Yonge Piggies

Chi is visiting me from Bombay and I have had so much fun trying to plan the most fun trip ever! My favorite twinnies took me to Yonge Piggies once to try their amazing earl grey milkshake and since Chi loves earl grey I wanted to make sure that she gets to try this. We had breakfast at Classified first and then popped by for a another bite since we did not eat too much at Classified. I have heard mixed reviews about Yonge Piggies so was glad that I finally stopped by to try it. It is located in Sheung Wan which is close enough but also not SO close that I would casually drop by and grab a bite. I feel like it definitely caters to those who live in Sheung Wan as there is very little seating so I doubt people who live elsewhere would purposely take a trip to grab a hot dog. This was the perfect opportunity since I wanted to let Chi walk around and also get small bites from different places. The decor is quite quirky and service was friendly.

Earl Grey Milkshake
Mmmm this is sooooo good. The earl grey flavor is quite strong and the milkshake is creamy and sweet. It is a bit heavy though so I recommend sharing this. 

Cheddar Sausage with Sauteed Onions, Mushrooms, and Cheese
Yonge Piggies uses sausages that are imported from Canada. The sausage had a crispy skin and it was nice and juicy inside. It was nice how you can add as many toppings as you want for free. This was good but nothing spectacular. It actually tasted just like Johnsonville Sausages which you can make yourself (I might even like Johnsonville more..... I LOVE THEM)

Oozey gooey cheesey goodness. 

I think the hotdogs here are decent but I much prefer Brat (which has now closed. UGH). The highlight of this place is definutely their milkshake. I have yet to try their fries but I have not heard raving reviews. I think this is a good spot for people who live in the area to grab a quick bite but not something to be on your must try list. But DO come by for the milkshake if earl grey is your thing!

Yonge Piggies

1 Jervois Street

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong

YUE at City Garden Hotel

I have always complained that my mom isn't adventurous enough with her restaurant selections and will always go back to tried and tested favorites. Every time I suggest a new place she would seem skeptical and question the validity of my suggestion. Recently though, she has been much more keen to venture to new restaurants and have even started proposing restaurant ideas! Maybe this has to do with the fact that my dad bought the Michelin Guide but regardless I am super pleased about this change in attitude!

YUE was a restaurant that my mom suggested and the food was very decent. Certain dishes were a miss but overall it was an enjoyable dim sum experience albeit I do not think we will be making it our regular dim sum spot. YUE is an award winning restaurant and has earned one Michelin star. One of their dim sum platters has one a special award but we actually didn't try it. The BBQ cheung fun was the worst dish as the flour layer was much too thick. Other traditional dim sum dishes were made well, with well textured and thin skin and generous and well flavored fillings.

The standout dishes were the BBQ grilled eel  and the lotus leaf rice. The BBQ eel was charred exquisitely and the meat was juicy and succulent. The honey glaze was also perfectly sweet and was a great balance of sweet and savory. The lotus leaf rice had an incredibly fragrant aroma and each grain of rice was infused with flavor and was the perfect hardness. Although I said that I wouldn't be coming here regularly, I would definitely keep YUE in mind if I am ever craving the delicious eel and rice!

YUE

1/F

City Garden Hotel 

9 City Garden Road

North Point

Hong Kong

Bo Innovation

I am officially done with work in 19 days!!! Then I will have 3 glorious months of summer! Work has been slow to say the least and with the impending arrival of summer I have officially turned into a blob, hence you can all expect a flurry of blog updates :D

Receiving that acceptance letter from Columbia was truly one of the happiest moments of my life and my dear H treated me for lunch at Bo Innovation to celebrate this great milestone :) When H heard that I have never tried Bo Innovation he exclaimed that it was unacceptable since I was such a big foodie... I guess it is a little shocking that I have never been at all. I have always heard about it and have seen pictures of the peculiar cuisine.

Bo Innovation is headed by the "Demon Chef" Alvin Leung who branded his cooking as "X-Treme Chinese Cuisine". The aim of his cooking is to break down traditional Chinese food and reinvents it so that diners experience them in a different and novel way. One of his infamous dishes is a edible condom made out of konjac and kappa to raise awareness on AIDS (not saying condoms are a traditional Chinese dish... but just that he is pretty creative).

There is another less indulgent lunch menu but since we were celebrating we decided to go all out :)!

DEAD GARDEN - morel, caterpillar fungus, green onion, lime
This dish was incredibly similar to the one I had at BCN and it was quite a enjoyable start to the meal. The "mud" was crunchy, strong flavored, and went very well with green foam underneath. The morel mushrooms were also fried to crispy slithers and had a strong earthy flavor. 

SABA - sesame, ponzu cloud, ginger, parfum de Hong Kong
This was definitely my least favorite dish of the meal. The saba (mackerel) was overwhelmingly fishy and pungent and the ponzu cloud was not acidic enough to balance out this unappealing taste. I actually commented that this was terrible while H said it was not THAT bad.

MOLECULAR - "xiao long bao"
This is one of Bo Innovations signature dishes and I can definitely appreciate the creativity and thought that was put into the development of this dish. I love eating xiao long baos and was eager to see what Chef Alvin Leung did to reinvent this dish. When you bite into this, the thin skin pops quite significantly and you feel the rush of the juice flow into your mouth (sounds kind of gross haha), the initial pop may be slightly surprisingly as I initially thought the skin was less taunt so that the mouth feel would be more similar to that of a glutinous rice sweet dumpling. The sensation was quite interesting and worth a try but I do prefer the traditional xiao long bao.

HAR MI - "lo mein", chili, kaniko
H told me that this is his favorite dish whenever he comes here so I was really excited to try. This dish really was quite enjoyable and while it was simple it really let the flavors shine through. The noodles were form and covered with the fragrant sauce. The color was also quite lovely with the bright orange noodles sprinkled with some bright green scallions. You are also given a pot of the "har mi" (dried shrimp) oil with chili in case you felt that the noodles were not seasoned strongly enough. I highly recommend that you add more of this oil as it really does make the dish pop.

COD - saffron miso, sauternes, seaweed
This dish was an ideal example of the perfect interplay of textures and how important it is to get all components of the dish into each bite. The cod was cooked to melt in your mouth perfection and the gelatinous layer on the top provided a smooth texture while the seaweed was light and crunchy. Although the textures worked very well together, the flavor was a bit too one dimensional and was overall quite sweet. H also commented on how the saffron aroma was a tad artificial.

FOIE GRAS - "mui choy"
Yum yum yum the fat greedy child within me is always overjoyed whenever a thick fatty piece of foie is plopped in front of me. For some this piece may be too rich and filling (even I was a tad full) but regardless I still finished all of it. I thought the "mui choy" (pickled vegetable) chip was quite nice as it provided a nice crispy element to the dish. The foie was seared well and had a rich buttery flavor. The ice cream is also mui choy flavored and was much too salty. I think it was a interesting combination but the fattiness of the foie along with the saltiness of the ice cream was a bit too much. It would be better if a lighter ice cream was served. The combination of the hot foie and the cold ice cream was also peculiar/weird, you decide. But regardless of this, I still love foie gras in the end :D

SAGA-GYU BEEF - black truffle, soy, "cheung fun"
YUM, this dish was truly lip smacking good. H and I knowingly looked at each other with very satisfied expressions. The beef was fatty, tender, and flavorful. The truffle cheung fun was also a genius fusion of traditional Chinese cuisine with western flavors. A little heavy yes, but so freaking good. This photo is also ultimate food porn! Thank god this was a small portion or else I would probably become a cow.

DESSERT - lime macaron, chocolate mouse, lemon curd mousse 
It was smart that the desserts were small since we were quite full after this meal. I was initially scared that I won't be full since the first few dishes were small but as the dishes got heavier I realized I would be more than satiated. The lime macaron was sub-par but this is due to personal preference as I don't care for most things lime. The chocolate mousse was yummy and rich with some nice sprinkling of crunchy bits and chocolate balls. Although I did make the annoying comment of how it looks like poop which made H be less than eager to finish his chocolate mousse haha! The best of the three was definitely the lemon curd mousse with a lovely tangy lemon zing and creamy smooth texture. 

The meal was definitely very interesting and I think that everyone should try Bo Innovation at least once. I would not say that taste wise it was mind-blowing as I do enjoy more traditional cooking but I admire his creativity. I think that Bo Innovation is more about the experience and the appreciation of the idea and intention of the dish rather than the actual taste. Some dish were very delicious such as the noodles and the beef. Once again thank you H for such an exciting meal :)

Bo Innovation

J Residence 

60 Johnston Road

Wan Chai

Hong Kong

Sijie Sichuan Dishes 四姐川菜

NEW FAVORITE!!! As you all know I am a spicy food fiend and love to devour hot foods until my entire mouth is numb. I have been wanting to try Sijie for some time now but never got around to gathering people to maximize the ordering system of the restaurant. It is best to go with more people because the amount of cold and main dishes that you can order depends on the number of people in your party. We had 8 people therefore we were allowed to order 5 cold dishes and 7-8 mains. We were also greedy and ordered extra dishes later.

Sijie was located in Wanchai previously an has recently relocated to Causeway Bay. The restaurant is run by Sijie, her husband, and her children. The atmosphere is very homey and welcoming and Sijie ensures that all her customers are well taken cared of. This meal was incredibly enjoyable and I will definitely be returning!

Strangely mesmerizing tossing of noodles...

Sichuan Cold Noodles 四川涼麵 
This massive dish is one of the cold appetizers and it was delicious! The table next to us apparently thought they could handle the heat and ordered extra spicy but then completely failed when they took a couple bites. I saw the waitress take it away quickly because that table could not eat anymore of it. I am quite confident in my fire eating abilities therefore I wanted to get it extra spicy too but our server recommended that we try the normal spice level first since he did not want us to be the same as the other table. The normal spicy was actually not spicy at all! The taste was great though, the noodles were firm and chewy, the seasoning was also enticing. It would just be even more perfect if it was more spicy! Regardless of the lack of spice, I would still gobble up these noodles any day.

Spicy Pork Slices in Garlic Sauce 蒜泥白肉 
The pork slices were not too fatty and had good meat flavor. The sauce was also perfectly flavored yet this was also not spicy enough. At this point we told the waitress to give it their best and spice things up!

Sour and Spicy Cucumber 酸辣青瓜 
This dish was nice and refreshing. The cucumbers were crunchy and juicy and the garlic sauce was robust and complemented the grassy flavor of the cucumber. 

Pig's Ears in Chili Sauce
Pig's ears is not my favorite thing but C loves this type of food (random bits of animals and organs) therefore I made sure to order this for her :) I had one bite of this and although it isn't something I would usually eat the pig's ears had great texture and you can tell that it was prepared well. It was bouncy and soaked up all the flavors of the sauce well. 

Spicy Sliced Beef and Tripe 夫妻肺片 
This was one of the extra dishes that we added on top of our 5 cold appetizers. The beef and tripe were both cooked until tender and slathered with the delicious chili sauce. This was spicier than before. Yay!

Spicy Marinated Chicken 口水雞 
Another solid dish, The chicken was not too fatty and the meat was well seasoned. 

Poached Fish in Hot Chili Oil 水煮魚 
OH MY GOD this was SO good. This was one of the favorite dishes of the night. The thick potato noodles were gloriously chewy and soaked up all the delightful spices and flavors. The fish was sliced to just the perfect thickness and was melt in your mouth tender and smooth. Everything was spot on. I am craving this right now. Yum yum yummm.

Salt and Pepper Prawns 椒盐虾
This dish was fine, it wasn't bad but it wasn't particularly memorable either. The prawns were nice and crunchy but I was more blown away by other dishes. 

SO MUCH FOOD :D!!! Always a happy sight!

Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐  
Solid homey goodness.

Beef in Hot Chili Oil 水煮牛肉
This was another dish that we added to our already over flowing table of food. Heeehehhe. This was also really well made but we did prefer the fish version more! We also opted for the thin noodles since Sijie recommended it. It was very chewy and smooth also but I personally preferred the thicker version.The beef was also tender but nothing beats the fish! And honestly we were quite stuffed at this point. 

Chicken Cartilage with Hot Chilies
This was also another star dish of the night! I loved this dish so much and could not stop eating it. The chicken had just the perfect amount of meat and cartilage, both meaty and crunchy. This was easily the spiciest dish of the night and I absolutely adored it. It was just perfect. Each bite was bursting with numbing flavor and textural contrasts. 

Chug chug chug

Sijie is infamous for her drinking abilities and the boys decided to take on the challenge. She was so incredibly sweet and cheerful and made the dinner so much more fun and enjoyable! Great hospitality :) She took out this intense Chinese liquor for us to drink and beers were also on the house! 

Our entire party left the restaurant smiling and stuffed. The cost is incredibly reasonable as well at $280 per person. The food was delicious and the service was friendly and warm. This is definitely a new favorite of mine! Make sure you bring a good group and be ready to drink and eat the night away!

Sijie is also BYOB!!! Another major plus to an already amazing restaurant :)

Sijie Sichuan Dishes 四姐川菜 
10/F
Bartlock Center
3 Yiu Wa Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

Press Room Repeat

I've written a more in-depth post on Press Room before so this will just be a short and sweet post. Press Room is always a reliable favorite for solid food and they recently launched a great deal where there is no corkage on Wednesdays! Perfect for a wine lover aka alcoholic like me! The steak tartare is also one of the best in the city.

MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen and Pisco Bar

Latin American cuisine has been on fire in the Hong Kong Dining scene with new restaurants popping up everywhere. It has been said that Peruvian cuisine is the latest trend and Dining Concept's latest venture is MAYTA which takes over Blue Smoke BBQ's former space in the Grand Progress Building in Lan Kwai Fong. Chicha, which claims to be Hong Kong's first Peruvian restaurant caused quite the buzz when it first opened but failed to impress me when I visited. Therefore I was excited to try MAYTA in hopes of experiencing quality Peruvian cuisine as the restaurant's menu is designed by the famous Peruvian chef Jaime Pesaque who also heads the original and raved about restaurant MAYTA in Lima.

C, Y, and I went to Mayta with high expectations and unfortunately left the restaurant with no intention of returning. Some of the dishes were good, while some were extremely sub-par. Service on the other hand was just down right shameful.

I usually don't take notes while at a restaurant unless the food is incredibly complex and I want to make sure I remember the details or in the case because there were SO many mistakes and bloopers that I had to record them all. I felt like Anton Ego from Ratatouille typing away on my phone whenever something displeased me.

Merrr. And below are all the service mistakes that were recorded:

1. Air conditioning was RIDICULOUSLY cold, asked the waiter to turn it down, he seemed completely bewildered and asked another waitress to help him decipher the request. The other waitress rudely exclaimed "Too cold?!" very loudly right next to our table and gave us a look. Only plus side to this was that it did seem to be less cold later although the waiter never came back to let us know they turned in down. 
2. No water when we sat down, had to ask repeatedly for hot water and was finally given room temperature water after multiple requests.
3. The waitress gave me the wrong drink and then when I told her that it did not taste like raspberries at all but instead tasted like absinthe just whisked away the drink with no apology. Returned later and kept pestering me about how they ran out of basil for my original drink while I was trying to swallow my food. Would not stop asking me if it was ok if there was no basil, how am I suppose to answer when I am clearly trying to chew my food. So annoying and unobservant.
4. The hostess was friendly, yet lacked training as well. Did not take away any of our menus after ordering. I asked her for extra crispy wonton skin for the ceviche, she seemed hesitant and said she would check. Honestly is it that much of a request to give me a bowl of wonton skins?
5. When we ordered more food, the hostess took away the menu this time but it knocked into my phone and did not apologize.
6. My napkin was dropped on the floor and I put it on my chair and no one asked if I needed a new napkin even though the napkin was blatantly draped over the seat the entire meal. Small detail but still reveals a lack of training. 
7. There was one particular male staff who seemed like he was in another galaxy, this was the same one who didn't understand when I wanted the air conditioning turned down. I asked him for a menu and he started blankly at me and I had to utilize sign language to help him understand what I meant by menu. He also looked very baffled when we asked him for the check. He dropped our credit card when we paid and also did not apologize. He also did not say thank you after we each signed. Very very basic manners hello? 

Usually I would not be so finicky but it was just blunder after blunder. Now onto the food... 

The site is down for some reason so I can't access the menu right now for the specific name of the dishes but I will write down the approximate name for now.

Empanadas
The overall verdict of this dish was that it tasted like frozen food. And this is a tricky dish because as you all know frozen food can be strangely appealing (Pizza pockets!!!). The dish wasn't terrible, the skins were fluffy (a little too thick) and the filling was decent, yet it reminded everyone at the table of frozen food. Perhaps this would have been very good if I had it in my dorm room back in college but it did not suffice as a dish in a restaurant. 

Pan Con Chicharonnes
This was the favorite dish of the night. I actually really enjoyed this soft bun filled with gorgeously crispy and fatty pork. Usually I would pick out all the fat but this actually tasted really great and the crispiness was a perfect balance to the bouncy steamed bun. The addition of pickles and the chip added another textural profile. Now if only the other dishes were just as good as this one... 

Salmon Ceviche with Crispy Wonton Skins
Ceviche is one of the staples of Peruvian cuisine so we were expecting a great dish but instead we had an uninspired dish that tasted like very boring sashimi chunks swimming in a bland orange liquid. The ceviche did not have any of that tangy exciting flavor that we expect out of ceviche and the salmon chunks also did not have any flavor. The amount of crispy wonton skins were also very lacking and overall the dish desperately needed both flavor and textural contrasts. 

Duck Confit Rice
This was another dish that we enjoyed. The duck confit was made well, the meat was tender and the skin crispy. The rice was al dente and smothered in a robust sauce that had just the perfect amount of spice to it to keep things interesting. 

Lomo Saltado
According to my friend who is a Peruvian food fanatic, Lomo Saltado is THE staple Peruvian dish. The dish consisted of beef with onions, carrots, roasted bananas, and a fried egg. This dish was quite interesting but it was nothing mind-blowing. The addition of the roasted bananas made the dish was tad too sweet for my liking. It would also be nice if the fries were crispier, instead they were greasy mushy potato slabs. 

Napkin that did not get replaced. Hmph.

Drinks were also sub-par. Too sweet.

If you haven't guess already from my post I probably will not be heading back to Mayta anytime soon. Yes, some of the dishes were enjoyable but the overall dining experience was less than favorable. Perhaps if someone else goes and finds its to have improved significantly I will visit again as I really did quite like the pork buns... but for now I will be spending my time on exploring other new restaurants and Mayta will not be on my list of recommended places.

MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen and Pisco Bar

3/F

Grand Progress Building

15-16 Lan Kwai Fong

Central

Hong Kong