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. 

Dinner with Some Help

We got Chef Jayson’s help to arrange for us the room that can fit 12 of us in his restaurant Man Ho – otherwise it would have been almost impossible with the ever-growing popularity of the place especially ever since their first Michelin star gained this year. He also helped us with the menu – with my only requests being their signature char siu and also one other dish that I wanted an encore. All up to him for the rest. 

Dim Sum and More

Honestly we didn’t do much for our staycation at Conrad except getting the much needed rest, but we did drop by their Golden Leaf restaurant for a decent lunch on the first day. We hopped down to the restaurant, which is located at the basement level of the hotel, after we checked in and dropped our stuff. 

Simple Staycation

Recently we decided to stay at The Conrad Hong Kong for a quick weekend staycation. A business hotel in the middle of the city is probably not our ideal getaway venue, but a room package that included breakfasts, executive lounge access and dining credits meant we paid (almost) next to nothing for the room itself. And being a hotel loyalty program junkie I thought it's a good way to rack up some program points for Hilton Honors for which I have been a member of. 

Yum Cha Omakase

It’s great to have run into Chef Jayson at his restaurant Man Ho at JW Marriott during our visit on the last day of January, especially on the heel of double good news for him personally and professionally this month. And that also meant we didn’t have to decide what to eat and just asked him to help sort out the menu for us.

White Truffles Encore

I wanted a white truffle encore just before its prime season ends (some time between early to mid-December), so we paid a visit to Nicholini’s at Conrad on the last Friday of November for their tasting menu. With the restaurant (and other F&B outlets inside the hotel) pretty much booked up for the staycation goers, we went for one of their early seating and got ourselves a table of two right by the window - not bad for something arranged only at last minute. 

30th Anniversary Menu

"30 years, really?" I only realized Golden Leaf and Conrad Hong Kong is celebrating their 30th Anniversary this year when I was at the restaurant for a dinner tasting the other night. They even came up with a special tasting menu for the occasion, which was the one we tried this time. 

A Pretty Average Kaiseki Dinner

I succumbed to my Japanese food craving to squeeze in a meal at Nadaman, in between my two trips to Japan in quick succession. It's not my first visit to the restaurant, located on the second floor of the Island Shangri-la Hotel, but if I remembered correctly, only the first time I was here for dinner. 

A late-spring dinner at Summer Palace

On a Thursday evening of one uneventful week in late April we went to Summer Palace at Island Shangri-la for a casual family dinner, which was also an early birthday celebration for mom. It's been ages since I last came - definitely in terms of years, not months - and first time for dinner, so to me this is as good as trying a new place.

"Tea for Love" at Island Shangri-la

Recently I attended a tasting event previewing the new afternoon tea menu at Island Shangri-la. The month of February saw every hoteliers and restauranteurs in town scrambling to come up with special menus or events or promotions to celebrate Valentine's Day. This year, Island Shangri-la collaborated with the French Champagne house Perrier Jouet for a love-themed afternoon tea menu, available not only on the 14th but throughout the month of February across multiple dining outlets within the hotel.

On a roll with new restaurants - The Continental

There's been a number of new restaurant openings in Hong Kong recently, and this evening we dropped by to one of those, The Continental, in Admiralty.

The restaurant, only officially opened this past Monday, took over the space formerly housed the fine Italian restaurant Domani on the terrace of the Pacific Place complex. Under the high ceiling with glass panel surrounding the structure sandwiched in between tall office buildings, the vast dining room features dim lighting and dark decor, booth tables on one side and simple wooden table and comfy sofas with green upholstery on the other. It's quite a comfortable setting. There's a little bar near the entrance for a drink or quick bite, and there's also an outdoor dining space which I think would be great when the evenings get cooler, probably in a few weeks' time.

New Chef, New Menu - A Sneak Preview at Nicholini's

A few of us were at Nicholini's recently for a sneak preview of the new menu created by Chef Luca de Berardinis, who just came on board to their culinary team. It's been a while since I last set foot in the restaurant (a long story), but I think it's time to come back, as I have heard good things about the cooking of Chef Luca, who was previously at the helm of the Michelin-starred Il Milione.

This evening's menu was designed just for the occasion with all new dishes - part of that menu will be available for a one-night-only event at the restaurant in August, and the rest will be revealed as the new seasonal a la carte menu soon.

A Guest Chef Encounter at Brasserie on the Eighth

I was at the dinner at Brasserie on the 8th at the Conrad Hotel a couple nights ago, featuring guest chef Stephane Gaborieau as he spent the week working behind the kitchen presenting some of the signature dishes from his restaurant, the Michelin one-starred Le Pergolese in Paris.

In Hong Kong, there's no shortage of visiting chefs coming to town for a short stint, but Chef Stephane's background and caliber still caught my interest, being an award-winning chef, a successful restaurateur and a published author of a few books on cooking. And he seems to be very friendly and approachable too, when he stopped by for a quick drink with us before the dinner began.