What Can We Eat????? Foraging - the “act of looking or searching for food or provisions" – is a concept that I’m more and more drawn to. Foraging is how our original ancestors acquired food as hunter gatherers. When practised sustainably it is a way to eat that links the food with the consumer; man with nature. Even in Australia’s harsh environment fishing, shooting roos, diving for scallops and abalone and harvesting wild nuts and herbs is pretty accessible. Yet here in Hong Kong I read blogs about foraging, I think about foraging, yet I do very little of it. Why? What can I hunt and gather within our SAR? I do a bit of fishing and eat the occasional salt water species, though I’m too concerned about water quality to try freshwater fish. The odd papaya and mulberry finds itself into my possession. I use banana leaves for cooking, buffalo poo for compost and bamboo for gardening stakes and that folks is the extent of my Hong Kong foraging. I've seriously considered munching on the massive snails that reside here, but was scarred off by rat lungworm and have seen people gather medical herbs around my village. I’ve searched the net extensively but can’t find anything in English. Is it a language barrier and a lack of information holding me back or is the Hong Kong environment so corrupted that people have stopped bothering? Surely there must be older residents still foraging amongst villages of the New Territory? If anyone has any information please help.
77 Wellington St, Central Visited 20th June 2010 I was hungry, hung-over and heartbroken. Bitterly disappointed with the terrible refereeing decision that resulted in Australia's World Cup draw to Ghana I was also on the lookout for hangover food. I found myself in Wellington Street and took the opportunity to try Mak's Noodles. On a street packed with restaurants this old school joint, which has been around since the 1960's, would easily be the most famous. I'm a big fan of Wang Fu and like Tsim Chai Kee Noodle across the road so was very keen to see how Mak's compared. They have also opened several other branches around town.
The selection at Mak's is pretty basic with only a couple of noodle dishes and sides of vegetables to choose from. I went for the noodle soup with wontons and beef brisket. When the dish came I was taken back - the tiny bowl was honestly not much bigger than a regular sized rice bowl. Within was a pile of chewie egg noodles, three tiny shrimp wontons, cubes of beef and a scattering of spring onions. The delicate wontons were tasty and the tender braised beef and its rich grave was really good. Flavoured by the sauce clinging to the beef and spring onions the soup was also delicious. My feed at Mak's Noodles was extremely enjoyable, but it was so tiny that after I left I basically started looking for snacks straight away. The quality was excellent, but $40 for such a tiny bowl seemed to be pushing it, especially when the competition's so fierce on Wellington Street. The restaurant seemed to be more crowded with well presented waiters than customers and the guy who served me was helpful and friendly. For sure I loved the noodles at Mak's, but the serve was so unsatisfying that I wonder if I'll bother going back; I can't see the point in visiting a restaurant and having to order two serves to get an average sized lunch.
No website to visit, but they're famous enough to have a Wikipedia page.
184-186 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai Visited 16th June 2010 I was talked into going to the Mika concert by a very excited Joey; surprisingly I enjoyed the flamboyant show and catchy pop tunes a lot more than expected. Before the gig started we strolled into Relish Noodle for an early dinner. Out choice was based upon the simple reason that it is conveniently opposite the 968 bus stop on Hennessy Road. Inside it was pretty basic setup with an open kitchen and single line of booths. For a 'local' style place it was pretty well decked out; simple, but clean and a touch of the funky with orange chopsticks matching the wall tiles.
The menu included a mix of different noodle dishes from places like Malaysia, Vietnam and regional China. As I hadn't had one in ages I went for a laksa with thinly sliced pork, while Joey chose la mian with chicken. We also snacked on honey glazed chicken wings and spring rolls. When my laksa arrived the first thing I noticed was that it stunk. The fish cakes floating in it were really strong and while tasting OK were just too pongy to be pleasant. The whole dish was really disappointing; the soup was watery and lacking spice and flavour, the meat was overly fatty pork-belly and the whole dish really needed some fresh herbs vegetables. Joey's soup noodles were better, but still just OK and she really wasn't impressed with the flavourless, shredded chicken they came with. The chicken wings were pretty tasty with an obvious honey flavour, though they were just too oily and the dripping fat was off putting. The couple of spring rolls we got were OK, but went soggy as dipping sauce was sloshed all over the plate. To drinks I enjoyed my coconut milk with jelly cubes, while Joey though her red been and coconut milk crush needed more than three red beans.
I obviously wasn't impressed with the food at Relish Noodles, but the service was just as bad. I can't speak Cantonese, but even I could pick up the rudeness in the manner and body language of the lady who served us. The only positive was that I didn't have to cough up too much coin to be served bad food by a surly woman; the total for both of us with drinks and snacks was $97. I had no preconceived ideas about Relish Noodles, but walked away disappointed; lucky Mika came through with the goods.
A Portuguese wine sealed with a screwtop!!!!! Whatever else may be said the people at Quinta do Cotto should get points for being sensible and innovative in face of Portugal's outdated, crusty, cork culture. Though they were originally a Port producer (and still make a Vintage Port in exceptional years) the winery has been focused on making table wines since the 1930s. This is their standard offering; a blend of the traditional Port varieties of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Francesa, as well as the more unusual Sousão. The nose on this has plenty of sweet fruits, especially plum and blackberry (it's obviously been kept fresh by the lovely screwtop), there're also hints of oak with spice and cinnamon. On the palate this was initially all about plums and seemed pretty simple, but with a bit of time it opened up OK and black fruit and pepper flavours emerged. It is medium bodied with fine, chalky tannins. Being critical it does pull up a little short and I'm thrown off by the alcohol that's a tad obvious for a wine that's meant to be 13%. Quinta do Cotto Douro 2005 is a pleasant enough drop and while not overly exciting definitely gets a bonus marks for the closure.
Upper 1st Floor, Grand Lisboa Casino, Macau Visited 13th June 2010When I first visited Macau people referenced the Macau Tower as a certain part of Stanley Ho's body; however I'm not sure what they make of the new, sparkling shrine that is the Grand Lisboa. I visit Macau relatively frequently, yet apart from the mandatory sightseeing trudge through the Venetian I tend to avoid the casinos. Gambling in a crowded, smoke filled room holds little appeal, especially when the minimum bets are so ridiculously high. Despite all I found myself exploring the shinny depths of the Grand Lisboa, but only so we could try Noodle and Congee Corner. This place has gained a bit of a reputation with TV appearances and a Michelin 'bib gourmet' recommendation. It's a big restaurant that overlooks the gaming floor with the Kitchen proudly on display. We watched the dumpling making team, before starring starry eyed at the main kitchen were hand-made noodles are cut, pulled and in the case of their famous yi gen mian, tossed into shape.
As you can probably guess they specialise in noodles and congee as well as an assortment of dumplings. We went for poached Tianjin Dumplings, a rice paper roll, barbecue pork buns and the famous yi gen mian. First out were the tender pork and vegetable dumplings which were pretty good, but lacked flavour. The single, foot long rice paper roll was filled with scallops and enoki mushrooms; it was delicate and totally delicious. The soft pork buns were pretty good with an obvious hint of honey to the pork. Ordering the noodles are a matter of selecting the individual components and we went for stewed beef and wontons in a beef broth and of course the mighty yi gen mian. This house speciality is a big ball of fun; a single noodle that's over 10 feet long. We saw the chef making these and the impressive display involved throwing a continuous stream of dough into the pot from several metres away. The accompanying wontons were OK, but were overshadowed by some mighty tasty, tender stewed beef. The noodles itself was good; I just wish I could find the end. Joey also liked the fact that she could add her own sugar to taste to the glass of soy milk she ordered.
I enjoyed my meal at Noodle and Congee Corner. The food was well prepared and quality of ingredients was obvious, especially the tasty scallops, beef and handmade noodle. The fact you can see the dishes being prepared adds an element of theatre, especially when the chef starts throwing around a ten foot noodle. The service was good and the small army of waiters (wearing what would have to be contenders for the worst trousers in the world) were very attentive and professional. Our meal came to MOP162, which I think is certainly fair value considering the quality of the grub. Casinos aren't my favourite places, but if they don't bother you then Noodle & Congee Corner certainly presents a good value option for a casual feed. Visit restaurant website.
105 Rua da Cordoaria, Coloane Village, Macau Visited 13th June 2010A weekend in Macau with Joey and Sunday morning we found ourselves exploring Coloane Village. While there’s plenty to see in terms of temples, dragon boat shipyards and muddy channel views, Colane is really famous for its egg tarts. The place responsible is Lord Stow’s who have built a little empire that includes Lord Stow's Cafe, the original Lord Stow's Bakery and Lord Stow’s Garden Café where we found ourselves. With an outlet at the Venetian and franchises in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines Lord Stow’s has certainly grown from its humble Coloane roots. Though I'm always a little sceptical about "must try" and "best in Macau" style claims we decided we had to sample a couple of egg tarts. The Garden Café itself is a nice airy restaurant with a few outdoor tables.
The menu is a bit of random mix; there’s a selection of Thai dishes, but also plenty of other stuff including Cornish Pasties, lasagne, salads, baked potatoes. It actually reminded me a lot of café menus in the UK, though that could have just been the baked potato. The emphasis is on healthy ingredients and nearly everything is homemade on site. We ordered Thai fried chicken with rice for simple reason the people on the next table were munching into it and it looked good. The chicken was crisp, well cooked and tender. It came served with rice and a couple of homemade sambals. I got really old school and ordered a coke float while Joey went for a honey and fruit tea. While the float was awesome unfortunately the coffee I had to finish was terrible; weak and lacking flavour it was really disappointing. Oh and the egg tarts you ask; best in the world? Well they were delicate wee things and really liked the custard filling; however the oily pastry was a touch burnt on bottom. While I really liked them ‘best in the world’ is a big call.
To be honest I wasn't expecting much apart from hype from Lord Stow’s, but I really did enjoy my visit. The café itself was a relaxed and pleasant place for lunch, while the staff were efficient and ultra friendly. Our grub came to a reasonable $114 and there was no mention of deceitful service charge. While not really Macanese in style everything was pretty tasty apart from the appalling coffee; something that needs to be fixed if they are going to call themselves a ‘café’. Wondering Coloane is a very pleasant way to spend a morning in Macau and our lunch at Lord Stow’s Garden Café certainly went down well Visit restaurant website.
For me if a restaurant serves tap-water or not is often the key factor in my decision whether or not to go back. In Australia (and many other civilised countries) refusing to serve tap water is illegal, yet in Hong Kong it's a common practise. Having safe drinking water is something many people can only dream about, yet in Hong Kong we've let fear and corporate propaganda stop us from enjoying beautiful clean water; water that's certainly a lot better than I would drink in many parts of Australia. I challenge someone to show me proof that Hong Kong's tap water is unsafe to drink.
My disdain of bottled water isn't an issue of health or expense, but an environmental concern. This little video from Annie Leonard and the team at The Story of Stuff does a good job of explaining why bottle water is such a terrible thing. Let's just hope that Hong Kong restaurants one-day get the picture and start to put the environment before profits.
No website Mr Machiavelli? From what I can gather this estate was founded in 1693 and today the winery is located in Machiavelli's old house, which also operates as a museum. This wine is 100% Sangiovese and I'm pretty sure 'Solatio del Tani' refers to vineyards sunny position, but if they had a website I could check... It's still ruby in colour, but just starting to show hints orange around the rim. Sniff, sniff and I get aromas of liquorice and red cherry, but also hints of flowers, strawberries and something dusty. The liquorice and cherry from the nose are just as obvious on the palate, and as the wine opened up floral and spice notes emerged. It's got high acid levels, but this is balanced with intense, but fine, sweet tannin. Chianti's touted as a food wine and this bad boy is on exception; it's well structured and tasty, though if I had to nitpick the alcohol is a little obvious and the palate's not overly complex. Machiavelli 'Solatio del Tani' Chianti Classico 2006 is decent drinking.
48 Peal St, Soho Visited 1st June 2010 It' a steep trudge up Peal Street, but when it’s for dinner at a private kitchen, along with a sparkling wine tasting it's definitely worth it. Our meal was at Fridge; a restaurant that's recently relocated from Causeway Bay. It's a small, thin space without four tables inside and a couple on their balcony. One wall is lined with a decent selection of fairly priced wine and the tiny kitchen occupies the back corner.
When I arrived there were a couple of big plates of cheese adorning the tables: comté, gruyere and some nice brie accompanied by a hot baguette; tasty stuff. Next up we were served 4 different types of fresh oysters. All were delicious and I was impressed with how noticeable the flavours were between the different varieties. We were given an advance choice of three mains: chicken, beef or scallops. I went for the sirloin steak and the tender meat was really well cooked. However it was squashed onto the smallest plate imaginable and only accompanied by a couple of tiny herbed potatoes; it really could have done with the company of another side or two. Desert was meant to be pavlova with fresh fruit instead I got a small white rock topped with a single strawberry and a couple of blueberries. As an Aussie I’m passionate about our national desert so took this hard, flavourless, toppingless ‘thing’ as a bit of a personal affront. Along with a selection of American, Italian, German and French sparkling we also had an overly grassy Cullen Margret River Semillon and great value bottle of Cote du Rhone. My favourite wine of the evening was Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blanc Champagne 1999; a rich and textured wine with plenty of fruit and an interesting spicy edge.
My meal seemed to deteriorate as it went on. The cheese and oysters to start were awesome, the beef decent and the pavlova heart-breaking. To me the strength of Fridge was the excellent quality of their ingredients. I think they started life as a delicatessen and obviously have a good supply network for cheese, oysters and steak. I can't quite remember what I paid for my meal, though while it wasn't particularly cheap it was good value for such high quality ingredients. The cosy atmosphere was perfect for our group and the fact they waved corkage worked well for our tasting. I also have to give the staff a big nod for being ultra friendly and accommodating. Though not getting any points for its pavlova, Fridge offers up some tasty food and is worth visiting purely for the oysters.
I didn't know a thing about Frascati until a little while ago, but what I found out is kind of interesting. It's a smallish DOC in the Alban Hills 20km south-east of Rome and for thousands of years it has been supplying the pubs of Rome with booze. This specific bottle is a blend of 50% Malvasia Bianca di Candia, 40% Trebbiano Toscano, 10% Malvasia del Lazio, the very same grapes that were used to make Frascati in ancient times.Fontana Candida Frascati 2006 is a lot darker than I was expecting; it’s a lovely bright gold. It smells good, really good. There are soft fruits and tropical fruits, think apple, pear, starfruit and pineapple, but it’s surprisingly complex with whiffs of almond, summer meadows, and honey. To taste, it screams of the Italian hills; herbs, wildflowers and honey, alongside ripe red apples and pears. It’s a wine with plenty of body and a nice roundness in the mouth. Joey gave this a big thumbs up, and I enjoyed it too; good price as well. I’d drink the 2006 vintage sooner rather than later.
Soho is certainly not renowned for its Chinese restaurants and I've got no idea why we ended up at this place. Peking Cuisine is a little restaurant at the bottom of Elgin Street. It’s decked out with a bit of Chinese style clutter and is small and ‘intimate’. The menu is full of the predictable greatest hits of Beijing. Initially we ordered stir-fried noodles and braised eggplant with pork, but were told the eggplant was a tiny serve(!) so we added a plate of roast mutton. The eggplant came first and it was OK. This dish is always going to be oily, but I would have liked have seen more pork, chilli and seasoning to accompany the oil that smothered the eggplant. Next was the roast mutton and it was spectacular. I’ve had this dish a few times before and love it, though the serves are never big enough. The version we got offered at Peking Cuisine was great; soft, meltingly tender slices of lamb, crisp top and delectable fragrant seasoning; awesome stuff. The plate of noodles came tossed with slithers of pork, bean sprouts, capsicum and onion. Though the noodles were well cooked and nicely al dente, the whole dish was seasoned really strangely seasoned and tasted almost sour. To drink we were told we couldn't have tap water so instead of buying a beer as I planned, I had nothing. OK, so Chinese in Soho? What we ate at Peking Cuisine was a bit of a mixed bag, the mutton was excellent, the eggplant OK and the noodles pretty average. The service was also kind of ambivalent; the lady who took our order was friendly and helpful, though her 'advice' that the eggplant was "really small" just seemed a thinly veiled attempt to get us to buy more. My big grip however is that we were told that we couldn't have a glass of tap water. This attitude makes me furious with its short sightedness and blatant disregard for the environment. The food wasn't ridiculous, but it certainly wasn't a bargain: the noodles were $88, the eggplant $79 and the mutton $118. While Peking Cuisine was kind of OK I really can't see why you'd bother when there are so many great Beijing style restaurants in Hong Kong; I certainly will not be heading back anytime soon.
Day two of the Ponti Wine Cellars master classes and it was time to move from Italy to France. I was very excited about tonight’s tasting and the opportunity to try some old Bordeaux. I’m usually pretty sceptical about Bordeaux; I’ve had bottles I’ve loved, but have also had gallons of rubbish. I suppose though, what really gets me is poor value I perceive as coming out of the region. We were guided through several decades of Chateau Corbin Michotte wines by proprietor Emmanuel Boidron. When Emmanuel arrived he was exhausted after travels in China, but with a glass in front of him he quickly warmed to the topic and warmed to his audience. His Grand Cru Classé estate is located on the north-west corner of St Emilion; just up the road from Cheval Blanc. It has been owned by the Boidrons since 1959. The wine is usually a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and matured in big, new oak barrels.
The vibrant, ruby Chateau Corbin Michotte 2005 was truly a beautiful proposition with plenty of red and black fruit, spice and floral notes. While truly delicious, what impressed me most about this was how refined it was; medium bodied and with fine, perfectly integrated tannin. The 1998 was noticeably firmer and richer than the 2005. It was still ruby in colour with just a hint of orange and a little cloudiness. The nose had lots of spice coming through, with more black fruit than red – boysenberry and blackberry – alongside some sweet red capsicum. The palate was all about sweet black fruits with a lovely herbal edge. Again this was really drinkable with excellent length and masterful, firm but alluring tannins.
Apparently 1981 was a hot year in Bordeaux and Chateau Corbin Michotte 1981 was distinct in that it was made from 50% Cabernet Franc. Perfumed, complex nose had aromas of red liquorice, cassis, spice and leather, while the palate started sweet and moved through gamey flavours before finishing with a taste of liquorice. When we opened the 1975 Emmanuel was really impressed with the cork; I’d have to agree that it was holding up remarkably well (for a cork). Orange fading to brown this had lots of mint on the nose along with aniseed, cinnamon and violets. It was really savoury and tasted of red fruits, tar, tobacco, and aniseed. The acid was noticeable on these older wines and the length excellent on all. The final wine got me a touch excited; a Chateau Corbin Michotte 1964. Light brown in colour the nose on this was initially withdrawn, but as it opened with hints of flowers and spice. The earthy palate was much more inspiring and had leather, aniseed, game and red fruit flavours.
What a tasting; the 1964 was the oldest wine I’ve ever drunk and a truly memorable experience. However what impressed me most was the consistency and quality across the whole selection. The older vintages weren't from the best years, yet all these wines we were beautifully balanced; medium bodied with particularly stylish tannin; and most importantly they were all so, so drinkable. I mentioned price before and at $389 for the 2005 vintage I really can't complain about value either.
Vinexpo Asia is about to start in Hong Kong has been inundated with visiting winemakers, wine tastings, wine walks, wine dinners, wine fairs, 'crazy wine sales' and I'm guessing quite a few people drinking beer. The excitement is almost too much to handle, but amongst it all I was particularly taken with the round of 'master class' tasting offered by Ponti Wine Cellars. Unfortunately I couldn't make the Chianti and Burgundy ones (that whole working thing), but I managed to make the two latter tastings, the first of which was the Barolo's of Renato Ratti. The tasting was hosted by the charismatic Pietro Ratti, son of the founder and current proprietor. Pietro enthusiasm for his wines and Piedmont in general was unmistakable. His Italian passion was obvious as he briefly outlined the company's history and walked us through his wines. By chance I've tried their Langhe Nebbiolo previously, but the Barolo's of this tasting were a marked step up.
First on the tasting table were three vintages of their Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco. Marcenasco is a sub-region of Barolo near the town of La Morra where their winery is and this (in theory) is their entry level Barolo; though there is nothing 'entry level' about the quality. These wines see 25% new oak, with the fruit coming from three vineyard sites. The 2006 was simply delicious with plenty of cherry, liquorice and of course tannin. The 2005 was similar though I detected mint and aniseed on the nose and the tannins seemed a bit grippier. The 2004 had sign of developing with additional gamey notes on the nose and slightly softer tannins. All three wines were all fantastic, and while the tannins were big they were accompanied by acidity and red fruit aplenty.
The Renato Ratti Barolo Conca 2006 comes from a tiny vineyard right in front of their winery. This was a lot more complex than the Marcenasco, with the noticeable floral aromas. The nose was perhaps slightly more closed, but there was still cherries, smoke and violets. The more savoury palate of course had cherries, but also liquorice and dried herbs. Again this was a case of amazing tannin, balanced with plenty of acidity.
Pietro sees the single vineyard Rocche wines as his 'grand crus' and the quality of his Renato Ratti Barolo Rocche 2006 & 2005 were amazing, but distinct. The 2006 was a tale of tar, flowers, cherries and lots of liquorice with a somewhat withdrawn, but integrated palate and all consuming tannin. 2005 still had the cherries, but there was game, mint (something to do with this vintage perhaps?) and an overwhelming seductive, floral perfume.
I walked away from this all about Barolo. The wines themselves were outstanding and Pietro's friendly, knowledgeable comments added to the experience. Ponti Wine Cellars did a good job of hosting the event.
26 Main St, Yung Shue Wan Visited 23rd May 2010It's a long weekend and I'm stuck in Hong Kong. Too somewhat make up for these horrendous circumstances we decided the only sensible thing was to have a bit of a holiday on Lamma Island. A barbecue at a friend's in Pak Kok Saturday evening and a night on the couch did a lot to make up for not being Bangkok or Beijing. Sunday we wandered over the hill to Yung Shue Wan and met a mate for lunch before hitting the beach. His choice was Green Cottage a new little place towards the ferry end of Main St. We grabbed a table overlooking the harbour on their little terrace.
Green Cottage serves pretty standard café fare, but as Lamma is Hong Kong’s hippie haven the menu is mainly vegetarian and organic. I went for a lunch set that included soup, mushroom burger and coffee. Joey had already had a serve of eggs so stole the soup from my set and ordered a mango smoothie. Though not massive the burger was tasty; the portobello mushroom was really juicy and the additions of red onion marmalade and cheddar were a nice touch. It came with a simple side salad and a few homemade baked wedges; the potato ones were terrible undercooked, while the sweet potato ones were delicious. The carrot and ginger soup was obviously homemade, with plenty of grated veggies and the interesting addition of some oyster mushrooms; it was a satisfying dish though pretty basic and heavy on the ginger. Joey’s smoothie was good, while the two lattes I drank were just OK.
Our relaxed lunch at Green Cottage was part of a great little ‘holiday’ on Lamma. The tasty homemade food was packed with healthy, fresh ingredients, though a couple of the dishes needed a little refinement. Value wise it’s pretty good: the main meals are listed at $68, but their lunch set, which adds house coffee and soup or salad for $78, is better value. The staff were friendly, efficient and relaxed which went a long way to creating that chilled café atmosphere so often missing in Hong Kong. I also liked the fact that glasses of flavoured tap water were offered and constantly refilled. Green Cottage does a lot of the right things; they just need to sort their coffee.
5 Li King House Hong King Street, Yuen Long Visited 19th May 2010
I think I got the English translation correct, but if not the Chinese is 嘉麗園潮州粉麵餐廳. In many ways this is a very local style restaurant, but it’s one that is got more front than Myers. Simple metal stools and lino topped tables are packed into a room totally drowned in beef bling. Ox horns, mural covered walls, gold trimming and photos all celebrate the simple joys of beef. Ka Lai Yuen Chiu Chow Restaurant also makes its presence felt across Yuen Long by plastering ads on the sides of mini-buses and taxis. This place is basically a celebration of beef; lots and lots of beef, oh and balls. Hong Kongers aren't shy of devouring a whole beast so there's plenty of offal on offer including about a million different types of cow stomach. I ordered a bowl of balls called 'ten treasures'; basically noodles in soup with ten dumplings. The attraction with this dish was the little floating 'treasures'; all different and all hand-made. Most of the balls and dumplings I got were really nice including the beef balls, pork balls and prawn balls and a couple of tofu creations; however the wontons were too soggy and bit disappointing. Set in the middle of these balls was a big clump of hair moss; I'm not a fan of this and have to question either its environmental creditability or authenticity, but perhaps that a personal issue. I also felt a bit let down by the soup; it was light on the beef flavour and needed a bit more oomph. My friends both enjoyed their serves of beef noodles, reporting that the mix of tendon, tripe and skirt all beautifully cooked.
Ka Lai Yuen Chiu Chow Restaurant certainly scores points for sheer creativity. The people behind the venture should get massive credit for one cool looking joint and for adding a bit of interest to Yuen Long's public transport. A visit to a restaurant however isn't about appearances, but taste and I thought my noodles and booty were OK; good, but nothing special. The guys I was with however were more impressed with their meals; maybe I just don't have the sentimental attachment to this type of old school comfort food that my Hong Kong friends do or maybe I just should have ordered the beef. If you're floating past and in the mood for tripe, Ka Lai Yuen Chiu Chow Restaurant is worth a stop, though I wouldn't go out of my way to visit.
At mate good mate of mine, who travels a lot for work, is leaving Hong Kong. He arrived around the other day with a big bag of little bottles. Working in both North and South America he has the joy of flying US airlines perhaps more than he'd prefer. They seem to ration their booze more than most and on a given flight he tells me he's entitled to a certainly number of mini spirits bottles. He, of course, always takes them. I'm not really sure if he's doing me a favour by passing over a bag filled with spirits. A parting gift or parting shot?
Yuen Long isn’t known as a hot spot for fishing, but I’m slowly getting a bit of an addiction to casting into the gutters and drains of my neighbourhood. The wine I assume would go rather nicely with a Shan Pui River carp, if I ever manage to land one. This offering from Paul Zinck was grown at an elevation of between 230 to 280 metres on south facing slopes of calcerous silt. This is darker than I expected and is a lovely golden colour; there’s also an abundant deposits of beautiful wine crystals. Having a smell and things get pretty exciting, pretty quick; there’s crisp green apple, green guava, sherbet, lime, lemon and plenty of minerality; it’s seductive stuff. The palate is totally dominated by lemon; there’s enough citrus here for some kind of festival, though hints of tropical fruit add interest. Round, lush and surprising persistent, what stands out however is the buckets of fresh acidity. Though it lacks a bit of palate complexity Paul Zinck 'Prestige' Riesling 2007 is good stuff; bright and aromatic I’ll buy another bottle when I finally catch my carp.
Summer has hit Hong Kong. The weather's warm, the humidity's up and the garden's in full swing. After a few years here I'm happy to say that I've got Basil seeds ingrained in the soil so that both the Thai and Sweet varieties self seed all over the place. This year however I was pretty impressed to see this little guy who's sprouted in a crack in the concrete next to a down pipe; go you good thing!
166 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia Visited 5th May 2010I had to go back in Melbourne for a couple of days and before heading to Tullamarine Airport it was time for a quick dinner with my parents and a mate (who's basically family anyway). I've wanted to visit Griff's Wine Pub for ages; a good friend's boyfriend was chef here and I'd also heard a few people recommend it in the past. It's nicely set-up and they've managed to keep the charm of the old Melbourne pub where it's housed. Now the sad news; it's shutting down in the next month or so and is being replaced by a tapas bar or something just as unnecessary. Wednesday night is bargain night at Griff's and they offer a selection of mains for a very reasonable $13.50. Both my father and I went for the roasted pork belly served atop cannellini beans. My mum chose the pork loin with red cabbage and my mate the seafood paella. The pork belly wasn't the biggest serve of meat, but it was deliciously tender. While not particularly attractive to look at the stewed beans it was served atop of were full of flavour and complimented the meat better than I expected. I also enjoyed the sample of my mum's pork chop that I managed to squeeze out of her. We finished by sharing a couple of desserts and both the crème brûlée and a lemon tart were excellent. To drink I started with a pot of Monteith Ale a crisp, flavoursome drop from New Zealand that they have on draft. My mum was happy sipping on Yarrabank Sparkling that they had by the glass while us boys went with a couple of bottles of red. First off was a fruity SC Pannell Pronto GSM and then a fantastic bottle of Samuel's Gorge Shiraz 2004. I visited this winery a few years ago and I was just as impressed with this wine as I was then.
For me Griff's ticked all the right boxes. Sure the food was good, but what sold me was the whole package. As I was literally about to jump on a plane back home to Hong Kong it's easy to compare, and in this case Australia came out a big winner. First was the chilled atmosphere; an environment that was perfect for a family get together and one that is rarely found in Hong Kong where it's either forced formality or unruly craziness. Next up was the service. The staff here were efficient, polite and aware, but they were also extremely knowledgeable and managed operate in a relaxed and friendly manner; again so different to Hong Kong were service is always chokingly formal or non-existent (I'm sure there's some expression about paying peanuts). The other great win for Australia was the wine. I've said before Hong Kong is a great place to buy wine, but a terrible place to drink it. At A$62 the Samuel's Gorge Shiraz 2004 wasn't particularly cheap, but at about HK$430 that's kind of normal for Hong Kong. The big difference is in the mark-up; retailing at A$35 (the same as it did in 2005!!!) this had less than a 100% mark-up. Now compare this to Hong Kong where wines tend to get inflated by 200% or 300%. Griff's Wine Pub really has a winning formula; I just wonder why anyone would want to close it down?
240 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long Visited 1st May 2009 Before a Saturday morning visit to the market and Joey and figure it was time for some sort of food. I’d noticed the Dumpling King but had never tried it, but when we saw the prices we were in there quick smart. The branch we went on Castle Peak Road opposite Yuen Long Plaza is one six outlets scattered between Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan; the other Yuen Long branch is on Fau Tsoi Street near Shaffi’s. Inside the big restaurant is just your typical Chinese dinner; clean but basic.
While claiming to be the ‘King’ as far as dumplings go these guys also sell a range of noodles and rice plates as well as plenty of different snacks. We of course went for a serve of their signature pan-fried dumplings, along with a steamed bun and a serve of hollow soup noodles with chicken wings. The dumplings were a slightly strange elongated shape but were really juicy inside with a crisp, but surprisingly not oily bottom. The pork bun was good, with a decent meaty filling. Joey really wanted ‘hollow noodles’, insisting that as you can suck up soup through the middle they have a really intense flavour; I disagreed. Along with bad ‘luncheon meat’ and soggy macaroni these noodles would have to be about the only Cantonese food I really dislike. As I predicted the hollow noodles, which are really just a bad quality copy of spaghetti were soggy, flavourless mess. The rest of the dish was OK though: a nice enough soup base, minced beef, peanuts and some oily, but tasty wings. While claiming to be the King of Dumplings is perhaps a bit of an overstatement there’s no denying that the Dumpling King offers some tasty snacks. Probably the most startling thing about this place is the how good value it is; $10 for 5 dumplings, $4 for a bun, $23 for the noodles with a plate of wings and only an additional extra $4 and $5 for soy milk and a Coke; cheap as. Apart from the sloppy hollow noodles I enjoyed my feed at the Dumpling King and will certainly be stopping in again.
Foraging - the “act of looking or searching for food or provisions" – is a concept that I’m more and more drawn to. Foraging is how our original ancestors acquired food as hunter gatherers. When practised sustainably it is a way to eat that links the food with the consumer; man with nature. Even in Australia’s harsh environment fishing, shooting roos, diving for scallops and abalone and harvesting wild nuts and herbs is pretty accessible. Yet here in Hong Kong I read blogs about foraging, I think about foraging, yet I do very little of it. Why?
What can I hunt and gather within our SAR? I do a bit of fishing and eat the occasional salt water species, though I’m too concerned about water quality to try freshwater fish. The odd papaya and mulberry finds itself into my possession. I use banana leaves for cooking, buffalo poo for compost and bamboo for gardening stakes and that folks is the extent of my Hong Kong foraging. I've seriously considered munching on the massive snails that reside here, but was scarred off by rat lungworm and have seen people gather medical herbs around my village. I’ve searched the net extensively but can’t find anything in English. Is it a language barrier and a lack of information holding me back or is the Hong Kong environment so corrupted that people have stopped bothering? Surely there must be older residents still foraging amongst villages of the New Territory? If anyone has any information please help.
I was hungry, hung-over and heartbroken. Bitterly disappointed with the terrible refereeing decision that resulted in Australia's World Cup draw to Ghana I was also on the lookout for hangover food. I found myself in Wellington Street and took the opportunity to try Mak's Noodles. On a street packed with restaurants this old school joint, which has been around since the 1960's, would easily be the most famous. I'm a big fan of 
My feed at Mak's Noodles was extremely enjoyable, but it was so tiny that after I left I basically started looking for snacks straight away. The quality was excellent, but $40 for such a tiny bowl seemed to be pushing it, especially when the competition's so fierce on Wellington Street. The restaurant seemed to be more crowded with well presented waiters than customers and the guy who served me was helpful and friendly. For sure I loved the noodles at Mak's, but the serve was so unsatisfying that I wonder if I'll bother going back; I can't see the point in visiting a restaurant and having to order two serves to get an average sized lunch.
I was talked into going to the 
The nose on this has plenty of sweet fruits, especially plum and blackberry (it's obviously been kept fresh by the lovely screwtop), there're also hints of oak with spice and cinnamon. On the palate this was initially all about plums and seemed pretty simple, but with a bit of time it opened up OK and black fruit and pepper flavours emerged. It is medium bodied with fine, chalky tannins. Being critical it does pull up a little short and I'm thrown off by the alcohol that's a tad obvious for a wine that's meant to be 13%. Quinta do Cotto Douro 2005 is a pleasant enough drop and while not overly exciting definitely gets a bonus marks for the closure.
When I first visited Macau people referenced the Macau Tower as a certain part of Stanley Ho's body; however I'm not sure what they make of the new, sparkling shrine that is the Grand Lisboa. I visit Macau relatively frequently, yet apart from the mandatory sightseeing trudge through the Venetian I tend to avoid the casinos. Gambling in a crowded, smoke filled room holds little appeal, especially when the minimum bets are so ridiculously high. Despite all I found myself exploring the shinny depths of the Grand Lisboa, but only so we could try Noodle and Congee Corner. This place has gained a bit of a reputation with TV appearances and a Michelin 'bib gourmet' recommendation. It's a big restaurant that overlooks the gaming floor with the Kitchen proudly on display. We watched the 
Visit restaurant 
A weekend in Macau with Joey and Sunday morning we found ourselves exploring Coloane Village. While there’s plenty to see in terms of temples, dragon boat shipyards and muddy channel views, Colane is really famous for its egg tarts. The place responsible is Lord Stow’s who have built a little empire that includes Lord Stow's Cafe, the original Lord Stow's Bakery and Lord Stow’s Garden Café where we found ourselves. With an outlet at the Venetian and franchises in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines Lord Stow’s has certainly grown from its humble Coloane roots. Though I'm always a little sceptical about "must try" and "best in Macau" style claims we decided we had to sample a couple of egg tarts. The Garden Café itself is a nice airy restaurant with a few outdoor tables.
Visit restaurant 
It's still ruby in colour, but just starting to show hints orange around the rim. Sniff, sniff and I get aromas of liquorice and red cherry, but also hints of flowers, strawberries and something dusty. The liquorice and cherry from the nose are just as obvious on the palate, and as the wine opened up floral and spice notes emerged. It's got high acid levels, but this is balanced with intense, but fine, sweet tannin. Chianti's touted as a food wine and this bad boy is on exception; it's well structured and tasty, though if I had to nitpick the alcohol is a little obvious and the palate's not overly complex. Machiavelli 'Solatio del Tani' Chianti Classico 2006 is decent drinking.
It' a steep trudge up Peal Street, but when it’s for dinner at a private kitchen, along with a sparkling wine tasting it's definitely worth it. Our meal was at Fridge; a restaurant that's recently relocated from Causeway Bay. It's a small, thin space without four tables inside and a couple on their balcony. One wall is lined with 
Along with a selection of American, Italian, German and French sparkling we also had an overly grassy Cullen Margret River Semillon and great value bottle of Cote du Rhone. My favourite wine of the evening was Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blanc Champagne 1999; a rich and textured wine with plenty of fruit and an interesting spicy edge.
Fontana Candida Frascati 2006 is a lot darker than I was expecting; it’s a lovely bright gold. It smells good, really good. There are soft fruits and tropical fruits, think apple, pear, starfruit and pineapple, but it’s surprisingly complex with whiffs of almond, summer meadows, and honey. To taste, it screams of the Italian hills; herbs, wildflowers and honey, alongside ripe red apples and pears. It’s a wine with plenty of body and a nice roundness in the mouth. Joey gave this a big thumbs up, and I enjoyed it too; good price as well. I’d drink the 2006 vintage sooner rather than later.
The menu is full of the predictable greatest hits of Beijing. Initially we ordered stir-fried noodles and braised eggplant with pork, but were told the eggplant was a tiny serve(!) so we added a plate of roast mutton. The eggplant came first and it was OK. This dish is always going to be oily, but I would have liked have seen more pork, chilli and seasoning to accompany the oil that smothered the eggplant. Next was the roast mutton and it was spectacular. I’ve had this dish a few times before and love it, though the serves are never big enough. The version we got offered at Peking Cuisine was great; soft, meltingly tender slices of lamb, crisp top and delectable fragrant seasoning; awesome stuff. The plate of noodles came tossed with slithers of pork, bean sprouts, capsicum and onion. Though the noodles were well cooked and nicely al dente, the whole dish was seasoned really strangely seasoned and tasted almost sour. To drink we were told we couldn't have tap water so instead of buying a beer as I planned, I had nothing.
OK, so Chinese in Soho? What we ate at Peking Cuisine was a bit of a mixed bag, the mutton was excellent, the eggplant OK and the noodles pretty average. The service was also kind of ambivalent; the lady who took our order was friendly and helpful, though her 'advice' that the eggplant was "really small" just seemed a thinly veiled attempt to get us to buy more. My big grip however is that we were told that we couldn't have a glass of tap water. This attitude makes me furious with its short sightedness and blatant disregard for the environment. The food wasn't ridiculous, but it certainly wasn't a bargain: the noodles were $88, the eggplant $79 and the mutton $118. While Peking Cuisine was kind of OK I really can't see why you'd bother when there are so many great Beijing style restaurants in Hong Kong; I certainly will not be heading back anytime soon.
We were guided through several decades of Chateau Corbin Michotte wines by proprietor Emmanuel Boidron. When Emmanuel arrived he was exhausted after travels in China, but with a glass in front of him he quickly warmed to the topic and warmed to his audience. His Grand Cru Classé estate is located on the north-west corner of St Emilion; just up the road from Cheval Blanc. It has been owned by the Boidrons since 1959. The wine is usually a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and matured in big, new oak barrels.
The tasting was hosted by the charismatic Pietro Ratti, son of the founder and current proprietor. Pietro enthusiasm for his wines and Piedmont in general was unmistakable. His Italian passion was obvious as he briefly outlined the company's history and walked us through his wines. By chance I've tried their Langhe Nebbiolo 
This place is basically a celebration of beef; lots and lots of beef, oh and balls. Hong Kongers aren't shy of devouring a whole beast so there's plenty of offal on offer including about a million different types of cow stomach. I ordered a bowl of balls called 'ten treasures'; basically noodles in soup with ten dumplings. The attraction with this dish was the little floating 'treasures'; all different and all hand-made. Most of the balls and dumplings I got were really nice including the beef balls, pork balls and prawn balls and a couple of tofu creations; however the wontons were too soggy and bit disappointing. Set in the middle of these balls was a big clump of 
This is darker than I expected and is a lovely golden colour; there’s also an abundant deposits of beautiful wine crystals. Having a smell and things get pretty exciting, pretty quick; there’s crisp green apple, green guava, sherbet, lime, lemon and plenty of minerality; it’s seductive stuff. The palate is totally dominated by lemon; there’s enough citrus here for some kind of 
I had to go back in Melbourne for a couple of days and before heading to Tullamarine Airport it was time for a quick dinner with my parents and a mate (who's basically family anyway). I've wanted to visit Griff's Wine Pub for ages; a good friend's boyfriend was chef here and I'd also heard a few people recommend it in the past. It's nicely set-up and they've managed to keep the charm of the old Melbourne pub where 
Wednesday night is bargain night at Griff's and they offer a selection of mains for a very reasonable $13.50. Both my father and I went for the roasted pork belly served atop cannellini beans. My mum chose the pork loin with red cabbage and my mate the seafood paella. The pork belly wasn't the biggest serve of meat, but it was deliciously tender. While not particularly attractive to look at the stewed beans it was served atop of were full of flavour and complimented the meat better than I expected. I also enjoyed the sample of my mum's pork chop that I managed to squeeze out of her. We finished by sharing a couple of desserts and both the crème brûlée and a lemon tart were excellent. To drink I started with a pot of Monteith Ale a crisp, flavoursome drop from New Zealand that they have on draft. My mum was happy sipping on Yarrabank Sparkling that they had by the glass while us boys went with a couple of bottles of red. First off was a fruity SC Pannell Pronto GSM and then a fantastic bottle of Samuel's Gorge Shiraz 2004. I 
Before a Saturday morning visit to the market and Joey and figure it was time for some sort of food. I’d noticed the Dumpling King but had never tried it, but when we saw the prices we were in there quick smart. The branch we went on Castle Peak Road opposite Yuen Long Plaza is one six outlets scattered between Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan; the other Yuen Long branch is on Fau Tsoi Street near 
While claiming to be the King of Dumplings is perhaps a bit of an overstatement there’s no denying that the Dumpling King offers some tasty snacks. Probably the most startling thing about this place is the how good value it is; $10 for 5 dumplings, $4 for a bun, $23 for the noodles with a plate of wings and only an additional extra $4 and $5 for soy milk and a Coke; cheap as. Apart from the sloppy hollow noodles I enjoyed my feed at the Dumpling King and will certainly be stopping in again.
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