Agora II

Recently I returned to Agora to check out Chef Antonio's new seasonal menu. I enjoyed my last time out here when they first opened their doors a few months ago so I was eager to see how the place evolved given time to run in. 

Spanish Tasting Menu

Agora, under the same group as 22 Ships and a handful of other high-end restaurants in town, seems to fill one noticeable gap in local dining scene - one that specializes in fine-dining Spanish cuisine. Chef Antonio has done a great job keeping 22 Ships as one of the liveliest and most popular eateries so I have high hope he's going to do the same with Agora with a finer touch and setting more suitable for a cozier dining experience. 

Familiar Guest Chef Appearance

Seeing Chef Alex Fargas at his guest chef gig at our clubhouse reminded me of the time when i was the "guest chef" at his restaurant La Paloma in one Sunday a few years ago. They have been running this series for a while, bringing in guest chefs for a period of time with special items available either in a la carte menu or themed dinner, and they proved to be hugely popular. 

Tuesday Night, Tapas Night

Was looking forward to this tapas dinner at 22 Ships after a long day at work. Not a happy camper after coming back from the long weekend so really need something to cheer me up. It's my first time coming back after they re-opened, now with a new chef Antonio on board. A new menu and many new dishes were introduced, but the same lively vibe remained, along with their no-reservation policy. Thank God for friends who came early to save us the spot at the back of the open bar/kitchen, where we got the perfect view of the cooking. 

Weekend Spanish Lunch

I increasingly felt La Rambla is becoming what Catalunya aspired to be before this restaurant of the same group closed a few years ago. The more central location (in IFC) meant it's much easier to draw a crowd day or night, and the open kitchen and spacious, well-lit dining area makes the venue much livelier, and of course, it's all backed by the same level of excellent food and drink selection.

Private Kitchen Dinner

We had a great dinner at the home of Chef Edgar Sanuy Barahona a couple of weeks ago. While Chef Edgar may not be a household name in Hong Kong’s restaurant scene he’s the force behind many successful ventures over the years, from the now-defunct (but acclaimed) BCN to Mercedes Me to his latest project Pica Pica (a tapas bar in Sheung Wan). He also started this new project called Privat, serving meal in a "supper club"-like format for his guests once a month right at his residence in Sai Kung. Strictly by referrals, and thanks to our friend V, who organized this and invited us in.

Siesta Fiesta

There’s a sense of déjà vu when we went for the weekend brunch at La Rambla a few weekends ago. The nice spread of savory and sweet Spanish dishes at the counter did remind me of the good old Catalunya in Wanchai with their sumptuous weekend buffet before it closed down a couple years ago. Of course, such resemblance was hardly a coincidence given both restaurants were operated by the same group.

Chef Vs (Paella) Pan

I did say it would be a long while before I will even consider doing the “chef gig” thing again since my “debut” at PMQ Taste Kitchen a few months ago. But when Chef Alex Fargas and his team approached me to be the guest chef for the weekend brunch menu at his restaurant La Paloma, it seems like a project having too much fun to say no to. The restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, with the promise of serving “Sexy Tapas”, has been doing this “Chef Vs Pan” series for a while, in which once a month one outside chef would come in to deliver his/her version of paella (using the giant 40-inch pan) and roast suckling pig as part of their weekend brunch menu.

Lovely Catch-up at La Paloma

La Paloma in Sai Ying Pun is what I would categorize as a "no-brainer" restaurant - you know, one of those neighborhood hangouts that one wouldn't mind going every day with a menu you are so familiar that you memorized everything on it - whether you call this a pub, a diner, a chiringuito, an osteria, a chachaanteng or whatever depending on where you are from.

From Spain to Vietnam

I was intrigued when I saw the press release about an upcoming dinner event featuring a collaboration between two relatively new casual restaurants in town, La Paloma in Sai Ying Pun and Viet Kitchen in Central. A special menu will be available for 2 nights only - one at each restaurant - in the last week of November, with the joint effort to blend the food and cooking of Spanish and Vietnamese cuisine for a series of unique dishes.

Ametsa with Arzak Instruction

I thought part of the reason why our lunch at Dinner by Heston didn't fare as much as the hype was because it's overshadowed by our lunch at Ametsa the day before. Similar to Dinner which was backed by a chef who owned a Michelin 3-starred restaurant, behind Ametsa was Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, who owned the 3-starred Arzak in San Sebastian in the Basque Country (of Spain), which we had a chance to visit a few years back. This London outpost of theirs was rated as one-star in its own right in the latest Michelin guide.

Avant-garde Dinner at The Ritz Carlton

It was pure coincidental that I was having my second Spanish - or more accurately Catalan - dinner in less than a week. A few days after spending the evening at Catalunya Hong Kong, I was on top of The Ritz Carlton at the preview dinner featuring Barcelona-born Chef Alain Devahive Tolosa who's touring Asia with a special menu available for a few days in early March at the hotel's OZONE bar and lounge on the 118th Floor.

New Year Get Together at Catalunya

It's a miracle that we - at least most of us - could agree on an evening that we could all get together for a meal to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Catalunya recently has a new chef on board with a revamped menu so they invited us in to give it a try, giving us the perfect occasion and venue to catch up before everyone is going all over the place around the world again.

Chi Fan for Charity Dinner

"To the people, eating is heaven" （民以食爲天）says an old Chinese proverb. So it's a genius idea really to utilize our favorite pasttime - eating - for something good, and this is what Chi Fan for Charity event is about.

Chef Edgar's One Night Event

When I accept my friend's invitation to a big group "secret supper party", I have no idea about what and where, but she assured me this is going to be epic with good food and great wine - guess that's all I needed to know to say yes. Just call that blind faith. Turned out - as I learned just in the morning of the event - it's the Spanish chef Edgar Sanuy Barahona (formerly of BCN) who was going to cook a spectacular tapas dinner for all 19 of us, at the Fofo Privat venue near Lan Kwai Fong.

Encore at Fofo Privat

We were part of the group who booked out Fofo Privat, the private venue owned by the Fofo by El Willy people, for a birthday celebration dinner of our friend this past Saturday.

The restaurant occupied the top two floors of a six-story building right beside where Fofo the regular restaurant is located, with the entrance opening up to a dark side alley. On the first level is the kitchen in an open set-up, with a dining area which can sit 6-8 people, and the floor above - where we were seated - is another private room which could sit up to 20. Decor followed the similar minimalist theme of its regular restaurant, and it also came with a small rooftop lounge, perfect for chill-out before or after the meal.

Restaurant Week Menu at Fofo by El Willy

A few weeks ago, we took advantage of the Restaurant Week promotion and tried two restaurants that we have never been before. First of the places we tried was Fofo by El Willy near Lan Kwai Fong. It has been opened for a few years but for some reasons the place has been eluding us. It seems like every time we wanted to go there's always somewhere else that got in the way.

Monday Night at BCN

We dropped by this little eatery just off Soho called BCN a couple Mondays ago in the evening. I think the place opened late last year and I heard quite a lot of good comments, but we have never been able to get a reservation so we put off the plan to come over until now, when our friend Elsie mentioned she's a friend of the owner, hence we finally scored our spots (without making reservation months in advance)

Many people have mentioned the restaurant is small, but as I walked in I was still surprised to realize how compact it really is. There's only one L-shape bar table that can cozily sit 12 - you literally need to squeeze by to get to your seat. Behind the bar counter was the open kitchen where most of the food was cooked and plated; there's also a bigger kitchen at the back for some other stuff.

As close as it gets - Catalunya Hong Kong

A couple evenings ago I was at Catalunya with a group of fellow food lovers who called themselves the Amateur Gourmet. Catalunya is a new restaurant only opened in late March/early April, but has already become quite a talk of the town - being hailed as the candidate for new restaurant of the year by every local lifestyle magazines in circulation and all that - with the culinary team apparently coming from the kitchen of (the former) El Bulli. This is their second outpost in Asia - the other one being in Singapore on an "island" near One Fullerton with a full view of the Marina Bay Sands. Anyway, just as you thought its Hong Kong branch would be located in Central or at least a prime spot downtown, it's actually in a quiet neighborhood known as Morrison Hill somewhere in between Wanchai and Causeway Bay. It could be hard to find if you are not familiar with the area.