HKTDC 2016 food expo

The annual HKTDC food expo is coming!

From 11-15^th August 2016, there will be nearly 1,400 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions.

There will be new comers from Finland, Croatia and Iceland as announced at the Press Conference.

To cater for the Halal sector, there will be a Halal food zone from 11-13^th at the Trade Zone.

There will  be various of Chefs and Celebrity chefs at the event.

Here are some exciting highlights that will be available.

I was most excited about the snail caviar so I went to that booth first.

As autumn festival is approaching fast, there are various mooncake promotions.

Showcase from Kee Wah bakery:

 Taipan snowy:

A good variety of alcoholic drinks.

Healthy drinks.

Noodles, dumplings and other gourmet foods:

 Golden eggs that can be kept longer without going bad.

For more information please visit.

http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkfoodexpo-en/HKTDC-Food-Expo.html

There will be lots of people there, so keep calm and stay orderly.

Magic Black Forest at Garden Cafe 綠茵閣

At City Garden Hotel, there are some enchanting desserts inspired by Chocolate Rain’s latest fantasy book “Magic Black Forest”!

If you have bought the book, bring the receipt here so that you can get discount when you order the Chocolate rain dessert.

There are four desserts in the series:

Chocolate Rain Forest



Treasure Box


Rainbow in the Sky


Magic Mushroom House


You can order these individually or order the whole set for $350.

Tried the set and my favourites were the treasure box and the rainbow in the sky.
The layered panna cotta reminded me of the award winning steamed egg dish also available at City Garden's Yue.
I found the green cucumber panna cotta interestingly refreshing with a strong cucumber taste.
As for the treasure box, it was more like a treasure bag filled with fluffy cream, walnuts and banana tied with a cola string.

Garden Cafe:
1/F, City Garden Hotel, 9 City Garden Road, North Point

Quality oysters

Casa Fina Seafood & Oyster Bar is one of the restaurants under CASA which are all located in Causeway Bay.

That night we started with an oyster & seafood platter of:
-Pacific Rock (U.S.)
-Namibia(South Africa)
-Isabella(France)
-Gillardeau(France)
-Scampi(NZ)

I have stopped eating oysters in Hong Kong because of the freshness and quality but I will eat oysters from the CASA group because they are good and I have tried them at other branches before without any unpleasant side-effects.
The oysters were fresh and taste different according to where they come from.
My favourite was the Gillardeau because it has the strongest taste.

It was visually stunning to see the whole scampi in its beautiful coral pink shells.
The scampi was sweet and springy that it did not require any seasoning.
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Next was the caesar salad tossed with crisp sweet lettuce.

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Then we had Garlic Bread with Sauteed Live Clams with Basil White Wine Sauce.

These sauteed fresh clams had a fragrant basil flavour which really brought out the sweetness of the clams.
The soup was so good that I drank it. There is garlic bread so that you can soak up the broth but personally I prefer it not buttered.
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The Deep Fried Alaskan Crab Cake was presented as a triangular croquette made with so much crab meat. 

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Then we had the deep fried lamb ribs which had a lovely cumin seasoning.

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The Tiger Prawn & Alaskan Crab Meat Penne With Lobster Sauce tasted like penne in reduced lobster bisque sauce crammed with lots of crab meat and the prawns were nice and springy.

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French Duck Foie Gras Linguine With Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce:

This was my favourite, I loved the al-dente linguine tossed in the oil from the foie gras.
There were so many pieces of foie gras and earthy mushrooms.
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Hokkaido Scallop Risotto With Ink Sauce:

A flawless risotto especially the ink sauce.
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Last but not least was the 16oz US Prime Rib Eye Steak With Wild Mushroom Gravy (Daily Special).
A great steak for sharing.

London's Aqua Spirit

Much to my surprise, London's aqua spirit, part of the Aqua Restaurant Group originates from Hong Kong.

According to their website it started fourteen years ago and it was so successful that the Aqua Restaurant Group has over 25 venues in Hong Kong, London and Beijing. 

There are going to branches in New York, Dubai and Paris soon!!!!

aqua spirit is conveniently located round the corner from Oxford circus station so we went there after some serious shopping at Oxford Street. 

We got a lovely table facing the bar where all the magic happens.

The drinks menu was exciting with drinks inspired by Japan, the one that we had was the Fuji Crusta containing ciroc vodka, pear liquor, pear puree and lime.
It was definitely a good choice because it was sweet and fragrant and the glass was stylish with a black and white sesame sugar rim.

We also tried the cranberry mocktail which was sharp and refreshing.

Started with edamame which was sprinkled with my favourite Maldon Salt.

Then we had ebi tempura which was succulent and springy prawns in a perfectly light and crispy tempura batter complimented by a chili mayonnaise.

Then was had these sweet tebaski yaki chicken wings stuffed with coriander and ginger miso.

Last but not least was my favourite maki rolls filled with creamy avocado chunks and fresh salmon topped with salmon roe pearls that gives it a burst of saltiness.

Thanks to the Aqua Restaurant Group, I had a brilliant time as I always do.
Stayed tune for more Aqua related posts :) Hopefully NY and PARIS!!!!!!!

Previous visits to Aqua that might be of interest.

Aqua luna voyage (Hong Kong):
http://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-unforgettable-experience-on-aqua-luna.html

Salt pairing at Aqua/Armani (Hong Kong)
http://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.hk/2014/06/saltparingaquaarmani.html