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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: [email protected]

Or call +852 9548 5280

Comilonas revisited

12 Mar

I first went to Comilonas just weeks after it had opened its doors, and am happy to say that I believe I was the first food blogger to taste it and review it. I have now been twice since then and am still certain that this is one of my favourite restaurants in Hong Kong. It sets itself apart from other private kitchens by serving traditional Catalonian food unique to Hong Kong in a casual and homely environment without the rocket high prices other places would charge.

The menu has stayed the same since it opened, until owner Lluis and his wife Carrie, the chef behind the wonderful food, ventured back to Lluis’ home town of Barcelona for the month of February to explore new ideas and put together a new menu, which I sampled last week with a group of 16 hungry bellies.

Comilonas seats between 10 and 20 diners, and only serves one group, meaning you book the whole space and entertain as though it were your own dining room, for that is how it is designed to feel. They’ll even put the name of the host on the menu for you, an added touch that I obviously loved!

The dinner still kicks off with a Romesco dip – a beautiful blend of almonds and roasted vegetables that Lluis explains is his family’s secret recipe – and crudités to nibble on whilst the guests arrive.

Herb-marinated scallops

Another dish that has fortunately remained on the menu is the Herb-marinated scallops. Thin slivers of scallops are cured in the tastiest herb-infused olive oil and lemon juice, resulting in wonderfully tender scallops that simply melt in the mouth. Here’s hoping Carrie and Lluis never take this dish off the menu!

Musclos escabetxats

To follow, Musclos escabetxats, which translates to pickled mussels, were very popular. The acidic marinade made from olive oil, vinegar, garlic and tomatoes cuts through the strong fishy flavour of the mussels, creating a lovely and hearty dish.

Esqueixada

Replacing the previous original salt-cod dish comes Esqueixada, an equally, if not more, delicious platter of salt-cod piled high with a scrumptious blend of tomatoes, olive oil, onions and olives. Although sad at first that the brandada de bacalla was no longer an option, this delicious dish quickly quelled my sadness.

Piquillo peppers with cheese

My favourite dish of Piquillo peppers with cheese, however, thankfully remains on the menu. The tender beak-shaped peppers (hence the name ‘piquillo’ which stems from the Spanish ‘pico’, meaning beak) are lovingly stuffed with buttery Manchego cheese and sprinkled with spring onions. Absolutely heavenly.

Chicken & pork canalons

Newcomer Chicken and pork canalons almost stole first place for me. These canaloni were stuffed with an interesting blend of minced chicken and pork, giving a rather crude meat flavour, topped with a cream and cheese sauce to balance it. Popped under the grill to make the cheese golden and crispy, this, for me, was the ultimate comfort food.

Fennel and orange salad

Admittedly, the Fennel and orange salad didn’t thrill me, but then again salads rarely do, as I am not much of a salad person. It was, however, a very refreshing dish.

Seafood paella

Unlike the black ink paella on Comilonas’ previous menu, the Seafood paella on the new menu is certainly aesthetically pleasing. It was quite the spectacle as Lluis carried out the enormous paellera to the somehow-still-hungry diners. The prawns were beautifully tender and full of flavour, the rice was perfectly al dente, yet as a whole, I found the dish to be slightly less tasty than its predecessor. However, this could have been due to the lack of aioli, which I fell in love with the previous two times.

Caramelised orange with ice cream

To finish, we were served individual portions of Caramelised orange with ice cream, beautifully presented inside half an orange and topped with chopped hazelnuts. This is the dessert from the original menu; the orange halves are consistently scraped clean so I think Carrie and Lluis know that this dish is a winner.

In line with Hong Kong’s private kitchen scene, Comilonas has a BYOB policy, yet unlike other private kitchens, doesn’t charge a single cent for corkage (nor, incidentally, do they charge for service). To add to the atmosphere you wouldn’t experience in any other Hong Kong restaurant, Lluis presents diners with a drinking vessel that is a cross between a watering can and a decanter; using all the skill you can muster, you are expected to pour wine directly from the porró into your mouth, from as great a height as you can without spilling wine all over yourself (bibs are also provided just in case!).

Comilonas is booked up weeks, or even months in advance (I’d like to take just a little bit of credit for this, having reviewed it for The Dim Sum Diaries, Lifestyle Asia and Foodie!). Yet where other private kitchens start to knock the price up once they gain popularity, Comilonas’ menu remains at only $380 per person. For the amount of food I’ve just described and a fun lesson in how to drink wine Barcelona-style, this is as reasonable as you’re going to get. Be careful not to miss the bib though, or your dry cleaning bill might end up being more expensive than dinner!

Comilonas

Flat 22, 1/F Yip Cheong Building
4-16 Hill Road
Sai Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 9863 2270

Liberty Private Works

14 Feb

Everyone is talking about Liberty Private Works. It’s one of those elusive restaurants where no matter how hard you try to get a booking, it always seems just that little bit out of reach. I have nearly been twice before, but for one reason or another something has come up and I haven’t been able to go.

Such was nearly the case the third time. I had booked a table quite sporadically at the start of the year. One of those “hmmm where shall I book next?” moments that I seem to have a lot of these days (I blame all you hungry, demanding readers!). LPW only lets you book up to a month in advance and even then you can only try to get a booking and wait for a confirmation. I try never to fail at anything, and fortunately I received a congratulatory email announcing that my booking had been successful. Counting down the days, I waited in excitement.

Until the day came and I received an ominous phone call from LPW asking if we could give up our seats to a couple who were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary! Just before I started crying, they swiftly added that by doing so, I would be guaranteed a table any night I liked, AND have my wine costs covered for the evening. Now there’s offer I could not refuse!

After waiting only a day longer than planned, I finally got to try the famous Liberty Private Works. My verdict: Amazing. I know it’s only February, but I have already decided that LPW will be going on my top restaurants of 2012 list, similar to the post I did this year about 2011.

The whole evening was an incredible experience, from the amuse bouche through the six savoury courses and onto the two desserts, the amount of passion and art that goes into every corner of every dish is unbelievable.

Chocolate art

There is no table seating at LPW; all the diners sit around the open kitchen, watching Chef Vicky Cheng and his team prepare their masterpieces. And by ‘masterpieces’, I truly mean ‘masterpieces’. Every dish is a piece of art. Herbs are positioned with tweezers; sauces are smeared onto plates with paintbrushes. There is not a single dish that did not leave me wowed.

For fear of waffling, I will not describe every one of the nine courses and six wines we tasted (jealous?) but will entertain you with my absolute favourites, if it’s even possible to narrow it down.

Tuna, Esplette, Rice

‘Tuna, Esplette, Rice’, is one of Chef Vicky’s signature dishes – a form of tuna tartare, but a very special one, made with esplette pepper, puffed rice and beautifully adorned with gold leaf. Chef Vicky recommends you first eat the frozen blackberry, followed by the tuna and finish with the longan. I can understand why this dish remains a constant on the menu even when the others all change.

Egg, Parmesan, Truffle, Caviar

‘Egg, Truffle, Parmesan, Caviar’, was another beauty. Within the ravioli lies a perfect soft egg; burst the egg, mix it with the caviar and creamy parmesan sauce and revel in the delicious flavours.

Chicken, Foie Gras, Iberico Ham, Roots

To follow a wonderful fish and gingerbread crumbs combo, came ‘Chicken, Foie Gras, Iberico Ham, Roots.’ Here the juicy chicken breast was wrapped around rich foie gras and blanketed in Iberico ham. The balance between the textures and flavours, supported by the crunch of the root vegetables was divine.

Lamb, Eggplant, Zucchini, Harissa

The final savoury dish was possibly the best dish of the night, ‘Lamb, Eggplant, Zucchini, Harissa.’ The lamb, done two ways, was heaven on a plate; firstly, lamb shank – beautifully flavoured, housed in a little cucumber shell, and secondly a delicious, tender, perfect medallion of lamb – utter bliss. Add aubergine and zucchini flower tempura to any already marvellous dish and you’ve won my heart.

Hazelnut, Chili, Earl Grey, White Chocolate

Whilst the first dessert was beautifully presented and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted, it was dessert number two which won me over (probably because I’m a hopeless chocoholic): ’Hazelnut, Chili, Earl Grey, White Chocolate’. We were advised to start with the tiny but mighty chilli seeds on the side of the plate, followed by the rest in any order we desired. Again, the medley of textures, from the light spongey pudding to the crispy puffed rice to the crunchy caramelised hazelnuts and creamy earl grey ice cream was a dream.

Of the nine dishes, six were beautifully paired with a range of incredible wines. My favourite wine accompanied my favourite dish: it was a 2002 Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac, a dark ruby, very smooth Bordeaux which enhanced the rich flavour of the lamb. The wine pairing normally costs $450 a head, so we were grateful that that couple had chosen to be wed exactly thirty years before.

The nine-course feast will set you back $800 per person. Considering the quality of the food and the sheer passion and skill evident in every inch of every dish, I wouldn’t say this is completely unreasonable. In fact, I can think of many Hong Kong restaurants which charge close to this for substandard food. And I bet they don’t even present you with delicious freshly-baked madeleines at the end of the meal!

Liberty Private Works

26/F Stanley 11 (yes, my favourite building!)
11 Stanley Street
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 5186 3282

Ta Pantry

10 Jan

Very few of us are fortunate enough to have the space in our Hong Kong apartments to host a dinner party for ten guests. Fortunately private kitchens abound and I’m on a mission to try them all. Ta Pantry, a gem of a private kitchen tucked away in the up and coming neighbourhood that is Star Street, did not disappoint.

Esther ‘Tata’ Sham, a model-turned-chef, has a beautiful set-up in a converted apartment that looks and feels like it really could be someone’s dining room. On warmer evenings, guests can enjoy a drink on the balcony whilst they wait for the food to be ready, or gather round the open kitchen watching Chef Tata prepare their dinner.

Esther’s dishes all reflect influences from her childhood, combined with western cooking techniques she has experienced and developed whilst working at two Michelin starred restaurant Amber and now three Michelin starred L’atelier de Joel Robuchon. Menu options include Japanese, Shanghainese, New American, Indochine and Deluxe (all priced at $600 per person, bar the Deluxe which is $850).

"Kor Fu" hand roll and drunken egg

Our choice of the Shanghainese menu began with a “Kor Fu” hand roll (a crepe filled with tofu and mushroom) and a ‘Drunken egg’. The shelled, jelly-like egg seemed a strange idea but tasted delicious and the yolk was still comfortingly runny.

"Not so Shanghainese" foie gras wontons

The “Not so Shanghainese” foie gras wontons, served in a mushroom broth, were incredible; the dough thin and delicate, just as it should be, and the filling rich and smooth, all topped off with beautifully decorative ‘egg knots’ and presented in a cute clay pot.

Melting Onion Duck

Esther treated us to a complimentary dish of Melting Onion Duck, a dish so divine that there is usually a $150 surcharge per head. The duck, smothered in a decadent onion jus, melted in the mouth and was perfectly complemented by deep fried aubergine pieces to soak up the sauce.

A5 Kobe Beef

Perfectly tender Kobe beef accompanied by spicy mushrooms, fried Chinese doughnut and sesame gai lan (a Chinese vegetable similar to choi sum) followed and again every plate was licked clean. I was particularly fond of the sesame vegetables, but thought the doughnut pieces added little value to the dish.

Crispy scallop black truffle mian

The first few mouthfuls of the crispy scallop black truffle mian (creamy noodles with crabmeat and black truffle) were delicious, although the flavour of the truffle did become a little overpowering after a while.

After five such delectable savoury courses, unfortunately we were all a little disappointed by the dessert. Po Po’s Red bean dumplings on rice wine jelly and osmanthus honey, an adaptation of Esther’s favourite childhood dessert, looked pretty, but taste-wise just did not match the high standard set by the previous dishes. The flavour was a little unusual and rather bland. However, we had all eaten more than enough and quaffed ample glasses of fantastic wine. Esther shares the space with her brother Andrew’s wine cellar, so we were surrounded by bottle upon bottle of wine priced so reasonably that it would have been rude not to tuck in, even if we were all still recovering from New Year’s Eve!

Ta Pantry seats a maximum of ten diners per night and requires a deposit to be paid in advance. It doesn’t come cheap (and is one of the few private kitchens that adds service charge), but you can certainly see the passion that goes into creating every single dish. It is a rather special place and one I would definitely consider going back to in order to try the other menus. Although before I do, I have quite a number of other private kitchens to tick off on my list first. I can already tell that my proposed detox to kickstart the year is going nowhere…

Ta Pantry

Flat 1C Moonstar Court
2D Star Street
Wan Chai
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 9403 6430

Closed on Sundays

Gong Guan

1 Dec

Crystal fish roll

As much as I adore going out for dinner, there are times when going to crowded restaurants and being overcharged for mediocre food and poor service doesn’t appeal to me, and I’d much prefer to have a delicious and relaxed dinner party. Thankfully, Hong Kong is home to many private kitchens which maintain both the excitement of dressing up and going out for dinner, as well as the intimacy of a private dinner party.

For a girlie evening last Friday, we decided to try Gong Guan, a Shanghainese private kitchen in Sheung Wan. The three large private rooms, which can be connected to seat up to 24 people, each cater to a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten guests. The design and decoration, though perhaps not of the sort you would have in your own house, could in fact suggest that you are dining in the comfort of someone’s home.

Gong Guan does not offer a fixed menu, as it varies with frequency depending on the season and availability, but there will always be six starters, a soup, approximately six main dishes and a dessert.

Soft tofu

Our starters included ‘Eggplant ecstasy’ (tender braised aubergine), spicy Sichuan beef, ‘Vegetarian delight’ (a pleasing mix of gluten, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and black fungus), soft tofu, ‘Cool crunch’ (jellyfish and squash julienne) and ‘Bamboo on the Bund’ (tender bamboo shoots seasoned in a delicious sesame dressing). Whilst each of these dishes was unique and inspiring, I was particularly taken by the tofu, the jellyfish (surprisingly) and the bamboo. My one complaint is that most of these starters were far too small for the number of people, meaning we were each only able to have a small taster of each.

Bamboo on the Bund

Following these delicious starters, we were served a rather disappointing chicken and mushroom soup. The single mushroom which dominated the entire bowl was overpowering and chewy, and there didn’t seem to be a trace of chicken.

Pigeon spring rolls

However, the pigeon spring rolls which followed pushed the disappointing soup far to the back of my mind.

Romance on the Rhine

Gong Guan’s signature dish of ‘Romance on the Rhine’, slow-cooked pork knuckle in a plum and soy brew, was again slightly disappointing as it was rather chewy and overly sweet.

To follow, a dish which should be their signature dish, was a ‘Crystal fish roll’ (pictured above), a beautiful grouper fish, flesh and bones removed and made into little parcels with Chinese vegetables wrapped in rice noodles: both visually and physically amazing.

The tea-smoked chicken with crispy seaweed was divine – succulent pieces of chicken that avoided the greasiness usually associated with Chinese-style chicken.

Sauteed scalops and vegetables

The ‘Crimson rice medley’, scallops sautéed with vegetables and Chinese cabbage in a cheese and goji berry sauce were also remarkable dishes which would certainly draw me back to Gong Guan.

Rather than finishing on a high, however, the dessert of ‘Pearls and Ambrosia’ left a lot to be desired. This consisted of mini glutinous rice balls, cooked with lily buds, longan and dates – a nice idea but left a number of disillusioned faces around the table.

In spite of the few disappointing dishes, Gong Guan on the whole serves delicious and unique food in a relaxed and ambient setting. For $380 per head plus a total of $100 corkage charge, no matter how many bottles of wine you bring, it’s definitely a good option if you’re looking to hold a dinner party without the effort of actually hosting it!

Gong Guan

12/F Fung Woo Building
279 Des Voeux Road Central
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2577 9789

Magnolia

22 Aug

Since moving back to Hong Kong last year, I had heard a lot of hype about Lori Granito’s Magnolia, but had not had the chance to try it until this weekend for a very good friend’s birthday party. If you know how excited I get about food, you can only imagine the excitement that had been built up over the last year about trying Magnolia’s Creole cuisine.

I had been advised that a night at Magnolia involved a LOT of food, so purposefully chose to wear a very floaty dress, and I now understand that this was definitely a wise move. There is no point in going to Magnolia unless you are prepared to be very well fed. A good tip is to have a fairly light lunch and go for a run a couple of hours before dinner to make sure you are extra hungry and ready for a feast, as that is exactly what Magnolia is: a feast!

The idea is to arrive at 8pm sharp, where you are greeted by the Magnolia team with a welcome cocktail and some canapés. I unfortunately arrived at 8:25 so was not able to make the most of the reception, although I did head straight for the food table where the freshly baked bread with sundried tomato, cream cheese and pesto spread was calling out my name. I could have devoured the whole plate, but was quickly reminded that there was so much more to come.

We were led through the open kitchen, where the sights and aromas of southern American splendours made our mouths water, and upstairs into our private dining room.

The first dish to kick off the feast was a bowl of gumbo soup. With fresh prawns, crab claws, sausage, rice and a fair amount of chilli, this dish perfectly matched the standards I had been expecting for the night.

Fried green tomatoes with crayfish salad

Next we were each served a small plate of deep-fried green tomatoes with a crayfish salad. The little green tomatoes were incredible, coated in a Cajun batter, which was so good that I couldn’t care less how bad they were for me!

To follow these starters, an overwhelming variety of dishes were brought in and placed in the centre of the table to be shared, family style, including fried catfish strips, sweet potato mash, mustard greens with bacon, chicken etouffee with steamed rice, sausage jambalaya, Cajun BBQ ribs and cornbread muffins.

Cajun BBQ ribs

I particularly enjoyed the sausage jambalaya, always one of my favourite dishes, and the warm cornbread muffins were delicious. The dish that truly shone, however, was the BBQ ribs. The meat was so tender that it slid straight off the bone and melted in the mouth. Although I was almost reaching optimum fullness, I could not resist eating more of these ribs!

I had baked a carrot cake (for which the recipe may or may not appear on here soon by request), so after singing ‘Happy Birthday’, the cake was served alongside Magnolia’s famous pecan pie (pictured above). Obviously this was a little over-indulgent, but you can’t have a birthday without cake! If I may say so myself, my cake was pretty damn tasty, and several people mentioned that they actually preferred it to the pie. I do think that they were just being polite, however, as the pie was amazing! The glutton here polished off both desserts, meaning I was even more grateful to be wearing a floaty dress. Fortunately not everyone was as greedy as me, so a large doggy bag provided cake and pie for breakfast on Sunday.

Magnolia is completely BYOB, without corkage charge, and the attentive waiters are constantly on the lookout to top up empty wine and water glasses.

They request for the $450 per person (not bad at all for the amount of food on offer) to be paid prior to the meal, to avoid any cancellations, and as you do not part with any money on the actual night, it almost feels like you’re having a free meal!

Just in case you’re still hungry, as you leave, you are presented with a little gift box containing a yummy little cupcake from Lori’s cupcake company, Sprinkles. Even if the thought of ever eating again is unbearable, accept the cake, as you’ll be grateful the following day!

If you’re looking for a down to earth private kitchen that isn’t absurdly expensive yet serves deliciously wholesome food, then I would definitely recommend Magnolia. You may well roll out of there and it might not be the most conducive idea for a night out afterwards, but fight through it, and a couple of Jaeger bombs later, you’ll be right as rain!

Magnolia

Shop 5, G/F
17 Po Yan Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2530 9880

Date visited: Saturday 20th August 2011

Comilonas

22 Jun

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comilonas is an exciting brand new private kitchen which opened just under a month ago in Sai Wan, near Kennedy Town. Serving traditional and wholesome Catalan-style tapas at an affordable rate, Comilonas sets itself aside from many of Hong Kong’s regular private kitchens.

Chef Lluis from Barcelona and his Hong Kongese wife Carrie wanted to serve authentic food from Lluis’ home town in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Although Comilonas is located in a very local and fairly grimy building, the moment you step inside its hidden doors you are transported to what could be anybody’s private dining room. Lluis, Carrie and Iris (their assistant) are there to welcome you from the start, allowing you to feel at home as they explain the origins of each of the dishes.

Successfully drinking from the porró

The restaurant is BYO without corkage charge, although they do also sell a selection of wines in case you forget to bring some. Lluis pulled out an interesting vessel called a porró from the cupboard and explained to us how to use it. A porró is fairly similar to a watering can - the aim is to pour wine directly from the porró into your mouth without spilling it. The further you can hold it from your mouth, the more skilled you are. Lluis kindly provided us with a couple of bibs to protect our clothes, which was definitely necessary. Trying not to laugh at us, he said “it’s ok, wine is very good for your skin!” Of course it is!

As the guests were still arriving, we were served some crudités with a Romesco dip which is made from roasted vegetables and almonds. Apparently each family in Catalonia has their own secret recipe which is handed down the generations. Obviously Lluis didn’t give us his family’s secret recipe but it was deliciously moreish and I had to stop myself from eating too much and not leaving space for the rest of the dishes!

Herb-marinated scallop

The Herb-marinated scallop was beautiful: finely sliced scallops dressed in the freshest olive oil and lemon juice so it simply melted in the mouth.

Brandada de Bacalla

The Brandada de Bacalla, a mélange of salty cod and potato, baked in the oven until perfectly golden, was light, fluffy and full of flavour. I only wished there had been more of this one as it didn’t reach very far.

Traditional garlic shrimps

The traditional garlic shrimps (gambas al ajillo), gently fried in olive oil with fresh chilies and plenty of garlic is always one of my favourite dishes and this one did not disappoint. Once the prawns are gone, I like to make the most of the remaining oil as a dip for crusty white bread. In my mind, there is no such thing as too much garlic.

Piquillo peppers with cheese

Although it was hard to pick a favourite dish, I must say that the Piquillo peppers stuffed with manchego cheese were incredible. Piquillo stems from the word ‘pico’ meaning ‘beak’ referring to the shape of the peppers.

Pork mixed cuttlefish meatballs

These peppers were hard to beat, and the Pork mixed cuttlefish meatballs which followed them were possibly my least favourite. An interesting bittersweet flavour was created by using grated dark chocolate in the sauce, but the texture of the pork and cuttlefish together did not please everyone.

Not on the menu were individual glasses of Gazpacho, as Carrie wanted to try out her recipe for this. I can never handle too much gazpacho, but everyone else practically licked their glass clean.

Grapefruit & orange avocado salad

To cleanse the palate after the strong flavoured meatballs, we were served a Grapefruit & orange avocado salad. Unfortunately there was not quite enough avocado in this dish, but the combination of the sour fruit with the sweetness of the fresh mint leaves worked perfectly together and made for an exciting summery salad.

Black ink paella

Paella varies across the different regions in Spain. The traditional paella of Catalonia is Black ink paella, made using the ink and flesh of cuttlefish. It is, of course, not as aesthetically pleasing as the yellow-rice paella we all know and love, but it tasted amazing, particularly paired with the freshly made aioli. If there had been room in my stomach for more, I would have licked the whole paellera clean.

Caramelised orange with ice cream

Last but not least, dessert was Caramelised orange with ice cream, beautifully presented inside half an orange and topped with chopped hazelnuts. I would probably not have picked this out on a menu (only because I would always go for the chocolate option!) but the different textures complemented each other and made for the perfect end to a delicious meal, even if we were all uncomfortably full for hours afterwards!

Comilonas seats between 8 and 18 diners a night, only serving one group. For a reasonable $380 per person, you receive the quantity and quality of food I have just described, great service and a fun and enjoyable experience… and of course an unforgettable lesson in how to drink wine in true Catalan style!

Comilonas

Flat 22, 1/F Yip Cheong Building
4-16 Hill Road
Sai Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 9863 2270

Date visited: Monday 20th June 2011

 

 

Corner Kitchen

19 Jun

On Thursday night, a group of 9 of us competed in a very fiery Thai cook-off at Corner Kitchen in Sheung Wan.

Corner Kitchen is a charming little place on the corner (obviously) of Pound Lane and Po Hing Fong. It can serve as a regular private kitchen where you merely relax and enjoy a meal prepared for you, or you can receive a cooking lesson by the Corner Kitchen team and try your hand at mastering the kitchen. If you want to make it a little more exciting, however, as we did, you can partake in a Hell’s Kitchen style battle of the spatulas.

Divided into a girls team and a boys team, Canadian chef Nate guided us through 4 delicious Thai dishes, before deciding on the winning team whilst we sat down to enjoy an incredible meal (if I may say so myself).

The Girls Team

The Boys Team

Upon arrival, we were each given a glass of delicious red wine, courtesy of the venue, along with some incredibly moreish melted cheese baguettes, whilst Nate explained the night’s rundown.

Due to the fact that there was only one ridiculously powerful food processor in the kitchen, Nate gave us a demonstration on how to make a perfect Thai green curry paste. It upsets me a lot when people claim they can make an amazing Thai green curry and use ready-made paste out of a jar, so freshly-made paste is definitely the way to go. Once the paste was made, we split into our teams to make our curries.

Meanwhile, allowing the curry to simmer, each team was shown how to create a classic Tom Yum Goong (emphasis on the yum).

There was a lot of competitive feeling in the room as both teams battled to gain Nate’s approval. There may have been one or two overly-zealous competitors (me? Never!), but it was all was very light-hearted and fun. Needless to say there was no exchange of poison (though perhaps had we actually had some, it would have been a different story…)

As Pad Thai is best prepared à la minute, Nate gave us a demonstration of this, and then he and his assistant prepared a fresh one for us once we were seated.

Our classic Thai dessert was coconut sticky rice with mango. The rice was interestingly steamed through a tea towel with coconut milk and palm sugar in what looked like a huge dim sum basket.

Once all the dishes were prepared, we were given a chance to taste our competitors’ dishes and all of us girls agreed unanimously that our dishes by far outshone those of the boys. There was no doubt about it and we did not refrain from announcing this, very arrogantly, in front of them.

I fear that this might have been where we lost points, as, after being seated, when Nate announced the night’s winners, it was not the girls team which he announced. Something was definitely wrong there, meaning of course that there were five girls’ jaws touching the ground. How could this possibly have happened?!

Realising that Nate’s taste buds must have been mistaken, or he didn’t like our attitude, we recovered our dignity and enjoyed our delicious meal. Incidentally, the prize offered to the boys was 280 million year old salt. I somehow attained a bottle myself, so am eager to try it out.

The prize

The Tom YUM Goong was pretty spectacular, particularly the tiger prawns which were so fresh and tender that they required minimal chewing – perfect. Nate had prepared a fish stock using fish bones and prawn heads the previous day and this is what gave it a real authentic flavour.

The curry was beautifully fragrant – so wonderfully creamy and spicy. Even one of my friends who claims he doesn’t like Thai food (crazy!) went back for seconds.

Thai Green Curry with chicken

The Pad Thai (which admittedly none of us can take credit for) was probably one of the best Pad Thai’s I have ever tasted; incredibly light and fresh with just the right amount of tamarind juice.

Pad Thai

Sticky rice is one of my favourite things in the world. Mango is one of my favourite fruits. Enough said: it was a-mazing.

Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango

Corner Kitchen is BYO, without corkage charge… and we certainly took advantage of this. When you have the whole place to yourself, evidently, service is always going to be immaculate, but it really was great.

In the limited time that we had to cook four dishes, and the fact that the kitchen area isn’t enormous, the cookery lesson is more of a show than an actual lesson. I’m not sure if someone who has no cooking experience whatsoever could walk away from that and replicate those dishes. However, it was an amazingly fun experience with good friends, and even if people won’t remember how to make a Tom Yum Goong, they’ll at least remember that we had a lot of fun trying!

Corner Kitchen Cooking Parties are $1000 a head. Not something you can do every Thursday but, actually considering you get some wine, the lesson, the ingredients, the meal and the unforgettable experience, I wouldn’t say it’s too outrageous a price; definitely worth trying.

 

Corner Kitchen

Ground Floor, 20 Po Hing Fong
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2803 2822

Date visited: Thursday 16th June 2011

TBLS Kitchen Studio

9 Jun

Knowing how much I love my food, people keep asking me what my favourite restaurant in Hong Kong is. I find this question incredibly difficult to answer as there is just so much on offer and so much that I am yet to taste. I can certainly say which are my least favourite restaurants, but picking one particular favourite is far too tricky. Having now visited TBLS Kitchen Studio, however, I think I can safely say that this is, without a doubt, one of the best restaurants I have been to in HK, or perhaps even in the world.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, located across from the new Ebeneezer’s on Hollywood Road, and doesn’t even look like much on the inside - it seats a maximum of 22 people plus a couple of tables outside on the balcony. The (open) kitchen isn’t huge either but there’s something about a kitchen where you can see the food being prepared which always wins bonus points with
me.

TBLS (which stands for Tablespoon) had been on my list probably since I moved back to HK a year ago. It is, however, not the easiest place to get a booking. It is fully booked weeks, or even months, in advance, so it is very worth calling up and asking for the next available table, or banking on a cancellation. When we managed to get a booking several weeks after trying, I cannot explain how excited I was about it.

The six-course set dinner menu changes every month according to chef Que Vihn Dang‘s chosen theme. This month the theme is ‘Flavours of Summer’ to really get you in the mood for the long hot summer that has already descended upon us. Although the theme changes, there are a couple of dishes which always appear (using different ingredients depending on the theme); Que always begins with a soup and a sandwich, always has some kind of starchy dish, always has a meat and a fish dish, and always finishes with one of his signature macaroons.

Prior to our soup and sandwich, we were served a little amuse bouche, served in a tiny glass jar: chopped tomatoes, onions and haddock; a beautiful start and we knew we were in for a real treat. (See photo above.)

Soup and a Sandwich

The Fennel and Green Apple Soup with a Pulled Pork Sandwich and Pickled Watermelon Skin was divine. I would never have thought of putting green apple (or indeed any coloured apple) in a soup, but the slightly tart taste complemented the fennel perfectly. The pulled pork sandwich was also amazing; I kind of wanted to take a couple away with me for a midnight snack…

A Summer Risotto

Next up was a Summer Risotto: Rabbit and Leek Risotto with Fried Carrot Chips. I must admit that this was my first taste of rabbit as, growing up, I was always convinced that my orginally named pet rabbits Snowy and Sooty would disown me if I ate their friends. Having now “grown up” I happily accepted my rabbit risotto and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the right amount of creamy and cheesy without being overly heavy and the braised rabbit summoned a myriad of cravings for all the rabbit dishes I have missed out on all these years.

Ocean Beets

Along came Ocean Beets: Slow cooked Ocean Trout, Asparagus, Beet and Truffle Vinagrette, Corn Foam. The trout was so fresh and so tender that one of my fellow diners likened it to sashimi. Asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables. This particular asparagus was made all the more sweet by absorbing the beet vinagrette - delicious.

Berry Good Duck

One of my two complaints is about the Berry Good Duck: Pan-seared Duck Breast, Buckwheat, Dried Figs, Mixed Berry Chutney, Shaved Endive Salad. It is only a very small complaint that the duck was ever so slightly on the chewy side. Aside from that, the flavours of the berries perfectly matched the richness of the duck and the buckwheat and dried fig mixture had an interesting crunch to it. (My second complaint was the temperature of the restaurant as I was absolutely baking in there, but it did not in any way lessen my enjoyment of the meal.)

Enter Palate Cleanser. A small dish of very red sorbet which I was not expecting to be nearly as good as it was. My eyes nearly popped out of my head and I couldn’t stop smiling which made for quite an embarrassing moment where one of the chefs caught my expression, tapped Que on the shoulder and pointed at me. Chef Que came straight over and went into much needed detail about this delicious palate cleanser made with yamamomo berries and Yakult. Yamamomo berries, meaning ‘mountain peach’ in Japanese, are only in season in Hong Kong for about three weeks. I neeeeed to find out exactly when those three weeks start, where I can find them and then eat them solidly for those three weeks. Think the red-coloured Jolly Rancher sweets, multiply that amazing taste by five-million and you have yamamomo berry and yakult sorbet.

Jasmine Tea Party

First of the two desserts was Jasmine Tea Party: Jasmine Tea Panna Cotta, Strawberry Water, Milk Chocolate Mochi Ravioli. I am not usually panna cotta’s biggest fan but this was a rather special one, made even more so by the strawberry water with basil seeds, although they may have looked a little bit like frogspawn.

PB&J Macaroon

Last but nowhere near least, we were presented with a PB&J Macaroon Sandwich. This was home-made peanut butter ice-cream with home-made strawberry jam sandwiched between two perfectly formed peanut butter meringues to make a rather tall macaroon. I didn’t want it to end.

The service at TBLS by far outshines any other restaurant in HK. Particularly endearing is the way Chef Que goes around each table to describe each dish to diners. I was eager to find out more so I frequently made him linger at our table longer than he intended, which he seemed more than willing to do. We even got a sneak preview of what next month’s theme might be…

The set dinner is $620 per head. Add on a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and service charge and you’re looking at $800 a head. Punchy, yes, but 110% worth every cent. I really want to go every single month to see what the next exciting themes will be, although I fear that might be a tad over-indulgent…

TBLS Kitchen Studio

7/F 31 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2544 3433

Date visited: Tuesday 7th June

One-thirtyone

11 May

Although this restaurant is a little far from our comfort zone that is the industrialised bubble of the island, One-thirtyone is definitely worth the forty-five minute taxi journey to get to this tranquil part of Sai Kung, especially given how spoilt we are with the low cost of taxis here. It’s advisable to call the restaurant when in the taxi so that the driver can speak to them and get directions as it’s a little off the beaten track and you might otherwise drive straight past it.

As you approach, you pass a row of wooden boats that have been turned into a little herb garden; all the herbs they use in their cooking are grown there and freshly picked everyday. Past the herb garden, iron gates lead to you a terracotta-coloured 3-storey house with a beautifully manicured lawn (yes grass in Hong Kong!) overlooking the sea: such a perfect setting which reminds you how lucky we are to be able to jump into a taxi in the bustling city and shortly afterwards arrive in paradise.

One-thirtyone seats only 25 diners at a time, offering a four-course lunch ($500) or six-course dinner ($900), so understandably, bookings are taken weeks or even months in advance.

Probably more of a special occasion place and as our only celebration was the fact that we had managed to get a table after weeks on the waiting list, we decided to dress up (‘English garden party’ was our theme) and make a day of it. So, in our colourful pretty dresses and waistcoats respectively, we were seated outside under an awning, facing the house-turned-restaurant.

The waiters were all very attentive, although they failed to understand what a Pimms was. We had to send it back three times before they finally got it right, and then their bottle ran out! Needless to say, as it was such a beautiful day with everyone’s watches showing Pimms ‘o clock, there were a few grumbles of disappointment. They apologised by showing us the outrageously priced wine list, although this was to be expected; when you’re in the middle of nowhere and require some wine, restaurants are fully aware that they can get away with charging the earth for it.

This is one of those places where the menu (which changes monthly) is a series of words put together, almost as a non-sequeteur. For example our starter: ‘Carbonara Iberico asparagus egg 65c’. You almost want to add Gordon Ramsay’s “done” at the end of it. This starter was beautiful and although I am not usually one for food photos, this time I will make an exception:

Head chef, Gary Cheuk, came to our table to announce and describe each dish, which for me always wins bonus points. Second course, ‘Cappuccino wild mushroom winter truffle’, did in fact appear like a cappuccino with frothy cream and truffle shavings on top of a wild mushroom soup. I’ve told you how I feel about fungus and how I’ve only recently taken a liking to it, so I must say that this was a little too rich for me. Nevertheless there was not a dirty bowl in sight and I even polished it off so they must have done something right!

Third course, ‘lamb loin shoulder eggplant couscous’, was divine, although they let themselves down a little by slightly overcooking the lamb shoulder. That said, the braised lamb loin was perfect, accompanied by charcoal-cooked eggplant puree and couscous which was interestingly made from chopped up cauliflower rather than couscous itself. I have always been of the mentality that cauliflower is the most pointless of all the vegetables, but was intrigued by the way it was presented this time and it was indeed a pleasant addition. I particularly enjoyed the shallot and lavender chutney; Chef Gary told us he always prefers to serve lamb with lavender rather than the usual mint and I have to agree that he’s on to something there.

Dessert was hands down the star of the show: ‘flower rose petal chocolate vanilla’. Everything on the plate from the petals (made from strawberry, cream cheese and sugar) to the soil (made from chopped nuts and chocolate) was edible and so delicious that I didn’t utter a single word until I had devoured what was on my plate. In fact there was silence around the whole table.

Bear in mind that the restaurant is kind of far from anywhere so accept that it will take a long time to get a taxi. I believe it took us around an hour to track down the necessary three taxis to get us back to the island. During this time we tried to order another bottle of rose, and when it took forever to arrive, we were told that they didn’t have any more chilled bottles which was slightly disappointing for a top-end restaurant.

My complaints are few, however, as all in all it was a lovely day, with delicious food and perfect company in a beautiful setting. It’s always nice to get out of the city and do something different. Admittedly this kind of different isn’t possible every weekend as sadly not all of our bank balances will allow it. After adding on the cost of water, wine and service, we were looking at a rather punchy bill exceeding $1000 a head. Not for me, however, as this was one of the only times I was thankful for my nasty bronchitis and antibiotics meaning I was spared the cost of the wine I couldn’t drink!

One-thirtyone
131 Tseng Tau Village Road
Shap Sze Heung
Sai Kung
New Territories
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2791 2684

Date visited: Saturday 7th May 2011

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