34th HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair

The 34th HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair opens today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and runs until Tuesday (30 April).

This year’s fair continues to be the world’s largest event of its kind, expanding in scale in 2019 to feature a record 4,380 exhibitors from 31 countries and regions.

Close at heart is the UK Pavillion at Hall 3B featuring hand made flower jewelry by Shrieking Violet and Celebration Crackers.

Shrieking Violet is a multi award winning sterling silver jewellery brand handmade with REAL flowers.
They offer an exquisite collection of jewellery handmade with real flowers including rose, forget-me-not, poppy, daisy, sunflower & mixed flower collections.
https://www.flowerjewellery.com/

Not just for Christmas, crackers by Celebration Crackers are for all occasions.
They offer an abundance of designs, sizes and prices, from Handmade to Card Crackers which can be found thriving worldwide on restaurant tables, in boutique shops and in retail chains like John Lewis to Paperchase etc.

https://www.celebrationcrackers.co.uk

@shriekingvioletjewellery and @celebcrackers
@hktdclifestyle #hkgiftsfairs

J'adore [Trois Cafe]

Tit Hong Lane is a shabby alley in Central but all that has changed.
There is a new hip coffee joint.
As I don't drink coffee I ordered the EARL GREY tea and I was just expecting the usual tea served in a paper cup or pot.
The barista said she was going to come over and serve it which got me thinking as it was just tea while this other patron got a buzzer to go and collect his drink.

While I was waiting I saw this Chinese Tea set on the counter which is obviously for Chinese tea I thought.

Took a look at the food menu which was highly alluring so I will have to come back with friends as they have so many choices.
You can get sandwiches with a choice of ciabatta, foccacia or croissant.
The fillings are hard to decide as they have prosciutto with Camembert to tomato with sour cream and black peppercorn or a sweet twist with mixed berries and cream cheese.

Then for lunch, there is steak, but the crispy chicken sounds interesting as it has crushed pistachio.
The Japanese charsiu needs imagination though as it comes with American cheese.
Anyway, I've got to try it another time.

The tea took a while so I couldn't resist and took a peek.
To my surprise, I saw the tea being prepared in the Chinese Tea Set which explains why she had to come and serve it.
I wish I hasn't looked as it would have been a bigger wow moment when it came.

Anyway, it was still a surprise when it came because I have never had Earl Grey Tea served in a Chinese way.

The tall cup lets you smell the tea before you drink it.

There are samples of the tea leaves for you to see and a fact sheet.

Overall the tea was aromatic and it was definitely a memorable experience.

I also tried the cute little muffin as well which was delicious.

Definitely enjoyed my time there and the decor is a mix of modern and old.
On one side you can see part of the exposed wall with bricks.

[Trois Cafe] Tit Hong Lane

Quality beef time @ Maruju Aburi Farm

Recently I got addicted to the Wagyu sando so I decided to go and try everywhere that has it.

Maruju Aburi Farm has it so decided to go there one evening.

This branch specializes in Wagyu beef and they have two other branches in Kwaihing and Mongkok which serves a slightly similar menu.

On every table, there is a classy little glass bottle of lemon juice which you can add to your food.

I had in mind what to eat but the pandan coconut frappe came as a surprise, firstly I didn't expect to see this on a Japanese menu and secondly it was so good.

There were so many items to choose from so ordered beef sausages, wagyu beef sando and eel Tamagoyaki egg rolls.
+++++++++++
Tamagoyaki egg rolls:
These egg rolls were soft and delicate with sweet eel in the middle.

+++++++++++
Maruju Farm Beef Sausage:
These beef sausages certainly gave me a surprise in the sense that they were softer than you would expect and they contains herbs in them which make them taste like English pork sausages.
Definitely the best beef sausages and they didn't contain any of gristle.

+++++++++++
As well as beef, I love chicken so we had the Chicken Feast where they use chickens from the South Iwate Prefecture.
On there platter, there was chicken wings, thigh, breast, breast cartilage and skin.
Four chickens are needed for the breast cartilage skewer as you only get one piece of breast cartilage per chicken.
My favourites were the thigh and wings.
Adding the fresh lemon and the lemon from the glass bottle made it more appetizing.

+++++++++++
Premium Whole Wagyu Beef Platter 2 Pcs ($580)
This was a really good way of sampling the Australian Wagyu Beef which is clearly labelled and for each different cut, you get 2 slices.
On the platter, there was Tri-tip, Sirloin, Oyster Blade, Tongue, Brisket, Shank, Rump, Top-round and Outside Skirt.
Evidently I liked the Top-Round and Outside Skirt which is meatier and tasty.

++++++
Now to the Wagyu toast:
The toast was extremely thin and crispy so when you eat it the beef is more prominent but saying that the sauce they used was sweet and spicy and tasted like concoction of spicy siracha + burger sauce.
The Wagyu in the middle was meaty and tender.

++++++
Overall, I was really impressed with everything especially the sausages.

[Maruji Aburi Farm]

Shop 342D, 3/F, MOKO, 193 Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok

12 Course Signature Tasting Menu by Chef So

Chef So, who has 30 years of extensive culinary experience, serving numerous celebrities and VIPs across the world is now showcasing his signature dishes at Golden Bauhinia.

It comes as a 12 Course Tasting menu for only HKD488.

The menu is available from 8 Apr to 14 Jun 2019 except 12 May 2019.
Terms and conditions apply.

Further discounts with HSBC where they can enjoy 15% off upon spending HK$600 or above for dinner (Exclusive of service charge and for 2 diners or above).

Here is the 12 Course Tasting menu:

Appetizers:
A pretty delight of Bitter Squash with Plum Sauce, Black Truffle Bean Sheet Rolls and Barbecued Pork Fillet with Honey Sauce.
The bittermelon was laid out like a maple leaf and it was appetizing eating it with the barbecued pork as the plum sauce complimented the pork nicely.
The bean sheet roll was crispy without oiliness with a fragrant truffle aroma.

Next was the Minced Fish Thick Soup which was light and comforting.
Adding the finely chopped lettuce and spring onions made it even more healthy.

Moving on to the mains, it was the Deep-fried Crab Shell Stuffed with Crab Meat.
It was stuffed with so much crab meat, onions and mushrooms cooked with a little bit of milk to give it that creaminess.
I loved the taste as it was similar to chicken a la king but with crabmeat.

The Pan-fried Scallop with Black Truffle was big yet tender and I loved the crispy surface.

The Baked Spare Ribs with Plum Sauce and Lime was another dish that everyone liked.
Using Plum sauce and lime made it almost like Sweet and sour but with a fruity twist.

The Braised Pomelo Peel with Shrimp Roe in gravy was my absolute favourite.
Rich in fibre, soft and mushy like braised white radish.
The taste was amazing, it was light, and there was no bitter taste at all with the full flavour coming from the dried prawn roes and rich gravy.

Next were the Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables in Olive oil with Wolfberries:
I was expecting the olive oil to be strong but it wasn't and the wolfberries did a nice job by giving it touch of sweetness.

The last main dish ended with Fried Rice with Vegetables and Egg White.
It was definitely to my standards because it was tasty with the simplest ingredients like egg white and spring onions.

Finished with Dessert of Crispy Sesame Balls and Dried Longan and Red Dates Tea.

Definitely a satisfactory 12 course by Chef So and what I appreciate is that all this dishes are so healthy and non oily yet tasting good.

Golden Bauhinia Cantonese Restaurant (金紫荊粵菜廳):
Expo Galleria, Hong Kong Convention And Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai
https://restaurants.hkcec.com/zh/GoldenBauhinia

Pleasing buffet selection at [Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees]

As an expat, I have always found that buffets lacked a cheese selection as well as Indian Curries.
My recent visit to the buffet at [Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees] surprised me and it didn't cost a bomb during the weekdays from Mon - Thur!!

It only costs HKD478 which is under HKD500 and weekdays are quieter anyway.

The selection definitely impressed me but as a standard oysters and lobsters are a must in Hong Kong and they had that too!!!

Freshly shucked oysters:

Seafood including lobster and Alaskan crab legs:

Foie Gras:

Japanese grill & Sashimi!
As well as grilled prawns and fish, I was surprised to see grilled whelk too.

These were my favourites and I was elated they had so many items that many other buffets don't offer such as palm hearts, butter lettuce, curry and a good cheese selection.

Indian curries complete with mint sauce, chutney and pickles:

Cheese Selection!!!

Brie on Carr's Water Biscuit!!!

A decent carvery with horse radish, mustard and gravy, nearby there was my favourite potato gratin!

Dessert was just as good and they even had my favourite pandan cake, cherry tart and BREAD PUDDING!!
They even had the newest Haagen Daz ice cream flavours.

The bread pudding was just like the ones in UK topped with custard and not overly rich.

Other visually good looking desserts: Jelly fruits, Lavender cheesecake, Rose egg white cake and souffle with birds nest.

 Mango Napolean:

 Souffle with Birds Nest:

 Banana Charlotte:

 Rum Pie:

 Rose Egg White Roll & Lavender Cheesecake:

Part of the stuff I got from the buffet selection: roast beef with butter lettuce, lamb rack, salted egg yolk prawn, palm hearts and lobster in black bean sauce.
Overall, everything was good so you can expect to be stuffed if you go there~

For more information, please visit:
https://www.harbour-plaza.com/8degrees/Dining-Cafe-8-Degrees-en.htm