Big Group Gathering

We had dinner at Neighborhood just a couple of weeks ago with a big group of friends (thanks to our friend P who put this together rounding up the group and working with the chef for the menu). We were happy to be back even though Chef David was not around this time – after all it’s been a while since our last visit to the restaurant. 

Late Dinner at Neighborhood

Let’s just say more often than not our dinners at Neighborhood ended up being eventful ones, whether that be the sheer amount of food served by Chef/Owner David or something else. And this time it’s a little bit of both when we came as a big group on one Friday evening in September. 

Another Neighborhood Feast

Made it back to Neighborhood for the first time this year in late June with a slightly bigger group. Chef David was there, and the restaurant was packed even during the early seating which started when most normal people were in office. 

Totally Off-Menu

“Everything you are having are not going to be in the menu” Chef David assured us as we began to look at the menu figuring out what we are getting at our lunch at Neighborhood one Friday afternoon. While the statement was not entirely accurate, it’s true that we did end up with most of the dishes that I haven’t tried before at this restaurant or anywhere else. 

Everything Seafood

A few of us gathered at Neighborhood to eat, drink (and most important of all, chit-chat and gossip) recently. It's been a few months since my last visit so this time we were able to check out some new seasonal dishes that Chef David prepared for us.

Dinner That Almost Didn't Happen

We managed to make it to Neighborhood for dinner against all odds a few weeks ago. We came close to calling it off at the last minute because of the deteriorating traffic situation in the city that day but at the end we actually arrived ahead of the planned booking time because most of us were allowed to leave office early.

The Right Time

From the onset Hop Sze Restaurant in Sai Wan Ho looks just like any neighborhood eatery serving home-style Cantonese dishes, but one got the hint this one stands out in this old and worn district, either by a quick glance at their menu with a separate section filled with extravagant ingredients, or by the fine wines on display in the cabinet or brought in by their customers.

White Truffles and Company

A few weeks ago we were back at Neighborhood for another epic meal. After our meal at Belon in late September, we plotted for another dinner gathering and this casual bistro helmed by our friend and chef David Lai was our choice. And it came right at the prime of the traditional white truffles season so we ended up having a few dishes that were served with the piece of white truffles we picked from Chef David’s stash which he got from his supplier regularly.

Thai-French Four-Hands

When Chef David Lai told me about the upcoming “4-hands” dinner he’s organizing at his restaurant Neighborhood with Chef Ton of Bangkok’s Le Du and asked whether I am interested to come over, I didn’t blink (nor check my schedule) before saying yes. All the meals at his restaurants were nothing but spectacular, and I have never seen him done a crossover menu before, so I know it’s going to be quite a special evening that I was willing to adjust my diary to attend no matter what.

Catch up at The Neighborhood

We thought it was a great idea when our friend B and H suggested to meet up over dinner at The Neighborhood on a Friday evening. It’s a been a while since we last visited Chef David at his restaurant, and we always love to come back here to eat at any time. The place has become even more popular than it was, now that it’s ranked one of the Asia’s Top 50, but at least we finally got our table confirmed a couple of days before.

Exploring the Garment District

The neighborhood of Shum Shui Po could be different things to different people – to computer and electonics geeks, this is the place where they fetch the latest gadgets inside the legendary Golden Arcade, or at one of the outdoor stalls on the block of Ap Liu Street; there’s also a street dedicated to toys, dai pai dong/street food, Chinese dessert soups and many more. And on the other side of this old commercial/residential mixed neighborhood, there were a few blocks of shops for fabrics and all garment accessories – there were specialty shops for everything from buttons to ribbons to threads and needles and more, carrying down from the days when this is where all the garment factories were.

French Omakase

We had an epic dinner at Neighborhood a few weeks ago. I forgot what we were talking about over another dinner when the name of the restaurant came up, so we picked a date and I called to make the booking. We were just planning to pick whatever available on the seasonal menu on the night, but then Chef David messaged me that morning offered to sort the dishes out for us. “Just a bit of everything I think people should try” he said; “Sure, as long as we have enough chocolate palette cakes and caneles to share among us at the end” was my response. So just like that, a random dinner became a French-style Omakase meal of sort.

Neighborhood Italian

Being in the mood for something quick and casual, I thought we should pay a return visit to the newish trattoria in our neighborhood last Monday. Ciak at Cityplaza is the sister restaurant of the one (with the same name) at Central's Landmark, which has a Michelin star under its belt, taking over the space which used to be the McDonald’s about 6 months ago inside this popular shopping mall in the area.

The Neighborhood Gang

I delightfully joined the gang of foodie friends for dinner at Neighborhood just last week. Our friend R and P hauled back some Black Market Beef from Australia’s Rangers Valley ranch and of course, I was more than happy to be on the receiving end when they decided to share the joy with us at one of our favorite restaurants in town.

Ad Hoc Dinner at Neighborhood

The other day I was asked by a friend what my go-to restaurant is in town - I thought about this question for a moment, and other than a few places near where we live that we go regularly and a couple places that I felt was a bit snobbish to say, the first one I could think of was Neighborhood, a French bistro-style restaurant in Soho that we adore much. It's good for almost every occasion and at any time of the evening; it's comfortable and reasonably priced, and the food never disappoints - in fact I couldn't recall having a bad meal or even a bad dish there.

Going once, going twice...

We dropped by Neighborhood again in the evening before we left town for a short break over the new year. It was sort of a last minute/spur of the moment thing so we just walked in without a booking and took the only seats available at the bar area.

First thought on Neighborhood

We seized the opportunity to try out our friend Chef David Lai's new Soho restaurant, Neighborhood, in its first evening of service during the soft-opening week in mid-October.

The restaurant is located at a relatively quiet corner on Hollywood Street between Peel and Aberdeen, with the entrance tucked at the back facing a little park. Decor was minimalist and tasteful, with gray wall, wooden, clothless tables - we were adoring every single piece of tableware from the short glass tumblers to the forks and knives that David brought back from Paris.