Duvel

Yes, there are. Brunch is a big thing in HK, and especially the upscale places. I do usually go more to the family style establishments, which provide nice food plus entertainment options for toddlers and kids. These tend to be more reasonable priced, but you get most cuisines up to you desires. With my wife being catalan, we tend to go to Spanish / Catalan places. Zuma is a bit more upscale, with brunch plus alcoholic option at 690 HKD, about 80 USD. But it's worth every penny 😉

Some dried peppers ...

Finishing leftovers - in this case cooked potatoes: Korokke! With minced beef, onions & carrot ...

I am a lucky guy indeed 😉 But keep in mind: It's just a small (17h) hop over the big pond ...

Brunch at Zuma in HK, a "Japanese fusion" restaurant. By far enough Japanese to make me come back, even though the title "fusion" always puts me off a bit. The brunch deal comes with free flow of champagne, sake, several bloody Mary's and beer - exactly what you need at 11.00h on a lazy Sunday 😳 Lobby Bar Sushi Sashimi Tsukemono Soups Salads Warm stuff My loot ... Followed by the "main courses" Wagyu beef and Yuzu Teriyaki ... A quite spicy "Nasu" Bloody Mary: roasted aubergine infused vodka, clamato juicy, Gray Goose. Dessert (not that it was necessary) Stuffed and ever so slightly buzzed I went home for a looooong nap ...

Maybe more brunch than breakfast: Flight delay from Seoul to Hong Kong, so had some hours to kill. Luckily, just one shuttle bus stop away from the Terminal is an e-Mart, a large supermarket. Made my way there, was just loading my cart with unnecessary amounts of snack food when the smell of fresh pizza hit my nose. The in-store bakery just opened up and I found myself wondering how the Wagyu "crumble" and Bulgogi pizza might taste like. Next thing I know is me sitting in front of the store, cart full of things for which I don't have luggage space, eating said pizza. Not bad at all, rather sweet meat with a light spiciness, with lots of garlic (sure) and green peppers. Didn't find the Wagyu "crumble", but then again I wouldn't know what to look for anyway. Interestingly enough, the crust is covered with sweet potato purée, which - oddly - complements the soft crust very well. All in all a surprisingly pleasant breakfast. Now to find a Bulgogi Burger from Lotteria for lunch ...

It's not a no no at all, but this particular restaurant did not serve it with a yolk ...

Tonight casual dinner with the production plant guys. Very relaxed ... The place is famous in Ulsan for serving prime beef BBQ - and it did not disappoint. We (well the plant manager) opted for 1 & 2, and me for 5. He lives next to the place and plays golf with the owner of the restaurant - go figure. Needless to say, service was excellent. The setup Banchan. You pay the beef and all banchan comes for free in unlimited amounts ... Salads are free as well ... Spicy squid salad Mixed greens Sirloin! One me of the best meats I had in Korea. Rivals Wagyu ... so tender and juicy. With braised garlic, of course. And - again especially for @Smithy: Cass, World Cup edition with upside down label. The senior plant engineer explained me, that the upside down label means that the Korean team can turn every game around. Several jokes at the expense of the German team followed, which told me that (a) they trust and accept me enough to make that kind of jokes and (b) I shall not strive for answering any more of @Smithy's superfluous questions. Ridiculous amounts of Soju were mixed with the beer, as it is custom. After some time the Junior process engineer asked for "secret sauce", which turned out to be this. Tastes like nam pla. Turns out this is the basic mother liquor for making Kimchi, consisting of fermented fish, chilli and some soy beans. Works pretty well with beef ... Diaphragm - the most expensive cut. Again, a winner. Sooo flavourful ... And because I always ask for it: Yukhoe. Perfect consistency, just sweet enough with a deep sesame flavour. Made me happy... After all the meat what the Koreas call "the main course" arrived: noodles in soy bean broth. Good, but not really required anymore ... The damage done. I shall return 😋

Tonight official workshop dinner in Ulsan, Korea - my way. The site manager of our local production site used to work in my team in HK until recently, so he is obliged and of course also likes to take special care of me... Lucky guy I am 😋 Rice cakes, filled with bean paste Mixed veggies & bean rice gruel Octopus with shiso leaves and fresh bamboo shoots Squid & shrimp in a mustardy dressing Salmon sashimi Fried fish with chilli - very Sichuanese, actually Water parsley, in three variations Beef shank with tomato, cucumber and nashi pear Especially for @Smithy: Cass, regular edition with correct orientation of the label. This was - of course - mixed with Soju to make SoMek (or "Atomic bomb" as my Korean colleagues call it).". I got pretty toasted ... Some sort of courgette with chilli Dakgalbi - chicken with gochujang Galbi - I did not care for the meat at all, but the sauce was divine. The owner of the restaurant was so proud that I recognised her special dish that I got a soup bowl full of the sauce later (which I finished) Squid with aubergines - extremely spicy Pan fried stingray with chilli Rice and daikon soup Banchan Corn tea with ice crystals. Exceptionally refreshing. Full. Content. Happy.

Nikujaga ... pretty Japanese to me 😊

🤣 That comment will get me through my entire boring afternoon workshop ... Thank you !!!

To be honest, I did not even notice that before ... Seems like a special edition for the World Cup. I would ask, but as a German I am too proud to discuss the World Cup with a Korean at the moment 😉

From the popular installment "Canteen meals in rural Korea" today part 14a: Ulsan. Kimchi, more Kimchi, bean sprout salad, pork patties with egg & spring onion, some local fish stewed with Kimchi, rice with beans and seaweed soup. Dessert was the Korean version of Yakult.

Arrived today in the small Korean city of Ulsan, where we are going to have a workshop in the upcoming days. Unfortunately, since yesterday I had some gastrointestinal issues, combined with flu-like symptoms which might be traced back to the broiled oyster sushi that I got from a rather cheap take-out place. My colleague who shared the sushi experiences the same issues, so we might not go back there again. After two flights and checking in the hotel I was prepared to get some barley tea from the convenience store and call it a night. I took an Ibuprofen and headed out... Half the way back to the hotel, the pain killer kicked in. Suddenly I was not feeling like dying anymore (remember: male-type flu symptoms are the worst). There was a McDonalds and while I was queuing to get a Bulgogi Burger I thought "are you really going to have McD in Korea" ? Just next to it, salvation was awaiting me. Chicken & beer joint, at 19.00h almost full - jackpot! Ordered the mixed fried chicken & soy sauce garlic one ... Fantastic: light & crunchy... super flavourful. It came with a beer (chicken & BEER joint) and strangely a bottle of Soju to mix. Did I order that? Can't refuse, Koreans take drinking too seriously... Plus the local advertisements are somehow convincing 🙄 In the way home dropped into a convenience store and bought two bottles of Barley tea and cram cheese ice cream. Let's see if I am going to regret this evening tomorrow, but for now I am a happy camper 😁

Sorry, I thought that would be implied by "dry curing" (German: "pökeln" = curing with nitrate/nitrite-containing salt). I used "NPS", German pink salt with a nitrite concentration of ~ 1.5% ...

Beef brisket, dry-cured with mustard seeds, coriander and jerk seasoning for 5 days. Rinsed, watered for 30 min, dried for 2 h in the fridge. Then brushed with liquid smoke and covered with freshly toasted and ground black pepper & coriander. SV at 167.5 oF for 24h. Cooled, sliced and portioned. And for me a Pastrami sandwich, as featured in the Dinner thread.

And while you are at it, @Shelby, please have a stopover at Hong Kong and drop by 😋

Sandwich with more homemade Pastrami than my blood pressure does actually allow, with dijonnaise, pickled cucumber and onions...

Upon request by my guests (who refused German cuisine for some reason ): kind of Levantine/Mediterranean dinner party. Most recipes taken from Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem", or at least inspired by it. Grilled & marinated eggplants & courgettes Potato salad with aubergine, lemon and artichokes Roasted pumpkin with tahini & za'atar Baba Ghanoush with yoghurt Hummus Ovendried cherry tomatoes & olives Pide in all variations (lamb, egg, grilled veggies ...) Köfte Pastrami There was also grilled chicken, but I was too busy dishing out Pides before they were gone. All three batches ... Progress picture Not pictured: Copious amounts of Asahi, off-dry Riesling and Old Fashioned, followed by shots of Jägermeister (the holy trinity of Levantine booze)... A successful evening, if I might say so

Pickled cucumbers (picture taken with an antique iPad) ...

The perfect follow-up to a fun night out: "Bavarian Breakfast" - Weisswürstchen, Brezn, Weissbier ... Works pretty well

This should actually be placed in the not yet existing thread "Things I eat long after dinner and some drinks" ... "Dan Dan Bucatini" with bits of minced meat, sichuan pickles, sichuan pepper and oil. Topped with SV pork belly and my "ma la" rub comprised of more Sichuan pepper, chili and a little cumin. Some cilantro was added right after the picure. G&T to counteract the spiciness...

Cured a pork belly for the last 3 days. Turned half of it today into Kümmelbauch with a healthy dose of caraway seeds, roasted on a bed of onions. Lunch was fresh Kümmelbauchbrötchen, with onion marmalade and pickled cucumbers. And the crackling, of course ... 😀

So I have to stop swallowing my tooth paste ??

Pizza night at Casa Duvel: (Fennel) Salami & olives Anchovies, capers and olives (The last of my Sardinian) Salami & olives