Hong Kong - Neighborhood

Wagyu Tartare

Buttered Tagliolini

Food photos are a must!

Bone Marrow Risotto

Potato Gnocchi with Iberico Ham and Parmesan

Cheese Selection

Chocolate Palette

Vanilla Ice Cream

Complimentary canelés to end the night

Review: For our first taste of Alba white truffles this year, Big and Small picked Neighborhood, a newly opened joint by Chef David Lai from Bistronomique and On Lot 10. The quaint and modern restaurant is situated next to a little park and quite hard to find at first. Once we were seated, we were presented with a bowl of "white diamonds" nestled on uncooked rice. We were like little kids at the candy store, so excited to pick our own truffle! Their truffles were HKD 26 a gram and weighed on a digital scale at the table. Our truffle was more than enough to go between the three of us. We were given a truffle shaver set to the thinnest setting and we shaved the truffle on everything except the cheese and chocolate dessert! I was recently told that white truffles are in fact very 熱氣 - you can actually get nose bleeds after consuming heavy white truffle meals! But I guess once a year won't do too much damage.

We liked the al-dente Buttered Tagliolini for its subtle flavours that let the white truffle shine. The Wagyu Tartare didn’t have an overly acidic dressing and the raw yolk brought a great texture to the dish. The Homemade Gnocchi with Iberico and Parmesan was light and fluffy but could’ve had more potato taste. The Bone Marrow Risotto had large chunks of delicious fatty marrow throughout and the herbs cut through the fattiness, but the rich flavours sadly overpowered the truffles. For desserts, we liked the intense and creamy dark Chocolate Pallete and we used the last bits of our truffle on Vanilla Ice Cream, so decadent! They also served a great Fourme d'Ambert.

Overall I think the addition of white truffles elevated the food, but without the icing on the cake these dishes would still be delicious. The portions are small but reasonably priced, great for trying many dishes at once. The vibe is perfect for dates and there’s also a full bar. Their menu changes every week, so I'm looking forward to see what they have in store after the truffle season ends.

I recommend: Buttered Tagliolini, Bone Marrow Risotto, Chocolate Palette

Neighborhood
Address: 61-63 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2617-0891
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-1030pm

Hong Kong - Amuse Bouche

Black and white themed decor throughout the restaurant

 Maguro Tuna and Sea Urchin Mille Feuille with Oscietra Caviar and Wasabi: I loved this dish. Layers of tuna and creamy uni complemented by a fiery wasabi sauce. The slight bitterness from the shisho flowers cut through the richness of the dish. And hey, who can say no to caviar?

Close up of the cross section (sorry it's out-of-focus!)

 Sautéed Sea Whelk, Scallops and Abalone with Black Truffle, Lily Bulbs, Jabugo Ham Reduction: This was a warm "salad" appetizer but the portion was good for a main course. All the seafood was cooked just right and tossed in a light savoury sauce. The mushrooms provided a beautiful umami element to the dish, while the lily bulbs were sweet and slightly crunchy. The combination of all the ingredients worked well together.

 Light Boston Lobster Bisque with Morel Mushrooms: This was bursting with umami, both from the lobster essence and the mushrooms. The morels also added a slight note of earthiness. You can't see in the picture but there was a lot of perfectly cooked lobster meat hiding in the bisque. Usually restaurants give you a couple of thumb size pieces (if you're lucky), but this time I had a whole claw and half a tail. The only downside to this dish was that it was a bit too salty for my taste.

Tuscan Artisanal Pasta with Black Truffle: This was my favourite dish. What separated this from other truffle pasta dishes was the consistency of the earthy and fragrant truffle sauce. The ratio of truffle to al-dente pasta was just right. The sauce blended perfectly into the pasta. It wasn't too creamy or watery, and coated the pasta evenly. The shaved truffle on top was icing on the cake!

 Roasted Cap of Rib Eye from US Brandt Beef Family Reserve with Asparagus, Parmesan, and Baked Bone Marrow on Toast: Ribeye cap is one of the most flavourful and tender cuts of beef you can get. This steak was exactly that - robust and juicy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. I loved the charred bits too. The marrow was rich and buttery.

Sea salt and Black Lava salt: The black salt paired really well with steak. It added a nice hint of smokiness and brought out the beefy taste even more.

Crispy Granny Smith Apple Tart: Amuse Bouche's signature dessert - sweet caramelised apple on a crispy thin pastry, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Yum!

Verdict: We came here on a Wednesday and it was quiet. It was just our table of four and another table of six. I remember thinking to myself that I should probably lower my expectations, but the food turned out to be great! They really did a good job highlighting fresh ingredients. Every dish was delicious, save for the saltiness in the lobster bisque. Service was attentive. I would definitely come again!

I recommend: Tuscan Artisanal Pasta with Black Truffle, Roasted Cap of Rib Eye, Maguro Tuna and Sea Urchin Mille Feuille

Amuse Bouche
Address: 22/F, The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Phone: 2891-3666
Website: www.amusebouche.com.hk

Amsterdam - Ron Gastrobar

I was in Amsterdam 3 weeks ago with Nene, V and JC. We had made reservations for lunch at Ron Gastrobar the day we arrived, but we were too jetlagged to make it. We instead changed the reservation to dinner the next night. Ron Blaauw closed down his eponymous fine-dining restaurant (2 Michelin stars) last year and re-opened it under the name Ron Gastrobar, serving food with a totally different concept. The new casual dining establishment quickly earned a Michelin star this year. I was excited about this restaurant since it was helmed by a reputable chef, and also because we had been stuffing ourselves full of Belgian fries, croquets and waffles since arriving in Amsterdam. We were all eager to have non-greasy fast food. 

The ambiance was hip and lively. The bar was colorfully lit while the rest of the place was a bit dark. Perfect place for drinks.

We were seated next to this meat locker fridge thing. They didn't have any other tables available because of our last minute reservation change. Throughout our meal, servers would come over to retrieve steaks. It was quite inconvenient as V had to get out of her seat to let them open the door each time. They apologised profusely every time though.

The menu was pretty straightforward. All dishes were 15 Euros (about HK$155) while desserts were at 6 Euros. Our server told us we should pick at least 2 dishes per person. 

Three Oysters in Shallot Vinaigrette: Can't remember what oysters they were, but they were briny. The vinaigrette was tangy and fresh.

Pan fried langoustine with leek, onions and chorizo sausage: 15 euros for one langoustine. Quite a small portion I would say. The chorizo sauce was very salty, but it proved to be a nice dipping sauce for the sweet roasted veggies. The leek was very buttery.

Green gazpacho with salad of green asparagus, avocado, cherries and fresh almond: I love gazpacho. This one was light, with green pepper being the dominant flavour. There was a bit of heat from the garlic, and I liked the nice pops of sweetness from cherries. The presentation was beautiful. Loved the flowers.

Now what could be in this cute little pizza delivery box?

Disappointment. Pizza with Oosterschelde lobster, ajo blanco, sumac and spring herbs from our garden: The base was a very hard piece of pita bread which was almost impossible to cut through. The ajo blanco (white garlic soup) tasted like regular mayo, the lobster was rubbery and the herbs on top did nothing to rescue the dish. Oh and this was 20 Euros. When cut into 4, each portion was bite size only.

BBQ spare ribs with homemade sambal, smoked beet and horseradish: This was one of the better dishes of the night. I couldn't taste the smoked beet but I can tell you this was a damn good piece of char siu (Cantonese BBQ pork). The meat was sweet and salty, and it melted in my mouth. The crispy bits on the top were a nice touch too.

Crispy fried sweetbread with Boemboe Bali and apple sauce: One sweetbread only! However, it was well seasoned and had a nice crust. The sauce was sweet and paired well with the sweetbread.

Sushi made of young spring vegetables from our own garden, inspired by Alain Passard: Alain would be horrified to know such "food" items have been "inspired" by him. Here and here are what his creations look like. I am rarely this negative about food, but I must make an exception. These were cold blobs of sticky sour rice with the consistency of toothpaste or glue. JC said, and I quote, "Whoever created this dish was not in their right mind". The beetroot was flavoured with strong white pepper, and the avocado was sour. The sauces on the side of each mush didn't compliment the toppings. It was just a horrible concept from start to finish. It would've been better if they had served a normal salad instead of attempting to be creative.

USA Black Angus: According to the menu, this came from the same supplier as Peter Luger in New York City. The supplier must have stiffed Ron somehow because this steak was far from what I remember having. It was under-seasoned and had lots of chewy connective tissue parts in it. It also could've done with a better sear.

However, the steak was served with bone marrow, fries and Béarnaise sauce: The bone marrow was delicious. It was served on top of a spicy tomato confit which cut through the richness of the marrow. Fries were good and the creamy Bearnaise added flavour to the bland steak.

Complimentary mini ice cream cones to end our night. These were peanut butter with a caramel sauce.

Verdict: There were definitely more good dishes than bad, but the bad ones were so out there that the overall experience was affected and points were docked. However the ambiance was fun and it would be a great place to go for drinks and maybe get one or two dishes to go with your drinks. But whatever you do, please don't order the "sushi".

Ron Gastrobar Amsterdam

Address: Sophialaan 55 hs (entrance), terrace on the Amstelveenseweg, Amsterdam
'Phone: +31 (0)20 49 61 943 
Website: rongastrobar.nl
Reservations: By phone, email or online

Boston - Toro

For our second day in Boston, we wanted to check out Toro. Aside from Neptune, V told me amazing things about Toro, but also warned me about the crazy wait during dinner service. We went around 12pm for the lunch service instead and didn't have to wait at all. We were one of the first customers to arrive! It was really hot that day, but for some odd reason, we decided to sit outdoors because there was a nice breeze. After maybe 10 minutes, it got blindingly sunny, and the breeze had left us. I wanted to switch tables to one that was under the canopy, but the outdoor seating was already full by then. I kept hoping the sun would gradually hide behind a building but it never did, and my shoulders were tanned by the end of lunch. The boyfriend could not escape the horrible fate of obtaining a farmer's tan either. However, the amazing food made up for it and the photos came out great under natural sunlight! 

Our server came over quickly with menus. I literally wanted everything on the menu. I had a hard time deciding on which dishes I wanted to try, because we only had two mouths. We needed to be strategic. I wanted the corn, and he wanted the paella. The server was helpful and recommended that we order 4-6 dishes between us, but since we wanted the paella, he said 4 would be enough. We then decided on the bone marrow/oxtail and tuna from the cold tapas section. And good thing we only ordered 4 dishes. Our server kept refilling our bread and we found ourselves mopping up the delicious sauces of every dish! I left Toro a very happy customer with a full belly.

 He ordered a Spanish beer and I ordered a Gypsy - gin, elderflower, yellow chartreuse, lime: This was light and sweet, at first. I could taste a hint of the elderflower, but mostly a citrus note. Then after a few sips I was feeling the gin. Not such a light drink anymore, but overall enjoyable.

 Atun Crude - Yellowfin tuna with soy, spicy cucumbers, citrus and avocado: It may not look like it, but this dish was bursting with flavours: sour, sweet, spicy and savoury all at the same time. It had just the right amount of tanginess from the garlic/citrus sauce and kick from the kimchi cucumbers, balanced by the rich avocado cream.

Maíz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija - Grilled corn with alioli, lime, espelette pepper and aged cheese: Oh dear. It pains me just to look at this photo. The corn was heavenly. I engulfed it within seconds. The corn was sweet and juicy with a lightly-charred smokiness, slathered in a delicious homemade creamy alioli (Spanish garlic mayonnaise). The spicy pepper and lime added a kick while the cheese sprinkled on top added saltiness. Loved every bit of it!

Asado de Huesos - Roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade: I was shocked when this dish came. The marrow was as long as my knife (there were two!) and the oxtail sandwiches were stacked high. ALL this gluttony for $12! That's less than $100 HKD. Unbelievable. Aside from the huge portions, I was also blown away by how delicious this dish was. The bone marrow was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It just dissolved on my tongue, leaving behind a rich and buttery taste. The radish and mandarin/clementine mixture was a crucial component to this dish, because it cut through the fattiness of both the marrow and oxtail. Without the addition of the citrus flavours, the dish would've been way too rich and greasy to finish.

Sangria: Not on the menu, but the server told us that they had white or red sangria. It tasted alright, a bit too OJ-ish to me though. It would've been better with a touch of nutmeg or cinnamon.

Here's a closeup of the oxtail marmalade. It was a delicious work of art: oxtail meat removed from the bone cooked into a delicious "marmalade" with carrots, shallots, sugar and red wine, piled high on toasted ciabatta. The marmalade melted in my mouth and I could taste all the savoury and sweet components. The sandwich was a perfect ratio of meat to bread, so every bite had beefy goodness and a satisfying crunch from the ciabatta. We both agreed that this was one of the best things we have ever eaten.

Paella Valenciana - Mussels, clams, shrimp, Spanish pork sausage, chicken, and Calasparra rice: It is very easy to mess up a paella, because you want to strike a perfect balance between having the rice al-dente, the sauce reduced and the seafood just done, not rubbery and overcoooked.  This paella was a winner. The shrimps were succulent and fresh, the clams were briny and plump and the mussels were sweet. The sauce was well seasoned, and the bottom had crisped up to form a crunchy layer of rice. We ordered the half-portion for this dish, and as you can see in the picture below, it's quite a huge portion for 2 people. I recommend sharing this between 3-4 people. 

And this is me battling an intense food coma and burnt shoulders. zZzZzzz

Verdict: LOVED this place! If I'm ever in Boston again, Toro will be my first stop.