bc magazine

Grand Opening @ King Ludwig am Meer, Soho West – 10 November, 2024

The King Parrot Group celebrated the opening of their latest restaurant King Ludwig am Meer in Soho West with a party on 10 November, 2024.

Okay, I know many of you will go ‘Soho West!’ Well, think of Sai Wan Ho’s Soho East in the West. It’s a short walk from Nam Cheong MTR, and while it is all high-rise concrete and glass… The waterfront promenade is pet friendly, faces west to catch the sunset, and even boasts a view of Hong Kong Island. You can also, sort of, walk along the water’s edge all the way to West Kowloon and thence to TST and the Star Ferry.

All in all, in a very manufactured way, it is rather a nice place to grab some fresh air – especially now you can enjoy a cold beer at King Ludwig and sit outside!

USMEF Oktoberfest in Central Market – 29 October, 2024

Oktoberfest is one of those fun festivals that has been adopted globally. And just as Songkran encourages us to soak others in water, Oktoberfest is an ‘excuse’ for people around the world to have fun and dance on the table…

The US Meat Export Federation hosted a night at Oktoberfest in Central Market on 29 October. The open centre of the market has been converted into a Hong Kong style German Beer Hall including a stage where traditional German music from the Notenhobler’s sets the mood.

There’s a range of traditional German dishes: pork knuckle, pretzels, sauerkraut, apple strudel and some delicious US pork ribs.

After dinner, while enjoying your beer, you can blow the big horn and start the party with some fun games.

Click here for the full gallery of images

Choices, Choices, Choices…

Choices, choices, choices… The HKTB‘s Wine & Dine Festival is back with over 300 booths full of food and drink to explore savour and hopefully enjoy.

Everyone will have their own preferences and ideas as to how to explore the festival. My approach is what can I do and taste here which I probably can’t/wouldn’t away from the festival. And that mostly means food! There are so many wine and spirits shops in Hong Kong that you can buy a bottle of pretty much anything you want to sample away from the festival.

The Cutest drink

Honestly, to tease and please your tastebuds head to the Culinary Stars area first to sample dishes from some of Hong Kong’s finest restaurants including The Aubery, Fisholic, Hong Kong Cuisine, An Choi, The Baker and The Bottleman and The Grand HK which is showcasing their new Bakery.

Where Wine and Dine Shines…

When you go out to a restaurant you can enjoy one version of a dish. At the festival, several restaurants are, for example, offering Siu Mai – so you can buy from several booths and taste and compare them at the same time. Exploring how each chef views and thinks of such a basic staple and much-loved Hong Kong dish. The different flavours and textures are profound, surprising and delicious and will spoil you for your basic everyday version.

What Not to Miss!

The Vietnamese egg coffee at An Choi – as good, if not better than you’ll find on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

To the left of the entrance is the ‘hotel zone’ where some of Hong Kong fancy hotels are showcasing the favourite dishes from their restaurants. It’s also one of the areas where you can find vegetarian food.

There’s US and Argentinan Beef to enjoy.

Near the Star Fery entrance is the French zone with some lovely cheeses – a nice way to start or something to enjoy later with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Don’t forget to take pictures of your food

There are two live music stages, both of which have chairs, when you a rest.

Cheers and Enjoy!

Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival
Date: 23-27 October, 2024
Venue: Central Harbourfront Event Space
Tickets: $400, $290, $240
Notes:
23 October 2024 (Wednesday), 7:30–11pm
24–25 October 2024 (Thursday – Friday), 4–11pm
26–27 October 2024 (Saturday – Sunday), 12–11pm

Wine & Dine Festival 2024 – Opening Night

HKTB‘s Wine & Dine Festival 2024 buzzed with excitement and anticipation as booth owners—first-timers and old hands—rushed to finalize their preparations. Suddenly, it was 6:30 p.m., and the doors were open…

Click on any image to see the full gallery

Nikola Estates Wine Dinner @ Frites North Point

Frites North Point hosted a wine dinner on 25 September: the fine flavours of USDA-certified beef and pork accompanied by 6 delicious wines from Nikola Estates.

Click on any photo for the full gallery of images.

images: copyright bc magazine/Simon Durrant

Hong Kong Bans Japanese Seafood

Hong Kong will ban imports of aquatic products from 10 areas of Japan from Thursday 24 August, after Tokyo said it would start releasing wastewater from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Environment Minister Tse Chin-wan said the administration is taking a relatively conservative approach with the imports ban, limiting it to what he called high-risk coastal prefectures, as well as neighbouring areas.

The 10 prefectures involved are Fukushima, Tokyo, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama.

The ban covers all live, chilled, frozen and dried sea products, sea salt and seaweed.

Treasures of Hong Kong：The Soy Sauce Factor

This week’s RTHK Hong Kong Stories takes a look at the legendary Sammy’s Kitchen and its founder Sammy Yip.

Yip opened a steakhouse in Sai Ying Pun in 1969, serving up hotel-quality food at affordable prices – so as to allow the general public to experience the indulgence of a steak dinner.

To cater to the tastes of local Chinese diners, he later developed Hong Kong-style Western dishes, also known as “Soy Sauce Western Cuisine”.

https://youtu.be/IGrxSJl4Dow

Hong Kong Stories – Treasures of Hong Kong：The Soy Sauce Factor (https://youtu.be/IGrxSJl4Dow)

Sammy’s icon neon sign was saved when the restaurant relocated and is now on display at the M+ museum.

Sammy’s Kitchen
204～206 Queen’s Road West,
Sai Ying Pun
Tel: 2548 8400

Cod-licious – The Chippy, Granville Food Square, TST

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away… Ok, it was Chater Garden in 2015 – but today in twenty twenty-two it feels like a different time and place – an Englishman frustrated at the quality of fish and chips found locally imported a complete fish and chip shop, The Chippy, from Derby.

A bit extreme perhaps, but the massive queues and smiling faces at the Best of British pop-up event proved he wasn’t the only frustrated Hong Kong diner yearning for quality fish and chips. At the end of the week-long festival, the Englishman said he hoped to open a permanent version of The Chippy soon…

Is ‘seven years’ soon? I’m not sure, but the newly opened ‘The Chippy’ in Tsim Sha Tsui certainly scratches an itch. Crispy battered succulent Icelandic cod served on a bed of hot chips – simply delicious!

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And yes you will want to Instagram your beautiful-looking meal, but do it quickly so you can enjoy the freshly prepared meal hot. There are two sizes of cod; the Signature a 10-12oz fillet ($188) and a regular (5-6oz fillet, $108) served in a “Cod Save the Queen” Chippy Box full of plump English chips.

The Granville Food Square location seats around 60 and as well as fish the menu includes battered jumbo sausages, Pukka pies, mushy peas, curry sauce and proper gravy – all imported from Derby. Cold beer and drinks are also available in the food court and delivery options will be added soon.

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https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2022/20220611-The-Chippy-Tsim-Sha-Tsui/i-3dpSj6t

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The Chippy – Tsim Sha Tsui
Granville Food Square, 46-48 Granville Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel:
Opening Hours: 11am til late