Ode to Celebration

It’s this time of the year for a little celebration and this year it was at Tate Dining Room. We haven’t been back for a while so I figure this is the perfect excuse to check out some of the new dishes by Chef Vicky Lau and her fine team at this venue known for its fancy décor and elegant vibe. 

Second in a Row

I had a few sushi meals in the same month, but none better than the one at Sushi Shikon. The missus requested eating at this place as the official celebration dinner - same as what we did last year - so there it was for the second in a row. 

Quite Some Celebration

We count ourselves lucky to get a table to eat at Wing again just 6 months after our first meal at this contemporary Chinese restaurant by Chef Vicky. With its popularity and glowing reviews, trying to score a reservation has become almost like a competitive sport and a near impossible feat. 

Dealers' House

We had yet another Cantonese dinner at another clubhouse in Central last month (after this, this and this which happened earlier). Our friend T managed to organize this for our big group and sorted out the menu before-hand. We didn't know what else is in the clubhouse of "Institute of Securities Dealers" but the dining area is no different than just any typical Cantonese restaurant. 

Late Dinner at Neighborhood

Let’s just say more often than not our dinners at Neighborhood ended up being eventful ones, whether that be the sheer amount of food served by Chef/Owner David or something else. And this time it’s a little bit of both when we came as a big group on one Friday evening in September. 

Birthday Omakase

Eating at Sushi Shikon has always been one of those “serious decisions” we contemplate every now and then – with the tab for its omakase menu comparable to a fancy weekend getaway nearby, it’s somewhere we saved for one of those rare special occasions that we didn’t mind splurging a little. 

Birthday Treat

Coming here has always been a pleasure, even more so when we were here for a celebration of sorts a couple weeks back. We felt it’s long overdue for an occasional splurge at our favorite restaurant in town so we made our way to Caprice at the Four Seasons for dinner on a Friday evening. 

Hidden Gem

We came across this little Italian restaurant in a commercial building in Causeway Bay and decided to give it a shot for a dinner celebration. I love the simple interiors - modern, cozy with comfortable lighting with tables well scattered across, and the quiet ambiance well suited for the fine dining style of the place.

The Perfect Celebration

We rarely contacted chefs specifically before any visit to their restaurants, not wanting to give them a wrong impression that we were expecting special treatments, but this time I did tell Chef Fabrice a month ago about our plan to eat at his restaurant in Macau, and made a special request to eat inside the kitchen. Blame that on the missus who asked for the "Chef’s Table" to celebrate her birthday.

Birthday Meal at a Steakhouse

After a few evenings of feasting in the past weeks in the month of birthday celebration, I decided to go for something simple on the actual day, and dinner at Porterhouse in Lan Kwai Fong seems to fit that criteria. They were running a new promotional menu called so I thought this is the perfect excuse to go check it out.

Canto-Singaporean

A birthday celebration brought us to the new Imperial Treasure Restaurant in Causeway Bay. Its Tsimshatsui branch just got its first Michelin star in the latest guide so naturally I was curious how this one fared on the other side of the harbor. Interestingly, Imperial Treasure is one of the two independent restaurants operating under the roof of Crowne Plaza near Times Square and seem to be super popular with a full house on the day of our visit.

Another Birthday Celebration

Courtesy of some cash coupons I received as part of my bank charge card, I thought we should visit One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong for dinner some time so we could take advantage of the discount. And we have just the right occasion for this – to celebrate mom’s birthday over a meal there.

Three-Course Celebration

Still recovering from the long trip which ended just a couple of days before, I was not in particular mood for a lengthy meal to celebrate my own birthday. So I suggested to check out Arcane, a place that I thought it's good enough as a venue for special occasion yet not those 10-course degustation menu kind of place. And most importantly, it's a place that I have never been before (at least for a proper sit-down meal) I honestly don't know why as I have always been a fan of Chef Shane Osborn's cooking.

Casual Celebration

This year I celebrated birthday in a more casual style at MUME in Taipei. The restaurant has become quite a talk of the town since its opening 2 years ago, with the team of chefs all with impressive resumes from kitchens around the world, serving Nordic style dishes with interesting combination of ingredients and creative cooking style.

Celebration of sorts

Wifey wanna do a birthday celebration of sort in May so we organized a mini-gathering with a few friends for a long weekend lunch at our favorite restaurant. It's actually only our first time sitting down for a proper meal at the private room of Caprice tucked away towards the end of the dining room, with a long table in the middle, window in the front facing the harbor with glass cabinet on both sides displaying some of the fine antique porcelain pieces. It's especially spacious for just the nine of us. (room can sit twelve comfortably)

Happy Birthday to Me

We often use the occasion of birthday celebrations as an excuse to check out any fancy new restaurant in town, but this time, we decided to go back to one of our favorites, the tried-and-true Caprice at the Four Seasons, to celebrate my own birthday.

Life has been quite hectic for both of us lately so the prospect of a slow and quiet dinner at a place we have been perfectly comfortable with was something that we eagerly anticipate. We were also excited to see what new dishes Chef Fabrice and the team would bring to us, as October came the time for the new menu to be introduced for the autumn game season.

Countertop Fine Dining at Wagyu Takumi

Wagyu Takumi was one of the restaurants in town that I have always wanted to try but never came around to, so this time we made a conscious effort to come check it out as part of the birthday celebration for my wife. The restaurant is part of the restaurant complex which also houses Gin Sai and Rozan in a quiet Wanchai neighborhood, with a rather discreet entrance located on the side street.

Birthday Dinner at Dynasty

We were at the Dynasty Restaurant, the Chinese dining outlet at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel in Wanchai, on one Friday evening for a surprise birthday celebration my friend C threw for her dear husband. It's been ages since I last visited the restaurant, one of the handful finer hotel restaurants in town serving top quality traditional Cantonese cuisine. But they seems to be running in a relatively low profile, compared to its counterparts - you hardly saw them being mentioned in the news or magazines.

Milano Supper at Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia

We had our first "proper" meal of the trip at Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in a quiet suburb neighborhood in western part of Milan. When I was planning for the trip I was a bit put off by its remote location, but the restaurant being only one of the two Michelin 2-starred restaurants in town (the other being Cracco in downtown) and a Relais & Chateaux newcomer, I was curious to try.

On a roll with new restaurants - The Continental

There's been a number of new restaurant openings in Hong Kong recently, and this evening we dropped by to one of those, The Continental, in Admiralty.

The restaurant, only officially opened this past Monday, took over the space formerly housed the fine Italian restaurant Domani on the terrace of the Pacific Place complex. Under the high ceiling with glass panel surrounding the structure sandwiched in between tall office buildings, the vast dining room features dim lighting and dark decor, booth tables on one side and simple wooden table and comfy sofas with green upholstery on the other. It's quite a comfortable setting. There's a little bar near the entrance for a drink or quick bite, and there's also an outdoor dining space which I think would be great when the evenings get cooler, probably in a few weeks' time.