Hong Kong: Big Binding Crab/ Big hairy crab 大閘蟹

I know I was raving about this last year here, but after my Big Binding Crab 大閘蟹 this year, I think I might take a break next season.

This year, I had the opportunity to try the full set meal consisting of 7 courses from one of the more famous Big binding crab restaurants in Hong Kong, East Ocean. This set came to $260 HKD per person (before gratuity), which is a steal, as buying just the raw crab and taking it home to cook would cost around $200 HKD per person.

The first course was a Chinese soup with Shark's Fin (魚翅佛跳牆). You name it, it basically had everything in it, from veggies, to dried scallops, mushrooms, pork, chicken leg (eeks), bamboo shoots and even a decent sized piece of shark's fin (Shark's fin is a fine delicacy to the Chinese, it's pretty much flavourless but with a good soup base, it turns it to gold).

Second course was the Crab miso soup dumplings (2 pieces per person) (蟹粉小龍包). A little bland in flavour, the flavour of the crab miso was taken over by the pork.

The third course that came was a little fusion; French garlic toast served with crab miso dip. I was quite happy with this. The dip had a very strong aroma and taste, unlike the crab soup dumplings, however as heavy as the crab miso already was, there was a thick layer of oil on top.After carefully scooping the oil out, I piled on the crab miso dip on my toast and was on my way to ecstasy. Yuummm...

The crabs came next, two per person. There was an abundance in crab miso; strong in flavour, served very hot, tasted especially yummy with our chinese wine pairing.  The restaurant provided a special sweet vinegar that essentuated the flavours, it worked, we polished our first crab inside out and onto the next.

Veggies came next. Just blanched veggies, needed something to wash my system out after this feast!

Dried shrimp udon came after. I swear, this was a neverending set dinner. I had a bite and gave it up. The hand-made udon was made extremely well; the soup base was sflavourful yet not heavy.

Finally, a dessert drink was served. It is a ginger tea with multi-colored sweet dumplings, supposedly this is  to make you feel better after the huge heavy crab set. This was a bit too sweet, not enough ginger and I think I need about 8 more cups of this to even be close to cleaning out my system (ulgh so heavy). The soup dumplings were multi-colored starch balls.. I just took it all out and drank the soup alone. Colored starch balls aren't my thing.

I fell sick for a week after this meal.  Although this is expected to happen when you have too much crab miso (which I did); and not enough ginger tea (which is also true), I can only bare with feeling like crap once a year. 

Overall, East Ocean has executed this ingredient quite well, I admire how they tried to add a little bit of variation with most these dishes and incorporating a mixture of light and heavy flavours.

East Ocean Seafood Restaurant

http://www.eastocean.com.hk/

Osaka: Midnight Ramen: Kinryu Ramen 金龍 ラーメン

Once upon a time, I lived in Osaka, Japan.  Living there were some of the best times of my life, great friends, exciting new ventures, chillaxed work environment, most importantly, scrumptious food on every corner, any time of the day (yes.. they have AMAZING food at corner stores). Speaking of which, at a minimum of once a week, I'd visit a restaurant at around 4am (...ahh.. the days when I was still young), my all-time favorite place  to go to after parties in Osaka was Kinryu Ramen 金龍 ラーメン.
Note: TONS of restaurants in Osaka are opened until 5am; when the train starts off for the day.

We found this place only because it the most eye-catching restaurant that was still lit with bright lights at 5am.With a green dragon running through the entire red restaurant in the biggest shopping district Namba, you will probably find a picture of this place in every tourist in Osaka's trusty digi cams, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO MISS IT!!

The ramen at Kinryu, as most ramen shops, have to be purchased via a ticket dispenser in Japan, giving you the choice of size and soup base. Patrons are self-served and seated on raised tatami mats with short wooden tables; it's an "open-kitchen" allowing you to see everything going on; water/kimchi/shichimi/pickles/garlic are all unlimited at the counter in the corner.  Simply put, it's no different from a Mc D serving ramen. The best part of the whole ambience is the ability to people-watch. It's always so interesting to do that in Japan, with the eccentric fashion, street performers and basically expecting nothing but random encounters.

Now what you've all been waiting for.. the RAMEN. The ramen is firm, a little chewy, this was perfect for me.  I prefer my noodles with a bit of a texture, this might be my favorite part of the whole bowl as I'm not a huge fan of the Chashu (Japanese BBQ pork), I usually just have one piece and the rest of it goes to whoever I'm dining with. The noodles were the thin, round strands that are rarely found anywhere in Hong Kong. The combination is just delicious with the soup! For a small ramen, the noodles just like they're neverending (and NO, I'm no where near complaining, keep 'em coming!).
With a strong whiff of seafood, Chinese influenced broth, the tonkotsu soup base was light yet flavorful enough to soak the ramen with little fireworks . Believe it or not, I pretty much devoured this whole bowl all by myself. (snort*)

Kinryu Ramen 金龍 ラーメン
1-7-13 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi
(06) 213-6825
***open 24 hours***

TAIPEI: Favorite Restaurant in Taiwan..

I think I found a gem. Thanks to one of my buddies in Taiwan for bringing me last time I was there, I've been craving it and am I ever glad that I got to pay this small cozy restaurant another visit.
This restaurant is located on a street known as the "food street" in central Taipei. This is the street where the infamous "Ding Tai Feng" resides... but no, my favorite restaurant is not the fancy Ding Tai Feng, rather, this one here is a low-key, down-to-earth, Taiwanese cuisine.

They serve traditional yet tasty dishes, such as pan-fried Pork liver(!!!), pork oil on rice(yes does not sound healthy), bitter melon with salty egg yolk, etc.

The pan-fried pork liver looks like foie gras.. but it's alot chewier and I think it's pan-fried with soya sauce, intensive flavours and the texture is very different, it's more powdery and doesn't melt in your mouth but doesn't feel as greasy and I like how it's chewy.

The rice.. pork oil(lard) on rice. haha.. man.. that does NOT sound good at all... but the aroma came all the way from the kitchen, it smelled so good. Not the healthiest option, the flavors just made working out for 2 hours all worth it.

Let me share a little story of my experience with bitter melons. First time I tried it was in Okinawa, Japan. Bitter Melons was one of their specialty. It was good, bitter but I could take it. I went back to Osaka, tried it there and practically ran to the washroom throwing up. Went to Hong Kong, my aunt told me bitter melon juice is good for skin, thus thinking I could just shoot it like a shot of tequila or something, committed to it. I think I spat it all over my clothes (and the person next to me). Swore to never have it again. So I lied and tried it in Taiwan last year and was impressed, comparable to Okinawa! As simple as that, I ordered it again on my own will at this restaurant, Bitter melon with salty egg yolk. The bitter melon was really juicy, really fresh and not bitter at all, in fact.. even a little sweet!

We ordered chicken drumstick, this probably disappointed us the most. It was just chicken. It was good, don't get me wrong.. but it was JUST chicken.

We didn't plan on ordering soup but the server recommended it and we were glad we did, how much we would be missing out if we neglected it. It was clams and asparagus. It came in a clear broth, I was personally expecting it to be not too tasty but I was surprised by the freshness of the clams. The broth was sooo sweet. SOOOO sweet, it was surprising to come from a soup that clear.

Very decent prices, for all that, it came to less than $20USD for TWO! If you're in the area, don't forget to try Ice Monster, it's right around the corner. It's a fresh fruit shaved ice restaurant. Dessert that compliments the meal very well!

(Had this last time.. omg. so good)

VANCOUVER: Cannery

Mmmm.. how I love the aroma of the Lobster Oil at the Cannery.
The drive into the restaurant builds up anticipation as you drive through the cargoes, you feel like you are in the middle of an action film, you have to pass on a secret code to an intercom at the entrance, driving through hundreds, if not thousands of cargoes.

As you arrive at the restaurant, you find yourself in what appears to be the inside of a fishing boat, with nets and anchors at the entrance. You have a gorgeous view of the water and a relaxing atmosphere that makes it very comforting while you dine.

As you are seated, a basket of bread is placed in front of you, the server comes along and pours out a orange oil, take a deep breath, is that lobster? Yes. Their renowned lobster oil. I cannot get enough of it. I usually stuff myself up before my appetizer comes.

We went for the Dine-Out Vancouver promotion a few years ago. Good timing for me to introduce them now as they are now taking reservations for Dine-Out this year. (I know, I am missing out!)

We started with the Roasted Parsnip and Fennel Soup with smoked Queen Charlotte sable fish. The soup was creamy, a little on the rich side, surprisingly the cream soup didn't overpower the fresh flavors from the sable fish.

The other entree we ordered was the Ahi-Tuna Carpaccio seasoned with wild paprika, lemon gelee, chili oil and avocado salad. Very fresh and the tuna was grilled ever-so-lightly, keeping the juices and freshness. Mmm.. sooo good.. The chili oil was an excellent choice.

The main courses just stole the show.

1.) Grilled Swordfish Filet brushed with arugula and almond pesto, chipotle pepper sauce.
- Meaty texture accented well with the sauce, I love how the flavours aren't too strong, hey, it's healthy too!

2.) Slow-cooked Pork Shank glazed with tandoori demi, served with tiger prawns, sesame seeds and cilantro.
- Sooooo tender and the tandoori sauce was such an excellent choice instead of the usual boring sauces.

3.) Grilled BC Salmon over oyster mushrooms and baby shrimp in a scallion basil cream sauce.
- The salmon steak was a medium rare. Didn't ask for my preference but that is what I always prefer. I loved it. The sauce wasn't that good to be honest, I didn't think the cream sauce was that special, something you could get anywhere, however, I did love the mushrooms.

Desserts...

Orange Cheesecake over coffee crust, semi-sweet chocolate sauce. The cheesecake was far too heavy, and not very orangey. I prefer my crust crispy, unfortunately theirs was not.

Velvet Chocolate Tower filled with brandied cherries and raspberry coulis. The name and description left me with high expectations of an actual "tower", turns out to be a regular-sized dessert. Chocolate mousse on the outside, was not exactly "filled with brandied cherries", but chocolate was rich. Can't go wrong with chocolate.

Their prices are reasonable relative to other restaurants in the same category. Overall, the Cannery is one of the best in Vancouver in terms of everything... it is unfortunate that this place is relocating in 2010, I've got to return before then.

HONG KONG: Thai Simple Kitchen

Christmas and New Years have come and gone, time to get back on track and target better restaurants this year!

It's hard to decide which restaurant to start writing about first as all I've been doing this winter vacation have been eating non-stop.

Let's start with Thai food. Random enough? So we tried a restaurant called Thai Simple Kitchen in the hustling and bustling Causeway Bay in Hong Kong. The entrance is a small little corridor outside of a theater that brings you to an elevator and when you reach that level, you'd be quite surprised to find at least 15 people in the waiting area. It's quite a big restaurant with a large patio decorated with small Christmas lights. The menu is diverse with a separate vegetarian section, and alot of the dishes are rather creative. We ordered the typical traditional Thai food, just so we could give their quality a try. A Pad Thai, BBQ Pork's Neck and the most untraditional one, we ordered a Tom Yum Gong Steamed egg. Most dishes are in a sizable portion and are great for sharing.

The BBQ Pork's neck was delicious, very crispy on the outside and the sauce it came with was superb, not too spicy yet tangy.


The Pad Thai was decent. It didn't surprise us at all, had the typical texture to the noodles and flavour was good, not too exciting. This Pad Thai however came with large shrimp. Not being a huge fan of large shrimps, i wasn't too impressed, it did add to the presentation though. Very nice presentation in fact.

The Tom Yum Gong Steamed egg was very creative. Kept the juices from the soup, and had more texture than the original soup. It's great for sharing and for trying something new. The flavours were nearly as good as what the traditional Tom Yum Gong soup would be like but I do admire the chef's sense of creativity. Sure adds a variation to the already-much-explosive-flavoured-soup.

TAIWAN: Ay-Chung's Flour-rice Noodles阿宗麵線

These rice-noodles that are made by Ay-Chung have originated since 1975 in Taiwan. Available throughout various locations in Taiwan, they definitely deserve the hype.

The shop is very small, and there's no room to sit, so everything was take out only. Apparently, the average daily receipts are close to US$30,000 (NT$1,000,000) a day. Very local indeed, as you pass by the store in Xi Men Ding, you will see crowds of people scattered around the restaurant, one is the line-up, the others are just people standing by the pillars eating their noodles.

These flour-rice noodles is the only thing they serve in the whole shop, there is a man standing in front of two giant woks, scooping noodles from one and soup from the other into a plastic green bowl. This bowl of wheat-based noodles, its strands are as fine as angel hair, suspended in a murky brown soup as thick as gravy; thickened with a healthy dose of cornstarch, this soup clung to the noodles. There were pieces of pork intestine, needle mushrooms and bamboo shoots to add to the texture of the combination. Condiments includes hot chili oil and parsley.

You would not believe it, but I just HAD to get myself a bowl on the way to the airport, and yes, we were eating it on the taxi, scorching hot and the ride was a bumpy one but we didn't spill a drop!

VANCOUVER: Diva At the Met (Metropolitan Hotel)

Diva At the Met (Metropolitan Hotel):

Would never have thought of coming this restaurant if not for Dine Out Vancouver. Ever since the first time going to this restaurant, basically, there wasn't a year that I attended this event leaving this restaurant out. Their $35 courses are always worth it, the service always spectacular and the food always fresh and never a disappointment.

Appetizer: Spiced Butternut Squash Velout and confit pork belly, golden raisins & toasted almonds --- Butternut squash is always delicious, the soup was extremely creamy, the confit pork tasted just like bacon bits, however the almonds

Fraser Valley Duck Terrine pickled vegetable salad black pepper gastrique --- The presentation (seen above) was very nicely put together, the salad on the side was blah, the sauce was good but the greens were just blah. The duck terrine was flavorful but a bit on the heavy side, would be nice if it came with bread or crackers.

Leek and Potato Soup with Nutmeg Mousse --- Leek was a bit on the strong side, nonetheless, it went nicely with the nutmeg, mellowing it down just a tad and same with their other soups, creamy!

Entree: Moroccan Spiced, Seared Rare, Ahi Tuna creamy orzo provencal, olive tapenade carrot emulsion --- The Ahi Tuna was seared perfectly, crust was just done and the inside was warm. The carrot emulsion is not a common sauce for Ahi Tuna however it did go very nice with the entree.

Aromatic Braised and Glazed Veal Cheek warm, creamy onion tart thyme-scented jus --- The creamy onion tart thyme was excellent, sauces were great and the veal cheek was not as tender as expected. The greens on the side were a bit on the bland/boring side, plain boiled peas, a little bit of a disappointment. Presentation on the onion tart could be improved, taste was good.

[No picture avail for this one]

Aromatic Braised Short Ribs with sherry vinegar lentils, thyme jus --- Extremely full of flavour and so tender that it could be pulled apart without a knife. *thumbs up*

Wild Forest Mushroom Risotto with parmesan flakes and truffle oil --- The first word that came out of my mouth were "Wow!" A vegetarian dish like this, with flavours so heavily infused, the risotto were cooked just so precisely, tricking your mind into thinking that the whole kitchen just opened up for you. Intense flavour with so much heart put into perfecting this simple yet sumptuous dish.

Dessert: Upside Down Chocolate Souffle topped with Housemade pistachio ice cream --- We were already exorbitantly full by the time we got to this point in the evening and swore to only have bite of the dessert. Boy were we ever wrong. This lava cake was the best I've had, and NO, I'm not a bit exaggerating. I'm not the only one who felt that way about this cake. My company is not a big fan of desserts yet he we were fighting over the last bite of dessert.

Stilton Cheesecake rhubarb compote, port wine glaze --- The port wine glaze was excellent. Cheesecake was not "cheesy" enough.

VANCOUVER: Fleuri @ Sutton Place

I must say... the customer service at this hotel was absolutely phenominal. Our server and the host was very helpful and extremely friendly. They were able to make us feel special. It's a nice restuarant and the layout was quite impressive in itself.

This was the menu. The sweet pea soup was best part of the whole meal. Very rich and smooth all at the same time! The Croque-Monsieur was delicious!

Appetizer: Sweet Pea Soup with Croque-Monsieur provided a dual sensation of smooth yet crispy at the same time!

Entree: Lemon and Oregano Glazed Cornish Hen with Oyster Mushroom Risotto in a Nicoise Olive Jus

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with a Gratin of Sweet Corn and Gorgonzola au Jus

Dessert: Grand Marnier Creme Brulee and Dark Chocolate Marquise with Raspberry Mint Syrup - Now with a duet like this, can't really go wrong. The dark chocolate was rich, paired exquisitely with raspberry mint. Creme Brulee was perfectly made with a very thin layer of caramelized sugar and cold creme brulee, indeed proves to be my favorite dessert.