Hong Kong - Hayashi

Hokkaido hairy crab salad 

Shirako (cod milt) sautéed with herbs and butter

Hamburg in red wine sauce

Deep fried Hokkaido oysters

Sakura shrimp clay pot rice

Review: Simple Japanese cuisine using fresh ingredients and cooked with care - This quiet Japanese restaurant is situated in Macau Yat Yeun Centre in near SOGO in Causeway Bay, which houses a lot of other Japanese restaurants. The a la carte menu offers a large variation of Japanese dishes, from sushi to yakitori to shabu shabu. There are also special seasonal items and two choices of omakase. We opted for the a la carte. We began our meal with a mixed green salad topped with chunks of sweet Japanese hairy crab and tossed in a light citrusy dressing. The shirako was creamy, almost custard-like, and had a delicious butter and herb crust. My bf thought it was some sort of tofu thing and he quite liked it until I told him what it was. Naturally, he refused to take another bite. More for me then! We also liked the deep fried Hokkaido oysters, which had a light and crispy batter. The oysters were sweet and briny. Bf liked the hamburg the most. It’s pretty much a ground beef patty that had soaked up all the intense and flavourful red wine sauce. We ended the meal with a healthy portion of clay pot rice topped with sakura shrimp and fresh edamame. The rice was light and fluffy, and the crunchy edamame contrasted well with the sweet umami sakura shrimp.

I recommend: Hamburg in red wine sauce, Deep fried Hokkaido oysters, Shirako in herbs and butter 

Hayashi
Address: 21/F Macau Yat Yuen Centre, 525 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 2836-3800
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-1pm, 6pm-11pm


                                

Hong Kong - 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA

8 1/2 Seafood Soup with shellfish, zucchini "trombetta" and fresh herbs (looks quite stingy, but this is actually a half portion in a rather heavy-bottomed bowl)

Roast Duck Foie Gras with piedmont hazelnut sauce, smoked duck in dice, greens

Star of the night....this tub of white diamonds!

Mooooreeeeee

Homemade Tagliolini with butter, parmesan, and Alba white truffle

Chocolate Martini

Confit "Taiyouran" Organic Egg with potato emulsion, confit potato, Chanterelle mushroom and Alba white truffle

Homemade Tagliolini with butter, parmesan, and Alba white truffle

Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto with fine Italian cheese and Alba white truffle

Homemade Trenette pasta with Red King Prawn, "Datterin" Tomato and fresh mint

Always a good time with my girls Small, Laubaby and Big

Review: 8 1/2 needs no introduction. 3 Michelin stars, attentive service and amazing food every time. Remember to book at least a month ahead! I recommend the Homemade Tagliolini, Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto and Homemade Trenette Pasta with Red King Prawn. They also offer delicious cocktails - my fave is the Espresso Martini.

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA
Address: Shop 202, 2/F, Alexandra House, 5-17 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2537-8859
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-1030pm

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are Bf's favourite cookies. They are soft, chewy and full of cinnamon-y goodness. You get old-fashioned rolled oats and plump raisins with every bite. You also get a lot of fiber, so I definitely feel less guilty when I'm munching on these. I forgot to chill the dough before baking so the cookies spread a bit and came out thinner than I would've liked, but they were still delicious!

 

 

  

Cream the butter with the sugars

Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together

 

Soak the raisins in warm water for ten minutes to plump them up. They become much juicier! Remember to blot them thoroughly with kitchen paper before mixing with other ingredients.

You can use instant/quick oats (which are the same as rolled oats, just finely chopped) if you don't want to have big chunky bits in your cookies.

Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing with a spatula. Add the oats and raisins. Chill in fridge.

 

Measure out the chilled dough into balls using a tablespoon (about 1.5 tablespoons per ball) and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until the edges are golden.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then dried thoroughly

Method

1. Cream the butter and both sugars together until smooth. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a separate medium bowl, toss the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Slowly add to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing with a spatula. Add the oats and raisins.
3. Chill dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 175C / 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Measure out the chilled dough into balls using a tablespoon (about 1.5 tablespoons per ball) and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until the sides are turning golden.
6. Remove them from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Hong Kong - Thanksgiving at Cafe Causette

Ooey gooey cheesy bread

San Daniele Ham, Burrata, Beetroot Crisps, Peach, Rye Croutons, Candied Walnuts

Warm Ricotta, Lavender, Honeycombs, Walnut, Wood Sorrel, Figs

Cured Beetroot Salmon, Salmon Caviar, Potato Crisp

Pumpkin Soup

 Classic Roasted Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce

Honey Glazed Ham, Roasted, Pumpkin, Potato

Slow Braised Pork Cheek, Mashed Pumpkin, Red Wine, Gravy

Roasted Potato, Creamed Brussels Sprout, Glazed Carrots
 

Salted Caramel Layer Chocolate Cake

Classic Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Chocolate Tiramisu

Apple Pie, Ice Cream

Review: A non-traditional Thanksgiving meal with my girls - thanks Yuls for picking the restaurant! Thanksgiving isn't huge here in Hong Kong, but a lot of restaurants do have Thanksgiving-themed dinners during that week. Cafe Causette offered a buffet style multi-course meal, served tableside. You can order refills for any dish, which they will bring to your table. We started with warm cheesy bread with pesto dipping sauce. The appetizers arrived promptly. The classic combo of San Daniele ham and creamy burrata was elevated by the warm caramelised peaches and the crunch from the candied walnuts. The beetroot-cured salmon was beautifully presented alongside the ricotta, lavender, olive oil caviar and fresh figs - such pretty colours! All the flavours worked well together. We also had traditional Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, honey glazed ham and sweet potato mash. The turkey and ham arrived at our table pre-carved. The turkey was surprisingly moist, and the honey ham was tender and had well-balanced flavours of sweet and savoury. As for the desserts, I liked the pecan pie with its perfect buttery crust the most. Each serving was very generous and we were too stuffed to order any refills. The leftover turkey and ham (being el cheapo of course I took everything home) made a great breakfast sandwich the next morning. I am thankful for great friends and great meals, as always.

Cafe Causette
Address: M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2825-4005
Hours: Mon-Sun 6:30am-11:45pm

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