Rating: 8/10
Having spent a week in Croatia, I have had a consistent week of fresh seafood – grilled whole fish, scampi, octopus – all cooked with simple techniques dedicated in keeping the original flavors of the ingredients. Out of all the restaurants I went to, my favourite was quite easily Restaurant 360° in Dubrovnik. A definite must-visit for that amazing view and romantic seaside holiday ambience! Continue reading
Hong Kong is no short of good artisan coffees and pastries, especially with all the new cafe openings dotted around Wanchai, Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun. But to find a cafe where you could sit comfortably to chill for an afternoon or have a quiet chat remains a challenge. Artisan Room ticks all these boxes – alfresco area, spacious and quiet, quality coffee and tea, and not to mention, a great selection of both savoury and sweet eclairs. Next to that and also by the same owner behind is Cobo House by 2am:dessertbar, a quaint restaurant with an obvious focus on desserts. Named as Asia’s Best Pastry Chef for the second year running by San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best, Cobo House is Singaporean Chef Janice Wong’s new venture in Hong Kong. This corner of Sai Wan has become my latest favourite place to chill on Saturday afternoons! Continue reading
Picking my favourite 10 is actually not easy with all the meals I’ve had in the past year (spoiling my tastebuds way too much!). These 10 places are not where I could go often, but they made it to my Top 10 Most Memorable for a reason! Creative innovations, fresh ingredients, unforgettable taste, beautiful presentations – each of them is worth a detour if you are ever in the area! Continue reading
As its name clearly puts it, Pho Bar cleverly combines the concept of the Vietnamese pho (beef noodle soup) and a Japanese ramen bar. Situated in the narrow alley of Li Yuen Street West in Central, Pho Bar is a casual contemporary noodle shop featuring a long bar table along the open kitchen. Like at a ramen shop, guests are given an order form, where you pick the specific parts of the beef, the type of noodles and a selection of condiments. Apart from the expected medium rare filet mignon slices, you get unusual choices such as beef brisket, oxtail, beef shank; and as for noodles, healthy-eaters would be glad to find zucchini noodles here.
If I were to use one-line to describe my experience at Ristorante Reale in Italy last summer, I’d say “worth the 7-hour drive”. So when I first learnt that Chef Niko Romito was going to be a guest chef at Tosca in Ritz Carlton (reads: 20 minutes drive), imagine how excited I was! The 6-course menu at Tosca was mostly vegetarian, with only 2 of the dishes from the full tasting menu at Reale. The Chef told us he has gotten a bit bored of cooking meat and seafood and had been focusing more on vegetables in the past few months. But whether it was vegetable, seafood or meat, the core principle was consistent – the focus is always on the ingredient itself, the presentation is on the flavour, not the look. Continue reading
Most people would say caramel is too sweet. I have a thing for salted caramel. Not just caramel, but salted caramel. When done properly, the salt cuts through the luscious intensity of the sweet caramel and makes the slightly burnt taste of sugar more pronounced. Sadly I have not found many places which do it right in Hong Kong, but when I feel like the guilty indulgence, these places are my usuals that never fail me.
When I heard I was going to have sandwiches on a Saturday in Central, I was not excited – it really reminds me of my work day lunches, those soggy breads with boring fillings. Tartine, quite a contrary to that expectation, brings something completely different to the table.
Situated in a new building on Lyndhurst, the restaurant itself is a quiet hideout from the busy crowds with a terrace for alfresco dining. Continue reading
Learning that one of my favourite sushi chefs in Hong Kong has left Kishoku, I was relieved when I found out his new place, Sushi Gin, was finally ready! As I walked into the new restaurant in the same building, I recognize the faces of most of the Team who welcomed us. Chef Do has kept most of my old favourites from Kishoku but he has also taken inspirations from his long holiday in Japan to bring new elements to keep the meal interesting. I’m loving this place even better than the old Kishoku! Continue reading
With this being the first food post of my blog, I want to tell you my number 1 restaurant experience to date. I loved my experience at Noma because it wasn’t just about the food (it was tasty of course); it was about how the restaurant was run.
Aside from learning how much creativity was valued from their innovation food lab, we also toured around a very warm and cosy dining area for the staff where they would have “family style dinner” before. The staff dinner would be cooked by their interns, of different nationalities, in order for the staff to continue to be inspired every day – how cool is that! Behind the perfectly orchestrated meal for us, I saw a team with shared passion but different talents, mutual respect, and deliberate efforts of continued learning. Humility and passion are what keep the top the top!
So here goes my encounter with Noma: Continue reading
Hello world so here it is, the first post of Vivid Taste, commencing on the first day of 2016. Before we get into business, let’s set the tone right for the new year. What does 2016 mean for you? This is what it is for me.
– As she walked down the road that day, little did she know what was ahead –
When I looked back at 2015, it was a memory ball of mixed colours of gold, blue, purple, red and green. Joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust were muddled up, yet each vividly real. I thank each and every one of you who has made me laugh, cry or learn, whether you are a dear friend or just a passer-by. Inevitably some of these memories had been vacuumed into the dump as the old year turned, many more would remain as core memory balls for years to come. I want to share with you a little piece from this core memory ball today –
While most of us have gotten used to immediate pain relief and would do anything to minimize sadness, it is easy to forget that life itself is a pie mixed with good and bad slices. Pain is inevitable. But happiness is a choice, happiness needs to be cultivated.
For those having a good slice, extend love and encouragement to those around you to make their bad slices more tolerable.
For those having a bad slice, extend love and encouragement anyway – because it will give you a sense of worth and purpose. Grow from the pain and emerge with stronger character and maturity. Ultimately, these things will bring about happiness. “Happiness is not about having a perfect life but about using tears to water tolerance, losses to refine patience, failures to carve serenity, pain to lapidate pleasure, obstacles to open the windows of intelligence.” (Pope Francis)
Most important of all, do not lose hope. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) You do not know what lies ahead but that’s ok – this hope will carry you through.
Happy New Year everyone – remember this energy, this hope you feel today; and live it out in the next 364 days! ❤
Vivid Taste 