Feast @ Hotel EAST (Hong Kong)

As mentioned before, I rarely attend tasting events but this time would be an exception for the following reasons: (1) Mochachocolata Rita was joining as well, (2) the gathering was relatively small scale and (3) I could have the chance to meet Patricia of  Sù Yán Tiān Shǐ 素顏天使™ , the man behind Cha Xiu Bao Josh Tse as well as Nana Chan whose food writing I enjoy very much. However, it was to my disappointment that both Josh and Nana could not make it. Ah well, that certainly did not deter from from having a fun and entertaining evening.  Thanks for the warm invitation by Swire's Hotel EAST (Hong Kong), our night started off on the rooftop lounge Sugar overlooking the Victoria Harbour.

The Gingery - Winter Collection 2010

The title of this post hides no secret, it literally means Winter Collection for my freshly baked Gingerbread Men / Ladies! It may seems odd that I am doing such a thing but let me explain how I got inspired to work on this late night project. Inspiration: (1) Hong Kong Fashion Geek's coverage on their recent H&M x Lanvin craze, (2) my recent desire to crate stuff and (3) my recent Gingerbread Man Jamming session at Christmas Fair Tiffany (and my semi-shirtless gingerbread man). Actually there was a 4th inspiration which was from V who kindly gave me some of her first batch of gingerbread men this year (see attached pictures at the end of this post, their cuteness inspired me to do the same and bake some of my own gingerbread men! Thanks V). During the recent H&M x Lanvin 1-day sale, I saw many people lining up outside the store 4am the morning before with blankets and folding chairs looking at the display window that hosted the collection which they were so anxiously waiting to buy. Was is worth the wait? I cannot be the right person to judge unless we are talking about queue and food. It would be weird for me to line up just for the sake of experiencing the hype and part with nothing, so I decided to create my own collection, one that I design, one that I require no queuing to experience and one that I can EAT! ... The Gingery by Jason - Winter Collection 2010 is official launched!

Tiffany's Christmas Fair (Hong Kong)

The Circle of Giving, A Legacy of Light

Ruth Carter Stapleton once said "Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most." While it is very true, I think Dale Evans described it even more straight forward by saying "Christmas, my child, is love in action." Love is not to be given but shared, love is not only to be shared with your loved ones but with those in need of your love. I am very honored once again to be invited back by Tiffany & Co. for their Christmas Fair in partnership with Mother's Choice, held at the 1881 Heritage in Hong Kong. A few weeks ago, it was Breakfast at Tiffany and this time it was Christmas Fair Tiffany which I absolutely loved because the festive activities during the evening made me feel like a kid once again! Yes it is not always the food that makes me act feel like a kid, stuff like decorating gingerbread man or making snow globe can easily do the trick!

Butao Ramen 豚王

My first visit to this place was back in early Nov 2010, a few days before its prime time TV feature which created the recent hype on this little ramen joint with about a dozen seats. M (from eatshowandtell) and I waited for about 10 minutes only back then instead of the average 1 hour or perhaps 2 hours wait nowadays? It took me this long to blog about it because I wanted to give the rest of the ramen selection a try first. However, any queue for food that requires more than 30 mins wait and less than 10 mins consumption time will likely skip. Therefore, I might as well share my experiences now in the middle of the hype. If you require a more detail insight into the different selection during this hype, please check with e_tingfood.com (also Facebook Fan Page) and tomeatsjencooks.com, both who recently went an hour before it opens on a Saturday morning for its first bowl of ramen. Based on my latest information, the y have limited the supply of ramen per day to 200 bowls ....

Classified (Hong Kong)

I love cheese and that's not a secret for those who frequent my blog. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to Geoff (the man behind Geoff's Twitchen) for inviting me to this Mont d'Or event / gathering at the Classified, an event he single handedly organized. I had a cheesy yet amazing night at Classified (Wan Chai) but there was one thing really disappointed me: I thought we could have one carton of Mont d'Or for each one of us! :) ... Where was I with cheese again? Oh right, I love cheese and Mont d'Or can be considered a beginner's cheese. It is a seasonal soft cheese made from cow's milk. If you are not a fan of cheese at this moment, give Mont d'Or a try and eat with a spoon while watching TV. I am very serious about it! Let the cheese rest under room temperature inside the round wooden box and dig in when it becomes slightly running and creamy!!!!

Limehouse

Want to find a resto great for dating a girl? She wants to try something different yet offer no suggestion? A place that is quiet yet no need to walk so far with her heels? A place that tables are spaced wide enough to give you two enough personal space? A place that allow you to have certain walkable distance to the nearest MTR station after dinner? A location with more than a few crossings which you can make you lame move in garbing her hand while crossing the street? ... Don't worry, I think I have a recommendation for you: it's Limehouse on Ship Street, Wan Chai. Hiding behind the narrow and slightly steep street, you will immediate spot this rather outstanding white structure with several bright spotlights shining in all directions. 

Breakfast at Tiffany

It was quite difficult to ignore an email with subject line “Join us for Breakfast at Tiffany.” It sounded sort of cliché yet something irresistible! So what exact was it all about? Breakfast at Tiffany & Co. at 1881 Heritage to be exact! I am very honoured indeed to be invited by Tiffany & Co. (and PR IME) for this special event in celebration of Christmas and its upcoming seasonal events as well as its charity partnership with Mother’s Choice (Hong Kong) who will benefits from the Circle of Giving, A Legacy of Light. It was not the usual type of event I would attend but for such good cause and the “Breakfast at Tiffany,” I just cannot resist at all!

Da Dong Roast Duck 大董烤鸭店 (Beijing)

I said it once and I will say it again, I never get tired of Peking Duck! During my 3 days stay in Bejing over the National Day long weekend, we had more than one meal of Peking Duck of course, it was only fair to try as many as possible, my dear stomach told me. So after my Made in China Peking duck meal, I told myself it was hard to find one to top that and I was right. The visit to Da Dong Roast Duck 大董烤鸭店 for its famous Peking duck was rather disappointing, not just the Duck for in general. It was quite tiring too and let me tell you why in a bit. When you enter this branch, the very first thing you will see is a huge empty space in the middle of the lobby, like a stage with ovens on each 4 corners and raw ducks hanging in the center. Chefs walking back and forth holding a trident looking thing with the duck at the tip, in and out the ovens they shove the duck in to roast it. It was like a show ... but I did not recall coming here for a show, I came for the food the last I remembered. With is contemporary decor, I was quite sure they should put chairs around the stage so interested diners can sit and watch.  

Sushi Hiro (Hong Kong)

Many crave for sushi or sashimi regularly, I crave for both at least once every two weeks. Sushi Hiro is one of the few Japanese places which I would return regularly when I feel like indulging myself in the land of sashimi without using any brain power in regards to ordering. Why? They offer plenty of set diners and most of them are multi-courses as well. My friend and I each ordered a set and our dishes were basically mixed up since we were sharing so please considered the following items to be the combined sets.

Beijing on the 1st October ...

Showing his love for the country? 

I know this is a long overdue post but I have been quite busy eating around Asia and been sick (from the sudden weather change and not from the food of course!) for a little while as well. I am now back and will be posting accordingly to my old schedule! Anyhow, on the 1st Oct 2010, I spent the long weekend in Beijing, the capital of China (PRC) in celebration of its National Day.  I wasn't out of my mind to visit Beijing on its National Day when I KNOW there were CROWDS everywhere, I knew before departure and I wanted to experience that as well. One of the key events was the Flag Rising Ceremony on Tiananmen Square on 1 October, the morning following the night of our arrival.

Vitasoy Soybean Drink

Wandering around the supermarket late at night, I spotted this special set of Vitasoy soybean drink. The special design captured my attention to a point that I bought  2 half-a-dozen packages so I can collect all 4 designs! The drawings or theme focus on 4 aspects our lives (only partly of course), namely Working Moments, Happy Moments, Studying Moments and Loving Moments ... oh wait, what happened to Eating Moments??? That is a very important part of our lives! Are there more Moments I wonder, maybe there are more to this set???

Harlan's @ The One

Last year I had a very memorable experience at The Parlour @ Hullett House TST and won my top spot in my Afternoon Tea No More 2009 award. This year before the end of it, I found the establishment that qualified for the Afternoon Tea No More 2010 --- Harlan's @ The One TST.  First of all, I was attracted to here because of the Jo Malone Afternoon Tea set as promoted. I heard about it from many friends as well asking me to give it a try. It sounded interesting enough right? If I am from Jo Malone, I would expect my business partner to help promote this special offering as well, however, guess what, I have to request for the special menu and what was funny was that .... well, let me pull it as follows: 

Jason: "Hi, I would like to check out the Jo Malone Afternoon Tea set menu." 

Staff: "Jo Malone?" 

Jason: "Yeah, the perfumes, fragrances, candles ... "

Staff: " [pauses] Oh, I think I know what you are referring too, wait a moment please ... " 

Great job! I would be fairly pissed if I am from Jo Malone. 

(P.S. - based on my knowledge, Harlan @ The One is no longer run by Harlan Goldstein himself even though the name remains. Harlan Goldstein can now be found at the recently opened Gold by Harlan Goldstein @ LKF, Central, Hong Kong)