Pasta to delight your senses at [Van Gogh Senses]

For many people, a meal is just about satisfying hunger as the lifestyle in Hong Kong is all about being fast and on the move.
At Van Gogh Senses, it is appreciating art in everyday life.

Van Gogh Senses was created under Senses Holdings Limited with an exclusive license from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Hence Van Gogh Senses is a place to share and remember Van Gogh's timeless works, while honouring his passionate dedication to art with your five senses.

At the moment, they are now serving a pasta and cocktail pairing menu featuring their freshly egg pastas that are made in house.

As well as the pastas, here are the recommendable dishes.

Salmon & Tuna Carpaccio with Gin Tonic Jelly and Jicama Salad $168:
Presented like a pretty flower, it was refreshing with the crunchy flower shaped Jicama and the slight bitterness of the gin tonic jelly.

++++++

French Summer Black Truffle, Asparagus and Tomino Cow Cheese $168:
I love cheese as it was soft melted tomino cheese inside the crispy golden cocoon paired with nutty asparagus.

++++++

Alaskan King Crab with Curry Coriander Couscous & Compressed Watermelon and Black Garlic Tuile $188
Compressed Watermelon never fails as it has an intensified taste due to being compressed so the juices are all locked in further making it sweeter which went well with the curry couscous and crab.

++++++

Classic Dutch Peas & Smoked Ham Soup, Harvest Bruschetta $128
I love this ham soup which is really similar to the hearty beef soup because it is loaded with more ingredients than soup catered for people in the old days with a tough lifestyle that required physical labour intense work.

Moving on to the pastas, it was exciting as you can pair them with cocktails.

++++++

Hokkaido New Potato Gnocchi with Roma Tomato and House Smoked Burrata Cheese $168
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Kiwi Basil Smash $58

Unlike other gnocchi, they use potatoes from Japan which seemed to give it a softer stickier texture.

++++++

Italian Caviar & Bottarga di Muggine - Fresh Egg Spaghetti $228
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Pear Fizz $58

As well as gnocchi, this one was my favourite because I love freshly made egg spaghetti and this dish was just simple and delicious.
All that was in it was pasta and prized caviar!!
As well as the pasta, the Pear Fizz was a good pairing because pears are sweet and fragrant.

++++++

French Summer Black Truffle - Fresh Egg Spaghetti $208
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Black Diamond $58

The truffle spaghetti is similar to the caviar spaghetti but it depends if you prefer caviar or truffle.

++++++

Brittany Blue Lobster (Fresh) - Fresh Egg Fennel Trenette $398
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Starry $58

The secret here lies in the silky lobster foam which enriches the pasta.

++++++

Dutch Seasonal Oyster & White Vermouth Martini - Fresh Egg Squid Ink Trenette $248
Exclusive Cocktail Pairing - Spencer Lake $58

For me I love oysters, the complete package here, oyster to the max with oyster infused pasta, oyster foam and they even put the oyster leaves that just taste like oysters!!
And of course just like bacon and oysters, it's bacon and crispy parma ham.

++++++

24 hours Slow Cook Wagyu Beef Cheek Fettucine – 14 months DOP Asiago $218
Cocktail Pairing - Heritage Sour $58

As well as the delicate pasta combos above, I liked the beef fettucine which is very satisfying for a hungry stomach and definitely needs a strong cocktail to go with the beef.

++++++

Overall, I was extremely satisfied as I love carbs hence for dessert I had something light.

Sweet Corn Cheesecake & Gelato with Caramel Popcorn $98
The sweet corn gelato was very soothing and a great way to end the night.

Vangogh Senses:
https://www.vangoghsenses.com/

Refreshing drinks anytime at Fu Rong to beat the heat

Fu Rong is one of the new classy restaurants at OTE with a beautiful view of the harbour.

They specialize in Chengdu cuisine executed in a modern way.
As an expat, when I first heard of Fu Rong it just made me think of egg foo-young and China Town but after reading more information it turned out to be a must try place.

This was my first visit to Fu Rong and it was for drinks but you do get a complimentary snack with it.

On the drinks list, there are nine specially crafted alcoholic beverages to choose from made from the wines shown below.

My eyes were drawn to the special cocktails concocted with Xiao Lang Jiu.

These cocktails were:
Fu Rong Cosmo (Xiao Long Jiu + Creme de Peach + Lime + Cranberry Juice)
Sichuan Tonic (Xiao Long Jiu + Lemon + Tonic)
Langjito (Xiao Long Jiu + Mint + Lime)

The drinks package is a selection of 2 drinks and a snack for $238 per person which is available all day.

There are six snack choices to choose from and they are all very different.

Toast - Avocado Butter

Chicken Wings - Sichuan Spicy

Fries - Cumin Seasoning

Roasted Sweet Potato

Mixed Wild Mushroom Spring rolls

Dried Beef Slices - Chili and Pepper

It is really impressive that they have 4 meat free choices for people who do not eat meat.

For drinks I had the Fu Rong Cosmo which was girly and it was just the drink for me because of the appetizing striking notes of peach.
I chose avocado butter toast because avocado butter is healthy and I love toast.

My friend had the Sichuan Tonic with dried beef slices.
It was another good pairing as lemon and chili go great together.

I tried the beef slices and it was so addictive because they tasted like beef jerky with a lovely Sichuan Peppercorn aroma and they were not that fiery.

Guests having dinner there will also receive a box of chocolate worth HKD135.
I received a box that evening and it was damn good, all the flavours were all equally as good but the Cinnamon Apple was exceptionally good.
What I liked about these chocolates was the ratio of filling to chocolate, the chocolate shell was thin so you get more of the flavours inside and it wasn't too sweet.

Will return for a proper meal next time.

Korean Vegetarian Buffet at [樸生•素食 Bobsang Green]

Many people are confused because they think there is only one restaurant called Bobsang but it is actually two restaurants: Bobsang and Bobsang Green.

At Bobsang, they serve the full menu with the vegetarian a la carte while Bobsang Green has the vegetarian buffet. I think Bobsang Green is worth recommending because there are not many veg buffets around let alone Korean style.

They have started serving mains with the buffet so I was really lucky I didn't try it earlier. That night, there was a choice of bibimbap, huge mushroom steak or the burger but unfortunately the burger ran out of stock.

[huge mushroom steak]

In the buffet area, there was DIY Teobokki, DIY Silky Tofu, DIY Seaweed Bibimbap and other dishes.
The dishes are rotated every night so it could be something different on the next visit.
Here was what I had:
I was really satisfied with the DIY Seaweed Bibimbap as I could add whatever was available in the buffet selection.
Basically it was hard not to not like it as you add all your favourites in, mine were celtuce and beetroot which makes it juicy and flavourful.

If you love silky tofu, the toppings that you can choose are healthy, such as peach gum, barley etc.

As well as vegetarian oyster soup, I had pumpkin congee which was thick and wholesome.
It was very comforting as it tasted like baby food.

Other items from the buffet bar.

Dessert Selection:
The eggtarts and chocolate pistachio tarts were really good.

Will definitely be back for more.

樸生•素食 Bobsang Green

Shop 119B, 1/F, Maritime Square, 33 Tsing King Road, Tsing Yi

[AMMO x B.Duck Round the World Afternoon Tea]

AMMO - A short form for Asia, Modern, Museum and Original, AMMO is an award-winning, contemporary tapas bar and restaurant located in the stunning heritage site of a former 19th century explosives compound.

As well as explosives, the name AMMO makes me think of ammunition and soldiers in camouflage.

If it wasn't for the [AMMO x B.Duck Round the World Afternoon Tea], I wouldn't have visited this lovely spot hidden at the back of Admiralty.

I knew I was going to like the tea set because it had donuts, scones and burgers.

The adorable B.Duck has floated to AMMO this summer!

From now to 31st Aug, travel around the world with B.Duck at AMMO with sweet & savoury treats that represent the different countries.

Sweet Treats:
Japan - Matcha Tiramisu
Singapore - Sugar Cane Donuts
France - B.Duck Macarons
Korea - Mini Strawberry Ice Cream
England - Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream

Savoury Treats:
United States - Mini USDA Beef Cheese Burgers
China - Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce
Mexico - Mini Beef Tacos

When you arrive, there are some cute B.Duck mugs on table for you to choose when having tea where you also get to choose from the tray of tea forte tea bags.

The tea set was just adorable especially the cute burgers and strawberry icecream so the whole thing was easily instaworthy.

As always, I always eat the savoury items first and evidently I liked the burgers as they were tasty.

In the Sweet selection, I liked the variety as it was all my favourite items such as scones and donuts.

The Sugar Cane donuts were yellow inside with golden jam so they were a little different from English donuts which are white inside.

All the items were not too sweet which was impressive,
It was just fun placing the burger and macaron side by side.

You get to take home the special edition angelic white AMMO x B.Duck floating duck! (first come first served basis while stocks last.)

After having the [AMMO x B.Duck Round the World Afternoon Tea], you can join the hunt and win a [Round the World B.Duck Money Bank] worth $268.

Only one prize issued each day so be the first to win or be quacked!!

The hunt is great way to explore the stunning heritage site of the former 19th century explosives compound.

 One of the ten ducks that you have to find!

By showing the [B.Duck Round the World Afternoon Tea] receipt, you can enjoy 15% discount off B.Duck products at Asia Society Hong Kong Center.

Date: From now till 31/08/2018
Location: Asia Society HK Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, HK

https://www.instagram.com/ammohk/
https://www.instagram.com/asiasocietyhk/

2018 McDonald's D24 Durian McFlurry in Hong Kong

Hong Kong McDonald's launched the durian McFlurry on July 5th which is available in Hong Kong and Macao.
It will only be available for two weeks but surprisingly it was sold out within two days of launch!

You either hate or love Durian like Marmite!
The D24 Durian McFlurry was launched in Malaysia last year so it is not new but new to Hong Kong and Singapore.

I tried it on the first day.

On the menu, there are two options, the standard one for HKD25 and the Deluxe one with extra durian for HKD40.

I ordered the HKD40 where I was given a separate tub of Durian.

To be honest, the durian was not fresh durian but durian puree with tiny shreds of durian in it.
Sadly, the durian puree was sweetened so the extra dose of durian puree didn't give me pleasure but extra goddamn sweetness!

If I knew the durian was sweetened, the standard Durian McFlurry would have been good enough and it is really weird why they had to sweeten it as Durian is naturally sweet anyway.

Spicy Beef Burger 2018: McDonalds Hong Kong

McDonald's have launched the Spicy beef burger for the FIFA world cup season.
It has four slices of thin square beef patties in the middle with Malagueta chili sauce.

THIS IS NOT A NEW BURGER BECAUSE IT WAS LAUNCHED IN 2014 (World Cup) and 2015 (Shrek) .

It is quite a spicy burger but it was delicious as it tastes like chili con carne and the beef patty itself is spicy too.

The spicy beef patty is similar to Grubers Jalapeno where the chili and beef are blended together as a patty.

McDonalds's Shrek x Spicy Beef Burger 2015:
http://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.com/2015/09/shrek-x-spicy-beef-burger-at-mcdonalds.html
McDonalds's Spicy Beef Burger 2014
http://supersupergirl-dining.blogspot.com/2014/06/mcdonalds-2014-spicy-beef-burger.html