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I love Hong Kong's version of club sandwiches. They are generally a few pieces of toasted white bread with fried luncheon meat or ham, omelette, a slice of tomatoes, a slice of processed cheese, and maybe piece of lettuce. Not the healthiest sandwich of all...maybe that's why I love it.
The one I found in Sham Shui Po's Wah Nam Cafe is different.
In between those slices of perfectly toasted white bread, I found not only luncheon meat (spam) or ham, but all these goodnesses:
- Fried luncheon meat (spam)
- Ham (uh huh!)
- Corned beef (oh yeah!)
- Tomatoes (ok...keep going)
and
- BBQ Pork stuffed omelette!!!
Wow! This is the ultimate Hong Kong Club Sandwich, the best I've had so far! The flavors of all the sinful ingredients blend very beautifully...and at HK$16...it is one of the best deals ever! (Normally HK style club sandwiches cost about HK$30/more in other local cafes).
The next dish will remind us that sometimes simplicity is indeed the key.
Fried Eggs and Luncheon Meat (Spam) with Rice.
It's just a pile of steamy white rice, served with fried eggs and fried spam, drizzled with slightly sweetened dark soy. It's so simple, yet so bloody good. Imagine poking into that runny yolk, and tasting everything with a tinge of smokiness from the dark soy....hellooooo, heaven!
The two dishes with cups of hot tea....just for HK$34 (USD4.3)! This is why I love Sham Shui Po!
Upon discovery of the following scene, sous chef shouted "Oh Shit!"
It's totally understandable...as there's no way in heck I would miss buying these babies! Not the lack of space, not the limited budget, and none of those "you already have lots of bowl" shit. Come on, they 're just HK$5 a pop! (I think I did a good job restricting myself to just buying one of them hehe)
Look at those different shapes of claypots...they are perfect for rice/soupy dishes. We likey!
I can't believe I've missed those ceramic spoons with the pink flowers....dang! I just noticed them looking through my pictures. No worries, spoonies, I'll be back!
...and here's the most gorgeous and not affordable of all...
Oh, gorgeousness! I sing songs of praises unto thee thy thou graciousness (clearly, my English isn't good enough for this).
The vendor said HK$300 (US$38)...damn! I hated that! I don't know how to handle haggling when the price is opened too high....so I just left, but not after stealing a shot of it while the vendor was busy plucking white hair off her head. Score!
I also witnessed a funny Hong Kong DOM (Dirty Old Man) scene in that market, read about it here.
When I say "I perform well under extreme pressure", what I really meant was "I am a huge procrastinator".
Seriously.
Most of the time, I can't do anything unless it is at the very last minute.
Just like this week. I've promised to join various food blog events, the due dates are dangerously near, I haven't started thinking of what to cook for some events, and for the ones I've cooked, I can't even start to sort through my gadzillion failed pictures to find some decent shots to post, let alone think of anything clever to write.
I guess the desperately needed inspiration may come later when the hosts have already shunned me forever from the blogosphere due to broken promises and missed deadlines. Hehehehe, a minute late, a dollar short.
To celebrate my ongoing procrastination, I am sharing this fabulous little corner I found in Puri Indah Mall, Jakarta. The Cemal Cemil (Indonesian for Snack) corner tries to recreate and sell old and classic Indonesian snacks and accessories, such as permen cicak, permen rokok, the yellow and pale green metal mugs, and the classic green and white patterned mugs, and many more!
Being a lover of everything old, you can imagine how I was lusting over every single bit of stuff sold at that corner. It was so frustrating to know that I have absolutely NO space to keep any of them in my tiny Hong Kong flat.
Should I buy? My brain was saying NO, NO, NO! But my heart was saying YES, YES, YES!
My brain won. Dammit!
Go ahead, buy away, make me jealous.
Visit Cemal Cemil
at Jl. Kemang Selatan I/20, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
"Love is where the yummility is"
....or whatever.
Could it be the air of festivity? the romantic atmosphere? There must be something that makes me so philosophical (again?)...mumbling phrases of (seriously twisted) love, while tip toeing around the kitchen preparing dinner.
So, what sort of food I find suitable for a night of (cheesy and corny) romance?
Something that screams decadent, succulent and scrumptious.
Salad with Duck Liver Mousse or Brie on Pumpernickle Toast
- Pumpernickle bread
- Duck liver mousse
- Brie
- Bean sprouts
- Olive oil, salt, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest
Place sprouts in a bowl, drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grate a bit of lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, squeeze some lemon juice, mix well. Drizzle bread with olive oil and toast. Spread duck liver mousse or brie on top, add some sprouts, drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar....and bite.
What to do with such succulence?
They were marinated in lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, salt and sugar, and sauteed until just pink, then set aside...to rejoin others to complete the pasta dish...
Shrimps and Bacon Squid Ink Tagliatelle in Creamy Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- cream
- squid ink tagliatelle (or replace with any pasta)
- bacon
- shrimps (deshelled, deveined, marinated, sauteed)
- olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice
Cook pasta as directed in the packet. Saute garlic with olive oil and butter, add cream, season. Once pasta is almost done, drain, quickly toss into the pan with creamy sauce, add shrimps, cook until the shrimps are just done, transfer to plate, add crispy bacon, squeeze some lemon juice...
...for maximum cheesiness, serve pasta in just one plate, provide two forks, feed each other, sip something sparkly in a pretty color, and lick....the plate clean.
The Most Perfect Steak I've Ever Done
Heyyy, good loookin'! Come to papa...
- 2 pieces of rib eye steak with nice marbling
- Olive oil, butter, dry herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage), salt, black pepper
- bean sprouts
- red wine, steak sauce (it comes with the beef, but you can choose to make your own sauce)
Preheat oven to 180C (350F), and on a stove top, heat a frying pan until really really really hot (I saw smoke!) without oil. Drizzle steak with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and dried herbs. Place steaks on the very very hot pan, try not to flip/move it around, let them sear until nicely charred (it was about 1.5 minutes per side, also depends on how thick your steak is and how done you want it to be, I love mine medium to medium well), transfer to oven and let them cook for 5 more minutes, remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
On the pan where you sear the steak, pour steak sauce (optional), add red wine and bring to boil.
Serve steak on top of a bed of salad, drizzle with sauce. Oh, and a nice glass of nice red wine won't hurt ;)
The steak should be nicely seared on the outside, perfectly blushing inside, juice, tender and luscious, with rich and smokey marmaladey sauce. Mmm...mmm...Mmmm!!!
...and when you thought you could not take any more decadence....
Choco Hoto Pots
(adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe)
(serves 4)
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (originally 3/4 cup, which I found too sweet)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Butter four 2/3-cup ramekins and set aside.Using a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate chunks and butter. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar and flour. Add cooled chocolate mixture, and mix until blended. Fold in dark chocolate chunks. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on baking sheet. Bake until tops are shiny and cracked and chocolate beneath is hot and gooey, about 15 minutes. Place each ramekin on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve.
Again, the dessert was served with something sweet, sparkly and pretty...
...blushing pink sparkling sake.
Oh what a wonderful night...everything looked beautiful...*hiccup* or maybe it was just the sake?
What did I wear? What did I get? What did I do? What did other Hong Kongers do? Check 'em out at Living La Vida Rita.
I'm not gonna bitch about lunches at Hong Kong CBD anymore (Wah! A new and improved, angelic Rita? Not really. I guess you are tired reading about it. All my previous rants can be viewed here and here). So, instead, today I am gonna share something delicious, something happy.
Hong Kong park is within walking distance from my office. I love the place, especially these days, when the weather is pleasant, and flowers are just everywhere! It's full of comfy nooks here and there (I gushed about one of them here), and my occasional lunch pal, Loz, introduced me to this particular one.
It's a quiet corner on the way to the park's aviary, up on the hill. Walking up to this nook surely whets my appetite, plus, the place is totally worth all the climbing, even in high heels.
It has a couple of comfy benches, shaded by a group of trees, it's secluded (I should always get my camera ready, I might be able to catch some lovers in action *wink*...talk about an invasion of privacy), and it has one heck of a view....
....a waterfall in all its glory!
Now, the food.
Hong Kong boasts some of the most delicious Char Siew (BBQ Pork) I've ever tasted. I used to love the one from Hey Hey (Cantonese for Double Happiness, a corner cafe near Southorn Sportsground, Wanchai), but that's before I tasted...
Simple Life's Char Siew Rice
Each and every bit of the barbecued pork is deliciously tender, super juicy, richly flavored, the bits of charred fat give just the right amount of smokiness and satiny sheen. They are just perfect.
It is served with a side of sauteed assorted mushrooms and carrot, which are subtly flavored to compliment the pork. The sauce, oh the sauce. The sauce they use is not your average sweet soy. It has a bit of nuttiness which added some extra dimension to the whole orchestra. Simply perfect.
What's more amazing is...the consistency. There has never been a day where I could find one single piece of pork which is chewy, dry, flavorless or anything less than perfect. Deliciousness every single time.
*Remember to ask for a mix of fat & lean BBQ Pork = best bits!*
The high mountain Chinese tea that comes with the meal gives the rich meal the much needed balance.
(take away order from Simply Life at Citibank Plaza, HK$38 for one barbecued meat with rice and a cup of hot tea)
After such a satisfying lunch, some calorie burning activities are seriously needed. First, climbing down the stairs...(well done!)...and...this is why I love my camera. It gives you something productive to do, instantly, at no extra cost (just perfect for the currect economic crisis).
Say hello to my new buddy here, who just came up close and personal to enjoy the warmth of the sun. For some reasons, he doesn't look too happy being shot...he must've sniffed the cheapness of my lens amongst all the super long, grey and heavy primes. What a lens snob!
I am crap at photographing beautiful flowers...but let me share some to let you know how gorgeous the park is in the spring.
Hope after this post I will still have that nook. Hmmm, I might have to mark my territory by drizzling my tea all over it.
Inspirations come and go, but food is forever. Life without inspiration is like cappucino with no coffee, or lemon tea with no lemon, or chocolates without cocoa? W....whatt??? I guess composing profound philosophical quotes is just so not my thing.
What I was trying to say is...sometimes inspirations come from funny sources. Or at least, mine does.
There was an argument in the office...
At work, what would make us feel tinier than small potatoes?
- Job title? "Mochachocolatarita - Dung Sweeper" (Hey! That actually sounds kinda cool!)
- Salary? When it is simply not enough (...to cover essential expenses, don't even think about that piece of foie gras)
- Importance? (we need everybody's opinion on this project. Oh, except you. Remove all the staples from this mountain of documents, make 100000 copies and staple them back, please)
- Workstation? (a spacious corner office with a window, or that square meter spot between the copier and the shredder?)
- The way the tea lady treats you? (instead of calling you "Sir/Mam", washing your cup and serving you tea, she calls you "junior" and asks you to do the cups for her)
- How the upper management remembers your name? (oh yeah, they don't)
Oh my! Sucks, doesn't it? What a depressing discussion!
But the good news is...it got me thinking of a single, leftover small potato left in my spice bin at home. It's too small for a dish, but it's just perfect for baking some breakfast muffins.
Potato Choco Chips Muffins
Recipe
(yields 6 muffins)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (you can add more if you like it sweeter)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small potato, peeled, diced into about 1x1x1 cm pieces, microwave on high for 5 minutes, mashed, let cool
- 2 eggs (you can reduce to just 1 egg to make it taste less eggy)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk (or 2/3 cup yoghurt)
- 1 tsp coconut essence (or vanilla essence)
- semisweet chocolate chips (I like lots of it, i.e. at least 10 chips in each muffin HAHA! You can reduce to just around 5-6 chips each)
Preheat oven to 180C (350F), in a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs, add milk, oil, coconut essence and mix. Pour egg mixture to flour mixture, mix until just combined. Add mashed potato, mix well. You can add the chocolate chips now, but I like adding mine into individual cups after pouring the batter so that each muffin gets equal amount of chips. Pour 2 tbsp batter into each muffin mold lined with paper cup, add choco chips, pour the remaining batter and bake for 15-20 minutes of until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
The muffins taste absolutely divine. Potatoey, slightly eggy, creamy and chocolatey.
This post is dedicated to small potatoes everywhere. Cheers!
Huge goodnesses can come from a small potato.
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