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

Hong Kong - Morihachi Yakiniku

Once I stepped out of the elevator, I was instantly greeted by the familiar aroma of delicious sizzling beef. I’ve been to Morihachi a few times before and I keep going back because of their good quality food and great value-for-money. The environment is super casual and you are pretty much left alone to grill your own food at your own pace which really works for me. Morihachi is known for beef and seafood, but they also offer an array of different items such as ramen, fried rice and sushi. Drinks are also cheap here. A glass of white will only set you back $38. We decided on the 4-person dinner set between the five of us, with an extra order of marinated beef short ribs.

Starters: Black Truffle Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Yogurt Salad and Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crab and Avocado Rolls (not pictured)

 Wagyu Beef Salad

 Starting from bottom left, clockwise: Selected Morihachi Style Short Ribs (嚴選汁燒和牛肋骨), Rock Oysters in Italian Herbs and Butter (意式香草牛油青殻岩蠔), Shrimps in Rock Salt (鹽燒花竹蝦), Ox Tongue in French Dijon Sauce (法式芥茉籽牛舌), Agu Black Pork (Thick Slice) with Rock Salt (厚切沖繩Agu 岩鹽燒)

Center: Hokkaido Matsuba Crab Legs (特上松葉蟹腳), Pot Marinated Chicken in Salt Lime Sauce (海鹽青檬壺漬雞腿肉)

A4 Saga Wagyu Beef Rib Eye (佐賀A4 極上和牛肉眼)

Extra order of Morihachi Style Short Ribs

 Vegetable Platter with Herbs and Butter

Japanese Wagyu Beef Fried Rice

Dessert: Strawberry Milk Pudding (not pictured)

Verdict: The bill came to around $250 each including one drink each and service. Solid meal with attractive prices, for both food and drink. Come with a date (they have booths) or book the private room for a large party to enjoy the casual grill-it-yourself environment without having to shout over your food to talk. It can get quite hectic in the main dining area. I think the quality of beef is quite decent at Morihachi, but serious beef fans can find higher quality beef and a larger variety of cuts at Futago. You can read my review here.

Extra info: Morihachi (Central location) has two seatings: 7-9 and 9-late. They also offer all-you-can-eat on more than 100 items and free-flow sake, wine and beer on weekends for $288 per person. 

I recommend: Morihachi Style Short Ribs, Hokkaido Matsuba Crab Legs, A4 Saga Wagyu Beef Rib Eye

Morihachi Yakiniku
Address: 3/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2581-1933 / 2591-1816
Website: www.morihachi.com.hk

Roasted Whole Artichokes

The first time I ate fresh artichokes (not the tangy marinated kind) was in Rome. We had artichoke hearts (boiled or steamed, slathered in olive oil) almost everyday. Restaurants in Hong Kong usually serve the hearts, either boiled, steamed, or marinated. I've only been to one place that served the artichoke whole. I loved peeling off the leaves and dipping them in mayo before scraping the "meat" off with my teeth. So when I came across this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it out! Roasting it gave it a more robust and deep flavour as opposed to just boiling or steaming. I didn't even have to dip the leaves in the garlic aioli that I bought especially for this dish! The only downside was the time. These babies took an hour in the oven. I would suggest getting them in the oven first before making the rest of your meal. 

Wash the artichoke under cold running water.

Cut off 1/3 of the top, and chop the stem off so the artichoke can sit upright. Boyfriend helped me with this because I have no upper arm strength at all.

Push apart the leaves as best as you can, and wedge in the garlic. Squeeze 1/2 lemon per artichoke and drizzle olive oil generously.

Wrap the artichokes tightly in tin foil and put them into the oven.

The artichokes will come out perfectly seasoned by the salt, lemon and garlic. Even the heart was flavourful! No mayo needed.

Recipe - adapted from Pinch My Salt

For 2

Ingredients

2 medium artichokes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F / 220 C. Slice off the top third of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Then cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke.
2. Drizzle a large piece of tin foil with a few drops of olive oil. Place one artichoke in the middle of the foil and open up the leaves. 
3. Wedge 3 garlic cloves into the artichoke. Sprinkle kosher salt and squeeze 1/2 a lemon onto the artichoke. Drizzle olive oil generously over the top.
4. Wrap the foil up around the artichoke, sealing it well. Put in the oven for an hour.
5. After removing from the oven, let artichokes sit until cool enough to handle before unwrapping.

Caesar Salad with Parmesan Croutons

I try to make “healthy” things from time to time to keep the monster of gluttony inside me at bay. I usually make a salad as a starter for dinner, something simple like cherry tomatoes and arugula with balsamic and olive oil. But tonight I felt like splurging and making something I loved eating when I was young and still do: Caesar salad with crunchy croutons and bacon bits. It was the only salad I ate as a child. That creamy tangy dressing pretty much covered any vegetable taste (yay!) and there was bacon! I still remember my dad had this plastic container of bacon bits in the kitchen and we would sneak a handful like candy now and then.

Regardless of how delicious the salad is, it isn’t healthy to have Caesar dressing from a bottle and bacon when you are cooking at home and can make better choices. So I found a recipe online and tweaked it to make my own Caesar dressing. Much healthier and just as delicious! You can still have a whole bowl of this salad and not feel like you had a full meal. You can omit the Parmesan, but I think a little bit won’t hurt!

Recipe

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce, cut into 1-inch chunks

Croutons:

Bread, cut into small cubes (the recipe called for crusty bread, but I just used plain old white bread)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon Parmesan, shredded

Dressing:

Olive oil

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 small can of anchovies, chopped

½ clove of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan, shaved

Method

1. For the croutons, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the bread on low heat until golden and crispy. Add the Parmesan on top. When the cheese has melted, remove the bread and drain on kitchen towels.
2. For the dressing, blend the egg yolks, mustard, Worcestershire sauce. Then slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until the sauce is of a mayonnaise consistency. Then mix in the anchovies, garlic and lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the dressing with the lettuce, and top with the croutons and more shaved Parmesan.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Everyone loved the cookies. I think my boyfriend must have eaten at least four in a row! We probably have to spend some extra time at the gym to make up for it.

Apart from sweets, I enjoy cooking savory things too. I used to cook for myself almost every weeknight when I was studying abroad, and now I usually cook on the weekends with my family as guinea pigs. One of the easiest sides to whip up and impress with flavor are roasted brussels sprouts. I absolutely hated them until I made this recipe for a special request. I had only eaten the boiled icky kind before so I was hesitant to try roasting them. But now I am a convert and I love them roasted like this. They are super easy to make! You just cut them up and put them in the oven. I add bacon to give it extra depth in flavor and I find that it helps caramelize the sprouts more to make them sweeter.

MmmMMMm crispy bacon and caramelized sprouts!

Recipe

Ingredients

• Brussel sprouts (one pack should be enough for 2 people as a side)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil
• Bacon, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 195C/380F.
2. After rinsing the sprouts, remember to drain well or else they will be harder to crisp up in the oven.
3. Chop the hard stem off the bottom of the sprouts and then in half.
4. Put the sprouts on a baking tray in one layer and toss with oil, salt and pepper.
5. Put the bacon evenly throughout the layer of sprouts.
6. Bake for 30 minutes* or until the sprouts become crisp 

*Depending on your oven, you may have to check the sprouts at the 15-minute mark to make sure they don’t burn.