anniewood

HKDave, Have you discovered the two new(ish) Sichuan restaurants in HK? 1. Man Jiang Hong, First Floor, Thai Kong Building, 482 Hennessy Rd., Causeway Bay. Tel: 852-2838-8811. I love the dumplings here... the dumpling casings are fantastic and they don't hold back on peppercorns or chilies (or oil for that matter). Downstairs is a great little shop selling the Sichuan peppercorns and chilies, plus a whole lot of other fascinating Sichuanese products. 2. The Sichuan hotpot restaurant near Wanchai MTR station. If you're standing on Johnson Rd and facing the station entrance, look up to your right, you'll see what looks like a Japanese restaurant--it's on the first, second and third floors of the building on the corner. Its specialty is fish head hotpot. I just can't do the eyes. There's also the older Q Restaurant at 134 Wan Chai Rd... very basic hole in the wall place that specializes in noodles... fantastic dan dan mian.

I love them also... there's a great cold noodle dish at a Shanghai vegetarian restaurant in Hong Kong, where I live. The noodles come plain and you choose from a range of dipping sauces (chili oil, hoisin, vinegars, peanut sauce), pickles, and ground peanuts to make your own combination. If anyone had any recipes for cold noodle dishes--Korean, Japanese whatever, I'd love to steal them..... a.w.

If you're prepared to eat like the locals do, nothing in Bangkok is expensive. I have two favorite places. First, an Issan restaurant called Krua Rommai, 16 Sukhumvit soi 36 (take the Skytrain to Thong Lo; soi 36 has a Shell service station on the corner and the restaurant is a short walk down the soi). Tel: 02-661-2340. Open: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You'll eat for less than US$10 here easily but it doesn't take credit cards. Amazing barbecued chicken with sticky rice, really interesting greens. Larb, the finely chopped, really spicy salad with chicken or pork and ground roasted rice. Eggplant in a spicy and sour sauce. And the orm, a hot curry with fish. Second, Rut & Lek, at the intersection of Yaowarat and Soi Texas (Yaowarat is a one-way road through Chinatown. Soi Texas, home to the Texas parking garage, comes in from the right. Rut & Lek is on the far corner as you head in the direction of the traffic.) Open: daily, 6:30 p.m. to 2:45 a.m. Three people can stuff themselves for $25, including beer. (Again, no credit cards). This is all seafood -- barbecued fish cooked in aluminum foil with a herby paste; amazing giant shrimps; great tom yum (it's hot though! really hot!) and crab fried rice that is divine etc