Great Lunch @ Mackerel Sky Penzance on 12May2015

Posted on May 13, 2015 by chefquak

tasting board-aioli squid, chicken pate, cured herring, cheese platter, croutons, bread

we checked out of glencree house B&B this morning & drove to marazion to tour the st michael’s mount on 12.5.2015. ^^

the castle & gardens were fabulous! 🙂

it was noon time & we were driving to st ives to check into our next B&B. instead of taking a snack/coffee or lunch at st michael’s mount village, we decided to drive back to penzance and have lunch at mackerel sky at new street, penzance.

it was a wonderful lunch.

mussels

we took the lunch special on the blackboard. it was mussels with chips. this was a mains size, quite a large portion, i think it was about £12.50.

mussels were really fresh, tender, succulent, sweet, and the gravy was really good too, very flavourful, better than many soup.^^

chips for mussels

it came with a portion of chips, which were so so.

tasting board-aioli squid, chicken pate, cured herring, cheese platter, croutons, bread

for the other main we took the tasting board, which cost only £9.75.

it was quite excellent. stye squid aioli was great as usual. chicken pate was ok, cured herring was average, not like the very good ones even on the streets in amsterdam! the olives, olive puree, croutons, bread & cheese were all good.

this was a good quality very affordable priced lunch.

c.h.e.f andy

Forgettable Meal @ Thai Moon Penzance on 11May2015

Posted on May 13, 2015 by chefquak

thai appetiser

had plenty of western food, so decided to try out a thai restaurant right by our B&B, thai moon, on 11.5.2015.

thai moon

view of the road from thai moon

the place was ok, looked a bit the traditional thai, not the modern chef managed type.

place was still empty when we got there at 7pm. we were seated by the window. the restaurant is on level 2, a nice look out on the mont bay.

thai moon set menu

we wanted some thai curries. they charged £2.50 for rice each. figures it would come to £27 for 3 dishes + rice, so we decided to take the set menu £37 for 2. the english proprietor (who married a thai wife in 2003 & started the restuarant in 2005) was flexible enough to allow for some changes of curries/dishes on the set menu

thai appetiser

we had 4 appetisers.

prawn fritters

the prawn fritters was competent, like any good breaded prawn fritters in any western or japanese cafes.

minced chicken deep-fried with bread

the minced chicken deep-fried with bread was competent also.

chicken satay

wife didn’t like the chicken satay as it did not have the usual satay bbq flavours, felt more like a fritter. peanut sauce was a bit sweet.

pork ribs

the pork spare ribs were done quite well.

yellow curry prawns

the curries though was a huge disappointment. the yellow curry prawns were nothing like the thanying yellow curry prawns we had eons ago. prawns were fresh & sweet, curries were below par.

red curry beef

likewise the red curry beef, tasted nothing like red curry.

stir-fry vege

the stir-fry was ok like any average stir-fry.

egg fried rice & jasmine rice

egg fried rice

we had egg fried rice & jasmine rice provided with the set. we finished about 1/3 of the rice.

overall the set menu was not any cheaper than ala carte as i figured the appetisers were 1/2 portion. we gave £3 tip so the bill round up to £40 which for us was very expensive for the quality of food.

i cant say it was not authentic thai, but it was very average street thai. It was certainly no thai express, and there would be no comparison with the authentic quality thai food at patara.

and here in cornwall we could get excellent food at gurnard’s head & mackerel sky at the same price or lower.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Lobster Seafood Penne Pasta @ Coach Coffee Bar & Bistro at Lizard Village on 11May2015

Posted on May 12, 2015 by chefquak

lobster seafood pasta – £14

had a fantastic 5hr leisurely hike at lizard peninsula starting from kynance cove to lizard point to housel bay, then lizard village & back to kynance cove on 11.5.2015.^^

cornish pasty from ann’s pasties

while at lizard village, we tried a cornish pasty, a tiny small one for £1.50 from the famous ann’s pasties, which 2 of us shared. 🙂

this seems to be a commonplace snack in many cultures, italy has its calzone & we have our curry puffs. 🙂 it was actually pretty ok, better than we expected. the minced beef & the fillings of potatoes, swede (yellow turnip) & onions were pretty tasty. for me always, the simple curry puffs taste better, mostly because of the curry, so fragrant & nice.^^

lobster seafood pasta – £14

we went to the coach coffee bar & bistro for a cuppa, a flat white. it was ok, quite strong but not as good as what we had at mackerel sky seafood bar the evening before.

we saw the lunch special on the blackboard & decided to order it, as it was a seafood pasta with lobster, mussels, squid etc for £14!^^

lobster seafood pasta – £14

wow, it was good!

the tomatoes flavour were good, penne pasta was al dente, and there were quite a lot of lobster meat, fresh & sweet. the calamari fritters were great & the mussels were delicious, very tender & succulent! 🙂

the dish was not out of this world, but really an excellent take, far better than what we expected & at a very good price for the good serving & the ingredients.

c.h.e.f andy

Marvellous Mother’s Day Lunch @ The Gurnard’s Head on 10May2015

Posted on May 11, 2015 by chefquak

chicken ballotine

today is mother’s day in singapore,10.5.2015

(it seems that in UK it was 15mar in 2015, must confess i never knew that!). we all sent greeting messages, and my friends were quite active on the group whatsapps. ^^

yesterday morning on our first day arriving in cornwall, we were blessed with glorious sunshine when we visited minack theatre & hiked a bit at porthcurno & porthgwarra, and later from sennen cove to land’s end.

this morning, weather was ok albeit not a bright sunny day, we managed to visit cape cornwall & botallack mines.

the gurnard’s head

after botallack, we decided to press on to the gurnard’s head.

my wife had been reading about the restaurant, and it turned out to be such an excellent mother’s day lunch experience.^^

the restaurant itself has very beautiful exterior & interior, with nice seats & furnishings.

sunday lunch menu

we had 1 of the best lunches in UK 2-course for £18.50. my wife said she would skip friday’s set lunch at Dinner (Heston Blumenthal’s Pellegrino 50 restaurant) as it is no better than this!

rye bread

we had complimentary rye bread. the butter was very tasty.

for appetisers, wife ordered a chicken ballotine & i ordered a ham hock terrine.

chicken ballotine

chicken ballotine was excellent, light & fast with the sauce.^^

ham hock terrine

i was thinking ter kar tan (pig trotters jelly)! the ham hock terrine looked more like a luncheon meat or 镇江肴肉！

this was quite excellent, very flavourful if robust. i was surprised that wife took a whole piece. & the sauce & sides were superb.

we were sharing the dishes, which was great as we each got to taste & enjoy the dishes w/o getting satiated with 1 portion. we were saying this was like a 4-course degustation lunch!

prime ribs with yorkshire pudding

for the mains we ordered the slow braised beef ribs, and the whole megrim sole.

beef was more like a prime rib or beef on a wagon. it was a good prime rib, but not the specialty standard of prime ribs at SCC (singapore cricket club). 🙂

the prime rib itself tasted pretty good. & the red wine sauce & condiments – chinese cabbage, potatoes, turnips & carrots etc were excellent too! i recall form my student days 30+years ago they used to match yorkshire pudding with roast beef, & we used to joke that roast beef was like paper – i.e. tough & tasteless. now with modern cuisine it was not just roast beef but a slow braised beef ribs preparation. 🙂

whole megrim sole

i had the whole megrim sole.

the fish was quite sublime, very tender & tasty!^^

i would say the sole was far better than the prime ribs, and for me much better also when compared with the very good hake & john dory we had last evening at tolacrne inn.

the food was excellent & wife was in very good spirits!^^

c.h.e.f andy

Lovely Mother’s Day Dinner @ Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar at Newlyn, Cornwall on 10May2015

Posted on May 11, 2015 by chefquak

£6.95 white wine mussels

after enjoyable walks at cape cornwall & botallack mines followed by a really scrumptious lunch at the gurnard’s head, we decided to have a light dinner on 10.5.2015.^^

mackerel sky penzance was closed for dinner on sunday, so we decided to try the new mackerel sky seafood bar at newlyn (we saw the place when having dinner at tolcarne inn last evening. 🙂

mackerel sky seafood bar at newlyn

according to their website, the seafood bar was only open on 1.5.2015. 🙂

we found a convenient parking lot (1 hr free) just facing the restaurant across a small stream.

mackerel sky seafood bar at newlyn

it was 8pm & still bright outside. 🙂

there were like 3 tables including ourselves the whole time we were there.

we ordered just 2 small plates & a salad.

£3 salad

salad was great, refreshing, just cherry tomatoes, some diced tomatoes, mesclun, balsamic cream etc. 🙂

£6.50 salt & pepper calamari aioli

£6.50 salt & pepper calamari aioli is a popular dish, and it was good, nice batter, squid not tough, taste great.^^

£6.95 white wine mussels

mussels was great too, very tasty sauce (wine, butter, lots of onions lightly caramelised).

best flat white i had so far

after that we ordered 1 flat white. that was the best i had so far during this trip, i think equal or better than monmouth, & better than the one i had at sennen cove. so we ordered a second cup.^^

mackerel sky seafood bar at newlyn

very light dinner, and cost very little. very nice pleasant ambience.

we enjoyed it very much, for a light bite that is.

c.h.e.f andy

Another Wonderful Dinner @ The Greek Larder on 8May2015

Posted on May 9, 2015 by chefquak

aperitif cucumber, apple, ouzo

went back to the greek larder for 2pax dinner with wife this evening on 8.5.2015.^^ guess it was a bit lame as i was here with son & had a scrumptious dinner only yesterday. anyhow, wife arrived this morning & wanted this place, and we were taking the midnight 8-hr sleeper train to penzance this evening so not really interested to venture far just for dinner. transport in london is kind of tedious & tedium. 🙂

oysters £2ea

the photos this evening were a bit brighter & sharper as we were seated at a table by the window with good lighting & at 6pm earlier time than yesterday.

aperitif cucumber, apple, ouzo

the aperitif was very light & interesting flavours that i also ordered 1 for myself after tasting what my wife ordered. ouzo interesting thing, anise flavoured, but needed distillation so not quite something we can replicate at home. Ouzo can be described to have a similar taste to absinthe which is liquorice-like, but smoother.

italian white – £7.95 250ml

the italian white was fruity & nice. 🙂

aegean prawns & calamari fritters

one new dish we ordered this evening was aegean prawns & calamari (squid) fritters. 🙂 very nice as expected (though we could have been more adventurous & ordered more greek specialities) since we knew the salt cod in batter was very good.

octopus with fava -split pea puree

salt cod with soft boiled eggs

the other 2 items were same as what we ordered yesterday, namely the salt cod & the octopus. again we were provided with complimentary bread that was wonderful with the hummus. lacking in new adventures but well compensated by excellent taste, convenience (just short distance down the road from the apartment). 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Shiok (Satisfying) £20 Lobster Lunch @ Burger & Lobster on 8May2015

Posted on May 8, 2015 by chefquak

lobster roll

wife arrived this morning on 8.5.2015 & took heathrow express to paddington because we wanted to collect & change the sleeper ticket to penzance (cornwall) which could only be done at paddington & few other train stations. i went to paddington to meet her & came back to the apartment.

son was attending lecture & we had some matters to attend to. 🙂

we arranged to meet for lunch at burger & lobster dean street at 12.15pm. wife & i took bus 390 to tottenham court road & walked to burger & lobster on dean street. 🙂

we could only be seated when all 3pax arrived. our son came just few minutes later & we were seated right away.^^

burger & lobster dean street

the place was 1/2 full, but when we were leaving about 1pm+ it was pretty full. 🙂

lobster roll

this the place where you need only a drinks menu. for food its only (1)burger (2)whole lobster steamed or grilled (3)lobster roll.

wife ordered lobster roll which was easy to eat & also had very good brioche. i had at my last visit asked & was told that lobster roll only came with steamed lobster (as it was from a common pool). son & i ordered a grilled whole lobster each. ^^

grilled whole lobster

really enjoyable meal it was, every time!^^

lobster was fresh, sweet, came with excellent garlic butter dip. & i liked the bbq flavours. 🙂 there were chips (fries) & greens.

grilled whole lobster (all eaten)

very shiok lunch!

after lunch we walked over to monmouth cafe at covent gardens for a nice cuppa (flat white). ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Dinner with Son @ The Greek Larder, London on 7May2015

Posted on May 8, 2015 by chefquak

salt cod, scordalia & soft boiled eggs – £7

had an excellent dinner with son at the greek larder at art house down the road from the apartment.^^

son was waiting for me at the apartment & came down to help with the luggage. everything went quite smoothly except for the unwanted 1.5hrs cab ride through congested london after an equally tiresome 13.5hrs long flight from singapore.

i had food at the asia treasure lounge and also a poached egg breakfast & chicken biryani on board. don’t really need to eat dinner, certainly not to take underground etc just to eat. didn’t make sense also for son to cook.

anyhow we decided to walk to king’s cross near the apartment. caravan, place we went to first had a 45mins wait at 630pm, and the indian place around the corner, dishoom, 45mins to 1hr wait. we were walking back to apartment then son remembered another place, the greek larder at art house.

the greek larder

no wait, phew!

the greek larder

nice, cool place too!

olives

complimentary olives to start.

rock oysters, vinaigrette – £2

service was super good! young lady server came to our tables maybe 5 times throughout to assist with order, check on us etc.

rock oysters, vinaigrette – £2

the oysters, £2, did not look great, but was actually pretty ok, fresh, no metallic taste, sweet, juicy not so plump.

octopus & fava (split pea puree)-£6

octopus & fava (split pea puree) – £6

octopus & fava, a split pea puree like a hummus was excellent. very tender tasty octopus. the lady brought nice complimentary rye bread & a refill which was excellent with the hummus.

we took 2 oysters & 3 appetisers, no main courses. price was pretty ok! 🙂

soutzouki sausage with smoked aubergine salad – £7

we loved the sausage too, like a chorizo, very tasty flavourful, and the smoked aubergines salad was just fabulous!^^

salt cod, scordalia & soft boiled eggs – £7

& the best, the salt cod. i was having this image of the best??? fish & chips in london at poppies (turned out to be the worst fish & chips i ever had, and it was cod!).

anyhow the lady said it was very good. & it was! superb crispy batter & very tasty cod. i would have this again for sure.

dinner with son was just great & we were both very satisfied & happy we took the walk & had such a wonderful dinner together.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Food @ Asia Treasure T3 Lounge, Long 13.5hrs Flight & Long 1.5hrs ride from Heathrow on 7May2015

Posted on May 8, 2015 by chefquak

mee rebus

leaving for heathrow this evening on 7.5.2015. ^^

travelling by SQ economy as the economy fare is only S$300 more than the taxes & fees i have to pay if i redeem business class. doesn’t make sense? keep my miles for later when no cheap economy. 🙂

economy was full on the seat map at time of booking & afterwards (though it turned out not to be so when i boarded, wonder why???). there were hardly any seats left so i had to pay S$84 for a “preferred” seat. it’s A380 & i managed to get the best seat 48D, with 1 empty space (no seat) in front!

energiser smoothie

went to the asia treasure lounge at T3.

took the usual berries smoothie, called energiser i think. 🙂

fried carrot cake

in the morning they served local food.

the fried carrot cake was excellent very tasty, flavourful, the crispy chilli too. i ordered 1/2 portion.

mee rebus

& the mee rebus was so nice!^^

3 fresh plump sweet prawns, lovely gravy & nice fried tofu cubes, shallots & green chilli. 🙂

xxxxxxx

i am one of those who don’t complain about airline food. had a decent poached egg with chicken sausage breakfast. ok, took sausage & 1/2egg, and a good chicken biryani lunch. took 1/2 the rice.

it was a long flight, 13hrs 30mins, touched down & at the gate at heathrow T2 3.40pm. son booked a cab for me 45mins after arrival, which was very good timing. i had 1 piece of check-in luggage & was out at arrival hall 4.20pm.

the journey to london was tedious, took a full 1.5hrs to the apartment near king’s cross. cab went via hyde park, huge jam, divert through piccadilly & just as jam all the way. wonders? today 7.5.2015 UK election day, thought traffic would be lighter.

c.h.e.f andy

Poor Dimsum at Sweet Dynasty 糖朝 on 6Apr2015

Posted on April 14, 2015 by chefquak

steamed pork ribs & chicken feet rice

we had some time in the morning before flight departure on 6.4.2015.

originally we were booked for lunch at lei gardens at elements mall where we would be doing a city check-in to the flight & taking the airport express. but because the lunch at lei gardens times square was really a let down, quite unsatisfactory, we canceled the reservation at elements.

also we had to refund the standard on-loan octopus card we bought on arrival. we purchased the octopus card at hk$150 inclusive hk$100 stored value & hk$50 refundable deposit, but only used about hk$30. there was discounts per trip but also an admin fee of hk$9 for refund so we did not save much however the octopus card gave great convenient taking the mtr & the star ferry, and if we had take the city bus or tram too. 🙂

及第粥 mixed congee

we did not want to go to yat lok at central or to cam’s at wanchai, so we walked around looking for a roast goose stall.

in the end we settled on sweet dynasty 糖朝. we used to frequent it when it was at canton road. we liked especially the congee & also the rice topped with steamed pork ribs, chicken feet or chicken with mushrooms. it relocated to hankow road a few years back.

we again ordered the steamed pork ribs & chicken feet rice. it was really good especially drizzled with the mildly sweet sauce. this was where i modelled my hk style steamed sausage, mushroom & chicken rice (香汁蒸蘑菇鸡饭).

ate too much rice as a result.

及第粥 mixed congee

we had the 及第粥 mixed congee. congee is always good, very smooth. the pig stomach & innards i liked & my wife took the kidney & liver, so pretty good for all.

but it was no better than the congee at canton paradise OR at crystal jade. 🙂

XO fried carrot cake

XO fried carrot cake was good, flavourful, nothing special & not my favourite.

roast duck & soy sauce chicken

the roast duck (not goose) was quite pathetic actually, felt like reheat in microwave oven zero crispiness in the skin (actually must not order this next time if there is a next time)-

can forget about comparing with yat lok roast goose.

not even as good as joyful palace at clementi food loft, not even comparing with canton paradise excellent roast duck.

the soy sauce chicken looked miserable but the breast meat was actually moist, tender & sweet. actually better than the complimentary roast chicken at superstar restaurant the evening before. 🙂

black sesame tau huay

the black sesame tau huay is my wife’s favourite.

somehow this time i did not find any attraction there.

we paid like hk$450 at sweet dynasty 糖朝, 50% more than the excellent dimsum at timhowan & nothing like it, & quite ex really at S$80 for 3pax for hk dimsum…of course in singapore it would cost about that for better food.

c.h.e.f andy

Good Value Saga Wagyu 佐贺和牛 6-course Set @ Superstar on 5Apr2015

Posted on April 13, 2015 by chefquak

saga wagyu 佐贺和牛

what was very good value but perhaps not the best in culinary sophistication was the premium saga wagyu 6-course dinner set we had at the flagship stall of the superstar group restaurant on 5.4.2015.

there was uncertainty from the beginning that this what looked like a very traditional chinese kind of restaurant could manage a wagyu steak well. superstar group do have teppanya & 燒肉牛蔵(和牛專門店) yakiniku gyukura restaurants, so initially i booked yakiniku gyukura but they replied that the wagyu set was only served in 2 superstar restaurants & recommended their flagship at tsim sha tsui mansion at nathan road.

premium saga wagyu 佐贺和牛 6-course set

there was nothing to fault really about the menu & quality of ingredients. the preparation & presentation though was not quite the best.

geoduck sashimi

wife wanted to go light after too much eating & decided not to take the set, and instead just ordered a mirugai (geoduck) sashimi. it was good. not a big portion, can’t remember now but probably hk$298.

geoduck sashimi was sweet & succulent, but it was a small geoduck clam, so it was nearer the ends & did not have the large inside flesh that the excellent if expensive geoduck platter we had at budaoweng 不倒翁 hotpot at isquare.

crispy roast chicken

& the restaurant gave us a fee 1/2 roast chicken, apparently for any spending above hk$200. not the best chicken, still it was pretty good.

crystal pork & tofu

set started with crystal pork 肴肉& deep-fried tofu. both were competent in look & taste for a good chinese restaurant. tofu was crispy outside & silky inside. 🙂

sharksfin soup

sharkskin with compoy & fishmaw was average, not the standard of good chinese restaurant sharkskin soup.

japanese wagyu

the main draw was the japanese saga wagyu 佐贺和牛. they were pricing it at a special hk$308 for 100g & hk$498 for the set.

we asked for medium rare, which according to them was 五分熟 50% cooked. it came about medium rare to rare. beef was very marbled. the piece looked bigger than 100g. anyway japanese saga wagyu at about S$55/100g was a good price.

it was indeed a very good steak, good marbling melt in the mouth. i felt though that somehow the temperature was not right. it was not charred enough (not enough maillard reaction to impart the flavours) & the meat felt like steamed, somehow the marbling, fragrant flavours were not quite there.

don’t know but just did not have the memorable “wowed-over” feeling that we had at imahan hakata at fukuoka!

nor also the excellent A4 ohmi wagyu at me@oue.

for comparison, my own chargrilled wagyu steak

well, it was not even as flavourful as my own chargrilled wagyu steak! (above photo).

maybe belief is important? lack of belief affects taste. don’t know!

stonefish soup

stonefish soup was very tasty. it was their signature dish. as a accompanying side dish for a premium wagyu 6-course set, i thought it was very good. not sure it could be consider a top signature dish standalone.

minced wagyu fried rice

the minced wagyu beef fried rice was to me also average though son thought it was very good. i thought it did not have the same wok hae & intense flavours like-

the unagi chahan (fried rice say) at either zen OR en japanese dining; nor

the fragrant spicy fried rice at crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao.

baked lotus paste sago

the baked lotus paste sago was a attempted fusion dessert dish. hmmm…i would prefer a creme brûlée or portugese egg tart the ones at marco polo continental club lounge was exquisite!

will i go back again??? i wonder myself….

on paper, this should be a very good deal. but actually i can do without the other dishes (nothing much there to miss really) and just take the wagyu at hk$308. still hk$308 is a bit of money, and not sure i want to leave my fate with the chef and hope for a hk$308 wagyu to turn out for the best. hmmm…

c.h.e.f andy

Expensive Below-par Food @ Lei Gardens Times Square on 5Apr2015

Posted on April 12, 2015 by chefquak

venus clams with sweet peas

had expensive below par lunch today at lei gardens @ times square on 5.4.2015.

this was so different from the excellent lunch i had at 2 michelin star lei gardens at tsai yee street洗衣街 ‎mongkok outlet in 2013.

they had 2 seating & we booked 11.30am. we went to have a short walk at the mid-level escalators & stanley street & decided to eat some small portion of roast goose at yat lok.

so maybe we were a bit full & not great appetite.

lei gardens times square

service was quite polite actually. these days service pretty ok though they were always busy to have much time with you.

lie tong 鸡骨草例汤

we had a lie tong 鸡骨草例汤. HK$148 for 1pot, maybe should have the 1/2pot HK$98.

it was ok i guess, but these days, my helper made such great soup on the slow cooker at home. also my memory of 鸡骨草例汤 at imperial treasure nanbei was that it was such a tasty soup this one really paled in comparison.

chicken feet in abalone sauce

we ordered the hicken feet braised in abalone sauce HK$42. wife & son preferred the usual dimsum deep-fried chicken feet which we found out was just hk$32. 🙂

my son said he did not realise how nice the dimsum at timhowan were until compared with the much poorer ones here. in fact i think all of crystal jade, imperial treasure, tunglok & canton paradise are better.

radish pastry

the radish pastry was ok.

char siew fun cheong

the char siew fun cheong was poor. skin was very doughy & tough.

noodles in lobster broth

we took the recommendations which had the venus clams with sweet beans (top photo) & the noodles in lobster broth combination for HK$298.

the venus clams was the only dish that was good. the lobster broth noodles was tasteless, really a surprise for me. somehow the food did not agree with us.

c.h.e.f andy

Street Food Yat Lok Roast Goose & 新源牛腩牛杂面 on 4 & 5Apr2015

Posted on April 12, 2015 by chefquak

beef noodles soup 新源牛腩牛杂面

we had a most enjoyable lunch at amber at landmark oriental mandarin plus there were great hors doeuvre at marco polo continental club lounge evening cocktail, so we did not plan for dinner on 4.4.2015.

beef noodles soup 新源牛腩牛杂面

i wanted to try my favourite beef brisket noodles, so i took a short walk from our hotel on canton to hankow road where 新源noodles stall was located. it was expensive here, single item was hk$45. i ordered a combo 牛腩牛杂面, so it was hk$55.

beef noodles soup 新源牛腩牛杂面

新源 had several stalls in the area & i used to have them & they were good. however this time it was quite mediocre. soup was average not very sweet & flavourful. likewise the briskets. the stomach & lung were more infused with flavours. overall it was not very satisfactory.

any of the 牛腩面 i took anywhere previously was better than this e.g. at shamshuipo the last time (& indeed even at the food republic on canton road).

金湖牛腩面

& the price was exorbitant!

later as i passed by haiphong road on the way back to hotel, i recalled that this golden lake stall (above photo) was pretty good too, & the price i saw was hk$33 c/w hk$45 at 新源!

queues at hermes

there were queues at hermes as i was leaving hotel at 9pm, and same queue when i returned at 9.30pm…

queues at chanel

& the same at chanel!

IFC

star ferry hk terminal to central covered link way from

the next day, we were going to have early lunch at lei gardens at 11.30am.

so we thought we would go to central, walk along the mid level escalators & steal a bite at yat lok roast goose at stanley street.

yat lok roast goose HK$140 drumstick quarter

to me, Yat Lok 一乐 has the best roast goose in hong kong. but of course i did not try many in hong kong to make the comparison. i had it at yung kee, at food republic on canton road, at 1 michelin star tim’s kitchen & at restaurants like tau heung’s 稻香超级渔港 previously. yat lok’s was by far the best.

it did not disappoint this time. we ordered a hk$140 drumstick quarter to share. my wife & son all enjoyed it very much.^^

yat lok HK$40 fried dumplings

the fried dumplings did not look great, but actually it was very tasty though kind of oily!

queue at kam’s roast goose

after lunch at lei gardens at times square, i went for a walk. i wanted to check out kam’s roast goose at wancahi area. this restaurant was started by the son of the founder of yung kee & has garnered 1 michelin star.

there was quite a long queue at about 2.30pm. i did not intend to eat here & anyway i was too full from lunch. will give it a try next time.

c.h.e.f andy

Sumptuous Weekend Wine Brunch @ Amber Landmark Mandarin Oriental on 4Apr2015

Posted on April 11, 2015 by chefquak

#2 whole abalone with braised oxtail sauce

wife booked 3pax weekend wine brunch at amber at landmark mandarin oriental on 4.4.2015.^^

amber has 2 michelin stars 6 years in a row & is the no.4 in asia & no.24 in pellegrino’s world’s top 50 restaurants.

this 1 of the places you have to leave credit card details and will be charged in full if you cancel within 48hrs. i am not sure if it is a new practice but we booked 2pax degustation dinner at joel robuchon maybe 4yrs ago & did not have to do that. & we had been to caprice at four seasons, and pierre at the other mandarin oriental and did not have to do that.

anyway we were happy to try out this place, and our faith were more than rewarded. this was simply the best meal we had in hong kong, not comparing joel robuchon’s degus dinner which cost more than twice this lunch.

baguette, olive & onion bread

after a very pleasant morning stroll along the peak circle walk taking in the hong kong skyline, we took a cab form the peak to landmark mandarin oriental which only cost us hk$55.

we started with a nice champagne.

the baguette and olive & onion bread from the bread basket were warm & very good, with both salted & unsalted butter.

6-course weekend wine brunch with 4 paragons of wine (champagne, 2 whites, 1 red)

weekend wine brunch was a 6-course (though that included cheese & 2 desserts) with selection of 4 wines at hk$888.

we found out that it was really an excellent deal even c/w weekday set lunches w/o the wine. so it was an excellent decision & wonderful lunch.

foie gras lollipop

squidink pita

we had 2 amuse bouche. both were good.

the foie gras lollipop in raspberry jelly had beetroot on one side & some crackers? on the other.

the squid ink pita was better, can’t remember maybe it was some cheese, anyway just remembered it was savoury & nice.^^

#1 foie gras terrine with suckling pig – very good

1st course was served with a riesling which i liked best of the 2 whites & champagne. all were nice anyway.

my son & i picked the foie gras terrine with suckling pig (interleaved) as our first course. it was very good, very flavourful & substantial.

#1 hokkaido sea urchin with caviar

wife picked the hokkaido sea urchin in lobster jelly with caviar topped with a gold leaf (which came with a hk$260 supplement). uni was sublime of course but the S$46+ supplement made no sense to us.

#1 hokkaido sea urchin with caviar

we all love uni of course, but we are not short of taking them, and we had whole tub of uni in japan for 1500yen (fukuoka recently) & lots of them at kuriya dining for the S$62 chirashi lunch with big serving of uni.

uni is uni. no culinary skill involved, is there?

#2 whole abalone with braised oxtail sauce

second course was served with another white chardonnay.

for the second course, wife & i had the whole abalone that came with braised oxtail sauce & oxtail!

it was really well done. the abalone was so well braised or sous vide it was pure tender & the oxtail sauce was an excellent match. the 2 pieces of oxtail were also very tender & tasty & robust. wife loved this though for me, i still prefer the chinese or japanese braised abalone in brown sauce, and the chinese dry abalone over the japanese fresh ones.

son decided to venture a bit & took the battered frog legs. i tried a bit. I must say it was very good, enough for me to say that fie the choice of the whole abalone & the frog leg (it was a no brainer before), i am not sure i will automatically pick abalone every time. 🙂

#3 sole with mussels & razor clams

the mains were served with a selection of red. we picked the spanish wine which was very good.

for the 3rd course, wife had the sole with mussels & razor clams. i think it was excellent, the best you could do with a fish. the sole was very tasty, tender and also firm in texture.

#3 pyrennes lamb

son & i had the pyrenes lamb shoulder. it was braised to perfection & smoked, very tender & smooth consistency w/o strong gamey taste. it was exquisite for a lamb shoulder.^^

#4 cheese platter – reblochon, comte & camembert
(all 3 cheese were good, i like comte best, very tasty)

we had 2 plates of the cheese platter above for 3pax. it was lots of cheese. i liked all 3 cheese = reblochon, comte & camembert. i liked comte best, very flavourful almost like blue.

raspberry mousse + chestnut mousse on meringue with pear

chestnut mousse on meringue with pear+blackcurrent sorbet

we didn’t think much of the chestnut mousse on meringue, kind of sweet not accustomed to the taste! any sorbet, blackcurrent or otherwise, was good. 🙂

#6 raspberry sorbet & chocolate mousse

i liked the raspberry sorbet & chocolate mousse much better.^^

flat white

we were served coffee & petite four to round of the lunch.

this was the best meal i had in hk, a very memorable one, and i will definitely come back again with my wife.^^

c.h.e.f andy

Peak Circle Walk on 4Apr2015

Posted on April 11, 2015 by chefquak

the peak tower

after a nice breakfast at marco polo hk continental club lounge, we set off to victoria peak for our morning peak circle walk on 4.4.2015.^^

victoria harbour – IFC on the right

victoria harbour – IFC on the right

as marco polo hk is near to the star ferry terminal, instead of walking to tsimshatsui mtr station we decided to take the ferry to star ferry central pier. ferry was hk$2.80pax (hk$2.0 mon-fri). took 9minutes. we found out the next day that it was hk$3.40 (hk$2.50 on mon-fri) on the upper deck. we used our octopus card so it was a breeze.^^ star ferry was voted the best ferry ride in the world by The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). you can see why. you get the skyline of central with IFC towering prominently.

in my last trip i had dinner at rainbow restaurant on lama island, & the free ferry provided by the restaurant took us past the night lights of aberdeen, with enchanting views of deep water bay & repulse bay, forming a beautiful neckless. it was a wonderful sight.

as we were 3pax & it’s a long way from central pier to the peak tram. so we planned to take a taxi which was at the taxi stand at central pier, no waiting. it was a nice journey up victoria peak costing hk$65. the cost of the peak tram was hk$28 single & hk$40 return & you could expect a very long queue on an easter weekend!

in the direction of aberdeen & deep water bay

taxi deposited us at the peak market side opposite the peak tower tram station. nice view of aberdeen, deep water bay & repulse bay direction.

the peak tower

the peak tower is an icon. you could see people on the sky terrace. it is exorbitant, hk$83 if you combine with peak tram return, otherwise hk$48 & you can again expect long queues.

we took the peak circle walk. it’s about 3.6km and took 1 hr on a flat paved road. usually we took harlech road,

the last i was here with friends 2years ago in 2013, we decided to go to pak fu lam reservoir & did not take the peal circle walk.

this time we took lugard road as wife wanted to view the hk skyline first. above photo is peak tower from the start of lugard road. usually we see it at the end starting the circle walk from harlech road.

IFC in direction of kowloon bay & kai tak

central skyline with IFC standing tall in the direction of kowloon bay & kai tak.

IFC in direction of kowloon bay & kai tak

here you see IFC & across the harbour on tsimshatsui side the taller ICC which houses the elements mall.

hong kong tallest building = ICC (elements mall) & IFC

her’s a clearer shot.

IFC in direction of kowloon bay & kai tak

beautiful sight.^^

tsing yi

here we see tsing yi island with the road bridge.

tsing yi & tsing ma bridge to hong kong disneyland & chek lap kok airport on lantau island

the airport express crosses over near the top of tsing yi, then connect to ma wan via the tsing ma bridge then to lautau island where hong kong disneyland & the big buddha & gong ping 360 cable cars are located and onwards to chek lap kok airport.

not the sky terrace = view from rooftop of peak galleria (free access)

after the walk we went up to the rooftop of peak galleria to have a free view of hk skyline & admire tha paying folks over at sky terrace.

not the sky terrace = view from rooftop of peak galleria (free access)

we took a taxi to landmark mandarin oriental where we were having lunch at amber. it cost hk$55 & point to point rather than queueing for the peak tram then walk few km.^^

c.h.e.f andy

Marco Polo HK @ Harbour City 3-6Apr2015

Posted on April 9, 2015 by chefquak

view from marco polo hotel room

we stayed at marco polo hong kong hotel (located at harbour city kowloon) during this trip 3-6apr2015.

there are 3 hotels at harbour city belonging to the marco polo group. there is prince hotel nearer to kowloon park & haiphong road (where we stayed last time), gateway hotel in the middle & marco polo hong kong nearer star ferry terminal.

this time son was travelling with us. singapore airlines return airfare from london to hong kong was like £50 more than return to singapore, and the timing coincided with our trip to hk, which was bad really as we would have preferred to stay in singapore with our son, but anyway we made the best of it. 🙂

hotel room

we stayed at the continental club floor, which is kind of expensive for me, but it has its privileges.^^

at the other hotels, room are small & do not accept 3pax so you end up paying for 2 rooms. here we have a 500sq ft room at the 17th floor, which is very spacious even with the extra bed.^^

and view was great. we were directly overlooking 1881, which was formerly the navy police headquarters. and the victoria harbour. 🙂

tray of nuts

& the food was amazing. there was complimentary daily breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktail with hors d’oeuvres.

i stayed on many a club floors in my time working for various companies. the best food i had was a family staycation at ritz carlton in singapore like 20yrs ago. the food, wine & cheese were just incredible. i cannot really remember now except that it was very good, but this marco polo club floor food, wine & cheese were just as great!^^

wine & coffee

you can order coffee (flat white, cappuccino etc) but i am now taken by nespresso so i had a restricto (10) with creamer after many a cuppa with my good friend after our weekly 10km runs. a real enjoyment, this. 🙂

there were white & red wines. i liked the chateau los boldos, a chilean red, but the australian red was just as good. 🙂

cheese, a chive dumpling, pressed foie gras cone, another cheese

the cheese were excellent! the chinese dumpling was very good. i took a second, and the chinese dimsum next morning was great too.

mushroom vegetable skewer

the skewer was very good.

classy spicy dumpling 抄手

and what a classy way to present a spicy dumpling 抄手. ^^

fruits, fish, goat cheese cherry tomatoes skewer, spicy dumpling etc

goat cheese cherry tomatoes skewer

mango scallop

vegetable skewer

fruits

the magnificent hors d’oeuvres started at 5.30pm. made life difficult for us as we had to plan around it, after all we wanted to eat out in hong kong. haha!^^

on the first day 3.4.2015, it was quite perfect though.

we arrived 12.30pm at the airport, took the airport express to elements & the complimentary bus to marco polo & checked in at the club floor. so our plan was to have dimsum at timhowan at shamshuipo at 3pm.

so the 5.30pm hors d’oeuvres came in nicely as our next was a late night dinner at budaoweng at 9.30pm. ^^

smoked salmon & parma ham

smoked salmon & parma ham

smoked salmon & parma ham

breakfast was equally scrumptious.

steak breakfast

there was a breakfast menu which include steak, egg omelette, wanton noodles etc.

on the second day we were having a heavy weekend brunch at amber so i had a light breakfast. on the last day 6.4.2015, i ordered the steak. it was good, not like super super, but good.

c.h.e.f andy

Very Good Beef Hotpot @ Budaoweng 不倒翁 iSquare on 3Apr2015

Posted on April 5, 2015 by chefquak

USDA beef

as planned on the first night, we went to budaoweng 不倒翁 hotpot at isquare near our hotel at 9.30pm on 3.4.2015. this late night discounts used to be 40% before, but now it was 20% for the entire menu including drinks.

since we had a late lunch at timhowan shamshuipo, this was rather a good arrangement, except that we also had a bit to eat at the club lounge at marco polo hk hotel. 🙂

we had the usual must-order large portion 金牌肥牛 at HK$368, which was the USDA marbled beef.

budaoweng 不倒翁 hotpot

HK$758 geoduck, bamboo clams & grouper

geoduck

bamboo clams

we decided to have geoduck sashimi. it was very expensive though at HK$48 per tael (两) 37.5g。that would make it HK$1280 about S$228/kg = really ex man!

we decided to take their promotion platter which had a portion of geoduck sashimi, grouper head & belly & roar clams. that was HK$758 before 20% discounts. this also very ex. not that much geoduck sashimi, 2 pieces of razor clams & some grouper 头腩, which is a really cheap dish in HK.

1/2 order prawn dumplings – HK&88

we had 1/2 order (4 pieces) of our favourite prawn dumplings. it had 3 huge prawns inside.

vegetable tray

& a vegetable tray.

condiments & sauces

there were very good condiments & sauces. they charged like HK$22pax.

fruit & jelly

they served a complimentary fruit & jelly.

dinner was very enjoyable, but came to be rather expensive after 20% discounts (HK$1800 for 3pax) as we also ordered an expensive sake.

the service was very good actually. servers were polite & responsive. but they tended to push things. one served poured the cane drinks 竹蔗for us. the difference now was that we said we didn’t want it & she took it back. in the past servers in HK would show you a black face. they may still do now at other places. this one was ok.

another practice both here & at lei gardens, the servers tended to hang around, the body language expecting tips. but there was already 10% service, especially when they charged for everything from soup base to condiments & for here sake was very ex too. anyway they do what they need to do, we tip when we feel we want to tip…hahaha!^^

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Dimsum @ Timhowan Shamshuipo on 3Apr2015

Posted on April 5, 2015 by chefquak

crispy char siew bun

had excellent 4pax dimsum at timhowan at sham shui po, fuk wing street.^^

last time i dined here was in 2013. just as good this time.

son arrived HK airport 1/2hr later, and we managed to take airport express & hop onto the free bus transfer & checked in at marco polo hk at harbour city by 2.30pm.

timhowan shamshuipo

we were at timhowan at sham shui po at 3pm. there was a queue (this was good friday & we waited about 15mins).

fried carrot cake

liver fun cheong

we ordered 3 of the 4 signature dishes, namely the crispy char siew buns, the panfried carrot cake, and the liver fun cheong.^^

they were all good. somehow the crispy char siew funs were much better than singapore, very crispy & not so sweet. panfried carrot cake was kind of standard.

char siew fun cheong

both the liver & char siew fun cheong were very good, very smooth & the sauces was just great.

pork rib chicken feet rice

we loved the pork rib chicken feet rice. it was excellent! we had 2 orders to share among 4pax.

steamed pork ribs

chicken feet

we also had the steamed pork ribs & chicken feet separately. they were both very good. the chicken feet was the usual deep-fried ones & very different from the abalones sauce ones we had the next day at lei gardens which cost more & not so nice.

咸水饺

we liked the hamshuigok 咸水饺 too. nice!

har gau

& we had 3 orders of har gau. these were very good, same as what we had in crystal jade, imperial treasure & canton paradise in singapore.

we had one later at lei gardens times square & it was quite below par, really what we came to expect in HK.

shamshuipo market…lots of electronics & gadgetry

price came to HK$302 (S$54) for 4pax, higher than the usual S$8 to S$10 here because we ate a lot.^^

it was a great makan first stop for us in HK.

c.h.e.f andy

Cheap & Good Lunch @ Deitos Hakata B1 Food Alley Shop on 29Jan2015

Posted on March 1, 2015 by chefquak

fugu sashimi

after coming back from dazaifu 太宰府, we were at deitos hakata B1 food alley on 29.1.2015.

deitos hakata B1 food alley shop

& was attracted by a stall displaying fugu sashimi & ika (squid) sashimi set.

ika sashimi set+ika tempura (window display)

we saw this ika sashimi set in many brochure advertisements & had planned to try it.

in the display (photo above), there was also ika tempura. there was also a choice or either beer or gohan set.^^

ika sashimi

wa…the ika sashimi was really good! 🙂

thick & a very great bite w/o being tough..

ika tempura-better than any calamari

we could do the remaining squid as tempura or shioyaki…& wow..the tempura was just superb…better than any calamari i have tried.^^

i would definitely take this again.

ika sashimi set+ika tempura

i had the gohan set of rice, pickles & miso soup once i didn’t need the beer & all the food were good with small amount of rice.

deitos hakata B1 food alley

coming up the food alley escalator, i took a snap. the stall was just down the escalators immediately on the right side.^^

i wanted to make sure i know where to find it when i visited fukuoka again, but i guess there are many such shops selling this ika sashimi set in fukuoka.

c.h.e.f andy

Yatai 屋台 on Nakasu Island, Ramen Stadium & Canal City on 28Feb2015

Posted on February 28, 2015 by chefquak

yatai屋台 on nakasu island

after a very delightful meal of sashimi omakase (haha!) in our JR kyshu blossoms hotel room, we had a good rest & took a stroll to canal city, ramen stadium & nakasu in the evening & to try out the yatai 屋台on 28.1.2015.^^

yatai屋台 on nakasu island

there are some 150 such street stalls in fukuoka. they can be found in tenjin, nagahama & nakasu.

i guess foreigners were naturally attracted to the idea of yatai 屋台. ^^

it seemed such a fun place, which locals also frequent. e.g. in the korean equivalent pojangmacha 포장마차 包藏马车, there’s a lot of socialising, people getting drunk & piggy-back home (in korea dramas..haha!). 🙂

i asked 1 of my korean friends. she said there’s pojangmacha & there’s pojangmacha. everyone has her own favourite & it really depends if you like these street food & what you order.

kushiyaki串烧@nakasu yatai 屋台

the yatai 屋台 we decided to try was on nakasu island by the river.

food was quite poor really, both the kushiyaki & also the ramen which was NOT even comparable to the instant mala chashu ramen & the kyushu black instant ramen i made at home.

oden@ yatai屋台

we did not take oden, not something we were interested.

grilled mentaiko 900yen @nakasu yatai 屋台

we had the grilled mentaiko. so so.

kushiyaki moriawase 6 for 800yen @nakasu yatai 屋台

i guess the kushiyaki moriawase 6 for 800yen was not like very expensive, but my wife said they were not 1/2 as nice as tori-q, which is the truth, not that we even eat much of tori-q. haha!^^

beef stomach 600yen @nakasu yatai 屋台

this was a mistake! couldn’t understand what the stall owner said, we thought it was beef tripes (there was an english menu that said beef stomach) but it was more like literally beef fat!

very poor ramen 650yen @nakasu yatai 屋台

ramen at the yatai 屋台 , don’t order it!

we should have tried at the ramen stadium instead. at least those looked as good as the ramen village (拉麺小路) at level 10 kyoto station.

nakasu island

it was a pleasant place for a stroll in the evening.

canal city – view from nakasu island

view of canal city from nakasu island side.

canal city

ramen stadium – canal city

ramen stadium looked mighty fine.

canal city

canal city was quite nice to walk through. not sure what was there to do.. shopping & more shopping.

c.h.e.f andy

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c.h.e.f

cook.hangout.eat.fun

Category Archives: Andy’s Travelogue

Great Lunch @ Mackerel Sky Penzance on 12May2015

Forgettable Meal @ Thai Moon Penzance on 11May2015

Great Lobster Seafood Penne Pasta @ Coach Coffee Bar & Bistro at Lizard Village on 11May2015

Marvellous Mother’s Day Lunch @ The Gurnard’s Head on 10May2015

Lovely Mother’s Day Dinner @ Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar at Newlyn, Cornwall on 10May2015

Another Wonderful Dinner @ The Greek Larder on 8May2015

Shiok (Satisfying) £20 Lobster Lunch @ Burger & Lobster on 8May2015

Excellent Dinner with Son @ The Greek Larder, London on 7May2015

Good Food @ Asia Treasure T3 Lounge, Long 13.5hrs Flight & Long 1.5hrs ride from Heathrow on 7May2015

Poor Dimsum at Sweet Dynasty 糖朝 on 6Apr2015

Good Value Saga Wagyu 佐贺和牛 6-course Set @ Superstar on 5Apr2015

Expensive Below-par Food @ Lei Gardens Times Square on 5Apr2015

Street Food Yat Lok Roast Goose & 新源牛腩牛杂面 on 4 & 5Apr2015

Sumptuous Weekend Wine Brunch @ Amber Landmark Mandarin Oriental on 4Apr2015

Peak Circle Walk on 4Apr2015

Marco Polo HK @ Harbour City 3-6Apr2015

Very Good Beef Hotpot @ Budaoweng 不倒翁 iSquare on 3Apr2015

Excellent Dimsum @ Timhowan Shamshuipo on 3Apr2015

Cheap & Good Lunch @ Deitos Hakata B1 Food Alley Shop on 29Jan2015

Yatai 屋台 on Nakasu Island, Ramen Stadium & Canal City on 28Feb2015

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