Old School Classics

Few months ago I had a chance to check out Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 in Happy Valley and tried some of the exquisite Cantonese dishes by Chef Silas Li. Tugged away in the side street of the quiet Happy Valley neighborhood, the cozy restaurant up on the first floor in a commercial building does have a speakeasy feel to it with classy traditional decor. 

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. 

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. 

Somewhere New

"This is so unlike the Jockey Club" was the comments everyone had when we ate at their new venue called Pinnacle, which opened only a couple of weeks ago. At its onset, the place looked more like a trendy nightclub when we were escorted up the elevators and through the bouncers (I mean the Maitre'd counter) at the door to our table.  

New Gig in the Old Clubhouse

We went along with our friends H and A for dinner at Derby Restaurant at the Hong Kong Jockey Club recently, checking out the tasting menu by their new chef Francky Semblat. Chef Francky shouldn't be an unfamiliar name for many who stuck around long enough, with him being a rare few holding the helm at a Michelin 3-starred restaurant in the region, being the executive chef at Robuchon Macao (first the Robuchon a Galera when it first opened in 2001 and later Robuchon au Dome across the street until 2015). 

Basque Guest Chef

What a change it has been since the last time we experienced Chef Eneko Atxa's cooking at his flagship restaurant Azurmendi near Bilbao - when he only began to be on the radar of foodies around the world as a promising young Basque chef having just received his second Michelin star for his restaurant. We still remembered that meal as the highlight of our Catalan/Basque trip in the most beautiful setting. Now almost 7 years later, Azurmendi is on its fifth year holding on firmly to the most prestigious 3 Michelin stars, been voted one of the world's top 50, moved to a new location nearby, opened another Michelin-starred restaurant next door, and since then Chef Eneko's wings have spread as far as ventures in Phuket (now defunct), London and Tokyo.

The Exquisite Tasting Court

Everyone was a bit concerned with the amount of dishes we were having after seeing the long menu for our dinner at Tasting Court, a private kitchen located in the quiet residential neighborhood of Happy Valley. But we went ahead as originally planned after our foodie friend C and J sorted out the menu and rounded up 12 of us altogether to share the table, for a total of 15 courses.