Duvel

I know China is cheap but I thinK 10 RMB is more like 1.6 US$ ... (which seems ok for a burger)

Quick lunch (and last meal) before heading back to Hong Kong: mixed grilled sushi, the Hokkaidō special and a Negitoro temaki. Came with a large draft beer for some reason ... Will be a happy flight

One day business trip to Tokyo ... flight was heavily delayed so I just went out around 22.30h to grab a bite to eat. There is a little Izakaya I like and funny enough the chefs remember me from the 3 or 4 times I have been there in the last year. I ordered pretty much the same as everytime: Horse sashimi, grilled spicy fish eggs (mentaiko) and deep fried sprats ... The chef recommended me to try the fried chicken leg. I was sceptical, as fried chicken leg topped with crispy garlic is pretty much standard fare in Hong Kong. But boy, was that chicken good. Turns out they marinate it with kelp and miso and then deep fry it in chicken fat. Yup, chicken fat. Kind of quick confit. It tasted like a chicken that had fallen in a pot of MSG when it was little. And then fell into a pot of hot schmaltz just now. Damn, I need to make that at home ... P.S.: I love those seats ...

Thanks for the thoughtful clarification - because just from the look of it, one might assume ...

Looks great ! Do you need to parboil the cauliflower prior to battering and frying or is it a straightforward preparation ?

Sure ... but they don't work as well with a cold Asahi

Yeah, the picture doesn't do it justice. I found the best part was actually the deep fried breaded chicken thigh "patty". They had to freshly fry it as I was amongst the last customers. So it was crunchy and very juicy ... and worked nicely with the sausage patty.

Maybe a typo ? Should be "droppings" (sheep droppings, specifically), a favourite past time snack on the northern islands ...

Such a loss ... RIP, Anthony Bourdain.

The soccer World Cup is approaching ... And with it "international" burger variations at McD Hong Kong: Right now the "German" chicken (&) sausage burger. Kind of ciabatta bread, an oblong breakfast sausage patty and a spicy fried chicken patty. Fatty, salty, umami - for a drunken midnight snack ideal. As to why this is spicy eludes me - being German I do like spicy stuff, but German food is usually not. In any case I enjoyed the burger more than I should admit (though will need to re-sample in a more sober state of mind, perhaps) ...

Thanks ... any guidance on times ?

While I was wandering slightly jet lag-impaired through our local supermarket I found this in the freezer section. I am a huge fan of the underused cuts of any animal, so this looked interesting. First thing that came to mind was simply to cube and braise with red wine and juniper berries. Will be pleasing, yet boring. Maybe curing with juniper berries, allspice and pink salt and then SV to make some sort of "corned venison" ... Do you have any ideas what to do to make it different to - say - beef ribs ? Of course tried & true recipes are also welcome

I second that ... what a great idea! Recipe, pleeeeaaase

I like Fevertree "Slimline" tonic - no sweetener, just a bit of Fructose (not HFCS). Very good and makes excellent G&T ...

How to finish a day featuring St. Paul's basilica and the Sistines Chapel ? Pizza al Taglio Specifically at Boncis Pizzarium, close to Vatican City. Bonci has his classics and some reinterpretations with a twist. We chose: Fried aubergine (nothing beats that for me) Spinach & Shiitake (with a mushroom garlic mousseline instead of a tomato sauce and sharp pecorino) Yellow zucchini with cured pork neck (this was perfect - the zucchini super sweet and the pork neck salty and as fatty as guanciale. My favourite) Onion and smoked pecorino (my wife's favourite) Eaten just in front of the shop with a nice artisanal beer. (On a side note: my wife had to stop me to buy my share of lovely different pizza flours the sell as well ...)

A quick porchetta sandwich before visiting Vatican City at Angrypig Porchetteria. I chose the one with fried aubergine slices, which added to the meatiness of the pork nicely. It was good, but not life changing. At 6 Euros a decent snack ...

Will do ... in a separate thread. We attended a wedding and spend some days around the happy occasion sampling the food and the scenery. I'll put a mini food blog together once I am back in HK

A brief (3 days) stop-over in Rome on the way back from Sardinia to Hong Kong ... Dinner in a non-described Trattoria in the Monti neighbourhood: Braised lamb intestines with artichokes. Well, all for me Roasted Guinea fowl with rosemary and olives. Very tender, very flavourful. Homemade pasta with dried tomatoes, olives and wild fennel. Grated young Pecorino. Excellent. Plenty of cheap & tasty house wine with it. Tagliatelle with Ragu for the little one .. Followed by local Gelato and for yours truly a glass of Maker's Mark in the rental apartment with a view. Good times ...

I lived 2.5 years in Japan after graduation and detested raw uni every single time I tried it. Literally the last week there I took my wife out for a farewell dinner in Tokyo, where I had the most amazing uni experience. Turns out I really love that stuff, but it has to be highest quality and most of all fresh ...

Yuzukosho - one of my favourite condiments. So underrated, maybe because so little known. Fantastic on grilled fatty pork as well ...

Impressive ... I think that would sustain our dragonboat team for one season. Maybe you can schedule your next visit to HK in the beginning of next season

Will it keep until Dragonboat day ?

First things that come to mind would be: Fish tacos: prepare fresh wheat tortillas from scratch and fry them in a hot pan. Pico de gallo with seasonal cucumber, tomato. Fish could be any regular white fish, fried or for a more seasonal & local touch either katsuo no tataki or unagi. Nepalese pumpkin momos: Roast kabocha, mix with lightly butter-fried spices and fold in some peas or maybe chopped edamame. Fill into store-bought Gyoza wrappers and fry up. Make a raita with seasonal cucumber and cold youghurt. Dessert: make caramel popcorn from scratch and serve over store-bought vanilla ice cream. Quick and easy ...

Looks great, HC! Do you notice an effect from the buttermilk soak on the squid? I am always struggling whether pretreatment of squid is actually effective or not ...

There is no poaching liquid - I suggested merely how to get silky tender chicken breasts via SV. For a more "Hainanese" touch you may add ginger, dried ginger, scallions, etc. (in moderation) amd just experiment ...