Dim Sum workshop in HK

After mashing and kneading the dough while trying my best to sculpture the rose pedal piece by piece, cheers to the taste of this mighty rose bun! Am quite confident that it’s edible; without poisoning anybody haha!

This course is priced at $500, offering 2 sets of dim sum making (mine is rose bun and dumpling in crab and spinach filling) plus a mini tea set. A big plus to us: this is kid and family friendly, with passionate chef teaching those secret steps!

As a level-2 dim sum, this required patience and attentions to details ( and obviously I wasn’t possessed of any :P) All the ingredients, from the dough to filling have be prepared.

What you need is simply rolling up the wrapper as thin as possible and wrap it with the filling artistically. Sounds easy but deceptively complex even if you roll up your sleeves; so be thankful to the chef overtime when you have these pretty dim sum at the retro!

Okinawa brought its prestine ingredients to the table

In February, Naruto has brought some of the Okinawa’s pristine natural ingredients to town which explained the longevity and health of this famous island.

Garnering a great deal of attention, this green caviar salad ($48) was our table’s favourite. Fresh carrots and green caviar were the highlight, giving an additional crunch and popping texture to the dish, allowing the taste of ocean shining through the dish. A Colourful option for early spring. 

Having won the award of No.1 Japanese award ($168/10 ps) in 2013, Beef in Okinawa has a greater fat proportion which also explained why Chef didn’t cook it into its oily buttery form but presenting it in sashimi instead. Dipped with freshly granted wasabi, and veggies on spicy verge of flavour, ( raw spring union and union), the best of the beef has been presented in our mouth. 

Commonly found in the country, Mozuku, aptly means as “the cloud in the water, is a kind of seaweed found on the sea floating; characterised by its unique viscous texture, with low calories. Naruto has created a deep fried mozuku ball ($48), on a flavourless and floury inside, not much to our liking; healthy though.

For mains, we opted for a HK/Japanese fusion-Steamed rice pot with Okinawa sausage, and “lap cheung”, the local marinated sausage. This kind of pig is specifically fed by purple sweet potato and sugar cane. ( quite healthy right?). Drenched in the essence of pork, the rice has a perfect accompaniment of flavour- both sweet and savoury. We would recommend devouring the okinawa fresh sausage first,for fear of getting dominated by the strong flavour of lap cheung.

Another highlight is the deep fried rice paper roll with carrot filling. ($28) Creatively wrapped with rice paper, instead of battered, texture is quite interesting, making these lighter and crisper than usual chinese-style sprig rolls.  Sliced carrot ad extra crunchy in contrast to the fresh draw cake inside. 

Surprised by Naruto group as I have never tried something as authentic as this okinawa’s campaign before. Wish it is able to keep such quality, and the passion towards fresh ingredients in the future. 

Join the Facebook game t wine 2 round trip tickets to Okinawa! (from 11-27/2)

Click into the facebook page of Okinawa hk office, answer the question, and you will get a chance to join the lucky draw. 

Chinese New Year dining and treats

Let's celebrate the year of monkey with a new year specialty - big bowl meal with a lobster twist (pun choi), priced ranges from $788-1888, including Abalone, freshly caught lobster, shrimps, chicken, dried oysters, fishball, a highlight of dee fried golden squid cake and many more! Happy Chinese New Year!

To whip up a feast this CNY, this eatery has also created "Lobster grill in flame” that leaves us an impressive visual presentation! Sprinkled with a couple shots of Rose wine and then ignited to add complexity to the fresh seafood, and a slightly roasted flavour. A great start of our year of Monkey! 

Besides festive times, BBQ lobster is aptly named that serves wonderful seafood. Hotpot with congee base and Steamed seafood in 9 layers of towers are two of its signatures. Before doing the steaming ( Clams, shrimps, scallops, cod fish, lobsters, crabs, abalone), we were highly recommended to finish the chicken pot (the 9th layer) at the bottom first so the meat remains tender and juicy. 

The golden yellow broth was excellently seasoned; you can tell many ingredients, from chickens and to herbs that give a wonderful flavour. Priced at $988 for 4 people- get your money worth!

Congee hotpot set was another winner. ($200/head). You might underestimate this plain congee broth until you discovered a spoon of coconut meat and precious cubicles inside! Served with fixed set of chicken, veggies, high quality australian wagyu beef, and crustanoues freshly bought at wet market nearby, no where can you get this feast at such price!

Let’s whip up a feast this CNY! 

Address of BBQ龍蝦燒: 6 Man Ying Street, Jordan, HK

The Grill room- hang out spot with frie

Noisy laughter, sizzling grill and huge flame from the open kitchen. Yes it’s a place to hang out with a large group of friends. One side of the restaurant is the open bar and restaurant, grilling their signature beef with open flame. 

Another part takes a relaxing industry setting as a spacious dining area, embellished in industrial style with hand painting on the wall. 

Each table was set in a highly anticipated way as in a canteen, except that they have 2 sofas at the end and pendants hanging around.

Salad and watery pumkin soup- toast was *burnt and turned bitter & dry

We could forgo the unimpressive salad and soup, and focus on the Wagyu Beef Burger with Coleslaw & Fries ($108). 

The rustically grilled wagyu beef patties over a slightly toasted bun and a melting cheddar is heaven! The patty was luscious, with a perfect pink in the middle. Fries were good too, with simple seasoning (salt and pepper) and crispy skin. 

Signature Chargrilled Pork Ribs with Coleslaw & Fries (118) was another option we opted for. It’s served at a standard size, well seasoned and flavourful but it would have surprised us even more if it’s a bit more meaty ( or with some fats)- I do miss those spanish ribs at Moonshine Boys!

With the exception of burger and ribs, the rest of the meal was unmemorable. Pan Fried Cod Fish Fillet with mushrooms was standard western dish. 

Without any recommendations from the staff, we have spent quite some time to study the menu and suddenly discovered a new item: Toasted Marshmallow Spooky Shake. (Boozey- with alcohol $83) 

As a foodie who venture upon new drinks, I staked my tastebud on this cute looking yet insipid drink. Better skip it for our liking.

Address: 5/F, The L. Square, 459-461 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay

Spring Symphony Afternoon tea set in Sheung Wan

DK has drawn on its bold imagination in composing a Spring Symphony Afternoon Tea($298/ppl). The boldly coloured floral decorations, grassy carpet, and as well as the sweet floral fragrance around us has brought a sense of liveliness to the warmly lit room. 

To get our palate ready for the floral tea set, DK serves us with a glass of Rose Garden soda blanketed with a bunch of colourful edible flowers that leaves us freshened up.  

This set comes with a wide selection of delicious savoury dishes as well as stunning desserts. Korean Floral Lavender cupcake was too exquisitely crafted to eat! Can you imagine how much time and effort to it takes to construct every pedal and leaf from stretch? A big plus goes to the flavour of the cream, with a hint of lavender.

 Yuzu cake also swept us off our feet, with its refreshing fruity aftertaste. (Waffle flower on top looks much greater than it tastes though.)

Elegantly presented a flower pot of delectable favourites and a pair of crispy salmon puff pastry, we were impressed. Filled with Parma ham, wasabi scallop, shrimp salad and tuna salad), the cones had something unique- in curry and tomato flavour! what makes us come back again and again is DK’s attention to details. 

Having promised to deliver high quality dessert, DK Cuppa has also paid attention to the single detail of each ingredients. Ice-cream was made with 3.6 hokkaido milk, blended with fresh purple sweet potato cube which allows its pure taste to shine through, without its powdery carb texture.

Valentines Day is right around the corner! Highly recommend to bring your loved ones to this eatery which offers more than just a tea set: Workshop making preserved flower gift box DIY kit , ranging from $399-799 accompanied with a bottle of “Fascination Blend” essential oil

OR or a mystic blue eye necklace and perfume workshop. This charm symbolises  guardian from jealousy in the pursuit of boundless Fascination. ( you may enjoy it priced at $380/person now)

Let’s embrace the first season of the year at DK Cuppa!

*Available from Feb11 until Apr 30

Address of DK Cuppa:

19 New Market St, Sheung Wan

Soho Spice- Impressive mains in Thai stye that I can still recall after half a year

If you are looking for something other than the typical steak and ribs, then suggested is a trip up to soho street- Soho spice, an elegant and modern place that never ceased to amaze us with its passion making fine Thai and Vietnamese cuisine!

Starter

we started with Fried calamari $102), Calamari itself is soft and tender, with a crispy crunch on top, perfectly battered. Spice lime dipping sauce and black pepper with a hint of spiciness and heat.

Awakening our taste bud, the Classic grilled Thai beef salad ($88) was wonderful, with crunchy toppings making every bite refreshing. The beef accented by the sweet dressing, against the coolness of mints and lettuce, was enticing! 

The whole dinning experience simply kept on a high note, especially when the prawn rice paper roll with mango and cucumber ($92) gave us a perfectly awakening crunch, dipped in a house made mandarin dipping sauce in the right level of tropical freshness to our night. 

An impressive mains that I can recall even after half a year. With top marks going to the Vegetable dumplings with eggplant, chilly, coconut curry and coriander ($118). Dumpling was well executed, with perfectly marinated veggies inside. The whole smoked eggplant at the botton is charcoal grilled - providing a  mind-numbing kick to our tastebud, while allowing for its pure taste to glimmer even brighter than the main of the dish. Yum!

Lamb rack marinated in red curry paste with green coconut curry ($172) was fresh and tender, with its pleasantly unique flavour standing out from this rich and flavourful curry, which is not exactly the real spicy deal of sauce. If you are not hardcore fans of hot and spicy food, you might love it! A good match with its house wine- Weichbridce Shiraz 2012.

Dessert

Instead of the very common mango with purple sticky rice and coconut milk ($62), Soho Spice offered something more soothing. Baked Pumpkin pudding with hot cinnamon lychee sauce  ($52) that provided a sweet and soothing end to our meal.

Service

Attentive service with friendly staff recommending great food to us, according to our favourites and group size. 

Environment: Dim lighting and comfortable seating that makes the night chill and relaxed but you might take the pressure to skim through the overwhelming menu. Big plus to us: dish are tend to be on the large side; it’s a perfect place to share food!

Address of Soho Spice:

47 Elgin St

The coldest Hong Kong in 6 decades- Why not hotpot?

The coldest Hong Kong in 6 decades-what’s better than having hotpot to kick away this sickly fretting 3-degree week? Suggested was a steaming warm hotpot place where you can eat fresh, in a local way, with reasonable prices.It took us some time to find out the store among these small streets, (in the middle point among Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Austin station) ; but luckily there are many direction single on our way there.


We have devoured freshly caught sashimi, marbled beef, handmade cuttlefish balls and a good selection of seasonal seafood that we can cook in its signature pot of bubbling broth piled high with clams, pig stomach and pepper胡椒豬肚花蛤湯.


If you are searching for a lighter broth, soup base made from stewed beef is good enough.

Hand cut beef and marbled beef

Hand made fish ball and cuttle fish ball ( made that with a spoon yourself)


Feel free to ask for a recommendation of seafood from the staff as they have seasonal seafood and sashimi freshly kept at the huge fish tank right outside their restaurant; but be ware that price is also seasonal- you’d better confirm the price before any ordering.


Sashimi sea bass




Worth noted is its freshly deep fried tofu skin roll #響玲( middle right) which you can eat that with salad dressing or get smothered into the soup based for only 5 sec which has soaked up all the goodness from the pot.


Do not expect modern and fancy decor; it’s a typical local eatery  with fluorescent light, big Chinese round tables and floor with white tile. 新皇牛海鮮火鍋 has put all his effort to please the patron’s stomach instead. If you have a bunch of people and need a bit more privacy, book a separated rooms there.
Remember to book in advance, to secure a private room, or a perfect spot where u can watch TV! Keep warm guys!