books 7 through 14

These are the books that I read from April to August. I'm going much slower than I expected.

shopping and eating

Although I was in Hong Kong for five whole days, from the 11th to the 15th of August 2012 (including a brief jaunt to Macau), somehow I didn't get to see or do very much.

All of my shopping was done in a day and a half.

My loot from the supermarkets Wellcome on Hankow Road and Market Place by Jasons at K11 Art Mall.

Clothes from Initial, I.T., Giordano and Cotton On. Assorted useless things from Lost & Found, G.O.D. (Goods Of Desire) and emoi.

scallop vs. abalone

When my mother chose Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant for our last dinner in Hong Kong, I wondered if it was a good idea, because: 1) there were only two of us, and 2) it was a Chinese fine dining restaurant. As all lovers of Chinese cuisine know, a noisy, crowded, slightly dirty, mess-hall type establishment is usually where a good Chinese meal dwells-- no frou frou, no nonsense. And when it comes to the number of dishes and people at the table, the more the merrier.

But Ah Yat has picked up some positive reviews, not to mention that all-important one Michelin star. And the chef's specialty is braised whole abalone, which Ma loves. So I reserved a window-side table for two for 7PM on 14 August 2012.

This view of Victoria Harbour is why I like to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui when I'm in Hong Kong.

While Ma perused the extensive menu, I attacked the appetizer. Delicious!

Crunchy, vinegary black fungus. We call it "rat's ears" here.

one day in macau

So what were we doing in Macau anyway? My mother wanted to watch The House of Dancing Water.

I bought our "A Reserve" tickets a month in advance from their website: HK$880 for adult, HK$790 for senior citizen (total US$215 for the two of us). I have to say that this show was way better than either of the two Cirque du Soleil productions I've seen. I'd recommend it to kids of all ages.

food porn @ robuchon au dome

Monday, 13 August 2012. A day which will live in infamy (with apologies to FDR). It was the day that Ma and I had lunch at Robuchon Au Dôme at the Grand Lisboa in Macau.

How did we get to Macau, what were we doing there when we were supposed to be in Hong Kong-- all shall be explained in the next blog post. For now, let us concentrate on the food.

I've never been a proponent of false humility, so I'll just go ahead and say it because it's the truth: My photos of this lunch are magnificent. But did the food taste good? Let's dive in...

I was always under the impression that an amuse bouche should be something small, easily consumed in one or two bites, preferably eaten without utensils-- like an hors d'œuvre. But twice now I've had a kind of chilled SOUP as an amuse bouche at Jöel Robuchon's restaurants. This cherry gazpacho was absolutely fantastic-- bursting with garlic and tomato flavors tempered by a dollop of cheese. The cherry scent made me giddy. Now THAT was an amuse bouche!

L'Amuse-bouche: Cherry gazpacho with ricotta cheese sherbet and pistachio flakes. 5/5

What's an indulgent, expensive meal without caviar? Might as well go all the way with three treatments of caviar in one course. The pea veloute with egg white and basil oil was magical, the single spear of asparagus was flawless, but regrettably the king crab in the caviar tin was too salty. Still, I enjoyed Le Caviar as a whole because it made me feel like a richie-rich. Notice the covetable caviar spoon and the gold leaf on the asparagus.

Le Caviar: Chilled green pea veloute and floating island, jelly of caviar with cauliflower cream, green asparagus topped with caviar. 4/5