Bday Dinner at Domon Sapporo Ramen

On my birthdays, normally we'd go for something extreme. It's either something really fancy, such as last year's French private dining feast at Allez Allez...or something extremely crappy and cheap. Such as my bday junk food medley of KFC, McD, and Pizza Hut, which I had the year before, with no make up, uncombed hair, in my PJs, at home, thus weren't photographed (Dang! I should've taken some pics).

This year, I just want something in between. Something normal. Wait-a-minute! Doesn't a girl always want to be special? Doesn't a birthday mean anything anymore? Yes it does. I means I am getting older, wiser, smarter (oh, shut up!) and I should know better than to eat two huge & pricey meals back to back. Hehe. I have a huge buffet with the girls scheduled the next day. So, on the day itself, I just wanted to eat something ordinary.

Little did I know....that from something ordinary, we could expect something extraordinarily...(good/bad?)

As a huge ramen fan, I generally think that almost any bowl of ramen should be delicious. Plus, I've walked past Domon Sapporo Ramen in Tsim Sha Tsui numerous times before...and I've always seen it super crowded...with an endless queue of young and trendy patrons waiting outside. I thought...it's gotta be good! I've been wanting to try it since then...so when I saw one outlet in Whampoa, and I saw a poster of a famous Hong Kong food critic, posing with of a bowl of Domon butter ramenwith a big smile plastered all over his face, I immedinately wanted to have my "ordinary" bday dinner there.

However, now I know that...
Japanese Ramen + Crowded + Long Queue + Endorsement by famous food critic =/= Good

The food was really disappointing. I ordered a bowl of butter ramen. The ramen noodle was ok...but the broth wasn't tasty, the Japanese BBQ pork was dry, and the butter was unnecessary. Sous chef ordered Japanese curry rice. The curry was watered down, and it wasn't enough for the rice. We also ordered potato croquettes, which luckily, were decent and seafood stuffed chicken wings, which were rather fishy.

In the end...the disappointing food kinda made the day extraordinary ^_^. At least we learnt something from it. Sous chef blamed me for choosing this place, and I said I was entitled to make this mistake, I am the birthday girl after all. HAHA!

Domon Sapporo Ramen (Fashion World)
9 Shung King Street Shop G9, G/F
Fashion World Hung Hom

The day ended with blowing (or spitting on) my birthday cake, a slice of rich and yummy chocolate mousse cake from a bakery nearby. What did I wear and what else did I do that day? Check 'em out here.

Thanks for the dinner, the cake and the flowers, SC! Let me think of another crappy place to try next year. Haha!

Boxing Day BBQ

This year, we're not having our yearly BBQ of crap (which I love). Oh yeah! Normally, we would head off to the beach, where we could have all-you-can-eat (oh, this sounds soo me) BBQ, everything prepared, all you need to do is holding your BBQ tongs on top of the fire, stuffing yourself silly from noon til dawn....and trying not to get too drunk and accidentally BBQ your friend's toes or something. In such BBQ places, we'd eat mountains after mountains of processed food...hot dogs, various meat/fishballs and dodgy looking marinated meats (which I also love).

However, this year, we're preparing our BBQ from scratch at A & The V's terrace (a terrace which can fit 9 mad eaters, in the middle of the city, is really rare in Hong Kong, so we were thrilled!). Foodaholiv, Sir A and Ah A were kind enough to turn their culinary visions into reality and let us be the guinea pigs...and we happily obliged ^_^


Our seafood chef of the day, Foodaholiv, prepared these skewers of red and green peppers, pineapple chunks, and shrimps wrapped with bacon. Oh my!

...and juicy skewers of eels and fish meat! Fancy!

Our mountain of bread, honey, sauces, and spices...

The boys were working on the fire...how macho! We were secretly praying...please don't burn the flat down...

...and we also had fresh shell fish and juicy scallops. No wonder the normal supply of processed food such as hot dogs and balls weren't as popular as before. Hehe

Fireeeeeeeee oh flamin' fire! Well done, boys! Sweet potatoes (orange and purple) and butter rubbed corn with italian herbs are a-roasting too.

People were really hungry. It is noticable from the amount of hot dogs being barbecued. Hot dogs are our quick fix....they made waiting for the good stuff more bearable. Ah A prepared chicken wings with four different marinades: Chinese red fermented beancurd sauce (lam yu), Thai lemongrass and chilli, salt and pepper, and Italian rosemary and lemon. I am proud to announce that I've downed at least 8 pieces of wings...and all tasted brilliant!

Foodaholiv worked the succulent scallops by sprinkling them with garlic and soy sauce...pure genius! The cuttlefish pieces were also grilled to perfection. She did an amazing job running the grill (if it wasn't her, we would just ruin it and might end up having to eat instant noodles hehe).

What happens if we need to refill the charcoal...lift up the grill (with barehands??!!! Yes, Joe the Superman wasn't afraid of such a little heat. But boys and girls, unless you are a superman, please don't try this at home. Hehe) and hold your breath to prevent the boiling hot shellfish juices from drenching your toes, then carefully balance the grill back on fire. It's an art, really.

Sir A created this super creative Japanese sticky rice sticks wrapped with bacon....

....and topped with TORCHED mozzarella cheese...oh my! Imagine the sticky and chewy rice sticks...with crispy ends...and tasty bacon...and melted and scorched cheese...it's just so unreal!

After we were stuffed to our eyeballs, we had an intense session of gift exchange and polaroid photo taking. We modified the usual "Secret Santa" to our own game of "The Perfect Gift". We were supposed to give our santa hints...so that he/she could get something that we wanted. Most of us ended up telling our santa exactly what we want...or...to Sir A's extend...going with the santa (me) to the store and just buy the gift then and there.

Many thanks to Ms. A & The V who let us wreck and ransack their beautiful home.

Anyways, it was more than a great BBQ...it was fun-freakin-tastic! Now, tell me about yours ^_^

Herbalicious Grilled Chicken Wings - A Shameless Food Sampler

I think I didn't do enough gushing about my love for supermarkets. Here we go again (not againnn!!!)...
I love hanging out at huge supermarkets, especially on weekends...as normally, there are counters after counters of food sampling stations...attended by nice, friendly lookin' Hong Kong aunties, all NOT begging me to sample their goodies. In fact, they ignore me most of the time!!!

What is it about me that's so appalling to them? They would smile and hand over some cute little cups of pasta, Chinese soup, juice, or tiny sticks of sausages to some ladies....and even forced them to take a sample, even if they didn't want to...but I was treated as if I was transparent, despite the fact that I stood by their station and waited patiently for them to finish cooking the pieces of foie gras (oh yeah!) with an eager look plastered all over my face (practically panting like a dog by the dinner table). *Sigh* If I had a penny for every time I needed to ask for a sample....I would be able to afford that piece of foie gras by now. Ha!

Why? Why? Why? Don't I look domestic enough? Don't I look greedy enough? Don't I look like someone who can afford to buy whatever goodies they are selling? Can't they recognise a food lover when they see one? WHYYY???!!!! I think I know why. They are pros. They can sniff a shameless food sampler from miles away. They knew I would never buy that piece of foie gras, their eyes didn't even have to leave the frying pan!

Hmfh! They should think again. I did buy something sometimes after sampling some free food...such as...a bottle of dried Italian herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano mix) HK$11.90 (I can afford this one), and had a great time enjoying the goodies I produced using it...and I will keep buying it for the rest of my life (I am suchhh loyal customer). So, foie gras, wagyu beef, and shark fin sales ladies, take that!

Herbalicious Grilled Chicken Wings

Recipe
- 10 chicken wings (mid joint)
- dried Italian herb mix (sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary)
- salt, black pepper, sugar, olive oil

I defrosted the wings by cooking them in boiling water for a few minutes (this way the meat will be cooked all the way through). Drain and let cool. Poke the wings with fork all over, sprinkle the dried herbs generously, sprinkle salt, black pepper, sugar, and olive oil. Let them marinate for minimum 1 hour (if possible, overnight in the fridge). Preheat oven to 250C, grill until golden brown. Tasty tasty tasty. Don't forget to pour the oil and juices onto your rice....so herbalicious!

Holiday snap for the day...

I went out with some friends for lunch yesterday, and on our way back, we passed a starbucks. There's a girl offering samples of gingerbread latte in adorable, cute lil' cups, plus tiny pieces of carrot cake.

All my friends passed on the offer...but guess who made a detour just to get the samples? *grin*

*The picture was taken at work, in front of borrowed Christmas ornaments hehe, somewhere in Central, Hong Kong*

Ginger Cola Grilled Chicken Wings - Eat Your Drink

What's your favorite drink?
I wish mine is something like...
- Cosmopolitan. Oh, so Sex and the City!
- Vodka Lime. Oh, so cool!
- Red Wine, of a certain vintage. Oh, such a knowledgeable foodie!
- Strawberry Daiquiry. Oh, such a sweet girl!

Nonononono....my favorite drinks are the following:
1. The one and only Coca Cola (not diet, not zero, the classic ol' Coca Cola), with ice (without ice, it's just not right)
2. Es teh tawar (unsweetened Indonesian Iced Tea)
3. Lame 'ol instant coffee (1 tsp Nescafe + 2 tsp creamer + 1 cube of sugar + 1/3 cup super hot water)
4. If I must drink something alcoholic, which will get me scratching for 1 week or more...mojito

I've heard of people cooking chicken wings with coke all the time. Since it's my #1 favorite drink, I was curious to see if I'd still love it in my food. Since it's winter...I balanced the sweetness of the coke with the heat of ginger.

Ginger Cola Grilled Chicken Wings

Recipe
- 10 chicken wings - mid joint
- 5 cm ginger, peeled, crushed
- plain old coca cola, about 1/2 a small bottle
- salt, pepper, olive oil

Boil chicken wings in coke and ginger (just enough coke to cover wings) until most of the coke evaporated. Place chicken wings and the remaining of coke on a plate, let it marinate for a few hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 250C, rub marinated wings with a bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil, grill in an oven proof tray, including the liquid used to marinate (to keep the wings moist), flip once/twice, until they are as gorgeous as this. You can add a bit of coke in the middle of grilling.

Yummana, yummana, yummana! Good enough to eat!

Check out my other drink-inspired dish:
Spam & Shrimps Virgin Colada

Chicken Wings in Chinese Five Spice

I am thankful for....
...my teeny tiny flat which makes cleaning a breeze & gives the best excuse for gardening failures
...a sous chef & a bunch of guinea pigs (you know who you are) who eat everything, including my foodisasters
...my foodisasters. I've failed once, I'll fail again. HAHA!
...my frenemies, who constantly give me good reasons to despise them
...my mama, who doesn't really cook, thus, won't bug me with "No! You're doin' it wrong!" all the time
...my baby sista, with whom I can enjoy guilt-free protein+fat+carbs+carbs+more cabs meals, because the shopping afterward is bound to make ourselves feel even more guilty :p
...my food blogging friends who perfectly understand why I need to take 1001 pictures of the same dish in different poses, background and lightings

and I am also thankful for frozen chicken wings, which can be turned into tasty treats pretty easily.
Chicken Wings in Chinese Five Spice

Recipe
- 10 pcs chicken wings - mids
- 1 clove of garlic, 2 cloves of shallot, 1 piece of ginger ground until smooth with a bit of olive oil (you can finely chop them and then use pestle and mortar to smash 'em, or simply use the powdered version of everything)
- chinese five spice powder, salt (non iodized), white pepper, and sugar
- olive oil for pan frying/grilling

Boil frozen chicken wings with a bit of salt until the meat is just cooked (poke one of them with a fork to check the inside part), drain, pat dry. Rub wings with the garlic, shallot, ginger, & olive oil paste. Sprinkle salt, white, pepper, sugar and Chinese five spice powder, rub them in, let them marinate for at least an hour. It is best if left refrigerated overnight. Pan fry in a bit of hot oil just to brown the skin, or grill in the oven at 250C until you get enough brownage going.


Want more wings?
- Peanut Butter Chicken Wings


- Mama's Classic: Hong Kong Style Curry Chicken Wings


- Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings


Mmmm...I am also thankful for this fall/winter's puffy silhouette which accomodates my blessings (i.e. ever expanding waistline)

Peanut Butter Chicken Wings

The name says it all...how could this be not yummy? I think almost impossible hehe. This is a part of my continuous effort to keep my sous chef hooked on chickens *wink*. Luckily, I didn't have to put too much effort, as this peanut butter chicken wings are sooo easy peasy to make.

Ingredients
- 10 chicken wings (I could eat all 10, but I have a budget to stay within)
- peanut butter (a few tablespoonfuls)
- salt, pepper, sugar
- garlic, shallot, ginger (you can skip this altogether if you want)

I love boiling my chicken wings until they are pretty much thoroughly cooked before grilling to brown/crisp the skin, mainly because the sight of bloody undercooked chicken meat will make my sous chef swear off chickens forever and that is not good for me *grin* but you can skip this step if you wish.

Boil chicken wings with garlic, shallot, ginger, salt, pepper until thoroughly cooked, drain. Sprinkle salt and sugar, rub peanut butter all over the wings, grill until golden brown...and indulge. :)

**Mama's Classic: Hong Kong Style Curry Chicken Wings

Today's Guest Chef!
Executive Consulting Chef: Ms. O' Chow (aka sous chef's mom)
Experience: more than 30 yrs of experience in home cooking
Expertise: Chinese food, from quick, fast & easy to difficult, complicated, ma q fan (super troublesome) dishes
Other expertise: creative DIY household solutions, tai chi, gardening, retail stock market investments
Interests: an avid animal lover

So I had a take away of home cooked Chinese Curry Chicken Wings with me. I tend to go overboard with curry, as in, I wanted to add everything into the curry pot...due to none other than greed *grin*

The original curry consists of chicken wings and potatoes, then I added broccoli and tomatoes, actually I wanted to add tofu puffs, sausages, beans, etc etc etc...luckily sous chef stopped me from going overboard. We ended up with a lively colorful dish.

Ingredients
- garlic, ginger, crushed
- onion & green pepper, sliced into big chunks
- potatoes, chop into big chunks
- chicken wings (depends on how many you can eat, I should eat minimum to 5 at a time HAHA)
- broccoli, tomatoes, sliced into small chunks
- curry powder/paste
- coconut milk
- cooking oil, salt, pepper, sugar

Marinate chicken wings in some salt and pepper, pan fry to brown the skin, set aside. Saute garlic, ginger, onion and pepper, add chicken wings, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, add curry paste/powder, add coconut milk, salt, pepper, sugar...serve with steamed rice or bread

Every region cooks their curry differently, my personal favorite is Indonesian (totally biased) and Thai.

In Hong Kong, Fairwood or Cafe de Coral fast food chain makes super delicious Chinese Curry Beef Brisket, you can try and do your own at home, or contact your "executive consulting chef" aka mama.

*Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings

Hongkongers are such chicken wing fanatics, I am surprised there has been no song written about it (or is there? do let me know)




















They make great snacks, appetizers, main courses, desserts, drinks??... (ok, I got carried away) But seriously, if I had HK$1 for every chicken wing found in my workmates' lunch boxes...I'd be able to invest in the stock market by now

This recipe's from a friend's mom, it is so easy...it probably shouldn't be called a "recipe"...and you'll have to be a true retard to fail this.

You need:
- 10 pics of mid chicken wings
- teeny tiny little piece of ginger (crush it)
- honey (those cheap ones you can squirt out of the bottle, or the one for charcoal bbq with a cute lil brush)
- water for boiling
- olive oil (or whatever oil you normally use)
- salt & pepper

Serves 2 normal people, 1 greedy one, or not enough for the super greedy.
I personally can eat almost unlimited amount of chicken wings, it scares me.

Boil chicken wings, with salt & a little ginger (I like adding garlic, shallot, & corriander, so I'll get a nice tasting stock ->1 slap 2 bitches), until it is almost cooked (stick a chopstick/fork to check)

Drain wings, marinate in lotsa honey and some oil for minimum 30 minutes, preheat oven

Dump wings into oven, turn and glaze with honey from time to time, until they look good enough for you. I personally like to see some burns.

Let me think of a chicken wing dessert recipe now...