Foodie Issue 76: November 2015

issue 76 | november 2015 www.afoodieworld.com

Where to Wow Our guide to gorging with guests

Pop Your Cork Unusual wine pairings you need to know

Hosting the Holidays Celebratory recipes for foodie feasts

The Entertaining Issue

CEO Lily Ng CTO Derek Kean Editor-in-Chief Alicia Walker Editor-at-Large Celia Hu Digital Editor Keshia Hannam Creative Director Helen Griffiths Designer Robert Li Foodie Club & Events Manager Hannah Chung Head of Sales & Marketing Joseph Kwok Client Engagement Manager Kathryn Riley

This month brings the first in the plethora of approaching food-lover holidays - we foodies affectionately call it turkey day.

Thanksgiving definitely has a large pumpkin-pie sized spot in our hearts and it gets us rushing to light the fires in our kitchens in preparation. We called upon the kitchen prowess of Tom Burney of Invisible Kitchen to help us prepare our holiday feasts with cross-over recipes that can be used for our Christmas creations next month as well. You’ll be salivating over the duck fat roast potatoes, rejoicing at the Brussels sprout mountains and taking down notes for immediate ingredient purchase for the pumpkin pie smoothie. These dishes are as delicious as they are photogenic, and you’ll be all set for a wow-worthy meal for your lucky guests. This issue, we’ve also got a great compilation of the many diverse dining options to take the friends and family when they come a knocking, as well as a fun feature on shabby-chic wine pairings.

This lovely month of November is filled with such fabulous food possibilities!

Forks at the ready!

Recipes

Developer Dale Foo Photographer Sophie Jin

Alicia Walker Editor-in-Chief editor@afoodieworld.com

Stylist Jo Lorenz

Foodie Panel

Published by Foodie Group, Suite 1401, 283 Wah Hing Commercial Building, Wanchai, Hong Kong www.afoodieworld.com Printed by Teams Printing Co., Ltd.

Foodie is published monthly, 12 times a year. The contents of the magazine are fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted without permission. The publisher and editors accept no responsibility in respect to any products, goods or services that may be advertised or referred to in this issue or for any errors, omissions or mistakes in any such advertisements or references. Foodie and the Foodie magazine logo are trademarks of Foodie Group Limited. All rights reserved.

Tom Burney

Eddie McDougall

Elliot Faber

The executive chef at Invisible Kitchen kindly shares his best holiday recipes for at home feasting p.40

The Flying Winemaker suggests casual food and wine pairings p.24

The Beverage Manager of Sunday’s Grocery tells us his best wine matches with comfort eats p.24

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www.afoodieworld.com //november 2015

If you’d like us to help you to promote your brand, please contact Joseph Kwok at sales@afoodieworld.com, 3791 2565

Food-loving folk who’ve helped us this month:

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Join Foodie Club today Invitations to exclusive, one of a kind events Deals & Foodie giveaways monthly Hottest F&B news and updates

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afoodieworld

C onte nt s 20 FOOD WAR

Foodie Quote of the Month ““I’m not sure why it is, but I love food more than just about anything else.””

— Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

We chug back a few different bottles of Japanese iced tea to see which refreshes best

22 CHEWIN’ THE FAT… with Boqueria NYC’s head chef Marc Vidal

24 POP YOUR CORK Unusual food and wine pairings to tease and tempt the palate

28 WHERE TO WOW A collection of some of the best Hong Kong options for taking friends and fam out to dine

Cover story 34 FOODIE FORAYS Keshia Hannam fills her belly in Berlin and discovers the foodie delights of one of the world’s hippest cities

In his dining column, Yalun Tu makes it to the second date

Recipes for turkey and all the fixin’s for all your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals at home

48 CHINEASY Kelly Yau impresses with an easy coconut laksa soup

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

38 THE EVENT

40 HOSTING THE HOLIDAYS

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for starters

This month’s hottest news bites

BEACH BUMS AND CANNIBALS

THANKFUL FOR THANKSGIVING

This colourful and intriguing new ten-lane tiki tiki bowling bar (yes, you read that right) is now officially open for business. To add to the intrigue, they’ve unleashed their finedining menu (yup, you read that right too) and it sounds kind of awesome. So, there’s bowling, fine dining, and a tiki tiki theme; count us in.

The wonderful folks at Drawing Room Concepts (think AMMO, Vasco and Isono) have just opened up a catering leg to their already impressive repertoire of restaurants and it’s called Feast. Their aim is to provide feasters with wholesome, affordable food for any celebration. We’re thinking turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, oh my! Oh dear, there’s drool on our desks again…

4/F, Centro, 1A Chui Tong Road, Sai Kung, 2657 8488, www.tikitiki.hk

NICE TO MEAT YOU That prolific bunch over at The Butchers Club have opened yet another concept and this time it’s a retail store. Butchers Barrell will specialise in gourmet artisanal fare offering dry-aged steaks as well as house-made sausages, burgers, fresh seafood and bread prepared by none other than Gregoire Michaud from Bread Elements.

Ready-meals like freshly baked fish pie, sousvide short ribs and slow-braised lamb shanks along with salads and sandwiches and a large selection of well-priced wines are all on offer from 10am to 9pm, every day of the week.

Butchers Barrel, 17 Shelley Street, SoHo, 2530 3170

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hungry@feast.com.hk, 3468 3789

LAMMA FUN DAY The annual Lamma-fun-for-good festivities, that one and all look forward to each year, are approaching. November 7th is the day, 11am – 10pm is the time, and Lamma Island’s Tai Wan To beach is the place. Not only are there fab market stalls -perfect for picking up early Christmas gifts- live music from the likes of LES GROMECHKOS, Defiant Scum and Thinking Out Loud, children’s games and activities, and a grand choice of food and drink, but it all goes to the Child Welfare Scheme ,which is concentrating this year on aiding antitrafficking programmes set up in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal earlier this year.

To get involved: info@cwshk.org, 2526 8810, or just show up and spend for a good cause.

GOURMET GOODS

A brand new bar called K-Pocha is bringing the cool K-ness of Korea to liven up our Lan Kwai Fong. A slew of Korean cocktails made with soju will of course be on offer as well as their home-brewed Makgeolli (Korean rice wine). If all that saccharine isn’t enough to tempt you perhaps the Korean drinking games will.

You’ll find all this coolness over at:

To celebrate their 65 years, stalwart restaurant Fook Lam Moon have opened a gourmet store to further showcase their iconic eats. Located in Wanchai, the fine foods shop will offer their signature XO sauce, cashews and walnuts as well as Chinese premium dried delicacies. Festive mooncakes will of course feature along with teas by Lock Cha Teahouse, Coffee Beans by Sensory Artisan and Belgian chocolates by Neuhaus Chocolatier.

7/F, Ho Lee Commercial Building, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Central, 2770 0611, www.kpocha.hk

Shop B, 35-45 Johnston Road, Wanchai, 2363 8810

twitter.com/foodiehk // november 2015

K-DRINKING

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the best of the bloggers

Q. What dining trend are you glad to see the back of?

Ale Wilkinson www.thedimsumdiaries.com I feel like food trends last longer here than anywhere else. Trends like cupcakes and burgers that have faded in other cities are still going relatively strong here. If there’s one trend that I would like to see die, however, it’s juice cleanses. I don’t see anything healthy or appealing about them and think it’s more important to maintain a healthy diet than to starve and overdose on sugar. Yes, it’s natural sugar, but it’s still sugar.

Sharon Maloney www.jasmine-ginger.com Molecular gastronomy. While I’m in awe of those passionate, scientific chefs who produce cool stuff for a unique experience for their customers (these are quite rare), I can’t help feeling extremely ‘meh’ about it. It’s become an overpriced gimmick that has encouraged too many mediocre restaurants to bump up prices and serve tiny portions to boot. Give me a decent sized portion of genuine, heartwarming, homemade goodness any day.

Stephanie Ko www.stephs852diary.com I know one I’d like to see more of and that’s the demand for vegetarian food. I adore eating meats and seafoods, but cannot deny that vegetarian meals are very beneficial for health and they also reduce our carbon footprint. I have heard great things about the vegetarian tasting menus at fine dining restaurants and must try them out myself sometime!

Michelle Ng www.chopstixfix.wordpress.com I had a good chat with some friends about this and we decided that cronuts were definitely the food trend we are happy to see the back of, mostly because the ones that reached Hong Kong shores were never very good, so we weren’t able to benefit from the cronut-mania that swept across the States!

FEATURED FOODIE Mac Ling is one of our fab, foodie contributors on afoodieworld.com who lives his life travelling the world, savouring one bite at a time. Here’s an excerpt from one of his latest articles where he lets his emotions pour into his spicy soup

Sad, Spicy, Sour Noodles

傷心酸辣粉

Let me introduce you to a chain of noodle shops in Hong Kong called 傷心酸辣粉. Translated to English, this means, “sad, spicy, sour noodles.” Their tagline is, “so sour it makes you salivate, so spicy, it makes you cry.” Our waitress asked us how spicy we wanted our food. When we asked for BIG spicy, she gently coerced us into ordering medium spicy (#3), and potentially adding more chilli if it wasn’t hot enough. Deep into the meal, between sniffles, we asked our highly-entertained waitress, “why isn’t anyone else crying?” She calmly replied, “no one else orders it that spicy.”

Read the rest here: www.afoodieworld.com/maceatsinhk 06

the social foodie

Tempting Foodie-grams and funny food tweets we giggled over this month @IamEnidColeslaw

“Could you take a couple steps back. I have a nut allergy.”

@madeline_haller @madeline_haller

WHAT’S A 27-LETTER WORD FOR “CORN”?

@IamEnidColeslaw

90% of a relationship is figuring out where to eat

@IamEnidColeslaw

“Wine doesn’t have many vitamins. That’s why you have to drink a lot of it.

Spicy Tuna Poké from Pololi

@JonCozart

@afoodieworld

Get Involved! Join the Foodie community

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www.afoodieworld.com // november 2015

Me: I can’t come in. I got food poisoning last night. Boss: Oh no.

Did you throw up?

M: Yup B: What did you eat?

M: 17 beers B: ...

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foodie club

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foodie club

Secret Supper Autumn 2015 Supper event For this third edition of Secret Supper, our foodies trusted us once again and signed up, not knowing where they were going, or even what they were eating. At only $890, the experience included delicious dining, free flow wine and take away gifts that left our guests deliriously high on food, drink and newfound foodie friends.

We greeted our adventurous guests at the meeting point with a Rummin’ Tings cocktail and took a ride up to Mid-Levels to the secret location. Our foodies sipped away Like Ah Boss, coincidentally the name of the cocktail, and the zingy passionfruit, mint and rum whet our appetites as we waited in anticipation for the night ahead.

Dining at Home

We started with chicken wraps and zingy street corn flavoured with mango powder to ease ourselves in with a nicely paired Maray Reserva wine. This Chilean wine was provided by the guys behind Casa and Winerack and they curated a subtle white and smooth red specifically to match the layered flavours of Indian cuisine.

For starters, Puja served her signature potato and pea samosas, which were infused with cumin for that subtle warmth and kept us going back for more until we had to stop our gluttonous souls. We then moved on to a mountain of sharing dishes and enjoyed the evening feeling as if Puja had personally invited us to feed us all her favourite family dishes. There was a light and sweet crushed almond chicken curry, tinted with tomatoes, there were catfish fillets, served with a generous layer of green masala sauce on top, and okra, and dhal, and a vegetable medley of pilau rice, malai koftas and freshly rolled rotis.

To end the evening, Puja served a trio of desserts of warm carrot saffron halva, cardamom and vanilla ice cream and masala chai infused bread and butter pudding that wrapped around us like a warm autumnal hug. As parting gifts, Puja gave jars of The Ultimate [and incredibly addictive] Chutney, which went in the Foodie hampers full of goodies to take home.

www.afoodieworld.com // november 2015

We were led to up a private house and greeted with warm smiles and canapés as the night’s cuisine was revealed. Our venue was with Indian private kitchen, Dining at Home, where the chef de cuisine, Puja, serves an exclusive menu of amazing Sindhi dishes. With her family originally from Sindh, Pakistan, Puja cooks dishes that are specific to the Sindh region and rare-to-find in Hong Kong. Even rarer is the fact that everything

is cooked with the least amount of oil and butter, which was good to hear as the marathon of eating began.

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tried & tasted

New! The Optimist 239 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, 2433 3324 灣仔軒尼詩道239號地下至2樓 Ever the optimists: It has to be said, we like the name. We also dig the restaurant for its convival atmosphere, carnivorous and piscivorous offerings and delicious wine selection.

El restaurante: A Northern Spanish restaurant with a designer they imported directly from Spain to get that authentic feel and vibe that’s apparent in every element from the tiling and the wood to the plants and the lighting. This high-end eatery is set over three floors with the swish and welcoming bar on the ground floor, an intimate dining room on the second level and the impressive grill up on three.

La comida: The focus is on asador-inspired dishes, which means a grill where all the meat, seafood and vegetables are cooked over hot coals. The grilled octopus ($220) was tender and eye catching while the Txuleta ($110/100g, $1,100/kg) is an on-the-bone Galician rib eye that’ll have you salivating directly onto your plate. Grilled to deliciousness, this was the food highlight of our night -and week. The massive whole turbot ($105/100g, $1,050/kg) is a large wowing dish whereas the “broken eggs” ($80/ half portion, $130/full portion) is a simple

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combination of chorizo, eggs, Iberian ham potato and black truffle where the individual flavours of each ingredient make for a powerful and moreish taste. The Mariscada (small $1,100, large $1,780) is a seafood tower of epic proportions to quench every fish-filled desire in your body with lobster, prawns, mussles, clams and crab legs served over ice. The apple pie ($95) finisher is a delightfully delicious ending that we enjoyed despite our plentiful meal.

El verdicto: This is a great place to go with a group and get your drink on over great flavours and big sharing plates, but we feel showing no prices on the menu is a little unfair. With three floors of dining, The Optimist creates several different environments to drink and dine on. The same gents that brought us this year’s popular Italian eatery, Pirata, have hit another win with this classy Spanish joint in the buzzing foodiehaven that is happening on Hennessey Road.

tried & tasted

New! Maya Cafe Takeaway Shop G7, Nan Fung Place, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan G7舖173號南豐大廈德輔道中上環 What: Previously Maya Cafe in Wanchai, this little restaurant has up and moved to Sheung Wan to become a takeaway place focusing on Mediterranean-style raw, vegan and gluten-free food. On the menu are classic salads (including a Greek salad), as well as some unusual choices such as the raw zoodles with alfredo truffle sauce.

Verdict: Maya Cafe Takeaway is a no-brainer for anyone looking for a delicious, healthy meal, especially those of the raw and vegan persuasion. Try the coconut milk brown rice pudding for dessert; it’s a winner.

www.afoodieworld.com //november 2015

Food: We loved the chilli con carne and the gazpacho. The latter of which is not offensively garlicky, and the chilli con carne hums with smoked paprika, which sets it apart from other locales where we’ve felt let down by bland flavouring. Another stand out choice is the 100 per cent raw, vegan and gluten-free truffle ‘cheeze’ burger with a portobello mushroom bun. The mushroom is marinated and then dehydrated slightly, giving a wonderfully chewy texture which sandwiches the truffle ‘cheeze’.

The mushroom a la king is a royal dish that holds court against even its more meaty components.

There is a delicate bell pepper taste that laces all the way through the velvety cashew cream. The eggless frittata is a dish both tofu and non-tofu lovers will enjoy. It mimics entirely the taste and texture of a frittata and is enlivened by the generous amounts of turmeric to season and colour the spongey slab. A good tip we found is to request a side of cauliflower mash with this, which has the texture of mousse and entirely redefines any previous notions of mash.

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tried & tasted

soft tortilla ones so no seconds from us on this one either), mac n’ cheese (one bowl is always enough) or southern fried chicken (let’s face it, we could always eat more chicken but that doesn’t mean we should). So, the all-you-caneat portion of this menu isn’t what entices us; it’s the quality of the dishes the first time round that negates the need for an overstuffing. The ribs are fall-off-the-bone fantastic and the fish tacos are a juicy and filling triumph, we’ll be back to try the hot dogs as it can be hard to find a good American dog in this city. The price for this bbq menu is also just right at $298 and feels like great value for the wide array of refillable (and did we mention delicious?) food on offer.

Stone Nullah Tavern 69 Stone Nullah Lane, Wanchai, 3182 0128 灣仔石水渠街69號地下 What’s new: Their weekend BBQ. This menu, filled with a whole lotta American comfort food, is perfect for people who want to go out and eat lots of good food but don’t want to have to say they are going for “brunch”.

The menu: You’ll start with a seafood platter that comes with oysters, shrimp and long crab legs poking out of a big plate of crushed ice.

The fresh oysters slide down with ease while the shrimp are dusted with a cajun spice that’ll perk up your taste buds and prepare them for the labour intensive crab claws that are worth every ounce of energy expenditure. After you’ve dusted off your grubby mitts, the nacho bar awaits. That’s right, a nacho buffet. Home made tortilla chips with all the fixin’s: melted cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, beef and beans, all ready to be piled high again and again. But you shouldn’t go back for too many rounds, as the mains have a very unusual free refill-type premise. You choose any main on the menu and then have as many as you like. Your choices are: bacon cheeseburger (I’m not sure how many most people could put away, but for us the answer would be one), Hebrew National hot dogs (maybe two on a hangover), Maple BBQ glazed ribs (definitely one, they’re pretty huge), fish tacos (they give you two good sized 12

The drinks: As for the free-flow PBRs (Pabst Blue Ribbon beer) and margeritas, now that’s another story. Keeping it cool and serving the beer in a can, straight from the fridge to the table, adds more to the backyard bbq vibe they’ve got going. The margaritas are perfectly delicious, not too sweet and not too sour, but just Goldilocks right. We are perfectly all right with having several of these and making good use of the all-you-can-drink for $98.

Verdict: Affordable American fare that hits the spot for a Saturday/Sunday spent lunching (and NOT brunching).

tried & tasted

New! CÉ LA VI 25/F California Tower, 32 D’Aguilar Street, Central, 3700 2300 中環蘭桂坊德己立街32號加州大廈25樓 Concept: When California Tower opened, we knew the restaurant that sat on the top would be the jewel of this metaphorical crown. CÉ LA VI’s restaurant combines award-winning mixology, chic interiors, a charming view and some very tasty and uncomplicated Japanese-ish food.

The drinks: For the most part, the beverages are very balanced. If you are more inclined toward sweet drinks, you’ll love them, but even with the request of less sugar, the cocktails err on the sugary side. We liked the Bloody Old Fashioned ($118) which is a CÉ LA VI take on a classic with Michter’s rye bourbon, Frangelico, dash of aromatic bitters, chilli and cashew syrup, topped with freshly squeezed blood orange; the Kyoto Cooler ($98) is a light and delicate number, made with CÉ LA VI saké, peach liqueur and lime juice; and the Hong Kong Express ($118) made with Ocho silver tequila, sherry manzanilla dry, lemon juice, fig jam and blackcurrant liqueur.

www.afoodieworld.com //november 2015

The food: We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Japanese cuisine that wasn’t overdone (a feat given the opulent surroundings) with well executed flavours. It’s the kind of menu where everything seems to call out to you and the resolutely Asian ingredients are powered by seasoning and garnishes that heighten the dishes. Highlights from the small plates included the asparagus tempura ($90) with truffle soy

and edamame puree, pumpkin tempura ($75) with yuzu kosho, green chili and rocoto (a type of capsicum/pepper) and salmon skewers ($140) with shiso and a Japanese seasoning called yuzu kosho which is a paste made from chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt and then fermented. Sea bream ceviche ($140) with young coconut and pomegranate amazu (a light dressing usually used on cucumber salads that is sweet and salty) is amazing, as is a successfully chunky Blue Fin tuna tataki ($260) with caramelised shallot, wakame, maitake mushrooms and tosazu. On to the more meaty dishes, the strip loin ($1,200) is A-5 grade Ohmi, and served with assorted salts and sauces. The short ribs ($270) are USDA prime, served by way of kabocha wild mushroom ravioli with teriyaki veal jus. All the vegetables are the opposite of boring, with added flair piled on to what are already premium ingredients such as the baby corn ($70) with aged manchego and

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tried & tasted

dried miso; King Trumpet & Maitake mushrooms ($70) with extra virgin olive oil, sake and soy; snow peas ($65) with house-infused soy and itogaki (similar to a bonito or katsuobushi), and the broccolini ($80) with almond and black vinegar.

The desserts: The desserts are neither lifechanging nor are they worthy of a letter home, but there is one standout that merits an order, and that is the matcha ($118); an elegant molten green tea tart, served with 64% valrhona manjari ice cream. Matcha and chocolate is something we are seeing more of recently, and this is one of the better interpretations of the flavour combination we have thus encountered.

The verdict: This Hong Kong version of the Singaporean stalwart exceeds expectations.

However, this largely depends on one’s expectations. Go in with a forecast of dazzling views, tight service, unusual and easily imbibed cocktails and flavoursome Asian food and there won’t be any tears.

Mano Café The L Place, 139 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 2362 6997 中環皇后大道中139號 The L Place 地下

was Heirloom and they hosted popular taco evenings. Still delicious, the Balinese fish taco remains our favourite with a spray of calamansi juice to bring out the full flavour of the wrap. The Asian chicken salad that followed was dressed with a zingy peanut sauce that was positively scrumptious and the prawn and corn salad was another nice opener. The crispy fried duck came with a spicy green sambal on the side and it really made the dish with a delightful kick up the duck The pork knuckle was indulgent and rich while the gado gado dish of tofu and veggies was a more pious offering. Our favourite of the day was the oxtail stew that was so moreish, even on a full stomach.

The dessert: Despite the plethora of homestyle offerings, we found room to try a smattering of the gorgeous cakes that ranged from pumpkin pie cheesecake, chocolate cream cake with oreo crust and German chocolate cake with a creamy coconut centre to the pretty red velvet cake with marshmallow top and the gooey goodness of the pecan pie, all of which were as tempting as they were tasty. The coffee at Mano Café is worth popping in for on its own as it’s a custom blend by the fine folks at Alchemy with a nutty flavour that finishes a meal with a smile and a jolt.

In the end: It’s affordable, friendly homemade fare in a cosy neighbourhood eatery that you could easily find yourself calling your local. The all-day diner makes for an easy option and it is open, roomy and extremely kid friendly.

Mano (café): Here’s a brief summary, Mano opened as a coffee shop with a wicked salad bar, then was placed into the hands of former Petrus chef Frederic Chabbert, and has now changed hands (and names) to Mano Café and is run by the wholesome and awesome Corner Kitchen peeps. Make sense? If not, don’t worry, the food does, and that’s really all that matters.

The food: Home-style dishes from South East Asia. Chef Shelley hails from Manilla and puts a lot of love in her authentic dishes with her own twist spun on them. We tasted from the winter menu, which included plenty of hearty fare to fill the tum. To begin, we had a selection of fish and pork tacos, which you may remember from the days when Corner Kitchen 14

tacos

tried & tasted

Alchemy 16 Arbuthnot Road, Central, 6821 2801 中環亞畢諾道16號地下低層 Is that the ‘dine in the dark’ place? Yes, you can do that here but it’s not (in our opinion) their biggest selling point; instead, it’s their excellent food and cool understated interiors.

The food: Quite simply delicious. We have to say we were somewhat sceptical of the description of Japanese-inspired tapas prepared by the French chef Pascal Breant, but forget the convoluted portrayal - it’s wonderful. It’s true there are large sharing plates, and it’s also

The price: Extremely reasonable at $268 per person with free flow Mumm champagne for $350. The brunch begins at 11:30am and runs til 5pm on the weekends.

twitter.com/foodiehk // november 2015

The place: You enter into an apothecary-like entrance with glass laboratory equipment and chic black and white checkerboard floors but then you pass into a cool wooden floored area that contains minimal gloss with large glass windows that pull in the light. Colourful art dots the walls but mostly the furnishings are simple, comfortable and cool. The former nightclub does have a downstairs ‘dining in the dark’ option, where you can sample the menu in complete blackness to heighten your other senses (make an absolute mess of your outfit) and have an interesting evening of food exploration. But we’d much rather spend an afternoon in the cosy confines of the well-lit main floor and see (and photograph) everything we’re eating.

true that the chef was inspired by a high-end Japanese Omakase meal, but the combination really works. Start with a refreshing hit of chilled oysters before moving on to homemade smoked salmon curls served on a square of beetroot for a surprisingly complementary taste sensation, along with cubes of flavoursome tuna before he unleashed the delicate carvings of octopus carpaccio served with a salsa of pickles and asparagus. Prawn ravioli comes with a little quail egg served sunny side up for a beautiful dish in both flavour and appearance. Then came the seared yellow cod decorated with soft pillows of artichoke mash on top with the final savoury item, a black angus beef chargrilled to perfection, topped with crunchy green beans and accompanied by roast potatoes. The dessert dish is a real crowd pleaser -one of those dishes that draws oohs and aahs from the table- a giant chocolate globe with an accompaning hot chocolate sauce that melts the sphere to reveal a fudge cake with vanilla gelato at its caldera centre. The menu will change weekly, depending on the seasonal ingredients Chef Pascal can get his hands on, and we’d be excited to try his next creative offering.

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tried & tasted

El Loco Gringo 49 Bonham Road, Sai Ying Pun, 2858 8833 西營盤般咸道49號地下 Food:The food is on point, and bringing well executed Mexican street food to Hong Kong.

The tacos are absolutely what you should order when you come here; from the chicken ($35) (with guacamole and caramelised onion) to the vegetarian Mexican beans taco ($55) with oozing manchego cheese, they’re ALL wildly delicious. Having tried all, the seabass taco ($55) takes the crown for most tasty, which ends up being a black cod-esque fish with coleslaw and mayo enveloped in an earthy, soft taquito.

Also worthy of special mention are the ceviches, from the scallop and cucumber ($160) or our favourite, the button mushroom and oregano ($60), the aforementioned grilled corn ($35) with mayonnaise, manchego and chili and to finish the warm churros with cinnamon sugar and melted chocolate ($65).

Drinks: For the spirits, good ole tequila still reigns supreme. While whiskey is making a name for itself, and vermouth goes beyond the martini, this bar is where you come for that crafty agave elixir (for those who cannot stomach the substance, the bartenders are most accomplished and can whip you up an 16

alternative...just prepare to be offered tequila shots multiple times throughout the evening).

And the staff- they’re delightful. A thoroughly pleasing diversion from the norm, and are often the first ones turning the tables into the dance floor (after ensuring everyone is wearing appropriate footwear to do so).

Verdict: El Loco Gringo provides good quality, immensely tasty food at reasonable prices (you can get out having consumed many tacos, ceviches and margaritas for around $400/$450 a head). It’s fun to both eat and drink here, has a rocking playlist and the staff are very sweet people which makes the whole environment a highly enjoyable place to spend time.

tried & tasted

TRi Shop 302, 3/F, The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay, 2515 0577 淺水灣海灘道28號The Pulse 3樓302號舖 What is it? Repulse Bay before the Pulse was somewhat underwhelming when it came to food. Since becoming a hub of lifestyle and dining options, the area has exploded with hungry food tourists as well as locals, making this one of the hottest new dining polestars of the last 12 months in Hong Kong. TRi is the latest offering to this scene, embracing the Balinese philosophy of ‘Tri Hita Karana’, meaning harmony between man, nature, and divinity. Executive Chef Conor Beach (formerly of Bibo) and Balinese Chef Mustika Wayan have created a menu using classic techniques and modern presentation to elevate the dining experience to sublime.

Side bar: Though absolutely stunning in aesthetics and wowing in theory, the tables get a touch uncomfortable after a few hours of yogi-like contortion. Best wear loose fitting garments and we suggest stretching prior to dining.

The food: The menu has been well thought out and it’s one of those lists that entices you to try everything. The flavours seem so well matched yet remain unusual and modern, and the prices are surprisingly reasonable. When looking at the portions it becomes clearer why. Not stingy, but fine dining portioning is more the style here. We ordered the gado gado ($100), Jamur squid ($190), duck goreng ($180), lobster bakar ($520) and Iga Sapi or beef short rib ($320) based mainly on the assurance of the restaurant manager that these were her favourites. She proved to be most wise, as we were delighted with each dish that came. Jamur Squid was tender and tasty, served with an equally delectable warm salad of mushrooms and octopus tentacles.

It is filled with rice that is seasoned with

twitter.com/foodiehk // november 2015

The setting: We entered TRi on a subdued Wednesday night, but the restaurant was still buzzing. Woods and shadows dance throughout the decor, truly bringing an Ubud vibe to the 3rd floor restaurant. At night, you can’t make out much of the beach, but get here for sundowners and perch yourself on the enormous wooden bar table, which is literally half a tree and overlooks the bay, for a fairly magical experience. The pods

are the central attraction though; bamboo cocoon-like capsules which sheathe low set, heavy stone tables surrounded by cushions. A moat of trickling water and stepping stones is as impressive as it sounds. Bring all the important people in your life here.

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tried & tasted

Base Gede (a type of Balinese spice mix).

The Jimbaran bbq sauce accompanying was unnecessary because the other flavours are so real and flavoursome.

Gado Gado - gloriously fresh vegetables and housemade tempeh, crunchy and firm, served in rolled cabbage alongside a satay sauce that we would sell our first born sons for. We’re kidding, take the second too. There is a deep savouriness to the satay which many miss out on by overcompensating with sugar, lent by what seems to be onion. It was very good, and by the end it was more a case of “would you like some gado gado with your satay sauce?”

Duck Goreng - the method of slow cooking the duck then crispy frying it, means this dish looks nothing like you would expect it to. Yet, the duck is succulent and strikingly palatable, served with a chili mango, cucumber and grapefruit (that really are a little redundant given the tastiness of the duck). Lobster Bakar - what a triumph of a dish this is.

Half a majestic lobster is served alongside satisfying homemade noodles. The bakmie noodles resemble a typical Asian wheat noodle, and are bouncy and absorbent of the rich, vaguely curry-like sauce that covers the charred lobster. A top notch crustacean from Indonesia with memorable handmade noodles made this the second best dish of the night. The first.... Iga Sapi (beef short ribs) - think forty-eight hour slow cooked meat,

expertly seasoned and then finished to be just scorched. They are mind-bendingly good.

The dessert: We had the coconut pannacotta ($80) with roasted pineapple, crispy roasted coconut and cinnamon black rice ice cream.

This we thought would be mind-bendy a la short ribs, especially because it listed both cinnamon and black rice in the same sentence, but the flavours never quite got there and the textures were a tad monodimensional.

Those familiar with Bali will recognise the Dadar Gulung ($80) which is wildly popular in Indonesia. The traditional pancake is sweetened with pandan and then stuffed with toasted, sweetened coconut shreds. This version does all this and then adds poppy seed crumble and mango sorbet and it’s all very tasty. Taking the cake (pun very much intended)was the coffee cocoa dessert, which consisted of shortbread with chocolate, a cocoa nib tuile and stracciatella and a great coffee cream.

The verdict: Everything yes. Throughout the meal we were reminded why we love Balinese food so much, and why Ubud is the land that is constantly attracting people from around the world. These were rare memories to be jogged, and the food quality even more so. The condiments that accompany can at times be a little pointless and ill-thought out, especially with the likes of the duck and the short rib, but for the rest of the meal everything could be given near perfect marks.

TRi is one of the better openings for 2015.

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promotion

Seafood Heaven Holy Crab has the bottomless

Do you worship the sand that seafood scuttles on? buckets of your seafood dreams

Introducing authentic Cajun Seafood to hungry foodies across Hong Kong, Holy Crab offers fresh crawfish, swimming crab, Dungeness crab, Boston lobster, oysters, clams and mussels flown in daily.

Seasoned with the glorious ‘Holy Trinity’ of Cajun cuisine, which consists of bell pepper, onion and celery in the traditional low-country boil, each crustacean’s meat is brought to full flavour for the optimum experience for your taste Holy Crabs’ Bottomless Seafood Brunch starts at 11am and runs till 5pm on weekends and public holidays where diners can dig in to all-you-can-eat seafood buckets along with brunch plates, salads and fruits for $418 per person. And what goes better with bottomless buckets than a bit of bubbly! Add $300 for freeflow Veuve Clicquot Champagne to bring out the best in your seafood experience.

Slap on a bib, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get crackin’!

Holy Crab, 3/F, Cosmos Building, 8-11 Lan Kwai Fong, Central, 2110 0100 info@holycrab.com.hk - www.holycrab.com.hk

www.afoodieworld.com // november 2015

Or pop in on a weekday to try Holy Crab’s famous sharing platter the ‘Lobster 3-way’ with their gargantuan lobsters prepared with three different methods and served alongside crawfish, corn and andouille sausage for $1,750. Or check out their brand new ‘Tom N’ Huck’s’ platter of lobster, snow crab legs, clams, mussels and crawfish with butter, and a traditional stewed red kidney beans and rice. Bet you’re hungry now!

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food war

Iced Green Tea Melee ITOEN Price: $16 Taste: This was the darkest in colour and had a toasted smell that was lovely to behold. Its flavour had a subtle seaweed taste to it and was also quite sharp and almost bitter and really had all our taste buds in a quandary. Three of us regularly choose this brand for the easy- todrink quality, but our other tasters felt it too pungent for their palates.

Verdict: Completely divided and everyone seemed to taste something different with this bewildering bottle.

Foodie rating:

SUNTORY Price: $15 Taste: A slightly green-tinged colour and very cloudy appearance was off-putting when we poured it. The taste did not improve on this first impression, as it didn’t have much of one. It basically tasted like a whole lot of nothing, or, as one of our tasters remarked, “it tastes like old water”. We gave it a swish around in our mouths and extracted a slight peatyness, but that was about it. All in all, not much flavour in this one.

Verdict: Might as well drink water.

Foodie rating:

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We took four bottles of this Japanese power drink that both caffeinates and antioxidates, to find out which packs the mightiest flavour punch SHIMANTO

BESICTE CHO

Price: $17 Taste: The fancy looking bottle promised a tastier beverage and the golden, honey-hued nectar that flowed out continued that pledge.

A fruity smell with floral undertones was so varied we felt like we were exploring the depths of a fine wine. Its flavour was very pungent compared to the others with an osmanthuslike edge to it and a little green tea pop of aftertaste. We found we all liked this little number.

Verdict: Strong, aromatic and smooth.

Foodie rating:

KIRIN Price: $18 Taste: The Kirin was the mildest of the bunch with a very subtle flavour. Two of our tasters, neither of whom drink iced green tea regularly, would opt for this mellow sip. The regular Japanese iced tea imbibers all preferred a was a bit too fruity and unnatural tasting.

Verdict: Mild and inoffensive.

Foodie rating:

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

stronger punch in their teas and felt this one

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chewin’ the fat

Chewin’ the fat with...

MARC VIDAL OF BOQUERIA NYC You will know Boqueria’s Hong Kong hotspot for its reasonably-priced brunches, great sangria, and good time atmosphere. Chef Marc Vidal is the man shaping the food in the Boqueria here and in its U.S. locations.

Marc’s first cookery experience was at his family’s restaurant in Barcelona where his grandmother was the chef. He would spend his after school hours helping out and that’s when his love of the trade was burned into his food-loving soul. After graduating from the Escola de Restauracio I Hostelatge de Barcelona, Marc worked with some of the world’s leading chefs including Carles Gaig, Ferran Adria and Alain Passard at the three Michelin starred restaurant L’Arpege in Paris. Five years ago, Marc joined the Boqueria team as Executive Chef where he contributes his wealth of experience and culinary talent into maintaining and enhancing their menus for the cuisine of his homeland in the New York, Washington D.C., and Hong Kong restaurants.

What makes New York a great place to cook in? It is the capital of the world and particularly the culinary world, so you can learn a bunch from other cuisines and learn the value of other cultures. Thailand, China, Spain–it’s all there.

What is the greatest challenge with cooking in New York? The challenge we faced originally was the people in New York who expected more interesting, complex flavours than what we were trying to provide. Authentic Spanish food tends to be very simple, and that was what we were trying to do and do well. People get it now.

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What makes Hong Kong a great place to cook in? It’s a melting pot, and it has that same energy [as New York]. It is also ultra competitive, filled with decisive, high quality people who correspondingly want quality food, which causes you to push yourself.

We’re seeing a lot of chefs go local with ingredients, are you? For me that is exactly what we do in New York, and that is what Hong Kong should be doing as well. A market menu, like what we offer, is the place where we can put all the regularly changing local stuff. Base menu items can also learn to incorporate local ingredients. Using local produce as much as we can is the goal.

What is your favourite thing to cook?

Seafood anything, and as much local stuff as I can get my hands on. For example, there is very nice squid in New York, and cuttlefish in the UK. The problem is, the people are so used to eating the likes of tuna and salmon, that everything gets exported, so they miss out on the bounty of their own region. Fortunately, the tide is beginning to change and they are being a little more adventurous. I like to cook food that encourages this.

It’s a melting pot, and it has that same energy [as New York]. It is also ultra competitive...which causes you to push yourself.

You can only cook with three ingredients the rest of your life; what are they? Gambas from Palamos. Arbequina olive oil - they are little bit bigger and the finish is a little stronger. And suckling pig (Iberian).

What should people order when they come to your restaurant? Paella for sure; the constantly changing options on the tapas market menu; classics like patas bravas, mushrooms, and sangria. We have a French toast dessert which I really like. It has a great balance of textures being both crispy outside and soft Brioche inside, both hot and cold. With a sharp yoghurt and berries, it’s fairly great.

What do you think about Chinese cuisine?

To me it is one of the top cuisines in the world because of the variety; there are so many different versions of dishes from different regions in China, and every place has a really different take. I would honestly rate it in the top three in the world.

What’s in your fridge?

Cheeses (French cheese and some Spanish because the suppliers are always giving me samples). A whole octopus, pickles, short rib, vegetables always, jalapenos, and herbs. Lots of herbs. My balcony is full of herbs back home.

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

Do you have any tricks when it comes to cooking Spanish food? Use a LOT of olive oil and a LOT of garlic; with those two ingredients plus onion, which is what we call a fritto, we form the base of most of our cooking.

Who are your chef idols? The El Roca brothers; they are from Catalunya and they have done so much with what they have. I would not cook their food necessarily, but I love what they have been able to achieve. Also the guy from Estella, the Italian restaurant in NYC, inspires me a lot with his passion.

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Pop Your Cork These shabby chic wine pairings will have you giddy with glee when you taste the unusual flavour combinations We long ago left behind the notion that wine must be paired with fine. So, we raise a toast to the grape gods and ask a few of Hong Kong’s hottest sommeliers to give us their best casual food and wine matches for the ultimate list of modern wine pairings.

Eddie McDougall, otherwise known as The Flying Winemaker, gives us his obscure pairings guaranteed to blow the top off your taste buds (in a good way):

Sichuan chilli dumplings with Moscato d’Asti Floral sweetness and softly popping bubbles wrap around the heat and mouth-numbing peppers whilst linking in the flavours of each of the dumpling’s fillings.

Deep-fried buffalo wings with Gewürztraminer It’s all about the combo of flavour explosion, crunchiness, oiliness and spiciness. This wine, served chilled, will rival any hoppy ale with its aromatic lift and cleansing palate of exotic flavours.

Char sui with dry rosé The dry fruit of the rosé cuts through the dish’s sweet glazed sauce, whilst adding a dimension of richness with the pork’s fatty contrast. The charred bits are particularly crunchy and euphoric in flavour when classed with a pink drink.

Cheddar cheese and Branston pickles on crackers with Californian Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet and cheddar is a no brainer to wash down the dry tannins and bitter aftertaste from oaky red wines. Add some pickle to add some flair to your cheap pre-dinner snack.

Discover Eddie’s wines at www.flyingwinemaker.asia 24

pop your cork

121 B.C. Sommelier, Simone Sammuri, puts together some fascinating matches for your next evening in:

Kimchi with Sauvignon Blanc This aromatic wine with good acidity is able to clean the palate and has a slight sugar residual that goes well with the powerful flavour of the kimchi.

Chocolate with Marsala The strong flavour of chocolate and oily glaze left on the palate by the cocoa butter demands a wine with distinctive aromas, low tannins, low acidity and not too dry or astringent. Marsala wines are rich in glycerin, slightly tannic, and can handle the intense chocolate taste.

Fish & chips with Chardonnay We need to consider the fish as well as the batter and extras such as salt and vinegar. Chardonnay is a great choice as it can add complexity, without overpowering the meal.

This cult Cantonese dish is very gelatinous with cartilage that will literally melt in your mouth and this Spanish dry fortified wine has a lot of body and a high alcohol content that is both delicious and explosive with chicken feet.

To visit Simone and his expertise in person, head for a bite at www.121bc.com.hk

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

Chicken feet with Oloroso sherry

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pop your cork

Beverage Manager, Elliot Faber of Sunday’s Grocery, has some unique selections for that perfect palate pairing:

Pork Belly Sandwich with Eight Sides Draught Chenin Blanc, California, USA The creamy avocado matches the texture of the Chenin Blanc while bright citrus notes pop out on the palate and cut through the fat of the pork belly.

Uni with Artéis & Co. Brut, Champagne, France Uni almost has the texture of perfect scrambled eggs and nothing pairs with eggs like champagne. The bubbles in the Artéis perfectly break up the uni, making each bite taste like the first.

Artéis has a particular salinity that balances with the briny finish of the uni.

Prociutto and funghi pizza with Arianna Occhipinti Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily, Italy Cerasuolo is made out of two best friends: Grapes Nero d’Avola and Frappato. They work so well to bring together a bright, fruit forward but balanced wine with earthy components and savoury notes that match the prosciutto and work well with the mushrooms. The delightfully high acidity of the wine sings with the tomatoes on the pizza.

All of Elliot’s suggestions can be found in-store at Sunday’s Grocery www.sundaysgrocery.com, 26

pop your cork

Master Sommelier Cristina Carranco Ducroquet of Le Bistro Winebeast shares her chosen vintages and meal matches:

Chole Tikki Chaat with Montlouis-sur Loire, ‘Tailles de Nouy’, Bertrand Jousset, 2013 Biodynamic Chenin with a nose of fresh white flowers and yellow fruits melts superbly with the delicious taste of this Northern India specialty.

Beef enchiladas with Morgon, Côte du Py, Jean Foillard, 2013 Delicious and zesty Gamay pairs fabulously well with the spicy beef and chocolate notes of the dish.

To have Cristina pair your meal in person, check out www.wine-beast.com/le-bistro

Giulio Gongarini of Divino Patio suggests pairings for his favourite street foods:

Seafood tempura with Pala Vermentino Italy, 2013 This Vermentino grape tastes predominately of vegetable notes with good depth and balance that goes well with seafood and the long finish complements the crunchiness of the tempura.

This refreshing and fruity wine has a mineral edge at first with an aroma that will smoothen up the spicyness of the mint and other spices of the food to make an elegant and long lasting finishing.

For more wine recommendations by Guilio, head to www.divinogroup.com/restaurants/divino-patio

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

Chicken kebab with Dr Loosen Riesling Germany, 2014

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Where to Wow

If you’ve got guests coming to town, Alicia Walker has compiled a selection of eateries that’ll showcase some of the diverse aspects of Hong Kong’s delectable dining scene

FOR THE GRITTY, REAL EXPERIENCE Yat Lok 一樂燒鵝 34-38 Stanley Street, Central, 2524 3882

CC2.0, Wikipedia, Yat Lok

For a no frills, authentic meal, your out-oftowners will get a true taste of HK with the classic Cantonese roast goose at this little momand-pop shop. Roast goose is Yat Lok’s specialty and it is bronzed, tender, fatty and crispy all rolled into one delicious bird. Crowded, cramped, fast and furious devouring, with long queues at lunch time, this is the real Hong Kong deal.

Cooked Food Centres These food centres are an institution by those in the know. Buzzingly busy, tiled floors with plastic tables and stools, often positioned above a wet market, filled with stall after stall of deliciousness think indoor versions of Singaporean hawker centres. Three of our favourites: ABC Kitchen for haute-cuisine-meets-dai-paidong. It’s pure deliciousness dressed with red and white checked tableclothes and fluorescent lighting.

Shop 7, Queen’s Street Cooked Food Market, 1 Queen Street, Sheung Wan, 9278 8227 Tung Po for ghetto fabulous Guangdong-style Cantonese food served with a nice cold Tsingtao inside the hectic interior of this food centre.

2/F Java Road Municipal Services Building, 99 Java Road, North Point, 2880 5224 Sheung Kee for a food hit, after taking your visiting gamblers to the Happy Valley races, take them to this easy option for luscious (and cheap) crispy garlic chicken.

Bottoms up! at Tung Po

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Shop 2, Wong Nai Chung Cooked Food Centre, 2/F, Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley, 2882 2994

where to wow

Tasty Congee and Noodle Wantun Shop 3016-3018, 3/F, IFC Mall, 1 Harbourview Street, Central, 2295 0505 (with five more locations around Hong Kong) If you’re feeling brave and want to introduce congee into the lives of your guests, this is a good place to start with their upmarket yet affordable traditional recipe congee. If it turns out this is not to their taste, they do a mean beef fried noodles that’ll please any palate.

Lin Heung Kui 2-3/F, 46-50 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan, 2156 9328 For down and dirty dim sum that’s as alluring as it is daunting. This place is messy, noisy madness where you’ll have to shout and cajole to get your order from the passing carts as other diners fight for their bamboo steamers full of delight. Leave your politeness at the door, as wallflowers will leave hungry and salivating over the steamed aromas that waft through the three floors of delicious Cantonese dim sum.

FOR THE COOL KIDS Fu Lu Shou 7/F, 31 Hollywood Road, Central, 2336 8812 Even if your friends have come from the West, they’ll still be tickled by this cool cat take on Westernised Chinese food. A phenomenal balcony set amongst the high rises, ideal for cocktails and caterwauling, get a “Joh Sun” and a chicken chow mein down your guests and consider yourself the flyest host in town.

1 Elgin Street, SoHo, 2810 0860 Magnificent name, super-cool, mysterious décor and a trend-setting chef make Ho Lee Fook the coolest kid on the block. Mix that in with their reinterpretation of classic Chinese flavours and you’ve got a restaurant that your visitors will be talking about long after their visit.

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

Ho Lee Fook

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where to wow

Chachawan 206 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, 2549 0020 Everybody loves Thai food, and if your friends can take the heat, this is the hot spot to entertain their taste buds with. Austere concrete mixed with hand painted wall murals make for that optimum blend of modern prison chic. But heed our warning, this one’s not for flavour sissies.

Mitte 1A Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, 2803 7080 Bringing the sangfroid to PoHo is this Berlinese jam venue combining carefully mixed cocktails, Italian small bites and creative pursuits like music and art into the tiny confines of this sweet spot on Upper Station. With a distinct neighbourhood vibe, your guests will instantly want to move to HK and hang with this cool crowd.

For picturesque waterside eats Mavericks Pui O Beach, Lantau, 5662 8552 Sand, sea, surf shack; nuff said? No? Okay, how about a Big Kahuna burger, Fush ‘n’ Chups and a beer on the beach listening to an all day DJ? We thought so.

The Pulse

CC2.0, Wikipedia, The Pulse

28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay

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With a full view of the beach but also the beauty of air conditioning, this new foodie mecca is the place to be for destination dining. You will have heard of several of their latest openings: The Ocean, TRi, Meen & Rice, Shoku and some of the earlier openings like Limewood and Classified.

For more info on their restaurants, you’ll want to check out our online feature: www.afoodieworld.com/foodie/3312-keepingyour-finger-on-the-pulse as The Pulse website is so complex and convoluted you’ll never find your way out of it, let alone a place to dine.

where to wow

For that obligatory dose of culture Maxim’s Palace 2/F, Low Block, City Hall, Edinburgh Place, Central, 2521 1303 City Hall is always a safe bet to get your har gow on. This huge banquet hall does traditional round table dim sum in a brightly lit, raucous way with the old-fashioned carts carrying bamboo steamers for you to ponder for your table. A popular choice for parents, and anyone, who wants to ease into the culture of this sometimes sensory overload of a city.

Tai O Heritage Hotel Shek Tsai Po Street, Lantau, 2985 8383 This lovingly restored 19th century police station on the west coast of Lantau is set above Hong Kong’s oldest fishing village with houses still on stilts living in a tight-knit community with oodles of character and culture to soak up. Dried seafood and eggball vendors are plentiful and the hotel’s first floor restaurant has a charming conservatory dining room and decent fare.

Chi Lin Nunnery

Check out more of our veritable vegetarian picks here: www.afoodieworld.com/foodie/4302-top-5vegetarian-restaurants

twitter.com/foodiehk // november 2015

Get thee to a nunnery! Well, to this nunnery at least, for the tasty vegetarian cuisine set in a Tang Dynasty-style temple and park. And for extra visitor impact, it’s located behind a waterfall. Yup, it’s a guaranteed hit, even without the meat.

CC2.0, Wikipedia, Chi Lin Nunnery

Long Men Lou, Nan Lian Garden, 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, 3658 9388

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where to wow

For the high class, high price fare Hutong 28/F, 1 Peking Road, TST, 3428 8342 For a view from the top featuring Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine and a weekend free-flow brunch that includes the entertainment from traditional noodle pullers, tea pouring professionals, and Sichuan face-changers, this is a worthy option for spending in the upper limits and impressing your visitors.

Mott 32 Basement, Standard Chartered Bank Building, 4-4A Des Voeux Road Central, 2885 8688 Perfect Peking duck and gorgeous architecture in this vast space make for a sleek representation of Cantonese cuisine that your guests are guaranteed to love.

InterContinental Lobby Lounge, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2721 1211 The panoramic view of the harbour and Chinese afternoon tea set make this a must on your TST hit list.

Hullet House 1881 Heritage, 2A Canton Road, TST, 3988 0000 This beautiful heritage building has several dining options as well as boutiques and is a great place to wander through and work up an appetite before the dining commences in one of their lovingly restored restaurants.

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where to wow

For a true foodie adventure Zen Too 8/F, Soundwill Plaza II-Midtown, Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, 2845 4555 For Chinese food your friends will have never tried the likes of before, Zen Too have reinvented the classic flavours in an aim to draw the youth of Hong Kong back to Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant is a mixture of traditional Canto family dining with industrial chic. It’s interesting, cool and unlike anything else.

Ichiran Lockhart House, Block A, 440-446 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay, 2152 4040 If your family and friends have never been out East, you’ll have to introduce them to proper against the wall ramen eating. Teach them to appreciate their noodles the Japanese way, with your face in your bowl, in your individual booth, enjoying the deliciously simple Tonkotsu ramen.

It’s not sociable - and make them put their phones away- you’re just there for the noodles and broth.

Shun Kee A grouping of floating platforms that rock and roll with the waves of the harbour and serve up some of the best crab and seafood you’ll have in the city. You’ll be picked up at the Causeway Bay pier and rowed out to your table on the water.

Guaranteed a buoyant atmosphere (if you will) for your guests and a visit to the way things used to be, and the way many boat communities used to live in Hong Kong.

www.afoodieworld.com // november 2015

CC2.0, flickr, Raztan

Typhoon Shelter, Causeway Bay, 8112 0075

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promotion

Promotion

A World of Fine Wine and Spirits The annual HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair returns to introduce new tipples to Hong Kong’s taste buds GREAT PROSPECTS FOR WINE TRADING Already in its eighth year, this renowned Wine & Spirits Fair takes over the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 5-7 November. The fair, a tasting and sourcing platform for wine enthusiasts and traders from 32 countries and regions, is expected to attract over 1,060 exhibitors. Fuelled by buoyant market demand and an established reputation for excellence, in previous years the fair has attracted over 20,000 trade buyers from 75 countries and regions in 2014. As Asian consumers are becoming more interested in wines, the global wine industry is shifting its attention to Asia. According to Euromonitor International, wine sales in Asia amounted to US$77.5 billion in 2014 and Hong Kong is turning into a regional wine-trading hub and becoming a wine gateway to the Chinese mainland.

A RICH PROGRAMME OF EVENTS A panoply of events will take place during the three-day fair, including grand tastings, master classes, wine tastings, cocktail demonstration and seminars. This provides opportunities for buyers to soak up the latest market intelligence and product and marketing developments in the wine industry. Over 70 events will be featured this year, the Wine Industry Conference attracts the attention of hundreds of wine professionals.

This year, Asia’s first Master of Wine, Debra Meiburg MW, will again serve as the Conference’s advisor and moderator and share the latest industry updates with the audience. The widely acclaimed “Whisky and Spirits Zone” that debuted last year will return, giving visitors a chance to enrich their knowledge about whisky at the tastings and educational workshops.

The last day of the fair is open to the public aged 18 or above only so wine lovers with purchased tickets are welcome to visit and enjoy cocktail demonstrations and wine tasting sessions to further expand their palates. Don’t miss out on this year’s great line up of wine-lover events! www.hktdc.com/ex/hkwinefair/48 34

FOODIE FORAYS - BERLIN Keshia Hannam fills her belly in one of the world’s hippest cities

Berlin is quickly becoming known as one of the most exciting dining destinations in Europe. Developing rapidly, and abundantly embracing creativity in every realm, the culinary creatives have a firm ground from which to launch. Between the well styled and undoubtedly quirky residents, the city has seen an evolution from the techno nightclubs that made Berlin famous (without leaving them behind; fear not electro-syncopated friends) towards a homogenous, somewhat gentrified, and undoubtedly vegetable-focused capital. Though the kind of visitors here aren’t what they once were, there is a still an obvious hunger to live like a Berliner when in the city, which is entirely understandable when we see just how individual and inventive Berliners are. This understated and innovational culture, which protects the city through implementations like low emission zones (Umweltzone) requiring all vehicles moving inside this zone to bear a green emission badge (Feinstaubplakette), has produced some eateries and bars that are well worth exploring when next in Berlin:

www.afoodieworld.com // november 2015

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foodie forays

Arrive 10:00am Berlin sprawls across six districts (Mitte, City West, East Central, North, East and South), with enticing draws to each region. From Tegel International Airport you’ll get a bus or taxi, and from Schönefeld the S-Bahn (metro) and regional trains can be used.

12 noon Begin with brunch at Cafe Anna Blume, a beautiful spot that on weekends that channels a vaguely Notting Hill type energy. Interior designer Thomas Seiffert capitalised on the name of the cafe/florist/bakery being taken from Kurt Schwitters 1919 poem, Anna Blume, by blurring the lines between florist and eatery and employing an Art Deco theme throughout.

Come for the set breakfasts with versions like Anemone (salmon, scrambled eggs, prawns) or the Mediterranean-style Oleander which features salami, provolone, oyster mushrooms and marinated zucchini, but stay for the more traditional serviettenknödel; German dumplings (similar to semmelknödel) which are shaped into a long roll and boiled using a cotton or linen napkin then sliced into rounds and fried. These are served at Anna Blume with a rich mushroom ragu.

Café Anna Blume Kollwitzstraße 83, 10435 Berlin, +49 (30) 44048641, www.cafe-anna-blume.de

2:30pm Walk off the rather indulgent breakfast and cross off the number one ‘attraction’ of Berlin: The Berlin Wall. Half an hour’s stroll will place you at central memorial site of German division, located in the middle of the capital, extending for 1.4 km. The memorial consists of the Monument in Memory of the Divided City and the Victims of Communist Tyranny plus the Window of Remembrance. You will also find here the Chapel of Reconciliation and the excavated foundations of what were apartment buildings whose façade served as the border wall until the early 1980s.

Berlin Wall Memorial Bernauer Straße 111/119, 13355 Berlin +49 (30) 467 98 66 66 www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/museums/ gedenkstatte-berliner-mauer 5:00pm Pay a brief nod to healthy living at Daluma, where you’ll get kale shakes and other considerably healthy choices with other youthful, attractive Mitte dwellers. The ‘sit-on-cusionsand-don’t-expect-tables’ modus operandi fits the bill perfectly, and the prices are extremely reasonable. Smoothies go for around 5€, and it’s fun to ask the waitrons for whatever combination of ingredients they like best to get a unique drink and hopefully start a great conversation. If you want a more conventional suggestion, go for the choc-choc crave which is a pudding like delight

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foodie forays

of avocado, raw cacao banana, rice milk, which is made sweeter with dates, and then made all the more nutritious with maca and moringa.

Daluma Weinbergsweg 3, Mitte, 10119 Berlin +49 (30) 20950255 www.daluma.de 8:00pm Experience a different type of dinner and mingle with locals at Kraut und Reben, a supper club created by Kristof Mulack and Jan Hugel.

It’s here that modern German cuisine finds a foothold in perfect sync with innovative liquid pairing. What is modern German? It might look like a roasted new potato with cream which are both smoked, or cauliflower two ways, seared and puréed, with crispy chicken skin, lemonthyme and tarragon. 99€ is the cost of the dinner, which includes tasting menu and a whole bunch of wine, and probably other liquids you’ll enjoy drinking like some local ales and fresh juices spiked with herbs.

Beckett’s Kopf Pappelallee 64, 10437, Berlin, Germany +49 (30) 2379418, www.becketts-kopf.de

9:30am Start the day in the southern part of the city that holds some of the authentic gems of Berlin in an area that has recently exploded with community and vibrant places to eat and drink. Begin in Tischendorf, a virtuous cafe that serves the likes of three cheese omelettes with spicy Harissa bruschetta and Dukkah rolled eggs with wheat hearts, beetroot, spinach and feta.

Taschendorf Friedelstr. 25,Berlin,+49 (30) 81405427 tischendorf-berlin.de 11:30am Take some time to explore the canal side district of Neukölln, and the vintage cool that emanates from it. Sing Blackbird is warren of rooms that range from stylish to vintage and also where you will find one of the better espressos this side of the canal. Once a month they organise flea markets and film nights, but mostly it is worth riffling through the fashionable pieces at middle range prices.

Sing Blackbird Sanderstraße 11, Neukölln, 12047 Berlin, www.singblackbird.com

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10:30pm Finish the night at Beckett’s Kopf, one of the best cocktail bars in Berlin. This Prenzlauer Berg bar is one where it is worth telling them what flavours you like to allow them to tailor-make a cocktail for you. It’s a place one goes when they care quite intently about the beverages being imbibed, as the bartenders are crafty and the prices steep. Menus are camouflaged in books, and if you do decide to pick something that has been pre-meditated, we suggest the aromatic Forrest cocktail, which uses Old Bardstown bourbon infused with rosemary and Stählemühle schnaps, made fragrant with pine. They’ve also recently opened a new bar called Lost in Grub Street which has been awarded a top five placing in Mixology EU’s Bar Awards for 2016.

Day 2

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foodie forays

1:30pm Because you’re in the veganville that is Berlin, indulge the inner zeitgeist and chomp into some Baby Burrito; a Mexican-Australia (Mextralian… we’re not kidding) restaurant who actually know how to cook vegetables (a feat many vegetarian restaurants, bizarrely, seem incapable of). They also don’t use weird soy/gluten/seitan/satan substitutes for their flavoursome hot mama with corn bread (that’s a dish not a profanity), smokey quesadillas with melted cheese and pickled red onion.

Baby Burrito Pflügerstraße 11,12047 Berlin ,+49 (30) 33851520, www.burritobaby.de 4:00pm Baking delicious pan-English specialities, the “Bonanza Coffee Roasters” roast their coffee and a La Marzocco Espresso Machine pumps out a delicious direct trade flat white (ensuring fair wages for growers by directly sourcing from farmers). When possible they use organic products to make the likes of beetroot-chocolate cake and carrot cake, and the peanut butter pie is worth all the euros you have in your pocket.

7:30pm Hipster tourists have transplanted themselves in the new White Trash in Neukölln, a American trailer park meets German-Asian-MexicanFrench-Swiss-Army fusion meets enclosure of bizarrely dressed people having spirited conversation. Live music is a draw for this strange but infatuating eatery, as are the ribs and bomb brownie with vanilla ice. And finally, a simple, but honest description of the restaurant, “Exotisches Essen nach Hausfrauen-Art!” (Exotic food just like Mama used to make!) Come for the food, stay for the live music, at least until 11pm, and then hit the town.

Katies Blue Cat Friedelstraße 31, 12047 Berlin, www.katiesbluecat.de

White Trash Fast Food Am Flutgraben 2, 12435 Berlin www.whitetrashfastfood.com 11:00pm A trip to Berlin is not complete without visiting Berghain, which is perhaps the most well known club in Berlin, as well as the one of the most internationally reputed clubs, known as the Church of Techno. The sound system is one of the best you can get, but only 50 per cent or so of people get to hear it, because getting in to this club is ridiculously challenging. Everyone wears street ware, and the best nights to get in are Sunday nights. The bar has a drink menu, and as expected, beer is cheapest (€3-4) with mixed drinks are bit more expensive (€7-8).

Berghain Rüdersdorfer Str. 70,10243 Berlin, +49 (30) 29360210 www.berghain.de

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The Event: Second Date Welcome to our new series recommending where to eat for certain occasions. Yalun Tu goes for casual intimacy at Serge et Le Phoque for that all important second date

The pork was not our favourite – it was cooked quickly for about eight minutes to keep its red center but it also meant that it wasn’t as soft as others we’ve had. No matter. We were already in food coma and I think we sorta-maybe-heldhands. Now for the beetroot sorbet; curious and delightful (like my eyes, she said) and offered a nice cooling palate cleanser.

Next came brie de meaux, a surprisingly, nice choice. Can’t go wrong with brie. But the next dish was AMAZING; lemon cream daquoise choc tart with a crust that was buttery and crunchy and the lemon cream was fresh and amazeballs.

The drinks: The sommelier at Serge is excellent.

She can recommend pairing wines with the food if you just tell her the types of things you like and you won’t be disappointed.

The summary: Serge et le Phoque is a trick. It’s a culinary journey disguised in a casual eatery.

So perfect for a date since you don’t seem like you’re trying too hard when in reality you’re so trying hard. And that casual elegance is just what we look for early on in a partner, somebody who is wonderful but makes everything look effortless.

Price per person: Around $1,000.

Serge et le Phoque 3 Wanchai Road, Wanchai, 5465 2000

www.afoodieworld.com // november 2015

Here is what you want in your dining choice on a second date: to go somewhere nicer than the first date. You know you like your date – the way he smiles is charming, the way she laughs is infectious. That means we’re going to escalate in price, ambiance, and nudge the intimacy up a bit.

The setting: nestled in Wanchai, Serge et Le Phoque serves high-end food in a casual atmosphere. For the second date, it’s not yet time to roll out the white tablecloths; the vibe we want is warm and inviting, like, “Hey there, date, I’m a nice person you should get to know better.”

The food: we asked the waitstaff what type of food we were in for and they came back with, “things the chef likes.” Not very helpful. But we kicked into investigative foodie journalist mode and determined the food was, umm, things the chef likes. We settled on describing it as freshly flown in Japanese food with European sensibilities. We had the set menu. And my gosh, was it delicious.

The tempura was perfectly cooked and the mussels had a smoky yakitori flavour that came out when drizzled in lime juice. The coconut ceviche was cool and refreshing and the mandarin’s citrus flavour balanced out the cockles nicely. Overall, they were a little clammy but so were my hands at that point. The yellowtail and peach were sweet and light and the fish actually melted in your mouth. It was a great “mmmm” moment as my date and I made eye contact–it was like sharing a secret. The razor clams were cooked perfectly with a warm, almost garlicky taste without all that guff of overly potent flavour.

The asparagus was giant and crunchy and the mackerel had a warm, noshable fish flavour. By now it was nice to reflect on the culinary (and romantic) journey to date – warm and breaded seafood; raw ceviche and yellowtail; truffled clams.

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recipes

Hosting at Home Chef Tom Burney of Invisible Kitchen has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens and cooked for celebrities in their homes, he now gives us his best celebratory recipes to create a complete festive feast for friends and family in our own homes (Or, you can get Tom himself to do all the hard work and order the whole supper from www.invisiblekitchen.com)

styling by Jo Lorenz of lamaisondelorenz.com, photography by Sophie Jin of www.todaytomorrowphotography.com

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recipes

DUCK-FAT ROASTED POTATOES

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“Triple-cooked in duck fat makes for the ultimate roast potatoes. A real Invisible Kitchen favourite.”

Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 30-40 mins 4.

5.

6.

7.

facebook.com/foodiehk // november 2015

Ingredients: • 350g potatoes per person • Duck or goose fat, enough to cover all potatoes • Salt Method: 1. Take the biggest pan you have and fill ¾ with water, adding sea salt until you can taste it.

Put a lid on and bring it to a big rolling boil - the more heat the better now, to make it crunchy we need to shock and overcook the outside of the potato before the middle is even cooked.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut into ¼ or smaller pieces depending on your own preference. Add the potatoes to the rapidly boiling water and put the lid back on, until the water comes to the boil again, then remove the lid so you can see what’s happening inside.

After around 10 minutes, the outside of the potato should be soft enough. To test, look at a corner of the potato (where cut) you should see it starts to turn white and you should be able easily scrape the outer layer of potato away. When at this stage, carefully remove to a colander and gently shake to rough up the outside.

Put on a wire rack / colander (trying not to let them touch) and allow to air dry. This stage helps make the outside crunchier and the inside fluffier, as you allow moisture to escape.

Once cool, you can fry the potato in duck fat (or goose fat, or coconut oil or any fat of your choosing). Ensure your oil is around 160-170°C (a digital thermometer is handy here). If you don’t have a thermometer, the oil should rapidly bubble when you put the potato in, but should not smoke. Fry until golden brown.

Remove and cool.

Put the golden brown potatoes onto an oven tray and add a couple of spoonfuls of duck fat, just enough to wet the base of the tray, then cook in a 180°C oven until the potato is soft in the middle.

These can be reheated in the oven, and will go crispy again the second time around.

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recipes

SMOKED MACKEREL & PICKLED RED CABBAGE FILO TARTLETTES “An Invisible Kitchen classic canape with a seasonal, spiced twist.”

Makes: 20 pieces Prep time: 20 mins Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients: • 1 raw mackerel fillet • 20% brine solution (300g water, 60g salt, mixed until dissolved) • A handful of small size wood chips (hickory, or any type you prefer) • 20 shop-bought or homemade filo pastry tartlette cases • Crème fraiche (or cream cheese) • 100g pickled red cabbage- see next recipe Garnish: • Finely chopped chives Method: 1. Prepare the smoke-box: Take a medium-sized foil tray and put a wire rack to fit inside. Use some tin foil to make a small ring to hold the wood chips under the rack in the centre of the base. Put the foil tray on top of a flat metal tray (this stops the foil from burning through), 42

2.

3.

4.

5.

and set up on a gas stove. Make a foil lid that will hold in the smoke, but leave open for now.

Trim the fatty belly and excess skin from mackerel fillets and soak in brine for 10 minutes, then quickly rinse and pat dry. Lightly sprinkle flesh with salt, and arrange on wire rack, leaving a little space between each fillet.

Add the wood chips to the foil ring and turn the flame on full power, with the tray on top of stove. Put the fish on top of the rack. Half cover the fish with foil (loosely) so you can see when smoke starts. Once wood starts smoking (white smoke), turn the heat down to low and close the foil lid tightly. After 6 minutes smoking, turn off heat, and remove tray to cool on wire rack (do not open foil cover). After 10 minutes more, remove foil cover.

Using metal tweezers, remove all bones and fins from fish. Remove the skin and blood lines (dark colored, soft flesh), then break along natural lines into small pieces, as desired into tartlette cases.

Mix half of the chives with the crème fraiche, salt and white pepper and put in piping bag.

Pipe a little crème fraiche mix into the base of each tart. Top with a pinch of red cabbage (see recipe below) and 1 piece of mackerel. Garnish with chopped chives.

recipes

PICKLED RED CABBAGE “The cabbage bursts with spicy-sweet flavours and has real crunch. Matches perfectly with white meats and fish.”

2.

Prep time: 20 mins Salting time: 1-24hrs Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients: • 1 red cabbage • Coarse sea salt for salting cabbage • 275 ml malt vinegar • 140ml balsamic vinegar • 140ml white wine vinegar • 400ml red wine • 375g caster sugar • 2 star anise • 5 bay leaves • 10 cloves whole • 1 tsp black peppercorns • 1 tsp pink peppercorns • 1 stick Cinnamon • 5 whole dried chilies Method: 1. Half and quarter the cabbage. De-vein the stem and finely slice the cabbage leaves. Place in a colander set over a bowl (to catch drips) and generously sprinkle with sea salt, tossing

3.

the cabbage to ensure good coverage. Leave for at least 2 hours or even 24 hours. Rinse the salt from the cabbage leaves.

Place all the vinegars, wine and sugar together in a pan and reduce by half, skimming as you go. Add the remaining dry ingredients when the reduction is near completion and allow to infuse for 15 mins. (If not using the pickling liquid straight away, the flavours will continue to develop if you leave all the dry ingredients in the liquid.)

Sieve the mixture. Put the cabbage into a zip-lock bag or tupperware and pour on the pickling liquid until cabbage is completely covered.

Tom’s tips: • The cabbage improves with time, so it’s best to make at least a few days ahead of time, but will still be amazing if eaten same day.

• Drain the cabbage before use, but you can re-use the pickling liquid.

• Great with cold meats, smoked fish, with rich cheeses on a cheeseboard or even on a beef burger- anywhere you want a tangy, spicy-sweet crunch.

• By experimenting with different types of vinegar you can achieve very different colours.

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recipes

Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts 44

recipes

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON AND CHESTNUTS “This recipe transforms the stuff of childhood nightmares into a buttery, delicious dream.”

Serves: 4-6 people Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 15 mins

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE “You can be creative around the holidays. Great for a starter, a snack, dessert, or served in shot glasses as a fun canape.”

Serves: 2 persons Prep time: 5 mins

Ingredients: • 1 ½ cup milk • ½ cup organic pumpkin purée (roasted and mashed pumpkin, passed through sieve) • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder • 1 organic apple, core & skin removed • Dried/ dehydrated cranberries (for garnish) Method: 1. Combine all ingredients (except cranberries) and blend until smooth.

2. Pour into glass and top with cranberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

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Ingredients: • 1lb Brussels sprouts • 200g unsmoked bacon • 150g cooked chestnuts • 6 shallot or 1 red onion • 75g butter • Sea salt and white pepper • Chopped parsley Method: 1. Bring a large pan of salted water to a big, rolling boil.

2. Trim the bigger, outer tough leaves from the sprouts, trim the bottom and cut a small cross in the base of each one. If your sprouts are of very different sizes, split into small and big batches to boil separately.

3. Add sprouts to the rapidly boiling water. Cook until just tender, around 3-5 minutes for small sprouts. 1 - 10 for larger ones. Remove and chill in cold water, to help keep their green colour, then drain once cool.

4. Slice the sprouts to ½ cm thick.

5. Dice your bacon and fry on a low/medium heat in a frying pan until crispy brown. Slice the red onion and fry with the bacon, then chop the chestnuts and add to the pan. Add plenty of butter and some chopped parsley.

Add your sprouts and warm through, then mix and serve.

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recipes

ROAST TURKEY “We brine the turkey for 24-hours to ensure it’s absolutely perfect for everyone: crispy skin and moist, succulent flesh.”

Brining Time: 24hrs Prep time: 20 mins Cooking time: 1 - 1.5 hrs

Ingredients: For the brine: • 2+ litres water • 1 ½ cups coarse salt • ½ cup sugar • 6 bay leaves • 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds • 1 tbsp dried juniper berries • 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns • 1 tbsp fennel seeds • 1 tsp black or brown mustard seeds

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For the roast turkey • 1 turkey crown • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced • 6 garlic gloves, crushed • 1 bunch fresh thyme Method: 1. Boil 1 litre of water. Add salt, sugar, bay leaves and spices – simmer for 5 minutes. Cool and add the rest of the water water in a big pan (or cool-box).

2. Add turkey (should be defrosted) to the brine and leave for 24 hours or overnight in the fridge.

3. Rinse turkey. Place on a rack in a large oven pan, ensuring breast is evenly flat (to avoid uneven browning). Cook at 180°C for first 20 minutes, or until evenly browned to desired colour.

4. Cover turkey with foil, reduce temp to 160°C and cook for approximately 40 more minutes, until internal temp of the bird is 65°C at its thickest point. Allow to rest under foil for 30 minutes.

5. Retain juices for gravy.

recipes

APPLE TARTE TATIN “The sprinkling of cinnamon brings this festive dessert to life.”

Serves: 6-8 people Prep time: 25 mins drying time: 24 hours Cooking time: 25 mins

4.

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Tip: Make sure the tart is not hot but just barely warm when you flip it. If too hot, the caramel will still be liquid-y and you will lose it. Too cold and your fruit will be glued to the pan by the set caramel. In our kitchen, we chill the cooked tart in the fridge, then flip and heat the pan with a blowtorch to remove.

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Ingredients: • 6 medium apples • sprinkle of cinnamon • 225g white sugar • 1 star anise • 55g butter, cut into small cubes • 50g water • 300g puff pastry • Pinch of sea salt Method: 1. Peel, halve, core and slice the apples into wedges but leave one as a complete half.

Toss with a sprinkle of cinnamon and put in the fridge, uncovered, for 24 hours (or put in dehydrator at 40°C for 3-4 hours). Removing moisture at this stage means less moisture will leak out of the apples when cooking, protecting the integrity of the caramel.

2. Put the sugar into a 20cm heavy-based ovenproof frying pan along with 50ml water and the star anise. Leave to soak for a couple

3.

of minutes, then cook over a medium heat until it turns golden brown. Just as the caramel turns dark brown you should remove from the heat, and immediately add the chopped butter and whisk together with a pinch of sea salt, then pour into your pan.

Carefully arrange the apples in the pan, starting with the ½ apple-round-side down in the middle, fanning the wedges around it and filling in any gaps with smaller wedges.

2 layers of apple is good here as they shrink while cooking.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry and cut out a circle 1cm bigger than your pan. Put back into the fridge to rest.

Put the pastry on top of the pan and tuck in the edges around the fruit. Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, risen and cooked through, then remove from the oven.

Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes then put a wire rack over the top of the pan and flip over, carefully removing the pan.

47

chineasy food

Foodie’s kitchen scientist Kelly Yau experiments with recipes in her tiny Hong Kong kitchen

COCONUT LAKSA CURRY

1

Serves 2 hungry eaters Prep time: 5 mins Cooking time: 20 mins

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1 large handful mushrooms (any type)

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3 large pak choi (quartered)

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1 small box of silken tofu (optional)

6 kaffir lime leaves

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4 pieces tofu pocket (optional)

1 tsp palm sugar

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2-4 tbsp coconut milk

1-2 tbsp fish sauce (adjust to taste)

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2 spring onions, finely chopped

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1 chilli, finely chopped (adjust to taste)

Ingredients:

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1 whole fish, filleted (I prefer bream or sea bass)

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1-2 tbsp red curry paste (add more if you like it spicy)

• • • •

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1 large handful pea shoots (or spinach)

Method: 1. If you are using a whole fish: fillet the fish, set the fillets to one side and add the bones to the pot. Lightly brown the bones and add 2-3 cups of water. Boil the bones for 15 mins to make the stock, strain and discard the bones. Or you can use ready-made fish stock if you’re feeling lazy.

2. Add the curry paste, lime leaves, palm sugar and fish sauce and taste to check the seasoning suites your palate.

3. Gently add the fish, vegetables and tofu to the soup and put a lid on the pot and keep on high heat for 3-5 minutes until the fish is cooked. The amount of time will depend on the thickness of the fish. A thick fillet of salmon for example, will take up to 7 minutes.

4. Finish the soup with the coconut milk and add the spring onions and chillies to the top.

KELLY’S TIP: • This is the perfect recipe to use your favourite seasonal veg, such as water spinach in the spring and pea shoots in the autumn. Instead of fish, you can use other seafood or you can poach chicken in this soup for a hearty winter supper.

To see more of Kelly’s fun food experiments, check out bit.ly/KellyYau

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