Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival

Looks like the SAR is jumping on the 'restaurant week' bandwagon. It's not till later this year (30 Oct - 8 Nov) according to their website, will be interesting to see how well received it is.

Funny though that the Tourism Board is championing it - shouldn't restaurant week be local participant-heavy? At least heavier than say, jade appreciation classes... It's under the umbrella of Hong Kong Food and Wine Year - wonder what that means? (The website is pretty fun - there's a section with HK food celebs, in case there are any groupies out there...)


From the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival website:

From 30 October until 8 November, Hong Kong will host a series of wine and dine activities. There will be a
Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival from 30 October until 1 November at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade featuring enormous wine pavilions, stalls serving delicious food and live music that will keep visitors entertained. Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo will also be holding individual Wine and Dine Carnivals during this festive period.

Visitors can also attend wine appreciation classes conducted by local professionals, as well as wine tours and walks, while at the same time explore Hong Kong's fascinating living culture.

During the event period, there will be many wine promotions and special offers. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council will be hosting the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair 2009 from 4-6 November, providing wine lovers in the region with an opportunity to sample the world of wine and spirits.

Restaurants taking legal action against bloggers?!

After I posted an email I got from a friend re Dxkota Primx (name altered), I got the following message left in my comments (on my Xanga blog). A defamatory statement, maybe. Did I make it? No, and I say so clearly that it was from a 3rd party source. The statements don't belong to me (they call it "your wrongful and defamatory statements and misrepresentations" [emphasis added]), I merely quoted - don't newspapers do that?! Will have to consult persons better read in legal matters. And by the way, the thing says it's "By Email" - huh?

Stop press! The Drawing Room at JIA Hong Kong

My folks had the pleasure of dining at Aspasia over the weekend, when Chef Roland (Schuller) came out to tell them that he's opening the new resto at JIA Hong Kong, named The Drawing Room, which takes over the old Opia (once managed by Aussie superstar (chef) Teage Ezard, of Ezard in Melbourne).

He said he'll be working there from today onwards, (Siu Yeh tips us off with detailed info on the team, and an April 13 opening date - their website says so too) and will be shuttling back and forth between Aspasia and TDR, initially spending more time at the latter. Aspasia will lbe taken care of by the/an ex-Toscana chef, so I guess it'll be in good hands! *oops - see edit below

*edit 4.15pm April 6: sorry I should have read Siu Yeh's post more carefully than just blurt what my parents thought they heard - the ex-Toscana chef, Umberto Bombana, in fact co-owns The Drawing Room, so the question is - who will be Aspasia when Roland is running around?

Anxious to try The Drawing Room soon. Now the sad people refusing to cross over to the "dark side" will have a chance to experience some Schuller love (which, as I've mentioned before, is probably the most underrated in the SAR).

The Drawing Room
JIA Hong Kong
1-5 Irving St
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
+852 2915 6628
Taking reservations Apr 6 onwards, opening Apr 13

Not-new and noted

I think it's kinda nice that the restaurant everyone's buzzing about isn't spanking new. True, it's a reopening and they've gotten themselves some new hot chefs, and it's the Balthazar people, but it just seems like there hasn't been one of these 'revivals' for some time, and despite the usual A-list/so-hot-right-now bullcrap, it's a nice break from 100% new restaurants, or ex-barber shops, liquor stores etc. trend. Or maybe I'm just giving in to all the PR...

Minetta Tavern
via Food & Wine
via NYMag

Vin d'Hong Kong - The SAR has a winery?!

Yep, you read it right. Hong Kong has a winery. I could hardly believe my eyes when I read about 8th Estate.

Basically what they do is buy grapes from all over the world (as Hong Kong does with everything else, from wagyu to tomatoes) and make the wine here, or in Ap Lei Chau to be precise.

All that's kinda cool, except one thing - "Custom Wines" - and I quote from their website:

"our clients will have the privilege of closely working with our wine master to produce a truly unique and personal wine. This private blend can be customized even further with a personal designer label."

Sigh. That sounds so dumb, and again, so Hong Kong. I bet all the narcissistic trust fund babies were jumping with joy when they heard this one. Here, darling, have a glass of this. Isn't it just great? It's a Chianti, I made it with my own hands. Oh yes, I know, I had to get, like, five laser microdermabrasion paraffin whitening treatments to get all that grape skin colouring off my hands...

Sorry, forgot that we should be celebrating - Hong Kong has it's own winery, yay! Skepticism aside, I would actually be interested in trying some - check their website for tasting dates.

The Dxkota Primx scandal

[edited several times 17 April 2009 as I was doing a crash course on defamation in HK law...]

As you can see from the first comment of this post, I am apparently legally liable for Dxkota Primx's loss of business. Honestly I don't think a blog with less than 400 viewers on a good month will do any good/bad if you were a good restaurant, but to avoid further complications I have deleted the email from changed some parts of the email from ex-chef Adxm Levxn for now. It is with much regret that I do this, but unfortunately I don't have enough dough to hire me some lawyers.

If you're scared of bloggers, it probably means you're not doing your job well enough.

Nuff said.

******


The following email from Adxm Levxn, ex-Exec Chef at Dxkota Primx was forwarded to me recently.

Dodgy stuff going on in the restaurant business? Well, that wouldn't be new. But isn't it scary to think that what you're eating isn't what you think you're eating? Food for thought indeed.

[email deleted, sorry, being a coward I know]

Breaking news! Fourth Floor brings it down a notch

Just in from Eat Drink Hong Kong:

"5 March Fourth Floor's new Spring dinner menu at $380pp has 4 courses with a choice of each course."

Dinner for hkd$380 at the omg-I'm-so-hi-so Fourth Floor? Whoa, sign of the times, darling.