Summer 13' x One Thirty One

Caviar
Potato Hot & Cold

Monkfish
Cauliflower 3 Ways x Truffle x Sherry Vinegar 

Wagyu
Corn x Black Garlic x Broccolini
Puffed Rice

Mint Pot
 Guanaja Cremeux x Mint Sherbet x Hazelnut Soil

My family and I had dinner at One Thirty One to celebrate my parents' 25th wedding anniversary. Located in Sai Kung, this French restaurant is secluded and peaceful. It only serves 16 people per night, and this attention to every single costumer could explain why the food was so delicate and delicious. 

Happy Silver Wedding Anniversary Mom & Dad! 

Spring Break Eatery x Cova High Tea

Yes, my healthy plan is working just fine in Hong Kong... But really, how could one resist the variety of cuisines this food paradise offers. In this fat afternoon, my friend Jelly (Evangeline... I've always wondered why we give each other such weird nicknames) and I went to the famous Cova High Tea. The tea was in buffet style and was in the middle of the restaurant. We sat at a corner which had sofas and the environment was peaceful and comfortable (except for the little awkwardness given that it was situated in open space right in the middle of the mall). 

Salty Savor & Pastries

Fresh Fruits & Jelly

Hot Plates

Fruity Cheesecake

Black Cherry & Whipped Cream Crepe

The crepe was too thick and was not the best I've tasted, but overall, the buffet was satisfying and worth the price considering the diversity of snacks it provided (I didn't manage to take pictures of the cake section). I especially loved that it provided fruits so that I could clean my mouth with some lightness.

301, L3,
Pacific Place,
88 Queensway,
Admiralty, Hong Kong
(852)2918-9643

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And because our pet Hammy is too cute, I had to add him into this post about dessert and all that sweetness:

It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!

GAHHH... Being home just feels so good!

Spring Break Eatery x Wa-San-Mai

To start off my spring break eatery (aka stuff-myself-until-I-die-plan), my family and I went to Wa-San-Mai, one of the largest Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong. Wa-San-Mai consists of four zones, including Teppanyaki, Shabu Shabu, Sushi Bar and Cafe Zone. We mainly ate in the Teppanyaki zone. Each table had a cooking area and a personal cook who served the set we chose on the spot right in front of us. From the way he controlled his utensils and ingredients perfectly, I could tell that our cook was really skilled and had years of experience in the Teppanyaki field. Because we could communicate with the cook and ask him everything about the food (e.x. are the seafoods really from Japan), the experience felt personalized and cozy. I highly recommend everyone to try it! 

Fois Gras- fatly appetizing & one of my favs (although the process of making it is quite brutal...)! The bread added absorbed the oil (fat) of the fois gras and added a new texture to the dish. 

Scallop!

We were forced to wear bibs, which generally made us look retarded. I guess it was for our own fashion sake. Fortunately, I did drip some oil... on my bib. 

My sister with a bib, still looking good. 

Our clams were cooked inside this silver pot/bowl with wine (partly for the taste and partly for the flaming visual effect). The pot/bowl jiggled as the flames bursted into the air- somewhat entertaining to watch I must say! 

Clams- big, fresh & juicy!

Beef & Fried Rolls

Fried Rice

Fried Rice- a little bit dry. I would have loved it if he left some raw egg in.

Fried Vegetable

We then moved to the Cafe Zone to enjoy some refreshments. This design of diving the restaurant into zones was really thoughtful; it allowed costumers to choose a zone according to their appetite and added a different atmosphere to each zone.

Tofu Ice-cream- tasted like sweet Tofu/ cold creamy Tofu Flower. Apparently, all kinds of ice-creams exist nowadays. Has anyone ever tried a salty ice-cream?

22/F,
555 Hennessey Road,
Sogo,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
(852)2831-8989

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Home Cooking x Christmas Eve Dinner

T'is my favorite holiday of the year! As a custom for Christmas Eve, my family invited our family friends home for dinner. While being in the state of jet lag, I still managed to take some pictures of the festive decorations and yummy food. 

Poor Ginger

Wagyu Steak

Turkey from Cova

Crunch Cake from Spoil Cafe

Merry Christmas!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

BEST Thai in Hong Kong

Every Thanksgiving break, I like to go home for a short vacation to see my family & friends, annoy my pet hamster, and EAT. Before coming back to the States, my family asked me where I wanted to have a decent dinner at. Without hesitating, I chose Mango Tree. 

The setting of Mango tree adds a modern twist to Thai restaurants' typical interior designs. The dangly lights were especially catchy to me. 

Mixed Satay with Chicken, Pork & Beef

Kale with Salted Fish

After having boarding school food for an extended period of time, I am always ecstatic to see actually cooked vegetables. 

Phad Thai

One of my favorites at Mango Tree- just look at how delicately made that piece of egg is! I have tasted a lot of Phad Thai before, and none of them beat this. 

Curry River Prawns

I warn you- this light yellow curry with egg, Thai celery and onions does not taste like normal curry at all. In fact, it does not taste like curry, but as a person who hates spicy food, this is perfect for me. The crab version of this curry is one of Mango Tree's signature dishes. Because our family does not want to completely lose our etiquette and battle against the crabs like barbarians, we decided to go with the river prawns, which is just as good. Out of the many people who tried this dish, I have never heard a single one of them not yearn to drink the whole bowl of curry (oops... double negative). 

Sago Pudding

Sticky Rice with Mango

One of their signature dishes as well. Yes, I hate mango and therefore, I don't eat mango; but I do fight for the biggest slice of coconut cream covered sticky rice.

Water Chestnut in Coconut Cream

A refreshing dessert- the chewy texture of the yellow jackfruits and the bouncy texture of the red water chestnuts contrast in the iced coconut cream.

No pressure, but this restaurant is a must-go-to.

5/F, Cubus,
1 Hoi Ping Road,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
(852)2577-0828

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A Day in NYC

Highlight of my long weekend: trip to NYC! Although I study in New York, I'm actually 3 hours away  from the city. The trip was supposed to be "academical" (i.e. visiting colleges), but we ate and shopped at Soho for the most part (hey, at least we passed by NYU & Parson). 

Soho- © Google Image

1st Food Stop: Lure Fish-bar. I just had a salmon tartar as I knew that I would be overwhelmed with food later on. 

Salmon Tartar

2nd Food Stop: Baked by Melissa. The special thing about this cupcake shop is that it has the tiniest and cutest cupcakes ever, served in twelve flavors. 

I have never been to Korean Town in NYC; to be honest, I've never even knew there was such a town. We had our final food stops of the day here, including dinner at Wonjo and we stopped by Paris Baguette to take some baked goods home. 

Dishes of Appetizers

Tofu & Kimchi Stew

I had a sip from one of the stews- tasted fine but it was too spicy for me.

Kimchi Pancake

Korean Barbeque

Beef vs. Pork Belly- I preferred beef; sweet and tender.

Special design of typical Korean restaurants- the pipe, which is used to evacuate the smoke accumulated during the barbeque. 

Because that was my second time having Korean food, I got a little too bold and tried all the spicy food.  I ended up with a sore throat and non-stop coughs. Lesson learned: never push yourself to the extreme.

New York City was a great getaway from the mundane city I'm studying in, but if I were to study there, I doubt I could actually concentrate.