New York - Eleni's Cookies

Eleni's Cookies is a cute store inside Chelsea Market that sells baked goods. They sell "normal" cookies (their butterscotch is amazing) and also customised sugar cookies. They have cookies for pretty much any occasion or theme that you can think of: birthdays, weddings, animals...even silly ones like Emoji! You can also special order your own for events. I bought their DIY Color Me cookies as a souvenir for Nene because she likes to doodle. It came in a sturdy tin box with 8 cookies and 5 edible markers. We had fun coloring the cookies (I felt like a kid again!), but the cookies were way too sweet for our liking. It would definitely be a cute idea for kids' birthday parties though!

Creamy Crab Rigatoni

This is a simple yet decadent weeknight pasta dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make. I loved the chunks of creamy crab meat hiding inside the mezzi rigatoni (short rigatoni). However I must apologize for the quality of these photos. I left my camera at a friend's place so I had to use my phone. I tried my best to tinker with the editing on iPhoto, but the photos don't do this dish justice.

 Cook the garlic on low heat until fragrant.

Stir in the crab meat.

 If you don't want to, you don't have to peel them. But if you want a smoother sauce without bits of tomato skin floating around in it, it only takes a few minutes to do this step. I scored an X on top of each tomato and blanched them in boiling water for 30 seconds before peeling.

Add the stock and simmer on low heat until the tomatoes are soft.

After 15 minutes of simmering, the tomatoes have disintegrated into the sauce.

 Add the cream. Simmer for another minute.

 Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Turn up the heat to medium high to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Plate it up and add some shaved Pecorino. The salty cheese adds a nice sharpness. 

Recipe - adapted from here

For 2

Ingredients

150g tubular pasta, preferably rigatoni or penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can crab meat, around 150g
2 tomatoes, skins removed, roughly chopped
1 cup fish stock
100 ml cream
Salt
Pecorino, optional

Method

1. To remove the skins of the tomatoes, score an X on top of each tomato and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Peel back the skins when cool enough to handle.
2. Heat olive oil in pan and added the minced garlic. Cook on low.
3. When the garlic is fragrant, stir in the crab meat. Season with a pinch of salt.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock. Simmer on low heat until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
5. While the tomatoes are simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta when it is one minute shy of al dente.
6. When the tomatoes are soft, add the cream and simmer for another minute.
7. Add the pasta and mix well. Turn up the heat to medium high to thicken and reduce the sauce.
8. Shave some Pecorino on top before serving, or alternatively, add chopped parsley.

Hong Kong - Yakiniku Futago

Futago is a yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat) chain from Osaka, Japan. It was opened by twins in 2010, hence the name "Futago", which means twins in Japanese. According to their Facebook page, their concept is to provide "selected fresh beef at half price and half volume, so you can enjoy many kinds of meat". I first learnt about this restaurant from Dre’s mouthwatering Instagram feed (follow her @ledre). She has been more than once and has raved about it. Laubaby, twins Big and Small (haha twins at "twins"! Me so funny) and I made reservations for 7:30pm and we arrived on the dot. We were seated about 10 minutes later at a table near the automatic sliding door, but before we ordered they switched us to a table further inside the restaurant. That was a nice gesture as it was too warm to sit near the entrance with the door opening and closing constantly. Each table had its own little gas grill and a powerful smoke suction device. 

Salted Sesame Cabbage Salad (芝麻鹽醬椰菜）

Thick Prime Beef Tongue (厚切特上牛舌）

Roasted Beef Sushi (火焰牛壽司)

Special: Roasted Wagyu Beef Sushi (火焰和牛壽司)

Can't remember what this cut of meat was, but it was delicious!

They add garlic, wasabi and grated daikon for extra flavour.

Hamideru Karubi (大得驚人牛小排）

They divide this huge slice of beef into 3 different cuts, to be enjoyed separately.

Wagyu Prime Karubi (汁燒黑毛和牛肋骨）

Korean Style Karubi (韓式汁牛肋肉）

Beef with Sea Urchin (海膽牛肉) - watch the clip below to see how this dish was made

Verdict: We loved it. We had to order some of the dishes twice (beef tongue, wagyu karubi)! Great to go with friends who have big appetites! Most of the beef dishes were flavourful enough and didn't need the dipping sauce provided. I can't wait to go again. Futago not only offers delicious food at reasonable prices, but also friendly service and a fun environment. I liked how we were able to cook our own food but also sit back and relax while our server cooked the specialty dishes. FYI you receive a stamp for each visit, and when you get 10, you receive your very own gold tongs for use at Futago.

Yakiniku Futago HK
Address: Shop B, G/F, 1-5 Irving Street, Hong Kong
Phone: 2898 7707
Website: http://www.yakiniku-futago.com/ or go to their Facebook page for an online English/Chinese menu

Gyudon Beef Bowl

I've always wanted to make my own gyudon. Gyudon translates to beef (gyu) bowl (don). It is such an unmistakably Japanese dish. I think the secret of a good gyudon lies in the sweet sauce that the beef cooks in. Of course, higher quality/marbling of beef will also elevate the dish, but the combination and ratio of soy, sugar, mirin and wine is the key in making this the ultimate Japanese comfort food. I found this easy recipe from Harumi Kurihara's cookbook I bought almost 10 years ago. She's like the Martha Stewart of Japan, minus the tax evasion. The sauce came out just right - sweet with depths of flavour from the soy and mirin. 

Slice the onion into thin half-moons.

I got pre-sliced beef at the supermarket intended for sukiyaki or hot pot.

I used white wine, but you can also use Chinese cooking wine or sake.

It is important to use Japanese soy sauce as it is sweeter than its Chinese counterpart and also has a thinner and clearer consistency.

Bring the wine and water to a boil.

Simmer the beef and skim the scum off the top.

Add the soy sauce, sugar and mirin.

 Add the onions. The original recipe called for an otoshibuta, which is a light-weight wooden drop lid placed directly on top of simmering food to distribute heat evenly. I didn't have one, so I improvised and used the lid from a smaller pan. Cook until the onions are soft.

The beef and onions soaked up all the delicious sweet and savoury flavours. I think I will add an onsen egg next time for its silky richness!

Recipe - adapted from Harumi's Japanese Cooking

For 2

Ingredients

½ cup white wine

¼ cup of water

½ an onion

250g thinly sliced beef

¼ cup Japanese soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 servings of cooked Japanese rice, kept warm 

Method

1. Slice the onions into thin half moon shapes.
2. In a saucepan (I used a frying pan), add the water and the wine. When it comes to a boil, simmer the beef for 2 minutes. Skim the scum off the top. 
3. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Mix well.
4. Add the onions and cover with the lid of a smaller pan, until onions are soft.
5. Spoon the beef and onion mixture on top of rice and drizzle with pan juices.

Hong Kong - Manzo Italian Steak House

I had dinner with 3 of my classmates one weeknight, and I suggested we try Jamie's Italian. I told them it would probably be an hour wait only if we went at 6:30pm. I was so confident we could get a table if we went "early" that I didn't make any back-up reservations. We arrived at Midtown Plaza 2 in Causeway Bay at 6:25pm and there was already a queue (apparently people starting lining up at 5:30pm). And it wasn't even the queue for a table. It was the queue to get a ticket to queue for a table! We were told by the dude giving out tickets that it would probably be a 3 hour wait in total. I love Jamie but it seemed excessive to wait that long, especially since he wasn't even physically there. Guess I will go when the hype has died down a bit. We went up to three other restaurants in the same building but there were no more walk-in seats available anywhere. Defeated, we headed to Times Square. Fiona suggested Manzo. We arrived before 7 pm and were the first ones there. The decor was casual, with wood furniture and white walls. I had never eaten at Manzo before, so I did a quick search online and found that it is part of the Dining Concepts group (of Bistecca, Lupa, Bombay Dreams and the anticipated Bread Street by Gordon Ramsey). 

Cold Cut Platter ($198 for 3 kinds): We picked (L-R) Bresaola Air Cured Beef, Speck Smoked Proscuitto and Finocchiona Fennel Salami. My favourite was the salami, which had the perfect balance between fat and meat, and a delightful hint of fennel. The bresaola was a bit on the chewy side and the prosciutto lacked in pork flavour. The portion size was reasonable.

 

Grilled Thick Cut Bacon with Salsa Verde ($108): The bacon was sizzling hot when it arrived. The salsa verde (green sauce which includes parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil) was tangy and refreshing, which was nice against the fatty caramelised bacon. Interesting combination overall.

Spaghetti with Sauteed Shrimps and Green Peas ($188): I liked how the pasta was served in a cute pan. It made it easy to share the dish. The spaghetti was al dente and tossed in a lemon-garlic-butter sauce. The shrimps were sweet and the frisee kept the dish light and fresh with its bitter notes. We all enjoyed this dish.

Bucatini with Crab Meat, Spicy Tomato sauce and Basil ($198): This was not as good as the previous pasta. There was too much pasta and not enough sauce, therefore the dish was under-seasoned. The tomato sauce wasn't spicy, nor did I taste the crab meat. However, I liked how the basil brightened up the dish.

"Guanciale" Braised Beef Cheek in Red Wine with Stewed Vegetables ($228): I should've taken a better photo of the beef! It was so tender that you could eat it even if you had no teeth. The beef soaked up all the robust flavours of the red wine and vegetables. There were hints of rosemary and black peppercorn. The vegetables were soft and added sweetness to the dish.

Tiramisu Cake with Almond Gelato ($68): Hong Kong style tiramisu made without the strong coffee liquor (or maybe there was liquor but I didn't taste any) paired with almond gelato. The cake was alright, but could've been more moist. The gelato was creamy and rich, but I didn’t think it paired well with the tiramisu. Lemon Meringue with Honey Gelato ($68): Yum! This was delicious. The pie had just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. The lemon curd was silky smooth and the crust was buttery. It could've been more crisp though. I liked the generous helping of meringue on top and the sweet honey drizzle. The honey gelato went well with the lemon, but in my opinion the pie was fine on its own.

Verdict: Decent and hearty dishes. The meat dishes were definitely better than the pasta dishes. In hindsight, I should've tried their steak given that it was a "steak house".

Manzo Italian Steak House
Address: Shop 1104, 11/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson St, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 2735-3980
Website: http://www.diningconcepts.com/manzo/index.php

Chorizo Carbonara

Last week I had an intense carb craving. I wanted something cheesy and starchy. I remembered there was a pack of chorizo slices leftover from my parents’ dinner party. I did a quick search of “chorizo pasta” and this easy recipe popped up. The main ingredients were chorizo, egg, cream and pasta, which I had. I substituted the whole chorizo with pre-packaged dried slices and the spaghetti with mini shells. It came out like a fancy mac and cheese. Ticked all the boxes of my carb craving!

Mix the egg and cream together in a small bowl.

Add about a teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper.

Slice the dried chorizo and render the fat in a small pan.

Add the chorizo and oil to the cooked pasta.

Add the egg cream mixture. Make sure the heat is off or you will end up with scrambled eggs!

Mix well. The chorizo should start to color the pasta.

Serve immediately with more black pepper and shaved Parmesan.

Recipe – adapted from here

For 2

Ingredients

16 pre-packaged slices of dried chorizo

150g pasta

2 eggs

¼ cup cream

Freshly cracked black pepper

Shaved Parmesan, optional

Method

1.  Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, cut the chorizo into thin strips.
3. Combine the eggs, cream, and black pepper in a small bowl.
4. Heat a small pan on medium and sauté the chorizo until the fat has melted. Turn off the heat.
5. Drain the pasta, and return the pasta back to its pot with the heat off.
6. Pour in the chorizo and melted fat into the pasta pan.
7. Add the egg cream mixture and mix well. The residual heat from the chorizo and the pasta will cook and thicken the egg cream. Add salt to taste. 
8. Serve immediately with cracked black pepper and a generous shaving of Parmesan.