Thursday, June 30, 2011

An appetite for Hong Kong

On our recent trip to Hong Kong we hit up a few different restaurants and eateries.

On Saturday night, I nabbed two seats at Liberty Private Works. It used to be a test kitchen for the Liberty Exchange restaurant, but now it's a stand-alone restaurant. With only 15 seats at the chef's counter with a set eight-course menu, you're in Canadian executive chef Vicky Cheng's hands. Having worked in Toronto and New York (under Daniel Boulud and Jean-George Vongerichten) before moving to Hong Kong, he knows his stuff.

This was one filling meal!  The menu is changed every month and consists of eight courses, plus two amuse bouches and a petit four. And there was no scrimping on the serving size nor the quality of ingredients - caviar, truffles, fois gras. At HK$1400 for two people, it was pretty great value. And even better, it was BYO!

With just one waiter, two sous chefs and 15 guests, the mood was intimate and very relaxed. And actually very theatrical. We watched each dish being plated. Some of the dishes took so long to plate up that I was almost sorry to eat them. I'm glad I did though. There were some pretty amazing flavours on offer.


Chef Vicky Cheng stands in front of the blackboard that gave a simplistic teaser for the ingredients in each course.


The amuse bouche. The one on the far right was my favourite: a fiery bite of pomelo, lobster and chili.


The first course was delicious. Raw tuna with radishes and caviar surrounded by dehydrated rice (a texture not unlike some fancy Rice Bubbles) which added a crunch. To the far right is a fruit I'd never encountered before, called a bayberry, which acted as a palate cleanser. It was like a blackberry mixed with a boysenberry and strawberry. Delicious.


The second course was abalone with white asparagus and leeks. Very tasty.


I loved this third course. The stick-thin model seated next to me asked for the creamy parmesan foam to be left off the plate. (WTF?!) It was rich, but man oh man. Yum. Whole egg ravioli with truffles and caviar. Heaven.


Grouper with crab, chili and lemon. I'm having trouble remembering this course but I do recall that the lemon sauce was very tart and lifted the dish considerably.


Then the rich ingredients really started coming thick and fast. Duck with a fois gras foam. I loved this.


I loved the next course too, but was fit to bursting by this stage. The presentation was very whimsical, what with a daikon pretending to be a bone (back right) and filled with slow-braised oxtail.


This dessert was a surprise package. The blackboard said "coconut, pineapple, hazelnut and rum". If I hadn't watched this plated up in front of me, I wouldn't have known what to expect. But hidden under that coconut foam was roasted pineapple with hazelnuts. It tasted exactly like a Coconut Rough, a chocolate I often ate as a kid, but Chef Chen had never heard of it. I told him to run out and buy one when he was next in Australia.


And who doesn't love a chocolate fondant with vanilla ice-cream? This was elevated a notch with caramel and smoked salt. A. Ma. Zing. Sweet and deliciously salty at the same time.

Then I rolled home and fasted for a month. Not.


FIND IT:
Liberty Private Works
3/F 12 Wellington Street, Central
Tel: +852 5186 3282


As it was close by our hotel, we visited Classified Cheese Shop twice. It's a great spot to park for a while and sip wine, nibble on cheese or order something more substantial. And it's always packed. You can sit inside or outside (curiously, due to local regulations the staff cannot serve customers outside so you need to pop inside and pick up your wine and plated meals). I prefer sitting outside. It's a lovely spot when the sun is shining and the wine is flowing.



Ricotta and spinach ravioli with a burnt butter sauce with sage and walnuts. Come to mama.


Delicious lasagne! So cheesy.


I love the Virginia Woolf quote they have on their fabric bags: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Amen to that.


We only had a snack the first day. Goat's cheese and radicchio salad.




FIND IT:
Classified (Sheung Wan) 
108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong 
T 852-2525 3454 F 852-2525 3455


I also ate a great woodfired pizza at 208 Duecento Otto (just around the corner from Classified).


My favourite pizza: Diavola but with ricotta instead of mozzarella.

FIND IT:
208 Duecento Otto
208 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Tel: 2549 0208

Saturday morning, we caught a taxi to the seaside town of Stanley for brunch/early lunch. We ate at Rocksalt which is right on the promenade next to the markets.




I'm going to try to make this salad at home. It was so tasty and healthy. Beetroot cured salmon with mixed greens and a quail egg.

FIND IT:
Rocksalt
25 Stanley Market Road
Tel: +856 2899 0818

A weekend in Hong Kong with a new camera

I was recently in Hong Kong for a few days, tagging along on another business trip. With Shanghai prices higher due to luxury taxes, I took the opportunity to buy a new camera. I've had an SLR in the past and while I love the pics, I find the camera too damn heavy to take anywhere, so I always left it behind in favour of a point and shoot. 

There is sooooo much choice now when it comes to cameras (point and shoots, micro four thirds, DSLRs) and after much research and indecision, I settled on a Sony NEX-5. I initially wanted the Olympus Pen EPL-2 or the Panasonic Lumix GF2, but in the end, the Sony NEX-5 won me over with its usability and intuitive menus. By the time I charged up the battery, I only really had a day to give the kit lenses a whirl, so I'm looking forward to buying more lenses and seeing what this puppy can really do. Here's some snaps I took in our last day in Sheung Wan, Mid-Levels and Hollywood Road.















I'll do another post soon on all the yummy food we ate! With pics.
 

I'M ON THE PHONE!!

Here's Lenny Kravitz in New York City yesterday. Gotta love a man who kicks it old school with his choice of bluetooth handset.


In my teenage years, I was OBSESSED with Lenny Kravitz. I listened to his albums incessantly, covered my bedroom walls with his posters, slept out at Ticketek for tickets to his concerts (the days before phones and online sales!). Total obsession. Let Love Rule is still one of my favourite albums of all time. I can't believe he released it almost 22 years ago. Man, I'm getting old.

Check out this 1990 live performance here. Utterly brilliant.



The Pope joins Twitter - and tweets from an iPad

So The Vatican is progressive enough to join Twitter and have its own YouTube channel, but still hasn't moved with the times on the issues that really matter, you know... contraception, female priests, marriage for priests and banning "The Countess" from making music videos.

Has Twitter jumped the shark?

Watch Pope Benedict update his Twitter feed on his iPod here:

The most embarrassing reality TV spinoff business ever

This has made my day. Luann, the "Countess" from The Real Housewives of New York City has released her second "musical" offering to the world.

Or as I would rather put it: dressed up as a drag queen and recited some bad poetry over a dance beat.

Take a look at this cheap-looking but HYSTERICAL video to accompany her new single, "Chic c'est la vie". She's even recruited Kelly and Jill to sit in limos, wear bathrobes by a pool and dance sitting down in a nightclub. Somewhere in lower Manhattan, Bethenny is laughing herself sick.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tasteless magazine cover of the year

This Newsweek cover is so disturbing on a number of levels.

Firstly, it's a horribly designed cover, full of bad Photoshop. And what is that random guy doing walking behind them? Surely it would have more impact if he'd been edited out?

Secondly, I'd expect this from People magazine or US Weekly, but not Newsweek.

Thirdly, it's in poor taste. How would Tina Brown know what Diana would be thinking, wearing and doing now? Let her rest in peace. This is Kate's moment. Not Diana's.

Friday, June 24, 2011

What's Warnie done to himself?!

So Elizabeth Hurley has clearly been advising her new beau, Australia's cricketing bad boy Shane Warne, on how to evolve into a wax figure with an in-built paparazzi honing beacon.

He's clearly had an aggressive eyebrow wax and some botox, but I swear he's now wearing mascara, foundation and lip gloss as well. Dear God.

Check out the couple here on their way to Elton John's White Tia and Tiara Ball in England last night.


Bring back the bogan!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

My narcissistic musical moment

Who doesn't love a song with their name in the title?! For a relatively unpopular name for women aged under 90, the name Mary is a popular one with lyricists. This one's been out six months or so, but I hadn't come across it until my sister sent it to me this morning. I'm loving it.

Up until now my favourite narcissistic musical moments have been Run DMC's "Mary, Mary" and 1999's "Mary" by Supergrass, and my friend JJ always sings my name to the tune of "Mary" by Scissor Sisters. ("Maaaaarrrry"). And who doesn't love a bit of "Proud Mary" every now and again. But this one's a cool new addition to the Mary catalogue.  I think I'm going to get into this Aussie band (although they're not really a band, just one guy with bandmates for live gigs.)


Friday, June 17, 2011

An award for "services to yoga". Are you kidding me?

Last night, Gwyneth was honoured with an award for "her immense contributions to the yoga community". Read about it here and here

That's got to be one of the LAMEST reasons for an award ever. Truly, this is ridiculous. People seriously attended an event to see her accept this award. And she accepted?! The world is crazy. 

I want an award "for services to reality TV devotion". Maybe I can borrow Gwyneth's pink Oscars dress  to accept my trophy? 


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

This guys's facial expressions just crack me up

I don't know what it is about UK comic David Walliams, but when he does these photo shoots for UK's Heat Magazine where he impersonates famous celebs, I always laugh out loud. He's just got one of those faces that completely kills me.

Today's he's taking on Pippa, or Her Royal Hotness as the Daily Mail is trying so very hard to call her.


Last year he replicated the famous Goldfinger pose. Hilarious.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Rachel Zoe and other fashion stylists are weeping

Frances McDormand showed up to accept her Tony Award in an outfit that was surely a comment on the ubiquitous influence of the fashion industry on the acting world. Or maybe she just forgot to pick up her dry cleaning and missed her hairdressing appointment?  Either way, I love it.

I love fashion (and I particularly love bad fashion choices on celebrities!) but when the first questions often asked of actors is "what are you wearing?" instead of "how do you feel about the role?" I can see that those who take their craft seriously must get pretty annoyed. Go Frances with your stripey, denim self.

Well done Vogue

I must confess that I am not a Harry Potter fan and don't know all that much about Emma Watson. But I do like this cover; it's one of Vogue's best. The styling is impeccable and her make-up is fantastic. And I love that silver wall.

When life hands you lemons...



So I was chatting today with Mum about what recipes she's thinking about. Here's what she said...


“It’s citrus season in Australia at the moment, and my first thought is to make a Lemon Delicious, a kind of self-saucing soufflé. One of the cooks in the hotel I grew up in used to make it for us. I love it because it’s a lovely dessert if you have a heavier meal because it’s very light and you don’t feel full but it has the beautiful tang of the lemons in it.”

Lemon Delicious
“This recipe is from a book called French and Gourmet Cooking which was given to my by a girl I worked with in Sydney as a wedding gift. I double the recipe and make a big pudding in a very large glass soufflé dish because people always want more. A clear glass bowl looks best (make sure it’s tempered) as you can see the separation of the layers. Or you could make individual puddings in ramekins.”

3 eggs separated
6 oz caster sugar (scant cup)
2 tbsp plain flour
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
Pinch of salt
Tbsp of dessicated coconut
Extra sugar (dessert spoon)
½ pint of milk (1 ¼ cups)

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a beater until light and fluffy. Then beat in the flour, milk, lemon rind, juice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites stiffly and whisk in two ounces of extra sugar (to make a meringue-style mix). Fold into the lemon mixture with coconut. Turn mixture into a casserole dish (I prefer a tempered glass soufflé dish) and set into a pan of warm water about half way up the dish. Bake for one hour at 350 fahrenheit (175 celsius). This pudding is delicious served with fresh cream.

Preserved Lemons
“Clean and sterilise jars. Cut lemons into quarters but don’t break the bottom (so it opens out like a petal) and stuff it with rock salt (I like Maldon) and pop into the jar. Squeeze some other lemons and put lemon juice into the quarterized lemon. Down the sides squash sprigs of rosemary, peppercorns, star anise, a clove, thyme, whatever you like. Top up the jar with hot water and seal tightly. Put it into the cupboard to preserve. It will take a good few weeks for all that salt to dissolve. When it’s ready, pull the quarter lemon out and take the pulp out with a spoon and discard that. When it’s ready, put it in the fridge. It should keep for about three months. Then you just shred the preserved lemon skin as you need it. It’s perfect in a chicken tagine, lamb cutlets, Moroccan-style salads, whatever you like.”

Other ideas for lemons:

“I always put a lemon in the cavity of a chicken when roasting. And I squeeze it all over the skin and vegetables to give it more flavour as it roasts.”

“If you ever see lemon myrtle olive oil, buy it. It’s delicious and adds flavour to stir fries, salads, chicken dishes, pasta. It’s beautiful.”

“And don’t forget a slice of lemon in your daily gin & tonic!”


Her last comment reminds me of a tea towel I saw on Etsy last year. A great motto for life, really.

Copyright: Dear Colleen http://www.etsy.com/people/dearcolleen?ref=ls_profile

Monday, June 13, 2011

The old "slap a headband on and tease your hair to look tall" trick

Here's Al Pacino at the Tony Awards, held in New York last night, trying to sneak some inches on top of his forehead with the use of an alice band and a toupee. It's almost MacGyver-ish.


Embrace your height difference, Al. Just like Mick Jagger does with his lady love, fashion designer L'Wren Scott.

Something to remember


When you're four you need your mum more than anybody; when you're 14 you're too cool to talk to your mum; when you're 24 you're too busy partying or travelling to call your mum; and when you're 34, you need your mum more than you ever thought.

Eleven years ago, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. Five years later, after radiation, chemotherapy and eostrogen-supressing drugs, it returned to her breast and lymph glands. Cue surgery, more chemo and more drugs. Another five years later -- last August -- it returned again, but this time it had spread to her bones in her pelvis and spine. Stage IV terminal cancer.

It's the phone call you never want to hear, particularly when you're living overseas. It's hard to put into words how devastating this has been for our family, particularly as mum is still only in her early sixties. These are important years for my mum and for our growing family. When we heard the diagnosis last August, I was living in Singapore, my middle sister was half way through her first pregnancy and my youngest sister was planning her wedding. One month later and three days after her first round of chemo, my sister got married. Five months later, my mum held her first grandchild. Almost ten months later, and she's still fighting hard. It goes without saying, she's the toughest person I know.

I have been unsure whether to talk about this on my blog, but it is such a big part of my life that it has felt strange not to acknowledge it. I pride myself on my optimism, but I have to admit, it's been a tough year. When I'm not gallivanting around Asia or throwing sarcastic jibes at celebrities on my blog, I have been travelling back and forth to Australia. It's been exhausting and emotional and it's played havoc with my career and my absence has been very tough on my husband. But it's also been very rewarding. In many ways I feel lucky to have spent such special time with my mum and family. It's time that I may not otherwise have spent with them. It's given me a huge dose of perspective.

This morning, I read an interesting article on the New York Times (you can read it here) about what to say to someone who's sick, written (helpfully) by someone who was sick. Although I can't speak for my mum about whether she agrees with the author's thoughts, one point did stick with me.

"One surefire tip: a slight change of topic goes a long way. Patients are often sick of talking about their illness. We have to do that with our doctors, nurses and insurance henchmen. By all means, follow the lead of the individual, but sometimes ignoring the elephant in the room is just the right medicine."

So in the interests of embracing the elephant in the room and promptly ignoring it, I'd like to post every so often some of the conversations I have with my mum: her favourite recipes (she's an amazing cook), tidbits of info, wisdom, tips. Nothing maudlin and depressing, just things I think are worth sharing and which I want to remember. And don't fear. I inherited my critical voice from somewhere. Just this afternoon she told me "That Angelina is a hussy". I am proudly my mother's daughter.