Out of The Way

I was late for my dinner at this small neighborhood trattoria the other night – very unusual of me but it was a bit out of the way, tugged at the corner of a cul-de-sac in Happy Valley (and I was stuck with a last-minute chore – that’s the real reason). Anyway, I have heard great things about Locanda dell’Angelo owned by Chef Angelo who since then had a second namesake restaurant across the harbor (Tosca di Angelo at The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong), but I was put off for coming for a visit since it opened its door a few years back. Because again, a bit out of the way. 

End of Year

I just love the lingering aroma from the fresh Christmas tree sitting at the corner as I was led into the private dining room at VEA one evening. The festive celebration might have been over (with the dinner happening in the last week of December) but we never needed an excuse to get together and eat (and drink) something nice, and make this a special occasion by itself. 

Winter Solstice Omakase

Our "Mo Duck Shue" dinner series brought us to yet another omakase meal, this time at Masa, on the week right before Christmas (on the night we traditionally celebrate Winter Solstice). This is also our first visit to this "impossible-to-book" sushi-ya since it's relocated to the current Central location in early 2021. 

Chef's Table at Sea

During the 3 nights aboard Spectrum of the Seas during the cruise trip “to nowhere”, we did manage to check out a few restaurants inside the ship. And the most impressive of all was the evening spent at “Chef’s Table”, which is offered as one of their “premium dining option” (which meant we need to pay extra to eat there).

Our Sea-cation Experience

I am never a huge fan of cruise trips and probably never will be (maybe I will change my mind after retirement) but with "cruise to nowhere" being the only option to "travel" without the fuss of quarantine and restrictions, we took the plunge and went on a 3-night journey on Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas in mid-December. 

Day at the Geopark

Being stuck in town because of COVID for 2 whole years already, I guess the only silver lining was the opportunity or excuse to explore more of Hong Kong, and that's what we did when we signed up to a day tour to the "world famous" UNESCO Global Geopark one weekend in November. 

Plan B Staycation

An unwilling change of plan got me scrambling for Plan B on a weekend of celebration. We have done our fair bits of staycation around local hotels but that didn't mean we couldn't do one more - and this time it's at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. 

Ando x Fukuoka

A lucky few us were given a sneak peak of Chef Agustin's special collaboration menu with Fukuoka Prefecture government. The area on the northern shore of Kyushu Japan has no lack of fine food ingredients and many of those made it to our table with this limited-time tasting menu. 

New Chef and a Makeover

Year 2021 saw a few exciting restaurant openings and a few having a makeover - whether that be renovation/relocation or change in culinary direction. For Ho Lee Fook, it's a little of both, with the restaurant saw the departure of Chef Jowett in the summer (who was there since Day One) PLUS the month-long renovation at its original spot. 

Fine Dining Korean

Our recent dinner at Hansik Goo came a few months after they moved to their new location in Sheung Wan, and around a month after we ate with their chef Steve at a hole-in-a-wall place somewhere else with our common friends. The makeover was evident at the new spot with a larger dining space, higher ceiling with the same traits of minimalist, homestyle decor.