Just Don't Use the G Word

I won't necessarily call this "glamping" per se as I didn't see the glam part, but rather a sleepover in a simple caravan parked on a lawn, when a group of friends spent a night near Kam Tin at a "campsite" called Park Nature a couple of months ago during the July 1 long weekend. 

Staycation at The Pen

With no travel plan in sight in foreseeable future, we thought we would wrap up 2020 with another weekend “away” at The Peninsula known for its timeless grandeur. And there's no better time to stay-cation at this legendary property than in December, for they arguably have one of the best festive decorations in town during the Christmas season. 

Long Lunch on Boxing Day

At our last outing to Ando a few months ago I did tell myself we needed to go back soon when dinner service was resumed (we went on the first week the government banned all dine-in after 6pm) Turned out 5 months on we were back to square one in terms of dinner lockdown, but at least we did make it back to Chef Agustin’s restaurant for another meal on the Boxing Day. Call this part of our holiday celebrations with friends. 

Extended Staycay

Turned out it was a great idea that we extended our weekend staycation at Cordis at the last minute thanks to a new room package with steep discount. We thought Mongkok is a somewhat familiar neighborhood to us but still there were much to see and do plus the extra day gave us more time for a much-needed break from the hectic life.

Sky High Getaway

Our obsession with staycation continued with a “weekend away” at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. With the craze for staying a night or two away from home now catching on with the rest of the city, we arrived earlier than usual to check-in to avoid running into the crowd. And that strategy worked as we were given the room key quickly by the front desk staff upon arrival slightly after noon. 

An Itinerary of Do-Nothing

Given we have been to Hakone before, albeit more than a decade ago, and hit most of the tourist spots back then, we decided to bypass the common itinerary and hit a few spots slightly off the beaten track, so instead we spent a leisure afternoon walking through a few galleries/museums in the proximity of the hotel.

My Perfect Kind of Resort

After a summer of turmoil in our city, we were desperate to get out for a little break where we can switch off and relax. Earlier we received a kind invitation from The Hiramatsu Hotel & Resorts group for hosting us a couple of nights at their property in Sengokuhara near Hakone, so we thought the timing was just perfect and it’s perhaps a blessing in disguise.

New Perception of Grand Lisboa

Several times in our previous trips to Macau we stopped over at the Lisboa Hotel complex for meals, whether that be for a formal dinner at the top-floor Robuchon au Dome, classic Chinese at The 8 or lunch at the casual Portuguese Guincho a Galera, but for whatever reasons it never came to our mind of staying at the hotel. And that's partly because there's always something newer that we were more curious to check out. So I was glad that the kind PR team put us up for a weekend at Grand Lisboa Hotel so we could experience what it's like staying inside this legendary hotel with so many nice restaurants under one roof.

Morning Heritage Walk

Staying over on the Macau Peninsula side meant it's much easier to explore the historical part of this city known not only for its gaming industry but being rich in the unique architecture style left over from over 400 years of Portuguese colonial rule.

Bangkok Bits and Pieces

I felt like I hardly know Bangkok anymore after a hiatus of more than 6 years since our last visit. The unbearable city traffic and inefficient airport immigration has been the major turn-off for me for coming back more often, but with a few "new" restaurants now gaining worldwide fame we thought we should pop by for a quick long weekend to check some of them out. Gaggan is obviously top of our list, being named Asia's Best 3 years in a row and clock is clicking for its eventual closure in 3 years' time, but there are a few others we would like to try too.

Tokyo in 40: Ramen Breakfast

Last year I spent a quick weekend in Tokyo with approximately only 50 hours on the ground - turned out the weekend was filled with happenings but didn't feel the rush. So this time I am doing it again with an even shorter stay (10 hours less, to be exact), made possible by the favorable flight schedule by the local low-cost carrier HK Express with red-eye flights both way.

The Re-invented Blue

What previously known as the Blue Butcher has evolved and became just Blue with the byline "Butcher and Meat Specialist", and I was there last weekend to check out their new weekend brunch menu. Other than the name change, there were some other noticeable modifications of the restaurant located on Hollywood Road, including a new, more refined industrial-chic décor, minor adjustments to the menu, and a new butchery room downstairs. And not so noticeable were their moving away from the use of plastic including straws and takeaway containers, and their effort to ensure all food served was of sustainable species.

"Open The New Year" Meal

On the last day of our Chinese New Year long weekend, we had another stellar lunch at Caprice. We did something similar at around the same time last year with my brother, sis-in-law and our nephew, taking a recess from the traditional new year festivities with a leisurely lunch at a much slower pace. So we decided to do a repeat this year - this time with just us two.

Nin Chor Saam (年初三), or the third day of Chinese New Year was traditionally known as "Chek Hau" (赤口 which literally meant Red Mouth Day), during which many people often refrained from meeting friends and relatives as the day was thought to be prone to arguments. So it made perfect sense that we saved this day for a little "us" time at our favorite restaurant. And it was a particularly gorgeous day to be sitting by the window at this stunning dining room enjoying our long lunch with the clear skyline view across the harbor.

East meets West Menu plus the fireworks

It's no secret that the best vantage point to watch the festive fireworks display - as they do every year on the second day of Chinese New Year over the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong - is at the terrace of The Peninsula, with an unobstructed harborside view and right in front of the fireworks action. That's something we realized when we came with our friends for a festive celebration at the hotel a few years ago.

Cooking with Not-my-homemade Jam

In early December, a good friend and a neighbor of ours W - known for his jam-making skills among many of his talents - passed us a jar of quince jam he made during the festive season. We were ecstatic to have received such a wonderful gift right on time for the holiday stretch.

Madame Pork

When my friend C mentioned we were going to lunch at "Madame Pork" on our second day in Shunde (順德), I had this mental image of a rustic, somewhat filthy roadside eatery with a fat lady with knife in one hand, cigarette in her mouth, whilst tending a pot of pork stew by the stove (don't ask me why). Not that I really mind street food, but you could imagine I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the restaurant and saw the grand, old Chinese-style entrance gate with a giant Christmas tree next to it, something resembles a high-end restaurant instead of what I had in mind originally.

And just when I thought "Madame Pork" might be a nickname for the restaurant, it's the actual name - they even have a large plaque with the name in Chinese "Jue Yuk Por" (豬肉婆) hung up high at the entrance so there's no mistake. 

Lunch at the Village of Fish and Rice

We put on our travel backpacks for the second consecutive weekend in early November and headed out for a short break to Shunde (順德), a small town in Guangdong province just north of our border, about 2 hours away by speed ferry.

Locals have long referred Shunde as a "village of fish and rice" (魚米之鄉) - for its abundant produce from its fertile land at the Pearl River Delta region. And people from Shunde were known to have exquisite taste and cooking skills, and arguably, their dishes represented the best of Cantonese cuisine.

HCMC Foodie Trip - The One at Cuc Gach Quan

Lunch at Cuc Gach Quan is only one of the few meals I had at a proper sit-down restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Many people have recommended this cozy, "countryside" restaurant on the fringe of District 1 serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine, so I came here for lunch one afternoon.

Japanese Hitou - the concept of secluded hot spring inns

As the shuttle van winding up the narrow road to Tsurunoyu (鶴の湯), where we would be staying on our second night in Nyuto Onsen-kyo in Akita Prefecture, we felt like riding on a gigantic bobsled. With us sitting uneasily at the back seats, the driver maneuvered the sudden twists and turns on an unpaved, unmarked walkway a few kilometers off the major thoroughfare and completely surrounded by snow as high as the van itself as the road was being plowed and snow piled to the side earlier in the morning. I wouldn't imagine a shuttle van driver would need such driving skills.

Second Day in Nyuto Onsen-kyo

Since we have planned to stay in Nyuto Onsen-kyo for 3 days, we were in no hurry to take off after our first night at the lovely ryokan of Taenoyu. The next morning after breakfast, we packed up, left our luggage at the front desk and went out to check out the other hot spring bath-houses in the "village".