Di King Heen Deluxe Poetries Cuisine

In every language you will find beautiful poetry.
I am so fortunate to be in the 21st Century as all these Chinese poems have been translated into English and are readily online when you google them.

At  Di King Heen, they are now serving  Deluxe Poem inspired Cantonese dishes featuring various poets from the Tang Dynasty.

Here were the dishes we had:
[The dish names are exactly what they are from the menu]

Started with the [Braised Gum Tragacanth Soup with Diced Seafood and Snow Crab Meat] which is inspired by poet Liu Changqing 劉長卿 for his poem Lodging on Lotus Hill for a Snowy Night《逢雪宿芙蓉山主人》
It was a really nice soup with lots of crabmeat and Braised Gum Tragacanth which definitely make you think of snow.

Next was the [Marinated Osmanthus Wine with Fresh Abalone, Suckling Pig Trotter, Wagyu Beef Cheek] inspired by poet Li Bai 李白 for his poem Drinking Alone Under the Moon《月下獨酌. 其一》
It was a nice appetizer as they were all marinated in wine interpreted by the Drinking in the poem.
The suckling pig trotter was my favorite as it was delicate and gelatinous.

[Braised Twins Tofu with Fungi and Burdock] is inspired by poet Wang Zhihuan 王之渙 for his poem On the Stork Tower《登鸛雀樓》
It was a nice meatless dish with silky and supple tofu.

[Sweet and Sour Tiger Prawns with Fig and Pineapple] is inspired by poet Tang Yanqian 唐彥謙《索蝦 (節錄)》
Obviously, the prawn was the star of the dish tossed in this deliciously fruity sauce.

Next was the [Golden-fried Pumpkin and Soft Sell Crab with Salted Egg Yolk] inspired by poet Du Qiumian 杜秋娘 for his poem Robes Made of Golden Threads《金縷衣》hence the salted egg yolk coating being the golden robe.
I loved this dish because I love anything that is coated in crispy salted egg yolk.

The [Roasted Chicken with Assorted Mushroom and Black Truffle Sauce] was inspired by poet 孟浩然 Meng Haoran for his poem Spring Dawn《春曉》which is all about spring and birds singing hence the chicken!!

The last course [Fried Five Grain Rice with Diced Scallop and Assorted Vegetables and Oatmeal] is inspired by poet Li Shen for 李紳 for his poem Sympathy for Peasants《憫農》which talks about how difficult every grain of rice is harvested hence we should appreciate every grain of rice.

It was a nice dinner with all these poetry inspired dishes.
The current Deluxe Poetries Set menu:
https://royalplaza-80a0.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/DKH_DeluxePoetriesSetMenu.pdf

We also had the [Lion Rock X HABA Purity of Hokkaido Afternoon Tea] which is a crossover with HABA Skincare, a brand that is fragrance and additives free.

In the tea set you get Baked Hokkaido Scallop with Urchin Paste, Hokkaido Snow Crab Meat and Cheese Roll, Pan-fried Shrimp Cake with Roasted Sweet Corn and Yuzu Soy Sauce, Deep-fried Chicken with Yogurt, Seven Spices and Muffin, Barbecue Beef Vol Au Vent with Pumpkin Puree, Sapporo Ramen with Ginger Miso Soup (2 persons), l Hokkaido Melon Mousse Cake, l Sweet Potato Cake, l Double Cheese Cake Roll, l Hokkaido Pumpkin Caramel Custard, l Baked Cheese Tart and l Tokachi Red Bean and Green Tea White Chocolate Mousse Cake.

All the items were fancy and fun especially the mini bowls of ramen as one of them is actually a dessert while the other one is ramen!!
The Lion Rock Purity of Hokkaido Afternoon Tea is available from now until June 30, 2018.
https://www.royalplaza.com.hk/en/lion-rock-purity-of-hokkaido-afternoon-tea/

Portuguese food and wine pairing at [Mike’s Chicken Comida de Portugal Restaurant]

Recently went to a Portuguese food and wine pairing event at Mike's Chicken Comida de Portugal where they have this exclusive Lagrima White Port which is fragrant and sweet with a gorgeous caramel colour.

Lagrima White Port HK$580.00/Bottle or HK$65.00/Glass

Started off with this MC Dream cocktail (HK$280.00/Jar  HK$68.00/Glass) which was light and sweet.

It was a great drink to start with, fun and not too strong with the starters.

Bolinhos de Bacalhau:

Baby Sardines:

The Traditional Portuguese Grilled Chorizo (HK$180.00/Whole  HK$90.00/ Half) were really strong and smokey so when the Lagrima White Port was cooked with the Choriza the sweet and woody flavours went well with the saltiness of the Chorizo.

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Next was the Sea Bass San Antonio which was silky and flakey.

It paired nicely with Quinta do Carmo 2014 White Wine because of the natural acidity that gives it a unique freshness.

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The next course was Mozambique Prawns with Garlic Bread paired with Baco Harvest Rose Vinho.
The rose gold colour of the wine and golden prawn were colourfully matched.

 With Baco Harvest Rose Vinho HK$380/Bottle  HK$85.00/Glass

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The last course was Portuguese Striploin with Herb Butter Sauce HK$325.00 which always calls for red wine with red meat hence the pairing With LBV Vintage Port 2010.

With LBV Vintage Port 2010 HK$580/Bottle   HK$125/Glass

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As well as fine food paired with wine, the MC Summer Tea Set with Coffee or Tea at $198.00 is a good way to sample their Bacalhaus and prawn with chocolate sauce in the afternoon.

On the bottom plate, we have the sweet treats.

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I liked the Macanese Pork Chop Bun which is a classic, especially the crisp bun with a soft and chewy centre

The new Apple / Pear Salad Roll is great for summer and vegetarians with salad leaves and sweet pear slices in a wrap.

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Dessert was a delight especially the White Port Ice Cream infused with fragrant White Port.
The ingredients are simply condensed milk, cream and White Port so I am going to try making this at home one day!

White Port Ice Cream  HK$68.00

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The White Wine Poached Pear in Chocolate Sauce was another wine inspired dessert but personally I liked the ice cream because of the creaminess.

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Mike’s Chicken Comida de Portugal Restaurant 葡匯咪走雞葡國餐廳
Shop 167 , L1 Mira Place Two, 118-130 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui,
地址: 九龍尖沙咀彌敦道118-130號美麗華廣場二期1樓167號舖
Tel: (852) 2392 3328
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 23:00

[HEXA] The new talk of town

Located at Tsim Sha Tsui with a 270-degree harbor view on a clear day, HEXA offers diners Cantonese cuisine with a contemporary twist in a stylish environment.

I finally tried it one evening and we got a table by the window as we were early.

For the mains, we had the Fried Noodles with dried Mantis Shrimp in supreme soy sauce and the Braised pearl rice with matsutake mushrooms, morels and sea urchin.
The [Fried Noodles with dried Mantis Shrimp in supreme soy sauce] was a little different to what I had in mind as I was expecting bigger dried shrimps but they just looked like ordinary dried shrimps and not dried Mantis Shrimps 攋尿蝦.
As for the taste, you could taste the soy sauce and the usual charred wok aroma but the dried prawns didn't add any flavour to it.

The [Braised pearl rice with matsutake mushrooms, morels and sea urchin] fared better as it was strong and rich in flavours.

The desserts on the other hand were amazing and much more photogenic.
The [Yuba Mousse with Raspberry Jelly] was shimmering and the mousse had a strong beancurd taste while it was not too sweet complimented by the raspberry jelly.

The [Ice Cream with egg custard cream dumplings] was chic and black which really matched the contemporary environment.

To be honest, the desserts were more impressive than the mains, however I have not tried their dimsums so I can't comment.

[HEXA]
101 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Korean style Moule Frites at [The Joomak]

Moules-frites is a popular main dish of mussels and fries from Belgium which is also a favourite in France.
As a fan of this dish, I decided to try the Korean version at The Joomak which is served with fries or Sweet potato fries.
The mussels are either cooked in kimchi tomato or Makgeolli butter sauce.

I chose the Makgeolli butter sauce because I liked the idea how they used rice wine to replace white wine.

The mussels were huge and meaty whilst having an impressive springy texture and the sauce was fragrant and light.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, you can get free refills but you have to reserve that in advance so that they have sufficient supply of mussels and fries to serve.
I also had my favourite Kale Pancake which you can only get at Joomak and added extra bacon for +$8 to give it that slight saltiness and smokey flavour which worked really well.

Finished with the Turmeric latte which was a bit like Masala Chai but better because I love Turmeric.

Will come back again with my vegan friends for the vegan menu.

[The Joomak]
Shop 34, LCX, 3/F, Ocean Terminal,
Harbour City,
3-27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Cinco de Mayo 2018 at [Coyote Bar & Grill]

Coyote Bar & Grill is one of my hangouts for Mexican Food, I always go there for lunch with colleagues.
At night, it is a totally different scene where the place comes alive.
For Cinco de Mayo, they are serving a new Surf and Turf menu available throughout the month of May.
There are two surf options and two turf options or you can Surf and Turf for $398.

Tried the two Surf and Turf Combos.  The lobster and hanger steak were the best especially the juicy hanger steak which was marinated in Achiote and cajun while the lobster tails were dressed in zesty lime butter.

On the lighter side, there was barramundi and Parmesan and Pistachio crusted lamb. The fish went well with Pineapple Ancho Chile salsa and the lamb was paired with my favourite parsnip puree and cumin roasted fennel

On Saturday 5th May, the day of Cinco de Mayo, there will be a party at Coyote!!!
The party will begin at 8pm with free entry, a free Tequila Patròn shot upon arrival, free delectable canapés, as well as games and prizes.  The night will also get heated with an exciting flaming Jäger-bomb show, a limbo contest, as well as piñata smashing for a chance to win a wide selection of dining vouchers for guests to use upon their next visit.

[Coyote Bar & Grill]
114 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai

Passionately MSG Free at [Hans 漢斯]

Ever since I started blogging, my motto on my profile has always been [★☆Eating good food is partly luck, @ da right place, @ da right time and moment the food is served. Food should be eaten at appropriate temperatures too, as they taste different at different temperatures, especially when it is hot, you can't really taste the real taste.]

I feel that HK in particular, it is very hard for food to taste good the second time round hence I rarely go back to the same restaurant twice and most meats aren't fresh.

It seems that HK has too many options as well but in the UK, you would probably return to that joint once a fortnight due to choice if you live in a small town and the fact they can keep the food consistent.
Belgos/Nandos are very good examples, I used to go often and then I went back a few years later and everything still tasted the same.

Anyway, back to the food at Hans.
I noticed this joint because of their food bags which were brown and sturdy unlike the typical white ones with a nice logo so I decided to check it out for lunch. When I got there, the decor was modern and simplistic.

The lunch menu and pricing was reasonable for QB as all the restaurants in that area cost around $60-$70.

I liked their healthy concept as no MSG or colouring is used. All their ingredients are prepared for each session and if any ingredients remain, it will not be used for the next session so they can maintain quality and freshness. Tried the curry and BBQ pork with tofu.

The curry was really fragrant with a strong coconut taste while the sauce was rich and thick in consistency which went well with the rice.

My roast pork was fantastic, even though I came a bit late, the roast pork was soft and lean.
The colour was brown as they did not use any red colourings.
If you have seen people roasting char siu, quite a lot of colouring is used!!! I also chose this because the dish had soft and silky tofu which is delicious with rice. The soy sauce was not too sweet so everything was in harmony.

I can't wait to come back to try the dinner as it is quieter and portions are bigger while the menu is slightly different.

[Hans 漢斯]
G/F, 939 King's Road, Quarry Bay
Tel: 25600023

Shake Shack is finally in Hong Kong

Just 10 days ago, the atrium of IFC was transformed into Madison Square Park, NYC for a pop up event.
Now Shake Shack is here to stay and serve burgers from the 1st of May on the 4th floor of the IFC.

The menu was really exciting because they have Frozen Custard (which is nothing like English custard.)
The custard is similar to ice-cream but with eggs added with a denser consistency.
As well as Frozen Custard, they are famous for Shakes and Burgers.

I tried Shack burger which has lettuce, tomato, 100% all-natural Angus beef patty and Shack sauce.
The green leaf lettuce they use is frilly and decorative which makes it instaworthy.

On my first bite, I appreciated the salt because it brought out the beef so well and the tomatoes and lettuce all blended in.

The secret also lies in the burger bun they use. The burgers are served on a non-GMO Martin’s Potato Roll which absorbs more sauce than wheat starch buns while it doesn't get soggy.

The crinkle cut fries were optional but the cheese sauce is a must because it is a blend of cheddar and American cheese sauce.

To finish, I had the milkshake which was so damn good because it was not cloyingly sweet.

Before leaving, the hand washing machine is the best thing and possibly the first burger joint place in Hong Kong to have it.

It really cleans the oil off and dispenses cleanser first, then water to rinse and finally a paper towel will pop out for you to wipe your hands dry.

I don't know if they have this on the HK menu, but they have ShackBurger® dog biscuits in the US!

To round it off, I am definitely coming again because HKD50 for a burger is quite reasonable and the size isn't too big to put you off it and at the end I know I can leave with clean grease free hands is fantastic.

[Shake Shack]
Shop 4018, 4/F, IFC,
1 Harbour View Street, Central