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!

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 - (Day 3 / 4)

On our 3rd day, we were able to get up before 12:30pm only because I made a lunch reservation at 1:30pm. When it comes to food, to urge to sleep becomes secondary! The place was Mitsui Cuisine which has become one of the must stop Japanese restaurants in Taipei on every visit. Mitsui and its chain of Japanese restaurants each has its own theme so to speak to provide a different experience to diners. I am not certain and I doubt Mitsui and all its outlets are the best (or the cheapest) in Taipei but so far all my visits have been very consistent in terms of quality and service.

Man Wah @ Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong)

Time truly flies, it is the season for hairy crab once again! Instead of cooking myself this year, I kicked off the hairy crab fest at Man Wah (Mandarin Oriental). Truly an indulgence I may add. I was invited along with a few other fellow bloggers to attend the advance tasting for the special offering from 15 to 23 October during which the Crab Palace Restaurant in Shanghai will be visiting Man Wah, bringing a series of famous dishes including its famed Shanghai hairy crab. One of the special highlights will be the technical display of de-shelling crab in front of diners in three minutes! I do wonder how long it took them to master such a skill!

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 - (Day 2 / 4)

Typhoon Nanmadol was approaching Taiwan during our stay causing unstable climate and frequent showers. We were afraid we would be stuck in the hotel (not so much about flight delays or cancellation to be honest, really don't mind staying longer), but luckily by the time we got up the early morning shower has stopped and left us with a gloomy sky. I like waking in the rain, it is rather romantic as well but only if it is light rain or shower not heavy rain AND strong winds!

Just another story ...

I came across an online story recently, written by J for Jerk. His blog is written Chinese but the untitled  story was interesting enough that I have decided to spend some time to translate it into English for sharing.   The story is about a teenager and his life experiences which many of us can relate to in some ways. It is (or was) quite relevant to many of us or perhaps all of us who have been through the teenage years.

Travel - Taipei, Aug 2011 - (Day 1 / 4)

Like most people, I do enjoy afternoon naps whenever possible. After checking into HOME Hotel around 4pm, I spent 20 mins or so doing interior shots followed by a 5 mins rest on the sofa which turned out to be a 20 mins nap thanks to the comfort of the sofa!! Almost every time I attempt to take a 5 mins nap on this sofa, it ended up nothing less than 20 mins, it happened at least once every day during our stay! By the time I got ready it was 5pm already and our lunch was ... plane food, therefore we were quite hungry.

HOME Hotel (Taipei, Aug 2011)

I am a sucker for boutique hotel! Yes I am! I rarely blog about hotels or travel accommodations in great details unless I would actually return. The previous boutique hotel I blogged about was the QUOTE Hotel in Taipei which is still in my top 3 pick in that city. On my recent trip to Taipei, I took advantage of a discount package and stayed at the newly opened HOME Hotel in Taipei which I am very impressed with the moment I stepped into this boutique hotel. While there are still areas for improvement which I will talk about later, the following two elements more than captured my undivided attention:

1. It is located in the center^ of Taipei, right in the middle of the XinYi district, within walking distance of the Taipei 101 and literally 1 min walk to the trendest Neo19 club scenes, 3 mins walk to the Mitsukoshi Department Store, 5 mins to Tapiei City Hall, 10 mins walk to Bellvita and right next to Vieshow cinema. (^there are many districts in Taipei, 12 administrative districts to be exact. Xinyi is just one of them, each with their own characteristics. The Xinyi district is significant in recent years because of Taipei 101 ) 
2. Home Hotel implements a MIT policy meaning everything or perhaps 98% of the hotel is Made in Taiwan. The wood, the lift, the carpet, tea, coffee, furnitures, mattress, garbage bin, sleepers, TV, soap, shower gel and all in-room amenities are Made in Taiwan! Yes I did check most of the items in order to verify its claim! (except for the Yamaha iPod/iPhone station perhaps)

Mandarin Grill + Bar (Hong Kong)

Many restaurants and chefs nowadays have the tendency to categorize themselves in the different schools of ... gastronomy, be it molecular, avant-garde, traditional, new cuisines or something as extreme as emotional cuisines, they are all different styles of cooking aiming to put creativity into every-changing culinary experiences. It can be quite confusing indeed to imagine the cuisine by their name or category. At Mandarin Grill, the chef likes to call his cooking progressive gastronomy. So what sort of cooking is progressive gastronomy? It is difficult to describe in a few words but if I understand the concept correctly, it puts emphasis on presentation, a strong visual as well as direct stimulation of the 5 senses.

Food Photography (Random Sharing @ Canton Deli)

It is no secret that I am a food photography enthusiast and I take advantage of any opportunity I come across to capture food images. Many asked me for tips on food photography but I would not call it tips, perhaps sharing is more appropriate because I am learning as well. I mentioned a few pointers such as minimal use of flash photography in my previous post but like to expand from there in this entry using images taken on my recent invitation to Canton Deli 廣東茶居 at Harbour City 海港城.