[TAIWAN] Sadaharu Aoki: Love Letter

Dear Sadaharu Aoki,

I’ve had a crush on you for over five years. I admit, at first, it was your looks that attracted me – everything about you is beautiful. I fell for your clean, minimalistic white packaging, your rows of chocolate blocks dyed in the Pantone spectrum. But it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with everything else about you too – your substance. The perfect crunch-to-chew ratio of your delicate macarons never cease to wow me. And your creativity (matcha/earl gray jam, anyone?) impresses me to no end.

When I see you, I can’t help but spend all my money on you. It’s not that I think you are exchangeable for mere currency, but I just have an urge to splurge and spoil you. Don’t blame me. It’s only because I love you too much.

Best,
Eat Love Write

(Chocolate-encased macarons)

(Chocolates: in all the Pantone shades)

(Macarons: love)

FOOD: 4.75/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: N/A (it’s a counter)

PÂTISSERIE SADAHARU AOKI ($$)
Shop 11073, B2/F, Bellavita
No.28, Song Ren Road
Taipei City, Taiwan
(886) 2 8729-2759
www.sadaharuaoki.com

[TAIWAN] Snow King: Tastes Like Chicken

When I heard about Snow King, I knew it would be a place I had to visit. This legendary ice cream shop sells over 73 flavors of homemade ice cream, ranging from the ordinary to the way-out obscure.

(73 flavors!)

I made the pilgrimage to this tiny store and perused the menu. Flavor headings included nuts and pulses, “healing” herbal flavors, fruit, alcohol, vegetables and teas, among others. The family went with more orthodox offerings, such as the creamy coconut ice cream (NT60), a perfumed almond flavor (NT65) and a sweet, fresh strawberry (NT55).

(Sesame oil chicken: no joke)

Wanting to take advantage of the quirky flavors, I pendulum-ed between the pig’s trotter flavor (NT110) and the sesame oil chicken (NT110), eventually deciding on the latter. Snow King doesn’t like—my ice cream sphere smelt exactly like sesame oil chicken and tasted that way too. The first bite was hilarious. But somewhere between bites four and five, the sesame oil became way too pungent… it should be no surprise the sesame oil and dairy doesn’t exactly mix well… not to mention the little bits of hardened ginger salt flecked in the ice cream. To be honest, it was pretty damn gross. But hey—it touts itself as being sesame oil chicken flavored and, without a doubt, that’s what it delivered. So kudos to that.

The uber friendly store owner assured me that the sesame oil chicken flavor is fortifying for the body (because of the ginger, she says). I’ll take her word for it. But the novelty aside, Snow King does do some quality ice cream. And if you're not ready to plunge into the chicken/curry/pork floss flavors yet, there's still a myriad of interesting options for you to sample.

FOOD: 4/5 (an extra point for originality)
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 2/5

SNOW KING /雪王 ($)
No. 65, Wuchang Street, Sec 1
Taipei City, Taiwan
02-2331-8415

Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon: Go-To-Feel-Good

Somewhere in the year or so that I’ve been back, Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon became my HK Island side go-to-feel-good place. The pastries, sandwiches, and the to-die-for coffee bring to mind all those happy times I’ve spent wide-eyed in front of Bouchon Bakery in New York. The fact that it’s housed in the same building as Harvey Nichols, and is right next to The Landmark MO is also automatic brownie points. But more importantly, it’s become my go-to spot because, well, I’m just a poor writer and can’t afford eating in the main Robuchon dining room on most days.

(Macarons: hellooooo there)

After all, who am I to say no to Michelin star winning macarons that go for $8 a pop? Or perfect mousse-topped cakes or crumbly crusted tarts at $30-something? OK fine, their coffee is a bit steep at $40/small paper cup… but their coffee is also five times better than anyone else’s, so I guess it balances out.

It also helps that, aside from the stunning sweets, the Salon does a beautiful selection of eat-in dishes. Not too long ago, over a session of Saturday brunch girly gossip, I sold my soul to the salmon fillet marinated in sake and mirin with miso sauce ($190). The fish was so soft and buttery—a perfect canvas for the Japanese marinade. But what made me love more was the accompanying vat of Robuchon’s famed mashed potato purée. It was rich, velvety and oh-so-buttery. B-e-a-utiful.

(Sake-mirin salmon: sorry for the shaky hands)

(King crab jelly layered with tomato coulis and avocado cream: summer flavored!)

I’ve had a fair share of other stellar eats at the Salon. Another stand-out is the king crab jelly layered with tomato coulis and avocado cream ($90). The smooth, summer-flavored layered mixture paired so well with the tiny croutons floating atop the avocado cream. Cap any Le Salon meal off with a few macarons, a cup of black coffee and there you have ample reason to love the place too.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3.5/5

LE SALON DE THÉ DO JOËL ROBUCHON ($$)
Shop 315, 3/F
The Landmark
16 Des Voeux Road Central
Central
2166-9000
www.robuchon.hk

Antique: Sugary Sweetness

The beautiful Shen surprised me with a box of macarons from Antique during her visit. I lurved the colors. If Betsey Johnson’s dresses transformed into French pastries, they would be a box of Antique’s macarons.

Whee to good friends and good food!

(Macarons: so pretty!)

ANTIQUE PATISSERIE ($)
46 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
2542-2816

Thai BBQ 2: When Food is Just Right...

Sometimes, you come across something that just makes so much sense in life – something so beautiful, so right – you just start to wonder why you or anyone else has never thought of it before. Such was the case about two months ago.

Not content with our first dinner of a mediocre claypot rice (it was alright but nothing fantastic or blogworthy), we taxi-ed our way out to the food mecca of Kowloon City in search of a spot for “second dinner.” A quick stroll around the block led us to Thai BBQ 2 – a dingy little eatery… the type that has a see-through vinyl door curtain and cheesy Thai soap operas playing in the background. Perfect.

(SO much meat...)

We plunked ourselves down and ordered the very-necessary bottles of beer. And wanting to try something really special, we requested for the Thai style hotpot-grill ($2xx) the restaurant had displayed out front. To elaborate, this genius creation consists of a charcoal-heated barbecue grill, which is raised over a “moat” of hotpot broth. The idea is to cook thin slices of meat on the sloped grill and let the meat juices trickle down into the broth. Sigh… awesome? Quite.

The dainty-cute restaurant lady brought out our platter of meats, which – in all honesty – was probably designed to feed four hungry individuals, as opposed to two already-had-“first-dinner” people. There was a huge portion of beef, pork and chicken – all marinated in a rich-red sauce – along with various pork and cow entrails and beef and fish balls. And let me draw special attention to the grill for a bit, which was brought out, topped with a hunk of beef lard to lubricate the grill and to give the meats an extra aromatic edge when cooking. I was totally in food excitement mode.

(Watch as the meat juices trickle down)

(What love looks like)

We dived right into the meats platter, “ooh-ing” over the tender pork and “aah-ing” over the flavor-soaked beef. So perfect with the beer. And it was a whole new level of amazingness, cooking the basket of greens, enoki mushrooms and vermicelli in the meat-flavor enriched hotpot broth. The vermicelli, in particular, was just beautiful in every way – like little glassy strands that soaked up every ounce of flavor from the soup. All the way through the meal, we kept repeating “hell, I’m so full,” and “crap, I think I’m done.” But the whole thing was so delish, we just kept on eating and eating. We definitely ate more than any decent person should eat, polishing almost the whole meats platter. When the lady came by the clear our plates, she couldn’t help but comment on how impressed she was with how much we managed to finish. Yea, we’re kinda disgusting… but also kinda awesome…

(Proof that we are pigs)

The hotpot-grill plus several beers came in at less than $300 for the two of us. An awesome deal, considering how much food we had. It just all goes to show that when it comes to food, it’s never about the fanciness or the extravagance. Whether you’re eating a slab of foie gras, or something super complicated like uni with cucumber and apple gelee and burnt flour foam… if a simple platter of meats and a few cold beers can make you just as happy and satisfied, then that’s the most important thing. That’s what eating should be about. And thank God for that.

(Dessert after second dinner)

And because we’re absolute pigs, after that big fatty second dinner, what do we do? Head a few streets down to Tei Mou Koon to grab dessert of course! Hong Kong styled double boiled milk ($14) and a small dish of gooey-chewy glutinous rice balls with sugar and chopped peanuts ($10) for a very satisfying food end to a very satisfying food day.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 1/5

THAI BBQ 2 ($$)
17 Nam Kok Road
Kowloon City
2718-6219

FOOD: 3.5/5
SERVICE: 2/5
ATMOSPHERE: 1/5

TEI MOU KOON DESSERT ($)
47 Fuk Lo Tsun Road
Kowloon City
2382-5004

Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon: Still Like Old Times

When we were young, we used to all sit at Connaught Garden and stay and gossip about all sorts of random stuff over cups of hot coffee and a spread of food. Then the Star Ferry moved somewhere else, the coffee shop people we used to say “Hi” to all left. And we all grew up and moved away.

Back to present day.

Earlier this week, I decided to take full advantage of the beautiful pre-freezing cold weather by deciding to make it “picnic lunch day.” And wanting to relive the lovely days I spent in Central Park with Bouchon Bakery’s delicious goodies in hand, I hopped on a cab to The Landmark (by the way, loving the Christmas décor!) and escalatored up to Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon for my picnic provisions.

(Flakey Almond Croissant)

After perusing the offerings at the salon, I settled for two cups of hot coffee ($40 each), a salmon and dill quiche ($32) and chicken mushroom quiche ($32), an earl grey tea cake ($40), on the friendly server’s recommendation, and a small almond croissant ($17). All to go. They wrapped everything neatly into a beautiful red paper bag and off I was, toting Robuchon goods in one hand, a hot coffee in the other and tottering my way to meet the Nelson at the old spot.

And things haven’t changed. Well, save the time constraint, Kenj being still in Australia, and that Robuchon coffee is about twice as expensive as Starbucks (which is already twice as expensive as any other place). We still mindlessly gossiped about unimportant things which were important to us though, and we still had a good time. As for the food – the quiches had a nice crumbly crust but alas, should have asked them to reheat it (duh, me). But the sweets were so delish. The earl gray cake made us fall in love with it a little, with its delicate sweetness and subtle layering of textures. And my almond croissant? Very flakey on the outside and nutty sweet on the inside. Still can’t compare to that Godsend of a croissant from Bouchon Bakery, NYC though but that REALLY set the bar and this is a close enough second for me. I was happy.

(Earl grey tea cake: our new love)

Too bad they didn’t have too much of a selection left by the time I got there. I was actually aching to try the crabmeat with avocado and tomato confit. And maybe I’ll try the sandwiches next time… or better yet, make a meal out of their pastries and desserts :) Ah well, to be honest though, it’s all about the feeling. It’s about sitting there, being happy, and feeling young again.

(An impromptu picnic)

FOOD: 3.5/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon ($$)
Shop 315, 3/F
The Landmark
16 Des Voeux Road Central
Central
2166-9000
www.robuchon.hk

Pierre: Chef Olivier's Take on Things

(Amuse bouche: a perfect beginning)

Lunch at Pierre is, of course, always good times. Last time I went, I was lucky enough to meet THE actual, Msr. Pierre Gagnaire himself (yes yes, I was completely starstruck like an idiot). And though Msr. Gagnaire wasn’t in town this time around, I did get to meet the equally charming and extremely talented Chef Olivier Elzer who’s just signed on as Pierre’s new exec chef.

(Scallops: refreshing)

(63 degree eggs: MASSIVE food envy)

And because a meal at Pierre pretty much REQUIRES maximum indulgence, we went with the four-courser not-so-express lunch option ($380 for two courses, $80 for each additional course). I started with the scallops with cauliflower – very delicate and light but not the least bit bland. The scallops were delish and the dish as a whole was wonderfully refreshing, especially with its lightly tangy sauce/broth. But as good as the scallops were, I had massive food envy at WY and Johan’s 63-degree eggs after one big bite. This dish is a Pierre Gagnaire classic and Chef Olivier’s rendition was absolutely perfect. The flavors were all spot on, the egg was perfectly poached and ah, the beautiful layer of textures! Must. Order. Eggs. Next. Time.

(Beef ravioli: not mine but beautiful)

(Foie gras custard: comfort food-esque)

As for our middle course, I went with the foie gras custard. When it arrived, we all noticed that it was extremely reminiscent of Chinese steamed eggs. And just like the steamed egg dish, the foie gras custard was extremely satisfying; luxurious without being too in-your-face indulgent. But the foie was definitely overshadowed by my pork cheeks main course. So effin’ tender – I could cut through the meat with a fork. And I was absolutely loving the Indian cuisine influence with a playful hint of turmeric and other spices. Johan’s beef ravioli middle course and lamb shoulder main looked delicious enough, but I had a bite of the smoked salmon and was completely sold by that abso-effin-lutely wonderful flavor. Will get that the next time, definitely.

(Pork cheeks: with a bit of spice)

(Lamb shoulder)

(Bitter almond panna cotta: will pay attention next time)

As for desserts, I ordered the bitter almond panna cotta. To be honest though, I don’t really remember much of the panna cotta because Chef Olivier came out during this course and I was too busy chatting with him and complimenting the previous three courses. So perhaps I should go back for a second try of the panna cotta… yes, I should definitely do that… and order the 63-degree eggs while I’m at it.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

PIERRE ($$$$ for lunch/$$$$$ for dinner)
25/F, Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Rd. Central
Central
2825-4001

Pop Bites: It Took a Benedict to Remind me of You

(Eggs benedict)

One thing I really love about the office is its proximity to SoHo. Most days though, I can’t be bothered to drag my lazy ass into a cab out to that side for lunch but it’s nice that that the option is open should a special occasion call for it. Well, Friday called for just such an occasion.

Originally, we wanted to pop into The Flying Pan but, as half-expected, it was super bopping during lunch hour. No worries, plan B, Pop Bites, had several free tables and chairs. I went with one of their all-day breakfast options of eggs benedict ($78, including coffee/tea), which – for some reason – I haven’t had since moving back to Hong Kong.

Always slightly unique, Pop Bites does their eggs benedict with toasted French baguette bread instead of English muffins. The two slices of crusty bread were topped with a bed of arugula, slices of ham and a perfectly-poached egg each. The yolk was still runny but not so much that it spilled out all over the place in raw messiness. Delish. The bread sopped up all the yolk and the whole thing really worked when combined with the savoriness of the ham and the slight spicy kick of the arugula. My only complaint though was that the eggs were a little on the small side. Well, that is, compared to what they serve in the land-of-ridiculously-big-portions, a.k.a. America.

Food won’t blow you away but it’s more-than-above-par. Plus, the staff are friendly, the prices are reasonable and, most importantly, it’s a great hangout spot. And thanks to the benedict, for reminding me of what a great lunch option I had, just waiting for me with open arms at the edge of SoHo. Oo...and I STILL haven't tried their delicious-looking cakes!

FOOD: 3/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

POP BITES ($$)
3 - 5 Old Bailey St.
Central
Hong Kong
2525-4141