Thursday, January 27, 2011

Hong Kong Trip Spring '10

HONG KONG, MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME

So happy to be back in Hong Kong again...I missed Hong Kong so much after being away for almost 3 years...I first came to Hong Kong from the Philippines in 1993, I was in my early twenties then and never left HK...I've lived here for more than 10 years, that's why I consider Hong Kong as my second home...Now that i've settled out West, I still try to go back to Hong Kong every 3 years to visit my friends and of course, to eat the best Chinese food i've ever known...

Everytime I visit Hong Kong, I would always stay with my best friend, Wendy...I used to live with them before I moved away...She's been so gracious to offer her place once again and i'm so happy to able to spend some time with her and her family...

Top: Hong Kong view from The Peak; Below: Hong Kong skyline


Top: Admiralty boundary; Below: Wan Chai district


Wendy knew how much i've missed Asian food especially homecooked meal and she didn't disappoint me at all...She prepared a five course meal on my second night...I was so delighted because every dish was very well executed...And to think how much time and effort she spent on preparing these...I must have eaten 3 times more than what I would normally eat...Yes, they're that good!




Top Left & Right: Fried chicken pieces; Sauteed Bittermelon with cracked eggs


Top Left & Right: Sauteed Mixed Vegetables with Shrimp paste; Chinese vegetable


Top Left & Right: Steamed Fish; Fish market


Fresh Vegetable market in Oi man Estate, Kowloon


Top Left & Right: Chinese barbecue restaurant; My favorite-Ngau lam Mein


Top Left & Right: Wendy ordered Veggie stuffed dumplings; Choi Sum with Oyster sauce

I remember we used to eat this Fried rice with Chicken and dried salted Fish and Con Chau Ngau Ho at the Ka Ka Lok...So, I had to have them again to satisfy my craving...Even my siblings love these flat noodles with beef...So simple yet very delicious...One plate is not enough, we had to order more!


Top Left & Right: Hum Yue Kai Lap Chow Fun: Con Chau Ngau Ho

Right before I left Hong Kong, I met up with my other friends, Annie and Mr. On...He's our very loyal chinese friend and Annie's fan :) He took us for Yum Cha in Mongkok...He knows how much we love Yum Cha because this wasn't the first time we went out together...Most restaurants that offer Yum Cha are packed and it pays to know the staff to get a table right away...As usual, we ordered our favorites: Steamed Dumplings, Fung Chao (Chicken Feet), Beef Tripes, Fried Stuff and hot Tea


Top Left & Right: Assorted steamed dumplings; Steamed Pork meatballs


Top Left & Right: Steamed Siu Mai; Steamed Har Gao


Top Left & Right: Glutinous rice stuffed with bean paste; Fried Taro

Top: Coconut Tapioca Pudding in a Coconut

Hong Kong vacation won't be complete without visiting Prince Edward...There's this open market on Fa Yuen Street which is 2 blocks long, where you'll find all sorts of goods mainly from China...They have a lot of garment shops where you can buy overrun Signature items which are slightly damaged but not obvious at all...It's so cheap that you'll end up buying a lot...It's a shopper's paradise and the best place for your dollar...Make sure to bargain, too :) And watch out for pick pockets! Wendy and I used to come here to look for our costumes or just window shop...Aside from the shops, there are also a bunch of restaurants and food stalls (pictured below)


Top Left & Right: Lap Cheung (Chinese sausages); Dried Duck


Fruit stalls on Fa Yuen Street Market in Prince Edward

Wendy prepared another favorite of mine, Hot Pot aka Shabu-shabu...My brothers and I tore it up...Can't remember the last time I had Hot Pot...It is such a fun thing to do, you cook your own food for a few seconds to a minute in the boiling flavorful stock...We used to have this after work around 2am with friends, back then 2am was still early to be eating because we didn't go to bed til 7am...


For a change, we headed to Korean Bar-b-q place in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon on Cameron Road...Again, my brothers love this place...Yes, my brothers are also foodies like me...We thought, Hong Kong is the best place to pig out, and that's what this trip was all about...We ate til we dropped :D So, for $10 a person, you get to eat all you can...You cook the raw meat on a hot plate in the center of the table...Then it's served with small plates of side dishes called Ban chan...Just like Hot Pot except this is not in a boiling liquid...Another fun thing to do with family and friends...I remember leaving the place stuffed up...It's worth it though...



Top Left & Right: Baby Cuttlefish; Side dishes


Top Left & Right: Bean sprouts & Gai Lan; Choi Sum and Chicken Feet

You will also find a lot of Bakeries and Cake shops in Hong Kong...The most famous ones are Maxim's and St. Honore Bake shops...They offer the best looking and best tasting cakes and pastries in my opinion...I think they are classically trained because they look just like the ones i've seen in Paris...Hong Kong breads are also great and most of them are stuffed or flavored...My favorite so far is Kai Mei Bao which is a Coconut Stuffed Buns with Sesame seeds on top...I would always have that with coffee, yum!



I had this Roasted Duck with Noodles soup at the Chek Lap Kok airport on my way back to the Philippines...For $4, it came with a side veggie and a drink, Thong Yuen Yueng(Coffee-Tea-Milk blend)...Not bad for the price, it held me until dinner when I arrived in Manila...


Last but not the least, I met up with my ex-agent Ate Medy and Annie...I always have to see Ate Medy whenever i'm in town...I've worked with her for many years as my agent...She's also a good cook herself...One of the dishes she does well is the Coconut Crab and Chicken Adobo (pictured below) A Filipino dish that has many versions...Every region in the Philippines has their own interpretation of Adobo, so not all Adobos taste the same...


Below is the Impossible Cake baked by Annie...In Mexico, they call it Impossible Cake because they combine the cake batter and custard in a pan, then bake it...the result is somethhing like this (pictured) It must be the chemical reaction to heat that separates the batter from the custard...As for Annie's technique, I think she bakes the cake separately then add the custard the last...Up until now, she still hasn't sent me her recipe for this...Must be a top secret :) Anyway, the cake was great, the texture of the cake was so fluffy...Can't wait for Annie to share her secret with me...


That wraps up my Hong Kong adventure...So many great memories for me to cherish...I know I will always be back, no matter what...So until my next visit, hopefully soon...

As they say in Hong Kong, Choi Kin!

Heirloom Tomatoes

CAPRESE SALAD, ANYONE?

It's summertime!!! And you know what that means, YES, it's Tomatoes season...It's that time of the year when Tomatoes taste at its best! We love Tomatoes and we always get the Vine-ripe kind even when it's not in season...I use it mostly on salads but the Plum kind, I only use it for cooking...I consider Heirloom Tomatoes the best of the best of all Tomatoes, why? Simply because they taste different, it's earthy and juicy...It's a Hybrid (I guess) that's why they're costly...They may be pricey but I don't mind indulging on this beautiful produce in the summer...


I took several shots of these gorgeous Tomatoes and these are just a few of them...Wish I can post them all but I don't wanna bore you...I know this won't be the last time i'm gonna blog about Tomatoes...





I love Caprese Salad...It's an Italian Tomato Salad from the island of Capri...In Italy, they normally make this salad using Vine-ripe or Roma Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella and fresh Basil leaves...The color symbolizes the flag of Italy...Just add salt, freshly cracked pepper, olive oil and Balsamic vinegar (optional) and you have a very refreshing summer salad...



So, for this salad, I used different varieties of organic Heirloom Tomatoes...Bought a tub of Bocconcini Mozzarella cheese and picked fresh Basil from my herb garden...Sliced them in wedges since they are not all the same size...Placed them on a white plate, as always, drizzled EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar from Napa Valley Harvest...I really like this Napa Valley brand because it has a thicker consistency compared to other Balsamic vinegar, that's why it's not all over the plate...It's slighly sweet and really great on salads just the way it is...There is no need to make a vinaigrette...




Can't wait for summer to have the best Tomatoes again...There are still Heirloom Tomatoes at the store in the winter but they just don't taste the same...Meanwhile, i'll stick to my regular leafy salad which is a staple in our house...It won't be long and it's summer again just before you know it...