A lot of people couldn't really accept the flavor, and I don't know if it was ever super successful.

Times have changed. Additionally, I am living in Asia now. Still, not many have attempted what Restaurant Mora by Vicky Lau is trying to do, which is to open an entire high end restaurant focused on soy.

Restaurant Mora's hyper-seasonal menu is defined by the versatility of soy. Opened in January 2022 from Vicky Lau, chef of 2 Michelin Star Tate Dining Room, Mora celebrates soy in all its different forms. The humble bean plays a role in every single course, even desserts.

I personally love tofu and soy in all its different forms, so I was quite excited to try this restaurant. In fact, I'm pretty sure Bryan wouldn't have chosen to come here himself, but he booked it because he thought I would really enjoy it.

The 6-Course Tasting

Mora Hong Kong Vicky Lau — We began with homemade velvet tofu topped with Ossetra caviar and condiments.

Cold Noodles

Fish & "Meat" Course

Dessert

Thoughts: Mora 摩 Hong Kong by Vicky Lau

There were certainly some incredible highlights from this meal, particularly the cold noodles and the mushroom pot. In general, it's an audacious goal to try to create a full tasting menu like this, and I commend Chef Vicky Lau's philosophy and efforts. Tofu is showcased in a lot of different ways, which is really cool. I especially like trying the more unconventional ways of using it, such as in the cold noodle broth or as another "layer" of the fish. In some cases, such as the Peking Duck wraps, it's hard to compare with the original, so I almost think it's better to create new dishes versus trying to make tofu versions of known dishes. Having said that, overall I love what this restaurant is doing and I can't wait to come back and try new creations. Soy is such a versatile product, and I'm so glad it's being used in these types of dishes more and more.

A 6-course tasting is HK680, 8-course is HK1080. You can order a completely vegetarian meal, but you must book 48 hours in advance.

Restaurant Mora 摩 Hong Kong by Vicky Lau
40 Upper Lascar Row
Sheung Wan Hong Kong

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August 26, 2023 China

Guilin Yangshuo Food + Lodging Report

This is a two part series about Guilin and Yangshuo. The first part of this series focused on activities and places to visit.

The greater Guilin area (which includes the town of Yangshuo) has a lot of unique foods. They are (not surprisingly) influenced by their neighbors, including Guangdong (Cantonese) and Hunan. There's also influence from other regions in the South, including Sichuan, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang. There was no way we could try everything in the time that we were there. However, we did seek out a lot of the famous "must haves". Furthermore, our hotel breakfast offered several of the more well known dishes from Guilin and Yangshuo. That made it easy for us to sample several local favorites.

Guilin Rice Noodles 桂林米粉

One of the most popular and commonly seen dishes in Guilin is its famous rice noodle. Rice flour noodles are typically served with a pork bone broth, peanuts, fermented radishes, garlic, and herbs. Another flavoring "sauce", called lushui 卤水，includes all the flavoring and can include bone broth plus a large number of spices that all together make up the signature flavor of that shop's particular rice noodle dish.

Usually you can customize your own, especially with the various toppings, pickles, herbs, and such. The fermented radishes definitely add a "stinky" uniqueness to these noodles. It is a common breakfast dish, but according to one of the drivers we met there, you can eat them at anytime. They make a great snack too!

qingtuan 青团

青团 Qingtuan (literally, "green/clear round ball") is a seasonal holiday snack made with mugwort (艾草) that is popular during Qinming Festival. It's like a Japanese mochi (made with rice flour) but the flavor of the herb is quite distinctive. My Chinese teacher had been telling me all about it, so I was quite curious to try it once I actually saw one in China! It's definitely got a distinct herby flavor (from the mugwort) that could be polarizing. Even lots of Chinese people don't really love it. I really enjoyed it, and tried to eat one every morning (from our breakfast buffet).

This is not unique to Guilin, but it's unique to the time of the year in China.

Guilin Oil Tea 桂林油茶

This oil tea 油茶 is made by frying tea leaves in oil and then adding water. This "oil tea" is eaten with "cereal" balls (kinda like Kix!), rice crispies, and herbs. It's surprisingly flavorful and supposedly has medicinal properties. I actually really liked it! But then . . . I actually really love broth and cereal, and this sort of reminds me of sizzling rice soup (but without the sizzle)!

Yangshuo Beer Fish 漓江啤酒鱼

Yangshuo Beer Fish (漓江啤酒鱼) is made with fish from the Lijiang River. The fish is first seared in a tea-seed oil and then braised in local Guangxi beer with a bunch of other vegetables. This is all done right tableside, which makes it pretty fun to watch.

The local beer in Guilin is called Liquan 漓泉 and is often used to make beer fish.

Our pot included peppers, tomatoes, scallions, garlic, and various sauces.

I am usually not a huge fan of river fish because of its muddy flavor, but the flavorful sauce (and maybe the beer?) here really masked any river muddiness, and I thought this dish was delicious.

Yangshuo Sea Snails

Yangshuo is also known for huge, meaty river snails which grow in the local Li River (!). We had them in a spicy tofu hot pot.

Colorful rice, just for fun.

Food Cooked in Bamboo

Another signature dish in Guilin is Bamboo chicken 竹筒里. Chicken is cooked over an open fire inside mature hollowed out bamboo logs. Smaller bamboo is used to cook rice + other ingredients.

They told us only in the countryside villages can you enjoy this dish cooked over a real fire.

Such a unique presentation!

It can be quite challenging to scrape the rice from within the bamboo! Haha, it takes two!

Bamboo is the theme! These bamboo restaurants also offer fresh stir fried baby bamboo shoots, which was sooooo good.

Taro Chicken Restaurant 芋头鸡

We had an interesting experience after leaving the famous Silver Cave. We decided to look for dinner nearby. After searching a bit (online and by foot), we found this place called Taro Chicken 芋头鸡 which had pretty good reviews online.

We were in luck. This place typically serves massive bus tour groups. However, we had arrived between two waves, so the place was (temporarily) empty. We got to chat extensive with the owner, who helped recommend certain dishes and took such good care of us.

Of course we had to get their taro chicken, which is the namesake dish. It was hearty, flavorful, and super filling! And yes, you do eat the whole chicken. Can you see the chicken foot in the pot?

Chicken gizzard with chili and scallions.

My favorite dish was the addictive sesame candied taro! This dish could be eaten hot or cold. Even when it got cold, the outer candied layer was still surprisingly crispy. The sesame seeds added a lovely touch of nuttiness, and overall it was just so addictive. We saw tour bus guests find ways to stash away these taro blocks into their bags as the tour bus was leaving.

One interesting note about this place: it's a bit of a distance from the main city. We ended up having trouble booking a Didi (like Uber) back home, which was a bit disconcerting.

We walked around the Silver Cave area after dinner trying to hail a car, and realized that the whole area is DEAD after the cave closes at sundown. We eventually walked back to the restaurant. Amazingly, the owner somehow asked his sous chef whether he wanted to make some extra money and drive us back. We were so thankful that he actually agreed to take us (!). I am not sure how we would have gotten home otherwise . . . oh the adventures you meet when you are out in these parts!

Lodging: Beautiful Retreat Center with a View

We stayed at the Yangshuo Fadai Retreat Hotel (发呆休闲酒店) and it was fantastic.

Even though it wasn't located smack in the center of town, the views from the hotel were breathtaking.

The best part was this coffeeshop at the top of hill of the resort. If you didn't feel like climbing, they had a golf cart that could drive you to the top. Otherwise, it's a steep incline up the hotel's private road, but it's not too bad.

The top is also where the pool is. In fact, you can enjoy your coffee in the middle of the pool!

They also offered a delicious breakfast, including lots of local dishes (mentioned above)!

I was able to try many local dishes right at my hotel: Guilin rice noodles, mugwort mochi, oil tea, and more!

August 25, 2023 China

Guilin & Yangshuo China Trip Report

This is a two part series about Guilin. The other part is about food and lodging.

My freshman year roommate was named "Guilin" - or at least that was her Chinese name. She came from a family of 6 kids (!), and each kid was named after a different city in China. To me, a fresh faced 18-year old from Toledo, Ohio, Guilin sounded like a super remote place somewhere in the depths of China.

Flash forward to 2018, my first full year living in Hong Kong. My friend told me she was finally visiting Guilin in China, and she would stop by Hong Kong to visit me! We had an amazing time, and she told me about her trip. Guilin felt more real, more tangible, and a lot closer.

Fadai Retreat
Guilin, Yangshuo, China — *Photo credit: Peter* *Huang*

Covid happened, and then it was over. All of a sudden it was 2023.

And through an unexpected twist of fate, we ended up traveling to Guilin and Yangshuo with some local friends.

Guilin and Yangshuo CHINA

Guilin, or more specifically Yangshuo, is really as beautiful as they say.

Yangshuo is a resort town located about an hour and a half from the city of Guilin. If you only have time to go to one, definitely go to Yangshuo, where the scenery is stunning and you can enjoy all sorts of recreational activities. There is now a direct high speed train from Hong Kong directly to Yangshuo!

XinPing + Li River (20 RMB) + Cormorant Fisherman

One popular (albeit touristy, but fun!) thing to do in Yangshuo is to bring a 20RMB note to the Li River and take a photo of the scene that's shown on the currency. The funny and ironic thing is that no one uses cash in China anymore. They've been using digital payment via mobile phones for years now. Still, many people still manage to find a 20RMB note and take photos with it at the right location.

Cormorant Fisherman and 20RMB bill
in Yangshuo China

I happened to have some RMB from pre-Covid times, so I made a point to bring my cash and take a photo too! Does it still look like it?

Haha we are such tourists.

There are still a few Cormorant fisherman who sometimes "perform" for the audience with their birds. For a reasonable fee you can sometimes get some photos with them, or even get onto the raft for some photos.

We even saw a (controlled?) mountain/forest fire in the distance that was put out pretty quickly.

Short hike on Xianggong Mountain 相公山

One of the most famous and elevated viewpoints is from the top of Xianggong Mountain.

It's particularly suitable for those that don't enjoy hiking too much. We rode an open air golf cart pretty far up the mountain. You can also take a normal car.

You need to buy a ticket to enter, and then after that it's a relatively short (15-20 min) steep-ish hike to the summit's viewing point. The entire 15 minute "hike" is paved with well marked stairs and railing, so it's quite safe.

The views from the top are stunning, and there are multiple levels from which you can enjoy the scenery and take photos. Recent rains made the river particularly muddy and brown, for an unusual milk chocolate colored river mixed with a hazy sky.

Xianggong Mountain 相公山 Guilin, Yangshuo, China — *Photo credit: Peter* *Huang*

We spent quite a bit of time there, playing with different lenses and different camera angles.

Bamboo Rafts

Another popular activity is to rent a bamboo raft and take a ride down the river. There are a few places that do this. We went to the smaller of the two rivers, which offered bigger rafts that were more stable.

I can't get over how pretty the mountains in the entire area are . . .

We all took turns rowing . . or is it skimming? Sometimes it is a bit comical just how many rafts there are. I think we went on a pretty busy tourist weekend!

Yulong River Scenic Area

It's a dream to be able explore the Yulong River Scenic area, whether by bicycle, moped, or by foot.

We rented mopeds, which allows you to get around a bit faster.

The scenery is absolutely stunning.

There are many stops along the way where you can just park your bike, explore, and take a break.

Along the road there are vendors selling various snacks, fresh coconut juice from the coconut, freshly peeled water chestnuts (soooooo good!), and much more.

Yulong River Scenic Area Yangshuo China - coconuts

What a lovely secluded little rest stop!

At this beautiful site we munched on fresh water chestnuts while taking photos.

Yangshuo, Guilin, China - water chestnuts

The woman who gave us the water chestnuts said she lived just around the corner, and these water chestnuts were freshly picked that day. They were so sweet.

Yulong River Scenic Area Yangshuo China China

We took a break at a coffee shop to cool down, refuel on caffeine, and also rest.

Coffee shop Yulong River Scenic Area Yangshuo China

It was nice to sit in the shade and enjoy the mountain view from inside the cafe.

Silver Cave (Yinziyan)

There are several famous caves in the region. Honestly, I have NEVER seen such massively tall stalactites and stalacmites. I was blown away . . . it felt like I was in another underground world.

See how little the people are?

They use a lot of dramatic color lighting to accentuate the experience even more.

Really incredible.

Up Next: Food + Lodging

Next post will be about the amazing resort we stayed at in Yangshuo (nestled in the mountains!), as well as a round-up of all the unique foods from the Guilin and Yangshuo area!

Fadai Retreat Center — *Photo credit: Peter* *Huang*

August 22, 2023 China

Hangzhou China Trip Report

It's been a loooooong time since I've visited a new city in China. Our first few years in Asia (in the Before Times) was a whirlwind of travel throughout Asia. I visited so many new cities I'd never visited before, like Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu, Xishuangbanna, Guanzhou, Hui An, and more.

So I was really excited to go on a Girls Getaway this past March in Hangzhou China.

West Lake

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province in Southern China and is renown for its abundant nature, rich culture, and excellent food.

West Lake, which takes up a big part of the city, is by far its most famous icon.

The lake has many forests, bike paths, pagodas, and more. You can easily spend several days exploring it.

We rented bikes and rode from our hotel to the lake. Hardly anyone wears bike helmets in Hangzhou, and you have to ride in traffic sometimes, which was a bit nerve-wracking for me. Nevertheless, once you are inside the lake area, riding the bike is blissful and the scenery is breathtaking.

I highly recommend riding during "golden hour" (a little before sunset), when everything shines with the sun's warm glow. For me, the bike ride was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Longjing Tea Terraces

Another highlight was doing this short and pretty easy hike up a tea terrace! Hangzhou's most famous tea is Dragon Well Tea, or Longjing Tea. Dragon Well tea is a green tea that is pan-roasted early in the process. It creates a light and mellow tea that is delicious.

The most premium tea leaves are the new young "shoots" that come up during the spring. The season is short, and the leaves picked before Qinming Festival (around early April every year), are said to be the most flavorful leaves. As time goes on and the leave become bigger and more full of water, their flavor is diluted.

Hiking up this tea terrace takes less than an hour, but you may want to stop and take photos (which could slow you down).

We made it to the top, but didn't have too much time to explore before we had to go back down.

The views are stunning, and it's really a unique experience.

Even though the hills remind me of wine vineyards, it's still pretty different.

City of Hangzhou

Hangzhou is a vibrant and modern metropolis that's home to Alibaba and many other powerhouses.

We ate most of our meals in the city, which gave up many opportunities to walk around and explore Hangzhou's malls, streets, and just absorb the general vibe of the city.

Hangzhou Cuisine

Stir fried tofu, ground pork, and chili

Sauteed vegetables with garlic

Other foods . . .

Other very well-known Hangzhou dishes that I've had before but that we didn't try this trip would include Dragon Well shrimp (small shrimp stir fried with dragon-well tea) and Beggar's Chicken.

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Airplane Food

And finally, just a fun comparison. I ended up flying Hangzhou's own regional airline Loong Airlines for the first time for my flight out due to the convenient time of their flight. I flew Cathay Pacific (my usual Hong Kong based airline) back to Hangzhou. It was interesting to compare my two meals (both Economy/Coach class). Though the food at Loong left a bit to be desired, overall it's a fine airline. The staff were very friendly and professional. Despite the long lines (I had no status on Loong), the overall experience was fine. Cathay is great, and I typically enjoy flying Cathay whenever I can.

August 18, 2023 China

Poisonous(?) Mushroom Hot Pot in Yunnan

Yunnan Province is known to be the bountiful harvest centre of all of China. A majority of country’s homegrown produce comes from this warm, sunny region. Well known products include their mushrooms, fruits of all kind, coffee, and much much more.

Yunnan is especially known for its mushrooms, boasting over 800 wild varieties!

The flip side of such diversity of mushrooms? the hospitals in Yunnan are also among the world top experts at treating mushroom poisoning. Yes, Yunnan has A LOT of poisonous mushrooms. People who are not careful easily end up in the hospital.

Certain mushrooms are reported to be hallucinogenic. This is why mushroom hot pot restaurants always tell you that you must wait until the mushrooms are fully cooked before you can enjoy the hot pot.

Here they are, in raw form! Definitely don't eat them now.

Black native “土鸡” chicken bones for the soup stock.

Time to Cook the Mushrooms

The server dumped all the black chicken and the huge tray of wild mushrooms into the pot. Then she set the timer for 20 minutes, told us to sit tight, and left.

After a few minutes one diner dipped her chopsticks into the broth. I think she wanted to taste the soup? Several voices erupted in horror, the server immediately yelled at her, and they took her chopsticks away.

Safety first.

Make-Your-Own Sauce

While waiting for our mushrooms to cook, we each got up and went to the make-your-own sauce counter. There was a dizzying array of ingredients to choose from, such as different fresh herbs, oils, sauces, pastes, seeds, chili powders, and more. It was a bit overwhelming! I ended up going with their little picture guide (you can see the poster on top of the sauces), which worked out really nicely.

"Lychee" Croquette Tree

After we'd all made our sauces, this beautiful old "lychee" tree full of deep fried ball skewers arrived to oohs and ahhs around the table. The kids especially loved it. Each skewer could be taken off and enjoyed individually. The taste was fine, but didn't necessarily stand out.

What Mushrooms We Ate

Here is the chart showing common mushrooms found in Yunnan. The top section are normal edible mushrooms. The bottom section is poisonous mushrooms!

20 Minutes Later: Time to Partake

After 20 minutes we finally got to enjoy this beautiful blend of mushroom flavors within one soup.

It was fantastic, and such a unique experience! I'm glad to report that I didn't have any hallucinogenic visions after enjoying this fantastic soup.

Part II: Vegetables

After finishing the mushrooms, we moved onto the second half of the meal where we added the rest of the vegetables to cook in the broth.

It's best to finish most of the mushrooms before adding the veggies. This is because the veggies really change the flavor of the soup, and it will no longer just have the pure and intense "mushroomy" flavors.

As we walked out of the restaurant, we gazed upon the pictures of all the different mushroom varieties with a newfound appreciation.

It was such a unique experience! We're so thankful for our local friends who shared this place with us.

Video: Mushroom Hot Pot in Yunnan China

Here's a video summarizing my experience! Very interesting and fun to try!

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August 14, 2023 China

Foreigners Navigating Post-Pandemic Travel in China During Chinese New Year

jian Shui Yunnan China — Jian Shui, Yunnan, China

Traveling in Yunnan Province (the travel capital of China) during the Chinese New Year Holiday (the biggest annual migration of people in the world) after a sudden, hasty re-opening of China after three years of stringent Covid lockdowns . . . . is certainly not for the faint of heart.

We bravely took the necessary Covid PCR tests, fought valiantly (and won!) slots to cross the land border into Shenzhen, to travel throughout Yunnan Province during the Chinese New Year holiday.

In China, most people get a whole week off during Chinese New Year. This is the most important holiday of the year, the one where *everyone* will try to travel home for the holidays to see family (not unlike a combination of Thanksgiving or Christmas in the US, though not quite the same).

Trains become fully booked, transportation can be difficult to find, and it’s get CROWDED everywhere. A few days after the obligatory family visits are completed, many people decide to use the remaining holiday period to travel throughout China. Vacation destinations become jam packed with holiday makers. Hotels, trains, tour guides, and roads become nightmares to navigate.

As a foreigner, assuming you were able to get a visa to even enter China (not so easy at that time, easier now), there are still a myriad of obstacles to overcome when planning a trip in China.

Transportation

Buying Train Tickets Online

We ran into issues trying buy tickets online because we were not “in the system” as having verified that our name matched our ID card (in our case, our passport). This involved me having to physically go to a train station, show them my passport, and ask them to please “confirm” me. Once I was confirmed, my friend could help me buy tickets online. In short, it's hard to do anything in China without "registering" yourself within the big system using real IDs.

Entering the Train Station

Train stations in China vary in their level of technology. The most advanced ones (like Shenzhen and Hong Kong, for example) have automatic machines that can read not only Chinese ID cards but also foreign passports. It might feel a bit freaky, but at those stations, all you need to do is scan your passport, let the machine “verify” your identify through a Face ID scan, and then you’re in. You don’t need to do anything else. The station knows which ticket you bought, and all you need to do is to get on the train. When you leave, the machine at the destination scans your passport and/or face again and lets you exit. It is eerily convenient.

In lesser developed train stations (like some of the ones in Yunnan), foreigners need to go through a “Manual Lane” where a person processes your passport. Virtually everywhere in China the automated machines are already set up for the locals. In some train stations, the authorities let the foreigners go through the line first since the manual process takes longer. In other train stations, they let us both go through at the same time. In the latter case, the locals get through much faster since they just have to scan their ID card versus have a person manually process each passport.

No matter what, if you are a foreigner, give yourself extra time at the train station. Your process is likely going to take longer than that of a local.

Ordering a Taxi/Car

Uber doesn’t work in China, so you have to use one of their local apps, like Didi. There is an English version of the app (thank goodness!), but then payment is a bit of a pain if you don’t have WeChat or Alipay (which require funding from a Chinese bank account). My Didi app (which worked three years ago pre-Covid) somehow stopped working this time. I didn't have time to set it up again, and ended up taking the subway to the airport.

Even if you are able to get a taxi at a taxi stand, you'll have to confirm whether the taxi takes foreign credit cards. We've always paid via WeChat or Alipay. Which brings us to our next topic of payment . . .

Paying

China is virtually a cashless society, and everything is done on various different Chinese apps like WeChat or Alipay. The China Tour Pass from AliPay allows you to link an Alipay account with a credit card. The fee is a bit hefty (3%), but at least it allows you to transact in China. WeChat Pay also recently started accepting foreign credit cards, such as Visa. As such, it should be much easier to navigate China now than even just a few months ago. Still, you should download either WeChat or Alipay. Without one of these domestic payment apps, it's still very, very difficult to transact and just function in China.

Finding a Place in China to do a Covid Test for a Foreigner

One of the most challenging issues I had to deal with was actually returning to Hong Kong after my multiple week trip in Mainland China. Hong Kong still required a negative Covid test taken within 24 hours of crossing the border. The problem was, Mainland China had just recently completely opened up, meaning all of a sudden, it was actually really, really difficult to find a Covid testing center. The testing centers that did exist were for the locals, meaning they would only service people who could provide a Chinese ID card and a Chinese phone number.

I actually visited THREE different testing centers in THREE different cities in my attempt to get a proper Covid test. Two days before, in Xishuangbanna (Yunnan), we stopped by one center, only to see that it was already closed for the day (they closed at noon!).

The next day we stopped by again but found out I wasn't eligible since I was a foreigner. Starting to panic, I called my friend in Kunming, (a bigger city with more foreigners). I was planning on going to Kunming in order to fly back to Shenzhen, so I'd be in the city for ONE DAY. She contacted a doctor friend who made some calls and finally managed to contact a hospital who would take a foreigner. I was in Kunming for only a day, but I was able to get the Covid test. One unexpected minor hiccup was that the Kunming clinic only took cash (???!). Thankfully, my travel buddy had some cash. Phew! You never know what problems might arise!

Unfortunately, I still wasn't in the clear, since the results would only be available "up to 30 hours later." The problem was, I wouldn't be in Kunming 30 hours later. I was supposed to be in Hong Kong by that time for my 10:30AM appointment! I couldn't afford to wait in China for another 30 hours before heading back to Hong Kong.

But I couldn't register to receive the results via text because I didn't have a Chinese phone number. At first my friend in Kunming offered to drive to the clinic, pick up the paper copy, take a photo, and text the results to me. We were hoping the border guards would be OK with a digital copy, not actual paper results! Finally, they let me register using my friend's number. Phew!

All we could do now was wait and hope the results came faster than 30 hours.

When I landed in Shenzhen from Kunming I decided to try a backup plan. I still had enough time to try and stop by an HKU (University of HK) clinic in Shenzhen (which promises results in 6 hours!). I figured they would accept foreigners. I was right that they accepted foreigners, but our taxi driver got lost and we ended up taking a 20 minute detour. Gahhhh! I literally arrived just a few minutes before they closed the line for that day's covid tests. Double Gahhh! Whyyyy??? They wouldn't let me in, and so I just had to pray that the Kunming results would arrive on time.

At 7:03AM the next morning, my friend messaged me and said "Congrats! The Report came out at 12:49AM." I was amazed. It took less than 12 hours!! I quickly packed my bags and rushed out the door, determined to try to get to Hong Kong as fast as possible to make my 10:30AM appointment.

Can you believe it? After ALL that . . . I actually made it to my 10:30AM appointment in Hong Kong!

I share this story mostly for my own memory. Obviously all this is behind us now, and it's actually quite easy to travel to the Mainland from Hong Kong. However, I will never forget this insane "journey" of searching for a Covid test over three different Chinese cities. Looking back, it's almost comical just how crazy it all was! I still can't believe how insanely stressful it was just get across the border into Hong Kong.

So thankful those days are behind us!

August 11, 2023 China

Jian Shui Yunnan Trip Report

We were crazy and visited Mainland China (for the first time since the pandemic) during Chinese New Year. Not only that, we decided to go to Yunnan Province, the vacation capital of China. Needless to say, we knew we wouldn't be able to completely avoid crowds. But perhaps we could at least try . . .

So, we chose to visit Jianshui, a lesser known ancient city in Yunnan. Even many Chinese people have never heard of Jianshui, because it is overshadowed by its more famous neighbors Shangri La, Dali, and Lijiang.

Jianshui is a small ancient town about a 3 hour train ride away from Kunming (bigger city with an international airport). Jianshui is best known for its ancient walled city, preserved gardens, and street foods.

A Peculiar Beginning

Our trip started in a pretty unusual way. After arriving at the High Speed Rail train station, we realized we needed to hail a taxi to our hotel. It seemed like taxis were tricky to grab, and we struggled to find the taxi stand.

All of a sudden we spotted a taxi and we ran up. He was happy to take us to our hotel for a very reasonable price.

"I just need to drop off some chickens."

???

"Go ahead, please get in the car."

"Just hold on a sec. I'll be right back. I just need to get some chickens."

Before you know it, our driver came back with another guy who was holding a basket full of live chickens (!). (I guess the train station was some sort of meeting point?). The two men struggled as the chickens complained loudly about being moved. After a couple minutes, the live chickens were safely stowed away into the back of the car. The driver kept the trunk open and started driving away.

As we sat in the back of the taxi, we were a bit floored and speechless, not sure what to make of this whole situation. Meanwhile, every few minutes the back trunk door would swing shut. Terrified the chickens would suffocate, the driver would jump out of the car at the next stoplight, open the back trunk, and continue driving.

We eventually got to our destination no problem. Our friendly driver continued on his way to drop off his chickens.

We still couldn't believe what we just experienced.

We stayed in Jian Shui for two and a half days. We explored the ancient city and surrounding sites during the day and immersing ourselves in the city life during the evenings. I'll start with food, especially some of Jian Shui's most famous foods.

Night Market Life

The Night Markets are lively and full of activity. There are all different types of food vendors selling various types of street snacks.

During Chinese New Year it was extremely crowded. China had basically just recovered from a massive Covid wave, so everyone was finally ready to go out and travel!

Erkuai (饵块）is a type of rice cake that is native to Yunnan province. On the streets they sell a grilled version that is cooked over a fire and wrapped around a filling of your choice.

You can see it in action in this video:

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Brains?

Grilled Street Tofu

Jianshui’s tofu is probably the single most well-known food from the city. These little 1-inch cubes of tofu are made from Jianshui’s well water and have a slightly fermented flavor. If you love stinky tofu, you’ll appreciate Jianshui’s version, which is much milder but still has its own unique funk.

Locals sit around a grill manned by a tofu grill master who painstakingly watches and flips each piece of tofu until it has reached perfection.

A larger order of 30 pieces could take up to half an hour. If you sit at the grill itself (there are usually little low stools around the grill) you can eat the pieces at their freshest, right when they are ready. It’s soooo worth it.

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Usually these grill restaurants will serve other grilled foods, such as various meats, offal, fish, and local produce.

Ivory Tusk Grass

Another unique specialty of the region is the “Ya cai”, named after an elephant’s tusk because of its white color and long, tusk-like shape. These shoots are quite expensive, and locals like to eat it in soups or grilled over a fire. Because it is so rare, it is quite expensive. We tried it several different ways.

Once as part of a beef noodle soup in the night market. Another time at a BBQ grill shop.

Yunnan Mixian (米线 Rice noodles)

The rice noodles in Yunnan province are fantastic. Yunnan's proximity to Southeast Asia means the general flavor profile has more fragrant herbs, brighter flavors (think lime!), and lots of chili! It's fantastic, and super cheap. A bowl of rice noodles may not even be USD$2, and it'll taste amazing due to the fresh ingredients inside.

Fresh Pomegranates + Strawberries

Yunnan has tons of fresh fruits, and pomegranate juice stands abound. You can get a huge cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice (made fresh before your eyes) for just a couple dollars USD. Fresh strawberries grown right in the mountains were also abundant.

Where to Visit: The Old Walled City

We spent a day exploring the old walled city, which retains the look and feel of the ancient city during the Ming Dynasty (1367-1644). The shops are now modern, but it's still fun to walk and explore The Old Walled City, which is pretty small and very walkable. We set aside a day to spend inside.

Inside the Old Walled City we visited Confucius Temple, National Examination Site, and Chaoyang Tower. There is a small fee to enter some of the above-mentioned sites, but you can buy a combo ticket at any of the sites (which is what we did).

Chaoyang Tower is an important historic building is part of the wall that surrounds the city.

It's nice to climb up, walk around, and see the old walled city from a different viewpoint.

Day 2: Excursions Outside the Old Walled City

The second day we went on small excursions to see some of the sites outside the walled city. The sites are all within 3-5 km from each other, so you can easily take a taxi from spot to spot. Another option is to buy tickets for the little red train that goes between the sites. It is very popular and can easily become fully booked. Don't expect to buy tickets after you arrive in Jian Shui.

Double Dragon Bridge

This 700-year old "17-arch" bridge is one of the most famous and beautiful bridges in Yunnan Province. It's a lovely place to take some really nice photos.

We couldn't get tickets to the little red train, so we hailed a Didi (like Uber in China) to drive us out to this place which about 3 miles away from the old town.

Zhu's Family Garden

The Zhu family built this massive residence + garden during the late Qing Dynasty.

I very much enjoyed exploring all the different little paths, courtyards, and little streets in this garden.

Because the overall grounds is so large (~5 acres), you can wander around and not feel like it's crowded at all (unlike other popular sites). It was the perfect place to spend time during this busy Chinese New Year holiday season.

Next Stop: Xishuangbanna

July 23, 2023 Boston

Jen's Top Restaurants to visit in Boston - 2023 Update

I originally wrote this post on April 23, 2013 following the Boston Marathon bombings. It was in honor of my beloved city, which was going through so much grief at the time. I felt compelled to support Boston and share about it, which I did by writing a round up of my favorite places that I recommend to friends whenever they visit Boston. I updated once in 2017, right after moving to Hong Kong. It's hard to believe it is already another SIX years since that post. Though a lot of my recommendations remain, the pandemic has unfortunately wiped away many restaurants, and thus it was time for an update. I've gone through and removed restaurants that have closed. I have also added a handful of new places that I recommend!

Before I begin my long list of recommendations, below is a short and sweet version, for those of you who just want a few top recommendations:

TD;LR

This is the short and concise summary of where I'd recommend eating if you only have a couple days in Boston (and you want to try the city's "signature" dishes).

Hot buttered lobster roll, raw oysters, + fantastic beer list at Row 34 in Seaport, Boston. If you have time for another lobster roll, go line up at Neptune Oyster.
Ice cream at Toscanini's in Cambridge
Lunch at Hi-Rise Bread Company's (get a slice of the vanilla loaf!)
Pasta in Boston's North End (Mamma Maria or Prezza) + a cannoli or "lobster tail" pastry at Modern or Mike's Pastry
Creative, seafood-focused small plates at Moëca in Cambridge'

1. Taste Boston's Famous Seafood

Boston has fantastic seafood - everything from our dizzying array of raw oysters to the awesome lobster rolls and clam chowder. Try the incredible lobster roll at Neptune Oyster in Boston's North End. Their hot buttered lobster roll is especially famous, but everything there is really, really good. I personally love their oysters as well as the Johnny cake.

The Johnny Cake from Neptune Oyster

The biggest negative about this place is that they don't take reservations and the restaurant is tiny. Waits can easily stretch to a couple hours long. Thankfully, you can leave your phone number and they will call you when your table is ready. However, don't show up too late. We've come and been turned away before because the line was so long they wouldn't be able to seat us that night. The last time we went, we showed up right at 11:15am (about 15 minutes before opening) and got in on the first "wave". It's the safest way to ensure a seat, I believe.

A selection of raw oysters from Row 34

If you don't want to wait at Neptune, Row 34 takes reservations and is one of my favorite oyster bar/seafood restaurant in Boston. On top of their excellent cooked seafood dishes, they have great crudos, an awesome raw bar, as well as a killer beer selection. You can also get the hot buttered lobster roll here, and it's divine.

Another option would be Select Oyster Bar in Back Bay (opened by Michael Serpa, previously chef at Neptune Oyster). I'm a huge fan of their crudo (must try the Faroe Island Salmon Crudo!!), and definitely get a platter of local raw oysters.

Finally, check out Eventide in Fenway. Originally from Portland, Maine, this trendy and casual seafood joint offers some of the greatest hits from the Portland location's menu, including their eponymous brown butter lobster roll made with a steamed bun as well as many local oysters on the half shell.

If you have time, take a 45-minute drive up to Boston's North Shore and enjoy famous fried clams from a clam shack (there's a long standing debate about whether Woodman's of Essex or J.T. Farnham's is better. I've never been to Woodman's, but I can say that the views at J.T. Farnham's are beautifully relaxing and the fried clams are tasty (though personally I think there are equally good ones right in Boston). Friends have told me that Clam Box in Ipswich is even better than the above two. And finally, local old-school favorite Legal Sea Food does excellent standard seafood fare, like fried clams, raw oysters, and lobster rolls. Try Legal Harborside for stunning views of the water.

My favorite lobster roll is actually a lobster sandwich from a small neighborhood "shack" in Cambridge called Alive & Kicking Lobster. This tiny little seafood shack only has outdoor picnic benches for seating. It serves fresh whole steamed lobsters, lobster sandwiches, and even a full fledged New England Clam Bake (complete with clam chowder, steamers, and a whole lobster!).

If you like lobster and love the ocean view, definitely check out Lobster Pool in Rockport, where you can actually watch the sunset over the ocean (one of the rare places in the East Coast where this happens!). The lobster rolls and lobster quesadillas there are fantastic.

2. Italian Food in Boston's North End (and some other hidden finds)

The North End is a vibrant, food-packed neighborhood that is definitely a must-visit. Though most tourists will line up to eat at Giacamo's or Pizzeria Regina, we prefer Mamma Maria, a place serving excellent Italian food in a cozy, townhouse-like environment; or the buzzing Prezza, who has one of the best bolognese sauces we've ever tried and an awesome lobster fra diavlo (but really, everything is fantastic).

For more casual, less expensive, but still excellent Italian fare, try Monica's Trattoria or Antico Forno. I always skips dessert at restaurants in the North End because I love heading over to Modern or Mike's Pastry for dessert. Don't miss the awesome lobster tail at Mike's (my favorite!) or the amazing, filled-to-order cannoli at Modern. Lines can get long on weekends, though you can sometimes avoid the lines if you opt for sit-down service at Mike's (if there's an open table). I also love just chilling while sipping on cappuccinos at Cafe Vittoria, an old-school Italian cafe that serves desserts, gelato, and all sorts of coffee drinks.

One great tip about parking is that you can park at the MBTA Haymarket Center (Parcel 7) Garage (address is 136 Blackstone Street but the entrance for the garage is on New Sudbury Road) which only costs $1 for two hours or $3 for three hours if you validate. Many of the North End businesses will validate. Worst case scenario, you can always grab something at the Boston Public Market or get a dessert in a North End shop, most (if not all) of which validate. Just make sure to finish everything within the three hours to get the discount pricing.

Giulia's signature warm semolina cakes with lardo

Giulia, in Cambridge, makes all of its pastas in-house daily and executes excellent dishes overall. For special occasions for larger parties, you can even enjoy a special tasting menu at the Pasta Table. We are so lucky to have this popular place right around the corner from our house. We visit it very often (at least once or twice a month!).

One of my latest obsessions from my recent trips to Boston is the sister restaurant to Giulia, a seafood-focused Moëca in Cambridge. Moëca serves fantastic globally inspired small plates boasting fresh ingredients and incredible flavor. I visited twice in 2023 and loved it both times.

*Langoustine with caviar at Bar Mezzana*

If you're in the South End head on over to Italian restaurant Bar Mezzana. Run by chef-owner Colin Lynch and his wife Heather (formerly from the Barbara Lynch Gruppo - no relation), this place makes fantastic crudo and amazing pasta. Honestly, everything is good here. Their simple cacio e pepe is the best I've ever had. All the pastas are freshly made, and they source great ingredients.

3. A Splurge One Night?

Although Boston hasn't been rated by the likes of the Michelin Guide, San Pellegrino Top 50 Best Restaurants list, or other lists that get passed around, we have our own fair share of fantastic fine dining options. Here are my favorites.

Watermelon Pearls and Oysters at O Ya Boston

For a twist on Japanese food (one of my favorite cuisines), head down to O Ya in downtown Boston where James Beard Award winning Tim Cushman will delight you with his creative takes on sushi. Must try dishes include the fried Kumamoto oysters nigiri, grilled chanterelles & shitake mushroom "sashimi", and the foie gras nigiri for dessert (yes, chocolate sauce and dessert wine). If you're into sake, Chef Cushman's wife Nancy Cushman is a certified sake sommelier and can create a great pairing for you.

4. Gastropubs, Farm to Table, and Neighborhood Restaurants

One thing that spoiled me when I lived in Cambridge was the plethora of really good gastropubs, something I took for granted too often. Just in Cambridge alone, I only needed to walk a few minutes to find a really good, reasonably priced place where I could get excellent food and a great selection of craft beers.

I love love love what Chef Tracy Chang is doing in the neighborhood with PAGU, an Asian fusion restaurant that's mostly Japanese and Spanish inspired, but also throws in a dose of Taiwanese from her heritage (yay!). Chef Chang has poured her heart and soul into this place, and it shows. The food is fantastic and beautifully presented.

She also does neighborhood events and really invests in the community. Definitely try the famous pop-up ramen Guchi's Midnight Ramen (my favorite ramen in the city), the cheesy wafflatos, and the squid ink baos. Stop by for breakfast too! They make excellent coffee, phenomenal pastries, and offer Taiwanese-style congee (with a twist, of course).

Lamb Chop and Lamb Sausage from Puritan & Co

Another great restaurant in Cambridge is Puritan & Co., helmed by the super talented chef Will Gilson. I've always really enjoyed whatever I have ordered on the menu at Puritan. Favorite dishes include the swordfish belly pastrami (which I get almost every single time), anything made with lamb, and his vegetable-focused risottos. Chef Will Gilson has now opened several new restaurants in Cambridge Crossing, Café Beatrice, The Lexington and Geppetto. They are all very good, and you can't really go too wrong with Chef Gilson's restaurants.

If you're willing to drive out a bit into the burbs, definitely check out Jinny's Pizzeria, a fantastic (and super popular) pizzeria helmed by Chef Lydia Reichert in partnership with Chef David Punch, also of Sycamore in Newton. The food's fantastic, and the owners are genuinely great people.

Woods Hill Pier 4 is the second location of Woods Hill Concord and serves consistently excellent food. Enjoy true farm-to-table food (yes, they have a farm in New Hampshire) while enjoying fantastic views of the ocean.

Mooncusser serves fantastic seafood and overall excellent food. I've only been there once (in 2022), but I thought the meal was excellent.

For some of the best Spanish tapas in Boston, head to James Beard award winning chefs Jamie Bissonette's and Ken Oringer's Toro in Boston's South End. Chef Bissonnette and Oringer's other restaurant, Coppa, focuses on cured meats, house made pastas, and other Italian specialties. Try the Spaghetti Carbonara, which has smoked pancetta, sea urchin AND a farm egg.

5. Craft Beers + Bargain Wines

Boston has an amazing craft beer scene, with more and more really good breweries popping up. To try a bunch of local beers, check out Cambridge Common (30+ beers plus great food - get the sweet potatoes fries!), Lord Hobo (40+ beers on tap and good food), or Trillium, which has its own space in the Seaport.

Cambridge Brewing Company

I personally have a soft spot for Cambridge Brewing Company, a microbrewery that's been around long before the current craft beer craze. They make a lot of fun beers throughout the year - everything from a pumpkin ale during the fall to a fun, smoky spicy hot pepper beer that we recently tried. The food is decent, the ambiance is fun (try the tower of beer!), and sometimes they even have a jazz brunch on weekends, which is fun and relaxing.

Legal Park Square has the best wine list out of any of the Legal Sea Foods (and has even won Boston Magazine's "Best of Boston Wine List" award), influenced largely by the restaurant group's sommelier, Sandy Block, one of only 300+ sommeliers in the world who have attained "Master of Wine".

All Legal Sea Foods have phenomenal prices on wine. It's part of a larger philosophy of the restaurant to provide value in wine prices. Seriously, we often see bottles selling for prices lower than what you would pay at Costco. It's a bit crazy, but we love taking full advantage of it. The seafood is fine (nothing particularly creative but everything's fresh and good quality). But really, we go because of the wine.

If we want to enjoy a gorgeous space with lovely ocean views, Legal Harborside is still a safe bet.

6. A Taste of Other Cultures

My favorite Brazilian restaurant is Muqueca in Inman Square, which offers delicious seafood stews called moquecas. The mariscada is also excellent, and the yucca fries and cashew fruit drinks are just fun to try.

Several of our friends who used to own or work at Bergamot are now together again at Pescador, a seafood "coastal grill" restaurant with influences from Central and South America. The dishes are bright and complex, the quality of the ingredients is excellent, and overall it's a great restaurant. It's in the space in Kenmore Square that used to be occupied by Island Creek Oyster.

For a more unusual, Mediterranean experience with a Turkish emphasis, check out Ana Sortun's more upscale Oleana, more casual Sarma, or her bakery cafe Sofra. All three are excellent. Chef Sortun's husband is a farmer (I actually belonged to his CSA for years!). Accordingly, it's no surprise that the restaurant strongly emphasizes local and seasonal produce.

For a unique style of rich, pork-bone broth ramen, try Yume Wo Katare in Porter Square, where you can try the unusual "Jiro"-style ramen not found in many parts of the US. The portions are so large, you actually get congratulation if you finish, since most people can't.

Ramen from Yume Wo Katare

It's super rich and topped with tons of garlic (make sure you like garlic!). Don't be surprised if you have to wait in line outside to get into this tiny little place, which only accepts cash and makes you use Japanese in the restaurant (they have signs on the wall telling you how to pronounce certain phrases).

You Po Mian Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe

Hand Pulled Noodle from Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe

For hand-pulled noodles made in the style of Xi'an, drive out to the main restaurant in Woburn or head into the downtown Boston satellite location to get a taste of Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe. Get the liang pi (weekend only), lamb stew, and handmade noodles, but skip the flatbread sandwiches.

For Chinese food, our favorites are Taiwan Cafe, Peach Farm, Winsor Dim Sum Cafe, and Hei La Moon. In Cambridge, Dumpling House is also very good. If you're willing to drive to the suburbs, Ming's Seafood in Malden is great (get the giant crab for special events!) or Sichuan Garden in Woburn, which is situated in an old house and serves excellent speciality cocktails.

Chiang Mai Noodle Curry from Thai North in Brighton

For Thai food, Thai North in Brighton has an excellent selection of really authentic Northern Thai dishes. Just make sure to order off of the special Northern Thai section of the menu. My personal favorites include the Chiang Mai Sausage, the Chiang Mai Noodle Curry, and any of the larbs.

7. Casual Fare

Burger aficianados will quickly zone in on local burgers that have attained a cult-like status, like the super limited burger at the former Craigie on Main in Cambridge (R.I.P.!) or the ever-changing "Secret Burger" at Alden & Harlow.

One of the most popular, historic, and (admittedly) touristy burgers in the entire city is Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square, which has been around since 1960. This place is an institution in the Square and often has lines going out the door on nice days. The burgers are named after various celebrities in fun, irreverent ways (often poking fun based on current events). Boston has several Shake Shack and Five Guys locations as well, which are all solid.

Pizza from Area Four in Cambridge

For a simple lunch, one of my favorite local places for excellent salads and pizzas is Area Four in Cambridge right near MIT. I love the thin crust pizzas that they make, which often come with really creative toppings. Their salads are excellent, and are always made with seasonal ingredients. As for non-pizza items, try the garlic knots or their wines on tap.

8. Sandwiches, Sweets, and Coffee

Toscanini's Ice Cream

Boston is obsessed with ice cream and I really think we have some of the best ice cream in America. My personal favorite is Toscanini's (or Tosci's) in Cambridge, which offers an eclectic variety of flavors that is ever-changing.

Rancatore's in Belmont and Lexington, founded by the brother of Tosci's owner, also serves similar ice cream, though the flavors are more ordinary. The best part about the Lexington location is that it's located right off the Minuteman Bike Path, so you can easily bike there, enjoy an ice cream cone, and head back to Cambridge. Other popular local ice cream places include Christina's and JP Licks, but Tosci's is my favorite.

Always enjoy our spontaneous lunches @hirisebreadco (and no, those vanilla loaf slices are not both mine!!) @bryanwche

One of my all time favorite bakery items in the entire city of Boston is Hi-Rise Bread Company's vanilla loaf. I've even tried making it (though my version based on their recipe still doesn't taste quite as good as the real thing, it's close!). Aside from all the wonderful breads and sweets that they sell, Hi-Rise also makes excellent sandwiches. There are multiple locations in Cambridge, and it's a fabulous place to have a relaxed lunch (though come early - like before noon - if you want to make sure you get a seat).

Tatte Bakery is a beautiful bakery with a great ambiance for coffee meetings, business chats, etc. Try a signature nut box (they're crazy good), cookie, or stop by for lunch and get a salad or sandwich. The coffee is only average, but as a whole it's a nice place to visit.

However, there ARE many good coffee places I don't even know where to start, but places we really enjoy include Simon's, Barismo, Thinking Cup, and Barrington Coffee. Of course I love visiting Blue Bottle as well (even though it's not Bostonian).

The most famous bakery in Boston just may be Flour Bakery by Joanne Chang. Her sticky buns are the most famous. They were featured in a throwdown with Bobby Flay and won. Rumor has it that you have to go early otherwise the sticky buns run out, though I've seen them at the Central Square location as late as 6PM. The fresh baked bread here is excellent, and it makes the sandwiches especially tasty. Their salads are also solid, and I like to eat them for lunch or dinner when I'm trying to be healthy.

Red moon rising over Boston the night after the fireworks

9. Still So Many to Try . . .

In 2023 I had the chance to travel to Boston TWICE from Hong Kong within a span of 2 months. Yes, I know, crazy. During that time, I found myself seeking dishes I couldn't get as easily in Hong Kong: things like lobster rolls, raw East Coast oysters, New England IPAs, and grape nut ice cream. I think a visitor to Boston would also want to see out Boston's unique dishes first, though I've tried to make recommendations across the spectrum. After all, good food is good food, and it doesn't have to be unique to Boston for me to recommend it.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the top restaurants to visit in Boston. It's a list of places that I would recommend to my friends if they asked me for advice. And it leans a bit towards Cambridge since I did live there for sooooo many years. I hope you find it helpful.

Thank you!

Jen

July 19, 2023 Guide

I'm Featured in the South China Morning Post! (SCMP)

Hi all!

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm featured in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) today in the Food/Drink Section. I've shared my favorite places to eat in Hong Kong and during my travels. You can read the article at this link. They had to shorten my original interview by a lot because I just had too many places I wanted share! I've included my original responses to the interview below.

Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself

I am a US patent attorney and Vice President & Principal at Eagle IP, a patent firm headquartered in HK with offices in the GBA. I am also a food + travel writer, founder of Tiny Urban Kitchen, a food + travel website/blog that I’ve been writing for over 10 years. I moved to Hong Kong 6 years ago after spending most of my adult life in Boston, MA (USA), where I went to school. I am a second generation Asian American, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio to Taiwanese parents. I also love music and play guitar in my church band.

What did you grow up eating?

In Ohio back then, we didn’t have much access to Asian ingredients, so my mom was really, really creative and resourceful. She loves to cook and try new things, so growing up I actually ate a lot of home cooked Taiwanese foods, such as braised meat sauce over rice 滷肉飯，dried radish omelette 菜餔蛋，tea eggs 茶葉蛋，beef noodle soup 牛肉麵，egg crepe 蛋餅, steamed rice cake in a bowl 碗糕 (“wah guay”), and much much more.

She often modified traditional Taiwanese recipes using US supermarket ingredients. For example, did you know you can make an easy 饅頭 (steamed bun) by using Pilsbury dough? She always cooked from scratch, and every dinner involved 3+1 . . . three dishes and a soup. I still sort of hold myself to the same standard today, though it’s quite challenging to do it every day. I’m not sure how my mom was able to do it AND take care of her work, her aging parents, and us!

I also loved ice cream (I get that from my Dad) and fresh corn (Ohio grows TONS of corn). One particular food memory I have is my mom making her famous grilled Taiwanese street corn while we were at the beach.

What kind of food person are you?

I’ve eaten all kinds of food: slow food, fast food, street food, Michelin meals. I’ve dined at 3-Michelin starred restaurants in Paris, crunched on fried insects in Yunnan, hunted for white truffles in Alba, chewed on snake skin in Hunan, eaten nigiri sushi from the hands of Jiro himself, and the list goes on and on.

After all that, though, I think I actually go back to the basics. Perhaps it’s due to my simple upbringing. Perhaps it has something to do with my slight obsession with health and fitness. I love fresh produce, prepared simply so you can taste their original flavors.

When I’m at home, I am perfectly content just stir-frying or even just steaming or blanching fresh vegetables and eating them with just a bit of flavor. I’m totally OK not having meat, though I do love seafood, and occasionally a really good steak or Iberico pork chop. I also love dumplings of any kind (gyoza, 餃子), raw fish (sashimi, crudo, ceviche, etc.), and milk products, such as cheese, yogurt, and of course ice cream!

I do love cooking, and when I have time I totally get into learning how to make new dishes and acquiring new skills. I won a food blog competition in 2009 where in one of the rounds I learned how to make hand-pulled noodles and produced a video teaching it . . . all in 2 weeks!

If I had to pick a favorite cuisine, it would probably be Japanese, though I also love Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Mediterranean, Thai, and many many more. All cuisines have their unique special elements, and I enjoy many aspects of most cuisines.

In Hong Kong, what are some of your favourite restaurants and why?

Lunch

I told you I love dumplings, and I also love black truffle. Din Tai Fung is one of my favorite restaurants for any meal, including lunch. During the pandemic, I was so thankful that we lived close enough to get delivery of DTF dumplings. My favorites are the black truffle and the pork soup dumplings ( 小籠湯包), pork and vegetable steamed dumpling*, 香干馬蘭頭 dried bean curd + Indian Kalimeris vegetable, and taro dumpling for dessert.

Dinner

Yardbird, a yakitori restaurant that started in Hong Kong, is one of my favorite restaurants in Hong Kong (and probably the one I frequent most regularly). My favorite is by far the skin, but I also love the chicken oyster, meatball, and wing tip. The fruit tomato salad with yuba is fantastic, and the corn tempura is really special. The chicken + egg rice is a great way to end the meal.

For good Cantonese food, I like Kin’s Kitchen. Definitely get their signature smoked chicken and the handmade egg noodles with scallion oil and soy sauce, which are excellent. In Hong Kong, trying steamed garoupa is a must, and I usually like to get the stunning bright green vegetable soup with crab.

For higher end, I really enjoy Simon Rogan’s Roganic. I really like the artful and creative way Chef Rogan showcases vegetables. I also appreciate how the restaurant prioritizes sustainability and supports local farms.

For dessert or coffee, Shari Shari for Japanese kakigori (shaved ice) or Via Tokyo for their delicious matcha ice cream are some of my go-to places. I also love Omotesando Koffee, which I first discovered in Japan over 10 years ago!

Where would you take a new visitor to the city for lunch or dinner?

I’d definitely showcase one of Hong Kong’s most famous cuisines: dim sum! I usually try to book Lei Garden if I can. The food is high quality and consistent, the service is efficient, and the cost is reasonable. Tim Ho Wan is another fun one to visit, but it takes a bit more planning since they don’t take reservations and the lines can get long.

I always take out-of-town guests to one of my favorite egg tart places, Tai Cheong Bakery, to try both types of egg tarts, flaky pastry crust and cookie crust. Honolulu Bakery in Wan Chai also makes an amazing flaky crust version.

Finally, If there’s time, I would take the ferry to Lamma Island and hike from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, where we’d enjoy Hong Kong seafood specialties at Lamma Rainbow.

For a local “hidden spot”, I might take them to Wong Kee 旺記打冷小菜館, a buzzing Chiu Chow place in Wan Chai that is super local, (menu is only in Chinese!) and makes great Chiu Chow classics like sliced marinated goose, oyster omelette, and many other dishes at super reasonable prices.

I have a soft spot for 1963 Tree 木十豆寸, a Taiwanese eatery hidden away on an upper floor of a nondescript building in Wan Chai. They serve interesting vegetables that are unique to Taiwan, and their Oolong tea smoked chicken is really good. The comfort dishes, like 滷肉飯（braised meat sauce over rice), also make me think of my family.

For a nicer Chinese meal, I might take them to Xin Rong Ji (squid ink rice cakes!), Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘 (giant sesame bread!), Kin’s Kitchen (smoked chicken!), or Mott32 (best Peking duck!).

Finally, one must try local milk tea. My favorite is Lan Fong Yuen in Central, right next to the escalators. The tea, still made with a sock using the traditional method, is intense, strong, and works great with milk. If there’s time, it’s fun to have a very traditional, local HK breakfast inside.

What is your splurge or celebration preference?

Sushi Shikon is my favorite high-end restaurant in Hong Kong, and I have gone there many times to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. The meals never disappoint and I do feel like I’m transported to Japan for a few hours, yet with a chef who can speak perfect English (Chef Kaki-san lived in the US for some time) and greets us with such warmth each time we come.

In terms of travel, where do you enjoy going for food?

Japan is hands down my favorite destination for food, and I’ve traveled there over a dozen times. One particularly favorite memory is my meal at Shoraian/Syourian, a tofu restaurant located on the edge of a mountain in the bamboo forest of Arashiyama in Western Kyoto. You need to hike a bit to get to the restaurant, but it’s so worth it. We had a fantastic multi-course menu focused just on tofu prepared so many different ways, even ending with a tofu ice cream!

Getaria — One of my favorite casual meals was enjoying freshly grilled seafood at Kaia Kaipe, a family-owned seaside restaurant with great views of the ocean. Must order the grilled turbot (enough to feed 2-4 people). #getaria #getariaspain #spain #tinyurbanspain #tinyurbantravels #grilledfish #grilledturbot #basqueregion #michelinplate

Spain is another favorite destination. The country is cutting edge on the high-end scene, and their local food is also fabulous. One of my favorite food memories is eating grilled turbot from Kaia Kaipe, a seafood restaurant in a tiny fishing town called Getaria (not far from San Sebastian). Even though we couldn’t get a reservation at its more famous cousin Elkano, we loved our meal and vowed to come back to San Sebastian again in 2020 . . . (which never happened due to this thing called the Pandemic).

I travel to Boston at lot. It’s the city where I lived for 20+ years before moving to Hong Kong, and I still have a lot of family and friends there. In terms of food, whenever I’m in Boston I seek out raw oysters, lobster, and local beer. One of my favorite off-the-beaten-path places is a tiny shack in Cambridge called Alive and Kicking Lobsters. They make a great lobster sandwich (don’t call it a lobster roll, they’ll correct you!) that you can eat on picnic benches right outside the shack. I also like going to Row 34, where I can get a hot buttered lobster roll, raw New England oysters on the half shell, and a fantastic selection of local New England beers all at one place.

*as far as I know, this version is only available in Asia. In the US, Din Tai Fung used to serve the version I like, but then one year started warning guests that the pork and vegetable dumpling was 90% vegetable. They eventually gave up and switched to a version that had more meat (which I don’t like as much). I guess even Din Tai Fung had to “localize” their dumplings for the American palate!