Hong Kong - Tai Yuen Seafood Restaurant

It was a beautiful sunny day and we decided to go to Lamma Island for our seafood fix, away from the hustle and bustle. Tai Yuen is located in Sok Kwu Wan bay of Lamma Island. It is one of many seafood restaurants located on First Street near the ferry pier, and most of them have tanks full of fish and shellfish designed to attract customers. We chose Tai Yuen because Boyfriend's family has been coming here for years and they love the seafood here. The restaurant is outdoors but covered, and you can look out into the bay while you eat. It's quite a beautiful and calming scene. Before you sit down, you are invited to look at the fish tanks to see what fresh seafood they offter that day before ordering. Alternatively, you can just order the set menu (which includes a few signature seafood dishes, vegetables, fried rice and tofu pudding).

 Salt and Pepper Squid 椒鹽鮮魷: This is Tai Yuen's signature dish, and justly so. The batter was so crisp and had a nice kick from the black pepper. The squid inside was perfectly tender. A sweet and sour sauce was provided as a dipping sauce, but the squid was flavourful enough on its own.

Black Bean Razor Clams 豉椒蟶子: Normally I like my razor clams steamed with garlic, but black beans proved to be a worthy match. The deep, savoury and slightly bitter flavour of the black beans contrasted well with the sweet and fresh razor clams. I still prefer the garlic method though.

Steamed Abalone 蒸鮑魚: The mini abalone were steamed with ginger and spring onion to enhance their natural flavours. The abalone were very tender and easy to remove from their shells.

Their Steamed Fish is always perfectly cooked. The meat on the fish was firm and sweet, complemented well by the soy sauce and cilantro/green onion mixture.

Crisp and sweet Bak Choy

Sweet and Sour Pork 咕嚕肉: We get this every time. One of the best sweet and sour pork dishes I've had! The pork was encased in an incredibly crispy shell, tossed with pineapple and bell peppers in a sweet and sour sauce. The pork was lean and the shell didn't leave behind a greasy aftertaste.

Verdict: Tai Yuen serves up delicious and fresh seafood at its waterfront location. Service is prompt and attentive. The casual and lively environment is great for big groups and families. Afterwards, walk off the meal on easy hiking trails that snake through the island.

I recommend: Salt and Pepper Squid, Steamed Abalone, Sweet and Sour Pork

Tai Yuen Seafood Restaurant 泰苑魚翅海鮮酒家
Address: G/F, 15 First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island
Phone: 2982-8386
Hours: Mon-Sun 10:00am - 23:00pm

Hong Kong - Trattoria Queen Hollywood

As you may know, Japanese and Italian are two of my favourite cuisines of all time. When you combine the two, scrumptious things happen. Trattoria Queen Hollywood serves exactly that: delicious Italian cuisine influenced by Japanese flavours and ingredients. It's a small cozy restaurant, with about 15 seats on the main floor. The kitchen is semi-open, so customers can see their food being prepared and plated. The menu is quite small, but I think that's a great way to focus on a few signature dishes and make them perfect. 

Amuse bouche: Pork pate with a sprig of dill sandwiched between two rice paper crisps

Japanese Vegetable Bagna Cauda: Bagna cauda literally means "hot bath" in Italian, and is a warm dip for vegetables typically found in Piedmont, Italy. Here, seasonal Japanese vegetables were provided. 

This dish was served similar to a fondue. You dip the vegetables into the warm homemade sauce made of anchovies, garlic, olive oil and butter. I loved the stark contrast of the cold sweet and crunchy vegetables against the warm salty anchovy.

The sauce was served in an oil burner to keep warm.

Spaghetti Vongole with clams, mussels, squid and dried mullet roe: This dish was made using Dassai, a top quality Japanese sake, instead of traditional white wine. The seafood was extremely fresh and plump. The sauce was light and briny, not like your usual sweet and creamy Japanese style pasta. The dried mullet roe added depth and umami.

Pike Eel Agnolotti in a Mushroom sauce with Summer Truffle: Agnolotti is a type of pasta from Piedmont that is similar to ravioli, but square, smaller and thinner. This homemade pasta was filled with Pike eel and tossed in a mushroom sauce and a variety of fresh mushrooms. The eel had an almost meat-y flavour and texture, which paired really well with the earthy mushrooms. The sauce was fresh and light, elevated by the fragrant truffles.

Homemade Panna Cotta and Chocolate Cheesecake with Yamazaki Whisky sauce: Possibly one of the best panna cottas I've had! The smooth texture was just spot on. The creamy panna cotta practically dissolved in my mouth. The whisky sauce was sweet and had the distinct fruity aroma and bitter aftertaste of Japanese whisky. This went well with the rich dark chocolate brownie (it said cheesecake on the menu but it was fudgy and chewy like a brownie).

Verdict: I can't wait to come back again. I'm a huge fan of Japanese Italian food and Trattoria Queen really hit the spot. They use high quality ingredients and strive to highlight those ingredients, not drown them in a lot of cream which can happen in Japanese-Italian cuisine. They also offer complex flavours and you can tell the dishes were thought through and executed well. The restaurant itself is cozy and comfortable, and the service was attentive. 

I recommend: Japanese Vegetable Bagna Cauda, Spaghetti Vongole, Panna Cotta

Trattoria Queen Hollywood
Address: G/F, 258 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Phone: 2559-6077

Boston - Neptune Oyster

It was almost a 5-hour drive from New York to Boston. I think we left during morning rush hour, so by the time we arrived at our hotel it was almost 2pm. We were both so hungry and grumpy from being hungry. I was dying to have the lobster roll that V told me about. So once we were checked in, I was thrilled to find out that Neptune was only a few blocks away from our hotel. We arrived there around 230pm, but there was still a line. We put our names down and went for a coffee. We came back around 315pm and were seated at the bar. I liked the casual decor and ambiance of the restaurant. There were some nautical decorations, wood accents and white tiled walls. People were chatting loudly but I could still hear myself and didn't have to yell. The servers were friendly, upbeat, and didn't hover.

We were given an order sheet for oysters, clams, and other cold seafood appetizers. We picked two types of oysters: Kusshi and Kumamoto; and two types of clams: Littlenecks and Cherrystones. We preferred the Kusshi, as it was more plump and creamy. We also liked the Littlenecks more. They were succulent and briny. The Cherrystones tasted flat and was a bit too chewy. 

Wellfleet Clam Chowder: The clams were plump and fresh. The chowder was well seasoned and creamy. I liked how the consistency of this chowder wasn't gloopy and thick, like the kind from a can.

Lobster Roll served warm with Butter: Star of the show!! You can get this cold with mayo, or hot with butter. We tried a buttered version before in San Francisco, so we wanted to have something different. When our roll came, I was a bit disappointed because they had mixed up our order and given us the butter one. We were too hungry to wait for another one so we didn't send it back. I bit into it and boy was I glad the order got mixed up! The buttered one was heavenly!! Hands down the BEST lobster roll I've ever had. There was just an obscene amount of fresh lobster coated generously in a warm buttery sauce. The lobster chunks were cooked to perfection - juicy, sweet, not rubbery at all. The bread roll was toasted on the outside and soft on the inside, with a bit of sweetness to it. 

Verdict: I would come again for the oysters, lobster roll, and to try the crab claws.