Hong Kong Sampler (Part 1)

Hong Kong is just less than two hours away from Manila by plane and is very much a global and cosmopolitan city. It is not only a commercial hub, but it is also a centre for culture and the arts. And obviously one aspect of culture is gastronomy. A lot of people would agree that the best Chinese cuisine comes from Hong Kong. Hong Kong cuisine is just the same as Cantonese cuisine, which is Chinese haute cuisine, as it were. It is, in fact, the most popular of the Chinese cuisines that it often becomes equated with the notion of Chinese food, when there still is a plethora of regional cuisines that can be had in the vastness of the Middle Kingdom. 


The fennelbulbs' experience of Hong Kong is honestly, quite limited, being tourists as they were. But they would certainly love to share and recommend some great eats to experience fine local fare that would be quite a waste to miss. 


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First in the list is Tai Hing Restaurant which has several branches in Hong Kong. The fennelbulbs' tried the branch in Causeway Bay along Jaffe Road. Tai Hing is known for their roasts - be it roast duck, roasted suckling pig, and mouth-watering sausages. Tai Hing is also known for their baked rice toppings - another Cantonese speciality which incorporates baking, a predominantly Western influence. Tai Hing basically is a very affordable eatery serving honest-to-goodness delicious local food. 

The roast goose and duck is served over a bowl of Jasmine rice with generous servings of bok choy and kai lan vegetables on the side. The roasts are crunchy on the skin and the meat is tender and the blend of the meat's juices and the oil is very satiating to the palate. It is comfort food at its finest. 

The baked rice toppings are also a delectable treat. On the picture is a hefty plate of baked wasabi pork chop. The wasabi is incorporated into the cream sauce which is poured over the pork and the rice and then baked. The texture is gratinated and very filling. The dish is made more delicious with the addition of mushrooms. 

The price at Tai Hing is by all means affordable. Roast toppings fall under the HK$35 - HK$45 range, while the baked rice toppings fall under the HK$40 - HK$50 range. Also a variety of Western style breakfasts can be had till 10 or 11 in the morning and various equally tempting snacks such as the one below: 

Baked potatoes with a topping of pork floss and mayonnaise and a garnish of raisin which provides a breather from the richness of the two previous ingredients mentioned. 

All in all, Tai Hing probably is the kind of restaurant you may want to go to after a tiring day of shopping and sightseeing in one of Asia's premier cities. 

(...to be continued)

Pot and Noodles

It's time to visit one of the fennel bulbs' favorite places for quick and cheap eats that are nonetheless delicious. One of them is the Pot and Noodles restaurant in the fourth floor of SM Megamall's Building A. This restaurant is totally candid and almost frill-free, if not resembling a shabby hospital canteen. But the flavors of its food and the culinary traditions it has upheld since when it opened (which almost is ten years from our food lovers' memories) is definitely beyond skin-deep.

A glass mirror on the restaurant's facade reveals a busy subsection of the kitchen - the subsection for dough and noodle-making. It definitely takes a fair amount of talent and lots of skill to pull noodles just as easy as it is to blow bubbles. Hand-pulled noodles are also better in terms of texture and taste as opposed to dried noodles that are boiled and cooked. There's a certain richness to freshly made noodles that is quite difficult to find in dried noodles. 

The Chinese call these noodles La-Mian (拉麵）which literally translates to pulled noodles. One can more or less read the history of the noodles on the information below the glass (in the picture above). La-Mian is a pervasive Chinese cultural and culinary export that is present in many Asian cuisines. And a bit of linguistics reveals that the equally famous Japanese ramen (ラーメん）is actually a direct phonetic transcription of the Mandarin Chinese La-Mian. 

The fennelbulbs' favourite La-Mian dish at Pot and Noodles has got to be the Szechuan cold noodles (Php160) as they find this dish utterly comforting. 

This dish is not as cold as its name seems to suggest. The fact that it's served not warm also seems to suggest that it is more or less an appetite-whetter, but the servings and the heaviness of the noodles already make it a meal in itself. The noodles are dressed in spicy peanut oil and pickled vegetables are added on top with a drizzle of sesame and crushed peanuts. Several slices of julienned cucumbers are added and texturally enhance the dish. The pickled vegetables justify the temperature of the dish as well. Overall the taste is redolent with garlic and the heat of the oil puts in a fairly strong, but not overwhelming, jerk to the palate. 

Another classic definitely has to be the oyster cake (Php250), which is a dish peculiar to Fujian province and Taiwan. The local Chinese call the dish uwaa-tsan (牡蠣煎蛋) and resembles an omelette stuffed with oysters, coriander, chives, and bean sprouts. 

The taste is hearty, rich, and downright filling. The dish is rather on the greasy side and this can't be avoided as it is fried. It's crunchy on the outside and the hot oysters and greens inside add a completely different dimension. It is always served with a sweet red sauce very much resembling catsup. Its size (which fills a whole plate) is good enough to satiate 2 people. 

Last but not the least is black tofu sauteed with kuchay (chives) greens. (Php175). Black tofu is made from dark soy beans which makes its skin grey and its flesh a bit darker than the regular tofu. The texture is harder and its taste nuttier than the white variety. 

The dish seems to have been sauteed in soy sauce. The strips of tofu actually taste much like mushrooms and are texturally similar to it. The chives and the soy sauce work hand-in-hand to produce a very delicious and well-balanced dish. With a cup of rice, it is more than enough to constitute a healthy vegetarian meal. 

With its affordable prices and down-to-earth menu of good and comforting Chinese food, Pot and Noodles Restaurant is indeed a place the fennel bulbs will come back to every so often. 

Dragonfly Desserts

The fennel bulb's quest for scrumptious sweets did not bring them very far from home. Just a 5-minute drive away is the home of Dragonfly Desserts, and their friend, pastry chef Cheryl Lim (or Che) is its proprietress. Dragonfly Desserts has been relatively new in its field, but the brevity of its history does not necessarily equate to the taste and vision of its products. Honestly, our sweet searchers were quite amazed with their pastries. 

The Christmas season has just come to a close and the fennel bulbs ordered a lot of pastries from Dragonfly Desserts as gifts for friends and loved ones, and most consistently, everyone enjoyed what had been handed to them as gifts. There are three products that have been tasted and enjoyed and shall be tackled in this entry, with pictures taken from the Dragonfly Desserts Facebook page. 

The Tomato Kesong Puti Tart (Php580) is a delectable treat. Kesong Puti (white cheese) is a local cheese made from unskimmed water buffalo milk. It is light in texture and moderately salty to the palate. A distinct flavor is contributed by the water buffalo milk and reminds one of goat's cheese. Altogether the tart is very soft on the palate, with minimalist flavors accentuated by hints of basil. It truly is a refreshing treat, and a most ideal gift for those whom we know are avoiding sweets (due to a host of health concerns such as Diabetes). One tart is big enough to create eight slices. 

The Almond Cappucino Bars (Php365 for a 9" x 9" box, Php195 for a half box) are quite addictive. These

bars are texturally similar to Brownies and Revel Bars but the combination of almonds and cappuccino 

elevate this dessert a notch higher. The sweetness of the almonds complements the flavour of cappuccino

which seems to have been incorporated right into the mixture before it was baked in the oven. The texture is delightful as it is perfectly moist in the inside while the exterior is integrally robust. 

And lastly, a truly wicked finale to this entry's trio offering is the Wicked Bites (Php265 for a box of 18). The fennel bulbs really have to commend Che for this imaginative and absolutely delightful dessert. These bites resemble small chocolate cupcakes. The texture is perfectly moist and this quality seems to be largely contributed by the generous addition of the chocolate, as the texture veers towards that of a souffle. Whilst in the process of munching the bites, the sweetness of the chocolate gives way to the flavour of chili, creating a sensual, and not overwhelming, hint of heat. A truly remarkable creation that engages the faculty of taste. 

Well done, Dragonfly Desserts!