Standing Chicken, and More Cantonese Calories at I Delicious

Standing Chicken, or Gentleman's Chicken (or really, crispy skinned Chicken)

When I was shown a picture that was very similar to the one above, I said two things. 1) Where is it? and 2) When are we going? The first question was actually unnecessary because I honestly don't care if I had to be taken there blindfolded, that chicken was too cute* to miss.

Ta Pantry - A Private Kitchen That's Worth It

Petite fours on tableware in Esther Sham's signature pink

After whining continuously about the private kitchen scene in Hong Kong (and how really, people shouldn't get so excited about them - they shouldn't be differentiated from regular restaurants), I figured I should be a good sport and write about a private kitchen that is worth your trouble (and cash).

Ta Pantry was opened by Esther Sham, who, when she first started the private kitchen, was a very good amateur chef. Her old location in Wanchai could only sit one party a night, and it was often full, which also meant she had plenty of chances to perfect her cooking. She also staged at Amber, and took a few months off to stage in France last year. Upon the opening of her new and much larger space in North Point, shared with wine cellar Hip Cellar, we went to check her out again.

Guest blogging for Hong Kong Tatler Dining

With the ridiculously small amount of time I seem to spend on this blog, you might be kind enough to wonder where I've gone. Aside from Island East Markets, I've been doing lots of writing, and have picked up a guest blogging gig with Hong Kong Tatler Dining, which nowadays, is becoming one of the best sources of Hong Kong food news & reviews, mostly thanks to the new leadership of foodie and food journalist extraordinare (and friend) Charmaine Mok.

Generally speaking, I file one blog a month (or a month and half...) and so far here's what's been published, with a new one on food movement movies coming very soon.

You'll find all of my posts here, but don't forget to check out the fine company I'm in, including the brilliant Shane Osborn, head chef at St Betty, Classified's new cheese expert Celine Watine (who replaced my heroine Wendy Wu), and one of the hippest restaurateurs in town behind Blue Butcher and so on, Malcolm Wood.

I leave you with an excerpt of one of my posts, What Went Wrong with Hong Kong's Food System?

Some of us like food more than others, but no one can deny that it’s a necessity. So, it’s bizarre how little time is spent understanding how food arrives on our tables. In an attempt to paint an overall picture, I’m going to present a series of figures about how much food we import, grow and waste in Hong Kong. Brace yourselves, because this picture ain’t pretty.

Around 90 per cent of the food we consume in Hong Kong is imported. When it comes to fresh food, the figures are even higher at around 95-99 per cent, with most of it coming from mainland China.

Due to climate change, China’s food production is projected to reduce by 5-10 per cent within the next two decades. In a country that is home to 20 per cent of the world’s population, this is a huge issue. When that time comes, the chances of sufficient stores of food coming to Hong Kong can only be described as slim.

Continued on Hong Kong Tatler Dining >