Roganic 2.0 x 2

The team at Roganic certainly did a good job building up our anticipation for its re-opening at Lee Garden after a 6-month hiatus. While we enjoyed the food at its old location numerous times (both at Roganic and Aulis, their experimental kitchen next door), it always feels like the restaurant was in a borrowed space at a random shopping mall corner. Still in a shopping mall, albeit a fancier one, on the side of Causeway Bay, the new space is now properly designed from ground up with everything built to fit the restaurant's style, from the wooden decor connecting the restaurant to its British Lake District roots, to the spacious open kitchen showcasing the team's cooking and the dedicated outdoor area where some of the ingredients were grown in-house highlighting the dedication to the "farm-to-fork" philosophy which restauranteur-owner Chef Simon Rogan has been a champion for.  

Chef Tam's Late Supper (and More)

I think the "Siu Yeah" supper hosted by Chef Tam at Wynn Palace has become the unofficial after-party at the Michelin ceremony. I was lucky enough to join a few of those previously which were nothing short of spectacular, but this year was extra special as Chef Tam's restaurant at Wynn Palace, Chef Tam's Seasons, has just been awarded the second star for the first time this year - so there are more excuses for a grand celebration, as if we needed one for an evening of fun and food and drinks. 

Canto x Chiuchow

I was a Ming Court Wanchai a couple of weeks for the special collaboration event featuring the dishes created by their Chef Tsang Chiu King and guest chef Cheung Yat Fung from Beijing's Michelin 3-starred Chao Shang Chao Restaurant. 

Drunken Fish

Been a while since I was staying in Macau so I am glad to eat my heart out while staying at Wynn Palace during the Michelin ceremony week. I arrived late morning right on time for lunch and they whooshed me to Wynn Macau where I met Chef Henry Zha ng and had a feast at his new-ish restaurant Drunken Fish.  

Ephernité

I just stumbled across Chef Vanessa Huang and her restaurant Ephernite on social media a few months ago, but that alone has convinced me to pay the restaurant a visit when we made a quick return to Taipei in late July, our second time this year. Given the restaurant only opens during dinner service, we went on the first night we arrived in town after settling down quickly at our hotel just a few hours before. 

Second Visit

On the whole nothing much has changed since my last visit to The Cristal Room 6 months ago, well, except now they are bestowed with a star in the latest edition of Michelin Guide. It's well-deserved, by the way, and certainly helped their cause to become one of the hottest restaurant openings in town in recent times. 

The Magistracy "Private" Room

Décor of Magistracy Dining Room definitely appeals to certain type of people – those who read and dreamed all about the Victorian era glamor or binge-watch on Downton Abby, for example. Probably same can be said about their style of dishes but to a lesser extent; after all old-school British cuisine never got a good reputation even to the locals. That mixed impression set the tone of my mood as I set foot into the restaurant – now in its second year of operations - for the first time recently and checked out their latest menu, reinvented by Chef Alyn Williams who just came on board. 

Strong Contender

Work brought me to Seoul for a few days in January and I did find time to check out a few restaurants on my free time. I was quite looking forward to the trip because it's literally been decades since I last set foot in Korea, but then I wasn't as excited when I knew Korea is freezingly cold at this time of year. (one morning the temperature changed from -6C the previous day to -2C and they called this warm - go figure)

New Hokkien Place

New restaurant openings in this area were not common let alone a decent one, so Ming Pavilion came as a welcoming addition when they opened their doors inside Island Shangri-la. The restaurant specializes in Hokkien Cuisine from Fujian Province, surprisingly another rarity in local dining scene.

Speakeasy in the Alley

"Do you serve any food?" It's probably a bit rude to walk in to the bar and immediately ask for food, but then we were desperately hungry (and thirsty too, but in this order) after the concert late evening so we got to have our priority straightened out first. 

the mind blowing logy

Our short trip to Taiwan was about eating and drinking as much as about concert-going - well, almost. But with us focusing on Taipei alone we got time to visit a few of the best restaurants in town, places that I have always wanted to try.  

The New Two Star in Town

It’s somewhat an unplanned, “serendipity” moment when we got to eat at a restaurant the same day they were elevated to two Michelin stars. My whirlwind Macau stay in March (the first of the three trips I made to the town that month) concluded with dinner at The Huaiyang Garden at The Londoner. 

Silks House Taipei

We made a quick hop downstairs for dinner at Silks House on our first day in Taipei. I ate at all other dining outlets during my previous visit last year except this one so felt like I finally completed the full circle. 

Bombana Macau

I ate at Bombana Macau on one of the Macau trips hosted by Galaxy Macau I had back in March. Have always heard comments comparing their Macau outpost (which has one Michelin star, by the way) to their “mothership” restaurant in Hong Kong (which has 3) so I am glad to try this for the first time. 

Zest for Special Occasion

We picked one of the places we haven’t visited for a while on a night we celebrated a special day of ours. Last time I was at Zest was a few years ago not long after they first opened and before the pandemic times. 

Wing, A Few Months Ago

This is a throwback post to one of the meals we had at Wing in recent months. Chef Vicky never failed to wow us with some of the best executed Chinese dishes in town no matter what occasion we came here for, and this time there's no exception when we came with a couple of friends. 

Feng Wei Ju

My last visit to Feng Wei Ju was definitely before COVID, so I am glad to make it back during one of my recent Macau trips in March. A quick ride in the car get us from our hotel in Cotai to the restaurant in 20 minutes, located in the older part of Macau inside Starworld Hotel. I felt the décor didn’t change much since my last visit, with the casual vibe typical of just about any Chinese restaurant, but this time they set us up in one of their private room at the back so it’s kinda nice. 

One to Watch

At the Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau ceremony last month, there were no happier faces than chefs Romain and Adrien, whose restaurant Racines has gotten its first Michelin star in the 2024 Guide. I had the chance to dine at the place just a few months ago and this certainly came as no surprise, given how much I enjoyed the meal at this small bistro-style venue in the quiet Tai Ping Shan Street neighborhood in Sheung Wan. 

Rooftop Teppanyaki

Forty-five has quickly become the talk of the town with a few fine restaurants opening in quick succession in this complex spanning multiple floors on top of Gloucester Tower. I had a chance to visit two of their outlets in March, starting with Kaen Teppanyaki in one Monday evening.  

Petrus' Seasonal Menu

We forgot how nice the view was from Restaurant Petrus until we got up there and paid a visit a couple months ago to check out Chef Uwe’s winter menu. And the food too, at this legendary restaurant with a legendary chef at the helm.