Some Celebration

Sun Hon Kee in Fanling was often touted as the hidden gem in the New Territories, partly because of its distant location to most of us, but this time, not only our friend P helped to make a booking for dinner at the restaurant and pre-ordered some of the dishes, she even chartered a tour bus to take us in directly from town one Friday evening. 

Spoiled Once Again

Time and time again our dining experience at Ando was nothing short of outstanding, but especially so this time as we were approaching the festive season and we got to catch up with our friends A and I over lunch at the restaurant one weekend in mid December. 

Overindulged

Felt like it wasn't that long ago before I last had dinner at Yong Fu but I was there again in mid-December with another group of friends, and this time with an even longer menu and certainly a longer drink list.

Get A Room

A dinner conversation with friends one evening led us to a weekend lunch at Caprice a few months later. We haven't been back since mid summer so when our friend suggested that we organized one for a bigger group, we obliged and made the booking.

Sushi Kumogaku

My lunch booking at Sushi Kumogaku was pushed back due to unforseen circumstances, so my booking in late July didn't materialize until mid Decmber. Anyway the restaurant was known to be one of those few local sushi places that's almost impossible to book, so the wait was really nothing I suppose. 

The Second Auor

Just so happened I returned to Auor for a second meal there in these few months. I love the food and dining experience in my first visit so I set my expectation higher this time given it's an invited tasting of some of Chef Edward's new dishes. 

Whisky Pairing

Felt like there’s no better place to have a whisky pairing dinner than AMI, the restaurant/lounge in The Landmark known for its vast whisky collection. We have been here a few times and love the cozy space and the outdoor terrace for a drink or two plus some simple bites, but it’s only our first time sitting down for a more proper meal inside their dining area right next to the lounge. 

Long Lunch Part 3: Grand Majestic Sichuan

Perhaps no non-Chinese has written more about Sichuan cuisine than Fuchsia Dunlop and when she's in town recently to introduce the new menu at Grand Majestic Sichuan where she worked as a consultant, I was intrigued to check it out at a special preview lunch. 

Long Lunch Part 2: Clarence

I don’t think much of the term “Yaki-Frenchy” but this unique concept by Chef Olivier Elzer of combining Japanese yakitori and traditional French cuisine does bring something new to our dining scene at his restaurant Clarence. Didn’t get around to visit since the restaurant opened earlier this year until recently on my week off. 

Long Lunch Part 1: Roganic

Managed to pull a few long lunches in the month of November and the first one was at Roganic. This is one restaurant that I felt I should have visited more often so I was glad for the opportunity to sit down and check out their new tasting menu on a busy afternoon. 

Dinner at Yong Fu

I had a chance to visit Yong Fu for dinner about a month ago to check out their latest menu. Since our last visit (over at lunch back in January this year), they have made some subtle changes including trimming down the menu, introducing some new dishes with seasonal ingredients, and even with a new set of uniform for their staff. 

Third Time Omakase

Third sushi dinners in a month. In Hong Kong. That must be a first for us. So after Sushi Fujimoto and Sushi Nakamoto, we hit Sushi Saito with a few friends in early November. Friend is a regular of the restaurant, now helmed by Chef Masashi Kubota, and he asked us to come along for an early dinner booking he got. 

Antimo x Maxime

I wasn’t surprised the latest Tatler Dining Kitchen installment was sold out within hours – I was actually more surprised that I managed to read the announcement of the event at the right time and fetched two of the handful seats while still available. 

The great team of Tatler Dining Hong Kong has put together this series of one-off dining events featuring some of the best talents in town (or overseas) with special menu not normally available elsewhere. I have been to a few of those last year when they did that in an exclusive venue space in Central with all of them nothing short of memorable, and this time around, it’s held at Kin Food Hall, the casual dining space right in my hood, as if I need more reasons to visit again. 

National Day Lunch

Knowing it’s always a safe bet, we began our October month of feasting at Hansik Goo and asked our friends J and D to join us for lunch on the National Day holiday. Chef Steve’s cooking has always been amazing (at least from our past experience) and we wanted more of that. 

Booked Out Sushi Counter

We did manage to pull a few serious Japanese meals before the late November "homecoming" trip, with one of them being dinner at Sushi Fujimoto by Chef Kenichi Fujimoto which opened earlier this year. Given the place is almost impossible to book for commoners like us, it's hard to say no when our friend P booked out the entire counter and asked us to join as the latest installation of our "Mo Duck Shue" dinner series.

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. 

The Chinese Library

My recent dinner at The Chinese Library came as a surprise – partly because I haven’t heard much about this contemporary Chinese restaurant inside Tai Kwun complex until my visit a couple of weeks ago. 

Happy Auor

I was curious how Chef Edward Voon’s new restaurant Auor would fare before we went for dinner one Saturday a few weeks ago. To be honest, I knew little about his cooking style or food with my only experience being a dinner tasting at his previous restaurant once a few years back. Turned out, I was pleasantly surprised. 

Mistaken Identity

A case of mistaken identity brought us to Sushi Nakamoto for the second sushi dinner within the same week instead of the seasonal kaiseki menu I was dying to try at another place - at least we discovered this in the morning so averted the potential disaster or at least embarrassment of us showing up at different venues.

Food Pairing Sake Dinner, the Sequel

There were certainly something special about the food we had that night. And the drink too. And not in particular order. 

With hot summer slowly giving way to the (equally hot) autumn we returned to Ryota Kappou Modern to check out the seasonal menu by Chef Ryota Kanesawa, again, courtesy of our friend C who organized this at this favorite restaurant of his. Last time after an already great line-up of bottles he organized for us we challenged him to show us more, and he did, this time with more jaw-dropping ones. Yes, that’s plural right there. 

More Mora

I had a lovely lunch at Mora a few months ago soon after their opening, and I certainly came with a heightened expectation when I visited the restaurant again in late September, for dinner this time around on a quiet night. 

Elevated Thai

Hong Kong dining scene has long been commended for its diversity, in terms of the ingredients available all year long, the styles of cooking and talents coming in from all over the world with different backgrounds. And going along with that thought, Plaa, the new restaurant which opened its door a couple of months ago, was perhaps the best representation of such assertion.

Assembly Line Tempura

Tenkai on Aberdeen Street is only one of the handful tempura "specialists" in town, and naturally hugely popular being one of the most reasonably priced and we couldn't travel. Even when we made ours 3 months in advance, we only managed 2 seats in the later, less favorable seating of 8:15pm on a Friday evening. 

Need More Time Perhaps

From one hotel with a view to another, we checked out from our stay at The Murray for brunch at Salisterra on top of the nearby Upper House. The restaurant went through a few iterations in terms of culinary directions with several chefs came and went, and the latest to steer the ship is Chef Cary Docherty, whom we know from his day at Gough's on Gough (now closed) and then Lobster Bar at Island Shangri-la. 

The "Last" Stay-cation (We Hope)

We spent a weekend at The Murray a few weeks ago, in what would probably our last "staycation" for a while. There are a few things we would love to try at the hotel so we thought it would be a good idea to combine them with a stay in one of their rooms. 

Mushroom Feast

"Interested to join our mushroom dinner in August?" When my friend N told me about this themed event and offered to save me a couple seats, I felt this is something I would definitely make room to go. J's Garden, the family business co-owned by N, is a food purveyor and the biggest local supplier of Chinese mushrooms, so their annual mushroom feast (which they have been hosting for a few years) has always been popular with tickets sold out within days among their many regular customers. 

Nicholini's Four Course Dinner

It’s been years since I was last eating at Nicholini’s – and I blame that on COVID and everything that went on for the past few years. But I was back recently to check out a few new dishes by Chef Riccardo Catarsi. 

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. 

Teppanyaki Fun

I didn't do Teppanyaki dinner as often as I have done before but my recent dinner at Crown Super Deluxe in LKF did bring about good memories of those days when my friends and I ate at a certain famous Teppanyaki chain on a weekly basis. While Crown Super Deluxe looks more like a rich, lavish cousin of that well-known chain which popularized the concept of Teppanyaki in the US, they did keep the relaxed and fun part in making sure every customer who dropped by had a memorable experience regardless of occasion. 

Reminiscing Dinner

When we were sorting out the menu for our dinner with friend V at Man Ho, Chef Jayson came to rescue with a special tasting menu for us. We put total trust in him to the extent that I didn’t even look at the menu until were seated at the restaurant. 

Lunch with a View

My increasingly hectic work schedule meant I needed to scale back on sit down lunches (these days I hardly had time to eat during the day), but I felt my lunch at The Legacy House at Rosewood recently gave me the much needed time of refuge, with excellent home-style Cantonese cooking by Chef Li Chi Wai and in the comfort of the private room overlooking the harbor and Hong Kong Island skyline from the high vantage point. (see, I do have photo to show forth)

Tongue to Tail

Right after we finished our dinner at Kisho we made a booking to eat at Ushidoki right next door under the same restaurant group a few weeks later. While Kisho specializes in chicken cuisine, Ushidoki focuses on beef. Both restaurants have similar setting where everyone was seated at the counter around the open kitchen, but Ushidoki was slightly smaller in size with only a dozen or so seats and everyone got a better view of the kitchen (they also have 2 private rooms at the back). 

Dim Sum and Some More

I was at One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong last month to check out a few new dimsum dishes by Chef Chan Hon Cheong. It has been a hectic (and rainy) day but glad to enjoy some quiet time with decent food.

Ando x Krug

“Just pop by for a dinner with some friends and some champs,” those words were all that’s needed for me to take up the offer for another night at Ando. Not just another night actually, or not just “some champs”, but with Chef Agustin preparing a special menu to pair with a few fine bottles of Krug. 

The Chicken Specialist

We are always on the lookout for new Japanese restaurants but this one caught my eyes in particular, promising an omakase experience with a chicken tasting menu ("Tori-kappo" is the term they used to describe the concept)

BluHouse The Sequal

Just a month after my first visit to BluHouse, I returned for dinner, but this time at their more formal section called the "Dining Room" which opened its door in mid-July. 

Italian Food Hall

The new BluHouse was like one of those fancy food halls we came across whilst in Milan - the likes of Peck or Princi or Eataly Smeraldo were the one came to mind, featuring serious cooking, high-quality ingredients in a casual, laid-back setting.

Testina

It was a no brainer when our friends M and T suggested we met up for dinner at Testina. I love the restaurant and their style of casual Italian cooking when we first visited a few months back and have been wanting to go back. Given its popularity since then, we were lucky to get a booking confirmed just a couple of weeks back for our party of 6 to eat there one evening. 

Friendly Wanchai Bistro

We heard so many good words about this little neighborhood bistro called Jean May that we finally managed to get a dinner booking and went. The restaurant was quite a standout in this quieter side of Wanchai, located in the rows of street-side stalls with the welcoming menthol green facade and dark window panes channeling some Parisian vibes. 

Same Good Stuff

It's always a lovely scene to look at with the Caprice dining room filled with people enjoying the meal and the view in one weekend afternoon when we were there a few weeks ago - something we never got bored at. 

Summer Long Lunch

Meeting with friends over lunch at Ando is always a pleasure, and the afternoon became even more pleasurable with glasses filled with Krug as we were seated and settled in the little private room at the back of the restaurant with a good view of the kitchen. 

Italian-influenced Kappo

I am almost ashamed to say I have never been to Trattoria Queen Hollywood – I sometimes forgot there’s such a place though it’s been around for almost 10 years and checked all the boxes of the kind of place I would love to visit regularly. And glad I have finally tried when friend B asked me to join her with a couple other friends for a cozy dinner on another night. 

The New Duddell's Experience

Went back to Duddell's for the first time since they got a new head chef Kar-on Yip on board at the restaurant's invitation. Not a lot has changed in terms of interior and setting but Chef Yip did manage to bring on a few new dishes to this Michelin starred establishment sitting in a commercial building on Duddell's Street. 

Easy Speakeasy Dinner

We were lucky to be given a sneak preview of dishes Chef Marco Livoti prepared for his upcoming popup at Test Kitchen at his lovely home/studio in Island South. The venue was perfect to run a cozy speakeasy/supper club, with the spacious show kitchen as the centerpiece with a long table which can seat 6 comfortably – location is meant to be a secret, so no address for you, but I love the view from the window overlooking the ocean.

The lunch before take-off

We managed to squeeze one more fine meal before CYY flew out. We made a few bookings at The Chairman at the beginning of the year and this is our last one with a table for 4 people in a Saturday afternoon, less than 12 hours before the flight took off.

Felt Like Home

I felt like it's the kind of home I would love to have when I walked in to this new restaurant called Heimat on top of Lan Kwai Fong. With the name Heimat meaning "homeland" in German, I guess that means the designer did a good job in integrating the homestyle concept into its decor (well done, JJ). 

Meal that got pushed forward

We had to ask Chef Antimo at Estro for a favor to move up our dinner booking to fit missus’ travel schedule in June. We meant to return to the restaurant after our lunch late last year, but then one thing led to another we waited over 6 months to do so. 

Classic Set Menu

I felt pampered when I spent one evening eating at Cuisine Cuisine IFC inside one of their private rooms with a perfect harbor view. It's been a while since my last visit and this time, we were presented with their new set dinner menu, offered as part of their "Hong Kong Handover 25th Anniversary" promotion. 

Ode to Seaweed

Complications due to COVID restrictions meant our February booking at Tate Dining Room got pushed not once but twice, first to April and then to June. We were supposed to try their "Ode to Seaweed" menu when the menu was first launched and turned out we were there on the last weekend before they moved onto the next theme for the summer. 

Steakhouse Japanese Style

Went for a meat feast second night in a row at the exclusive Teppanyaki Issho inside the Happy Valley New Clubhouse of HKJC. I was impressed with our friend H and A being able to score a booking at this restaurant which could only seat 14, let alone getting a table for dinner during the popular Tuen Ng Festival long weekend. Lucky us.