Casual Italian Feast

I walked into Gia Trattoria at Fenwick Pier right on time to catch the last glimpse of the colorful sunset from the window in the dining area. The view from the restaurant may have been blocked partially by the on-going construction outside, but it's still one of the best in town looking over both sides of the harbor. Though it’s been a while since my last visit here, I love what they are doing delivering excellent home-style, traditional Italian dishes, either at this restaurant, or at Giando near Pacific Place, or the Mercato store downstairs that I often came for their excellent selection of Italian groceries and fresh produce.

Another Birthday Celebration

Courtesy of some cash coupons I received as part of my bank charge card, I thought we should visit One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong for dinner some time so we could take advantage of the discount. And we have just the right occasion for this – to celebrate mom’s birthday over a meal there.

Izakaya Dinner Near Airport

Of course, one might argue that just because the restaurant is close to the fish market doesn’t guarantee the best quality of ingredients nor the finest seafood cuisine being served, but no doubt they have the geographical advantage of having access to some of the freshest. To tourists and shopaholics, the area near to Osaka’s Kansai Airport is probably better known for the Rinku Outlet Town for those wanting to fetch a bargain, but the Izumisano Fish Market was also just as famous, for being the major trading spot for fresh seafood in the region, and as an extension, home to many restaurants that offer decent seafood dishes.

Marriott in an Onsen Town

CYY gave me the funny look when I told her we have booked the room at Marriott during our onsen trip to Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture. “I thought we were going to stay in a ryokan, no?” – well as it turned out most decent properties in this resort town were medium-sized hotels I thought we may as well check out the Nanki-Shirahama Marriott, which is one of the newest in the area, opened just late last year after the rebranding and renovation under the Marriott brand.

Unexpected Hanami

We didn’t really plan our holidays around the spring sakura season so we considered ourselves lucky to have caught an early glimpse of the blossoming cherry flowers while touring around Wakayama Prefecture in late March right before the Easter long weekend. Wakayama on the south-west side of Kii Peninsula may not be as popular a destination for sakura viewing, or hanami in Japanese, as Kyoto or even Osaka nearby, there were quite a few spots where cherry trees were planted, which gradually turned into a sea of pinks and whites beginning at around late March and peaked in early April.