Shoot First Eat Later

Yu Joy Hot Pot at K11 Mall

K-11 is another new mall that opened last Novemeber 2009 in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. This was my favorite shopping spot when I was a kid. The stores then were Bargain Center, Bang Bang, Apple Jeans and several mom and pop toy stores. After a few decades and a whole block flattened to the ground a modern, artsy mall takes its place in the shopping district of TST.

K11 by night

One of my favorite bread stores, La Creation is basement 1 right across Jason’s Marketplace.

Both the exterior and interior of the mall had plenty of lcd and led panels integrated in its design.

K11 calls itself an art mall due to the numerous art installations all over the floor area and walls.

Some were even hanging art works.

We had Chinese hot pot at Yu Joy. It was similar to the Japanese shabu shabu at Gyu Jin at iSQUARE.

One of the main differences between Chinese hot pot and Japanese shabu shabu is the dipping sauce. For the Chinese hot pot a lot of importance is placed on the sauce. You can choose from a wide array of ingredients to mix in a bowl and topped with a light soy mixture. Whether you like it hot & spicy, garlicky or even sour it’s your choice. I loved the tom yum sauce which I tried for the first time. It was sour and mild and very addicting.

sauce fixins

I loved all the crunchy garlic on the fried tofu.

typhoon style fried beancurd HK$48

salted fish fried rice

I know that congee base for a hot pot looks really weird. When I first tried it I thought so too. But as the flavors from the meat, fish and other ingredients melded with the congee it was really very good. I found myself scooping the soft rice. It ran out pretty quick and soon we were just left with soup stock.

congee w/ conpoy soup base HK$68

Although the beef wasn’t wagyu or Kobe, it was very good and hearty. It was very tender when cooked in the broth.

US fatty beef HK$118

The balls were yummy and not the frozen kind. In Manila all you get are frozen, mass produced balls.

4 kinds of homemade meat balls HK$88

sea bream

pea shoots HK$38

Look there’s no more rice in the soup base.

deep fried bean curd sheet HK$35

They gave us free papaya for dessert. I discovered papaya tasted even better with a generous squeeze of lemon.

papaya w/ lemon

Yu Joy is a joy to eat in (sorry couldn’t help myself). The restaurant had a fabulous exhaust system because I never felt the steam blur my vision nor did I smell like food when we left. The ingredients were very fresh and the menu selections were extensive. I want to go back to try the foie gras dumplings.

Yu Joy menu

Yu Joy Hot Pot

Shop 1 Level 2,

K11, 18 Hanoi Rd, (CLOSED)

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

telephone: +852 2801 6188

Shop 1028C, 1/F,
Elements, 1 Austin Road West,
Tsim Sha Tsui

Harbourside – Desserts

If you’ve been reading this blog in the correct sequence you will know that I featured Harbourside’s appetizers and main course earlier. Harbourside restaurant has the best desserts for a buffet that I’ve tried. Not that I’ve tried all! I usually try 2 or 3 desserts and always find them to be excellent.

waffle cups

I was already too so I just had a small scoop of apricot & summer berries ice cream.

Haagen Dazs ice cream
summer berries, mango sorbet, chocolate & apricot ice cream

candies

The kitchen must have several dozen elves making so many, many varieties of dessert.

white chocolate dome

fresh fruit log cake

pistachio cake

chestnut cake

marble cheesecake

mango cream cake

fruits

berries tart

tiramisu

raspberry cream cake

napoleon

strawberry cake

green tea mousse cake

I also tried these cookies. They were hard and chewy and strangely good. It had a strong spice flavor.

zimtsterne (German Christmas cookies)

gingerbread

pannettone

chocolate pudding w/ vanilla sauce

low sugar’ almond cream

mince pies

warm Christmas pudding

stollen

fondue station

Yes it’s unbelievable that I only had ice cream and cookies for dessert. But after all that food there wasn’t really any space left in my tummy. My friend told me that the regular dinner buffet of Harbourside really looks like this. Well except for the Christmas desserts. If you love good food, don’t mind a buffet then you must eat at Harbourside at least once in your trip to Hong Kong. Be it lunch or dinner you will not regret the experience.

Harbourside links:
Appetizers
Main Course

Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet HK$888

Sunday Champagne Brunch
Every Sunday 11:30 am to 3:00 pm
HK$638.00 per adult (with free-flowing champagne, wine & beer, etc.)
HK$538.00 per adult (with non-alcoholic beverages only)
HK$318.00 per child under 12 years old

Daily Dinner Buffet
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
HK$588.00 per adult
HK$388.00 per child under 12 years old

Lunch Buffet
Monday – Friday Lunch Buffet
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
HK$268.00 per adult
HK$178.00 per child under 12 years old

Saturday Lunch Buffet
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
HK$288.00 per adult
HK$188.00 per child under 12 years old

InterContinental Hong Kong

18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon Hong Kong
telephone: +852 2721 1211

Harbourside – Main Course

Did yesterday’s post on Harbourside’s appetizers whet your appetite? If not this should do it. Here’s part 2 featuring the main course dishes.

lobsters

crab

snails

prawns

peking duck

They have something for everybody. They were several kinds of meat and fish dishes all superbly prepared.

surf & turf

These tasted like a lighter lobster thermidor.

baked boston lobster w/ truffle egg white & mousseline sauce

smoked duck breast in orange zest & gravy

glazed chestnuts & honey glazed ha

The lamb chops at the 8:30 seating didn’t look as yummy as this. There were smaller and a bit well done. Nevertheless it was still good.

grilled baby lamb chops w/ herb

roasted new potato

seafood shell pasta w/ lobster sauce

pan fried cod fish w/ mirin sauce

steamed garoupa w/ ginger & scallion in soya bouillon

pan-fried seabass w/ herb crust, roasted celery root

pan-fried barramundi w/ basil lemon butter sauce

Japanese steamed egg w/ lobster & sea urchin

wok-fried “coral & gui-hua” clam w/ sugar peas

fried rice wrapped w/ lotus leaf

sauteed seasonal vegetables w/ garlic

I’m not kidding when I tell you my knees weakened and I dropped my camera when I saw the foie gras. Thank goodness for the camera strap around my neck. I think I ate enough foie gras to make the price of the buffet worth it. I forgot the words “diet and cholesterol” and while murmuring “lipitor and diet tomorrow.” The foie gras was cooked upon order. They were so good it made me teary eyed.

foie gras

I put some diced apple compote and the rich brown sauce on my foie gras. I skipped the corn. Corn and foie gras? ugghhh

foie gras condiments

roast turkey & roast beef

chicken makini

papadum

4 kinds of pizza- roasted duck pizza, margarita pizza,
pepperoni pizza, cajun seafood pizza

Harbourside links:
Appetizers
Dessert

Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet HK$888

Daily Dinner Buffet
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
HK$588.00 per adult
HK$388.00 per child under 12 years old

Lunch Buffet
Monday – Friday Lunch Buffet
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
HK$268.00 per adult
HK$178.00 per child under 12 years old

Saturday Lunch Buffet
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
HK$288.00 per adult
HK$188.00 per child under 12 years old

InterContinental Hong Kong

18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon Hong Kong
telephone: +852 2721 1211

Christmas Eve Dinner at Harbourside, Intercon Hong Kong

Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine’s everyone!!!

This is a very special post for me. Why? As a policy Intercon Hong Kong doesn’t allow anybody to take pictures of their food. I explained it was for my blog and the manager said he will forward my request to the PR department. I quickly scribbled my blog’s address on a scrap of paper and waited. I thought there was no chance anymore. A few days later a really friendly lady from their PR department called me up to say I can take pictures. Yehey!

The hotel’s PR department was kind enough to allow me to take pictures before the guests arrive. It was a special dinner and to accommodate all the guests they had two seatings for dinner – 6:00 and 8:00 pm. I went there at 5:15 to take pictures. The timing was on my side. The bright sunlight streaming through the restaurant’s huge glass wall lighted up the food beautifully and naturally. I really love how these pictures came out. I never had so many successful ‘depth of field’ pictures before. It took me half an hour to take all these shots. You can bet my arm was sore after that. It was a joy to take pictures without people getting food and ruining the presentation. It also helped that there wasn’t anyone behind me glaring and wishing I would hurry up.

Harbourside is the hotel’s coffee shop. They serve international buffet from breakfast to dinner.

From their site:
Perched directly at the harbour’s edge, Harbourside at InterContinental Hong Kong offers all-day dining in a casual alfresco setting. The accent is on innovative selections of international dishes and traditional favourites, ranging from salads, soups, pizza and pastas to Asian specialties. In addition, there is a special “ihealth” menu with delicious and nutritious preventative health dishes. Harbourside also showcases Hong Kong’s most elaborate buffets, with chefs presenting a tempting array of Western and Asian dishes, a roast carving station with prime cuts of beef, action stations and decadent home-made desserts. It is definitely one of Hong Kong’s most popular venues from morning till late at night.

The tables were decorated with festive hats, noisemakers and Bristish Christmas crackers.

I took so many pictures I decided to split this post into 3 parts. I want everyone to see all the glorious food Harbourside had to offer. This post is all about the appetizers. Main course and dessert to follow.

salad greens

You can also call this a seafood lovers buffet. The choices for fresh seafood was endless.

3 kinds of lobsters: Boston lobster, Australian yabbies and slipper lobster

scallops & shrimp

I forgot to eat this!

chocolate chip foie gras

salmon roe w/ asparagus

veal vitelo tonato

mussels

yabbies in cucumber jelly w/ mango salsa

mixed grilled vegetables

baked miso cod fish w/ Japanese tofu

red crab

Boston lobster

roasted venison fillet w/ cranberry sauce

cheese selection

I ate so much of this delicious cheese.

truffle brie

walnut camembert

Thai lobster salad w/ star fruit & peanuts

Greek salad w/ seared herb tuna

smoked salmon & mackarel

condiments

fuji apple & celery w/ honey yogurt

prosciutto

assorted breads

caesar salad

sesame lavash & grissini

soba noodle

soba condiments

scallop & ark shell

kani

salmon & tuna

sweet shrimp

wasabi

So what did I eat from the appetizer section? I was overwhelmed by the selections so I just ate what I really liked. I didn’t have space in my tummy to try a little of each. I ate the lobsters and lots of brie w/ truffles. The lobster was so tender and fresh. The brie with truffles was to die for. It was the closest to eating truffles I have ever experienced. I ate it with lavash and grissini. I really regret not trying the chocolate chip foie gras.

It’s a good thing I took pictures before the guests arrived. Let me tell you the food at the second seating didn’t look half as good as these. It was mostly a mess and not as appetizing. I don’t blame the chefs. They barely have the space or time to replenish a dish before the impatient crowd descends on the food.

Even those who are not fond of buffets will be amazed with the selection of super fresh seafood, extraordinary main course dishes and delectable desserts. The lunch buffet is more affordable and equally good. But it lacks all the lobsters and other fresh seafood.

Come back tomorrow I will show you the main course. Drooling to be continued.

Harbourside links:
Main Course
Dessert

Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet HK$888

Daily Dinner Buffet
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
HK$588.00 per adult
HK$388.00 per child under 12 years old

Lunch Buffet
Monday – Friday Lunch Buffet
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
HK$268.00 per adult
HK$178.00 per child under 12 years old

Saturday Lunch Buffet
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
HK$288.00 per adult
HK$188.00 per child under 12 years old

InterContinental Hong Kong

18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon Hong Kong
telephone: +852 2721 1211

Dinner at Spoon

I was excited to have dinner at Spoon since I’ve only eaten at their Sunday lunch buffet. I loved everything at the buffet so I had high expectations for dinner and since it was December 23, 2009 I assumed they would have even better food.

We were off to a good start. The amuse bouche was a clean and refreshing chilled broccoli soup.

broccoli purée w lemon cream caviar

Foie gras is one of my favorite foods. I thought there is no foie gras that I wouldn’t like. Well here’s one of them. The puff pastry and the sauce were very good. The foie gras and duckling were dry and overcooked. It tasted more like kidney instead of liver.

foie gras pie served in puff pastry

The soup was light and flavorful.

light chestnut veloute, fennel confit

Our table had an awesome view of the nightly light display of the buildings across the harbour in Hong Kong side.

Both of the main course choices were unsatifactory. The fish was bland, plain and very ordinary. I thought I made the better choice of beef until I tried it.

French sole yabbies/truffle/baby mushrooms

The beef was made up of chunks of pulled meat in a rich, ultra, mega, super salty sauce. There was a mound of mashed pumpkin under it. You were supposed to eat it together. Why? It didn’t improve the taste of the salty beef. We wanted to order rice.

braised chuck of French beef, pumpkin

Thank goodness for the delicious bread which filled our tummies and actually made us happier than the food.

Even though our dinner was a fixed set meal the service was excruciatingly slow. So slow that I started taking pictures of the salt, butter, flowers and the ceiling stuck with spoons.

They made it up to us by bringing all super yummy desserts. One after the other. It made me forgive them for the sub par food and service.

citrus fruits w/ fragrant jus, campari granite

praline/nougatine dome

coconut/carmel ice cream

cheesecake, red fruits marmalade, yoghurt sorbet

petit fours

chocolates

SPOON by Alain Ducasse
dinner from 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Sundays for lunch, from 12:00 noon – 2:30pm
telephone:(852)2313-2256
spoonbyalainducasse.hk@interconti.com

InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road
Kowloon, Hong Kong

The China Club, Hong Kong

We were invited for lunch at the China Club, a members only Shanghai-style club and restaurant located at the top 3 floors of the old Bank of China building in Central, Hong Kong.

I loved the elevator which was covered with prints of popular Chinese cartoon, Old Master Q (老夫子; Lǎo Fū Zi). My dad used to buy me these comic books when I was a kid. Not that I understood what was written but I enjoyed looking at the humorous pictures.

We got off at the 13th floor and had to walk up to the 15th floor where we were going to eat lunch. All the walls were covered with old retro Chinese art. It was incredible. I felt like I was in a modern art museum.

Here are some of the art works on the walls.

Yu Youhan’s Mao and Whitney Houston

Check out the giant shoes!

This was the famous Long March bar.

The library which houses several thousands of books is also a venue for small parties.

My favorite was this outdoor lounge area.

You get a view of Central’s financial district. This must be a popular venue for drinks a night.

We finally get to the function room which had two tables for our big group.

Even the glass was retro.

The food was served to us in small plates. Overall the food was just satisfactory. It was good but it wasn’t outstanding.

dim sum combination

roasted suckling pig w/ barbecued pork

clear chicken broth w/ seafood

sauteed prawns in sze chuan sauce

roasted Peking duck

sauteed pea shoot w/ garlic

yeung chow fried rice

egg custard tartlet

fresh fruit platter

I was shocked to find a bathtub in the bathroom of our function room. I later found out that the room used to be where the manager of the old Bank of China lived.

my assistant photographer

After lunch we toured the 13th floor where the main dining room was.

China Club owner, Sir David Tang and Princess Diana

Dining at China Club was a visual feast more than anything else. One goes there to soak in the atmosphere of old Shanghai, enjoy the artwork and the decor. Food was only secondary. If you have the chance to go to the China Club do so. It’s worth the experience.

The China Club
12/F, The Old Bank of China Building,
Bank Street, Central, Hong Kong,
telephone +852 25218888

Cafe Key West at iSQUARE

We tried another restaurant at the newest mall in Tsim Sha Tsui called iSQUARE. Cafe Key West is very similar to Pokka Cafe and UCC Cafe. These are all restaurants of popular coffee brands from Japan.

They sell their own brand of coffee called Key Coffee.

Their menu was typical of a Japanese coffee shop. They had Western, Italian and Asian dishes prepared the Japanese way. Everything was very good. I think I like this place even more than Pokka and UCC.

Japanese pumpkin cream soup HK$45

The Hokkaido sausage was mildly spiced and the flavor was subtle but delicious. The casing of the sausage had a snap to its bite.

Hokkaido sausage w/ garlic HK$55

Whoever thought of putting a barely cooked, quivering poached egg on top of risotto is a genius. It added creaminess when mixed with the rice. This risotto reminded me of paella.

Mushroom & chicken risotto w/
fresh tomato & hot spring egg HK$68

Why is it I only get to eat squid ink pasta in Japanese restaurants? The last time I ate this was at Capricciosa in Manila. The Japanese sure love squid and they make squid ink pasta very well.

Squid linguine w/ black squid ink HK$75

I never liked green tea flavored desserts but we decided to try this since it was on promotion and the waitress said it was special green tea soft serve ice cream from Hokkaido, Japan. Wow it was so good! The flavor was intense and tasted like real green tea. Other green tea ice cream or desserts I’ve tried tasted like artificial flavoring. This ice cream was so thick and creamy and wasn’t too sweet.

Green tea ice cream HK$12

I would definitely go back to this restaurant. The price is affordable and the food is well cooked. Next time I’ll try their coffee concoctions.

Cafe Key West menu
soup, appetizer, spaghetti, wafu spaghetti, rice,
steak, curry & sandwich, wafu dessert, ice cream, coffee

Cafe Key West (now closed)
Shop 606, 6/F, iSQUARE,
63 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
telephone: 2722-0993

Caprice at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

For the life of me I will never understand how Caprice restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Hong Kong got the number 16 spot in the Miele guide to Asia’s top 20 restaurants. I’ve written about of it here and here. None of them were any good except for the lamb chops in one of those meals. You may ask, “If it isn’t good why do I keep going back?” The simple answer is, “I was just a guest.”

Asia’s Top 20 for 2009/2010
(click to enlarge)

As I’ve written before, dining at Caprice was always hit or miss. Sometime you’ll get lucky and the appetizer or main course will be good if not edible at best. This meal was a total miss. And all 12 of us at lunch agreed.

The foie gras was mediocre as was the whole dish.

duck foie gras & chicken terrine w/ salsify in hazlenut dressing

I didn’t have the prawns but the comments I heard ranged from “bland, no shrimp taste, frozen shrimp” and other less flattering adjectives.

tiger prawn fricassee & correze chestnut in autumn emulsion

This was a total waste of wagyu beef. The beef was cooked to death. Granted the beef was very tender that you barely needed to chew it. But all the beef taste was gone. They should have used any cheap meat instead. All I tasted was undistinguished meat and the red wine sauce. The young carrot panache was good though. It was sweet and mousse like.

braised wagyu beef shoulder & young carrot panache in red wine sauce

The only sure thing with Caprice are their desserts. I have yet to eat a dessert I didn’t like at Caprice. This is another winner. Kudos to their pastry chef.

hazlenut dacquoise

The chocolates and sweets at the end of the meal were not bad at all.

petit fours

I haven’t tried their a la carte menu since we always order their prix fixe lunch menu. But from what I’ve eaten over the years the food is definitely not worth it. You have been warned. Eat at your own risk.

Caprice
The Four Seasons Hotel
8 Finance Street
Central, Hong Kong, China
telephone: (852) 3196-8888

Hang Heung’s Kitchen

Hang Heung’s Kitchen is our go to restaurant when we want good and affordable food. The place is very simple but the food never dissapoints us. We never fail to eat here at least once every tume we’re in Hong Kong. You can see other entries of Hang Heung here and here.

Every December they have a seasonal winter menu. Here are some of the dishes from that menu.

ginger stems & preserved eggs HK$16

Kailan is one of my favorite vegetables. I love the way they cook it by simply boiling the greens in stock and serving it with oyster sauce.

Kailan or Chinese broccoli

They swore it was good but I didn’t eat the turtle. I just ate the mushrooms and bean curd skins in the casserole. Those were yummy.

braised turtle casserole HK$98

Since the fried glutinous rice is only available in December I had to have my fix of the delicious but a bit greasy rice. It had all sort of goodies in it like Chinese sausage or ‘lap cheong’, liver sausage, mushroom and peanuts. The oil from the sausages made the rice dish very fragrant and decadent. I made sure to drink lots of hot tea with my meal.

fried glutinous rice w/ preserved meats HK$68

Hang Heung Menu

chef’s recommendation

Seasonal menu

set menus

full menu

Hang Heung’s Kitchen (branch now closed)
18-24 Salisbury Road
Shop 303, 3/F New World Centre
Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: 2366-8628

Lunch at Lung King Heen

I was excited to finally eat at Lung King Heen. It’s one of the best Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. From their website:

Lung King Heen is the only Chinese restaurant in the world to receive three Michelin stars. The only Chinese chef ever to receive this prestigious accolade, Executive Chinese Chef Chan Yan Tak is the master behind the intricately designed menu. Chef Chan combines textures and flavours coupled with inventive presentation to excite the taste buds and satisfy the most demanding epicure.

Lung King Heen is located at the 4th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Central.

The interiors are modern and elegant.

photo from their website

The spectacular view of Hong Kong harbour can be seen from the restaurant.

We ordered mostly dim sum which was their specialty. Everything was superb and superior to any dim sum I’ve ever eaten before.

Steamed shrimp dumplings w/ bamboo shoots HK&48

Even the presentation of their food was unique.

Steamed Shanghainese pork dumplings w/ crab meat HK&48

Unlike in other restaurants these rice rolls were not greasy. It was spiced just right and the rolls were al dente.

Fried rice rolls in x.o. chili sauce HK$100

These baked abalone puffs were my favorite from lunch. I’ve never eaten anything like this before. The crust was similar to a shortbread crust and it was buttery and crisp. It was filled with tender abalone with a very flavorful sauce. The contrast in texture and flavors was just amazing. It was pricey but worth every bite.

Baked whole abalone puffs w/ diced chicken HK$88/2 pcs.

Baked Yunan ham puffs w/ conpoy & mushrooms HK$48

Crispy pork dumpling w/ shrimp & chives HK$48

Braised vegetables

Barbecued pork w/ honey

Roast goose w/ plum sauce

The fried chicken was fabulous. The skin was very thin and crispy. The meat was very tasty and succulent.

Peking duck-style crispy chicken

Fried rice w/ mushrooms, egg whites & vegetables

Crispy rice

Chilled Osmanthus Jelly w/ Aloe

Black glutinous rice w/ coconut milk

Eating in this restaurant is a must for those going on a food trip in Hong Kong. It’s your chance to eat food prepared by a Michelin 3 star chef. It’s expensive but worth every dollar. I hope I get a chance to eat there again. There’s so many other dishes I want to try from their extensive menu.

Lung King Heen menu
dim sum/executive lunch, shark’s fin, bird’s nest,
abalone/air-dried seafood, barbecue/appetizer, seafood,
specialties, meat, poultry, organic/vegetarian, soups & broths,
rice & noodles, dessert soups/pudding/pastries, premium tea

Lung King Heen
4/F Four Seasons Hotel
8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong, China
telephone: (852) 3196-8888