Travel - Amsterdam (Jan 2012)

If you are travelling to Amsterdam for the forst time and you doing so by yourself without joining any tours, no worries, the city is very tourist friendly. As soon as you step out of the departure gate of the Schiphol International Airport, there are many transportation options for you to get into the city, "domestic" trains being one of the cheapest and quickest option in my opinion. Why did I put a "quote" around the word "domestic?" Stay tuned and I will tell you why "international" trains / routes via NS Hispeed is a shocking story worth reading!

Flight Experience from Red Packet

When I was young, I thought about becoming a pilot, a commercial pilot to be exact. Yes, Maverick from Top Gun did contribute somewhat to my desire in becoming one but it was the love of flying that really interested me in wishing to become one. Obviously that dream was not realized, the closest I get to be a pilot was in front of a computer monitor playing Flight Simulator series of games. Finally after all these years, thanks to Red Packet Adrenaline experience package, I got the chance to try out an an actual size flight simulator at the Flight Experience located at MegaBox. There are many other options with the package but flight simulator topped my list because it is not an everyday activity one would attend.

Comilonas Private Kitchen (Hong Kong)

Razlan got me blogging about this wonderful dinner gathering at Comilonas Private Kitchen. It wasn't for Christmas, it wasn't for any special occasion, we just wanted to gather around and share some laughters and the occasional hugs over some hearty food. Thanks again for organizing this dinner Razlan! Tucked inside a rather local building in the Western District, Comilonas Private Kitchen specializes in Catalan cuisines. Chef Lluis from Barcelona and his wife Carrie, a Hong Kong local, run the warm and welcoming joint which was decorated based the 60s/70s style with plenty of wooden fixtures and perhaps furniture inspired by Northern Europe designs from the 70s.  The tiled green / white floors are traditional of a typical Hong Kong home in the 70s and I assume those are original from the previous or even first owner of the place.

Sassy's Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Guys

Who said I just blog about food??? I recently got a chance to write for Sassy's Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Guys. For those unfamiliar with Sassy Hong Kong, it is a "the Hong Kong girl’s hub for original lifestyle content and honest opinion that covers this buzzing city top-to-bottom and supports a strong, real-life community of Sassy girls." Well, I think it is time to move beyond just the girl's perspective and explore the great potential of sassy guys in Hong Kong! (by definition, the word sassy is not exclusive for female, it can be applied to male as well! woohoo! right?) There are 2 parts to the Guide mentioned, you can check them out here: Part 1 << Me, Moi! & Part 2. Of course my XMAS wishlist includes cooking equipment and facial care as well!

Posto Pubblico (Hong Kong)

Christmas is approaching and in such a festive season, all sorts of gatherings often filled the December calendar with endless meals. For some reasons, out of the so many festive holidays during the year, Christmas seems to be the only one that truly fill the air with love. Be it romantic love, friendship love, security love or unconditional love,  it is the feeling of being loved that makes this holiday one most of us look forward to every year. At Posto Pubblico on a particular evening this December, their private dinner venue Posto Privato was filled with all sorts of love, including my love for good food! I have to admit, Mr. G from Posto Pubblico knows how to throw a good party!

"For Chang" Hot Pot 火井火鍋海鮮飯店 (Hong Kong)

The sudden drop of the temperature recently not only increased my appetite for something hearty, it made me crave for something more! Right now all I can think of in my head at this hour is a bowl of instant noodles with a few slices of spam and one fried egg sunny side up. But the lazy side of me took over because it would take too much effort to make those at this late hour. The next thing that appeared in my mind is hot pot because all we need is a pot of boiling water or stock to be exact and some fresh raw ingredients. A good soup base is very important indeed for such a cuisine and recently I discovered a new personal favourite here at "For Chang" Hot Pot tucked somewhere inside the Western district.

Flavours Asia (iPad App) - Wine Pairing made Easy

Wine pairing was never my thing but I have been learning, trying to pair different wines with different sort of food whenever possible. No, it is not an excuse to drink but part of a learning process. I think many would agree that Chinese food / wine pairing is difficult likely because of the wide range of flavors one would experience in one single meal. In many cases, quite a number of different types wines would be selected in one single Chinese meal to match the many individual dishes. Not an easy task for any sommelier in my opinion, not to mention for an average diner like myself with limited knowledge of wine.  A new iPad app named Flavors Asia may be able to assist those trying to enjoy matching wines while having a Chinese or even other Southeast Asian cuisines. This newly launched iPad app developed by Estates and Wines, the Moët Hennessy Wine Division, attempts to provide a solution for wine lovers when having difficulties in pairing wines with Asian food. It is this very app that interested me in attending the event. Without making a fuzz about it, I am sure it is quite obvious that the suggested wines in the app are all from their own unique collection such as Cloudy Bay, Cape Mentelle and Chandon.

TABLE FOR TWO (Hong Kong Chapter)

It is not often that I talk about charity or charitable organization on my blog but recently I came across one that somewhat inspired me and made me devote this entire post on it. As a disclaimer, I am not officially being endorsed by this organization, it is just an upcoming charitable organization in Hong Kong which I came across and feel strongly that its objectives & missions are very relevant and quite important within the foodie community in Hong Kong and around the world as well. This charitable organization is called TABLE FOR TWO (TFT).

Cantopop 港土茶記 (Hong Kong)

 

Cantopop has been opened for quite some time and it got quite some attention in the media at the beginning thanks to its sustainable dining concept carried throughout its chain of restaurants such as Linguini Fini and Posto Pubblico. It is not until recently that I finally got a chance to visit Cantopop. It was by invitation (which nowadays seems to be a very popular thing amongst restaurants but I do have something to express on this point on a later post, so stay tuned) but my experience at Cantopop was a pleasant one with a few misses of course. I will explain why a bit later but one thing I have to say is that I admire and support their sustainable dining concept by sourcing locally and minimize food wastage by using all animal parts if possible, but the question is where to draw the line at times. I am spending quite some time to writeup this post because I think there is a need to, a need to express my opinion in all perspectives which may or may not be different from the general public or even fellow foodies.

Antique Patisserie (Hong Kong)

I am not lazy, I am just busy recently sorting out different projects I am "trying" to work on plus I am about to move to another flat thanks to the rapidly increasing rent in Hong Kong! In about 3 weeks or so, I promise I will start cooking / baking / sharing more! Just in time for some XMAS treats perhaps? I do want to talk more about my long awaited return to Antique Patisserie since they moved location a while ago but for now I will share my recent Afternoon Tea experience in the form of images. I went there early that afternoon (or perhaps morning?) intentionally so I can take advantage of the natural sunlight and minimize disruption to other guests while I play with my food and doing my funny poses from taking images from all imaginable perspectives! (P.S. - make sure you BOOK before you go, so PLAN AHEAD!)

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 (Day 4 / 4)

I had great expectation on my last day here in Taipei during this summer trip but I started off with pretty much disappointment. Good that my disappointment was followed by excitement thanks to a great find of cafe and creative bagels! Yes, I had great hopes for Just in Bistro which is located just right next to our HOME Hotel, literally a few steps away. Another work of Justin Quek, Just in Bistro is situated in the trendy mall of Neo19 and offering a wide range of items coverage a various cuisines. Our visit was during lunch time and we picked items from the Asian set menu.

Sunday Champagne Brunch, Cheers!

I have to admit that Sunday Champagne Brunch has become more of an indulgence or an occasion rather than something on a regular basis. I suspect that inflation has invaded every part of our daily lives that a dollar is no long what it used to be even just six months ago. However, if you do fancy an occasionally indulgence like I do, the distinguishing factor in picking your Sunday Champagne Brunch venue got to be the Champagne!