Epitastic !

January 2 2012.

Dear food blog - today we shall abstain from the fun drink that made everyone merry in December.

BF: I feel like a beer.

Me: Hmm. We can beer a bird…

Toasty homey dinner at home.  And a glass of vanilla flavoured soy milk.  And a leftover Ferrero Rocher from that fun month.

Beer & lime roasted chicken

1 Chicken. 1 beer. 2 limes. 1 full garlic. Paprika. Cayenne pepper. Sea salt and pepper. 1 bunch of rosemary. Thyme. 

Pour mixture in a clean cavity and around the pan.  Feel free to add olive oil but life went on for me without. Roast for 1 hour and rest 10 min to serve.

Healthy coleslaw

Salad: 1/2 Cabbage. 1 celery stick. 3 spring onion. Chop. Mix.

Vinaigrette: Olive oil, canola oil, water.  Grainy mustard. Malt vinegar, white vinegar. Salt, sugar, parsley, shallots. Dollop of minced garlic.  Mix.  Refrigerate for a few hours. 

If you’re wondering where the mayo is, there isn’t any.  I’m sure you don’t need any after December - have you tried on your jeans lately?

Happy 2012!!

Before it all began.  Before those endless nights of turkey binging, mulled wine drinking, minced pies stuffing, food coma lounging and now, a sobering return to reality - was an innocent lunch on the half day before Christmas eve.  

Lunch was at Grissini Grand Hyatt.  I had a glass of Chardy and the salmon; BF, a Pinot Grigio and the risotto.  Impeccable service.  Forgettable mains.  And currently - unfortunate views of the harbour’s construction site.  But as always, fantastic grissini. What I didn’t document were the baskets and baskets of fresh, chewy and tender grissini rolls that we hoarded and ingested with greed and glee. 

Oh, holiday season.

Grissini, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai

To state that my family loves food is a wild understatement.  Bed-time reading often involve the latest illustrated cookbooks.  We love dining out, eating in, cooking, watching others cook, chef demonstrations, food blogs (and food porn), gastronomy, comfort vegging - we love them all.

My youngest sister is back in town for some holiday cheer.  She picked up a turkey recipe from her Canadian friends at Thanksgiving, and fed the family, my lucky boyfriend and Beanie the poodle on Boxing day.

We are a fortunate bunch indeed.

X

Christmas eve dinner with the fam and BF at the Ladies’ Recreation Club.

My favourite holiday of the year where family and friends happily unite, calories matter not, and champagne a-plenty.

Bring on 2012!

X

Boxing Day Goodness @ingramcharlotte @nicetwits7 @JasonGirard!!

Signore Italiano came with a box of gingerbread house, wand, panettone (yes, more!) from the Yacht Club. The bear came with crackers and goodies. The ladies brought over chocolate covered peanut butter balls and Red Velvet cream pies… we may have had our fair share of season’s sugary treats that night… so naturally, savoury snacks came to the rescue when our pizza delivery arrived…

Cozied up and watched Home Alone and National Lampoon. Amongst other things.

Best holiday of the year!! x

YBG at it again.  Saturday night and we’ve got our noses in another random resto adventure.  This time we’ve ousted the boys and decided to go for a deep dive into Wanchai hotpot.  Jellybean was Chief of Restaurant this round - she hinted hot pot though it wasn’t only the week of, that she sent an extensive list of hot pot options. Whoa.

Jellybean decided on Him Kee, noted for its hygiene and fresh produce, which turned out to be an overall 7 (out of 10).

The dining room was rather florescent but otherwise cozy, most fitting for this December evening chill.  We chatted away over dunking fresh food into a steamboat of spicy and mild flavours. One danger with hotpot is that everything tastes delicious and the diner feels involved cooking her own food; so she keeps on and on, until she stands up and discovers a 3-month old child in her tummy.

Him Kee Hot Pot, 1&2F Workingfield Commercial Building, 408-412 Jaffe Road, Wanchai

+852 2838 6116

Low end flat shopping in Ikea in Causeway Bay on a Sunday whilst hungover from tequila can be a painfully dark journey if not saved by my virgin trip to Din Tai Fung.  

Me: We’re going to Din Tai Fung!

BF: Yes, you’ve said it every minute by the last three hours we’ve been in CWB.

Me: Thank you for noticing.  My enthusiasm must be admirable. 

Din Tai Fung finally. We walk into quiet dining hall, punctuated with high ceilings and a glass kitchen where diners observe dumpling chefs crafting the infamous xiao long boa, amongst other fine Taiwanese (Shanghainese!) delicacies. Service: aside from a minor glitch of an old woman yelling at us to move seats, the rest of the staff were attentive yet non-intrusive.  Each dish was perfectly timed - a two minute rest from the first dish before the next arrived, piping hot and fresh from the steamer.  My personal favourite? The crabmeat xiao long bao: its skin by far the finest I’ve had, each piece bite-sized, and the meat succulent and juicy.

The bill amounted to ~HK$400 including two soy milk.  The dining hall was packed when we left it just before 7pm.  Quick note: these guys don’t pull their own noodles, so suggest the Taiwanese rice, or opt for a dumpling only spread.  Either way, here’s a chain that’s done it right.

Din Tai Fung, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

+852 3160 8998

MIA blogging for two weeks! Work has been busy busy for December!

Ole for mum’s second birthday dinner.

Most merry.  We overate, overdrank, and oversang.

Will return.

Ole Spanish Bar and Restaurant

1/F Shun Ho Tower, Ice House Street

Central, Hong Kong (Next to FCC)

+852 2523 8624