bc magazine

Lai Yuen Cha Chaan Teng

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Lai-Yuen-Cha-Chaan-Teng-28-June-2017/i-wGrLBCz

Almost everyone over a certain age remembers Lai Yuen, yet today it’s a brand in search of an identity and a product. The recent carnivals at Central Harbourfront in 2015 and Asiaworld Expo last year were a dose of nostalgia brought to life. But Hong Kong has two amusement parks today and even with 60 million tourists a year there’s not economic room for another. So what now? Earlier this month Lai Yuen open it’s first cha chaan teng style restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. bc went along for a lai cha.

Cha chaan teng’s are such an integral part of Hong Kong life, can they be ‘modernised’ and ‘branded’ – the answer is a qualified yes. Surprisingly the dishes we tasted at Lai Yuen were pretty good. The menu is extensive and full of traditional dishes and drinks.

The lai cha milk tea ($21) has body and flavour and is nicely smooth, as is the ‘yuan yang’ ($21) both strangely are served in plastic mugs. There’s a fun unique twist to the signature Fresh Pineapple Ice ($31) you’re also given the pineapple so you can ‘squeeze’ more juice yourself. Rather clever, especially in today’s selfie taking world.

The portions sizes are good, the signature Lai Yuen chicken drumstick ($48) is massive, a full meal in itself. The Dino curries have a good range of flavours from the mild Japanese, served with a Pork cutlet ($72) to the slow cooked beef brisket ($78) which has a nice ‘bite’ to it without being overpowering.

Dinos instant noodles with bacon, kimchee and cheese sauce ($64) has four good sized slices of bacon, a fairly dense cheese sauce and again is very filling. The addition of kimchee might seem a little odd, but the sharpness cuts through the denseness of the cheese noodles – if you want it to.

One of the signature dishes is Roasted Whole Chicken With Glutinous Rice ($158). It looks good was tasty and filling, although the chicken was a little dry, but not something you’d instantly return to buy unlike some of the other menu items.

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A staple of any cha chaan teng is ‘French toast’ and Lai Yuen’s is pretty good. Offering a variety of options including a caramel version ($30, $36 with soft boiled egg) for those who find the traditional version too sweet. The bread is big, cut reasonably thick but the egg dip and frying lacked that little quality that takes a dish from good to memorable and must return for.

And the place itself… Well that’s where Lai Yeun is a little strange. For a brand so identified with entertainment there’s strangely little atmosphere. Cha chaan teng’s, like amusement parks, are vibrant energetic places but Lai Yuen isn’t – despite the merry-go-round style lighting and horses hanging from the ceiling. It’s hard to say exactly why, but pondering on it I think it was the grey/green walls. It’s such a drab colour and seems to suck the energy and life from place.

A strange colour choice, certainly not a brand building or a colour to establish an identity on. Which is a shame, because the food and drinks are good, portion sizes are filling meal sizes – no eating here and leaving hungry – and prices very reasonable for 2017. There’s not many places in TST where you can get eat better for the price.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Lai-Yuen-Cha-Chaan-Teng-28-June-2017/i-cMfxZVR

Lai Yuen
12-16 Granville Road, TST, Tel: 3598 3088
www.laiyuenrestaurants.com
Opening Hours: 10am-11pm

Food Glorious Food @ Hofex 2017

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The biannual Hofex descended on Hong Kong last week and bc went for a look see, here’s some of what we found. There’s a lot of food at Hofex but the majority of the suppliers, from across the globe, are food service orientated. That’s the provision of the food we enjoy in restaurants, cafes and hotels, from the raw ingredients to machines to technology.

In many smaller places, restaurant groups, but also even in hotel buffets, much of what you eat is outsourced and prepared in a factory or communal kitchens and reheated or finished just before you consume it.

The technology and cooking techniques in the food production area have improved massively in recent years – a simple local example would be the improved quality and options in the bread basket, where very few restaurants have the space/time to make their own – to the extent that with most dishes you shouldn’t be aware of the difference.

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Pizza is now a Hong Kong diet staple, with a plethora of different choices from low end to high end. As the big ‘specialist chains have expanded though the quality of many has noticeably dropped. You can even find frozen Tesco’s pizza in some supermarkets. At Hofex though Cypriot importer and online store www.greekdeli.com.hk was showcasing a frozen Greek pizza from Elliniki Nostimia. It’s tasty, full of flavour, loaded with cheese and available with a range of toppings and an estimated retail price of between $40-60. It should be available soon from outlets around town and also from their online store. And while you’re shopping there try out the various flavours of Greek yoghurts.

One of the big local food factories is Sims and among the many tasty things they were showcasing was a delicious chocolate dome comprising a hard chocolate outer shell, filled with soft moist chocolate sponge and then a liquid chocolate center. A difficult combination to execute successfully on a small scale let alone on a production line. Yet it was delicious. Not too sweet, the sponge moist, and so good we went back for a second later in the week.

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Brand extensions have been all the range among marketeers for a long time with many hoping to replicate, even on a small scale the phenomenal succe$$ of Hello Kitty. You’ll soon find on your supermarket shelves Jack Daniels BBQ sauces and Guinness Beer Brats and meatballs (Park n Shop, Jusco).

From Lativa comes Nelleulla chocolate flavoured with freeze dried fruit and lovely truffles coated with gold and filled with a range of flavours. The Taiwanese know how gold can help sell, and a company created a hand made nougat with a gold topping. Also from Taiwan for coffee lovers is a range of indigenous coffee with unusual flavours including sea salt coffee.

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Melbourne cheese makers That’s Amore Cheese showcased several cheeses including Drunken Buffalo (a matured Buffalo milk cheese encased in Nebbiolo grape skins and lees and matured for six months) and Secrets of the Forest (a handcrafted Buffalo milk cheese mixed with winter truffles and matured in wild hay for six months) both are wonderful cheeses with unique flavours and we hope to see both available locally soon.

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Not all of these are available now, but many should be in a retail or online store near you in the next few months.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Hofex-HKCEC-10-May-2017/i-cV3qt4C

Megabites Food News – 15 May, 2017

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Sainsbury’s in Hong Kong

A third British supermarket chain has launched it’s eponymous product ranges locally as Sainsbury’s make it’s first international foray. Waitrose has been available in Great Food Hall/Park n Shop for a couple of years and Tesco‘s own brand products have been available in Vango and Vanguard stores over six months.

Over 200 products from four different Sainsbury’s ranges – ‘by Sainsbury’s’, ‘SO Organic’, ‘Taste the Difference’ and it’s ‘freefrom’ wheat, gluten, milk, egg, nut – will be available primarily at Market Place by Jasons but also in some Wellcome and ThreeSixty stores. If the products prove popular expect the choice of items available to increase.

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Basilico $68 Set Lunch

Weekday Set Lunch prices have climbed and climbed in recent years and what used to be a value proposition of a reasonable tasting two course meal and non-alcoholic drink is now more often an expensive and not so generous portion with drink and service charge extra.

There are still some good set lunch offers to be found and the recently renovated kitchen at Basilico (9/F, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay) is offering a two course lunch and drink for $68. The 7 main course options include wild mushroom risotto, stuffed pork loin, pizza and are accompanied with a soup or salad. For $108 the mains include black truffle linguini carbonara, New Zealand rib-eye steak and seafood linguini. A soft drink, tea or coffee is included with both and there’s no service charge.

Riesling Weeks Hong Kong

The fifth Riesling Weeks in Hong Kong, a month-long celebration of German wine led by its most famous grape Riesling, will take place in June. Over 100 outlets will participate this year. Riesling Weeks will start with a tasting event at the Oasis Room, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong on the 2 June hosted by German Wine Princess 2016 Christina Schneider. According to the press release there will be over 100 German wines to taste. Tickets are $250 (wine only) and $450 (German food and wine).

Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong: 5-7 September, 2017

This year’s Restaurant and Bar Hong Kong will take place from the 5-7 September, 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The hospitality trade show will feature over 300 companies showcasing a wide range of products including food and beverages, tableware, catering equipment, furniture, IT systems, seminars and chef masterclasses. The 2nd RBHK Spirit Awards will take place during the show.

Gourmet Asia 2018

A new high end food exhibition, from the organisers of Hofex, Gourmet Asia will make it’s debut from the 9-11 May, 2018 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Over 400 B2B companies are expected to attend.

Megabites Food News – 3 May, 2017

It might be Le French GourMay this month, but there’s lots of good and not so good Italian flavoured news in this week’s megabites.

Sadly at IFC Isola is to relocate and lose it’s gorgeous terrace and view across the harbour. Rumour has it that even after demanding that the restaurant renovate their interior a couple of years ago landlord IFC have decided they can make more money by taking the large space and splitting it into smaller shops, so there will three new restaurants opening soon… More details on those as we get them.

Isola will close in it’s current location (Shop 3071-75, Level 3, ifc mall) on the 31 May and reopen almost directly downstairs on the second floor on the 12 June with a little more upmarket feel and basically the same menu with some new dishes to reflect the slight change in the feel due to the new location. The reservation telephone number and website address will remain unchanged.

A recent Italian food tasting at Isola saw several local vendors showcasing their Italian sourced products. Among those offering sample tastes were Abrate whose imported Tratuf Langhe truffle and pesto crisps are big thick and delicious. There’s a technique to cooking pasta well and it exposes the taste and texture difference between the cheaper brands and the more artisan pasta. Budget is always a factor when shopping, but when you want to impress then choose a quality pasta or all your effort in creating a mind bending sauce will be for naught. As well as pastas Abrate’s web shop also features a good selection of truffle, mushrooms, spices, dried fruits, desserts and other Italian delights.

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Vigne Vecchie produce a wide range of Italian products including pates, sauces, pickled vegetable, oils, and a bc favourite delicious cherry tomatoes stuffed with tuna. Many are available locally through an online store and regular pop-up events give them an email to find out about their upcoming events [email protected]

Pizza Express has launched a new menu for summer with many of the new dishes featuring seafood and seasonal fruits. We’ve yet to taste the new offerings but some of the more interesting sounding are: Crab Flatbread; Hawaiian ‘PizzaExpress – which features pineapple chutney and parma ham instead of the more traditional pineapple chunks and the new Lava pizza which has burrata mozzarella and basil torn over a baked pizza topped with olives and cherry tomatoes. All the new dishes are available at all 19 Pizza Express outlets across Hong Kong.

To celebrate the grand opening of their Citywalk store Emack & Bolio will be giving away 500 free scoops/cones on the 13 May from 2pm. The new store is located at Shop UG19, Citywalk, 1 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Mun

Luxe Culinary Launch

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Nelson Siu publisher of local wine magazine Wine Luxe has launched a new catering service Luxe Culinary offering bespoke and celebrity chef catering. Currently there are three celebrity chefs on board celebrity chefs: Charmaine Cheung, Christian Yang and Jacky Yu and they have created a range of menus and canapés (priced upwards from $300 per 12 pieces).

As well food they offer advice on food and wine parings, cutlery and everything you need when you’d rather have someone else do the heavy lifting at your next party/ corporate event.

Harlan Goldstein’s Back!

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After a year travelling and exploring new tastes and flavours Harlan Goldstein is back as Ee Da Le, the first of four new restaurants with new partners ZS Hospitality, opens today. Hong Kong’s own ‘celebrity’ chef is not to everyone’s cup of tea. Over the years though he’s built a strong personal brand and a solid coterie of loyal customers and staff because not only is he a good chef he’s also very good at genuinely ensuring that the people who matter feel needed, welcome, important… as required.

While not every restaurant he’s opened has been either a critical or commercial success, the menus have usually been solid and the decor interesting if not extravagant.

At our tasting lunch, a trailer to the launch of Harlan III (this is Harlan’s third group of partners) it’s difficult to tell if the man has mellowed. The passion, ambition and desire are clearly still there with solid thoughts and ideas for the future – it’s fascinating and invigorating to listen as Harlan talks through the concepts and themes of the upcoming outlets as well as the ideas behind Ee Da Le.

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Every now and then though, it was like an alarm went off inside to reminded him that he was chatting to journalists and ‘celebrity chef Harlan’ would make an appearance and the comments become more rote and filled with soundbite cliches voiced somewhat unconvincingly from a man who appears a little nervous, not that he’d ever admit it, about opening night.

To use a cliche there are lots of people around who like to talk the talk, but few who can walk the walk. Harlan is one of those who’s passionate about food and has walked that talk into a series of fine restaurants over the last 20 years. So with Harlan the three-quel opening into a fiercely competitive market, we’ll leave the final word to the man “I’m back baby”.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2016/Ee-Da-Le-21-July-2016/i-QV2mStJ

Megabites: Mine @ Lan Kwai Fong

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Mine opened recently in Lan Kwai Fong, and is the latest by the team behind Ra, Zinc, and Port. The raw industrial look that characterised Port in TST is again in evidence with rough wooden plank walls reminiscent of a mine shaft while a mine truck rumbles above the fuel station (bar). The subterranean feel continues throughout with stones wrapped around protruding surfaces. The effect is of a mine tunnel but the bar is high ceilinged open and friendly with a dance floor at the rear. The outside tables, which include some cool saddle style stools, offer prime drinking and people watching opportunities.

The drinks menu and cocktail list feature a range of themed cocktails ($120/HH$80) martinis ($120/$80) and shooters ($85/$55). Draught beer is ($78/$45) while house / premium spirits are $80/ $90. Happy hour is 5-9pm daily.

The food menu is small with interesting takes on traditional pub dishes designed to be enjoyed or shared with a drink.

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Served in an iron skillet the Mac and Cheese Bullion ($78) is macaroni and cheese rolled into balls, breaded and deep fried and served with a sauce of mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup and chilli flakes to give it a little bite. Very tasty.

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The Smoked Pork Quesadillas ($138) are filled with pulled pork, lashings of jack and cheddar cheese lightly grilled until the cheese melts and served with fresh guacamole and sour cream. Delicious.

The Bacon Chicken Fries ($98) are thin fries covered in melted cheese, bacon and grilled chicken. A lovely combination that just screams out for a topping of gravy to transform this into a delicious poutine. A touch choice here between these and the nachos.

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The Chicken Waffle ($148) is a homemade waffle cut into eight and topped with cubes of grilled chicken breast, chipotle jam, jalapeño sauce, maple syrup and ranch dressing. It looks awesome and the balance of sweet and spice is perfect. The only slight problem with this dish is as the waffle cools it becomes soggy and doesn’t support the chicken. The solution, don’t let it get cold.

Served on a cast iron spade the Cuban Sandwich ($98) is pulled pork, pickles, sweet ham, yellow mustard and swiss cheese in a long bun served with a basket of fries. If you order it with the other dishes it doesn’t look quite as attractive, but it’s very filling, tasty and goes well with a cold beer/cider.

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For those looking for a lighter option, the Asian Steak Salad ($128) features rib-eye steak, cubed mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes, spinach, red cabbage and a slightly sweet Thai sauce with peanuts served on the side. A tasty salad for those looking for something more healthy.

The dishes are perfect for sharing or eating alone, portion sizes are good and the food quality is well above your average pub grub fare. The option exists on most dishes to swap the main meat if for example you prefer a chicken salad / quesadilla. Mine is a fun bar for a drink that also happens to serve some nicely presented and tasty bar food.

Mine
31 D’Aguilar Road, Lan Kwai Fong. Tel: 2461 7888
Open: 16:00-04:00 daily
Mine’s food menu is also on offer at Zinc.

Sidewalk Cafe, Tin Shui Wai

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Sidewalk Cafe opened it’s third outlet in Tin Shui Wai last month and if you’re in the area and looking for western cuisine it’s a solid place to go. With so many new restaurants opening each month finding something unique to catch diners attention is increasingly hard. Chef Hans option… a 1 metre pizza. No that’s not a mis-print Sidewalk Cafe’s signature pizza is 100cm long and a healthy 30cm wide with three different toppings ($268). A real table filler and tasty too – it also easily passes the how does it taste cold the next day test. Sadly for take away orders it’s sliced into three sections for ease of transport. There’s also a range of traditional 9 and 11 inch circular pizzas.

The rest of the menu offers a wide range of dishes from soups and salads, to pastas, risotto, steak and suckling pig. Portions sizes are good, with dishes well presented. bc tried the Baked Potato Wedges with meat and cheese ($42) a good filling starter with the potato nicely cooked and soft inside. The Baked Lasagna ($88) was enjoyable, cooked al dente and served with tomato sauce on the side. Personally I’d have preferred a few more herbs and spices in both parts of the dish but that’s my western tastes buds talking. The Pan Seared Barramundi Fillet with Spinach and Clams ($118) featured a generous portion of fish and half a dozen clams served in a white sauce on a bed of spinach. The fish was nicely cooked but the white sauce a little simple and thin.

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Sidewalk’s signature dessert is the Golden Snow Mountain ($68) a towering, it’s much taller than a can of soft drink, mass of toast, cream, ice-cream and fruit. It’s fun and designed to share. One word of caution, as with many restaurants in Hong Kong, some of the desserts and specialty drinks include that overly sweet artificial cream that you either love or hate. If you don’t like it (like me) then thankfully there are more than enough options to choose which don’t include it.

There’s a wide range of set lunches, teas and dinners which incorporate dishes from the main menu plus a soup/salad and a drink. If you want to share dishes you can as the portions are big enough. At Sidewalk Cafe you can have a good filling meal in a comfortable relaxed environment for $100-$150/person and up. A 1 metre pizza, love it!

Sidewalk Cafe
L128 Tin Shing Shopping Centre, 3 Tin Shing Street, Tin Shui Wai
Tel: 2682 8260. 7:30am-11pm daily

Other outlets:
Shop P8, Podium Floor, Telford Plaza 1, Kowloon Bay.
Tel: 2756 2218. 7:30am-11pm daily

Shop 503, 5/F The Spot, Sheung Shui.
Tel: 2868 2733. 8am-10:30pm

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