6th branch of Cali-Mex!!

I was on my way to Flaming Frango's when I was given a flyer for a free frozen Margarita.

This is the sixth branch of Cali-Mex with the seventh one of Luard Road!

There was already a crowd there but I managed to get one.



I chose the strawberry which was sweet with a hint of Tequila.

The plastic cocktail cup was really nice and had an illuminated handle so I kept it~~

Ducktastic dishes at Pinot Duck

I am not a fan of Cantonese food in HK because it doesn't fare as good as the ones in the UK unless you go to expensive places.
Anyway, I discovered this new joint in Stanley specializing in duck that are imported from the US and France.
The dishes have a slight Asian twist to it and the restaurant does not look Chinese which confuse people at first sight.

At the back there is an open kitchen with a place to roast their ducks.


The menu was creative with a choice of Asian style and Western style duck dishes.
I chose the following dishes because I prefer Western style, although there are a few that are Asian as well.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Wood and snow fungas salad:

This was a great salad to begin with because the vinaigrette dressing was really appetizing and it had lots of snow fungas and coral seaweed which is rich in collagen.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
crispy duck pieces:
tossed in cumin and sichuan pepper seasoning

Next were the crispy duck legs which were meaty and divine because it was extremely crispy with tasty soft duck meat in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Duck liver pate:


The duck liver pate was smooth and velvety infused with a strong Chinese wine called Hua Diao.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Duck consomme:


Then I had the warming duck consomme which was loaded with wintermelon pearls and a quail egg.
It was simply light and satisfying.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
hot and sour soup:

Although it was too spicy for me, I liked the smokey chipotle and balsamic vinegar in the soup.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
duck risotto:

The risotto was filling with delicious pieces of crispy duck skin. Each grain of rice was tasty with a strong green pepper taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
caramel lotus roots:

To finish off, had the caramel lotus roots with chocolate mousse and pickled ginger.
It was a nice combination of Oriental ingredients and Western ingredients.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Definitely coming back again!!

https://www.facebook.com/pinotduckhk

Taiwanese CNY delights at Check-In Taipei

As  well as HK, Taiwan celebrates CNY as well.
At Check in Taipei, they have come up with some festive dishes which I tried.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Wintermelon pudding drink:

Started off with the wintermelon pudding drink topped with tapioca pearls, at the bottom of the drink was a silky pudding.
It was sweet and fun to drink.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crispy pork knuckles:

These bites were topped with soft stewed pork knuckles which were tasty and gelatinous.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taiwanese bbq prawns:

Next we had the bbq prawns which had a delicious mix of spices.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised pork nachos:

Then we had the nachos which were surprisingly addictive because the braised pork tastes much better than beef because the sauce has a lovely mix of savoury goodness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese pepper pig ears:

Although the Sichuan peppercorns were quite spicy, I really liked the crispy prawns crackers and the diced peppery pig ears and the piece of soft tofu beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and waffles:

These were similar to American chicken waffles but the chicken was crispy and it was coated with delicious Taiwanese spices complemented by the lovely sweet pineapple chunks in between.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beef noodles:

To finish off, we had noodles which were delicious wide strips of slippery noodles with frilly edges.
Each strand was tasty after it absorbed the meaty broth and the pieces of beef were soft and well marinated.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Panna cotta:

The dessert was amazing because the Panna Cotta had pieces of pineapple in it and it tasted like heavenly clotted cream.
It was served with Taiwan's famous Sunny Hills pineapple cakes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I didn't drink any cocktails that night but the others had it and I thought the presentation and the names of the cocktails were fun.
I love Tai-Mei:

Fly me to Taipei:

Tea-ramisu:

Yearning Taipei:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

https://www.facebook.com/ctaipei

Squid ink pasta from Mr.Big

Ordered some pastas which were promptly delivered.
The squid ink pasta was al-dente but it lacked taste.

Hungry for more at Hungrybird

Intrigued by the name Hungry bird was why I dined here!


There were lots of hungrybirds that night so the restaurant was quite full.

Here was what I had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hungry bird:

When it came, it was a huge piece of pastry.
Inside the pastry was pigeon wrapped in lotus leaf.

The pigeon tasted delicious because the sauce that came with it tasted like American BBQ sauce which is sweet and smokey.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chips coated in salty egg yolk:

These chips are a must eat item, they were coated in delicious salty egg yolk which gave it a starchy salty crunch.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Asparagus:

The asparagus was nicely grilled with a strong taste of cumin.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vegetables:

The vegetables could be improved because they looked like they were plucked from the ground.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marshmallow toast:

Anyway who likes marshmallow spread will love this.
It was crispy toast topped with gooey marshmallow.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

2015 Valentines series at 2/3 Dolci

The Valentines cake collection has got bigger this year and there are two new drinks as well.

Tried the TI AMO which was raspberry and Tiramisu cake, it was creamy with a mix of Tiramisu layers and tart raspberries.


Then, I had the AMORE which was panna cotta and mousse infused from real lychee and rose tea leaves.
It was the perfect pairing of lychee and rose with a good balance because you could taste the fragrant lychee and the rose was not too strong.


To finish off I had the AURORA which was rose and lychee latte served with a lovely thick milk cap infused with fragrant rose and lychee.


Last but not least was the KISSES, a hot nutty hazelnut and chocolate drink.

https://www.facebook.com/2thirddolci

Peri Peri chicken at Flaming Frango

I have been wanting to try this place for a long time but it wasn't opened yet.

It was finally open so I went in to try it.
I was not in the best of state to eat the food because I had this annoying flu but when the chicken arrived it looked and smelt like the chicken at Nandos.

The chicken was springy and delicious, but it was quite spicy, the chicken beneath the skin was also marinated well that you could taste the herbs.

https://www.facebook.com/flamingfrango