Yardbird

There’s a lot to like about Yardbird, a lot, and it has got the right attitude of being a really good izakaya. The place looks cool - it looks more New York then Hong Kong - it offers nose-to-tail eating of a chicken (which almost seems to be the most politically correct foodie way to eat) and it has got a kickass drink list that will keep many happy. Even the name seems right. Yardbird, perhaps implying the happy carefree life that the local chickens that are sourced and used for the yakitori or that it will like to be the local chicken joint where people gravitate to for some comfort food. So it really is no surprise that the once the media got a whiff of this place, it fell in love with it too.



The big BUT for me on this place is that …
The yakitori for me unfortunately did not live up to all that expectations. The yardstick where it fell really short was the chicken wings (tebasaki). The tebasaki wasn’t stretched out to its full potential on the skewer, so instead of getting that really crisp skin that I was hoping for, it was unfortunately still a little flabby because not enough fat was rendered out. It was seasoned well and it was topped off with in-house blended Shichimi Togarashi but that didn’t save it. The non-yakitori items fared better. The KFC – Korean Fried Cauliflower – is great. It is a fabulous way to get children to eat cauliflower (or any vegetable) - lightly fried to a crisp and then coated with a sweet spicy glaze.



Yardbird
33-35 Bridges Street
Hong Kong
Tel: 852-25479273

Ramazan Bayrami - Experiencing Ramadan in Southern Turkey

My friends and I were travelling in Turkey during the tail end of Ramadan in 2010 where we started in Istanbul and then headed south towards – Sanliurfa, Yuvacali and then to Gaziantep. We were concerned if food was going to be available or if we were able to get around. Somehow we managed and what we thought was going to a difficult situation turned out to be a rich experience.

Istanbul has the majestic blue mosque and the charm of the east and the west but down in the South, closer to Syria, where traditions and religiosity runs deeper, we experienced a different environment and sincere hospitality and through the Ramazan period in Turkey.


Sanliurfa

pool of sacred fish, Sanliurfa

On the days leading up to Bayram, we headed off from Istanbul to Sanliufa, where we wandered around the romantic narrow and dusty streets. Like most of the locals headed down to the bazaar in ancient town in preparation for Bayram to shop around for new clothes and sweets, we went down to pick up some Turkish delights for our host and then pulled away and from the crowds to lull away the time away. For some part of the afternoon, we sat by the pool of sacred fish in the cool of the shade, people-watched and fed the fish and then slowly made our way back to Aslan Guest House as the sun started to set.


lahmacun

Ayran

Back in the guest house, Özcan Aslan, an English teacher who runs it, invited us to break fast with his family and to enjoy the food that had been prepared by his wife during the course of the day. We gathered with his family and sat in the courtyard around the dinner tables and silently observed sunset; once the sun disappeared from sight, the feasting started. They first broke fast with by drinking a lot of water and then proceeded to the food laid out on the table. The lahmacun – spicy minced lamb on flat bread – the Turkish version of pizza, was surprisingly very spicy and delicious with a squeeze of lemon. Served with a variety of vegetables, I favoured the soft eggplant and the yoghurt coated vegetables to take some edge off that intense heat. And to finish it all, the ayran was lightly salted refreshing and felt cleansing to that heat that was still burning in my mouth. The meal that we shared was simple but it was a great way to experience Ramazan in Turkey. Where food and cooking become more difficult without the ability to taste, breaking fast with a family made it all more special.


Pero and Halil

On the eve of Bayram, we headed off Yuvacali where we stayed with Pero and Halil, a Kurdish couple and enjoyed the silence, stillness and slower pace of things. We hid in the shade from the afternoon sun, hiked and learnt a little about archaeology and then waited for the right time to feast again. We slept on the roof, safe under mosquito nets and under the watch of the stars above. It was so beautiful.

The morning of Bayram started with me making unleaven bread whilst the boys were still snoring but once everyone got up and everyone was fed, we got ready for Bayram!



The adults were armed with sweet and smiles and the children with their well wishes and their empty candy bags. The children started to arrive. Amongst the first to arrive was Pero and Halil’s daughter, who returned from a sleepover at her cousin’s all dolled up in her new clothes and kissed and wished their elders a happy Bayram in return received colourful and a variety sweets and candy. She chatted quickly with her mother, waved and was off to the next house for more sweets. We stayed a short while just as the visiting was starting but then had to move on, so we thanked hugged Pero and Halil for their hospitality were headed off to Gaziantep.



We had grand plans for Gaziantep. We were headed for Turkey’s gastronomic capital to feast but we failed to factor in Ramazan. We expected pistachios and baklava shops to line the streets but we were greeted by empty streets and closed doors but it was the first day of Bayram. Nonetheless, we were hopeful and tried to see if İmam Çağdaş was open for us to stuff ourselves silly on kebabs and baklava where we heard they were the best but all we saw was the front door. So that was our alternative food tour of Gaziantep, the gastronomic capital - where we witnessed how the city shuts down for Ramazan, where the streets were empty and unfortunately İmam Çağdaş was not open for us.


Closed, :(

We experience Ramazan Bayram in Turkey with some inconveniences but the warmth shared at the table and the simplicity of rustic food that we were given – really nothing fancy but laced with a lot of love, we were really happy at that.

Adam Road Soto Ayam Stall #9

As the rain falls outside, I’m craving some Soto Ayam with a begedil from Adam Road.



I remember headed over there on a Saturday afternoon for a bowl but we arrived half an hour too early and had to wait in anticipation. So we lingered and sipped on teh teriks, waiting…as the chicken and spices mingled in the boiling pot, well on it is on its way to becoming a fragrant broth that is light but big in flavour.

Whilst the chicken broth is comforting, it is the other components that make the soup sing. The dark sauced ‘sandy’ chilli packs a good punch of heat and flavour that can be used as a dipping sauce or stirred into the soup. I also don’t particularly enjoy having noodles in this dish. I usually substitute it for a begedil (fried potato cutlet), and break it up into chunks and let it slowly disintegrate in my soup.

Amirah & N’ur Aniqah
(Mee Soto & Mee Rebus)
Better known as Adam Road Soto Ayam Stall #9
Stall 9 Adam Rd food centre

Learning Chinese: 你吃了吗?

Even though I’ve been eating Chinese food all my life, I feel like I barely know anything about it. I’ve spent a few brief weekend getaways in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the past 18 months and I’ve been eating a discovering the larger world of Chinese food.

In fact, the more I eat, the more I realise how much I don’t know. And this is what I’ve been learning …

Perhaps the reason why we can’t taste the range of dishes anymore is simply because there are just some ingredients that aren’t available anymore! I remember going to the wet markets as a child and staring wide-eyed at those cubes of coagulated pigs’ blood and not so nasty bits of brain and lung which I haven’t seen in last 10 years or longer!



In Hong Kong, I was introduced to Almond and Pig’s Lung soup. I slurped down on a delicious version at Luk Yu Teahouse, one that has been popular and approved by the locals for many years. The almond soup is delicately flavoured with mandarin peels and is creamy and has a gentle grainy texture from the almond puree that gives it a good richness. The pig lungs were a lot milder than I expected. They looked a little strange but they had an airy and spongy texture that was pleasant to eat.


Shrimp with Longjing tea

fishballs with watershield

I’ve also learn about Zhejiang cuisine at a recent meal at Hongzhou Restaurant and I was surprised at the delicateness. We ordered shrimp with Longjing tea unfortunately was a little lightly flavoured for me. It sounded wonderful but it was a little bland, so I suspect I was just served a poor version of it. The homemade fishballs served with water shield, were very seductive. Pillow soft, they danced around my mouth as I chewed down on them. As for the accompanying water shield, I’ve yet to learn to appreciate.



I was never a fan of Sichuan food and I never quite understood the draw of the mouth numbing experience. But that is starting to change. I think part of the draw and thrill of it is that it is a mild form of extreme eating. It is about eating and being at the edge and not falling over and surrendering to those chillies and peppercorns.

Fuschia Dunlop’s Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, has made me reconsider sweating and it out for a full spicy meal.

The shui zhu yu at San Xi Lou pushed me further in that direction.

The name, “water cooked fish”, evokes images grease-free, health and weight conscious cooking but the actual dish is far from it. In fact, oil is used in cooking the fish. And not just oil, but a lot of it. And don’t be alarmed by the chillies, there are only about...a hundred of them in the bowl? But they will remove most of it before you dive in with your chopsticks, and they are large enough to avoid. What you need to watch out for are those peppercorns. I crunched down on the first one and it really kicked me in the face. I was unprepared. Overwhelmed, I had to put my chopstick down. Then as I was recovering, “crunch”, I bite into the second one, and I had to stop eating again but the sensation of pain and pleasure that started on opposing ends started to inch closer to each other. And before I knew it, I found myself loving and hating those sensational little bastards. Oh, and the fish licked with the fragrant oil was very tender.

So I’ve been exploring and re-discovering a whole new world of Chinese food. Other than that, I’ve also been really fortunately in meeting local foodies whose wealth of knowledge I’ve learnt a lot from. I feel really humbled by this whole experience and in awe of this old and diverse cuisine.

Luk Yu Teahouse
24-26 Stanley St
Tel: +852-25235464

Hong Zhou Restaurant
1/F,Chinachem Johnston Plaza
178-188 Johnston Road
Tel: +852-25911898

San Xi Lou
7/F, Coda Plaza
51 Garden Road
Tel: +852-28388811

Trolley Service Lunch at Robuchon, Macau

Far from airplane lunch trolley service that only offers a chicken or fish option, that’s not what I’m referring to. Instead, I’m reminiscing about a Lunch back in February in Robuchon a Gelara, Macau that involved multiple trolleys and trolley service that I adore.

I don't think I've ever seen so many trolleys during one lunch. I really liked it. With every trolley rolled and stop at our table that makes the whole idea of dining entertaining and also about celebrating the time spent around the table through the spectacle of service.



Once we were tucked into our seats, the champagne trolley came, along with the admirable but rather ridiculous wine folder, which thanks to technology and perhaps through popular vote has been condensed into 10 pdf pages in an ipad. Once the bottle was decided and the bottle retrieved, on to our next trolley.

The butter trolley, this is my favourite of them all. Say no more, the only question that really matters is - salted or unsalted?




Bread Basket

The set lunch was classic, technical and well refined – everything that I expected from a Robuchon establishment. The fine tarte of mushrooms with foie gras was exceptionally yummy and his legendary pomme puree was really silky smooth and perfection.


oyster with seaweed buttered toast


Crab with Couscous


Fine Tarte of mushrooms with Foie Gras


artichoke veloute with duck breast and truffle infused floating island


scallop, squid farci and pearl vegetables


Seabass with truffle butter


Quail stuffed with foie gras


Pork with blood sausage

The dessert trolley, the ice cream trolley and then the cheese trolley, where there is the element of choice and opportunity cost. Should I have dessert, cheese, or both? And if I only have dessert, what should I have? I think that there is a big difference when the dessert menu comes on a piece of paper and when it is laid in front of you like with ceremony. It is almost like you need a different set of skills in making a choice – as opposed to deciding off a piece of paper and imagining how it would turn out. From all our choices from the trolley, the winner for me was the lemon tart.











I really enjoyed the service and food during my lunch here, it was value for money and a great treat. I think this will be on my eat list on my return trip to Macau.

Robuchon a Galera
Hotel Lisboa
3/F, Lisboa Tower
Tel: +853-8803-7878

MmmMmmMozza.

Mozza-styled pizza, is currently my favourite type of pizza.



The crust is the signature of the Mozza pizzas – which you will either love or hate. I belong to the love camp. I don’t know what goes in it but I’m sure it is more than flour, water and salt – does anyone have the recipe? I sat at the bar and watched what they did – firstly they stretched the dough leaving a crust at the end and then pierced it to let some air out. After which it was a brushed with olive oil, top with ingredients and pushed into the fire oven where more magic happens. The fire oven puffs up the air bubbles trapped in the dough and produces a puffy and charred looking crust that is crisp on the first bite and deliciously chewy.



The other thing I like about Mozza is the feel that it has. The placemats are silly and I think it sets the tone of the place. It is pizza after all – what’s the fun in putting prim into pizza! So, have fun, order and eat with your hands and make a mess – I couldn’t care less.

Pizzeria Mozza
2 Bayfront Aveue
#B1-42/46 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: 6688 8522

On the hunt for more piggy ...

The result of having great food is that you have a benchmark and you are constantly measuring everything else against it searching for something of equal greatness.

So ever since the roast pig at Kimberly, I’ve developed a slight obsession with finding the good roast pig in Hong Kong. Josh or the dude better known as Char Xiu Bao, recommended the Celestial Court roast pig, and so that rose to the top of the eat list for my next trip to Hong Kong.

A great part of making an occasion of eat a roast pig is idea of community and feasting. It is mandated that you gather more than four, unless you have a great appetite for pig because the law of diminishing marginal returns kicks rapidly after the second sliced roll and some restaurants demand it.



So we are gathered here today at Celestial Court to celebrate the life of another pig. This pig stuffing - pearl barley, black truffles, glutinous rice and wild mushrooms – is delicious. The mushroom and (China) truffles lend fragrance and the barley mixed in with the glutinous rice give it texture – together, it was a good contrast to the crispy skin.

The pig vs. pig – in terms of crisp skin, Kimberly wins but Celestial Court wins it with their stuffing.



Another highlight from Celestial Court was the fortune chicken – a deboned chicken stuffed with ham and mushrooms, wrapped in lotus leaves and then baked in a dough crust to seal in all the flavours and moisture. As the staff break through the crust and peel away the layers of lotus leaves to reveal the succulent chicken treasure below, the aromas that burst out of the parcel is exceptionally delectable. It was fork tender and extremely tasty but unfortunately it was a tad on the salty end.

We ate through a few other dishes on the menu but for me was that pig. It was not too complicated or “truffled” for the sake of it – although the mushrooms rather than the truffles really gave it that edge - and importantly, the execution was good. Good piggy.

Celestial Court
2/F Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers
20 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
+852 2369 1111

Krabi Street Eats

Krabi, Thailand is better known as a base for island hopping and a range of outdoor activity than its food. In an area that is populated by tourist, it is hard to avoid a tourist trap. And really good food is hard to come by when the restaurants try to cater to the world with their bizarre combinations of Thai-Italian/Thai-Indian/Thai-Dutch/Thai-Swiss/Thai-"insert a nationality" cuisine. To look for Thai-Thai or Thai-as local as it gets food, we tried to hunt and to chow down at the clusters of street stalls.


The first hawker, a stand alone, that we met originates from Malaysia and had serves up the best banana "pancake" of the three that we tried. The pancake, however, really isn't the fluffy pancakes that we soak in maple syrup at brunch, rather it is as what our Malaysian hawker described to us, "in Singapore you call it roti prata, in Malaysia we call it roti chennai, but here and the international name is pancake." The secret to his crust that the other stalls didn't quite achieve, we concluded was probably his use of Planta that gave a good crust to his "pancake".




We also found a cluster of hawkers in close to the McDonalds where we had the southern Thai version of chicken Satay, which was thin strips of chicken breast marinated in a turmeric based sauce and served with a mild red curry like sauce that was unfortunately a little flat. And after snacking on that, we strolled a few stalls down and we sat down again for beef noodle soup and the best mango salad I had all trip and some grilled corn.

For dinner left the touristy Ao Nang and headed into Krabi town for a more fragrant and exciting local food scene in the night market. We milled around with the locals and finally hit the goldmine of local food. The food market was made out of little stalls that served an array of delights. Crisp deep fried chicken that smelled and tasted delicious that is sold with an optional extra serving of fried chicken skin, charcoal grilled squid and fish, lightly battered shrimp, braised piggy parts and pork ready to be mixed around with some rice and pickled vegetables, raw local oysters and Thai staples of Phad Thai and mango salad. Stall after stall, we ordered and ate and ordered some more, it was the closest we got to the Thai-Thai food that we were looking for.



Krabi didn't have bad food per se, but it was really hard to find the really good local stuff that had kicks of sweet, sour, spicy and everything that makes Thai food very addictive. The biggest take away I had after sampling phad Thai after phad Thai, I've learnt that phad Thai is a loose term for Thai-styled fried noodles and that every hawker or cook has their own style to it (or perhaps adjusted for the foreign palates) some like it sweeter, some were heavy on ketchup and others borrowed flavour from fish sauce and sweet soy sauce or maggie seasoning - I liked mine not overtly sweet and with the extra squeeze of lime.

Teochew Goodies

I’m Teochew but as a kid I wasn’t the big fan of the food and I never cook Teochew either. Now, I eat more of it and have developed a greater appreciation for it but I still don’t cook it.

During my last trip to Hong Kong, I feel like I was re-introduced to Teochew food through this small gratifying tasting of Teochew dishes.



We started off rich with braised goose liver. I’ve had braised goose but I’ve never had Teochew styled braised goose liver. We tried to order two plates but the health conscious waiter stopped us in our tracks and advised that we order one to start with because as he advised, “it is very high in cholesterol”. Incredibly smooth and seriously delicious, two plates would have been better than one.



The duo of seafood balls - prawn balls and crab balls – was not too starchy so that the taste of the prawn and crab still came through and not greasy.



The stir-fried pigeon with chestnuts was a little on the salty side but manageable with the lettuce wraps. I like pigeon, and in this dish there was only a slight gamey taste that makes it approachable for most.



We finished off with baby oyster porridge, which is something that I like. The watery broth of the porridge absorbs the flavours of the oysters, dried sole and pork and this bowl was good.

Chiu Mei Ku (潮味居)
Shop D & E, 2-16A Bowrington Rd
Bowring Building, Wan Chai
Tel: 852- 2834-6669