[Review 3423] A taste of China from Singapore @ 樂天皇朝 Paradise Dynasty

07/06/2014
樂天皇朝  Paradise Dynasty
銅鑼灣波斯富街99號利舞臺廣場6樓
6/F, Lee Theatre, 99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-taste-of-china-from-singapore-e2368194

It took me by surprise that Paradise Dynasty which serves Chinese food was from Singapore but then some Chinese foods such as dimsum taste better in the UK compared to local crap.
At Paradise Dynasty, I appreciate the spaciousness of the tables which are well spaced out and you won't feel claustrophobic staring and listening to people who are on the other table that seem right next to you.
Most of the tables are normal sized (but by Hong Kong standards HUGE!!).
 At the entrance, there is a lovely open kitchen protected by glass where you can see the Xiao Long Baos being made.

Here was what we tried:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed Original Xiao Long Bao:
 0 讚好

It was the first time I learnt how to pick up a XLB properly with chopsticks because you have to pick it up at the strongest point which is near the top.
 0 讚好

The broth was extremely clear and almost oiless which was pleasing to see because they don't use pigs skin.
I liked their recipe because you won't feel bloated after having one.
 0 讚好

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Assorted Xiao Long Baos:
 0 讚好

There are eight flavours and you eat them in order of lightest taste.
It was really thoughtful of them to arrange more than one basket so that we could taste more than one flavour.
I tried the ginseng, cheese and crab.
The ginseng was not strong enough but the cheese was likeable because it had soft mozzarella in it that did not over power the XLB.
The crab was really nice too with lots of crabmeat in it.
At the moment there is a buy one get one free promotion on the weekends.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Drunken Chicken:

The chicken was tender infused with fragrant wine.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chilled Jellyfish and Seafood in Vinaigrette:
 1 讚好

This was my favourite because their fruit vinaigrette was really appetizing.
As well as jellyfish, there were squid and prawns too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lettuce rolls with homemade Sesame sauce:
 0 讚好

This is just simple rolled lettuce held together by a piece of cucumber to be dipped in their homemade sesame sauce.
I loved this because it was just like eating sesame salad in a convenient way packed with so much lettuce in one bite covered in delicious sweet sesame sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pork Dumpling with Hot Chilli Sauce:

This was nice but I found it too spicy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Radish Pastry:

The radish pastry was nice but after having so much tasty dishes I needed chili oil on it to spice it up.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spicy Szechuan Crispy Chicken:

When this dish was brought over, you could smell the fragrant chilis and Sichuan peppercorns but again the spicy dishes at this place are guaranteed spicy!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stir-fried Marbled Beef with Scallion:
 0 讚好

This was juicy slices of beef in delicious oyster sauce with onions tasting similar to the beef and onions that you get at British Chinese takeaways.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Scrambled Egg White with Fish and Dried Scallop:
 0 讚好

 0 讚好

Another simple dish eaten with the egg yolk smeared on top of the egg white.
Great and simple with rice.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stewed Sliced Fish with Chinese Wine Sauce:

The fish was chunky infused with strong wine flavour.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed chive and pork dumplings:

These were my favourite because the dumpling skin was soft and not too thick filled with delicious minced pork and fragrant chives.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Doubled-boiled Chicken Soup:

The soup was lovely and clear with strong chicken taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chilled Aloe Vera and Osmanthus Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice:

Refreshing dessert with honey lemon juice loaded with aloe vera pieces, osmanthus jelly that was not too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Durian Xiao Long Bao:

Exclusive Durian XLB's only in Hong Kong.


This was amazingly delicious served HOT!!! I assumed that Durian was going to taste weird hot but the durian taste was not altered by the steaming process.
The best sweet version of XLB I have tasted but for Durian lovers only because it has real and fresh durian flesh in it from Malaysia.

[Review 3422] A double hotdog is not enough @ 永樂園餐廳 Wing Lok Yuen Restaurant

06/06/2014
永樂園餐廳 Wing Lok Yuen Restaurant
中環昭隆街19 號地下
G/F, 19 Chiu Lung Street, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/a-double-hotdog-is-not-enough-e2368107

For local hotdogs there are two well known ones in Hong Kong, one is Danish bakery and the other one is Wing Lok Yuen.
They are now both in Central which was why I suddenly remembered this place.
Out of the two, I prefer Wing Lok Yuen because both the bun and Frank taste good.
Here they use the ZWAN brand which is part of the Zwanenberg Food Group from the Netherlands. Zwanenberg Food Group is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of processed meat products.

You can either get a takeout or dine downstairs.

I was greeted with a blinding almost fluorescent yellow menu contrasted with visually uncomfortable RED borders which have turned orange because it was printed on yellow paper~~!
Before I ordered, I was surprised they gave me a cup of water.

Ordered the double frank hotdog and the Salty lemon tea which I thought did not exist because when I was at Sing heung yuen, I ordered the salty lemon drink and mixed it with tea instead of 7up.
Next time I will order the Salty lemon with water which I did not see earlier.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
double hotdog:

The franks were so tweeny weeny and short that there should be at least four per bun.
But anyway, it tastes good because the bun is normal and it was nicely heated with normal tasting Franks.
The only thing I did not like was the sugary thick sauce which I scraped away.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
salty lemon tea:

When it came I was surprised the salty lemon had already been mixed in the tea so you could see pieces of salty lemon floating in it.
The taste was not salty or sour enough and it was the most bitter drink I ever drank.
I could not make out whether the bitterness came from the tea or the salty lemon but it was astringent just like detergent!
At this restaurant, they have these really cute teaspoons.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
second double hotdog without sauce:

Without the sauce, the hotdog was divine!!!
Next time I am going to bring my own ketchup and mustard!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3421] Salmon tartare with local prawn crackers @ FRITES Belgium on Tap

06/06/2014
FRITES Belgium on Tap 
灣仔港灣道28號Brim 28灣景中心1樓6號舖
Shop 6, Brim 28, 1/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/salmon-tartare-with-local-prawn-crackers-e2368090

Had dinner at this place and the portions were huge.
Ordered mussels, tartare and the pork knuckle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Salmon tartare:
The salmon tartare had a really creamy taste and it was also quite fishy.
It tasted much better when it was eaten with the cracker beside it.
Surprisingly the cracker is a local cracker by Four Seas called the Crispy prawn cracker which is the one in the orange packet!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3420] Lunches at 3.6.9 @ 上海三六九菜館 3.6.9. Restaurant Shanghai Food

06/06/2014
上海三六九菜館  3.6.9. Restaurant Shanghai Food
灣仔柯布連道30-32號地下
G/F, 30-32 O'Brien Road, Wan Chai
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/lunches-at-3-6-9-e2368068

Some sets are only served during lunch so went for lunch.
As usual you get the compulsory Jasmine tea which is compulsory charged.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tofu puff and glass vermicelli in soup:
This was delicious and the tofu puffs were not rancid or oily and there were loads of glass vermicelli in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and duck blood:

This was boring because I didn't realize it was going to be blood jelly and the soup was a bit bland.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Scrambled egg with shrimps:

The scrambled egg was very satisfying because it was not that oily and the egg was fluffy and fragrant.
You get two bowls of rice but they were small bowls so two are definitely needed.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
◎ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ◎
Price: $1xx
Service: OK
Yummy factor: ok
Napkins provided: no
Toilets: no
Portion sizes: reasonable
Noise levels: Noisy
Glass of water provided: tea was provided
English Menu: no

[Review 3419] Revisiting paradise @ 樂天皇朝 Paradise Dynasty

06/06/2014
樂天皇朝  Paradise Dynasty
銅鑼灣波斯富街99號利舞臺廣場6樓
6/F, Lee Theatre, 99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/revisiting-paradise-e2368035

After a tasting at Paradise Dynasty decided to go again.
[I will submit my tasting review later!~!!]
This time tried the vegetarian buns, tri coloured egg and ordered two items which I liked from tasting.
If you like Durian, you can upload photos of the assorted XLB and get a free basket of Durian XLBs.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
vegetarian buns:
The buns were on the small side but quality is better than quantity because the vegetables in the buns were fresh and green in colour wrapped in a delicious fluffy bun.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
tri coloured egg:
The tri coloured egg was delicious with tones of salted egg yolk contrasted by the century egg's akaline taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
seafood and jellyfish in vinaigrette:.

Again, I loved this because of the fruity vinegar and seafood.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
steamed pork and chive dumplings:

The dumplings were great because the skin was not too soft and thick which held it together.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[Review 3418] Salt discovery journey with salt pairing @ Armani / Aqua

06/06/2014
Armani / Aqua
中環干諾道中8號遮打大廈2樓204-205號舖
Shop 204-205, 2/F, Chater House, 8 Connaught Road Central, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/salt-discovery-journey-with-salt-pairing-e2367948

Every diner has to walk through the gorgeous red catwalk entrance surrounded by mirrors before they reach the restaurant.
Currently there is a Salt discovery menu by Chef Andrea Magnano which consists of 6 courses at $1288 per person.
At this dinner I learnt so much about salts and the varieties.
The older the salt gets the more colourful it is and Saharan salt is the rarest and most expensive!!!
If the salt is colourless it means that it is young and conventional salt is normally bleached.
But saying that, salts can be different colours regardless of its age such as Copper sulphate which is a pretty blue!!

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beautiful salts at the table:

There were six different salts and each course is paired with a different salt so that you can taste the difference.
On the table, there are beautiful rock salts which must be grated on a lemon zest grater because other graters are not strong enough.

There were also six dishes of grated salts.

The six salts on the table were:

*Pink Himalayan: one of the purest salts in the world, hand crafted from the depths of the Himalayan mountains

*Cypriot Saffron pyramids: from shores of lake Larnaka when its water evaporates to expose a crust of salt pyramids, then delicately infused with Saffron.

*Viking Java mix: a blend created by Chef Andrea of ground Indonesian peppercorns with smoked Norwegian Viking salt from the Fjords.

*Persian Blue: a rare blue salt and culmination of a natrual 100 million year process, flavour is initially very salty then fades.

*Hawaiian black lava: formed in ponds made from natural lava which imparts in deep black colour, smokey flavour and very high mineral content.

*Essencia Arbequina: Comes from Cardona in the Bisque region of Santander, this mild soft salt flavours of locally grown olives gives a taste of Spain.

*Hoarfrost: harvested from the Sahara dessert near the oasis of Bahaiya, it has a snowflake like appearance that melts in your mouth.
 0 讚好

Essencia Arbequina
 0 讚好

Hoarfrost was the prettiest!!
 0 讚好

It was fascinating how salt could be paired with food just like wine!

In the old days, it was known as Salt-curing with meats and seafood as a method of preserving meat until the 19th century.
Salt inhibits the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of microbial cells through osmosis. Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of unwanted bacteria. Smoking, often used in the process of curing meat, adds chemicals to the surface of meat that reduce the concentration of salt required.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Three Prawns:
 0 讚好

Three botan prawns served on a block of Pink Himalayan salt with Amalfi lemon mayonnaise, clementine granite and a dusting of licorice yellow Cypriot saffron salt.
This was just amazing how the prawns could be served on such a huge block of salt!!!
The prawns were sinfully sweet because of the Himalayan salt. On the side, there was some refreshing clementine slush to cleanse the palate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Duck two ways:


Pan fried duck foie gras and home cured duck ham seasoned with Viking Java Mix Salt with cider and sherry vinegar caramelised green apple, truffle and rosemary caviar.
The duck and duck ham had a sophisticated taste which was refreshed by the sauces and salts.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Risotto Rosso:

Sicilian red prawn risotto, Maltese scampi adn malossol caviar served with Iranian Persian blue salt grated at the table!!
The risotto was beautifully done and the Persian salt just brought out the flavours which made you hungrier by the minute!!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vongole 2014:

Italian clams, mussels and Spanish baby squid dusted wtih Hawaiian Black lava salt served with organic tomatoes on homemade Zizzagne pasta and squid ink reduction.
The squid ink reduction was interesting and when the lava salt was sprinkled, it made the squid flavour come out more.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Black angus tagliata:

96 hour grass fed black angus strip loin, served with warm rocket jelly and Saharan hoarfrost salt with 24 month parmesan chips and vintage balsamic reduction.
This was my favourite because it was paired with pretty Hoarfrost salt which had a quick touch of saltiness that faded leaving you with the taste of sweet juicy beef.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

After the salt pairing dinner, you will realize that every salt is so different with different levels of saltiness.
Chef Andrea Magnano has paired the meats and salts with thought because high sodium meats should not be paired with a salt with a high sodium factor.