Swish and Smell your teas in Wine Glasses at [Van Gogh Senses]

At [Van Gogh Senses], they are now serving fine food and cold brew tea pairing.

I found it a unique experience as the afternoon tea is paired with cold brew teas in wine glasses.

So as a tea lover, you get to try all their signature teas with scrumptious treats that are paired with it.

I love tea so it was a brilliant experience as it takes tea to the next level where you can smell and swish it in wine glasses in a stylish way.
You won't find me gulping down wine but you will find me gulping down teas as I am thirsty for tea all the time!!!

All of them were good especially the passionfruit oolong and chocolate mint tea.

Dates: 5, 12, 19, 26 Oct (Fri)

Dates: 5, 12, 19, 26 Oct (Fri)

Time: Start from 3:00pm to 5:30pm

Fee: $698 for two, subject to 10% service charge.
BOOK NOW!
Call (852) 2622 2887 or email 1881@vangoghsenses.com for registration.

Ichigen by the harbour [一幻拉麵 Ebisoba Ichigen]

As well as Wanchai, you can now dine at the Ocean Terminal for Ichigen Ramen.

The new ramen bar is much more spacious and at the far end you have beautiful views of the harbour.

Ichigen specializes in a strong sweet shrimp broth which is prepared daily by boiling incredible amounts of sweet shrimp heads to create the signature Ebisoba.
The Ebi Mazesoba is exclusive at this branch and not even available in Japan!
It is noodles topped with diced BBQ pork, hot spring egg, sweet shrimp flavoured tempura bits, green onions and seaweed .

When you eat it, everything is tossed together so that each strand is covered in aromatic shrimp sauce. The flavours are much intense as the sauce is stronger than the broth.
On the menu, the also have the regular ramen with 3 types of seasoning, miso, salt and soy sauce.

Had the basic noodles which come with a slice of roast pork, half an egg sprinkled with pretty pink crispies made of flour mixed with red ginger and prawn broth.
The broth was rich with unami as expected with a slight bitterness which hung to the noodles well.

As I have previously tried the rice ball, I had the gyozas.
Strangely, they tasted really good with the ramen white pepper on the table.

[一幻拉麵 Ebisoba Ichigen]:
Shop OT G59, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Donburis that are worth the wait at [Ranbashi Donburi Restaurant]

It wasn't even a Friday or Weekend but a Wednesday when the evening just begun at 6pm and there was a crowd outside.
As my friend was adamant on trying this place, we waited until we were arranged a table.
We ordered as soon as we got a table as we knew what we wanted.

I had the deluxe toro donburi while my friend had the eel donburi.

The toro donburi made me salivate as it was topped with jelly which turned out to be appetizing vinegar that made the fatty toro not so overwhelming.
On the side, there was a cute quail egg which just added to the silkiness and texture.
I finished it within a flash as the jelly vinegar constantly made me hungry and I have to admit I still felt hungry after eating it.

Definitely will be back earlier to avoid the queue.

[Ranbashi Donburi Restaurant 嵐橋丼飯專門店]:
Shop BCD, Rich Tower, 2 Blenheim Ave, Miden Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2244 3238
https://www.facebook.com/RanbashiDonburiRestaurant/

Pasta to delight your senses at [Van Gogh Senses]

For many people, a meal is just about satisfying hunger as the lifestyle in Hong Kong is all about being fast and on the move.
At Van Gogh Senses, it is appreciating art in everyday life.

Van Gogh Senses was created under Senses Holdings Limited with an exclusive license from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Hence Van Gogh Senses is a place to share and remember Van Gogh's timeless works, while honouring his passionate dedication to art with your five senses.

At the moment, they are now serving a pasta and cocktail pairing menu featuring their freshly egg pastas that are made in house.

As well as the pastas, here are the recommendable dishes.

Salmon & Tuna Carpaccio with Gin Tonic Jelly and Jicama Salad $168:
Presented like a pretty flower, it was refreshing with the crunchy flower shaped Jicama and the slight bitterness of the gin tonic jelly.

++++++

French Summer Black Truffle, Asparagus and Tomino Cow Cheese $168:
I love cheese as it was soft melted tomino cheese inside the crispy golden cocoon paired with nutty asparagus.

++++++

Alaskan King Crab with Curry Coriander Couscous & Compressed Watermelon and Black Garlic Tuile $188
Compressed Watermelon never fails as it has an intensified taste due to being compressed so the juices are all locked in further making it sweeter which went well with the curry couscous and crab.

++++++

Classic Dutch Peas & Smoked Ham Soup, Harvest Bruschetta $128
I love this ham soup which is really similar to the hearty beef soup because it is loaded with more ingredients than soup catered for people in the old days with a tough lifestyle that required physical labour intense work.

Moving on to the pastas, it was exciting as you can pair them with cocktails.

++++++

Hokkaido New Potato Gnocchi with Roma Tomato and House Smoked Burrata Cheese $168
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Kiwi Basil Smash $58

Unlike other gnocchi, they use potatoes from Japan which seemed to give it a softer stickier texture.

++++++

Italian Caviar & Bottarga di Muggine - Fresh Egg Spaghetti $228
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Pear Fizz $58

As well as gnocchi, this one was my favourite because I love freshly made egg spaghetti and this dish was just simple and delicious.
All that was in it was pasta and prized caviar!!
As well as the pasta, the Pear Fizz was a good pairing because pears are sweet and fragrant.

++++++

French Summer Black Truffle - Fresh Egg Spaghetti $208
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Black Diamond $58

The truffle spaghetti is similar to the caviar spaghetti but it depends if you prefer caviar or truffle.

++++++

Brittany Blue Lobster (Fresh) - Fresh Egg Fennel Trenette $398
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Starry $58

The secret here lies in the silky lobster foam which enriches the pasta.

++++++

Dutch Seasonal Oyster & White Vermouth Martini - Fresh Egg Squid Ink Trenette $248
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Spencer Lake $58

For me I love oysters, the complete package here, oyster to the max with oyster infused pasta, oyster foam and they even put the oyster leaves that just taste like oysters!!
And of course just like bacon and oysters, it's bacon and crispy parma ham.

++++++

24 hours Slow Cook Wagyu Beef Cheek Fettucine – 14 months DOP Asiago $218
Cocktail Pairing - Heritage Sour $58

As well as the delicate pasta combos above, I liked the beef fettucine which is very satisfying for a hungry stomach and definitely needs a strong cocktail to go with the beef.

++++++

Overall, I was extremely satisfied as I love carbs hence for dessert I had something light.

Sweet Corn Cheesecake & Gelato with Caramel Popcorn $98
The sweet corn gelato was very soothing and a great way to end the night.

Vangogh Senses:
https://www.vangoghsenses.com/

Refreshing drinks anytime at Fu Rong to beat the heat

Fu Rong is one of the new classy restaurants at OTE with a beautiful view of the harbour.

They specialize in Chengdu cuisine executed in a modern way.
As an expat, when I first heard of Fu Rong it just made me think of egg foo-young and China Town but after reading more information it turned out to be a must try place.

This was my first visit to Fu Rong and it was for drinks but you do get a complimentary snack with it.

On the drinks list, there are nine specially crafted alcoholic beverages to choose from made from the wines shown below.

My eyes were drawn to the special cocktails concocted with Xiao Lang Jiu.

These cocktails were:
Fu Rong Cosmo (Xiao Long Jiu + Creme de Peach + Lime + Cranberry Juice)
Sichuan Tonic (Xiao Long Jiu + Lemon + Tonic)
Langjito (Xiao Long Jiu + Mint + Lime)

The drinks package is a selection of 2 drinks and a snack for $238 per person which is available all day.

There are six snack choices to choose from and they are all very different.

Toast - Avocado Butter

Chicken Wings - Sichuan Spicy

Fries - Cumin Seasoning

Roasted Sweet Potato

Mixed Wild Mushroom Spring rolls

Dried Beef Slices - Chili and Pepper

It is really impressive that they have 4 meat free choices for people who do not eat meat.

For drinks I had the Fu Rong Cosmo which was girly and it was just the drink for me because of the appetizing striking notes of peach.
I chose avocado butter toast because avocado butter is healthy and I love toast.

My friend had the Sichuan Tonic with dried beef slices.
It was another good pairing as lemon and chili go great together.

I tried the beef slices and it was so addictive because they tasted like beef jerky with a lovely Sichuan Peppercorn aroma and they were not that fiery.

Guests having dinner there will also receive a box of chocolate worth HKD135.
I received a box that evening and it was damn good, all the flavours were all equally as good but the Cinnamon Apple was exceptionally good.
What I liked about these chocolates was the ratio of filling to chocolate, the chocolate shell was thin so you get more of the flavours inside and it wasn't too sweet.

Will return for a proper meal next time.

In love with [Joomak's] Vegetarian Menu

I am always here because of their vegan menu, it is great that they change it regularly.
On this visit, I tried some new items like the snow fungus salad which was light and satisfying while the Vegan Korean chicken was on the fiery side.

There was supposed to be some ice leaves in there but only found one!

The kale pancake is permanently on the menu but it makes sense because it tastes really good.

It is similar to those Chinese bokchang pancakes which are soft with a slight chew loaded with healthy kale and sweet wolfberries.

For drinks, both choices were so damn good especially the black garlic latte with charcoal, it was sweet with a gritty texture.

The yuzu chocolate smoothie which I thought was an odd combination turned out well because it was similar to the pairing of choc n orange which never fails.

Finished with the chia seed pudding which was silky and moreish!

Definitely will be back because on Wednesdays they have a promotion for all you can eat from the Vegetarian menu for $198 until the end of June!

Healthy Hot Pot at [雲長小龍坎老火鍋]

Went here with a friend to check out this new hotpot place which used to be some other Sichuan restaurant.
When we arrived, we were greeted with this huge ceramic dragon, on the left was this animated image which was actually powered by a fan.

雲長小龍坎 is opened by cantopop singer Jason Chan and TV celeb Chiu King Ho so you might bump into them there!!

Inside, there are mini cans of oil which are used for dipping the food on each table and neatly stacked by the window.

Started with some spicy chicken feet and crispy pork.

The Salt and Pepper Sweetcorn was really addictive as the sweetcorn was split into four vertically which made it really easy to eat for people with small gobs!

We had two broths, one signature spicy broth and the non spicy herb broth.
Before we ordered anything for the pot, the guy kept recommending the meat balls and saying how good they were.

So we got some Celtuce slices, Premium beef, meat balls and the Ferris Wheel.

The Ferris Wheel was a real working one because when I took one of the carriages out, it started moving due to the weight imbalance!!

The guy didn't brag about the meat balls as they turned out tasty.
The reason they were good was that it was made of mostly grounded pure meat which you can taste otherwise the texture would be bouncy.
So far so good!
The next exciting thing was the fish gas bladders which I have always wanted to try as not many places serve them puffed up.

I loved the stickiness and you really do need to tug it as it was very elastic to withstand the pressures beneath the sea!! The only thing you have to becareful are the random sharp bone fragments. Duck's blood is becoming popular these days and the texture of the duck's blood was like tofu which disintegrates in your mouth as it is really delicate.
It definitely tastes better placed in the spicy broth.

Overall, I was really satisfied with the hotpot as everything was tasty and didn't need the condiments.
The way I eat spicy hotpot is use the non spicy broth to blanch it first and then a few drops of the spicy broth to make it tasty so that I can control how spicy it is.
On the way home, I noticed that I was not feeling thirsty after the hotpot.

[雲長小龍坎老火鍋]