Gustatory travels outside of Central...yes!

This is my officially my third year living, working, and studying in the Central area. As a result, I've become rather bored of the same dining options. New outlets crop up every few months but more often than not, they miss the mark in terms of quality and price.

When I can, I try to get out of the half mile radius I call home and try to eat in a different part of Hong Kong. I must admit, I have a hard time making it to the New Territories but thankfully, there are loads of good food options, much closer to home:

FUSION GOURMET at the Pemberton, Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan

Rarely seen in HK, Fushion Gourmet manages to do the farm to table concept well. One caveat, the farm is in Australia and two, the clientelle is primarly Chinese. As a result, the dishes do tend to be be on the lighter side, focusing primarily on the fresh ingredients and to me, seems to appeal to the Canto-style palate for healthier foods (think Pumpernickle).

Many of the ingredients used in the dishes are also conveniently available in their market area so if you dine here, you get 30% off your purchase (20% off wine). Tomberrys (super tiny and super sweet tomatoes) were probably the most unique item available for sale in addition to my favorite Italian butter made from buffalo milk.

The bread is freshly baked and delicious and all dishes sampled from the fresh and flakey seared snapper served over mixed mushroom risotto (pictured on the left) to the cauliflower soup were done well. The main ingredients were never compromised and I left feeling healthy (albeit a tad hungry still). Sadly, freshness doesn't come cheap though. Lunch for two was $337 (2 lunch sets, juice and bread basket).

Perfectly roasted chicken bursting with flavors,

accompanied by pureed cauliflower soup and prosciutto side salad

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FANDANGO, 100 Canton Road, 9/f Toy house, TST

Finally a traditional tapas place in Hong Kong! I loved the kitschy Spanish villa style decor, the massive menu, and the acoustic guitarist playing Spanish ballads. All that was missing was a flamenco dancer! I would highly recommend this restaurant for a date or even a group as the dishes come in a variety of sizes.

The tapas and entrees were all well seasoned and hearty. I left thoroughly satisfied and was just so damn thrilled to finally eat a decent seafood paella. The stuff they usually serve in Hong Kong is more akin to a fried rice than a proper paella. The prawns were MASSIVE and the other seafood were equally fresh and lush in size and texture.

Some other highlights included the suckling pig and the patatas fandango are a must! The crunch of the potatoes paired with the viscous gooey goodness of the egg yolks are a perfect match.

The sangria was also good although there was nothing particularly outstanding about it. The desserts however, were a real nightmare. The choices were limited and the one we sampled, catalan cream with strawberries tasted more foamy dish soap than foamy cream. I would save dessert for another venue.

Crispy suckling pig over potato salad

Price per head, approximately 500-600 including drinks.

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THE MON, 4/F, The Goldmark, 502 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

Although I've wanted to dine here for a while now, the Mon's inflexible system of reservation has made it nearly impossible. You can only dine here if you have a reservation, they take no walk-ins.

Fortunately, on a whim, my boyfriend, cousin and I decided to try going there at almost prime time on a Friday evening. To our extreme surprise, there was an opening at 9:30 p.m. Although dinner took place a bit later than I would have liked, it was well worth it! For once, the reviews were right: The Mon serves great Japanese food at great prices.

We sampled a variety of small plates, raw and cooked, their sushi, noodle and rice dishes, and of course, their famous omelette with radish! I have zero complaints other than that they had completely run out of clams and I had to jealously watch the table next to ours devour their sake clams cooked in stone bowl -.-

If you can be bothered, try to make a reservation here for a solid Japanese meal in Causeway Bay. I've included some of the highlights from the evening below:

Sushi Platter: good variety and well priced at HK$240

Tuna tartare over sweet potato: I enjoyed the complex yet delicate flavors; the only caveat: it not a sharing dish!

Grilled Cheese Mochi wrapped in seaweed: this was my first taste of cheese mochi! They're tasty but one too many of these bad boys could leave you with a bit of indigestion as the mochi are quite dense.

I will be adding the Mon to my roster of Japanese restaurants. It's too bad it's so tough to get a reservation but the food and service are well worth the wait!

Price per head approximately HK$250.

NYC Invasion in Hong Kong!

So looks I'm not the only former New Yorker making moves in HK (ok, so I'm not making any moves yet but one can hope!). There have been many restaurants cropping up in Hong Kong these last couple of years with NYC chefs at the helm. From 208 to to Lily and Bloom, parts of Central are starting to become more and more like my former home. Below are three restaurants that I've recently dined at and found worth visiting:

Bless you, Yardbird, there is finally a little slice of NYC in Hong Kong! Lily and Bloom have come close to recreating a Nueva York vibe but Yardbird hits the nail on the head, with its hipster music selection, minimalist wood and steel decor, distinctly LES-looking waiters and of course, food that is a pure expression of its natural ingredients.

It's unusual that I like EVERYTHING sampled at a restaurant. Although the menu at Yardbird isn't vast and it's primarily chicken, I thoroughly enjoyed the small plates, yakitori, and mains. I've listed some of the highlights below:

Corn Tempura

Fried Chicken that reminds me of so so much of New York. Perfectly fried, not greasy and served with a tangy mayo dipping sauce.

The delicious meatball served with a raw egg dipping sauce

KFC: Which to me tastes like a General Tso's inspired Korean cauliflower

I would also highly recommend the Caesar salad (I love how garlic-y it is and the addition of shredded seaweed to give it a pleasant maritime crunch) and the "oyster" yakitori. Who knew the thigh meat of a chicken from New Territories could be so succulent?

And what about DRINKS?! I love the whiskey lemonade here, a refreshing solution to the still warm weather of Hong Kong. My good friend Michael is a fan of the Rob Roy, which he says is one of the best in town. If you want a shandy with a punch, try their hitachino version. Lastly, their house sake is very easy to drink and I recommend sharing a bottle over all their tasty nibbles.

Located at 33 Bridges Street, Sheung Wan (next to Oola, behind Centre Stage).

Al Molo.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the food offered at their grand opening but I decided to give Al Molo another try. Thankfully, NYC celebrity chef Michael White did not disappoint. Although I doubt I will be rushing to go back, I was definitely satisfied with the quality of ingredients and the overall taste of all the dishes (even at the buffet!)

The lunch buffet spread was a good value, which included incredibly fresh burratta (which you rarely find in HK!), beetroot salad, braised artichokes, and delicate mini-desserts. The salad buffet alone is $138, and for $40 more, you can add a entree of pasta or pizza. The mushroom risotto, spicy clams pasta, and prosciutto pizza were all excellent. I would even go far as to say that the risotto tasted like one that I would get at Risotteria in West Village: unpretentious and full of flavor; not an over-stirred glue like mess, which is often what is served in Hong Kong. Just make sure they don't undercook the rice, we had to send ours back the first time around, but it came out perfect in the end.

Parma Ham and arugula pizza, very tasty and one of the better pizzas in TST

Spicy semolina cavatelli pasta with clams

Dinner at Al Molo is a lot pricier so try it out at lunch if you're in the Harbour City area.

Doppio Zero.

Since I clearly have an overeating disorder, before I even ate at Fusion Gourmet, located in the same building, I decided to scope out Doppio Zero, a casual bistro serving up fresh pastas by the NYC chef that ran BLT Burger since it's inception in Hong Kong two years ago.

The decor was a bit stark and I felt like I was sitting more in cafeteria than a warm trattoria BUT the food to me saved the day. I only tried two starters and pastas but apart from the calamari spaghetti, everything was delicious. You must come here for their tagliatelle bolognese---it is the BEST one I have had in Hong Kong. I don't often eat fried seafood but the fritto misto was well done as it was cornmeal batter crusted which is a nice change from the tempura style batter we often get. If you're in the Sheung Wan area, check it out for lunch as it's a reasonable value at approximately $100 per head including a starter, pasta/panini, and a drink. The portions are small though so order accordingly.

Located at the Pemberton, Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan

2 Year Anniversaire!

I have officially passed the two year mark living in Hong Kong. I never thought that the time would fly by so quickly. I'm still mildly surprised by all that I have managed to accomplish in this short period and am happy about all of life's trials and tribulations, professionally and personally. Fast forward 2 years later, I'm far along the path of becoming a lawyer and am fully immersed as a local Hong Kong-er. It truly feels more like home for me here than anywhere else. My recent trip back to Boston/NYC made me realize that I probably couldn't live in the US right now and most likely, not for the next few years. What would I do without my 24hr Tsui Wah, junk trips, octopus card, and quarterly visits to Thailand?

Sitting in Newark Airport, watching the people of America walk by made me miss very little of the formerly once proud and loud country. What I did miss was the fresher air in Weston, my dysfunctionally close family, our dog Hiro, a few of my closest friends and of course, the FOOD! However, it's probably for the best that I don't eat American sized portions anymore as I now realized why I was 15lbs heavier when I lived in NYC. But, man oh man did I miss the food!

I must admit, one thing that America does well is STEAK. I probably had enough red meat intake during my 3 week visit to last me through the next two years. Everywhere we ate seemed to offer a decent steak on its menu, full of flavour, naturally and humanely raised, and definitely at a much more reasonable price point. I also noticed that eggs tasted more fresh, with distinct flavor between the yolk and the white and whilst at home, they whipped up fluffy and light. Perhaps it's all the US hormones that make them taste better but regardless, it made my omelette this morning (from organic New Zealand eggs) appear a lot less sexy.

Seared sirloin over mixed green bean salad at Stefanie's, Newbury Street


Delicious eggs benedict served over hashbrowns with bacon and cheddar at Mel's, Framingham

To further the cholesterol extravaganza, I clearly overindulged in SEAFOOD. Lobster, oysters, clams, shrimp: you name it, I ate it (in mass quantities). The freshness again and the price point made it hard for me to say no to another round of raw cherrystones and Cape Cod oysters, arrived just that day.

Some highlights from my stay in Boston:

Homemade cavatelli pasta in Giacomo's lobster sauce with lobster meat and giant prawns, Giacomo's, North End

Just barely cooked cod with a diaphanous bernaise sauce topped with caviar, Jo's Brasserie

Tempura Soft Shell Crab at Legal Seafood's, Boston

As I only had four days in NYC, I had to make most of my limited time to eat till my belly physically could no longer store any food. I got off to a good start, stopping by Saigon Bakery for my beloved Banh mi as soon as I arrived to Chinatown.

The #1 BBQ Pork Banh Mi, only $4.25!

My favorite viet sub was followed by a strawberry frasier at the Financier on Wall St which probably wasn't the best idea considering dinner was at 8:30 at another great latin fusion outlet, Yerba Buena:

Tangy, citrus-y and spicy clams ceviche at Yerba Buena

I was lucky to get a table with my good friend from college, Carrie, at Clinton Street Baking in a mere 30 minutes (shortest wait ever!). Of course, I had the pancakes and of course, it was just as glorious as I remember: spongey cake saucers, lightly powdered in sugar, covered in summer blueberry compote, and all dipped in maple buttery goodness.

The meal that remains most salient from my short trip to NYC was to Salinas, a nouveau Spanish eatery, opened only months ago. Located on 9th avenue, b/w 18th and 19th street, I highly recommend making a reservation at Salinas for an intimate dinner with friends. I guarantee, you won't be disappointed.

Each dish was thoughtfully plated and presented with slight artistic flare. The portions tended to be on the slim-side but this made it easier to order a variety of starters and entrees.

Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with smoked paprika at Salinas

Ceviche canario, simple & fresh, but bursting with flavor

A sublime salad of baby romaine with garlic ajili and anchovies,

Grilled Dorade, served with a watercress salad

Other delicious plates included a trio of charcuterie and the steak entree. Even the patatas bravas were amazing, perfectly crisp and seasoned liberally with their signature smoked paprika. Not only was the food excellent, their wine list was equally impressive. Both Rioja's sampled were of top quality, incredibly complex, full bodied, but not in your face.

Lastly, Salina's as as space is quite lovely as well. The main eating area has walls of exposed limestone while the eating area in the back is reminiscent of a posh green house. The front of the house touts a cozy bar area that would make any wait reasonably comfortable. A special thank you is in order to my friend Renaud for the wonderful recommendation.

I must admit, after all this fine dining, I'm blessed to not have gained too much weight (emphasis on the too ). Now that I'm back in Hong Kong, the gym regime has resumed! That doesn't mean however, I'll be forsaking my constantly hungry tumm tumm. Stay tuned for reviews of Yardbird, Al Molo, and Cantopop.

Love, peace, and grease,

Renee