[Shanghai Lao Lao] Hairy crab season is here

Hairy crab season this year started off for me with Hairy Crab Roe dishes from 上海姥姥 Shanghai Lao Lao.
There are so many branches in Hong Kong.

I was captivated by their Hairy Crab roe poster at Wong Tai Sin and all over the MTR stations.

As I was in Causeway Bay the other day, I went there with friends and we had other dishes as well.
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Sliced Pork Terrine:

Started with this classic terrine where the jelly melts in your mouth while the pork bits are really tasty.
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Mung Bean Noodles with Shredded Chicken:

This one was my favourite, springy mung bean noodles in a thick peanut and sesame dressing complimented by refreshing julienne cucumber.
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Smoked Fish with Mixed Spices:

The fish was crisp and sweet with a play of spices that were not spicy.
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Noodles with Hairy Crab Roe:

I love noodles and these have to be eaten asap while it is hot and delicious.
There was so much crab roe to cover every strand of noodle.
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Assorted Mushrooms wrapped in Crispy Bean Curd Sheet with Hairy Crab Roe:

This had to be the star of the show, the dish that was advertised on the poster, it was crispy with juicy mushrooms in the middle served with a generous pile of crab roe to compliment it.
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Scrambled Egg White with Hairy Crab Roe:

Another classic dish was the scrambled egg white covered in an abundance of crab roe, great with rice.
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Steamed Pork Dumplings with Hairy Crab Roe:

The pork dumplings are a must in Shanghai cuisine and these were bursting with rich crab roe and pork in the middle.
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Mini Glutinous Rice Balls in Fermented Rice Wine Soup:

Dessert ended with a sweet touch of soft chewy glutinous rice balls in sweet fragrant osmanthus flowers and rice wine soup.
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Finished with the warming Fresh Lemonade with Ginger and Honey and the Chrysanthemum tea with Wolfberries and Honey.

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上海姥姥 Shanghai Lao Lao:
https://www.facebook.com/shanghailaolao.hk/

[Veggi Monster] Veggie burger paradise in Sheung Wan

I love modern vegetarian joints so naturally I was captivated by the burgers at Veggi Monster.
When I got there, I discovered that I had already tried the owners' two other Chinese style vegetarian restaurant in Kwuntong and Mongkok.

Most vegetarian joints just offer 1-2 burgers but here you have four to choose from as well as wraps and salads so decisions are tough!!!

As it was tough, I ended up coming here twice and here was what I had.
I loved the huge burger boxes!!

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Burger in Black:
A burger is not complete without cheese and there they use non diary cheese which tastes just as good and melts like real cheese.
The patty which is made of organic black beans tasted like thick and firm mashed Mexican refried beans with a touch of Chinese black beans and the black olives give it more flavour.

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Tofu Lover:
The tofu burger was more on the classic side because it had the normal burger sauces like ketchup and mustard but it was still tasty with beetroot and red lettuce.

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Avocado and Cashew wrap:
The wrap is a lighter option compared to the burgers, again there are three to choose from.
I had the avocado because there was an interesting combination of seaweed, pickled cucumber and cashew which gave it a complex taste.

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Pot of Nature:
I was really glad the boss recommended this to me because it was a whole bowl of peach tree gum flavoured by sweet olive.
It was like eating luxurious golden birds nest which is good for the skin.

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Located in Sheungwan, they offer a good selection of healthy drinks like taboocha, pressed juices and other items.
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As I have never tried Kombucha before I went for the beetroot taboocha which is made with Kombucha.
It was very fizzy and not too sweet.

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I also recommend the mangosteen juice as well because you don't often see this drink in Hong Kong.
At the moment, they are doing a buy one get one free promotion for the burger in black until the 27th October.
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VEGGI MONSTER:
https://www.facebook.com/veggimonsterhk/

Chinese flower plaque workshop with Wingkei, Choi 蔡榮基

I have always been fascinated with bamboo scaffolding because it is used instead of metal on skyscrapers..
Bamboo structures are also used in Chinese Flower plaques 花牌 which are bright red and made with bamboo frames, wire mesh, paper and plastic.

I discovered that there was a Chinese flower plaque workshop held for free at Caritas by Wingkei, Choi, the owner of Wing Kei Flower Shop 榮基花店 so I had to register for it because you don't often get to participate and it was a good experience to learn how the flower plaques are made.

Before I attended the workshop I initially thought the bamboo frames were already made so all we had to do was to decorate it with the bits and pieces.
It was really fun because everything was made from scratch, we got to saw the bamboo, split the bamboo into four pieces vertically and this big frame was made by tying it together with wires.
No glue is used hence bamboo splinters are made to hold things together, however staplers are used to staple the flowers onto the board.

The lessons were held on Saturday afternoons and the first lesson was sawing and splitting the bamboo, the second lesson involved making metallic flowers and building the bamboo frame, the third and fourth lesson was Chinese calligraphy and fixing the writings on to the frame.

Sawing and splitting the bamboo into four:

Making metallic flowers:

Making the Flower Plaque frames:

The main Flower plaque frame by Wingkei Choi:

Lining the Flower plaque frame with newspapers and stabilizing it with bamboo splints:

Stapling the flowers to the frames:

Painting the Chinese characters:

Attaching the sheets to the plaque:

I shall post an update again next year when they put these Flower Plaques up in early January 2018!!

English media on Wingkei Choi:
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2020649/how-hong-kong-flower-plaque-maker-bringing-craft-west

Organizers of the Flower Plaque workshop:
一刻 社區設計館 Magic Lanes
https://www.facebook.com/magiclanesstudio/

明愛莫張瑞勤社區中心 (MCSKCC)
https://www.facebook.com/mcskcc

榮基花牌（香港）有限公司
https://www.facebook.com/wingkeiflowerstore

傳統花牌扎作班！[Quoted from 明愛莫張瑞勤社區中心 Caritas FB]:
非常榮幸 榮基花牌（香港）有限公司 蔡榮基師傅親自教授，我們一眾西區街坊一起落手落腳實實在在製作一個12呎闊、15呎高的大花牌！師傅話呢次同街坊一齊合作真係開創歷史先河！
我們會在這裡繼續分享花牌的製作的進展，並會完成後於 #西營盤 #常豐里 #一刻社區設計館 開幕典禮展覽！

#傳統花牌扎作班
#真正的花牌
#榮基花牌 #常豐里
#街坊參與
#社區
#花牌