Archive | April, 2012

Taco Chaca

30 Apr

 

 

In general, tacos and Hong Kong can barely be put in the same sentence. Apart from Heirloom, which thankfully came to the rescue with its delicious palm-sized tacos, Hong Kong is home to far too many wannabe Mexican restaurants that charge an absurd price for mediocre food. Now, thankfully, there is Taco Chaca in the up and coming area that is Sai Ying Pun.

The small space is as casual as they come, with nothing but a handful of metal tables, some stools and a small open kitchen. Menus are non-existent; food is chosen from the big board on the wall, then ordered and paid for directly at the till. In the same way that some of the best Chinese joints in town are the ones that don’t look special in any way, the same goes for Taco Chaca; there is no fancy schmancy décor, plates are paper and cutlery plastic, meaning that the focus is entirely on what matters most – the FOOD!

Carnitas tacos

The carnitas tacos, made with classic pulled pork were very tasty, though I would have liked them to be a just a tad more juicy. Nevertheless, the tortilla, flown in from California, was beautifully soft and the filling deliciously flavoured with fresh coriander, tomatoes, red onions and pico de gallo.

Baja fish tacos

The Baja fish tacos, filled with lightly battered chunks of halibut, coriander, shredded cabbage and salsa were also beautiful, though a touch of spice wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Refried Beans

I loved the refried beans topped with grated cheese and chopped onions…in fact I probably could have eaten them as a dish on their own, had there not been so many other delicious things to try on the menu!

Pollo quesadillas

I know I’m supposed to be raving about the tacos, but what really, really made me fall in love with Taco Chaca were the pollo (chicken) quesadillas. Where some places clearly don’t understand that quesadilla comes from ‘queso’ meaning ‘cheese’ and frustratingly skimp on that vital ingredient, Taco Chaca got the cheesiness just right…and the rest.

Carnitas burrito

Finally, as if we hadn’t already eaten enough, for some reason we just HAD to try a carnitas burrito, and I am definitely glad we did. Though the pulled pork was slightly dry in the taco, in the burrito, combined with the Mexican rice, refried beans and cheese, it was wonderfully succulent. With a few drops of Tapatío chilli sauce, it was even better.

I think Taco Chaca has definitely tapped into a gaping hole in the market, and it seems that Hong Kong is already starting to realise this; even on a rainy Wednesday night, the place was packed full of people either coming in for a quick bite or ordering to take away. It’s a down to earth, affordable and tasty taquería that will no doubt do well in this taco-less city.

Taco Chaca

1 Second Street
Sai Ying Pun
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2525 2066

(Closed on Mondays)

Date visited: Wednesday 25th April 2012

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The Dim Sum Diaries now rates restaurants!

30 Apr

Ladies and gentlemen, loyal readers both old and new, the moment you have all been waiting for is here: The Dim Sum Diaries now has a rating system! It is not just any old rating system, however, with stars or thumbs up/down. My rating system comes directly from my personality.

Sometimes the quality of food that I taste leaves me speechless, whether it be because it is utterly delicious or utterly disgusting. For these times, ‘ooooh’ comes into play. I have devised a rating system based on my favourite word to describe food (if it can even be classed as a word), ‘ooooh’. Depending on the number of ‘O’s in my ooh, it can mean so many different things. Here is the breakdown:

I don’t plan on backtracking (unless there’s a huge demand for it), but from now on, at the top of every review, expect to see one of these little images to give you an idea of exactly what I thought about the restaurant.

Thanks for reading and happy eating to you all!

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Felix

26 Apr

After already reviewing Spring Moon at The Peninsula and being totally wowed by it, you can imagine my excitement at the thought of reviewing Felix. Felix utters the same class and sophistication as the rest of The Peninsula, but this time the sophistication reaches another level – both literally and metaphorically. It sits on the 28th floor of the hotel, showing off the incredible view of the harbour, a view that is always better from the dark side, and is even better from Felix; you can even admire the view from the toilets! Having heard how amazing the men’s loos are and obviously unable to experience them myself, a gentleman on a neighbouring table who knew I was writing a review, kindly sent me some photos he took of the urinals overlooking the view!

Designed by Philippe Starck, Felix is modern and chic, to the extent that the menus are in fact iPads. As you scroll through the menu, selecting dishes you like the sound of, beautiful high res images of the dishes appear before you. Although you can’t actually order from the iPad (as otherwise the dishes wouldn’t arrive at the same time), you can make your selections and add them to a shopping list to show your waiter.

The restaurant is decorated as a tribute to employees of the hotel who have either reached a managerial level or have worked at the hotel for over 30 years. On each and every seat is a black and white photo of a Peninsula employee to thank them for their hard work – such a lovely touch I think.

We tasted Chef Kaji’s Signature Menu, with a few gluten-free substitutes. The friendly waiters were more than accommodating to my last minute decision to go gluten-free, something that a lot of restaurants in Hong Kong aren’t able to do. I was still very sneaky and tried the dishes I wasn’t supposed to eat however!

Pan-fried French duck liver with caramelised strawberries

The signature menu kicks off with Pan-fried French duck liver with caramelised strawberries. This beautiful combination of flavours and textures is divine, the foie gras so smooth and the crunchy caramelised strawberries offering a slight tanginess to balance the rich duck liver. A separate little bowl of Frozen French duck liver parfait with gingerbread complements this perfectly. The liver here is marinated in Grand Marnier to give it a distinct orange flavour and topped with roasted almonds to create a super sweet flavour that goes with the sharp strawberry and liver dish.

Japanese hamachi sashimi

The gluten-free option was Japanese hamachi sashimi with quail egg in a tomato ceviche sauce. Although a slight food envy kicked in and I must say I preferred the foie gras, this was nevertheless a lovely dish. It was very light and refreshing and I particularly liked the differing textures yet again.

Lobster consomme

To follow, a Fennel consommé with yoghurt-lemon verbena mousse, and Canadian shrimp dumpling with fennel-orange purée was the normal option, whilst the Lobster consommé was the gluten-free option. Again, I preferred the non gluten-free dish as the dumpling and the purée were incredible, but I could not fault the tenderness of the lobster and the freshness of the consommé as a whole, lightly fragranced with lemongrass.

Pan-seared Canadian cod

A delightful dish of Pan-seared Canadian cod and black olive brandade was thankfully already gluten-free! The cod was perfectly flaky and fresh, the mashed potato with olives and fresh salt-cod deliciously creamy – all in all a perfect dish.

Roasted Japanese beef tenderloin

Even better, however, was the Roasted Japanese beef tenderloin. The meat was so incredibly tender and full of flavour, and I loved the mini gratin potatoes. 100 percent my favourite dish of the night.

Strawberry soda and Parmesan creme brulee

A rather bizarre Parmesan crème brûlée and a Strawberry soda arrived to cleanse the palate. I couldn’t quite decide whether or not I liked the crème brûlée as it was like nothing I have ever tasted! For me, the determining feature of any crème brûlée is the crispy top layer. This one was unfortunately rather thin and didn’t crack the way I like it. Had it been thicker, perhaps the contrast between the sweet caramel and the salty Parmesan would have won me over. What did succeed in winning my love, however were the caramelised strawberries atop the soda, possibly because they reminded me of strawberry fruit roll-ups I so loved in my childhood.

Thyme-marinated grapefruit tart

The normal dessert was a Thyme-marinated grapefruit tart with citrus sorbet, grapefruit whipped cream and lemon jelly. What shone for me here was the sorbet, as I adore all things citrus. Paired with the crystallised thyme leaves, the citrus sorbet was even better.

Piña Colada

For the first time in the meal, however, the gluten-free dessert won hands down. It was Piña Colada in dessert form, with amazing textures to match: coconut meringue, chunks of pineapple, coconut panna cotta, whipped coconut cream – all lovingly sprinkled with cinnamon.

Macaroons and cookies

As if we hadn’t eaten enough, delicious little strawberry macaroons and fig cookies appeared before us, just begging to be eaten. It would have been rude not to!

The Chef’s Signature Menu, which changes periodically, costs $1,388 per person. Obviously not the cheapest meal in the world but when you’re being served incredible food looking over one of the world’s most spectacular views in a leading hotel, you can’t expect much less. Come between 6 and 7pm, however, and enjoy the Early Dining Menu for only $458.

Felix

28/F, The Peninsula
19-21 Salisbury Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2696 6778

Date visited: Monday 19th March 2012

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Harrington’s

19 Apr

With its vast array of restaurants serving every cuisine under the sun, the one thing that Hong Kong is missing is a lovely pub in which to enjoy a long casual lunch or a drink and some snacks at a place that reminds us of home. Many have tried to recreate the gastropub feel, but failed miserably. Until Harrington’s came along.

When choosing somewhere for lunch on Easter Sunday, I decided it would be very fitting to try Harrington’s and see how pathetic its attempt of being a gastropub was. However, pathetic it certainly was not. The large space is amazing, offering a long bar facing the entrance and a spacious dining area with comfy seats. Had I not known I was in Lan Kwai Fong, I could just as easily have been in an upscale gastropub somewhere in the countryside of England. Even before the food arrived, I knew I would like this place.

Just as in Castello Concepts’ other ventures, the menu at Harrington’s is enormous, meaning that unless you have narrowed it down to what sort of food you are after, you may well take a good half an hour to decide what to eat! While you’re browsing the never-ending menu, however, try the Crusty Garlic and Parmesan Loaf. Along with chocolate, I also gave up bread for Lent, meaning this beauty of a soft, garlic-filled, Parmesan-crusted loaf was even more enjoyable, especially dipped in the delicious pesto it comes with.

Devilled Whitebait

Following this, we shared the Devilled whitebait. Described by a fellow diner as ‘whitebait on steroids’, these were not your regular whitebait: they were huge (for whitebait at least) and deliciously meaty. For me, they could have done with a touch more seasoning to make them perfect.

Cracklin' Pork Belly Skewers

The Cracklin’ Pork Belly Skewers were incredible; beautifully tender meat with deliciously salty (if a little bit chewy) crackling, dipped in hickory smoked barbecue sauce: amazing.

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

Not realising quite how large it would be, we also shared the Baked Brie in Puff Pastry. I absolutely adore cheese and when it’s baked to oozing point, there are few things I love more. The fact that it was baked in puff pastry made it even more amazing, as I have never seen anything like it before. It was perfectly complemented by a wild berry compote, although I don’t think there was quite enough of this.

Roast Chicken

The roast of the day was roast chicken served with roast potatoes and vegetables. Although a small portion compared to the rest, the chicken was perfectly cooked, bathed in a rich gravy. The only complaint was that it was a little fiddly to cut the meat out of the wing and other bones.

Crispy Skin Pesto Chicken

The Crispy Skin Pesto Chicken was also delicious, sitting on a bed of fresh peas and green beans. The chicken breast was wonderfully tender and remained nice and juicy.

Old Fashioned Fish and Chips

I often avoid ordering fish and chips in restaurants for fear that there will be more batter than fish. The Old Fashioned Fish and Chips at Harrington’s, however, were only lightly dusted in beer batter and the flaky white fish was very generously meaty.

Steak and Guinness Pie

Star of the show, however was the Steak and Guinness Pie. It was so beautifully presented that I almost didn’t want to cut it open. I’m very glad that I eventually did though, as it tasted utterly beautiful too. The chunks of steak were wonderfully tender, the pastry perfectly flaky and the green pea mash deliciously comforting. The last pie I ate before this was one of those nasty ones at the Sevens; this one puts those Sevens Pies to shame.

Toblerone Filo Parcels

Just because I think it’s almost rude not to have dessert when trying a new restaurant, we shared the Toblerone Filo Parcels. These little bite-sized parcels of delight were amazing, especially as I had suffered without chocolate for over 40 days! In the same way as the starters are definitely designed for sharing, I’m not sure I could have coped with a whole dessert to myself. Maybe that was just because of the unnecessarily vast quantity of food we had already consumed!

The prices at Harrington’s aren’t terrible: we paid just under $400 a head for faaaar too much food. Service isn’t awful either: the waiters have a sense of humour and actually care about their job. For all the times when I want a simple yet deliciously hearty plate of food and want to feel like I’m not quite so far from a cosy British gastropub, I will definitely be frequenting Harrington’s. And that’s a promise.

Harrington’s

1/F Ho Lee Commercial Building
17 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2522 1823

Date visited: Sunday 8th April 2012

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Societi

16 Apr


As you’ve just seen from my earlier post about Libertine, French bistros are popping up every five minutes in Hong Kong. The difference with brand new Societi in Sheung Wan is that it does not try to be a French bistro; it calls itself a ‘bistro’ but really it just serves all sorts of comfort food that Angela Leung, the brains behind this small restaurant, knows people want to eat.

The space is very small and intimate, seating a maximum of around 24 diners. The décor is minimalistic with hanging blackboards, a rustic mirror and a long leather bench. There is nothing unbearably stereotypical or fancy schmancy about this place; it’s just a casual, down to earth eatery in a very cool area of our beautiful island.

Societi charcuterie platter

Societi is still in the soft-opening phase, but we were invited in for a sneak peek to see what it’s all about. As I mentioned, the food is all of the comfort variety, so portions are hearty without being overly heavy…although add them all together and you will walk out a stone heavier than when you entered! Our feast started with the Societi charcuterie platter, which included delicious Parma ham and even more delicious fried chorizo. Accompanying this was a Spanish omelette – just the right level of gooeyness in the centre and bursting with juicy chunks of red pepper.

Grilled sardines

The gorgeous little grilled sardines that followed went down a treat all around the table, with some people even gobbling the head! The lightly seasoned fish was wonderfully flaky and meaty. Had I not known there were a million dishes still to come, I might have stolen a second little fish.

Sauteed prawns with garlic flakes

In any tapas restaurant, one thing I can never fail to order is gambas al ajillo. Societi is not a tapas restaurant, yet their version of sautéed prawns with garlic flakes is delicious. The prawns were perfectly fresh, without a hint of chewiness, topped with crunchy almonds to give it a little something extra.

Kurobuta pork belly Caesar salad

Societi’s take on a classic Caesar salad involves thin slices of kurobuta pork belly (a.k.a. fancy bacon). I’m not big on salads in general, but I did enjoy the welcome additions of the pork belly and the crispy bacon bits. The other salad, a spinach salad with Brie, was very fresh and light, though it was the cheese that really stuck out for me. I would gladly have done without the leaves and combined the bacon bits from the first salad with the Brie from the second. Seriously why am I not obese?!

Mussels in a light curry sauce

The mussels, I’m afraid to say, were a real let down. They looked beautiful and enormous, served in two ways: in a light curry sauce and in a herb and white wine sauce. However, perhaps it was because it was mid-week and the delivery had come in at the start of the week, but the mussels just did not taste fresh at all. The sauces were tasty enough (although a little heavy on the chicken stock?) and served as a yummy dip for the crispy French fries, but they still did not mask the unpleasant flavour of the mussels.

Grilled salmon

To follow came individual portions of Grilled salmon in Pommery mustard vinaigrette. Although there was nothing particularly special about the sauce, the salmon was perfectly cooked, topped with deliciously crispy skin that was universally considered the best part of the dish.

Societi roasted chicken

The Societi roasted chicken was tender and juicy, marinated in a very tasty yet simple sauce.

Linguini with braised beef cheek

Initially excited by the sound of Linguini with braised beef cheek, I actually found the beef seriously lacking in flavour. The texture was spot on, melting instantly in the mouth, but there was simply no flavour to it whatsoever. Thankfully I enjoyed the linguini, which was perfectly al dente and buttery.

Crepes Suzette

To finish after our absolute feast of a meal, we had Crêpes Suzette. Save for the fact that it wasn’t served flambé, this dish was just right – sweet with that sharp orange zing, the crêpe wonderfully thin and light; a tasty end to a somewhat mixed meal.

Societi has all the right ideas to be a real success, but still needs to work on a few things before it can achieve this. Having said this, we went on the second night of the soft opening so it would be a little unreasonable to expect it to be perfect from the off. I would recommend giving it a little teething time and then trying it as I’m sure in time it will be, if not perfect, then almost perfect.

Societi

G/F, 87-89 Jervois Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2815 9000

Date visited: Wednesday 11th April 2012

Have a read of my mini-review of Societi on Localiiz too – you may even find some other exciting restaurants on there to try!

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Libertine

11 Apr

In Hong Kong, where apparently French people make up the fastest-growing expat community, you are never too far from a French bistro. Often, however, more emphasis is put on trying to replicate the ambience of a typical French café by adding overly stereotypical décor, that the quality of food is substandard. When I heard about brand new French bistro Libertine opening on Aberdeen Street, I was eager to see how it fared.

Despite the uncomfortable uphill trek in heels (especially if you go the wrong way and start walking down from Hollywood Road only to discover that it is in fact up), Libertine has bagged the perfect spot. It’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Soho to be able to enjoy a leisurely meal without being tempted by the lure of nearby bars, but close enough for it not to be a hassle. The space is amazing: high ceilings dotted with old-school wooden fans, tiled flooring, a melange of wood and white bricks; exactly the classic, casual look typical of a Parisian French bistro. I walked in and immediately loved it.

In its short life, Libertine has not had the best start when it comes to food reviews, so naturally I was a little apprehensive. However, whether it is that previous critics have been overly harsh or that Libertine has now learned from its mistakes I am uncertain, but actually I thought the food was delicious.

Warm fig and goat’s cheese salad

We started by sharing two starters, the first of which was a Warm fig and goat’s cheese salad. I love cheese… but I adore goat’s cheese, and this one was just perfect: warm, creamy and slightly gooey. Paired with sharp, juicy cherry tomatoes and delicious figs, sitting on a bed of lightly dressed leaves, this was my kind of salad.

Pate de campagne and Pork rillettes

The Pate de campagne and Pork rillettes may have been even better, the baked pate de campagne chunky, rustic and comforting, whilst the braised rillettes was deliciously smooth and dangerously moreish. A note on the starters is that they aren’t small…but when they’re this good, who cares?!

Moules Mariniere

Libertine prides itself on its moules; and quite rightly too for the Boston blue mussels are enormous and delicious, soaked in a fragrant white wine mariniere that doubles up as a tasty dip for the perfect frites.

Herb-crusted lamb cutlets

The Herb crusted lamb cutlets with rosemary and tomate farcies were ever so slightly over-cooked and didn’t have the pink centre I was hoping for, but they were still beautifully tender and the herb crust gave an added incredible flavour to the already delicious New Zealand lamb. The tomato stuffed with soft chunks of aubergine was just a bonus.

Chocolate fondant

Chocolate fondant is one of my favourite desserts. Put a gorgeous chocolate pudding oozing with molten chocolate in front of me and you’ve won my heart. On this occasion, however, I was a mere five days away from completing my no-chocolate Lent challenge, so I had to resist. Nevertheless, when it came down to the break-test when fork was inserted into pudding, there was nothing oozing out of this fondant, so I wasn’t too upset to be unable to eat it. Apparently despite the lack of ooze, it still had a delicious flavour…but a chocolate fondant is all about the ooze!

Cheesecake

The cheesecake, however, was wonderful, made the more so by a sweet, almondy base, giving it something a little different to the norm. My one suggestion is that it could have perhaps been a touch colder.

Libertine undoubtedly still has a couple of kinks to iron out, but I still think it’s a great spot, perfect for a leisurely meal whilst enjoying the chilled out music and some almost perfect food. It’s also got a pretty amazing happy hour from 5pm to 8pm every evening; take a seat in the relatively quiet alfresco seating area, order a carafe of wine and help yourself to a plate of complimentary charcuterie. Who doesn’t love free meat?! (Apart from strange vegetarians of course.)

Libertine

26 Aberdeen Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2858 2022

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Lupa

10 Apr

Dining Concepts’ latest venture, Lupa, has been causing quite a stir. It’s still in the soft opening phase but I was desperate to check it out and see if it lived up to all the hype, or if it was just another average Italian restaurant, of which Hong Kong has plenty.  Headed by celebrity chef Mario Batali and his business partner Joe Bastianich, who together have a whole range of restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Singapore under their belts, I had high hopes that my meal at Lupa would be both flawless and delicious.

 

In Italian, Lupa means female wolf, in this case referring to the she-wolf that saved Romulus and Remus, a big, slightly disturbing statue of which greets you as you enter the restaurant. I have been called Lupa or Lupita all my life, but the Spanish translation of magnifying glass (don’t ask) is very different.

Aside from the strange she-wolf statue, the décor at Lupa is very elegant with a lot of dark wood, tiled flooring and classy light fittings. For a more casual dinner or a pre- or post-dinner drink, there is also La Terrazza, a beautiful spacious terrace that will no doubt draw in the masses once more people start to discover it.

La Terrazza

There is no other way to describe the service than absolutely terrible. We had to wait forever for our order to be taken, and then forever and ever to actually be served. The waiters also either didn’t know how to answer our questions or, quite unprofessionally, read from the notes they had scrawled onto their menus. Not quite what I was expecting from such a hyped-up, prestigious restaurant brand, but all I can hope for is that this will improve once the restaurant is officially open.

Carne Grande

Thankfully the quality of the food made up for the terrible service. The starters menu is divided into verdure, carne, insalate, pesce and fritti. We chose a few to share between us. The Carne Grande, a platter of cold cuts that includes Parma ham, salami, coppa, testa (head) and lingua (tongue) was beautiful. Proscuitto di Parma is always a winner, but I was also particularly struck by how delicious the testa and the lingua were, the latter lightly fragranced with parsley and citrus.

Baccala with olives and citrus

The Baccala with olives and citrus was divine: a medley of exciting fresh flavours such as grapefruit, mandarin and walnuts to balance the saltiness of the fish. I absolutely loved this dish.

Arancine and Ricotta fritters

From the fritti menu, we tried the Arancine and the Ricotta fritters. Arancine, little risotto balls, are one of my all-time favourite Italian starters as I love the combination of textures of the lightly seasoned risotto, mixed with stringy mozzarella cheese, all coated in crispy breadcrumbs. Although not the best arancine I have ever tasted, the Lupa ones were still very good. The ricotta fritters were interestingly laden with green olives, giving more flavour to the usually fairly bland ricotta cheese. Although the first bite was delicious, after a few more bites the saltiness of the olives became a little overpowering.

Garganelli with oxtail ragu

On to the mains, the Garganelli with oxtail ragu was not quite as exciting as it looked. The pasta was perhaps just a touch too al dente, which took attention away from the delicious melt-in-the-mouth rich sauce. It appeared to still be cooking on the plate however, as the further into the plate we went, the less al dente the pasta became.

Veal Saltimbocca

The Veal Saltimbocca was a real success, the beautifully tender meat first pounded to a thin layer and then topped with prosciutto and sage, all sitting atop a bed of delicious wilted spinach.

Ricotta gnocchi with fennel and sweet sausage

Although very tasty, gnocchi can sometimes sit far too heavily in the stomach, which often puts me off ordering it. The Ricotta gnocchi with fennel and sweet sausage, however, was somehow lighter and softer than usual. The fennel and sweet sausage sauce was wonderful; again it was not too heavy, and I particularly liked the way the slightly bitter fennel taste was balanced by the sweet sausage and tangy tomatoes.

Peanut chocolate bar

The main courses were not huge portions, meaning of course that there was more space for dessert! Two of the desserts we ordered involved chocolate; with only a day to go before the end of Lent, I was determined to not give in and had to resist what looked like incredible desserts. Apparently the Peanut Chocolate Bar was buttery, rich and reminiscent of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. If you like Reese’s, as I do, I can imagine this dessert is a winner.

Lupa Tartufo

Lupa Tartufo was also a hit: a huge ball of creamy hazelnut ice cream encased in dark chocolate sauce – what is there not to like?!

Date Torta

Somewhat reluctantly, but because there were few non-chocolate options that took my fancy and yet I had to have something, I ordered the Date Torta. This incredible tart, which I can only describe as tasting just like Christmas, might have even been better than the chocolate desserts. The pastry was light and crumbly, the filling gently spiced with cinnamon and other Christmassy flavours, and the slightly sharp date jam all corrected my belief that desserts must be chocolate-based.

When prices are as high as Lupa’s (we paid $800 a head!) you obviously want your experience to be perfect. At the moment, this is not yet the case, but if Lupa manages to sort out its problems with service, then it would be on the right track to being a very good Italian restaurant that I would definitely return to. Rustic, delicious-looking pizzas are served on La Terrazza, so I’m definitely keen to go back and see how these fare.

Lupa

3/F LHT Tower
31 Queens Road Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2796 6500

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Seema’s Private Kitchen – From Africa to Asia

3 Apr

There are private kitchens and there are private kitchens. There are the kind that call themselves ‘private’ when really you’re sharing the space with a bunch of people you have never seen before and never wish to see again, and there are the kind where the word ‘private’ actually means private. Seema’s Private Kitchen is of the latter variety, where usually she cooks her meal in her own private home in Mid-Levels. On this occasion, however, as her home was unavailable, Seema brought her incredible private kitchen to us.

Some very good friends of mine have the most amazing flat in the whole of Hong Kong. Perhaps this is a slight exaggeration as I haven’t seen every flat in Hong Kong, but they at least have the most amazing flat out of any of my friends, and it is the perfect place for a dinner party. We have had our share of dinner parties there, but this one managed to blow all the others away (sorry birthday girl, you are a wonderful cook, but I think Seema might be a tad better! Only a tad though, promise!)

Seema’s meal tells the story of her journey ‘From Africa to Asia.’ Born and raised in Nairobi by her Indian parents, Seema then moved to Mumbai after marriage and subsequently settled in Hong Kong. Her mother ran her own cooking school in Nairobi and wrote cookbooks, so the love of food was always embedded within Seema, and she too ran her own cooking classes everywhere she went. In Hong Kong, she holds cooking classes at her home, as well hosting amazing private dinners in which she gives her diners a taste of her travels and experiences.

Pumpkin Soup

To begin, we were presented with pumpkin soup. I love pumpkin soup under any circumstances and this one did not let me down. It was everything a pumpkin soup should be and more: creamy, comforting, and hearty, with an added Seema-style kick that left us scraping our bowls clean and wanting more.

Piri piri shrimps

The Piri-piri shrimps from the Portuguese region of Africa had an eye-watering, peppery kick to them that was balanced by the sweet and fruity chunks of mango. A crunchy salad also complemented the freshness of the prawns.

Goan fish curry

The Goan fish curry, made with meaty chunks of New Zealand sole, was beautifully rich and creamy, spiced with turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and of course red chilli, and balanced with creamy coconut milk. In one word: delicious.

Dry lamb curry

The dry lamb curry, also I believe from Goa, was even more delicious, if that’s even possible. Marinated in rum and mint, the lamb was so succulent and full of flavour that it had us all fighting for the last piece!

Garlic pilau rice

To bring out the flavour of both the curries, a dish of cardamom-spiced garlic pilau rice was served, with flavours so tasty that it could have served as a dish all on its own.

Pea-stuffed aubergine

A vegetarian side dish of pea-stuffed aubergine was incredible. I heard comments around the table from people saying they normally didn’t like aubergine but adored this one.

Dhal

The dhal was certainly the blandest of all the dishes. This is not to say that we didn’t enjoy it, as actually it was perhaps a blessing to have a more neutral, calming dish to bring our taste buds back to earth after all the other dishes had them dancing like crazy!

Rum and raisin cake

Dessert was a delicious rum and raisin cake with rum butter sauce. Normally this sort of cake doesn’t particularly thrill me, but wonder-chef Seema converted me. It was somehow light at the same time as being rich, and the vanilla-infused sponge was wonderfully soft and moist, even without adding the rum butter sauce. But, trust me, you want that rum butter sauce. I forced myself to finish my slice despite the protests my already-full stomach was giving me.

Seema’s meal at her house costs $500 a head (we paid $450 to host it elsewhere). Agreed it’s not the cheapest meal, but you will walk away full to the brim of delicious food that you’re unlikely to find elsewhere in Hong Kong. The lovely Seema spends two full days sourcing and preparing the food to ensure that every dish is utter perfection and every mouthful clearly represents the passion she so lovingly puts into it.

Contact Seema to enquire about bookings: vsafarispices@gmail.com

Or call +852 9548 5280

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