SpikeHK

Funny you should mention the cigar smoke. We sat outside for our dinner, smoking is allowed outside and I smoke cigarettes. There were four men sitting at the table across from us and all were smoking cigars. Even though I'm a smoker myself, I find the smell of cigar smoke to be oppressive in restaurants. I didn't complain to the server about it, in no small part because I'm aware of Alvin's image with the cigar, and figured I wouldn't get anywhere. Next time I'm there I'll be requesting an inside table and then just walk outside when I want to smoke.

Yes that's right, Bourdain did visit them at their old location. "Gastronomic entertainment" is a great phrase! It was food and theater all rolled up into one. I'd only rush back there if I had a guest in town who was eager to try something very different. Too many other places I still haven't tried and my budget is limited.

Reverse order .... Sadly, Alvin was not there that night. I had been hoping to meet him. The tweezers were for the toro "paper," to be used to roll it up. It was pretty thin and I guess they figured that with chopsticks, a lot of people would end up tearing it. Sour foam - ya know, I honestly don't remember. There were a lot more ingredients in each dish than listed on the menu and our server dutifully listed each one. The friend who invited me and who is doing the print review kept detailed notes - I didn't, and after 14 courses and 6 wines, I'm amazed that I remembered as much as I did!

Just back from a quick trip to Macau as well. For dinner, I had to return to Fernando's, since I haven't been there in about three years. It may not be haute cuisine but what they do falls firmly into what I call comfort food. Saturday night, of course a one hour wait for a table, made much easier with a pitcher of sangria, a plate of grilled chorizo and some olives and a basket of their bread. Once seated, the garlic prawns (didn't seem as splendiferous as in the past but still good), the clams (this dish was on every table and deservedly so) and some grilled sardines. Incidentally, I'm told the reason Fernando's isn't reviewed in Michelin is because after all these years they still don't have a restaurant license. Sunday lunch, not sure where to go .... walking around the Venetian casino/shopping mall, I recalled seeing an ad for a special at Roka. Roka is a Japanese restaurant in London, with a second branch at Pacific Place in HK and the third in the Venetian. The lunch special was unlimited robata and tempura for $138MOP per person or $168MOP with soba, rice and miso soup. There are about 12 items on the list and they bring you all 12, and then you can order more of specific items if you're still hungry. They served them almost all at once which of course is not the way to do it and it meant that by the time we reached the bottom of the plate, things were getting cold. The robata was nicer than the tempura, especially the salmon, prawn and tofu. At 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon, only three tables were occupied in this large restaurant. The servers (mostly from Philippines and Nepal) told us that the place was busy when it first opened but not since then. Their regular menu is expensive and it's my impression that most gamblers who come down from the mainland aren't looking to save their money for the gambling tables and eat as cheap as possible (so the food court in the mall was quite busy). After all these years, I still haven't had a chance to try some of the renowned places in Macau like A Lorcha - guess I need to plan a longer trip there one of these days. But I'm not into casino gambling and much of the charm of Old Macau seems to be disappearing underneath the glitz and neon of the gambling world.

Sher, you're much more expert in this sort of thing than I am! I'm relatively new to all this, trying to learn as fast as I can, and definitely enjoying the ride! In terms of the century egg, I think "don't mind" would be more appropriate than "enjoy." Given that I have this bizarre psychological aversion to eggs, I surprised myself by eating the entire thing after taking the initial bite. I don't think it's the sort of thing I'd eagerly seek out. The taste of the egg was nowhere near as strong as I'd been led to expect and the foam definitely provided a nice balance. On the other hand, I seriously enjoyed the quail egg! Xiao Long Bao - definitely liquid, maintained the bubble shape until in the mouth, at which point the flavor just exploded! We were instructed to put the sheet of vinegar on our tongues and let it melt first and then add the "bao." And all the tastes I associate with a crab xiao long bao were there, exactly right. I had the impression that the pork was broiled or grilled. I know what sous vide is but I don't think I've ever had anything prepared that way. Spike

This is my first restaurant post - your constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated! Last night I had dinner at Bo Innovation, the Michelin 2 star restaurant featuring Alvin Leung's molecular gastronomy take on Chinese food. I was invited along with someone who would be reviewing the restaurant for a magazine. As such, the restaurant was aware in advance that we were reviewers and our meal was free. For what it's worth, from what I could observe, other diners in the restaurant were receiving the same food and same attentive service we received. Bo Innovation recently moved from Ice House Street in Central to 60 Ship Street (just off Johnston Road) in Wanchai. Take a glass elevator from the street to the second floor and here is your view of the restaurant: There are only three options for dinner here. A tasting menu at HK$680, a chef's menu at HK$1,080 and a chef's menu with wine for HK$1,680. We were offered the chef's menu with wine. The menu changes monthly. I'm still getting the hang of food photography so apologies that some of these photos aren't perfect but good enough to give you an idea, right? Century egg with super sour foam (I normally shy away from eggs but this was quite nice and the taste of the century egg was not as strong as I expected): Cherrystone clam: Quail egg in taro topped with beluga caviar (one of my favorites of the night): Vegetable cappuccino with anchovy crouton: Toro "paper" with dried foie gras: Sweet peas with sticky rice and a sauce made from Chinese pickles: Xiao long bao with dried vinegar (the taste was perfect!): An extra course not on the menu - Chinese sausage ice cream: Hairy crab souffle (marvelous): Sweet & sour pork (using Iberian pork): Wagyu beef cheung fun with black truffle soy: Red bean creme brulee, gingko nut soda, sesame banana ball: Apple crumple with egg foam: The dinner lasted four hours. An event - theater as much as a meal. And for my first exposure to this type of cooking, I enjoyed all of it. While I wouldn't say this is anywhere near my favorite meal, it is definitely one of the most memorable meals of my life. And on that basis, I'd say the two Michelin stars are well deserved.

Well, I've picked up the book and spent a bit of time flipping through it while eating lunch. Initial thoughts - they don't say anything critical about any of the restaurants they review, so I can't really gauge why they'd star one over another. The fact that each restaurant is limited to a single page and every page is in two languages severely limits the size of the review. Some of the English in the reviews seems ever so slightly off. On Mortons: "But beware: portions are massive and two of you may care to share a double Porterhouse steak!" "may care to share"? Goes hand in hand with the fact that places that start with "The" are alphabetized under "T". Of the places that they review that I've been to, I can't disagree with any. Restaurants at Intercon, Hyatt, Peninsula, etc. are reviewed. I can of course thing of several places that should have been here, starred or not, but aren't. The Pawn (not that I especially like it but it is a notable spot), Sushi Hiro, Minar .... Very little in places off the beaten tourist path of north HK island and TST. I've been to roughly 40 or 50 of the places reviewed and thought well of almost all of them (I didn't care for Wasabisabi) and I see a number of places that I have yet to try that seem appealing.

My 2 cents ... I think people are jumping the gun here, reviewing a book that they haven't even read. We've only seen the very well publicized list of those restaurants that they've deemed the best. I may be wrong, but once the book comes out tomorrow, perhaps the reviews of the other 250 restaurants in it may shed some light on why those spots did not receive stars. But at the end of the day, we're talking just 12 peoples' opinions (even if those 12 people have presumably educated and experienced palates). You can't even get 12 people to agree on El Bulli, you're gonna get universal agreement on the best restaurants in Hong Kong? And I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone, but the notion that Caucasians are unable to judge relative quality of Chinese food in different restaurants is just silly. With the exception of a relatively few prominent acquired tastes (in every cuisine, not just Chinese), good food is good food, a well prepared dish is a well prepared dish, fresh ingredients are fresh ingredients. Anyway, odds are strong that when the guide comes out, the starred restaurants will get booked solid for the next six months, leaving us free to enjoy our favorite local spots in peace (or what passes for peace in a noisy hole in the wall). If I can't get into Lung King Heen, I'll live, but the line at Joy Hing is already long enough, we don't need a thousand tourists queuing for stool.

In case anyone's interested, it turns out that one of the tourist seafood restaurants along the waterfront in Sai Kung does offer dim sum. It's Tung Kee, the closest one to where the buses all stop. The way it works here is that you get a table and a ticket, then go over to a steam table in the center of the restaurant where you can lift the lids on the steamers and see what they've got. If you don't see what you want, ask for it and they might have some floating around the kitchen. The woman will stack the steamers on a tray for you, mark off your ticket, and then you carry it back to the table yourself. Six dishes and several cokes came out to $171. Quality is not great but not horrible either. Also noted ... $388 set dinner for two, nice selection of stuff (sorry memory fails me as to the exact dishes). And you can bring your own fish! They have a $88 cooking charge per dish if you bring your own stuff for them to cook; $68 cooking charge per dish if you're selecting stuff out of their own tanks. Yes, seems quite high, especially in these recessionary times. I've always felt these places are more for tourists than for locals. (all prices in HKD)

I have not lived in Hong Kong for years. But my brother does. He lives in Ma On Shan and here is what he recommends: Hit Hot Chiu Chow Restaurant Room 3049, 3/F, Sunshine City Plaza, Ma On Shan Tel: 2633 4829 潮州好棧 馬鞍山新港城商業中心 ← Thanks! I'll post something here if I have a chance to check them out.

Hi WK, that's exactly right. I live in Sai Kung. I usually don't travel far on Sundays because I have two dogs and it's the maid's day off. I can never have enough dim sum so am hoping there's something closer. Ma On Shan is close, of course. Can you make any specific recommendations? I'd also go for spots around Hang Hau, Po Lam, Tseung Kwan O, Kwun Tong if anyone can recommend any spots.

Aprilmei, I agree with you re: Maxims. I had two terrific dinners at their Hunan Garden at Times Square last month. I've also been to their Peking Garden in Central a couple of times and wasn't disappointed at all - the Peking duck I had there was better than any I ever had in Beijing.

Hi all, I'm new here, this is my first post, some may know me via my blog (Hongkie Town) or my column in BC Magazine but probably not. Anyway, I know I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of reading the posts, so forgive me if I'm asking something that's already been asked, but am wondering if anyone can recommend any places for Yum Cha in or near Sai Kung Old Town. I'm assuming that the touristy places along the waterfront don't have it (or if they do, it's not very good) but surely there must be some places there that do it? What about Wing Wo? Anyone ever try there? Thanks!