Upper Modern Bistro - Almost There

Upper Modern Bistro - beauty without the pretence

Let's start with the obvious: the pedigree of the restaurant. The chef is Philippe Orrico, most recently of St George at Hullet House, but his CV notably includes a big chunk working for Pierre Gagnaire. He was initially brought to Hong Kong to open Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental. Another notable addition to the team is Jeremy Evrard, formerly manager of then-three-Michelin-starred Caprice at Four Seasons Hong Kong, and known particularly for his expertise in cheese.

The restaurant world (well in fact, the world itself) seems much more predictable when you see it in terms of evolution à la Darwin. El Bulli spawned a bunch of modernist, Spanish-inflected avant-garde-ists, Noma has led to a clutch of clean-lined, new Nordic, locavore philosophers in kitchens around the world.

Looking at Hong Kong - in the 1990s and early 2000s, we had hotels and groups importing good chefs from around the world - Bombana at the old Ritz, L'Atelier de JR (owned by Lisboa), and the various chefs coming through Gaddi's and Petrus, and to this day, I'd say hotels are still the ones with enough muscle and hiring expertise to bring the right people into Hong Kong.

Table for Two - Vegetarian Food Crawl in Central, Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun

Black bean veggie burger at Light Radiant Food

In the developed world, we hear about health problems that stem from overabundant diets - from obesity to gout, yet in the developing world, the health problems come from malnutrition, the direct opposite. Policymakers and activists around the world are trying to remedy this, and one social enterprise hitting both these birds with one stone is Table for Two.

Founded in 2008 in Japan, Table for Two has been helping feed children in poverty-stricken parts of Africa and China through donations made from restaurants in more developed nations. The consumption of healthy meals in restaurants, offered through partnerships between Table For Two and restaurants, raises money for the children's meals.

Healthy Summer Dining Experience map via Table for Two

Table for Two was brought to Hong Kong late last year, and the team here have devised a great "Healthy Summer Dining Experience" in August (starting August 1st). Buy the designated "Table For Two" meal (or drink) at their partner outlets, a portion of proceeds will go to charity, and by snapping a picture of your meal, there are prizes to be won too.


I was lucky enough to have been brought along on a little food crawl with the lovely ladies of Table For Two to get a sneak peek on some of the fab food and drink on offer. It was lovely to see so many great names on the list of participating restaurants (and bar). We didn't cover all of them on the crawl, so do check out the map (above) for the full list.

Coffee in Hong Kong - Knockbox hand-drip class

Last weekend, I went to Knockbox Coffee Company, one of the newer third-wave coffee shops in Hong Kong for their hand-drip (aka pour-over) workshop. You may remember that I went to another newish coffee shop, Rabbithole, to attend their coffee class not too long ago too. The Rabbithole class I attended was more of an overview of methods (they do a hand-drip class too), and I started to get curious about the different philosophies and theories baristas had about making coffee. (Plus, there was a lot of feedback and debate, on that blog post and off, about the different methods and the rationale behind them).

Slow Down - Teakha, Hong Kong

Masala tea and roselle scone

Since I last counted, no less than three major international publications have written about Sheung Wan's Tai Ping Shan Street as the city's coolest enclave. And it is, dotted with art galleries, studios, cafes and independent boutiques among air-conditioning repair shops and tiny temples. It just makes me wish I bought an apartment here four years ago when I started wandering the area at lunchtime. (Mom, are you reading this? Remember you said no?!)

Shugetsu, more ramen in Hong Kong

Tsukemen

I wrote a review for Time Out Hong Kong on another new-ish ramen place in town, Shugetsu. They make their noodles on site, and are known for their "dry" ramens (as opposed to soup). I tried the abura ramen and tsukemen. I won't repeat my thoughts about them here - simply go to the Time Out piece.

Yardbird - Hong Kong's hottest yakitori joint is smokin'

Chicken meatballs

I hate hype for the sake of hype. The bad thing about that is, once I smell hype, I think, "uh-oh, this could be horrible". I don't know why my immediate thought isn't, "oh wow, so many people are raving about it, maybe it really is awesome". I think it's a terminal illness they call cynicism.

Celebrity Cuisine - Quintessential Cantonese Luxe

Chicken wings stuffed with birds' nest

We've all heard stories of misguided visitors looking for chop sui in Hong Kong (hey you, the guy looking for Peking duck in Hong Kong, don't you dare chuckle either), but sometimes even locals don't know where to find good, classic Cantonese food. Restaurants like Celebrity Cuisine and Manor are the last bastions of traditional Cantonese fare in Hong Kong. This is one restaurant that the Hong Kong Michelin Guide was finally right about - Celebrity Cuisine is a star-worthy restaurant (although whether it should have 2 stars is arguable). For a restaurant that specialises in the traditional, it's relatively new - didn't open till 2007 - but the chef, Cheng Kam-fu, has been in the biz for more than two decades; he was the private chef of late Hong Kong tycoon, Lim Por-yen.

Eat to Give - La Parole, a Social Enterprise

Canapes

I had the good fortune of being invited to a Christmas dinner at a restaurant that was right under my nose all along, but never tried - La Parole in The Pemberton in Sheung Wan. I met friends, old and new, which is always fantastic, but the best part was that I got to learn more about La Parole. If you read French (or decide to use Google Translate, duh) you'll know the name means "speech". Weird name for a restaurant, right? Well, not really when you realise La Parole is a social enterprise that supports Benji's Centre, which helps children with speech disorders from low-income families receive quality speech therapy services.

Aunt Or Private Kitchen (Ngoh Je) - Ngoh, Ngor, Or...

Deep fried shrimp toasts

Private kitchens (think speakeasies for food) have been "in vogue" for a while. Some attribute its rise to the financial crisis of 1997 when Asia was in a craphole and a lot of people got fired from their jobs. It would appear that a lot of these people wanted to cook, and to sell their cooking, because private kitchens sprung and spread as quickly as mould in a Hong Kong summer.

Shung Hing (Sheung Hing) - Chiuchow Chow

Not bugs! They're mini-clams

Chiuchow (or Chaozhou, or Teochew) is, geographically speaking, merely a city in eastern Guangdong province. Yet it has its own dialect (Teochew and Cantonese are generally not mutually intelligible) and own distinct cuisine*, specialising in seafood, and with a clear preference for the sour, spiced (but not spicy) and savoury, often all at once. This is awfully unscientific of me, but when I see/hear/taste lu shui (滷水), a braising broth/sauce of soy, star aniseed etc., or a more-than-usual amount of white pepper, I assume it's Teochew, or Teochew-influenced. And when you start a conversation about Chiuchow/Teochew food in Hong Kong, Sheung Hing in Sheung Wan will invariably come up.

Chop to it - For Kee

Nostalgic eating

For Kee is a family business nestled in one of my favourite neighbourhoods, among miniature temples, funeral homes and coffin makers (and increasingly, galleries and arty shops). It was opened by a man who was a Chinese medicine practitioner - in fact, his certificate is still displayed at the back of the shop (under the specials whiteboard). He opened the For Kee to give people a healthier alternative to msg-laden fast food and the gloopy sauces every other cha chaan teng around town was serving. But he clearly has a thing for pork chop - I've never been able to ask him (or the other staff, most of whom are family) why, because they're always so busy, but I suppose it's not so surprising given the Cantonese obsession with all things porcine.

Market French - ABC Kitchen

French onion soup

I have to thank my lucky stars that I met Eat Love Write's ever so clued in author, who brought me to ABC Kitchen, a French food stand in Sheung Wan's Queen St. Market. Prior to this I'd never even known this market existed, let alone that ex-chefs of M on the Fringe (now temporarily closed while they find a new location) had opened an eatery here.

Keep it simple - Fusion Gourmet

Back in the day when Hong Kong magazines were still considered part of a relatively healthy media diet, I read an article by the celeb Singaporean Chinese food authority-slash-writer-slash-notorious old flirt Chua Lam, who said that his ideal restaurant would be one that served high quality fresh produce cooked simply, but expertly and without fuss - perfectly grilled steaks, skillful stir-fries, controlled pan sears etc., in a utilitarian environment of marble-topped tables (chosen for their easy-wipeness and durability rather than 'prestige' as a material - much like the marble-topped tables in kopitiams in Malaysia/Singapore), decent lighting and so on.

All hail - The Chairman

Chairman, a new-ish Cantonese restaurant in Kau U Fong (in "NoHo", where you'll also find this), dishes out old-school, high-end food with a modern day 'Chinese gourmet' twist. It's quickly become the Chinese hotspot of late, and hence extremely hard to book - try calling 2-3 weeks ahead - but it's worth it. I'd go back just for the shao xing crab in an instant.

Coffee in Hong Kong - Soft Aroma wafts on

A while ago I posted the sad news that Soft Aroma in Causeway Bay, one of the few places one can get a proper coffee, had closed. The good news is, they've re-opened in Sheung Wan. I've been a couple of times now and while the cafe is smaller, it has a cool little teeny outdoor seating area (more like a deep windowsill) and their coffee is still good. Food is a bit lacking though (my tiramisu was rubbery, and bland), and bad ventilation means cooking smells from the kitchen mercilessly attack the seating area (smelling amatriciana when you should be smelling beans is a bit disconcerting). Nonetheless I'm glad they hadn't gone under. It's always nice to know that there's a market for proper coffee.

P.S. My fave at the moment is Fuel Espresso, Soft Aroma's is good, but lacks a little strength and character.

Soft Aroma
105 Wing Lok St
Sheung Wan
+852 2541 0666

For more good coffee in Hong Kong, see my posts on Fuel Espresso and Cafe Zambra.


View coffee in Hong Kong in a larger map

Sheung Wan "Secret" Noodle Corner

N.B. This is an post from June 2008 from my old blog - thought I'd repost here as I keep recommending it to people. I went the week after I had some amazing ramen in Tokyo and it certainly measures up. It's really no secret anymore, especially to those who live/work around here.

Well it won't be a secret much longer, because the ramen here is seriously good, but hopefully it won't become too packed, because the location is kind of obscure - but still close to another noodle-haunt, Kau Kee.

I've been here a few times now, and have stuck with the basic shoyu and 'salt' soup bases, both milky and fairly opaque, with no additions to the basic cha shyu (the Japanese variety), egg etc, apart from wakame (seaweed). All have been great, no msg in the soups (if you've been in HK long enough you'll know what a relief this is), bouncy noodles with an almost elastic quality, and tender + tasty char shyu. the cold ramen is great for summer days too. They don't do takeout because they say that the quality won't be as good if you let it sit around for too long - which I get, and I like that attention to detail - but maybe they could just separate the soup and the noodles? Just a thought, coz I don't like lining up... But I will anyway, because I dare say that this is the best ramen I've ever had in HK. (Apparently their tofu ice cream (if i remember correctly) is a winner too, but I've always been too full to have dessert...)

Yachiyo
8 On Wo Lane (down the steps from Homeless on Gough St, or just up from Kau U Fong)
Sheung Wan Moved
3/F Soho Square
21 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
+852 2815 5766

My new 'hood - Sheung Wan

Sheung Wan - the first/last stop on the Island MTR line, an 'old' district, the new SoHo, best place to get Chinese delicacies (the likes of dried abalone and frog's ovaries)... it's different things to different people. To me, it's where I work and increasingly, where I hang out after it (though its proximity to Central/SoHo means I'm heading that way a lot too).

Sheung Wan is full of eateries, some famed (such as Kau Kee beef brisket), others just your average local Canto roasted meat place. There are some in between, and those are the ones I've been visiting. Sadly, I haven't found anything that catches my breath yet...

L-R: Laksa at Katong Laksa; sandwiches, salads, coffee etc. at ubiquitous Graze; Duck w blueberry sauce at Palate; Panna Cotta at Palate.

Katong Laksa
8 Mercer Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2543 4008

Graze
Bonham Strand
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

PalateG/F 35-37 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2815 6963

Wonton noodles - Not the Mak's you know

It's been ages since I've been to Mak's - almost forgotten how to get there. This isn't the one featured in tourist guide books, that one's on Wellington Street around Soho I think, and should be a lot larger (and a bit more expensive). This one's tucked inside the narrow Wing Kut Street, off Des Voeux Road Central, with street hawkers and random clothing stores as its neighbours. We got there at around 12.45 and I was half expecting there to be a line, especially because it's not much more than a hole in the wall, but to my surprise, we got seats straight away (albeit sharing a table with two other lone diners).

The waiter comes to take our orders before we even had time to settle on the tiny stools, which was fine since we both wanted the wonton noodles they're most famous for anyway. Wonton noodles come in two sizes, large or small bowls. Usually small is sufficient if you're not particularly hungry. At $21, it's a steal, especially since Wellington St is selling them for $25 (I think) and Tsui Wah (which isn't even a specialist wonton store) is probably asking around the $30 mark.

There are about five wontons in the small serving along with plain egg noodles that are excellent clean-cut strings. The wontons themselves have a similar fresh, almost crunchy quality that unfortunately does not seem to be able to be expressed by a word in the English dictionary. In Chinese it's 爽. The pasta around the dumpling is extremely thin, delicate and silky, allowing diners to see almost exactly all the ingredients within - which is mostly, a very fleshy and tasty prawn.

We even polished off the soup afterwards...

Mak's (Chung Kee)
Wing Kut St
Sheung Wan
(strictly speaking between Sheung Wan and Central, close to Central Market)