Tuesday, March 18, 2014

On board the USS Blue Ridge LCC 19

I was so chuffed to be invited to go on board the USS Blue Ridge LCC 19!!!

It was a once in a lifetime visit that could not be missed.
We had to get to Fenwick pier at 8am in the morning which was difficult but I managed it because I just couldn't miss this experience.

It was a lovely day that day and the temperature was just right for me.

We took a boat from Fenwick pier to the USS Blue Ridge.
 
 
 
It was exciting seeing the vast ship from the distance.
Our boat docked and we were welcomed by these handsome guys!!
After boarding the ship, we were given a really cool pass.
There is a reception to greet guests too.


There were lots of passages and stairs on board the ship and the vessel itself was incredibly stationary too!
They showed us the kitchen and dining area which had all my favourite snacks and high calorie foods such as cheese and ham toast, fried eggs etc.

We got shown the top deck too which had two helicopters.

More information about U.S agricultural products:
Hong Kong is the 6th largest market for U.S. exports of agricultural products, and is the 4th largest market for U.S. exports of high value consumer-oriented food products!

Interesting dining place at Otto

Restaurants in high rise buildings are common in Hong Kong because there is NO SPACE.
Anyway Otto Restaurant & Bar surprised me because it was quite different with stairs and the ceilings were different.


There were two floors.

On the upper floor, I liked the alcove with a Western looking window and the white bricks.

We tried the dinner set which is priced differently according to the main course you choose and it includes: starter, soup, main course, dessert and tea or coffee or a glass of wine for an extra $48.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
We started off with bread:


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Smoked eel salad with balsamic

I am not a fan of eel so I chose the other one.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Italian goats milk cheese with parma, quince paste

A light starter with goats cheese paired with sweet quince paste and aged parma ham.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beetroot soup

The soup was interesting, I liked it but it tasted like sweetcorn soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan fried tiger prawns with linguine in tomato sauce

This was the cheapest main but I liked it because it was simple al dente linguine with a huge tiger prawn.
I would have liked the tomato sauce to be stronger though.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan fried chile sea bass fillet

For fish lovers, it was a chunky piece of fish on top of delicious truffle mash.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Char grilled us prime angus rib eye steak

I am not keen on beef, but I loved the steak because it was juicy and sweet enhanced by the salt that was on the plate.
It was great that there was no charred taste either.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Seafood platter

The seafood platter had Baked lobster in cheese, grilled salted tiger prawns and pan seared scallops.
I tried the lobster and I liked it because the sauce was adapted so that it was not too cheesy or creamy and the sauce was great for dipping the bread in it too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Italian pudding

I loved the pudding because it was silky and creamy and not too sweet but I preferred it without the sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Coffee or tea

To finish off, I chose tea which is Ceylon tea served with milk.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Overall, the food comes quite fast and it was good in general.

Monday, March 17, 2014

豆花妹撈米線 You've got my support!

To be honest, I never eat Yunnan vermicelli because it is chewy just like plastic!
I was so curious to see if it was plastic that I burned a strand of uncooked yunnan vermicelli to see what would happen.
Instead of burning, it melted which seemed abnormal.

Anyway, I had no expectations for these noodles, and I purposely did not watch the show to get a surprise.

All I knew was that the noodles were going have silky tofu in it which reminded me of this restaurant called 普洱 which is famous in Tsuen Wan.
Before 普洱 got famous, they used to have a branch near the petrol station on Castle peak road near Lai chi Kok/Cheung Sha Wan.
I used to love their chocolate tea milkshakes and other drinks.

At 普洱, they also serve noodles with silky tofu and my favourite was 涼拌蕎麥麪 and 涼拌通心米線 which was Chinese buccatini.

Anyway, at this joint it is brightly decorated in baby blue with a cute girly logo.
It is opened by two young guys who got funding from a local TV show similar show to Dragons Den.


The joint is on the corner of the road near Garden Bakery and McDonalds.






Basically they currently have three types of noodles:
original, Beef noodles flavoured with coke and lemonade and ox tail noodles.

Tried the original and the ox tail noodles.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Original noodles with tofu:

Compared to the one at 普洱, I liked this one more because there was no soup.
Hence the noodles are tastier mixed in their signature sauce.


The texture of the Yunnan noodles were much nicer too because it wasn't artifical.
All in all, I loved it because the sauce was great and the noodles were great.
The sauce had a lot going on, you could taste almost every element without over powering each other such as sweetness, spiciness, saltiness and the numbness from the Sichuan peppercorns which were extremely fragrant.
There were so many ingredients in the sauce such as coriander, spring onion, peanuts and pigs skin.
The noodles were definitely successful because the noodles adhered the sauce and the silky tofu in it makes everything silkier just like raw egg cracked into noodles.
I don't know what brand of Yunnan noodles they used but I liked it because it was slightly translucent, foamy and springy and the texture was natrual because I can swallow it knowing that I can digest it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ox tail noodles:

The ox tails were cooked in a Western way so the noodles and the ox tail tasted similar to spaghetti bolognaise but with Yunnan noodles instead.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I loved the variety because you can add toppings to the noodles for $5.
Unfortunately due to their small kitchen, they can only serve four choices every week so you will have to keep checking their facebook to see their latest toppings.


There were quite a few choices which I want to try.
-black fungas and olives
-chicken wings in red beancurd sauce
-rich tasting blood curds
-beef tripe in aromatic spices
-velvet pigs liver
-chilled chicken in huadiao wine
-fragrant pig tails
-grilled yunnan tofus
-cherry tomatoes in champagne.

When I tried their noodles, all I felt was that the portion was small which was good because the trend in Sham Shui Po is to not get full and try other food stalls too.
It only costs $15 which was really affordable.

After watching the programme, it was consistent with my feelings because they tried to convey their message as an affordable snack that people would be curious to try which I felt too.
They are targetting a profit of $700 per day and they hope to make it even more affordable if more people go there to eat.

I am looking forward to Easter because they will have Quail eggs and other interesting items cooked with fizzy drinks.

For more info please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/tofufagirlhk

Inconsistent quality at Taste Good

Taste Good (Wan Chai)
On my first visit, the review was quite positive.
Came back again for the tea set to try the Iberian pork dumplings.


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spinach aloe noodles:


This time the broth was tasteless.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Iberian pork dumplings:

The dumplings just tasted like the usual ones with leeks but the pork smell was a bit too strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Wild chrysanthemum tea:


I really disliked this drink because it smelt weird, and the chrysanthemum flowers looked like dead floating fuzzy bumble bees!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Royce's NAMA white chocolate

My friend had a box of Royce's NAMA white chocolate so I managed to try a piece because I was curious.

It came in a white block which you have to cut.

The texture of the chocolate was slightly soft, similar to that of butter and lard.
When you eat it, it feels like cheese but it was too sweet for my liking.
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