Ippudo Fukuoka - Everything Tastes Better At Home

Ippudo shiro

I guess you could call it a ramen lover's Mecca, going to Ippudo, but that Mecca is almost only relevant to foreigners. We know Ippudo because it's in New York, Singapore, Hong Kong etc., and it's often true that the better ramen in these cities is from Ippudo. Hell, people are lining up for two hours to get in in Hong Kong! But in Fukuoka, or even Japan? I'm sorry to burst the bubble, but Ippudo simply doesn't rate.

Seema's Private Kitchen - East Africa in East Asia

Perri perri prawns

A couple of months ago was the first time I had Hindu-influenced East African cuisine. It's a fantastic melting pot of spice-driven fare that's big on seafood and full of fresh flavours. This was held at the chef, Seema's own home, which despite most people's perception of private kitchens, is actually very rare (most Hong Kong homes are simply too small). Seema holds her private dinners twice a month and also teaches cooking classes. (Another place where the private kitchen is also the chef's home is Mandy's Private Kitchen for Caribbean cuisine. Mandy was also at Seema's on the same night!)

Hachibei, yummy yaki - Fukuoka, Kyushu

Yakitori! Lots of smoke, but no mirrors

For work, we did an interview with Chef Matt of Yardbird, dubbed "Hong Kong's 'it' restaurant" (well...), and one of my questions was, "What are some of your favourite places to eat in Tokyo?" to which he replied that he actually thought food in Fukuoka was better. This was a few days before I was about to set off to Fukuoka - Helloooooo Lady Luck - so I asked my boss to kindly find out where exactly his fave restaurants in Fukuoka were. Of course, Matt's super busy, but he did manage one name - Hachibei. (And no, I don't think those questions appeared in the Q&A in the end.)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

May your plates be filled with yummy mooncakes (not the foul ones) and your tables be filled with your favourite people.

Hakata Kurogane - Late night chicken wings at Hakata Station, Fukuoka, Kyushu

Chicken wings!

We arrived in Fukuoka in the evening and it took us a while to find our hotel (despite it being right next to Hakata Station), so by the time we did and put our bags down we were pretty tired. Without any plans, we wandered around the area as it seemed quite lively still. If all else failed we could have still gone to the myriad Lawsons, Family Marts and 7-Elevens - Japanese convenience stores are amazing; an onigiri from any one of those would have been better than one at the largest Japanese restaurant in any medium-sized Australian town. Seriously.

Tea at The Fairmont Peace Hotel. Or, what not to do in Shanghai

This was from way back in the winter when I went for my xiaolongbao marathon and discovered the transcendence that was Sincere's hongshaorou. But as I was writing about tea at the InterContinental Hong Kong, I suddenly remembered this failure of an afternoon tea at Jasmine Lounge, on the ground level of the Fairmont Peace Hotel.

Tea at the InterContinental - Pinkies Up

Truffled egg sandwiches!!!!!!

There aren't enough exclamation marks in the world for a sarnie like this. And I used to hate egg sandwiches. Hard boiled egg yolk and (usually industrial) mayo just don't agree with me. But add truffle (I presume this was truffle paste) and it's absolute bliss. The sulphur-y richness of the egg yolk becomes comfort food, taking you back to those happy days when grandma fed you mashed carrots drizzled in honey, while you drummed the table and smacked the arms on your highchair - except you're an adult with fully functional motor skills. These sammies are the good life, summarised in a bite an a half. (Or a single bite if you're a shameless 1-bite guzzler like yours truly.)

Ruamjai Thai - Kowloon City Searching

Minced pork and basil stir fry (krapow moo) with rice

Kowloon City is known as Hong Kong's Little Bangkok, brimming with Thai restaurants. In recent years, it's also become known as something of a destination for gourmet grocery shopping, probably due to its proximity to well-to-do residential areas like Kowloon Tong, and its relative ease for car parking (rather, stopping the car - having a driver wait). If you want to buy crazy expensive Japanese watermelons in the shape of Hello Kitty, top of the range beef etc., you'll probably find it in these parts. It's also home to what was one of my favourite Chiu Chow restaurants, Cheong Fat. They've become a bit sloppy nowadays, but that's another story for another day.