The Chinnery

The Chinnery is one of the few remaining old-school English pubs around town to my knowledge. Hiding on the 3rd floor of the Mandarin Hotel, it is not a common walk-by establishment unless you know it exists. The first thing you notice when you step into the premise is the huge shelf of whisky behind the bar and once you look around, you notice the heavy wood decor, soft lighting, oil paintings and leather chairs which you can hardly find in Hong Kong nowadays. Yes it carries a heavy masculine atmosphere to it but that is how a traditional English pub / club looks like.



My friends and I come here often for its large selection go Malt Whisky. There is a Malt Whisky List as thick as the wine list! I picked something new, something I never tried before. Caol Ila 12 years. It was very smooth and the fact that I ordered it with the ice sphere instead of cubes made it even better because the melting rate of the ice took way longer, keeping the whisky flavors intact for much longer.



(1) Bangers and Mash
The dish came with pork, lamb and venison sausages. Accordingly to some sources, there must be 3 bangers and not more or less, must be 3. Interesting indeed. Among the 3 bangers, the lamb one was wonderful with a crisp outer layer and tender insider. The mash potato was buttery and silky smooth, thumbs up! However, the sauce was a bit too strong and salty to my liking.


(2) Roast Prime Rib of Beef
One of my friends ordered this great looking dish but I did not try any myself. However, from the fact that he was chewing his beef very slowly with his eyes closed was definitely a positive sign of enjoyment.



(3) Baked Sea Bass
Again I did give this dish a try because I was too focused on my bandgers and mash (plus whisky). It looked delicious enough that I would come again to try it another day.



(4) Bread Pudding
Whenever I see Bread Pudding or Bread and Butter Pudding, I would order it because I am in search for a wonderful offering around town. As mentioned by Jodi in one of the comments from my previous entries, one of the more difficulties in making a good bread pudding is to find the right bread. (the same with bread and butter pudding) To my knowledge, the best and traditional method is to use stale / left-over bread (French and Italian bread preferred because sandwich bread would dissolve in the soaking process); however, many places nowadays use fresh bread instead. I wasn't sure if fresh bread was used for the bread pudding we ordered, but it certainly did not looked stale or maybe not stale enough. The whole pudding was too soft like a sponge cake and the vanilla custard was slightly too sweet. So far the vanilla custard from Jimmy's Kitchen's Apple Crumble remains on the top of my list in terms of dessert sauces.



(5) Dessert Side dishes
All meals came with a small dessert side dish consisted of mini-apple crumble and chocolate cookies. Flavor wise the apple crumble was fair but texture wise it was too dough-y / flour-y. The cookies on the other hand was a pleasant surprise with a soft and warm inside like a mini-molten chocolate cake. Thumbs up on the cookies.

Note: Thanks to smogsblog, I am learning new things everyday! Apparently the spelling of whisky (vs whiskey) has its fair share of history and the different spelling represent different origins of the spirit . "Today, the spelling whisky (plural whiskies) is generally used for whiskies distilled in Scotland, Wales, Canada, and Japan, while whiskey is used for the spirits distilled in Ireland and America." - wikipedia

Likes:

• The comprehensive whisky list
• wonderful old school English pub / club decor + atmosphere
• Buttery and silky smooth mash potato

Dislikes:

• bread pudding - too soft and custard too sweet. Rather disappointing.
• Sauces too salty (of the Bangers and Mash dish)

Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 500 per person

The Chinnery
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 2825 4009
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/


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News / Event: Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival

Did you know that the Hong Kong Tourism Board actually launched a year round promotional event called Hong Kong Food & Wine Year since April 2009!? (yes APRIL 2009) and one of the upcoming spotlight events is the Hong Kong Food & Wine Year Spotlight Events (30 Oct - 8 Nov 2009) which includes a three-day event named Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival (30 Oct - 1 Nov 2009)?

Don't feel bad that you have no clue of such an event being held in Hong Kong because with the amount of promotions the tourism board is doing, I seriously doubt many tourists would know either. And not to mention the confusing and unimaginative names being used. Is it just me who is not up to speed with all these food related events organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board? Somehow this event (the marketing aspect of it in particular) reminds me of the 2009 East Asian Games to be held in Hong Kong this December.

So how did I come to realized the existence of this event? I saw the little banner hanging off the side of a flyover bridge in Central that simply reads Hong Kong Food & Wine Year, that's it. Sigh, talk about ineffective marketing execution. In any case, check the sites out to see if you can find any good dining offers and classes.

Hong Kong Food & Wine Year (April 2009 – March 2010) - APRIL 2009??

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Hong Kong Food & Wine Year Spotlight Events (30 Oct - 8 Nov 2009)

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Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival (30 Oct - 1 Nov 2009)

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Banners obtained from http://www.discoverhongkong.com/ and related sub-domains.

Sushi Kuu 壽司喰

After my rather disappointing visit at Sushi U last time, I was on a quest to find better Japanese restaurants in the LKF area for lunch. My friend and I picked Sushi Kuu as recommended by many of our friends. According to my sources, this joint is run by the chef from Kiku. Once again, we took the bar table because I can get a first hand view of the sushi chef. There were plenty of choices for lunch sets, which most of them being sushi or sashimi dishes. We both picked the sushi platter set.

(1) Miso Soup
As part of the set, it came with Miso Soup. It was very nice indeed. Not many places in Hong Kong would serve miso soup with dried bean curd and sliced onions like they did here. Also, the msio flavor of the soup was not too strong, letting the flavors of the bean curd to stand out as well.



(1) 9 pcs Assorted Sushi
One of the reasons we ordered the sushi platter was because I wanted to watch it being prepared. The fish looked fresh like at Sushi U but here they were being PRESSED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! NOT from the tin can. (except for the maki / roll)



The fish were fresh and the the sushi rice were tightly pressed in front of us. Although the maki was picked from the tin can, they were refilled constantly by another chef who only focused on the maki at the other end of the sushi bar. In other words, executing a fine division of labor in front of the customers.



Among the 9 pieces of sushi, I liked the sweet shrimp sushi the most.



(3) Udon in Soup
The set also came with a bowl of udon in soup but because it was served around the same time as the sushi, the udon became a bit too soft by the time I started to eat it after the sushi. No surprises but the soup was nice because it was not too strong and salty. I think this dish should be served closer to the end of the main dish if they have enough resources to do so.

Likes:

• sushi pressed in front of you and not from a tin can.
• ingredients were fresh
• miso soup - not too salty and with the sliced bean curd added for extra flavors.

Dislikes:

• Udon being served too early, making the udon too soft and the soup cold.
• can be quite noisy during peak hours

Avg Spedning: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Sushi Kuu 壽司喰
1/F Wellington Place,
2-8 Wellington Street, Central
Tel: 852 2971 0180


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Katte Shabushabu 勝手

I haven't cooked in a long while and this evening I wanted to all of a sudden. Being the lazy person that I am, in order to get the best of both worlds, hot pot / Japanese shabu shabu was the best choice whereby I can fulfill my desire to cook and to explore new establishments at the same time. The whole store front was transparent with a huge glass wall which I think is a good way to promote itself via the display window. The layout of the tables (or long bar table) reminds me of Restaurant City @ Facebook whereby the waiter / staff would deliver and serve dishes inside the enclosed aisle for greater efficiency. Anyways ...



Each guest has his/her individual pot in front of the "bar table." Among the choices on the menu, we picked the set dinners because we were too lazy to order individual items. The set came with a main dish (see below), the choice of soup bases and some side items such as assorted vegetables.

(1) Soup Bases
My friend picked the Clear Red Snapper soup (Left Picture) and I picked the Fish and Kelp Soup (Right Picture). Mine was more of a clear soup based which I like and the Clear Red Snapper soup wasn't as clear as I expected. I tried both soup bases from the start but realized that both were lightly flavored. Apparently, as informed by one of the owners present there that evening, it was intentional to keep the soup base rather light to start with because it will get to be more rich and strong after the meal. It was after the meal when the soup should be consumed to get the most of out it in terms of flavors. (and I did follow the advice and enjoyed the more complex flavors of he soup at the end of the meal!)



(2) Shabu Shabu Deluxe Set
As part of the main dish of the set, the star of the show was the Miyazaki Beef Flat of Rounds (A4 Grade). It was fresh and thinly sliced. A few seconds in the boiling soup would be sufficient to bring the beef its optimal eating condition according to the CHEF of the night, which is ME! The beef would melt in your mouth but due to the light soup base, I only tasted the beef and not much of the flavors of the soup. It was as if I was cooking the beef in plain boiling water. (the Clear Red Snapper Soup was better in this perspective because it started of with a stronger flavors) If you are to order my clear soup base, I would suggest to cook some vegetables using the soup first to elevate the underlying flavors of soup base. Just a tip from Chef wannabe Jason.



(3) Shabu Shabu Seafood Set
For the seafood set, it came with Clam, Prawn, Oysters and Scallops. All items were of extra large size if you ask me. They looked fresh and tasted fresh. Again, with such shabu shabu setting and with fresh ingredients, we can all be great chefs! It was fun indeed!



All items were huge, especially the oyster!



As recommended, placing the shrimp head into the soup at the start would produce a strong and rich flavors for the soup throughout the meal, give it a try to see if it works for you!



(3) Side Items
As part of the set, it came with Assorted Vegetables, Inaniwa Udon and Clear Clam Soup as well. Not much of surprises here. The way the Udon was presented was nice but make sure you cook the Udon last so to get the most out of the soup.



The clear clam soup was rather light in flavors and was not served hot but warm instead. Not what I expected (or preferred) and a few points off for serving it warm!



(5) Japanese Pork Slices
The two main dishes we shared were not enough so we ordered an extra plate of meat. Instead of beef, we opted for pork. They were fresh and without much surprises. The beef was definitely better.



(6) Grilled OX Tongue
Now this was surprisingly delicious. The grilled OX tongue was thick and firm, carrying a very chewy sensation to it. Flavors were good as well with traces of grounded pepper all over it. I was surprised because at a place where YOU the diner is the CHEF, I did not expect cooked items to be this enjoyable. Thumbs up!

Likes

• Fun - If you want to be a chef for a night, this is a good place to start with. The quality of the items all depend on YOU! Not much skills from the kitchen there, smart way to do business indeed.
  
• Grilled OX Tongue
• Fresh Ingredients

Dislikes:

• Warm clear clam soup
• Seating arrangement quite packed

Avg Spending: Above HKD 500 per person

勝手 Katte Shabushabu
G/F, 5 Caroline Hill Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: 2577 2628


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News / Events: Italian Cuisine Asia Summit (Hong Kong 2009)

Thanks to KennyT's information, I realized that the Italian Cuisine Asia Summit is currently being held in Hong Kong from 20 Oct t0 25 Oct 2009!!! According to the website and the program, many renowned chefs will prepare special lunches and dinners , run master cooking classes and host product tastings. Maybe I can still book a table at one of the Italian restaurants on the list!?

Italian Cuisine Asia Summit - Hong Kong 2009
http://www.itchefs-gvci.com/



Banner obtained from http://www.itchefs-gvci.com/ [itchefs & Co. - Virtual Group of Italian Chefs]

新九記粥麵 (Xin Jiu Ji)

A simple quick meal can sometimes be equally satisfying as a 3 courses meal at a Michelin 2-star restaurant. One of such options which I love is to have good congee and wanton at a local, homely and down-to-earth establishment. After a short chat with a friend in the Wan Chai area, we were both very hungry but wanted to try something fast but yummy of course! I am not so familiar with this area so my friend led the way. My friend visited this place once before and enjoyed the congee very much. I would not comment much about the decor, comfortableness or even atmosphere of this place because there wasn't much. It was fairly clean and that was all I cared at that moment.

The very first thing I noticed was the many POTs of congee on top of electric stoves on many tables, together with some raw ingredients on the side. Apparently this place is famous for its Congee Hot Pot / Fondue! Too bad we were in a hurry, otherwise I would insist on trying for sure!

(1) Pork Liver + Beef Congee
The pork liver was wonderful! Firm but slightly "crisp" / bouncy against the teeth. Rich in flavor as well. The sliced beef was alright, not surprises compared with the wonderful pork liver. Congee wise, it was not as creamy or as thick as I expected (and of which I love!) but it was definitely good above average!

(2) Wanton
I was still very hungry after the congee so I ordered a bowl of wanton! (and so did my friend) It was wonderful! It was not the BIG and STUFFED type, it was the typical size one with chopped shrimps and pork mixtures (plus traces of shrimp roe?). The dough layer / skin was very thin and the wrapping skills resulted with a little "tail" sticking to the wanton. (I think a typical or traditional Wanton have a certain guideline as to the proportion of the dough / skin and it should have a fairly long "tail" to it)

Likes:

• Pork Liver - Fresh good quality pork liver!
• Wanton - nicely prepared / wrapped
  

Dislikes:

• Really packed ! I had to sit with both legs squeeze tightly together!
• Congee not as creamy and thick to my liking.
• MSGGGGGGG ...
  

Avg Spending: Around HKD 100 per person

新九記粥麵 (Xin Jiu Ji)
G/F, No. 9 Tai Wang Tung Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 2865 2827


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Cafe Iguana @ Elements (Revisited II)

Because of Jin's comment on finger food, I have been thinking about it for the whole week! When talking about finger food, the first thing that came me was Mexican Nacho with plenty of cheese! O yes, and also honey garlic chicken wings! My serious craving for Mexican food led me back to Cafe Iguana for the Nth time. With a slight breeze in the air, it was indeed a nice place to enjoy a relaxing lunch under the sun on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I was not a big fan of the sun a few years but as time passes, I find myself more and more fond of it, wishing to spend time under the naked sun, to be embraced by the gentle touch of its warmth. How I come about having such big change towards sunshine is beyond me!

I was surprised to find that offered lunch sets on a Saturday. It was a pleasant surprise and the items being offered seem interesting enough to give them a try. While waiting for the orders, I ordered a Mexican beer named Carta Blanca, recommended by the staff. It was very smooth as informed but the taste / flavor was rather light to my liking. Was it too early to have beer? Not at all; but it would be too early if I am to have Chili Infused Tequila!

(1) Salad (Grilled Pear, cherry tomato, musclun with honey mustard vinaigrette and toasted peanut)

The use of ingredients was interesting enough and it was indeed very refreshing as I expected it because of the use of pear / fruit. It wasn't the taste or flavors of the salad that "shine," it was the combination of contrasting textures that I enjoyed the most. The softness of the pear against the crispiness of the toasted peanuts made a good combination indeed.

(2) Sea Bass Taco in Achiote, oregano and garlic spicy mango salsa

The vibrant colors captured my undivided attention. It certainly reminded me of a happy spring / summer time. The skin of the sea bass was thin and crisp (lightly seasoned), together with the tender fish meat and soft taco wrap, it was very nice indeed. Only traces of sauce can be found which helped the true taste of the sea bass to be tasted on every bite. Aside from the "lady-on-diet" portion of the two soft tacos being served, it was a thumbs up dish!

(3) Chicken in chocolate and chili sauce topped with toasted peanut and zucchini black beans and rice. (2 soft taco wraps)

Although chocolate was used in preparation of the sauce, not much of such flavor was present. I doubt it was the intention to have strong chocolate flavor in this dish, but the adding of the chocolate would make the sauce more creamy for sure. I guess it was a love it a hate it kind of thing; but for me, I loved it. The combination of chocolate and chili is not new and I found a few varying recipes online related to this. One called the sauce a Cincinnati Chili sauce and the other Chocolate Chili.

(4) Pie de Limon (Key lime tequila pie)

On first sight, I thought the top was a meringue layer but it turned out to be pure whipped cream which was slightly torched! The flavors of the pie was alright but the crust was too soft and there were too much whipped cream on top!

Likes:

• Environment + Great Service
• Sea Bass Taco - colorful presentation wonderfully done; but more like a Tapas than a main dish.
• Salad (Grilled Pear) - very refreshing to start start with. The contrasting texture was great.

Dislikes:

• Pie de Limon - too much whipped cream!

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Cafe Iguana
Shop R004, Civic Squre, Elements,
1 Austin Road West, TST
Tel: 2196 8733
http://www.igors.com/


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Sheung Kee Delicacy 嫦記

My sense of anticipation turned into extreme disappointment this evening. It was not a feeling anyone wish to experience (too often) in life or for any encounters for that matter. Once can hope for the best or prepare of the worst. I know it is lame but so are many life lessons as well. Anyhow, on this Friday evening, a few of my friends and I decided to pay Happy Valley a visit. We picked the famous cooked food stalls at the top floor of the Wet Market building there. During the evening, the whole food court / stall consists of only two restaurants and the only way to distinguish one restaurant from the other is by the color of the plastic table cover and the color of the tea pot.



As soon as we arrived on the top floor by lift, staff from both restaurants literally BLOCKED our way out from the lift doors. Amid the yelling and confusion, we randomly picked one which turned out to be Sheung Kee Delicacy 嫦記.



(1) Shark Fin Chicken Soup
I remember reading an article several months ago by Angie Wong of TimeOut Hong Kong titled Under the table: Save the oceans, regarding shark fins and Chinese cuisine. It was quite an interesting read indeed. One of the famous items at this place is the shark fins soup with seemingly plenty of shark fins at a reasonable price. However, I am not an expert in shark fin and I really have no idea if those that were served tonight was of top quality. All I know is that I enjoyed the soup. There were plenty of ingredients in the pot including a large chuck of chicken and I really enjoyed it not really because of the fact that it was shark fin soup but because it was Chinese soup which I lack and heart.



(2) Steamed Pork Cake with Squid
The steamed pork patty was really disappointing. Not only was it dry, it was extremely firm! The diced squids were equally dry and tough with high elasticity similar to that of "thick rubber-band." The whole patty was stuck to the dish firmly, a sign that not enough oil, fat or greasy was used. This particular way of cooking was definitely not the traditional approach with the mixture of fatty pork as described by Jodi.



(3) Deep Fried Garlic Chicken 風沙雞
The diced garlic were under-fried, the pale brownish color was one of the indication. In my opinion, it should be of dark brownish color with a crispy texture to it. However, the fried garlic were slightly soft and moist, not what I had in mind. The necessary flavors were there but that was not the only factor to make a good dish. The chicken was alright, no surprises there.



(4) Scramble Egg with Prawns
Back when I was less lazy, I would cook more often and this is one of my favorite dishes to cook. It is not an easy dish to master (especially at home) and I am still learning and experimenting with various methods best suited for "home cooking," which means with the use of electric stove and as little oil as possible. The scramble eggs were slightly overcooked and the prawns were frozen. It was alright I guess.



(5) Steamed Tofu
Presentation wise it was nice but the tofu used was the firm and rough type which I think was not the most suitable choice. I think the softer silken type would be better. Also, there was a slight sour taste to the tofu. Good that the flavors of the sauce did a good job in covering that short-fall but still a disappointing dish in my opinion.



I am thinking, maybe I should do a Sheung Kee Delicacy 嫦記 vs Gi Kee 銖記 standoff for my reviews? hummm ....

Likes

• homely atmosphere
• service very responsive
  

Dislikes

• Steam Pork Patty / Cake - too firm, too dry, squid too dry and tough!
• Under-fried diced garlic
• slight sour taste to the tofu

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Sheung Kee Delicacy 嫦記
Shop 2, 2/F, Cooked Food Stall,
Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley
Tel: 2882 2994


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