Pho better or pho worse

The day started out simple.

The search for the best pho at 46 Bat Dan according to a travel web post.

And to our dismay, it was already closed for the day.

So pho better or pho worse, we decided to settle for a chicken pho at the road junction that we had passed on our pho search.

We took our seats on these tiny plastic chairs that threatened to break under our hefty bottoms. Or so it felt like. And no, we don't actually have hefty butts.

The lower the chairs are to the ground, the better the food's gonna taste. Right?

Eating like the locals do, we made our order for two bowls of chicken pho and looked upon the dishes of cut chilli and parsley exposed to all the elements and impartial to all diners. Coming from the city, it's gotta be a tough call not worrying about stomach upsets.

But since we were here, ditch those thoughts and live and eat like the locals do. The food's gotta be good for people to squash themselves at junction of a busy road (as all roads are in Hanoi).

When this arrived? The reason was clear for the crowds.

Heaven in the form of a bowl of piping hot chicken pho :)

Paprika & Cumin @ Chijmes

This is a Pan-European Mediterranean gastropub with a bar counter boasting more than 200 wine labels and cocktails.

And what's to do for a non-alcoholic like I?

We eat.

Fill up the tummy, I shall!

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Bruschetta

As I worriedly held onto the bruschetta, I wondered how much of the crisp baguette I could take.

And it was love, and ease at first bite.

I've got tooth issues and they don't do well with anything too hard.

So it was a huge relief to bite into only a crisp exterior and a soft interior.

The minced garlic and diced tomatoes were a delightful burst of refreshing flavour.

Simple.

But a winner in every way.

Tournedos Rossini

Foie gras balancing precariously atop a thick slice of beef.

I'm nary a fan of this. Those images of violence too cruel for me to enjoy this.

So I tried a small piece of foie gras which was pan fried to a delicate crisp. 

The liver melted immediately in my mouth.

Mmm.

Taking my first cut into the thick piece of beef, I was presently surprised to see that it was wrapped with a piece of bacon.

Keeping all the juices of the beef locked within.

This was a medium well order with a slightly pinkish hue in the interior.

The beef was full on flavour.

I was full but I could hardly pass up a dish of red meat just like that!

Chilean Sea Bass

A substantial chunk of sea bass arrived on a platter of happy summer colours.

Thick flaky pieces of fish fell apart just with the use of a fork.

This was a brilliant departure from the rich taste of the red meat.

But taken on its own, could be a little bland for some.

The sweet potato patty on the bottom would've been better if there was the addition of some crab meat for an added dimension to taste.

Perhaps a little more sauce to be served on the side as well?

It does get a little too dry with all the pan crusted fried items on this plate, as a matter of personal opinion.

Apple Filo Pastry with Vanilla Ice Cream

Now this.

Was a paradoxical surprise waiting to be unwrapped.

Altogether hot and cold.

Sweet and salty.

Crisp and moist.

This was my idea of a perfect end to a delicious meal.

I was expecting diced apple pieces alike those in the apple pies from McD's

But in that parcel?

It was a whole apple cored and held together a deliciously creamy cinnamon filling.

Eaten with the crisp warm filo pastry outside and topped with a nib of cold vanilla ice cream.

Aaaahhh.

I'd be back for this.

Just because,

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Right? :)

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The Super Reigns Supreme @ Pizza Hut

Here today.

Gone -tomato-

This is going to be a -pizza- history.

-Cheese- man!

Puns totally intended.

Pizza Hut is running a $10 takeaway promotion on their regular pan pizzas.

I chose the Super Supreme.

Which comes with a whole load of toppings.

We're talking ground beef, Italian sausages, beef pepperoni, chicken ham, capsicum, onions, olives, mushrooms and all the sunshine of pineapple chunks.

Plus all that cheese.

On every slice.

Like you see on the picture above.

And having that pizza just ten minutes after my takeaway made all the difference in the world.

I'm finishing up the crust simple because it's crisp on the outside and chewy on the soft interiors.

All of that melty cheese and all-in toppings.

It was a regular pan-pizza.

But I finished it all just as it were a personal pan-pizza.

Mmm Mmm!

Equinox @ 70th Swissotel

Amuse bouche compliments of the chef

Compressed watermelon with pea sauce and chorizo.

This was a palate pleaser- both cleansing and appetizing all at once.

We enjoyed this.

And of course, we loved the bread basket.

Forget the no-carbs diet.

We were on an all carbs and full butter non diet!

My favourite was the cheese and onion bread.

The garlic herb rolls were a hit too.

I reckon we loved them all (we had seconds!) except the sourdough.

Of all things to focus on. He had it on the bread.

Excuse the man, he's a new user of a Sony A6000.

And I'm none the wiser.

A tip for choosing the appetizers,

some of them come in individual portions.

So do check with the servers before placing your orders.

The smoked salmon with pickles and pearl onions were appetizing but lacked a certain kind of oomph.

The wagyu beef tataki was a  definite crowd pleaser.

With seared thin pieces of beef served on equally thin slices of pickled daikon.

It kept us wanting.

The arrival of this seafood platter for two caused a collective gasp.

At the sheer size of the serving platter.

That, plus the full sized lobster. :)

We loved the raw salmon and ikura.

The sauces kept us really busy too, selecting and mixing sauces for the different shells and crustaceans.

The only gripe we had about this was that there was just too much work involved in eating. 

Enter the Chauteaubriand.

A 500g serving of an A-grade tenderloin.

We had it medium.

And it was simply amazing.

Perhaps a little raw on the inside for our last two slices and that made it hard to cut through.

A little too much jaw action.

The truffle butter sauce is highly recommended.

The bearnaise unfortunately paled (pun totally intended.) in comparison.

We asked for an additional serving of truffle butter but it was simply watered down and tasted terrible.

Massive onion rings.

While they tasted like a sinful indulgence,

I hardly thought 4 rings justified a price tag of $15.

The New York Striploin was a satisfying 300g.

However, there was just too much fat within the slab of beef for anyone's liking.

Definitely go for the Chateaubriand.

Tonight was definitely a dinner with a view. 

Some hits and misses.

But the company made it all better. :)

This vanilla cheesecake was exquisite.

Smooth and redolent with the rich taste of vanilla, 

the slightly tart raspberry coulis was a perfect accompaniment to this dessert offering.

We moved on to NewAsia Bar upstairs for some after-dinner drinks.

Time for some bubbly to toast the birthday boy.

My allergy stops me from more than just one mouth of alcohol.

I had the Hokkaido Berry made with coconut milk.

Lychee bits and its syrup in coconut milk went surprisingly well together.

A night out to dine.

With company so fine.

Accompanied by wine.

The pleasure was all mine!

Midweek lunch break @ Swensens

It's always a joy to meet up with a dear friend. 

And her lil daughter.

Perfectly innocent, pure unadulterated joy in her own kiddy bubble. 

We settled in for lunch break but we never got round to making our orders till a long while later.

Just too much to talk about. Too much to catch up on.

We met at 1pm at Swensens in Northpoint.

Smack in the middle of the timeslot for their weekday lunch treats. 

Monday-Fridays from 11am -2pm.

And apparently we could've chosen from a free side, sundae or free drink. 

Apparently.

That's because right after our order of mains, she enquired what we would like for a free side. There was no mention of a sundae or drink choice. :(

I would've really loved a sundae today.

Sore throats really don't go well with fried anything.

Still,

these were perfectly battered and tasting divine piping hot.

Deep fried mushrooms

Juicy mushrooms encased in a perfectly crisp batter.

Even when it's no longer piping hot.

Spice 'N' Chic

A first time for me.

It was served as promised, plump and tender chicken strips full on flavour.

Just a little on the salty side.

My friend had a Healthier choice Pesto Salmon.

Nicely grilled with flaky salmon pieces that her daughter loved.

While I went for the works on their signature Mega Burger.

And boy was it massive.

The burger patty was a little too well done but it was still juicy and delish.

And their sunny side up egg with chicken ham and turkey bacon made it feel like I was having a double meal of breakfast and lunch altogether at once.

My only reservation was that the burger bun at its base was a little soaked over with oil.

It was all too much but I loved every bit of it.

If pregnancy was bliss,

I definitely felt it at lunch. :)

All photos were taken with no filter applied.

The counter seats at Swensens here in Northpoint were right next to the window and the lighting there for photos was just perfect.

It was a good midweek break.

A delicious catch up session with my favourite mama.

Happy belated birthday my dear friend!

Marco's Oyster Bar and Grill

First time having breakfast at a proper dine-in restaurant that isn't serving dim sum.

Being totally unintiated.

I ordered a main of chicken congee.

With a side of smoked salmon,

fried egg and buttered toast.

The chicken congee was weak at best.

And had random chicken parts that were more bone than meat.

Me, 

the happy camper with my breakfast of champions.

On hindsight, 

I should've listened to my girlfriend and gone for their beef steak set which she loves.

At HKD $70,

this was quite the steal for a breakfast set.

That's a palm sized beef steak, two fried eggs, ham, bacon, baked beans and buttered toast.

And an orange juice. :)

Next time you're in the mood for some Western style breakfast,

head on over.

Just opposite the road from BP International Hotel.

And you might just meet my happy girlfriend enjoying her favourite morning set.

Marco's Oyster Bar & Grill

169-189 WooSung Street

Jordan, Hong Kong

Morton's celebrates its sweet 16th anniversary with $16 treats

From 5-7pm every Monday to Saturday, let's get happy.

At Morton's Mortini nights.

(And really bad photo attempts since lighting up is but an option to be overlooked.)

Now at $15.95, these martinis aren't going for cheap. 

And why is the bar still running full capacity for these two hours every evening?

  

If you haven't tried it yet.

You should.

These martini glasses contain housepours with 3 oz of vodka/ gin unlike the single shots that one usually gets for a cocktail order.

So be prepared to get happy. :)

And since the last time I checked,

I was still alcohol intolerant but took sips of the Appletini rimmed with cinnamon powder.

It smelt like green apple Hi-Chew

And actually pretty delish.

I would've downed a glass had I been prepared to live with a week-long allergic reaction.

Of course, I wasn't.

I'm hardly buzzed from my sips of green apple hi-chew.

And I remembered that we were here for Morton's Prime Burger.

Going at a sweet deal of $16 instead of the usual $35.

Just for the month of May.

You essentially get a deconstructed burger.

And instead of the usual shoe string fries, we got some thick cut wedges.

Perfectly fried. 

Crisp on the outside, fluffy and very satisfying on the inside.

With a dollop of mayonnaise no less.

My selection was for Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms.

 

The fist-sized patty was all of what I was looking for in a burger that night.

Thick. Juicy.

Essentially beef.

Sitting atop a bun to soak up all the juices once I made a cut with my knife and watched as the juices oozed out.

I skipped the assembly and ate it as is.

Because no one sits at the bar AT MORTON'S and uses her hands to eat.

And my dining companion chose cheddar instead with sauteed mushrooms.

The cheddar was a little bit too salty for my liking and melted into an unsightly orange yellow gloop.

She couldn't finish hers.

And we both wished for a more generous serving of mushrooms.

We sat and while we ate over random chatter, 

we watched the bartenders behind the counter filling out orders with expert flair.

Once happy hour ended at 7pm,

the orders of Bombay Blue took over.

There were martini orders, but not the flavoured ones.

And there were quite a few with orders of blue cheese filled olives.

I mean, really?

Pardon my immature palate but I could hardly comprehend a drink like that.

It was a chillax night out.

And amidst all that crazy buzz of human traffic and noise,

I'd be back for a Mortini night.

Even if I hardly drank.

For their offerings of Morton's steak sandwiches.

Fluffy soft buttered buns with a silver of steak in between.

And if only just for the ambience and laidback vibe at the cosy bar at Morton's.

*If you're here for the $16 sweet deals, they start at 7pm.

**Morton's Prime Burger and Slingtini are only available at Bar 1221 and Bar@Morton's located at the atrium.

***The Legendary Hot Chocolate Lava Cake deal is only available at the main dining room with every order of entrée or main course at its main dining room.



Ends 31st May 2014.

Ronin. 17 HKST.

From the people who brought you Bravery, The Plain and now this, Ronin. 

I've come full circle. From simple primary colours to whitewashed zen and now, over to the dark side. 

Once upon a time, there were menus. Then a large communal menu and here?

Prick up those ears and keep close attention. 

For the friendly service staff will recite the menu to you patiently while you mull over your choices and place your orders.

Taking a huge step away from my usual flat white, I made an order for Wicked ($5.50). Mint green after-eights melted into an espresso shot. A little too sweet and quite the treat. :)

Toast and scrambled eggs ($9) for me. Because these eggs have found fame in the eyes of many. Lightly scrambled, slightly runny and very deliciously creamy without falling apart in a slop.

Sometimes, I do conform to the masses. 

Served with three slices of lightly buttered toasts and a dark earthy Portobello ($3.50) add-on on request. The Portobello was a little dry and would perhaps be made perfect with a Worcestershire marinade.

He had a roast beef sandwich. Thinly sliced roast beef, tangy cream dressing, a slice of camembert, sweet Japanese pickled daikon and a handful of rocket, held together by warm crusty bread.
Don't bother slicing these up.
Eat with hands.
Simple but satisfying. 

We took the seats at the round communal table where the seats looked more comfortable than the bar stools with minute seats. The high ceilings and open spaces of a modern industrial interior meant we could hear the conversations of other people around us but only barely so. It was dim but comfortable. A little warm yet hardly restrictive.

Welcome to the dark side.

I'll be seeing you there.