[Review 2999] Fish and Meat opening party @ Fish & Meat

01/12/2013
Fish & Meat
中環雲咸街32號2樓
2/F., 32 Wyndham street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/fish-and-meat-opening-party-e2333708

Thanks to HKE for inviting me to this event!
I was looking forward to it but HKE did not turn up !

Anyway I had a GREAT time there.
When I arrived I could already see the party and people mingling on the balcony.
There were many welcoming flower baskets and a huge celebration signature board.
Inside, there were so many guests and lots of gourmet snacks.
It was hard to take pictures because it was crowded so I only managed to photograph the octopus which tasted delicious.
It was grilled to perfection and it was slightly crispy.

Each female guest was given a pretty flower crown to wear which you can see on the next picture and the goodies given to guests when they left!!
There was also a jar of herbs too which smelt gorgeous!!

[Review 2485] Great Japanese food @ 築地日本料理 Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant

04/05/2013
築地日本料理  Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant
銅鑼灣記利佐治街1號金百利廣場7樓R1室
Room R1, 7/F, Island Beverley, 1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/great-japanese-food-tsukiji-e2295025

Thanks to the owner for inviting us to try their new dishes before they put them on the menu.

Our task that day was to try three of their dishes and give comments.
These were fried burdock, buttered scallops with asparagus and herbs and cod liver roe.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried burdock:
The burdock strips were wafer thin and extremely crispy.
They were similar to ultra thin strips of coconut because burdock is high in fibre.
However we felt that they were slightly too salty, so hopefully when it is on the menu it will not be so salty.
They said that the fried burdock would be ideal snack to go with alchohol.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Buttered scallops with asparagus and herbs:

The scallops were lovely and tender and absorbed the fragrant butter and herbs.
Beneath the scallops were the youngest asparagus tips you could find, they were small and tender and absorbed the buttery sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anglerfish liver:

This is my favourite dish, so I was delighted to try it.
The liver was soft and silkier than foie gras with a lovely salty fish taste as well.
There was ponzu and spicy daikon dressing which enhanced the liver and salad beneath it.
The anglerfish liver tasted nice with or without the sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

After trying those items, we were free to try their menu items:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chilled tomato with sesame sauce:

The tomato was drizzled with sesame sauce and garnished with bonito fish shreds.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sweet potato and chestnut croquette:

Luckily they recommended this one because we could not see it on the menu.
The taste was good because it was not only sweet, there was some savouryness it in, and in the croquette there were quite a few pieces of chestnuts that were silky and nutty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cold Charcoal udon:

I chose this because the udon was grey and the strands of udon looked thinner than the sanuki type.
The texture of the udon was really nice, it was similar to springy tagliatelle and the sesame sauce provided was really appetizing when it was mixed with the udon.

The ark shell clams were nicely presented, after we finished the meal, we were told these noodles were award winning noodles on the menu which I couldn't agree more and I will be back for these noodles again!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Eel sushi:

I do not usually have eel sushi but tried it here and was quite surprised by it because it was a long piece of eel.
It was very satisfactory eating it because it was not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Seared sushi:

The middle two were the Japanese amberjack/yellowtail which I tried because I have never tried it seared.
The texture was still soft and silky even though it was half seared.
The salmon and scallop was nice as well and I loved the generous finely chopped spring onions on top because it gave it a twinge of flavouring.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Asparagus and mentaiko wrapped in seaweed tempura:

I really liked this because of the asparagus and seaweed, inside it had mentaiko too giving it some colour and flavour.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Uni fried rice:

I was quite full when the rice was served, so I only tried a little bit.
The uni taste was not that strong but you could smell it and on top of the rice it was garnished with scallops.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Milk pudding:
The milk pudding was really nice and not too sweet, a light dessert to finish off the meal with.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pumpkin icecream:

I think this would be a popular item because the product shot only shows a scoop of icecream but when it comes, it is a real slice of pumpkin filled with icecream.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 2443] OpenRice annual dinner 2013 @ 怡東軒 Yee Tung Heen

15/04/2013
怡東軒 Yee Tung Heen
銅鑼灣告士打道281號香港怡東酒店2樓
2/F, The Excelsior Hong Kong, 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/openrice-annual-dinner-2013-e2292646

Thanks to OpenRice for organizing this event held every year.
This was my second year attending.
Each course was paired with wines from Marks and Spencer's my favourite food store in Hong Kong.
Although I do not drink, I tasted them and appreciated the colours and smells of each wine.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marks & Spencer Sparkling Burgundy:
Diced beancurd with spicy salt and marinated pork knuckle:
The diced beancurd were neatly stacked on the plate surrounded by pork knuckle slices.
It had a nice crisp coating with smooth and soft tofu in the middle seasoned by the spicy salt on the coating.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marks & Spencer Crow's Fountain Chenin Blanc:
Sliced braised live abalone with oyster sauce and Japanese soya sauce:
When the oysters came, there was dry ice beneath so it was surrounded in lovely smoke.
I am not sure what flowers they used but the flowers looked like pansies.
I preferred the abalone cooked in oyster sauce because the soya sauce one was a bit sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Double boiled soup with tea tree mushrooms, sea whelk and caterpillar fungas:
The soup was rich and served at the right temperature.
It was nice how the soup was presented in a tea pot and served like Chinese Tea.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marks & Spencer Secano Estate Pinot Noir Rose:
Crab claw steamed with egg white and Chinese wine:

The crab was cooked just right with fragrant Chinese wine.
It would have been nicer if the wine was stronger.
The egg white at the bottom tasted the best because it had absorbed all the essence from the crab and wine.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marks & Spencer Contino Rioja:
Sauteed King prawn in supreme soya sauce:
The King prawn was huge and meaty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marks & Spencer Crozes Hermitage:
Mini squash pot with Australian Wagyu beef and vegetables:

The presentation of this was really cute and the meat inside it was sweet with delicious pine nuts.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed kale with ginger:
This was a huge kale stalk carved like a flower.
The pairing of ginger and kale was nice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried rice with assorted seafood:

The rice had lots of seafood in it but the taste of the seafood could have been stronger.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Marks & Spencer Malmsey Madeira:
Dessert platter:

There were three items on the dessert platter and this one was my favourite because it was light and dreamy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

See you all next year and the future gourmet pros and gourmet elites to be.

Thank you to all my fellow openricers for support, there are too many names to list here so I have not in case I miss any out.

[Review 2435] Dreyer's D Collection event at Amico Italian

14/04/2013
Amico Italian Wine Bar & Restaurant
尖沙咀諾士佛臺1號7樓
7/F, 1 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/dreyers-d-collection-event-at-amico-italian-e2292484

Thanks to EA communications for inviting me to this event to try Dreyer's D collections new TIRAMISU icecream.
As well as the icecreams, there was also food provided by Amico Italian Wine Bar & Restaurant.
Before I tried the icecreams, I had some savoury appetizers first.
The aubergines in tomato sauce were nice and the celery tossed in herbs.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dreyer's D collections TIRAMISU icecream:
The ice-cream was really nice, I had lots of cake pieces in my icecream which were chewy and tasted like fudge.
The taste and texture of the icecream was light and it tasted like whipped tiramisu.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bread pudding:
The bread pudding provided by Amico was really nice and the bread was crispy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

As well as trying the icecreams, they also gave us icecreams to take home too in a lovely stylish bag.

[Review 2226] ❤ White strawberry ❤ for Valentines day ❤ @ 東海堂 Arome Bakery Room

25/01/2013
東海堂 Arome Bakery Room
金鐘金鐘道93號Lab Concept 金鐘廊F03號舖
Shop F03, LAB Concept, Queensway Plaza, 93 Queensway, Admiralty
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/white-strawberry-for-valentines-day-e2280880

❤ White strawberry ❤ for Valentines day ❤

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Out of all the Arome Bakery Room tastings, I was really looking forward to this one because of the White strawberry which is also known as the pineberry.

╔══╗
╚╗╔╝
╔╝(¯`v´¯)
╚══`.¸.white strawberries!


I have always wanted to try this angelic berry which was nearly extinct a few years ago.

The berry turns white when it is ripe and the seeds turn red and it has a hint of pineapple flavour.
The taste of this berry is really sweet and juicy.

Currently they are sold at Citysuper for around $48X for about 10 to 12 berries depending on size.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

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For the upcoming Valentines day, they have launched a series of cakes that are just the ideal way to celebrate with the red and white theme with strawberry being the most loveable berry for this occasion.

1. Vanilla Mousse Cake with White Strawberry (白い草莓)
2. Mixed Berries Mousse Cake with Red Strawberry (赤い草莓)
3. Mixed Berries Mousse Cake (心の恋人)
4. Strawberry Cream Cake (恋莓絮語)

These cakes are available to order from February the 1st.

For the White strawberry cake, it can only be ordered online on the ABR site from 28th of January to be collected at Arome Bakery branches from 2 Feb - 17 Feb 2013.

There are discounts if you order early, please refer to the Chinese reviews as I do not want to make any errors giving out the wrong information as my Chinese is not that good.

Although the White strawberry is only for Valentines day, the colour of the strawberry is also great for White Valentines day (known as white day)!

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Vanilla Mousse Cake with White Strawberry (白い草莓) $438
The cake comes in a beautiful box and bag.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Mixed Berries Mousse Cake with Red Strawberry (赤い草莓) $198

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Mixed Berries Mousse Cake (心の恋人) $138

The appearance of this cake was really romantic with a fuzzy surface.
It reminds me of the cake at Chez Shibata, however that one is rose flavoured.
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Strawberry Cream Cake (恋莓絮語) $98
The white cake with strawberries on top on the first picture.
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When we left, we were given an enchanting dessert which was too pretty to eat!
It was a white strawberry in white wine jelly encased in a marvellous egg shaped glass.

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At the tasting, we also tried some desserts which were created especially for that tasting event.
(not sold at Arome Bakery).

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───────────(♥) Valentines day everyone from Supersupergirl

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