Quick Italian Lunch Feast

The promise of a whole new experience at 208 Duecento Otto got my trekked out of the WFH mode to have lunch in Sheung Wan just the week before Christmas. To be honest, I never took the restaurant too seriously beyond a casual, neighborhood venue for pizza and a beer, but as I found out, they turned out to be much more than that with the modified space and menu. 

Pre-Christmas Brunch

We never need any excuse to eat out any day, any time of the week, but we thought we would have our little pre-Christmas celebration over at the Sunday brunch at Landmark Mandarin Oriental in early December. I always enjoy the ambiance of MO Bar during the day, which felt like a little oasis right next to the busiest street in town and inside the busiest shopping mall, and even better was the Christmas decorations that’s already set up weeks ago bringing a sense of joyous mood.

The Last Night Out

This was literally the last dinner out I had before the latest government restriction to shut down restaurant’s dinner service. I was at Ying Jee Club for the first time a few months ago during the first wave of the pandemic, and here I was again a few months later, in what’s described as the fourth wave in town. It did feel like it's centuries apart with so many changes and happenings in between.  

The Peanut Gang Gathering

We finally managed to eat at Renren Heping Restaurant for our regular "Peanuts Gang" meetup a few weeks ago, after our original plan kept slipping because of typhoon and the everchanging COVID government rules. The restaurant is one of those places I frequented - at least once every 2 weeks I swear - but with a slightly bigger group this time and someone else taking care of the menu, I managed to check out a few new dishes with a few bottles to go along with.

Lifesaver

My complacency got me into a mini crisis when I found myself not able to get a table anywhere for our annual celebration meal - got no one to blame but myself for thinking no one's going out for dinner on a Friday night. Thank God my friend E came to rescue with a confirmed dinner booking at one of her restaurants at the last minute - it sure was a lifesaver, or at the very least, kept me out of the doghouse for the day. 

Three Meals in One Night (At Least It Felt That Way)

It remained somewhat a mystery why we ended up having twice as much food as we ordered when we visited Neighborhood recently, before the further COVID restriction kicked in early December. Restaurant was as popular as ever despite the circumstances, filled to the (reduced) capacity on the Monday evening we visited. 

Private Room Dinner

Given this was probably our last group fine-dining meal for the year, it just seemed appropriate that we got to enjoy it at the comfort of the private room at Roganic. We have had a few great meals at the restaurant which opened a year or so ago, and so when our friends asked us for recommendation, this is one of the first few places that came to mind and with tables available on the date we wanted to go. And better yet, they arranged for us the private room situated on the side of the main dining area, giving us some privacy and space to enjoy our Sunday dinner in. 

White Truffles Encore

I wanted a white truffle encore just before its prime season ends (some time between early to mid-December), so we paid a visit to Nicholini’s at Conrad on the last Friday of November for their tasting menu. With the restaurant (and other F&B outlets inside the hotel) pretty much booked up for the staycation goers, we went for one of their early seating and got ourselves a table of two right by the window - not bad for something arranged only at last minute. 

Fun Hangout

A couple weeks ago I popped by Zuma to check out some of their new dishes after work. With the evenings now much cooled down as we approached winter, their outdoor terrace provided the perfect setting for a pre-meal drink before we sat down inside their dining area for a long meal prepared by their Chef Oscar Luzon de Arcos. Edamame was perhaps the bar snack of choice in every contemporary Japanese-inspired dining places but I particularly like this version here with drizzle of Amalfi lemon juice and shichimi pepper, bringing up a notch of the usual version. 

Ming Court Dinner

Our choice of staycation destination has always been driven by the type of places we wanted to eat, and this time at Cordis, the highlight meal was at Ming Court, their Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. We haven’t visited the restaurant for a while so we were glad to come back for the special tasting menu prepared by Chef Li for the hotel’s 5th Anniversary celebration (and came as part of our hotel room package)