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I am a big fan of Mongkok.
To me, Mongkok is one of Hong Kong's absolute essentials. If you haven't been to Mongkok, you haven't been to Hong Kong.
It's super crowded, pulsing with life.
In summertime, Mongkok's scent is intense. It's a combination of sweat, cigarette smoke, money, oil and stinky tofu :)
I can never get bored exploring Mongkok and let me share one of my favorite finds with you, DiF cafe. It's buried somewhere at the last chunk of the alleys along Mongkok Ladies Market, and despite the location, the place is bright and sparkly.
Just in case you were wondering what the heck is DiF...
Diamond is Forever :)
Sounds more like a jewelry shop than a cafe eh? Can they do food right?
DiF cafe serves quite a selection of food.
From Hong Kong style western food to Japanese curries; snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks; coffee and desserts; as well as quite a selection of vegetarian treats.
Normally, I'd steer clear of salads in Hong Kong "western" eateries. But this time, it's summer and we need some kind of vegetable intake for the day, so we decided to brave the salad.
We had the caesar salad with smoked duck and smoked chicken, and we were pleasantly surprised. As expected, the "caesar salad" dressing doesn't taste like the classic. It has a lot more sweetness, more like a mayo-sugar-mix than caesar salad dressing, but it's delicious and refreshing nonetheless. The veggies were fresh, the croutons and crisps gave the salad a nice crunch, the smoked duck and smoked chicken made it hearty. The salad set comes with a serving of soup, and you could order any drinks half price to go with it.
After a hard and stressful day at work, SC ordered the much needed frozen margarita.
It was delicious. I only tasted a sip, I promise :)
More deliciousness followed...
I had the seafood cream soup topped with puff pastry, served with garlic bread.
The bread was buttery and crispy, and the soup was really tasty by Hong Kong western food standard. Flavorful, creamy, not too corn starchy, with generous bits of "seafood" (do we count imitation crab meat as seafood? ^_^)
We saw the snack menu and couldn't resists ordering some.
The breaded cheddar pints were tasty, crispy batter with chewy cheesy filling, remember to consume while they're hot. It's served with a sweet creamy dressing with a side of Hong Kong style fruit salad (i.e. canned cocktails mixed with sweetened mayo). Yummy!
Since I selected a main course with not much meat, we also ordered grilled sirloin with Japanese gravy.
Some parts of the meat were a bit chewy, but the sauce was nutty and delicious.
When I see something this pretty on the menu, how could I not order it?
My iced pink rose tea was pretty, not to sweet and super fragrant. The only think I was not happy about this drink...was having rose petals up the straw into my mouth :p
We had the pan fried foie gras with creamy wild mushroom rice served in hot pot.
Nicely cooked foie gras on a bed of rice, subtly flavored with mushrooms and a tinge of sweetness from onions to match the foie gras. Delicious! The only thing is...there's too much rice and too little foie gras :D
Hmm, I personally am not into crispy rice...but if that's your thing...
Rejoice!
The whole meal costs us HK$358 (2 persons), remember to go early (ideally before 7 pm) to avoid long queue ^_^
D.i.F. Cafe 鑽石餐廳
Shop F, G & H, 2A-2P Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok
Hong Kong
旺角通菜街2A-2P鴻光大廈地下F,G&H舖
Tel: +852 2385 2899
I grew up eating canned corned beef.
Fried with eggs, fried and served with potatoes, instant noodles, or (of course) rice.
It's the perfect non-porky alternative to luncheon meat/spam (another unhealthy processed meat product I absolutely love ^_^').
In Hong Kong, not surprisingly, canned corned beef isn't as popular as its porky cousin, luncheon meat.
It does get served in local cafes in the form of sandwiches or sometimes as savoury crepe filling...but I hardly see it used any other way.
Since I had half a small can leftover corned beef from the savoury bread pudding, I decided to make...fried rice :)
Super quick and easy for weekday dinners.
Recipe
- half a small can of corned beef (or more)
- 2 chicken franks, sliced (if I had a full can of corned beef, I don't think I needed the chicken franks)
- 1 cup rice, cooked, refrigerated overnight (I used a mix of white and brown rice, the brown rice has wonderful chewy texture, perfect for making fried rice)
- half yellow/red bell pepper, diced (for sweetness and the color looks pretty)
- 10 pieces of jalapeno from a jar (I used El Paso brand), diced (adjust if you find it too hot or not hot enough)
- olive oil, butter, salt, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce
Brown corned beef and sliced chicken franks with a bit of olive oil, add diced bell pepper, add a bit of butter, add rice, season with salt, pepper, a dash of worcestershire sauce and mix well, add diced jalapeno only at the end, mix well, serve hot.
Quick, easy, savoury, with a touch of sweetness from the peppers and a bit of tang from the jalapeno.
Now SC knows that corned beef can be used elsewhere other than in between two slices of bread ^_*
We were so pleasantly surprised to find this little gem in Tsing Yi.
Fully prepare to dine in Spaghetti House, we were glad we changed our mind and went for this place instead. I didn't make a booking, so we didn't get a table by the window overlooking the waterfront, or one of those pretty little booth, which would be absolutely romantic for special occasions.
There were two kinds of set dinners, and as always, I ordered the one which offers more food ;)
The meal started with grapefruit chicken salad. I wish there was more grapefruit, but the whole flavor combo was decent, the few slices of onion and the smokiness of the sauce gave the dish a nice touch.
The bread basket was a little disappointing, the herbs were a little overpowering and the plain one was a little soft-and-soft. Some good ol' crusty bread would've been better.
The beef goulash was decent, but for Hong Kong char-chan-teng-eating market, whose palate is used to strong flavors of lo sung tong (HK local cafe's version of red beef & veggie soup), the soup needs much stronger flavors.
The wild mushroom cream soup was nice and creamy, it could use a little bit more seasoning and a tad stronger mushroom flavors. Not the best mushroom soup I've ever had, but again, decent.
The pan fried Rougie AAA foie gras with red wine pear was absolutely fantastic! The flavors were absolutely lovely. The rich and creamy foie gras, beautifully cooked pear, rich sauce with a touch of sea salt which created the perfect balance.
The grilled parma ham salmon with herb oil was again fantastic. I didn't get the parma ham part, but other than that, it was a nice dish. Perfectly cooked salmon, gentle flavors of the herb oil, tiny bits of chopped fresh tomatoes and the extra crunch from the chips. Gorgeous!
Now, the mains..
The grilled American Angus prime rib eye with Egyptian sea salt. Looks absolutely beautiful...was it good?
The meat was cooked correctly, a nice medium, flavorful, tasted fantastic with the grains of Egyptian sea salt. The bits of vegetables added the much needed refreshing touch for summer, but I wish there was some kind of sauce I could mop my fries with. Ahem ;)
The asparagus, scallops triangoloni with truffle and porcini, it was love at first bite. Succulent scallops, beautifully cooked, with delicious stuffed triangoloni...bits of of asparagus, and creamy, delicious sauce. However, I felt that this dish is way too rich for summer. It gives you a nice kick-in-the-stomach richness, but you'd feel knocked out after a few bites. A lighter version for summer would be nice.
Say hello to the perfect summer dessert. Strawberry panna cotta with sorbet. Everything's refreshing and citrusy, served with bits of sweetness here and there to create balance. A glorious ending.
I know that this is not a perfect summer drink, but we couldn't help ordering the Leonidas hot chocolate when it's offered with the set. Generous serving, deliciously chocolatey.
How much did the set cost?
HK$258 per person (+10% service charge), very good deal!
We left feeling absolutely satisfied, ready to empty our wallet in the mall :)
If you happen to be in the area, it's worth trying. Don't forget to make a reservation, it was a full house!
La Parole
Shop G02A, G/F, Maritime Square
33 Tsing King Road, Tsing Yi
青衣青敬路33號青衣城地下G02A號
Tel: +852 2436 4099
If you're in Hong Kong, and you haven't tried Yakitoritei, a charming and cozy yakitori (Japanese BBQ) joint in Tin Hau/Happy Valley...
Seriously. Go!
I could've summarized my so-called "review" with just one word, delicious.
But let me show you what kind of mad MAD meal we had.
It started with our server asking "foie gras, anyone?" and almost all of us raised our hand, and it only went downhill from there ;)
We started with...
Cod roe salad, super fresh, perfect for the hot and sticky weather that day...and the ginkgo nuts yakitori, very very interesting...nutty with a touch of bitterness. We were hungry for more!
Now...the seafood...
Succulent scallops grilled to perfection, super succulent sword fish and eel with deliciously crispy skin. Nothing but yum!
On to something rich...
The foie gras, super rich, mega creamy and tasty! Juicy and tender duck breast with sweet onions. Quack quack!
Moving on to the chicken group...
Grilled chicken with crab roe was really interesting. Perfectly grilled chicken meat with creamy sauce and little pops of sea freshness. Gotta give them a try. The grilled chicken with mustard sauce was super delish too...and we were pleasantly surprised by the grilled chicken gizzards. They look dry and miserable, but they were wonderfully crunchy and tasty!
Next...
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The grilled quail eggs made you forget any cholesterol fears, the grilled sausages on chicken bone were as tasty as they looked, and we love the bacon wrapped asparagus.
Before we knew it...
...we've gathered quite a lot of skewers...and we're not even half way yet!
Now, some more meaty goodness...
Japanese grilled pork with herbs, juicy, tender, delicious! Lamb lovers, you gotta order their lamb chops, absolutely divine!...and the grilled thick cut ox tongue is not to be missed! All delicious!
We didn't go meat-crazy all the way, we remembered to order some veggies and mushrooms, and here are some highlights...
Spinach with bonito, a refreshing touch to a super rich meal. Grilled zucchini with cheese, sweet and crunchy with mild cheesy topping, yum!...and hello, carb...sweet, tender and smoky sweet potatoes.
Now...my absolute favorite...
The beef! Grilled with butter, with Japanese BBQ sauce or with good plain ol' salt and pepper. Juicy, absolutely tender, extremely delicious, it's...hello, meat heaven!
Almost everything was super mega delicious...except for these few items, which we didn't exactly adore...
Grilled bacon wrapped salmon, the bacon part was good, but the salmon was pretty dry. The chicken wings stuffed with foie gras and cheese, they tasted nothing like what the name promised. It tasted like a regular chicken wings stuffed with minced meat...we'll skip this next time. The grilled clams were...beachy. We like our beach sandy, but not our shellfish, so...nono.
Now...with all those skewers...the boys couldn't help but do this...
What were they asking?
a. Will I win betting on FIFA World Cup this year?
b. Who will have to eat all the remaining corn and sweet potatoes? (They were delish, but we ordered wayy too much!)
c. Who's cuter, V or SC?
d. Who pays for this meal?
Yakitori offers set dinners for about HK$290 per person, but since we were so crazy and almost ordered everything on the menu, we ended up spending about HK$460 per person, without even ordering a single drop of alcohol :D
But believe me, it was worth it.
Remember to make a reservation, the place is rather small and is always packed. We saw a small group of walk in patrons who had to come back three times before they got a seat ^_^
Oh, not that you care, but in case you wanna know, this is what I wore that night :D
Yakitoritei (燒鳥亭)
G/F Tsing Fung Building
10 Tsing Fung Street
Tin Hau
Hong Kong
天后清風街10號清風大廈地下
Tel: +852 2566 9982
Durian season is still here...and whenever I went grocery shopping, I see ripe, soft, golden yellow, super fragrant durian packages screaming out my name.
If it's up to me, I'd buy a pack every single time.
But my ever so helpful SC would remind me that durian = sugar = fattening ^_^'...thus should be avoided whenever possible.
Amazingly, yesterday he suggested me to buy a HK$20 pack of gorgeous durian...after I said that I'd use the whole wheat filo pastry sheets I got last week (on sale, HK$60 reduced to HK$5!!! Three-sixty Landmark, Central) to bake some durian dessert. Honestly, I had no idea how to use filo pastry...let alone bake an elaborate dessert with it...but I'd say whatever I needed to say to score me a pack of heaven ;)
So, how did I do it finally?
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Lightly grease a baking dish, lay a couple layers of filo pastry sheets, brushing in between with peanut oil (you can use butter if you want more oomph), tuck them in as you would do pastry base for a pie. Then simply add durian flesh to fill the pastry "bowl" and top it with a thin layer of caster sugar to get the "bruleed" effect. Don't forget to brush the top layer of filo pastry with some oil/butter to make it gloriously golden.
Bake for about 25 minutes in the middle rack, and move it to the top rack, bake for a few more minutes until you get the bruleed effect. You can blow torch the top if you want, but gas-and-flame combo scares me :D
Easy peasy, eh?
...and what will you get?
Sweet, creamy, fragrant, soft and rich durian flesh with crispy pastry skin.
Yums!!!
Durian is one of those things that taste fantastic hot or cold.
I understand that some of you find durian disgusting, you can replace durian with bananas, chocolates, peaches, etc etc etc. The sky is your ocean (or something ^_^)
Now if you'd excuse me...I am still burping durian now (a good 22 hours later).
Clearly, it is not an ideal date dessert, especially if your date hates durian ;)
PS. SC reminded me to post a picture of whole wheat filo pastry sheets that I used ^_^ so there you go.
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