Burgundy and Beef

This particular dinner hosted by a local wine merchant caught my attention because of their choice of bottles. While many wine-themed dinner focuses on certain vineyard or winemakers, this one featured bottles of Burgundy wines with a nice, “entry-level” selection from different winemakers and through this we could get a glimpse of various styles and characteristics in various recent vintages. And it was hosted in one of the top steakhouse in town, one that was bestowed a Michelin star for a few years already and one we didn’t visit often, so that gave us extra incentive to sign up and go. 

Gone Crazy on Street Food

Street food culture is pretty much a mainstay in Tainan's daily life, especially at one of the dozen night markets around town which operates from dusk til late. Locals even had a widely circulated mnemonic to remember which markets are open on any given day of the week. 

Back to an old favorite joint

My crave for yakitori dishes brought us back to this joint in Causeway Bay, a place that we used to come regularly but haven’t been for quite some time. And glad to see their old chef Ben back working behind the open kitchen with all the familiar staff working in the front of the house at this small, hole-in-the-wall place in the building with the entrance inside a quiet dark alley. 

Four Pizzas, One Wine

On her brief return to Hong Kong, my friend V organized a few get-together meals around town and I managed to join her and some others over dinner at Kytaly, the “new-ish” pizza joint at Wyndham that many has said made the best pizza in Hong Kong.

Restaurant Next Door

Ask any food enthusiast what their favorite Chinese restaurants are and you probably won’t hear the name "Sang Kee" mentioned too often, but it’s one of those neighborhood, hole-in-the-wall places that delivered excellent family-style dishes night in and night out for as long as one could remember (some 40 years, to be exact)

Over the Monday blues at Chesa

Wanting a good, casual meal to cheer us up over the Monday blues under such erratic weather, we swung by Chesa at The Peninsula last week. It almost seems like the restaurant didn't change a bit for as long as we remember, with the same dark decor, wooden wall and ceiling resembling an Alpine chalet, with almost the same menu featuring classic Swiss dishes. We felt that's just the refuge we needed to chill and relax.

My "Kinder Surprise" Meal - Yuzen at Arakicho

I didn't make any advance dinner plan for one evening while in Tokyo and decided to "wing it" - essentially trying out a random place that I happened to come across. I remembered last time I was planning to head to the neighborhood of Arakicho (荒木町) near Yotsuya for some unagi dishes (at a restaurant called Masami) but that didn't quite fit into our schedule at the end. I didn't believe Masami would have seats available at last minute, but I figured... let's head over there this time and see what did they have.

Another Monday Night - Ronin

I heard mixed comments regarding Ronin - some swore it's the best izakaya in town, some gave me the "meh" look when I mentioned we were going to try the restaurant, thinking it's overrated. Given that I actually waited long enough so I got a good share of comments before setting my foot into this place - I don't wanna waste my money (and time) on a lousy meal. Oh well, we finally went this past Monday, here's my verdict.

An Invitation at Brickhouse

I was at Brickhouse recently for a dinner invitation to taste their new menu. It's been a while since I was last here so I was eager to try some of the newer items Chef Austin Fry has made. It's also good fun to meet up with old friends and new ones at the dinner table who shared the same passion in eating (and blogging about their experiences).

Barbecue Galore

I never quite buy the notion that one can fully appreciate food without sharing the passion of preparing them at the same time. And hanging out with people who appreciate food and sharing the passion of preparing them (and being very good at this) brought great pleasure far beyond any delicious dishes on the table can give. I am glad to have such an occasion at a Hong Kong-style barbecue one evening at my friend's place this past weekend.