Problems with Chilled/Frozen Foods in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a hot place with extreme temperatures and sunshine which makes it challenging for transporting and handling food but with modern technology it should all be solved.
In some shops,  storage space seems an issue that they have to squeeze the snacks between the floor and the bottom shelf base.
Luckily they are packaged snacks.

Starting with snacks and confectionery, I find it strange that shops do not have the mentality to put them in a shaded area especially with Chocolate.

Moving on to Dairy products and Frozen goods, the sad thing is that a good majority have melted before they reach the shops and then refrozen again in the freezer there.

The amusing thing is that Chinese people believe they are lactose intolerant and blame cheese and milk for causing diarrhea when it could just possibly be food poisoning.
Personally, I have never had problems with cheese and milk in the UK but found myself getting ill eating cheese and milk in HK.

Talking about Frozen goods, lots of frozen goods are covered in frost.

Broccoli left lying around the aisle

Two bags of fries of the same brand but the colour of the one on the left is strangely dark and grey:

Hopefully these frozen goods are going to be put in the freezer soon before they melt:

Faulty fridge!

For cream gateaux and tarts, it is common sense that they are stored upright and not vertical.
The way they are stored vertically affects the products. [Will have a photo soon]

I have also noticed many restaurants that have food delivered are left outside the vicinity for quite some time before they are refrigerated/stored.

Other meals waiting to be delivered are casually on the ground but fortunately they are inside a bag.

Uncovered tofu sitting next to fresh exhaust on the road!!!

The most shocking thing that I even saw was Frozen meat on the floor at this Meat Supplier Shop.

[i CREMERiA Café] A dinky cake for $160

To be honest, I think quite a lot of things are over priced in Hong Kong.
This dinky little melon cake costed HKD$160 which is around £16!!!!
Ok, it tasted nice but any cake in UK under £2 could taste as nice as this.
It is funny how HKers are willing to pay HKD$600 (approx £60) for a bunch of grapes!!

[i CREMERiA Café]
Shop 13, 4/F, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok

Gelato scam at Das Gute

Found out that they had gelato at Das Gute so went there for it.






I was hoping to get the mint chocolate or Darjeeling but the Darjeeling was sold out.
It was pretty cheap for $20.
However when I got the Gelato, the presentation was a bit funny, it was gelato smeared on the edges with a side and bottom that was empty.
My friend who had it from this branch a few hours before me said her cup of gelato was normal.







Anyway, the yoghurt gelato was on the sweet side but it was quite nice with a flavour that is similar to yakult.

[Cafe De Coral] Chicken bone feast

I was attracted by the CDC product shot of this golden yellow chicken oil rice with Hainan style chicken but reality didn't turn out that way.

It was weird that it was sprinkled with sesame because there isn't supposed to be sesame on it and I wonder if they put it there deliberately to cover up the bruised chicken!

The rice was the worst because it was white and smelly, not yellow as shown on the product shot.

The remains of the chicken!

Tottori inspired dishes at Bishoku Club Yoshida

It was an honor attending a luncheon at Bishoku Club Yoshida because the governor of Tottori was there.

I had the set menu which has dishes made with ingredients from Tottori.
[Since my visit, there have been changes to the menu]

Tottori is famous for pears, Pink Curry and Manga.
Before the food came, the governor Shinji Hirai showcased products and mascots from Tottori.
He showed us three pears: 二十世紀梨 20th Century Pear , 夏姬梨 Natsuhime and 新甘泉 Shinkansen with a cute mascot.

Manga is a big thing in Tottori because many cartoonists grew up there so there are lots of museums and bronze manga statues.

The Pink Soy sauce and Pink curry were interesting. The pink curry was on the internet a while ago so I was really lucky it was on the menu.
As well as the curry, they also had the 20th Century Pear on the menu.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Pear and vegetables salad:


The vegetables came with sauce but they didn't need it because they were just crisp and sweet.
It was my first time trying raw aubergine and it is surprisingly sweet, not to mention the star of the show which are the crisp and sweet pear chunks.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Marinated sliced squid with diced bean-curd:

The marinated squids were salty and springy, great with beer.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
3 Kinds of Yam (Jelly style, Yam steak and marinated by Lemon vinegar):


My favourite was the Yam in jelly because is was crisp and had a viscous texture.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Dried firefly squid charcoal grill:


The squids were really nice because they become aromatic and tasty after they were grilled.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
dried rosy seabass with pink soy sauce and cooked vegetables:


The delicate and silky rosy seabass was paired with this stunning pink soy sauce from Tottori.
華貴婦人のピンク醤油, or Hanakifujin no Pink Shoyu, means “Flower Lady’s Pink Soy Sauce”.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
"zuwai" crab leg and crab miso charcoal grill:



The crab roe was rich and delicious with the rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
2 kinds of curry (pink and traditional flavour) with rice:


I was so glad they had this because it was on the news last year, see link below.
Basically it is vegetarian and tastes like Japanese curry with a good degree of spiciness.
ブリリアントアソシエイツ株式会社
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Pear compote:

Finished with this crisp and sweet fruit compote!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Nashi liquer:


For drinks we had Nashi liquer which is sweet and addictive because it is almost like drinking pure pear juice with an alcoholic kick to it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
Here are photos of the governor Shinji Hirai showcasing highlights from Tottori.




Tottori mascot:

For Tottori fans, EGL are doing tours to tottori and you can also learn to make French style pear tarts and pear jam using the 20th Century pear by attending classes at ABC cooking studio, but if you just want to indulge on a sweet and crisp pear which is great for sharing during moon festival you can get them at TASTE, GREAT and AEON supermarkets.