Shoot First Eat Later

Sunday Feast at Grissini

We had lunch at my favorite Italian restaurant in Hong Kong, Grissini at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai. As soon as you enter the restaurant you can smell the aroma of freshly baked grissini or breadsticks made on site.

These are the lightest and crunchiest breadsticks I’ve ever eaten. They are best when it’s hot off the oven. The breadsticks are long and thin so it’s easy to eat a lot.

grissini or breadsticks

This is the only restaurant that serves Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena or true balsamic vinegar and not the commercial balsamic vinegar we usually buy. This kind of vinegar is made from sweet wine grapes aged in wood barrels for a minimum of 12 years. They don’t contain any artificial ingredients. True balsamic vinegar is thick, sweet and syrupy. A small bottle of this can cost anywhere from HK$400 to 1,000. That’s why I eat my fill whenever I’m in Grissini. They’re a perfect dip for the breadsticks too.

Even the olive oil they use is very high end. Only the good stuff is served in this restaurant.

Appetizers

foccacia w/ tomatoes

foccacia

Italian cold cuts

liver pate

veal tuna

beef carpaccio

Italian frittata

marinated eggplant

tomato & mozarella salad

homemade smoked salmon

seafood salad

octopus salad

cheese

grilled vegetables

mixed greens

fresh vegetables

The specialty of Grissini is bollito misto or boiled meats. This dish is made up of beef, tongue, sausage and vegetables. It is served with a green sauce, fresh horseradish and fruit jelly. It’s a very, very flavorful and comforting dish.

bollito misto – boiled meat

bollito misto – boiled vegetables

fresh horseradish

The red heat lamp was responsible for this yucky picture.

roasted beef rib eye w/ herbs

pasta bar

meat ragout lasagna

Pasta sauces (tomato sauce, hare ragout, asparagus sauce,
mushroom sauce & bolognese sauce)

There were only a few hot dishes but they were the best. The trick is to get as much as you can eat as early as you can. When the lobster and soft shell crab run out they replace it with something else. When I went back for more crab it was fried calamari that was in it’s place. It was still good though.

borcotti soup

The lobster disappeared as soon as it was refilled. You have to stand guard to get the good parts or else you’re left with just the legs and head of the lobster.

sauteed lobster

baked sea bass

deep fried soft shelled crab

Dessert

Napolitan ricotta cake

chestnut cake

fresh fruit tart

creme brulee

tiramisu

I loved this apple pie filled with a custard filling.

Maria’s apple tart

fresh fruit cream cake

cream puff

ligurian cake

jam tart

mascarpone cream w/ sour cherry

fresh strawberries

fresh raspberries

Even if you don’t like buffets you have to try the Sunday feast at Grissini at least once. The quality of the food and service can’t be found in other buffets. The choices aren’t overwhelming and the variety is excellent.

Main courses HK$290-HK$580
Fixed-price dinner HK$980
Fixed-price lunch (Mon-Fri only) HK$320
Sunday feast HK$455

Grissini
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
1 Harbour Road, Hong Kong,
telephone: +852 2588 1234

Gyu Jin Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki

We walked around iSQUARE and checked out all the restaurants that were already opened. As soon as we peeked in this restaurant we knew we wanted to try it out. The next night we went back and had dinner in Gyu Jin Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki without fully understanding what we were up against.

Sure the buffet of veggies, noodles and other goodies were easy to understand. It was the different choices of beef and soup base that got us confused. Because of language difficulties, the Japanese manager with his few English words and a lot of pointing at the menu, convinced us to try the Supreme Wagyu sukiyaki course which cost HK$ 318 per person. At first he was insistent on the Kobe beef soy milk course for HK$450 but we weren’t that adventurous. I can’t imagine dunking meat and veggies in soy milk!

There was a wide array of veggies to choose from. Pick out all the ingredients you want and take it to your table to cook in the shabu shabu.

2 kinds of noodles in plastic bags were available. The udon was superb.

I loved the fish balls, meat balls and the mini Japanese hotdogs the best.

We totally skipped the rice.

For dessert there were 5 flavors of Haagen Dazs ice cream to choose from.

These are the rules for eating at this restaurant.

Whenever we eat shabu shabu or hot pot in Manila we usually order a lot of veggies and all kinds of balls – lobster, fish, pork, beef, and just a plate or two of imported beef because it was expensive. Here the main ingredient was the beef. I kept asking if the beef was eat all you can. I didn’t know if they understood me but they kept nodding their heads.

There were three of us for dinner. They brought out 3 plates of meat right away. The first plate had thin slices of pork belly. This was good but we didn’t bother finishing it since we concentrated all our efforts on the beef.

pork belly

The manager gave us a plate of Kobe beef to try for free. You can see all the wonderful marbling in the beef. It took only a few seconds of dipping in the hot broth to cook. It was so buttery and melt-in-your mouth tender.

kobe beef

The supreme wagyu beef had a different pattern in its marbling. It had a wider strip of fat in the middle as opposed to the fine and even marbling of the Kobe. Maybe it’s my uneducated taste buds but I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two kinds ofbeef. They both tasted divine to me. If these were grilled or pan fried the difference in taste and texture would be more obvious.

This plate below had about 10 layers of thinly sliced beef. Half way through we were already full. We managed to finish it with much pain and agony in our bellies. And I thought it wasn’t enough!

supreme wagyu beef

The sauce for shabu shabu was very different from the ones for Chinese hot pot. We kept trying different combinations but found them too salty. We settled with the plain sesame sauce pictured on the right.

sauce variations

The soup stock that remained after cooking all the beef was very, very good and flavorful. It contained all the delicious essence from the beef. But we were too full to drink it anymore. A good thing too since it had all the beef fat left in it. Not healthy!

If I were to return I would definitely order a lower quality of beef since they taste the same when cooked in broth. I think the supreme beef or regular Wagyu would be good enough. The meal was expensive but a it was a good experience.

Gyu Jin Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki menu

Gyu Jin Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki
Shop 706, 7/F, iSQUARE
63 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

telephone: 2311 1092

Nolan’s Cheddar

This a brilliant commercial! I just love it. You have to watch the entire thing.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka at iSQUARE

We were thrilled to see that the new mall near where we live was finally opened. The site used to be the Hyatt Regency Hotel and after years of construction it is now iSQUARE, a 31-storey high shopping mall. It has an approximately 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) retail space area for shopping and entertainment. (Wikepedia). It’s also home to the second IMAX theater in Hong Kong as well as UA cinemas.

This mall is located at the corner of Nathan and Peking roads. There are MTR exits at the basement. So if you don’t like climbing the stairs of the MTR or if you have a baby trolley I suggest you use this exit and use the mall’s escalators to get out. Remember this -Exits H & R.

There are many confusing escalators. There is an express escalator to take you to the 3rd floor but after that you need to take the escalator at each floor to reach the 6th and 7th floors where the restaurants are. I liked taking the short escalator on the right which will take you to the super long escalator that traversed 3 floors directly to the 6th floor. That is if you don’t mind heights.

What excites me about this mall are the 32 restaurants spread out through different levels of the mall. The 3rd and 6th floor are for restaurants while 3 Japanese restaurants are located on 7th floor. Fine dining restaurants are located between 24th and 31st floor but they weren’t open yet when we were there.

There are also several retail shops including Log-On and Market Place by Jason which is a supermarket.

We tried out the ramen place on the 6th floor.

The restaurant was very small and cozy.

It was their first day of operations so only the 1st page of the menu was available. That meant we could only order ramen. They had 4 types of broth to choose from. I’m not a big fan of ramen since I prefer the heartier udon. But these ramen were good. The noodles were very al dente and a big thicker than normal. The soup wasn’t very spicy but it was thick and very flavorful.

spicy fermented soybean paste soup HK$58

The miso soup base was also good and thick. The flavor was milder but nevertheless very tasty. They gave us two coupons for free ramen on our next visit. I can’t wait to go back to Hong Kong and try the other selections in their menu.

miso soup ramen HK$58

We went back last March 31, 2010 to use the free coupons for 2 bowls of ramen they gave us the first time we ate there. We upgraded to the pork cutlet combination and just added HK$35 more. The bowl of noodles was smaller than the regular order.

pork cutlet combination HK$95

The pork chop was thick, tender and juicy.

Ramen Santouka menu

iSQUARE
63 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui,
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Shop 608, 6/F, iSquare,
63 Nathan Rd.,
Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: 2721-1298

PAL food and the new 777-300 aircraft

I may be the only one but I just love the food of Philippine Airlines. I don’t think it’s only because I was in business class. Although that does tip the scales a bit. The food they serve has improved tremendously over the past few years.

All these pictures were taken with my iPhone.

fresh fruits and bircher muesli

Instead of plain old yogurt they served bircher muesli which is my favorite. I liked the addition of tart mango puree, melon cubes and dates in the muesli.

danish pastry

The chicken tocino was very tender and not too sweet like commercial pork tocino. It tasted homemade and all natural. Even the eggs were creamy and soft.

chicken tocino w/ garlic fried rice

December is the best time to use your mileage because that’s when ticket prices are the highest. With PAL a business class ticket uses up only 25,000 points. I’m glad I was able to ride PAL’s new aircraft the 777-300ER.

The seats are by Recaro and are firm but comfortable.

The seat lay-out is 2-3-2.

I liked the seat controls that take you from dining position to a flat sleeping position with one touch. The only problem is when the aisle seat is stretched flat the person sitting at the window seat will have a hard time hopping out to go to the rest room.

I’m happy to report that there are 110v power outlets and usb hubs on each seat. It’s located below the center divider between the two seats. I had to ask the flight attendant where it was and she had to look for it. I guess not many people use it since the plane is used mostly for short flights.

Some of our favorite restaurants in Hong Kong

Whenever we go to Hong Kong these are the restaurants we have to eat at. I have featured these 3 places numerous times before so I’m just combining them in one entry. These are the places we ate in the first day we arrived in Hong Kong after Macao.

We had our first dim sum lunch at Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant. For more pictures and menu click here. This is my favorite dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong. They have a wide variety of dim sum and small dishes during lunch. For dinner they serve a full menu. Their lobster with cheese sauce is a must try when you’re in the Tsim Sha Tsui area.

fried shrimp salad dumplings

fried stuffed glutinous rice or ham sui kok

taro dumpling

baked tomato and sausage rice

Steamed Chinese sausage buns are only served during winter months. I love the dried sausage called Lap Chong inside the bun. This sausage is also used on top of claypot rice and other rice dishes.

steamed sausage bun

turnip cake w/ xo sauce

For dinner we ate at Pokka Cafe. For more pictures and menu click here. This cafe serves international food cooked in a Japanese way. The Japanese adapt any cuisine to their own taste and put their own distinct flavors into each dish. The servings are small so make sure to order enough food.

smoked duck breast spring rolls HK$45

double juicy pork burger w/ tofu HK$45

grilled salmon brisket HK$45

Korean stone pot rice w/ chicken & beef HK$92

broccoli au gratin HK$52

We had dessert at Hang Fa Lau Dessert after dinner. Hang Fa Lau specializes in Chinese desserts which can be hot or cold. Since it was chilly outside we had all hot desserts. For more pictures and menu click here.

glutinous balls w/ sesame filling HK$19

almond milk soup HK$18

black sesame soup HK$17

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant
Basement, Hong Kong Pacific centre
28 Hankow Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone 2722 0633

Pokka Cafe
Basement & G/F,
63 Peking Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: 2311 3968

Hang Fa Lau Dessert
9A Lock Road
Tsim Sha Tsui

Cafe de Coral

After lunch at Bambu at the Venetian Hotel Macao, we took the ferry back to Hong Kong. We wanted to have a light dinner after the heavy buffet from lunch. We decided on Cafe de Coral where the food is cheap and good. I already featured Cafe de Coral before but the nice thing about this chain is they keep changing their menu every season. Last December these were their specials.

Cafe de Coral menu

The soup was the main feature here. It was very flavorful and perfect for the cool weather. The chicken was similar to Hainanese chicken. It was tender and quite tasty.

deep boiled soup w/ chicken in broth with garlic &
minced pork HK$40

I ordered the spareribs and I loved it. It was more like a piece of porkchop sliced into pieces. It was well spiced and very soft. I actually wanted to eat it again before we left Hong Kong but there too many other restaurants to try for me to have a repeat meal. I had my favorite hot milk tea with my meal. It’s the best milk tea ever. I’ve tried so many places in Manila, Hong Kong and Singapore and so far Cafe de Coral is the one for me. It had a strong tea flavor which didn’t get diluted with the milk. Most milk teas elsewhere taste mostly like milk with a faint hint of tea.

Shanghai spareribs w/ vegetable rice,
cold vegetable salad & drink HK$34

I forgot what this was called. Just enjoy the pictures.

Lunch Buffet at Bambu, The Venetian Macao

Our room at The Venetian Macao came with either free breakfast or lunch. Naturally we chose lunch. We were told that lunch was at Bambu which had a huge buffet set-up. After taking all these pictures my arm was sore and I lost my appetite. There was just too much food to choose from.

warning: 64 pictures ahead
As soon as the restaurant opened a line already formed.

The restaurant had a seating capacity of 350. It was big but the atmosphere was very cozy.

fried noodles

fried rice

fried seasonal vegetables

roast chicken

steamed fish

braised beef brisket

assam fish

I ended up eating just these delicious garlicky prawns and roast duck. I did eat a lot of prawns though.

wok fried prawns w/ garlic

braised pork w/ shiitake

baked prawns Portugese style

assorted dimsum

cream of salmon soup

vegetable & chicken soup

plain congee

congee toppings

noodle soup bar

roast meats

roasted duck

barbecued pork and roasted pork

steamed chicken

shellfish

wasabi mayonnaise, cocktail sauce & tartar sauce

sushi

fried fish

fried spring rolls, pandan chicken & samosa

salad bar

I couldn’t believe it when I finally finished the long, long table of food there was another table for Indian food. They really did a good job of catering to everyone’s taste.

chicken masala

crab curry

tomato chutney

lamb kurma

Indian breads

apple yogurt

Indian style vegetables

tomato chickpea

yellow lentil curry

raita sauce

biryani rice

Dessert Table

coconut mousse cake

chocolate mousse cake

green tea red bean mousse

chestnut cream cake

blueberry tart

tiramisu

white chocolate mousse cake

teow chew mochi

brownies

apple tart

Malay style fried bananas

bread and butter pudding

black glutinous rice w/ coconut milk

fruits

ice cream toppings

mango sago w/ pomelo

For such a wide selection of food the price was very reasonable. You definitely won’t find prices like this in any hotel in Hong Kong. If you like buffets this is the place for you.

Lunch $MOP/HKD 188
Dinner $MOP/HKD 238

Bambu
Shop 1033, The Venetian Macao Hotel,

The Cotai Strip, Macau

telephone: +853 8118 9990

Operating hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00 – 23:00 and Friday to Saturday 10:00 – midnight

Dinner at 456 Modern Shanghai Cuisine

We had dinner at a restaurant in St. Mark’s Square at The Venetian Macao. 456 Modern Shanghai Cuisine has 30 years of experience under its belt. It shows in the excellent food and service.

We initially sat outside but the smoke from several smokers really bothered us. We moved inside the restaurant and were pleased with the art deco interiors.

The food in this restaurant was awesome. Everything we ordered was really well cooked. The flavors were exquisite and the taste was just perfect.

Green Vegetable & Mandarin Fish Soup MOP$45/bowl

Braised Beancurd Skin Roll w/ Wild Fungi MOP$88

Fried Shredded Eel w/ Bean Sprouts MOP$128

The steak was really, really tender. The Chinese way of cooking steak adds more flavor and spice to an otherwise bland steak.

Sauteed Angus Beef Fillet w/ Scallion MOP$168

This was the best xiao long bao or soupy dumplings I’ve ever eaten. The dough was thin but not too thin. The meat inside was soft and the soup was very flavorful.

Steamed Pork Dumplings Shanghai Style MOP$60

I thought the fried rice was going to be simple since it just contained chicken and ham. But after a bite I was blown away. It was definitely no ordinary fried rice. The ham used was salty Chinese ham and it brought a nice kick to the fried rice. I could also taste some butter in the rice. I loved the rice so much I had the leftovers wrapped so I could eat it again when we went back to Hong Kong the next day. Alas, I left it behind in the room’s refrigerator. I felt so bad!

Fried Rice w/ Diced Chicken and Ham MOP$88