Food Porn: Hong Kong ' 09 continued

Did you have a good lunch? Now back to work and back to my list:

#6 ANA Oyster and Grill, Hong Kong:
Pea and I met up with some of her friends and had a feast! The locale is nothing I've ever been to. The resto is located on the 4th floor of a non-descrip building stacked with other business and offices. We had a patio/garden table. It was surrounded on 3 sides by other skyscrapers and the view was only straight up - dinner under the stars. To start - raw oysters and clams, from all around the world. I came all the way to Hong Kong to have an oyster from the Pacific USA. And it tasted like it was caught the same day. DEE-LISH!

#7 Margaret's Café e Nata, Macau:
It was time for our day-trip to Macau. When we first arrived, we asked the tourism booth where was the best Portuguese egg tart. By the end of the day, the heat had drained us of our culinary vigor, and it was soon time to leave this wonderful place. We were just about to give up on the tart when we took one last turn and found it! Did you know when these tarts first arrived in Taipei bakeries years ago, people rioted when there was a purchase limit imposed? It was ugly. But I can see why a tart would start a riot. Like buttah!

#8, King's Palace Congee and Noodle, Hong Kong Int'l Airport, Terminal 1:
We had been immersed in a busy week and a half of shopping, sight-seeing, partying, spa-pampering, lunching, more shopping... I dunno how the tai-tais (ladies of leisure) do it all the time. We knew it was definitely time to escape for a weekend mini-break in Cebu, Philippines. No time for brekky at home, so we ate at the airport. I was very impressed with the selection in each terminal. North American airports should really take notes. Starbucks does NOT serve real food people! Now this was a real meal with built-in friendly caution. And I didn't have to eat it out of a pastry bag or on styrofoam. So civilized even when you're leaving!!! I ♥ HK.


#9 In-room dining, Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort, Cebu, Philippines:
Pea and I lazed by the pool, sunned, swam, jet-skied, ate, and ate some more. It was an exhausting mini-break! Grilled squid stuffed with fresh veggies and lemon butter sauce eaten on the bed, in front of the telly. Lovely. It was such a change from the hustle of Hong Kong yet only a couple of hours away. *sigh* What a great end to wonderful visit with my mon amie. Thanks Pea, for showing me Hong Kong and beyond!

Now, what are you gonna have for dinner?

Food Porn: Almost time for more

Poppy and I set off on the red-eye tonight and will be in NYC tomorrow - at an ungodly morning hour. But we are shopping/eating/photo-taking machines and plan to go straight to the outlet mall the moment we touch down. This might be a mini-break for us, but time is of the essence and shopping is no joke.

I continue my 2009 island hopping tour today, but not quite what you might think. I found myself on some different islands after my trip with Murray. Hong Kong (with a taste of the Philippines, and a dash of Macau).

It was so incredibly amazing, I can barely describe it. Hong Kong has the best of everything I could ask for as a traveller. The wonders of Asia with just the right amount of international, especially British influence. Everything seemed to be so extra civilized and posh. I don't think I had one disappointing meal and wanted to showcase them all, but I chose nine of my best. Get ready mes amies - you might want to make sure your boss is on lunch.


#1 McDonald's- Delivered to your door.
I had the great pleasure of visiting my dear friend Pea while she was working abroad in Hong Kong. Remember, sleeping on couches, no shame, great locations...would you say no? I hadn't been in Asia for more than 2 hours when I found myself sitting in her apartment, waiting for the delivery guy. This is civilized. And look, they have corn in a cup and spicy chicken wings! I think I may have appeared to be a bit of a food snob before, but I don't think I am. Hey, I can keep it real and inhale a Filet-O-Fish with the best of them. And fuck, it was DELIVERED. Who would refuse?

#2 Afternoon Tea, The Peninsula hotel, Kowloon. Perhaps indulging in this tradition is snobby, but I don't care. I love little cucumber sandwiches, scones with devon cream and fruit preserve...and who could ignore the petite fours and little chocolate goodies on the top?! Look at how cute everything is! Don't pretend, you like it too.
Now I have had the luxury of experiencing many afternoon teas in many different cities, and this by far, was the best. Maybe part of it was watching the actual hotel guests stroll (or maybe it was sauntering) through somehow made me feel more posh. I could have sworn I saw little flower girls precede the guests, making a path out of cash for them to walk on. It made even a poor, little couch-surfing girl like me, feel like a million bucks.

#3 Street food I love Asia because it has the nerve to expect you to eat food that is made on the street. How dare us silly North Americans cage our food in boxes called restaurants? How dare we think it can only be limited to funnel cakes and corn dogs at carnival/rodeo midways? Sheesh. Where there is electricity and pedestrians, there is food in Hong Kong. And you have to eat it IN the street where you bought it, damn it! Now pick a meat on a stick already!
We chose many from this stand - the usual curried fish balls, marinated squid (as pictured here), etc. But the top one was a mystery - it was white when we pointed to it, but the lady magically dunked it in a deep fryer and it was presented to us in all its crispy on the outside, molten-lava hot on the inside gloriousness. We're not entirely sure what it was, but it was filled with some sort of crab and scallop mixture. Divine.

#4 Sushi at Koi. This'll probably be as close in proximity to Japan as I'll be until I find someone who lives in Tokyo and has enough space for guests. Hong Kong had not disappointed me yet, so why not have a little sushi? It was very fresh and the presentation was great. The ambiance was quaint and there seemed to be a lot of Japanese patrons, so we were maybe doing something right, right?


#5 Taiwanese/Shanghainese lunch at Din Tai Fung. There were little amusing laminated cards at each table which gave you detailed and cartoon instructions on how to eat a xiao long bao (steamed pork dumplings). I asked for a copy of the instructions to take home to my North American friends. Strangely, they refused. As if I'd go and copy the thing and open my own resto! I should have known better and just took a pic of the card. But now they were watching us. Damn. Well, there seems to be many locations worldwide, even one in California, so I'm sure you'll be able to see for yourself what I wanted to bring home.
I've had many xiao long bao, but I have never met a steamed mashed taro bun. Where have you been all my life, my love? At first sight, you're thinking they are going to be bland and boring. Au contraire! Somehow they have sweetened the taro just enough and the texture of the bun is a perfect fluffiness. If it weren't for the fact that we were already stuffed full of goodness, I would have ordered another six, for myself.

That's enough for now. Get back to work. Go check your FB. Tweet about how hungry you are.

Food Porn: Island fun

2009 was a tour of many islands. I took a mini-vacay with my Murray to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It's always a little worrisome to travel with your beau for the first time. But the food made up for it! No, no it was a lovely time spent with mon petite chou.


Black Rock Resort Ucluelet, British Columbia, Fetch Restaurant:
We didn't stay here since it had newly opened and we didn't know about it before planning our trip. Too bad, because it looked very luxe. Locals had suggested we check it out. I suppose in a town of less than 1700 people, a new resort and its resto is a big deal. And it did not disappoint. We had also visited Tofino which must be considered the more popular sister of the two towns, but I think Ucluelet had its own wonderful charm, even without the fancy hotel on the water.
Murray thought it was silly of me to think that the halibut on my bun was just caught out of the ocean that we were looking out at. A girl can dream, right? You should have seen the view. I don't think I've seen the Pacific Ocean quite like that. Mesmerizing.

There were so many stops on this island and not enough time spent there. We had to say goodbye and make it back to the mainland (Vancouver) via Nanaimo. You'd think there would be a bridge since it is quite close, but instead there's a ferry - that we missed. The ferry terminal food selection made a good effort, but it was nothing to write home about (or take pictures of). So we ventured out. We arrived upon a small marina and two pub/restos. One was decked out with loud music, some sort of sporting event was on the big screen tvs, and lots of neon beer signs to lure you in. A parking lot over, the other choice looked to have surrendered to the neon.
We chose the quiet, appropriately lit one. It was a bit of a dive, and the menu looked like your average pub fare with some emphasis on seafood given the location. "Would you like to substitute your fries for a caesar salad for $1 more?" I always feel bad when they ask because I'm sure most, like me, decline. Murray was getting fries with his oyster burger, so I thought I'd pretend to look healthy and said yes this time. I've never been so glad I splurged. Oh yes, and how could I forget - the most delicious shrimp sandwich that was paired with the salad. It was like there was a yet-to-be-discovered Michelin star chef in the back of this pub in the middle of nowhere, just dying to work at The French Laundry. Okay, I've never been to The French Laundry and I don't know exactly what the creme de la creme really is, but this was a damn good meal.

Good thing we missed that ferry - it was a delightful end to a great trip with Murray. This is a definite return vacay for me. Especially if I can have that sandwich and salad again. Oh, and I guess Murray can come too.

Food porn: Okay, I am a bit of a tease

Darling, I'll have you know that I lie sometimes. But it's not about bad things, just little things. But I'm happy you're still here, which must mean you'll forgive me. Forgiveness is key to a strong relationship. I'm glad we're working through this together.

There were two big trips in 2008 but I didn't want to get you too excited all at once. So to continue, please find yourself in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of Amurica:

A sunny Christmas family vacay was in order. It was the first time in Hawaii for us. Two years on and I still talk about it with great fondness. I just loved it so. Visiting in December probably added to the love. Our departure to paradise was slammed with a horrendous snow-storm and after a 12-hour delay (and that was considered short), it was so glorious to be welcomed at the open-air airport with warm sweet air. Aloha. We were finally parka-free.

December 26 - there was some serious after-Christmas shopping to conquer at the outlet mall. Meh, I've had better shopping conquests, so we packed it in late afternoon. Round Two was the Ala Moana Mall, but first, it was time to refuel. Not to pre-judge a place, but parts of Honolulu seem a little sketchy. It became painfully obvious that we only had three dinner choices: Taiyo Ramen, the mall food court, or Blockbuster Video. Never judge a ramen by its ugly plastic bowl. It was the best ramen I've had in ages. Refuelled and refreshed, we were ready for mall battle.
As I stood contemplating a very cute, yet classic trench at Banana Republic, with a happy belly full of ramen, the lights went out. Good thing we picked sketchy locale over mall burger and fries. There was an island-wide power outage by dinnertime (that lasted until the next afternoon). You couldn't even buy food at the ABC store! I never went back for the trench, but I'd definitely go back for the ramen.

As our stay in paradise neared its end and our flight back to the Arctic Circle that our home had become loomed, we enjoyed our final meal - out of an old converted school bus, parked in an abandoned parking lot. Like we had discovered before it all went dark, sketchiness lay within paradise. But like Taiyo, we had found paradise. I think this platter is meant for 4-6 people, but I could have easily polished off the whole thing myself. This could quite possibly go down on my list of Top Ten Best Foods I've Ever Had. Ono. Delicious.

Food porn: The fantasy continues

So you're back for more, non? I knew you'd like it. Well, I am never one to be a tease, so let's get to it.

Another year, another memory card full of food porn. I don't think I would ever take so many photos if it were the days of 35mm film. Sometimes I think it's a little out of control, when I look back at my travel photos and there are more photos of food than anything else. But I can't help it, so you better love me for who I am!

2008, back to New York City, New York, United States of Amurica:

Technically, my fam live in Queens, because who are we kidding, real people don't live in Manhattan. There are lots of great little known restos in their neighbourhood. My travel companion this time was mon amie, Fifi. After a long day of shopping and bankrupting ourselves, we stumbled upon a new Asian resto. For the life of me, I'm afraid I can not remember the name of it. But honestly, the competition is so fierce, the place is probably closed now. This was Fifi's choice dish (and choice aerial shot) - chicken with cashews and fresh yummy snow peas. We were smitten over the heart shaped rice with cherry on top. And the real cherry on top was the total bill for less than $30!


Of course you can't visit NYC without experiencing The Bagel. I'd be hard pressed to say no to a bagel even though I know it's the equivalent to eating four slices of bread and some evil force decided to tell the world that four slices of bread will somehow be the death of you. I don't care, make me fat, and let me die young in your arms, I love you, dear bagel, take me as I am!

There is quite the art form to ordering a bagel in NY. I couldn't even decide which flavour I wanted, let alone how I want the cream cheese. I overheard the woman in front of me, clearly a master of bagels, ordering with strong command. "Bagel. Plain. Easy toasted. Scooped. Cream cheese. Plain." Scooped? I understood the rest of it, but what is being scooped? OMG. Then the deli guy started to scoop - a trench in the bagel was created to allow for the ribbon of cream cheese to lie perfectly in its newly created cradle. I think I heard angels sing. When it was my turn, I chickened out and just ordered it like a tourist: "Everything bagel, toasted, plain cream cheese, please." But it was still heavenly.

Food porn: I know you want some more

Four more days to until we set off on our mini-break! I'm drooling with anticipation. Fresh, new, food porn. To satisfy us both until then, let's skip the foreplay and get right down and dirrtay:

2007 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of Amurica. You read it right - this is what Amuuurrica is all about. Vegas spoiler alert - I've been to Paris, and the Paris Hotel is not Paris. I've been to Venice, and The Venetian definitely ain't Italy. But when there's food to be eaten, there are photos to be taken.

Venetian Hotel, Postrio Bar and Grill:

*ah* Don't you just love Venice? San Marco Square, the Grand Canal, eating a yummy meal al fresco by the moonlight? Hey, what time is it anyway? Nine o'clock?! How come it still looks like it's noon around here? Where are the pigeons? How come no one is speaking Italian? (*insert sound of record scratching/wheels screeching to a halt*) This isn't my beloved Venezia! Just a bizillion dollar hotel made to look (remarkably) like Venice. *sigh*. I guess it'll have to do. It's amazing how they made the ceiling/sky change ever so slightly but never get dark so you would stay in there forever like I did. It's not too late for pie, is it?

We jetted over to Paris - Paris Hotel Las Vegas that is. How could I go to Vegas and not eat at a buffet? I'm not usually a fan of buffets. I don't like the idea of having to line up for food that I'm paying good money for. Is it wrong to ask for someone to bring it to me? Is it?

I also don't like watching other people ahead in line, shoveling large amounts of food that they will most likely not even eat onto their plates, all the while there are little starving children in the world who will never know how delicious duck confit is. Mmm all you can eat duck confit...

The line up was LONG. This had better be worth it. It's bad enough you have to line up to plate your own food, but to add more insult, you are forced to stand in a winding Disney-style line with no end in sight. That velvet rope does not make me feel VIP! I want to make my own crêpe damn it! I get a little cranky when I'm hungry.

Et voilà! My self-serviced plates of delicious frenchness. Mind the blurry images. I get a little hypoglycemic when I have to stand in line for food. For all those starving children in the world - that's duck confit on the first plate, below the carrot. I even got to make my own damn crêpe.

Food porn: A Retrospective

Poppy and I will be in New York City next weekend. I ♥ NY. Who doesn't? I have the luxury of having family who live there, so I visit as much as I can. I have no shame in only visiting places where I have a free place to stay. Thankfully, I have friends and fam that (sometimes) live in fancy places! But hell, if they lived in Idaho, I'd be sharing my hot pics of potatoes.

In honour of our mini-break, I begin my food and travel retrospective (well you saw the first one yesterday):

2006 - *ah* it was good year for travel and food. Poppy and I took an impromptu trip to Alberta. Don't ask. We've never been, why not? Nous allons!

Our first stop, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada - The Fairmont Lake Louise:

It's funny because the lasagna and Shepard's pie we ordered are no longer on the menu. C'est bien dommage. Lake Louise has clearly moved on to more shi-shi menu items like salmon on naan bread and nasi goreng. But what we had was super yummy. During our stay, Poppy and I felt like JLo (when she was still relevant). So in JLo style, we ordered room service and ate it wearing our plush hotel bathrobes. And in JLo style, we paid mega bucks for it! But when in Rome...or er, the mountains of Alberta...

We also ended up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - again shameless visits to family with free couches to sleep on: This is take-out from La Shish:

Don't let all the bad reviews fool you - yes agreed, the Jasper Avenue location is better than the dine-in location. But who cares, you're not there for the bloody romance. You ♥ the fucking garlic sauce on roasted potatoes! (top right) Sheesh, people can be so finicky. This styrofoam-encased-full-of-Lebanese-love is the platter - bursting with delicious chicken, beef, rice, tabouli salad, tomato and cucumber salad, pickled somethings, pita bread, hummus, more garlic sauce, and you can eat it for days. I often ask for it to be flown in when my Edmontonian visits chez moi. Yeah that's right, JLo style...

I also went international and visited Shanghai, China. There was so much eating going on at so many places during this trip, but I loved this cafe:

I can't remember exactly the name of the cafe (mainly because I was bummed to discover that the grand opening of the Shanghai Flagship Uniqlo was not ready for my arrival) but it was surprisingly luscious - enoki mushrooms wrapped in fatty beef, just begging to be dunked into a juicy, spicy, curried paper hot pot to cook. Who knew that mall food could be so good.

Food porn: The Beginning

This is how it all started - lunchtime, Times Square NYC, 2005. Mon amie/ma cousine, Poppy and I were immersed with all that The City had to offer and forgot to eat. So we ended up in a strange "Japanese" fast food joint. Hey, desperate times, call for desperate measures. Teriyaki chicken bowls with "California" rice - Tokyo this was not. But Poppy insisted we photograph this meal, this moment.

I thought her request was strange, but the look on her face suggested I wasn't allowed to eat until I obliged (and I was starving, even for this bowl of runny rice) so I didn't object.

During the trip it dawned on me - whenever I travel, I'm busy taking pictures of stupid buildings and posing in front of monuments. What about the food?? Why not remember a delicious meal by honouring it with a photo as well? I'm sure the chef would appreciate it. He or she has been perfecting their craft for years with no photographic adoration. So began my love of food photos.

Over the years, I've recruited whomever I travel with to indulge me and my food porn shoots. They have often become the set director, artistic designer, and know to get their arm, hand, or boobs out of the shot. Their patience is profound, because usually on vacay, you're ravenous by the time you figure out where and what you want to eat, but we still take that first moment to set up the shot. I have good friends and family.

And now, I have a vast collection of food porn that I would like to share with everyone (or the 3 people who are reading this and who have probably traveled with me, so really, you've already seen these pics...)

Oh just to add, by the end of that NYC trip, we discovered better places to eat and enjoyed a trés fantastique brunch in Brooklyn @ Jolie Restaurant:

The ambiance was sweet and endearing, and it didn't feel like you were in New York anymore. But God bless America - the Eggs Jolie comes with fries. Or frites as they say...

**Disclaimer: I have not and do not receive any endorsements from any of the establishments mentioned in my posts. They just happen to be places that I've been and if you like them, maybe you'll want to go one day too. But no one better sue me over it!*

Gyozilla

My nearest and dearest amie (et ma cousine) Poppy and I constantly joke about ourselves never getting married, enjoying our spinsterdom in a house on the hill with 40 cats and a pool boy. Our cats would be named after our ex-boyfriends – Insensitive, Loser, Broke-Ass, Selfish, Tiny... Pea was going to be our mortgage helper and have her own basement suite. We would curse the world from our doorstep, wearing cute twin sets and brooches, pumping our fists in the air.

All bets are off now - Poppy recently got engaged. I’m more than thrilled for her. Truly I am. (Her fiancé is called Murray too!)

Poppy and I seem to live on either ends of the universe sometimes, so we email each other almost everyday. People might think that’s strange – why don’t you just call her? Why don’t you Skype? No, we like it old skool – we like to type! I think we know each other well enough that our written word won’t be misinterpreted. So that’s how she told me about her engagement. WTF? - I can hear y’all gasping. Settle down. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I did make a special request in my email reply - that just this once, she has to tell me in person, all the romantic details, as I hold her hand, beaming over her gorgeous diamond ring.

Since we do often live in opposite worlds, it takes an event or well planned day for us to see one another in person. For weeks we had been emailing about her homemade gyoza. Who makes anything from scratch anymore?? Apparently “engaged ladies” do. She warns they aren’t regulation size. I’ve dubbed them Gyozillas because she uses double the amount of filling and combines two wrappers together. (Can you tell which one is the store-bought, regulation size one?) Can we say, YUM?

Poppy gave me permission to share her recipe but I’ve discovered that recipe writing is not easy! Maybe I’ll make a video of it one day…We did succeed in making almost 75 Gyozillas and in between batches, she told me all the romantic details of how her Murray proposed. I didn’t hold her hand though because we had been touching gyoza-raw-meat filling and somehow it didn’t seem very sanitary for either of us. I digress…*sniff* It couldn’t have been more perfect for the two of them, and to her joy, it did not involve a Jumbotron.

Congratulations Poppy and Murray.