insomniac

oh, I had forgotten about Perfume River! don't forget Chung Chuk Lau(Pine and Bamboo)(also RIP) on Leighton Road in Causeway Bay....we loved that place ps. Ah Leung, wasn't there an Indonesia Restaurant also in Causeway Bay? the sign looks similar?? pps. ooh, nearly forgot....Spring Deer has got to qualify, Canucklehead

Giles Coren is a pillock and I have held this belief ever since 'I read a restaurant review of his a couple of years ago in which he declared he was never going to review the food anymore, just the ethical and environmental standards of the restaurant. Which doesn’t make you much use as a restaurant reviewer???

I can't get my head around the fuel prices argument....fuel is cheap cheap cheap in the US and Oz and that's where a shedload of wheat is grown.....we are paying £1.05/litre over here.............and are thinking about growing wheat on our farm.....

aaah, coco de mer....slightly more erotic than a coconut drink in Sham Shui Po......

I pretty much use PC's method but I have been known to dry the duck with my hairdryer when I was in a hurry.....worked OK

Yum cha just means to drink tea, which is what you do when you sek (faan)(eat) dim sum... have heard Chatswood is a good place to eat Chinese...a bit far for me to go edited for spelling

aaaah, kare pan, warm from the Sogo oven, slightly crunchy and a teeny bit oily on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside with that gorgeous mild curry filling......miss it...crave it.....no idea how to duplicate it??...any ideas?

Peter and Scud, please feel free to eat what you may....beware of piggging out and don't forget your names..... can't wait....

I believe that lo fan simply means foreigner whereas 'gwai' is a demon rather than a ghost and used to be perjorative....today no-one I know takes offence at gwai lo or gwai po....like many words in English it has long lost its sting....

and I just had a *doh* moment......as a bumbling Cantonese speaker I have just realised that 'shin' = 'sun' (new) and 'sai' = 'sai' (west) and 'to'= 'tung'.(east).... only took me about 21 years to notice, til now just thought certain characters were the same....hmmm, not exactly Sherlock Holmes... enjoying your daily life very much ps. how safe is it to cycle? I wouldn't fancy it in HK..

After you've sampled the delights of the Cafe Romna, nip over the road to The Old Spot, a rare oasis of excellent grub in this part of Somerset's culinary desert....

You are spot on Rona, Ling did post the recipe...it is Henry's mother's...I copied it down so carefully I can't find it!

My French boyfriend tells me it means "Le" in southern patois. ← Thanks. Makes sense. Don't know why it didn't turn up in the dictionary. I'll have to try some others. ← I struck it in Provence...think it is Occitan, quite like Catalan....at the time I wondered if my brain was fried as I suddenly couldn't understand what the people around me were saying

available any time after March 10th....will locate to Bogota...in the name of research PLEASE....(sorry Yoonhi)

just had 2 weeks at my brother's beach house (right in the beach) at Culburra Beach south of Sydney and have confirmed my post last year that the best fish and chips I've ever had is from the DJ's shack opposite the fishing boats at Greenwell Point (Jervis Bay)...I hang out for the fish, all fresh, depends on the catch, includes schnapper, flathead, barramundi, leather jacket, black fish, perch (not sure what that is),plus gorgeous small, saline, slippery local rock oysters and my secret vice, chico rolls (yeah but I ive in the UK)...thinking of re-emigrating on the basis of the fresh fish quality, sooo rare in England

good point.... after being slapped on the wrist for taking the p!ss out of the use of beverage rather than drink in a previous post (I had in mind the philological schism which occurred after William the Conqueror imposed French (beverage) upon Anglo Saxon England (trinken) and was extrapolating the usage in convict stocked Australia, I am in favour of foodie....a common Oz diminution is the adding of 'ie' to a noun, the ongoing thread on Aussie Choccie being a prime example of one of our irritating habits

Abra, must agree wholeheartedly with Margaret Pilgrim's two recommendations. I would like to add the small hotel Ti al Lannec....beautiful situation on the sea (well, a walk down a slope) delightful rooms and excellent food...our son was not feeling the best and the kitchen served him a simple consomme and fish not on the menu, couldn't have been more accommodating and friendly and they have a HUGE French-type jolie laid dog called Petit Loup, never seen a bigger (very gentle) dog in my life and we are all very tall! love Bretagne

I think the place you are referring to is Photios on the left hand side of New South Head Road if you are pointing towards Watto Bay....they have been there for yonks (I used to babysit for the family in the late 60's!)....killer chocs etc what about the chocolatiere who supplies Qantas first class in Paddington? (off Oxford St) name escapes me, sorry

faites attention, Barry, locust boil is an old established Thai meal (Isaan) and tastes, well, yum....

well. MM, I cooked a treeload of quinces again this year and while not quite membrillo (almost but in syrup)we eat them with roast pork/duck/pheasant/goose etc as a perfect counterfoil for the gamey flavour of the meat, also chop them in salads with walnuts and blue cheese or goats cheese ( in fact with any cheese) and also a delight with foie gras in its many variations...I love quinces...alas, we finished them tonight...but the syrup remains...

Verjuice, what an exotic flower you are ... which train of thought leads me to ask you, did you chose where to live in the States, as it seems to me that where you live now is, in a way, like the Gulf of old, hmmm I mean the desert-like environment, relaltively low population density and extremes of temperature. I'm speaking from the point of view of having had family in the Gulf for many years some 30 yrs ago....our local friends with a stunning, simple beach place like you and we spent time in the desert with them regularly...Dubai was small and we crossed the creek in a funny little taxi boat.....just curious as it's hard to come from a place that suddenly 'modernises' and westernises. ps hope not too personal a query

I don't think its hard at all. The entry fee is only HK$ 20. When my mother told people it cost her 20 bucks to join, everyone thought she was using slang - and that it actually cost 20 thousand to join. Uh - no, 20 dollars - that's about US$ 7. Ask a waiter how to join next time you are taken there. ← love it too, am a member, easy, was introduced by a Shanghainese friend...also a very convenient location when I was working round the corner and a refreshing change from expensive Lan Kwai Fong area ...and when I couldn't sleep last night I was thinking about snake soup before I read yr post canucklehead...will be in HK in a week or so and a big bowl of tummy warming snake soup is going to be be my first stop...

1. At the supermarket buy some fresh lamb (or fish), bamboo or metal skewers, cumin powder (I think), chilli powder, salt, tomato sauce etc. (according to your taste) 2. cut the meat into small cubes, not too big otherwise it won't cook properly. After cutting put the meat which has been rubbed with ingredients onto the skewers. 3. you need to prepare the charcoal and the grill (can also use a wok (baking dish?)to make things easier) 4. leave until cooked 5. after eating remember to tidy up for next time. (If you are outside remember to put your rubbish in a bin) ATTN: If it was too spicy, you can go to the supermarket and choose other ingredients, After all you are the one enjoying the result! My paltry attempt at translation, I'm sure a better Chinese reader will be along in a minute to correct me! not sure about the cumin as I know a different set of characters for it (anyway it filled in a few minutes ha) I like instruction #5

I am a huge fan of manuka honey from NZ which aside from having a fantastic flavour has interesting health benefits. (boring bit now ha) All honey has some level of the antibacterial chemical hydrogen peroxide, which is produced by enzymes in the honey. These enzymes are easily destroyed by exposure to heat and light and also by contact with body fluids. Manuka honey has an antibacterial action that is separate to the peroxide effect, resulting in a much more persistent and stable antibacterial action, great for wound treatment. The honey also has a synergistic antibacterial effect with the hydrogen peroxide activity, producing a very powerful weapon against bacterial conditions....at first the benefits were thought to be strictly 'homeopathic' but lab testing has confirmed the antibacterial benefits...

....just as the'dirty kitchen' in the Philippines, my favourite spot, you do not stand alone