nikkib

So I got back from Hong Kong earlier this week, I have posted aboput my lunch at Lung King Heen here on my blog http://beirutibrit.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/lung-king-heen-foureasons-hotel-hong-kong/http://beirutibrit.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/lung-king-heen-foureasons-hotel-hong-kong/ and will continue to update it as and when i can get around to it. Lunch was absolutely outstanding, food and service were just outstanding and I was so glad I went. I also made to Tsim Chai Kee for breakfast noodle wonton soup which was also excellent, Wellington St not only boasts them, Maks noodles across the road but many, many other options including a couple of dumpling places I went to and will post about later. Hong Kong is a great foodie city and I cant wait to return! Thanks to all for the recommendations!

Thanks YSL, Tsim chai kee and maks sound great- I shall enjoy comparing!

Thanks all!

Thanks annachan - lung king heen and lau sum kee sound great!

I am heading to hong king in a few weeks for a long weekend of exploring and eating and was hoping for some recommendations on where I should eat. I'm looking at local food, cheap to mid range and would be very grateful for any advice...

Wow norm! Looks delicious!!!

When living in India we had essentially the same considerations - a brilliant indicator of safety when choosing a dosa joint. now i know - will remember this for future reference!! great blog!!

I really liked Artie's http://www.arties.com/ when we visited last a few years back. Couldn't speak to its authenticity but we had a good meal and a lot of fun at Zabars (which is across the road) later

I saw this on tv the other day and it looked so delicious and pretty easy to do, also a bit different...... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/ultimate-beef-braciole-recipe/index.html

Welcome back! Loving the new blog so far!

Thanks liuzhou - yes I'm here in singapore and know there are a huge array of noodle dishes and wouldn't imagine they'd give the recipe out - fun to see them though. What sort of noodles do you cook at home?

I chop them up with tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and coriander and stuff into pita bread with pan fried halloumi - and as per post before this, I stuff them with feta

Maybe people could share their favorite noodle recipes from whichever region of china/ the world they are from.... Granted "noodles" is a big topic and I'm sure complex to address but I for one would be keen to see what you all recommend...,

I sent my mum and dad there with friends for a post theatre meal recently as I have heard good things about it. She said the atmosphere was excellent, bustling and lively even at 11pm still and spoke very highly of the fish soup and a seabream main course she had served with fennel and sauce vierge. Sounds like a good spot for pre/post theatre dining

hey alder1, you should be able to find zatar in Uk quite easily now - its a Middle eastern herb blend, mostly dried tyme, oregano and sesame amongst others. have a feeling I saw it in Waitrose when i was last back - if you are near london teh spice shop in notting hill sells it and I am pretty sure you can order from them online too

I wasn't getting you wrong, but its a matter of perception. They THINK having cheese will be too much when there's dessert to follow. Wouldn't have been my personal choice, I'd choose cheese every time. One, however, must honor one's guests preferences. I may be a cheesehead, but not all of my friends are. Also, I think they get a bit blase around here as the great cheeses are always available. To make it up I'll do a few cheese posts in the near future. Thanks, I always reckon the the food is merely lubrication for good conversation. That's what happened yesterday. The wines were local. They were from Gaillac which is about half an hour South of us. There are something like 6,000 acres of grapes around Gaillac. Its one of the oldest wine regions in France going back to at least Roman times & probably even earlier. The winery is Domaine de Chanade; its a favorite & we've been going there for the last ten years or so. They're interesting in that they sell over 85% of their wine outside of France. Mainly to the UK (Marks & Spencer, Waitrose), the states (though a distributor), Belgium & Holland. The red was a special that he does and can only be purchased at the winery. Yesterday's was a 2007 just coming into full drink-ability. The white is a light very fruity but dry. (Ideal for the soup) I've been getting a deal from Christian on it as it was mislabeled. 20¤ for a case of 6 bottles. Lucky us. See above about the cheese. Around the world? I should be so lucky, but flattery will get you cheese posts. . David - Great question, but a hard one to answer. I'll try. I'll make two major assumptions; first that your Thanksgiving guests are not cheese addicts and secondly that you need to choose cheeses that are obtainable locally. Given those I'd try this: #1 A Cheddar. A nice mature one with a bit of sharpness. It could be one of the better Vermont types or given where you live a Tillamook would be nice if you can find a good one. #2 A brie. Raw milk would be nice if allowed in the states these days. The trick with brie is to let it ripen. Get it out of the cling wrap immediately and let it sit in a cool place (40-50 degrees) for a few days until the center starts to soften. You don't want it runny for guests, but definitely nice & soft. This brings out the flavor. If there's a good cheese shop in Spokane they should be able to sell you some good brie nearly ready to eat. If not buy what you can and ripen it yourself. #3 Stilton. My favorite of all the blues. Its mild enough not to put non-cheese lovers off. Bleu de Auvergne would work as well, but may be hard to find. The other nice thing about Stilton is that you get to serve port with it. Doesn't have to be the very expensive vintage stuff any decent port will do nicely. I'd serve either some good French bread or plain crackers with it plus some cornichons and possibly some grapes as they look nice & taste good with cheese. I'm not a great fan of fruit with cheese, but many people are. My wife loves chutney with her cheddar. The Brie & Stilton only need a vehicle (Bread) to transport the cheese to one's mouth in a reasonably graceful manner. As to your other questions; with a triple cream I'd probably serve a sweet wine. Sauternes or the like, different, but it works. For blue it very much depends upon which one you're eating. See above for milder blues or a robust red.For really sharp blues (Roquefort for instance) nothing much works although, surprisingly, Sauternes can work. Grappa, perhaps? Champagne, of course, goes with almost all cheeses. Hope these answers help. If not or you need more just let me know. Whiskey works well with salty blue cheese strangely - you should give it a shot

I'd cook a nice piece of fish with it and make the israeli couscous into a sort of tabbouleh with lots of parsley, mint, chopped tomato, onion and lemon juice and tehn serve with tahina over the top of the fish

Hassouni - i juest remembered there was a place in the souks that did great tandoor bread and food, cant remember the name but its just outside the souk, in a row of small restaurants with a picture of a tandoor on the sign (wow even worse directions than in beirut! Thats a first)

check out local blogger lady ironchef for his list of the best local places to eat too

oh gosh where to start? Blue Ginger - Peranaken food at its best Chilli Padi - again great peranaken food in joo chiat, a bit off the beaten track but delicious local food Newton Circus hawker centre - locals complain its touristy but its great, open 24 hours and open air - seafood specialities. Lau pasat - at night for the satay stalls in the street behind the hawker centre maxwell road hawker centre - hainanese chicken from tian tian - very good and you will queue for around 3045 minutes at lunch but its worth it for sure. Din tai fung (ok this is tawainese dim sum but i love it) Those would be my recommendations to be starting with :-)

Cave76 - will do our best - I am in singapore at the moent but am hoping Hassouni will update us when he gets back, im so jealous! Check out the foodblogs on the food traditions and cultures pages - from all over the world and incredibly interesting :-) happy reading and thanks

Loving the blog Franci - everything looks great, its interesting to see a slice of Monaco too. Glad you are feeling better!

Really looking forward to this Franci! Have a great week!

Ishpingo? What does that taste like? Delicious looking recipe too!

I am a huge fan of dos hermanos bloggers and this is their recipe - haven't tried it myself but looks pretty good.... http://www.doshermanos.co.uk/2011/08/chicken-korma-princely-dish-of-persia.html?m=1